Bibliography by Moody

The information that follows was recorded from The Moody Handbook of Theology by Paul Enns.

Bibliography: Doctrine of The Bible

The English word bible is derived from the Greek word biblion, which means "book" or roll." The name comes from byblos, which denoted the papyrus plant that grew in marshes or river banks, primarily alone the Nile. Writing materials was made from the papyrus plant by cutting the pith of the plant in one foot strips and setting it in the sun to dry. The strips were then laid in a criss-cross fashion similar to the way plywood is constructed today. The horizontal rows were smoother and became the writing surface. Sections of these strips were glued together for form a scroll up to thirty feet in length.
Eventually, the plural form biblia was used by Latin-speaking Christians to denote all the books of the Old and New Testaments.

The word translated "Scripture" comes from the Greek word graphe, which simply means "writing." In the Old Testament this writing was recognized as carrying great authority (e.g. 2 Kings 14:6, 2 Chron. 23:18; Ezra 3:2; Neh. 10:34). The "writings" of the Old Testament were eventually collected into three groups called the Law, Prophets, and Writings (or Psalms), and Scriptures—were formally combined into the Old Testament canon.
In the New Testament the Greek verb grapho is used about ninety times in reference to the bible, while the noun form graphe is used about fifty-one times int he New Testament, almost exclusively of the Holy Scriptures. In the New Testament the designations vary: "the Scriptures," designating collectively all the parts of Scripture (e.g. Matt. 21:42; 22:29; 26:54; Luke 24:27, 32, 45; John 5:39; Rom. 14:4; 2 Peter 3:16) or individual parts of the Scriptures (Mark 12:10; 15:28; John 13:18; 19:24, 36; Acts 1:16; 8:35; Rom. 11:2; 2 Tim. 3:16); "the Scripture says," fairly synonymous with quoting God (e.g. Rom. 4:3; 9:17; 10:11; Gal. 4:30; 1 Tim. 5:18). They are also termed "Holy Scriptures" (Rom. 1:2) and the Sacred Writings" (Greek hiera grammata, 2 Tim. 3:15). The classic passage, 2 Timothy 3:16 stresses that these writings are not ordinary writings but at in fact "God-breathed," and as such they are authoritative and without error in all that they teach.

Divine Origin of The Bible

Claim of The Bible

There are many evidences that the Bible is an entirely unique book, quite unlike any other work. The unique claims within the Bible itself bear witness to tis unusual character. Some thirty-eight hundred times the Bible declares, "God said," or "Thus says the Lord" (e.g. Ex. 4:1; 20:1; Lev. 4:1; recognize that the things he was writing were the Lord's commandments (1 Cor. 14:37), and they were acknowledged as such by the believers (1 Thess. 2:13). Peter proclaimed the certainty of the Scriptures and the necessity of heeding the unalterable and certain Word of God (2 Pet. 1:16-21). John too recognized that his teaching was form God; to reject his teaching was to reject God (1 John 4:6).
In response to those who would reject the above-mentioned argument, it should be noted that the writers who made those claims for the Scripture were trustworthy men who defended the integrity of the Scripture at great personal sacrifice. Jeremiah received his message directly form the Lord (Jer. 11:1-3), even his family rejected him (Jer. 11:21); even his family rejected him (Jer. 12:6). Counterfeit prophets were readily recognized (Jer. 23:21, 32; 28:1-17). However, the Bible's claims should not be understood as arguing in a circle or by circular reasoning. The testimony of reliable witnesses—particularly of Jesus, but also of others such as Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, and Nehemiah in the Old Testament, and John and Paul in the New Testament—affirmed the authority and verbal inspiration of the Holy Scriptures.


Continuity of The Bible

The divine origin of the Bible is further seen in considering the continuity of its teaching despite the unusual nature of its composition. It stands distinct from other religious writings. For example, the Islamic Koran was compiled by and individual, Zaid ibn Thabit, under the guidance of Mohammed's father-in-law, Abu Bekr. Additionally, in A.D. 650, a group of Arab scholars produced a unified version and destroyed all variant copies to preserve the unity of the Koran. By contrast, the Bible came from some forty different authors from diverse vocations in life. For instance, among the writers of Scripture were Moses, a political leader; Joshua, a military leader; David, a shepard; Solomon, a king; Amos, a herdsman and fruit pincher; Daniel, a prime minister; Matthew, a tax collector; Luke, a medical doctor; Paul, a rabbi; and Peter, a fisherman.
Moreover, the Bible was not only written by a diversity of authors, but also in different locations and under a variety of circumstances. In fact, it was written on three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. Paul wrote from a Roman prison was well as from the city of Corinth—both in Europe; Jeremiah (and perhaps Moses) wrote from Egypt in Africa; most of the other books were written in Asia. Moses probably wrote in the desert, David composed his Psalms in the countryside, Solomon contemplated the Proverbs in the royal courts, John wrote as a banished person on the island of Patmos, and Paul wrote five books from prison.
It is apparent that many of the writers did not know of the other writers of Scripture and were unfamiliar with the other writings, inasmuch as the writers wrote over a period of more than fifteen hundred years, yet the Bible is a marvellous, unified whole. There are no contradictions or inconsistencies within its pages. The Holy Spirit is the unifier of the sixty-six books, determining its harmonious consistency. In unity these books teach the triunity of God, the deity of Jesus Christ, the personality of the Holy Spirit, the fall and depravity of man, as well as salvation by grace. It quickly becomes apparent that no human being(s) would have orchestrated the harmony of the teachings of the Scripture. The divine authorship of the Bible is the only answer.

