Christ the King Episcopal Church
Lakeland, Florida
Sacred Scripture
"Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them."
(The Book of Common Prayer)
The Bible
The Bible is a sacred collection of writings whose name comes from the Greek ta biblia, meaning “the books.” It consists of two major sections: the Old Testament, which preserves the history, laws, poetry, and prophecies of ancient Israel, and the New Testament, which records the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and the early Christian community. Together, these writings form a narrative of God’s relationship with humanity, shaped and preserved over centuries.
The Bible embodies a profound spiritual heritage, representing the transmission of covenant faith and divine promise across generations. At its core, it is the spiritual legacy of a specific cultural group, namely the Israelites or Jews, from around the 10th century BCE to the 1st century CE in the ancient Levant. The stories of the patriarchs and matriarchs establish the bedrock of Israel’s identity and God’s commitment to the people. A commitment carried through law and prophet to future generations, ensuring continuity of faith and identity.
This heritage continues with Jesus, and the missionary work of the Apostles and early Christians as they extended God's love and expanded the scope of the promise. The biblical narrative thus remains relevant as the followers of Jesus are heirs of the same promise and members of the household of God. The Bible is a literary collection that serves as a living legacy shaping spiritual identity and purpose, and carrying the imprint of divine self-revelation to all creation.
God's Self-Revelation
All religion, in some fashion, seeks to make known divine communication to humanity. For Israel, as revealed in the Old Testament, their God became made manifestly known through creation, through the mighty acts by which the Lord God saved Israel, and through the words spoken by the prophets. It was through experiencing "the ways of God with men" that Israel came to recognize their God as "the one true and living God" (see Dei Verbum, 11, Second Vatican Council).
Ultimately, Jesus, the beloved Son and the Word made flesh, dwelled among us and revealed the fullness of God. This narrative forms the content and message of the New Testament.
To fully understand the Bible as God’s revelation, it cannot simply be viewed as a historical document for people living two thousand years ago. While it is a record of the beliefs of a communal faith, lived, witnessed, and passed on by a culturally unique group, the Bible can still speak to contemporary audiences. Therefore, as we read the narratives of the faith experience of Israel and the early Christians, we must discern how the living God still reveals God's self today.
When we refer to the Scriptures as the Word of God, we mean that they are divinely inspired as a means of self-revelation. We would do well to remember that the “Word of God” encompasses various interconnected concepts: creation, the events of salvation history, Jesus Christ, and the ongoing preaching of God’s message, among others. Moreover, while the Scriptures are regarded as inspired by God, they are also the product of human authors, containing language that reflects cultural and historical contexts.
The Canon
The term canon derived from the Greek canon and the Hebrew qaneh, both referring to a "rod" or a "bar" used for measuring. In the earliest days of the Christian movement, canon referred to a rule or norm of faith (regula fidei) used to measure fidelity to the apostolic preaching. By the 4th century, it began to denote a collection of writings recognized for their ecclesiastical usage and normative value for teaching the faith.
The canon of Scripture we have today is a carefully curated collection, selected and organized by a measure of expert knowledge and established criteria. This curation involved layers of decision-making, There are many layer of curation involved, from the storytellers deciding which narratives to share to the decisions made by Jewish and Christian leaders about which texts to ultimately include. This was an informal process, at first, that evolved into a more formal one over time.
For Anglicans, the canon of Scripture contains the Old Testament, Apocrypha (deuterocanon), and New Testament.
Translations
The Scriptures, rooted in their historical context, were originally composed in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek. There are several good and reputable English translations available, many approved for use in The Episcopal Church. At Christ The King Episcopal Church, we use The New Revised Standard Version for Sunday Worship and generally for group Bible study.
THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE
* indicates Apocrypha
OLD TESTAMENT
TORAH
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy
HISTORICAL BOOKS
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings,
1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah,
Esther (incl. additions*), Judith*,
Tobit*, 1-2 Maccabees*
PROPHETS
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Daniel (incl. additions*), Baruch*
The Twelve: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
PSALMS & WISDOM LITERATURE
Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,
Song of Songs, Sirach*, Wisdom*
NEW TESTAMENT
GOSPELS & ACTS
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts of the Apostles
PAULINE LETTERS
Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians,
1-2 Thessalonians, Philemon,1-2 Timothy, Titus
CATHOLIC LETTERS
1-2 Peter, James, Jude, 1-2-3 John
OTHER WRITING
Hebrews (Sermon), Revelation (Apocalypse)