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The following is information about the world at the time of Jesus which will help situate the religion both geographically and temporally. Some basic points about how the Bible is constructed and divided have also been included. This information will help clarify the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament, and also explain the most common words and places with an understandable meaning.

The Bible

• In the English Standard Version there are 39 books in the Old Testament, and 27 in the New Testament.
• Each book is named after the author who is accredited for writing it, or the ongoing theme in that particular book.
• The Bible is not necessarily in chronological order, without overlap, or without some books’ content being extremely similar to the previous.
• No one can truly know how many modifications have been made to the layout and original scripture of the Bible over the centuries. Some reasons for modification are: consistency between books; historical benefit; modernization.
• The Bible’s origin is both human and divine. The Bible’s content come from a profound collaboration between humanity and God.
• The Bible was breath out by God, but it was humans who wrote it down guided by His words, recording exactly what God instructed them to. All the authors were from different backgrounds and had different jobs, including anything from fisherman to tax-collector.
• The Bible is open to interpretation in many aspects which can be seen from how many variations of Christianity there are. What is encompassed by the Holy Trinity or exactly who Jesus is, cannot be defined, nonetheless, all interpretations lead to one divine entity and the law that must be followed.
• Bible studies is supposed to make you think about what God was trying to say, and the author’s meaning, not what you as a reader or listener think about it.

Old Testament vs. New Testament

• What is the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament? The Old Testament is used in Jewish faith, it includes the time which preceded Christ, and provides laws and teachings through stories. The New Testament is used in Christianity as is the Old Testament. The New Testament is the fulfilment of the prophesies in the Old. It is what was written after Jesus’ resurrection and includes the story of Jesus’ life.
• Judaism only uses the scriptures from the Old Testament. Christianity uses both the Old and the New Testaments.
• The Old Testament lays the foundation for biblical prophesy. It is divinely inspired.
• The Old Testament paves the way for an idea. The New Testament explains who He is.
• The Old Testament is the original Hebrew Bible, the sacred scriptures of the Jewish faith, written at different times between about 1200BC and 165BC. The New Testament books were written by Christians in the first century AD.
• The objective of the New Testament is to relate and interpret the new covenant which is represented in the life and death of Jesus Christ. The new covenant continues to be between God and the followers of Christ.
• Many believe that the God from the Old Testament is the same God from the New Testament revealing himself as Jesus Christ.
• The New Testament laws replace the Old Testament laws for any religion that uses both.
• The 10 commandments presented in the Old Testament were not abolished but fulfilled. It was a contract that was executed and discarded when heading into the Christian age, and Jesus then presented a new set of laws.
• On another note, the laws given to Moses were for the nation of Israel, they were to govern the Jews. Therefore, the Christians are not subject to these laws, but must abide by the new ones written for them and the church in the New Testament.
• Although the New Testament replaces the Old, none of the original Ten Commandments have been explicitly rejected or replaced.
• Both the Old and the New Testaments should be read to fully understand the New, and in the order they were written.
• Some of the main contradictions between the Old and New Testament are: divorce is allowed in the Old Testament; polygamy was allowed in the Old Testament, allowing men to have more than one wife; Moses enforced the Jewish Sabbath and laws, Jesus de-institutionalised both.
• Jesus used the Old Testament in his preaching because it was based on historical events, and he could use it to teach and support the principles of truth.

Rulers and locations during Jesus’ life

• Caesar Augustus, who ruled from 27BC to 14AD, was the Emperor of Rome when Jesus was born.
• When Jesus was born, King Herod the Great was king of Judea, he was appointed by the Romans as a “client king” and was Roman Jewish himself.
• Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, gave the order for Jesus’ crucifixion.
• Tiberius, who ruled from 14AD to 37AD, was Emperor of Rome when Christ was crucified.
• *Many original locations mentioned in the Bible cannot be located for sure in the present day, exact whereabouts are still being studied*
• Bethlehem, where the New Testament says Jesus was born, was in the hill country of Judea, about 10km south of Jerusalem. It was actually the Romans that gave the land this name.
• ‘Judea’ is the Greek and Roman adaption of the name ‘Judah’.
• Although under debate, there was said to be a United Monarchy which unified all the land under the name of The United Kingdom of Israel, until about the year 930BC. Shortly after this, the land was split into kingdoms, forming both The Kingdom of Israel and The Kingdom of Judah.
• Do not forget Jesus was a Jew.
• There were multiple other religions at the time of the Bible’s writing: Pharisees, Herodians, Sadducees, Mithraism, Essenes, Zealots, Diaspora.

Terminology

• ‘Prophetic writing’ is a text that describes or suggests something that does actually happen at a later date.
• A ‘prophet’ is someone who speaks for God. Some do predict the future, but this is not their main purpose.
• ‘Law’ refers to ‘God’s laws’ given to the people at Mount Sinai, as the commandment for a prosperous conduct in life.
• ‘Gospel’ means “good news”. The four Gospels are stories about Jesus Christ’s life and teachings, to experience him as your Saviour. They are the first four books of the New Testament.
• ‘Saviour’ is the one who saves you from your sins. ‘The Lord’ is a divine and singular entity that guides you through life with his laws.
• ‘Atonement’ is the action of making amends, it is what erases sin.
• ‘Judgement Day’ is the day when God comes to judge all dead and alive alike. Eternal life will be for those who put faith in God; eternal death for those who do not.
• Originally ‘The Sabbath’ was the seventh day of the week and fell on a Saturday, as the week used to be considered to begin on Sunday, not Monday. It refers to God creating the world in six days and resting on the Sabbath (Saturday). It officially starts at sundown on Friday and continues on to sun down on Saturday. However, with time, Sunday became associated with the day of rest due to Jesus’ Resurrection, and is now in Christianity, the seventh day.

Language evolution

• A note on language: an element which has shifted is that we are supposed to say “God willing” we will do something, and not assume that because we want to do something we will get to do it. Today, this term is hardly used and is mainly seen when talking about the weather.

Praying

• Praying means to communicate with God, there are many reasons to do so:
  • To thank or praise Him.
  • To talk to Him like you would a friend.
  • Somewhere to go for those who are alone or feel alone.
  • To bond with God, create a strong relationship with Him.
  • Dedicate time to Him.
  • To deepen your faith.
  • To show a belief in God’s word, and that He will do all that He said. A lack of praying means a lack in faith.
  • For wisdom.
  • To confess.
  • For Forgiveness.
  • It keeps believers humble (a virtue), as they remember God is in control.
  • To express need for something.
  • An act of peace, also bringing you peace for emotional health, reducing stress.
  • Relief system.
  • Prayer energizes the heart of the believer.
  • To attain clarity and focus, and avoid ignoring problems.
  • We learn how to express what we are feeling, face what we are going through.
  • Become more understanding of your own life, or of other people and their actions.
  • Shift our focus to others in a positive way.
  • For the healing of fellow believers.
  • To pray positively for your enemies.
  • To avoid temptation, it is a tool against Satan.
  • For salvation, both personally or for a whole people.
  • Believers pray because they are told to by God, and if the prophets and Jesus did so, then they should follow their example. This is how they learnt to receive God’s answers, His strength to go on, and strengthen others’ spiritually.
• When you pray you should be free of resentment or any other bad feelings towards fellow followers, and should always be aware of your own sins, clearly bringing them before God so as not to hinder your relationship with Him.
• Prayer is mainly reserved for private situations, it is not supposed to be a lofty gesture to flaunt in front of others.
• You should pray with persistence, trusting in God’s judgement to eventually give or deny, as He knows what is best for you.
• One must remember the primary function of prayer is not to ask God for something and expect to receive it, even though Luke 11:9 says “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find.”
• God will not always grant what is asked for in prayer, or He may wait a considerable amount of time before doing so (years). What should be asked for and has the highest possibility of being given, are the things which are in accordance with God’s will. You should follow the positive examples in the Bible and pray in accordance with the Commandments. Selfish prayers for earthly or fleshly desires will not be answered by God. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:3).
• Another element to remember is that one should not necessarily pray for money, but the tools, knowledge and opportunity to make it for oneself. Do not take the shortcut directly to your desires but put in the hard work to achieve them.
• Praying includes two main elements: asking for wisdom, which is to know the will of God; and asking in faith, which is to trust the will of God.
• Any time you want or need to talk to God is when you should pray. There is no specific time set out.
• Prayer should not be considered as a way of getting our desires in our earthly lives, but rather as a way of getting God’s will done on earth.
• The power of prayer is in its flexibility. It requires no special equipment, timing, location, and it can also be aloud or in your head.
• Whether you believe God is helping you, or you are actually helping yourself, prayer can help you better understand your problems, and with this focus and determination, you are more likely to solve the matter at hand.

The intent behind Christianity and its prophets

• Christianity brings its followers together by building a community, which is important for the survival of humanity.
• The point of the prophets was to spread God’s word and let everyone know how much He loved them.

The Bible. ESV, Good News Publishers, 2007.