According to the Scriptures

OBJECTIVE

In this module we will be using the creed to highlight important faith concepts. In today's lesson we will build on what we have learned in the past three lessons with an understanding of the source of our faith in the Scriptures. We will discuss the place of the Holy Scripture in the Orthodox Church, the Divine Inspiration, as well as the story of the Septuagint (LXX) and the Deuterocanonical Books. This lesson will build upon what students have learned in previous modules to emphasize the importance and role of the Scriptures in our Orthodox Faith.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 5 Minutes

Please review the previous week's lesson. (5 minutes)

Option 1:

Ask the students about their favorite book/novel that they have read.

What is it about? Who wrote it? Do you know when it was written? Would you suggest that your friends read it? If so, why?

Then, ask the same questions about the Bible

Today, we will discuss the most important book in our lives, the Holy Bible, the source of our faith.

Option 2:

Ask the students if they have ever visited a castle or palace, or maybe the White House? If they have or have not, ask what kinds of rooms do you think a palace has? A grand entrance, many hallways, maybe a music hall, and a large hall for events, etc. Each room and hall differs in their size, usage, and decoration.

We can think of the books in the Holy Bible as a beautiful palace with many rooms. NOTE: For this hook, please use visuals of a palace to help students understand the analogy.

First, you enter into a large luxurious entryway showing the greatness of the owner who built the palace - This represents the book of Genesis, which speaks about the Creator and His creation
Next, we go down a large hall with many portraits on the walls portraying the righteous people of God, talking about their life and achievements.
Other rooms contain historical pictures representing the historical books of the Bible which speak about the marvelous work of God in the life of His people.
Another room is called the music hall with beautiful songs, representing the poetic books such as the Psalms.
On the upper floor, there is a huge planetarium with many telescopes, representing the prophets who were watching and prophesying about the coming of the Messiah, the Son of righteousness (Malachi 4:2) and the Bright and Morning Star (Rev 22:16).
In the East Wing, there is a grand hall with four corners where the King meets his visitors. This represents the Gospel.
The administrative office of outreach and public relations represents the Acts and epistles of the Apostles who preached everywhere carrying the good news around the world.
The most important part of the palace is the Majestic Hall filled with fragrant incense and containing the throne of the King. It represents the book of Revelation which speaks about the heavenly kingdom, where the victorious believers will live forever with the Great King.

Today, we will discuss the most important book in our lives, the Holy Bible, the source of our faith.

Please note: this lesson builds upon the previous lesson in the New Testament Module "Introduction to the Holy Bible

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 3-5 Minutes

Memory Verse - "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." John 14:24

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 25 Minutes

A Story of Love

First, the Holy Scripture is a story of love.

When we read the Holy Scripture, we find the story of God's overflowing love through the creation of the world and all life. We see how God blesses, keeps, teaches, corrects, and leads persons to His Kingdom.

The ultimate expression of God's love recorded in the Holy Scripture is the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. St. John the Evangelist captured this beautifully, saying,

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:16, 17).

So, the single, most important message of the Holy Scripture is God's love for mankind, for you and for me.

If the Holy Scripture is a story of love, then our reading of it is an action of love. God expresses His love for us in the Holy Scripture and we return that love by reading the Holy Scripture and keeping His word. The Holy Scripture is God's word, and when we read it, we show our love for God.

The Central Truth

Second, the Holy Scripture is the central source of truth in the Orthodox Church and in our own lives. In the Orthodox Creed, we specify that our beliefs are "according to the scriptures."

In the Orthodox Church

The Holy Scripture is the basis for everything in the Orthodox Church. Our worship, beliefs, and practice all have a basis in the Holy Scripture.

All its doctrines are obtained from the Scriptures
Our daily prayers (the Seven Hours) consist mainly of Psalms and passages from the Gospels
The Divine Liturgy contains many readings from Psalms, Gospels, Pauline and Catholic Epistles and the Acts of the Apostles
The praises, which precede the Liturgy consist of many Biblical songs, expressing the joy of deliverance, like the praise for passing the Red Sea and that of the three Children in the fiery furnace
The Liturgy itself is a collection of Biblical quotations or prayers supported by Biblical references
Prayers of the Holy Mysteries are based on Biblical references
During the Great Fast and Holy Week, we have additional readings from the Old Testament

In Our Lives

Just as the Holy Scripture is the central source of truth in the Orthodox Church, so also is it in our own spiritual lives as Orthodox Christians. The Church sets an example for us to follow.
Many of the Church fathers, such as St. John Chrysostom encourage all Christians to base their lives on the Holy Scripture. It is a weapon to fight evil, help us in any struggles, and to help keep us from sin. It is like a ladder that brings our hearts up to heaven.

The Content of the Holy Scripture

We can view the Holy Scriptures as one divine work made up of a library of books.

