CONTENTS I. THE BOOK 1. Trivial Verses
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2. Jewish History in the Bible
9
3. Bible History
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II. THE PEOPLE 1. Missionaries & Christianization 2. Roman Emperors / Empresses (Pagan to Christian) 3. Popes
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a.) General b.) Trivial
41 44
4. Christian Scientists
52
III. THE BELIEF 1. Theological Studies
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IV. THE CONFLICT 1. Doctrinal Disputes
65
2. Religious Wars (Wars of Reformation)
73
3. Crusades
80
V. SPECIAL TOPIC 1. Comparative Religion
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PREFACE Being a member of a trivia group, I have come to realize that a reading material with accurate information is a must. Debates arise due to misunderstanding and this is sparked if wrong information is publicly circulated. During the Reformation era, this sort of ‘Battle of the Books’ began and Christians were akin to journeying in the middle of nowhere. This book attempts to give factual answers to some of the questions one ought to know. Though it is my wish to shed some light, I do not intend to settle any conflict between two opposing views. For some, the differences in theological insight lay deep within each community’s long established tradition. It is one’s duty to understand one’s tradition and discern the way of the Lord. Being also an apologist, I am more inclined to follow this verse from the bible. “Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.” (Romans 13:7)
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INTRODUCTION We live in a world of religious pluralism wherein we encounter a diversity of religious belief systems coexisting in society. In order to live harmoniously together, we need to respect these different belief systems and strive to understand their roots and values. Within Christianity itself there is also a diversity of theological beliefs. About half are Catholics; Protestants, broadly defined, make up 37 per cent. Orthodox Christians comprise 12 per cent of Christians worldwide. Other Christians, such as Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, make up the remaining 1 per cent of the global Christian population. Why the diversity? The author aims to provide a bit of the background/history of the diversity through his Trivia Book for Every Christian. It is in a Q&A format. But before looking at the answers provided at the end of each chapter, it is hoped that the reader will take time to go through the sources provided by the Bibliography and read further on to deepen one’s knowledge and understanding of the characters and events that had influenced the development of Christianity down the centuries to its present state. The Editors
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BIBLE HISTORY 1. What is the name of the seminal work in the history of biblical studies by Lutheran biblical scholar Julius Wellhausen (1844-1918 A.D.) published in 1883? It argues that the Torah or the Five Books of Moses (Pentateuch) was not written by Moses, but ascribed to him later by redactors from a series of completely independent chronicles. 2. Who was the priest and scribe who returned from exile in Babylon in 400 B.C., a reformer who reconstituted the Jewish community in Jerusalem on the basis of the Torah (Law or the regulations of the first five books of the Old Testament)? He is sometimes regarded as the father of Judaism i.e. the specific form the Jewish religion took after the Babylonian Exile. *3. What is the name of the Old Greek version of the Hebrew Bible? According to an old tradition, the first five books of the Bible (Pentateuch) were translated into Greek by about 70 elders sent to Egypt by the high priest Eleazar in Jerusalem at the request of King Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Alexandria, who wanted to add the Jewish Scriptures to his library. While the tradition may not be authentic, there was a large community of Jews living in Alexandria in 17
mid-third century B.C. and it is likely that the Pentateuch was translated for their benefit. The rest of the books followed gradually, probably over the course of several centuries. 4. What was the name of the book included in the Old Greek Bible that was written originally in Hebrew around 175 B.C. but was translated into Greek by the author’s grandson after 117 B.C.? He also wrote a foreword which contains valuable information about the book, its author, and himself as translator. **5. What was the term given to the list of official sacred writings of the Hebrew Scriptures allegedly selected by a council of rabbis? Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai (1st century A.D.), founder of a school and an authoritative rabbinic body at Jamnia, had a decisive influence on the continuance and development of traditional Judaism after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 A.D. *6. Who was the Christian bishop (died c.180 A.D.) who compiled the earliest known Christian canon of the Old Testament, a term he coined around 170? 7. Who was the apostolic father (185-253 A.D.) who used spiritual interpretation to defend the Old Testament from heretics like Marcion who rejected the Old Testament Scriptures, Jews and Gnostics? He is considered a mystic and the father of the homily. 8. Who was the early Christian apologist (160-230 A.D.) who first used the term “New Testament”? He wrote: “All Scripture is divided into two Testaments. That which 18
ANSWERS 1. Prolegomena to the History of Israel - (1883 A.D.) 2. Ezra - (400-301 B.C.) 3. Greek Septuagint Bible/ Alexandrian Canon/list * 49 books in Codex Vaticanus 4. Ecclesiasticus / Sirach 5. Palestinian Canon / Protocanonical - (90 – 100 A.D.) * 22 or 24 books depending on arrangement (based on Hebrew alphabets) * Equivalent to 39 books of the Protestant Bible 6. Melito of Sardis - (c. 179 A.D.) * removing the book of Esther 7. Origen - (185 - 253 A.D.) 8. Tertullian - (160 - 230 A.D.) 9. St. Irenaeus - (125 - 203 A.D.) 10. Muratorian fragment (c. 170-180 A.D.) * Not including Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 3 John. 11. Parchment (Vellum) 12. Ten Epistles 13. Council of Laodicea - (365 A.D.) 14. St. Athanasius - (297 - 373 A.D.) 15. Pope Damasus I - (r.366 - 384 A.D.) 16. Synod of Hippo - (393 A.D.) * total of 46 OT = since Jeremiah, Lamentation and Baruch were counted as one. * Equivalent to modern Roman Catholic Bible having a total of 73 books. 17. 3rd Council of Carthage - (397 A.D.); 17th Council of Carthage - (419 A.D.) 24
Did you know… that the term ‘bible’ does not originally mean something that is holy? Just like the term ‘ecclesia,’ it was used by the Greeks long before Christians came into existence, who adopted the term Bible, gave it a female gender and designated a sacred meaning. Bible simply means a book or a compilation of many books. First, there was paper, every sheet of paper was a product of a city named Gebal, named after an Egyptian god in ancient Phoenicia. The Greeks then called this place Byblos, since in Greek the word for paper is ‘biblion.’ This is rolled, hence the name scroll. Any manuscript or scroll is called ‘biblion,’ and a collection of biblion is termed ‘biblia’ or book. These terms entered the Jewish sacred scripture during the Hellenistic period. At that time, the Hebrew term ‘sepher’ for scroll was translated into biblion (Exodus 24:7) and the group of scrolls as biblia (Numbers 21:14).
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