Divine Revelation of The Bible

Definition of Revelation

The word revelation is derived form the Greek word apokalupsis, which means "disclosure" or "unveiling." Hence, revelation signifies God unveiling Himself to mankind. The fact that revelation has occurred renders theology possible; had God not revealed Himself there could be no accurate or propositional statements about God. Romans 16:25 and Luke 2:32 indicate that God has unveiled Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. That is the epitome of God's revelation.


General Revelation

General revelation, although not adequate to procure salvation, is nonetheless an important antecedent to salvation. General revelation is God revealing certain truths and aspects about His nature to all humanity, which revelation is essential and preliminary to God's special revelation.
God's revelation in nature is perhaps the most prominent demonstration of general revelation. Pslam 19:1-6 affirms His revelation to the human race in the heavens as well as on earth.
Romans 1:18-21 further develops the concept of general revelation. The "invisible attributes," "eternal power," and "divine nature" of God have been "clearly seen" (v. 20). The human race is rendered guilty and without excuse through God's revelation of Himself in nature. This revelation gives mankind an awareness of God but is of itself inadequate to provide salvation (cf. also Job 12:7-9, Psalm 8:103, Isa. 40:12-14, Acts 14:15-17).
God has also revealed Himself to the human race through His providential control. It is through His providential goodness in supplying people sunshine and rain that enables them to live and function (Matt. 5:45; Acts 14:15-17). Paul reminds the people at Lystra that God's providential goodness was a witness to them (Acts 14:17). God's providential control is evident in His dealing with the nations. He disciplined His disobedient people of Israel (Deut. 28:15-68) but will also restore them (Deut. 30:1-10); He judged Egypt for sinning against Israel (Ex. 7-11); He raised the nations to power and also caused their demise (Dan. 2:21a, 31-43).
Further, God has revealed Himself through conscience. Romans 2:14-15 indicates God has placed intuitional knowledge concerning Himself within the heart of man. "Man intuitively knows not only that God values goodness and abhors(loathes) evil but also that he is ultimately accountable to such a righteous Power."* While the Jews will be judged according to the written law, Gentiles, who do not have the written Law, will be judged according to an unwritten law, the law of conscience written on their hearts. Moreover, Paul says the conscience acts as a legal prosecutor (v. 15). "Conscience may be regarded as an inner monitor, or the voice of God in the soul, that passes judgment on man's response to the moral law within."*

*Bruce A. Demarest


Special Revelation

Special revelation involves a narrower focus than general revelation and is restricted to Jesus Christ and the Scriptures. Of course, all that is known of Christ is through the Scriptures; therefore, it can be said that special revelation is restricted to the Scriptures.
Special revelation has been necessitated because of man's sinful estate through the Fall. In order to restore fallen humanity to fellowship with Himself it was essential that God reveal the way of salvation and reconciliation, hence, the essence of special revelation centers on the Person of Jesus Christ. He is displayed as the One who has explained the Father (John 1:18). Although, in the past people have not seen God, "Jesus has now given a full account of the Father."* Jesus declared that both His words (John 6:63) and His works (John 5:36) demonstrated that He revealed the Father—and both His words and His works are accurately recorded in Scripture. Hebrews 1:3 indicates Christ is the "radiance of (God's) glory and the exact representation of His nature." The first phrase reveals that Christ is the precise reproduction of the Father. Jesus Christ has fully revealed the Father to a sinful humanity and through His redemption has enabled mankind to be restored to fellowship with God.
Because the Bible is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16) and written by men carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21), the Bible is entirely reliable and accurate in its portrayal of Jesus Christ.

Interpretation of The Bible

Several important principles are basic in the interpretation of Scripture.


Literal Interpretation

Literal interpretation means the words and sentences of Scripture are understood in their normal meaning—the ways that words are understood in normal communication. It is a literal or normal meaning of words that is the basis of communication. Biblically there is a precedence for interpreting the New Testament literally. Old Testament prophecies like Psalm 22, Isaiah 7:14; 53:1-12, Micah 5:2 have all been fulfilled literally.


Grammatical Relationships

Because we acknowledge the verbal (words) and plenary (full) inspiration of Scripture it is incumbent on us to pay attention to the words of Scripture. Grammatical relationships are important to study because words stand in relationship to each other; therefore, it is necessary to study verb tenses, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and laws of structure.


Historical Context

The historical context is important as a framework form which to interpret the Scriptures. Every book of Scripture was written in a historical context that should be understood in order to help interpret the book accurately.


Literal Context

Interpreting in context involves three main steps.
Study the immediate context. The immediate context should be carefully studied; several paragraphs preceding and following the passage should be studied.
Study the more remote context. The major segment of the book (usually 2-3 chaps.) in which the passage occurs should be studied.
Consider the context of the entire book. The emphasis of the entire book should be studied.
The subject of interpretation is a major subject in itself and vitally important to the correct understanding of Scripture.

*Leon Morris


Reference: The Moody Handbook of Theology by Paul Enns, Pages 154-159, 175-176.