The Old Testament (OT)

The OT contains 49 books written over a period of many centuries before the birth of Christ. They contain the history of ancient Israel, the law, prophecies, psalms, and wisdom.

You may have heard that the OT only contains 39 books, rather than 49. The reason for this discrepancy is that the Protestant churches have removed certain books completely from the Holy Scripture, stating they have no authority and are simply historical books.

Tobit, Judith, Sequel of Esther, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, Sequel of Daniel, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Psalm 151

In other churches, these books are referred to as "apocrypha," however in the Orthodox Church, we refer to them as "deuterocanonical." It is true that we use them in a less authoritative way than the other books, but this does not minimize their spiritual value and canonical status within the church.

The New Testament (NT)

The NT is made up of the Gospel, which is an account of the life and work of our Lord Jesus Christ; the Acts of the Apostles and the various epistles, which teach us about the early Church; and the Book of Revelation, which speaks to us about the Second Coming.

Although we oftentimes speak of the "gospels," in reality the Gospel is one. This is why, in our Orthodox Church, we say a reading from the Gospel according to St. Matthew/Mark/Luke/John.

In the same way, although we oftentimes speak of the Old and New Testaments separately, the Holy Scripture is one. It speaks to us about the same thing and was written by the same Author -- Holy Spirit. Whatever was written, recorded, and compiled in the Holy Scripture came through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Because of this, we need to keep the unity of the Holy Scripture in our mind.

Translation of the Holy Scripture

Today, there are many translations of the Holy Scripture; not just in different languages, but different translations of English as well It is important to make sure that we read a translation that is faithful to the original text, rather than what may be a distorted version. The Coptic Church uses the New King James translation for the New Testament and the Septuagint for the Old Testament.

The Septuagint

Greek Translation of the Old Testament completed in the 3rd century B.C.
Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself used the LXX in all of His quotations of the OT in the Gospel.
The Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers of the Church also consistently used the LXX in their works.
In the 3rd century B.C., the Egyptian Pharaoh Ptolemy II commissioned 70 or 72 of the best Hebrew Scholars to translate the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek.
These 70 or 72 scholars finished the translation in 72 days. One of the early Church fathers, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, teaches us that, when they compared the 70 versions, they found all of them to be miraculously and perfectly identical. From this story, we get the title LXX as the abbreviation for the Septuagint, which are the Roman numerals for "70."

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 10 Minutes

Review

Where do we see the Holy Scripture being applied in our liturgy?
What is the difference between the Protestant Old Testament and the Orthodox Old Testament?
Where in the Orthodox Creed do we refer to the source of our faith as scripture?
What is the Septuagint?
Why is it abbreviated LXX?

Discuss

Why do you think the translation of the Bible is important?
How can you incorporate the Holy Scriptures into your daily life?
What are some things you can do to help you understand what you are reading when you are reading the Bible? (See Life Application section)

LIFE APPLICATION - 7 Minutes

The Holy Scriptures are central to our life as Orthodox Christians. Just like the Church incorporates the Holy Scriptures into our liturgical practices, we must also incorporate the Holy Scriptures into our daily lives by reading the Bible daily as part of our spiritual routine.

Write It - write out a favorite verse or sentence. Use fancy lettering if you like
Draw It - draw a picture of what you read
Research it - Use the info in your Bible to find out: who wrote it? Who did they write it to? Why was it important to write down? Where is it in the timeline of the Bible?
Pray It - Change each sentence a bit to turn the words into a prayer
Imagine It - Imagine yourself in the story. What does it look/feel/smell/sound like?
Play It - Act it out or re-enact with stuffed animals,s play dough, or building blocks/legos
Sing It - Does the passage remind you of a song? If not, you can make your own
Ask It - Does this passage remind you of another passage? What does it show you about God?
Speak It - Read it out loud, or read it to someone else (sibling, friend, parent, etc.)

ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes

Option 1 - Cards

Have the students play a Bible version of the card game known as "War." This two-part card game will have kids pronouncing the Bible book names correctly, as well as putting the books in order.

HOW TO PLAY

Players shuffle and divide a set of cards between them, and then simultaneously turn over the top cards from their piles, reading the book names aloud. The player whose card comes later in the Bible collects both cards.
Once all cards are played, players work together to correctly order all the cards.

Option 2 - Bible Bingo

Play "Bible Bingo" with the students, so they can grow more familiar with the various books of the Holy Scripture.

Bible Bingo Cards

Option 3 - Worksheet

Use the attached worksheet below to have students identify books in the Old/New Testaments and to learn about commonly used abbreviations of books.

Option 4 - Hidden Message

Using the attached worksheet below and markers/crayons, have the students color in the squares that are books of the Bible to reveal a hidden word

If time allows, have the students watch the following video:

SERVANT RESOURCES

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

Encourage your children to incorporate Bible reading into their daily routines if they have not. It may be helpful to follow a Bible reading plan and encourage them to track their progress Some sample reading plans can be found below: