JCE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE SYLLABUS

a. The Holy Book of the Christian Religion consisting of the Old and New Testament.

b. The Book of Holy writings or the Scripture.

- The word Bible comes from the Greek: ‘ta bibilia’ which means ‘the books’.

How many Books does the Bible have?

a. 66 books

Divisions of the Bible

- Old Testament - Has 39 books.

- New Testament - Has 27 books.

CATEGORIES OR SUB-DIVISIONS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS

1. Pentateuch (Torah or Law)

- The first 5 books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Numbers.

The uniqueness of the Pentateuch

i. This is the most authoritative book in the Old Testament.

2. Historical Books

- Has 12 books: Joshua, Ruth, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, Ezra, Esther, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1

Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, and Nehemiah.

Importance of Historical Books

i. They give History of how Israelites were behaving before God.

ii. They pass on History or information from generation to generation.

3. Wisdom Books

- Has 5 books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs

Importance of Wisdom Books

i. They guide the Christians on what to do

ii. They help in advising the Church members

4. Prophetic Books

- Has 17 books sub-dived into Major and Minor Prophets.

- The Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentation, Ezekiel, Daniel.

- The Minor Prophets: Nahum, Habakkuk, Zechariah, Obadiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Jonah,

Micah, Zephaniah, Haggai, and Malachi.

Difference between Major Prophets and Minor Prophets

i. Major prophetic books are those with more stories as compared to minor prophetic books which

have little recordings

Which division can be used to teach good manners and behaviours in the youth?

a. Wisdom literature

CATEGORIES OR SUB-DIVISIONS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS

1. Gospels

- Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.

Uniqueness of the Gospels

i. They have stories about Jesus.

2. History

- Acts

3. Letters

- Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonica, 2

Thessalonica, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, Colossian, Ephesians, James, 1

Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude.

14. Apocalyptic

- Revelation

Importance of the Apocalyptic Book

i. It was used to deliver God’s messages under tension circumstances.

ii. To give hope to those people who were oppressed

Disadvantages of apocalyptic Book

i. The recipients could miss some of the information in the language.

Why do most leaders not entertain criticism?

i. Most leaders are selfish; they want to be above everybody.

Which Division is found in both the Old and the New Testament?

a. Historical books

TYPES OF LITERARY FORM OF THE BIBLE

a. Narratives

- These are accounts of what happened in the past about a Nation or a King.

- Example: How Solomon built a Temple in 1 Kings 6:1-38.

Importance or use of Narratives

i. They pass on History from one generation to the other.

b. Poetry

- This is a collection of poems.

- Examples: Song of Songs, Psalms.

Importance or uses of Poetry

i. For praising God

ii. For entertaining people during ceremonies

iii. To convey messages to the authority or God

c. Songs

- A song is a piece of music with words that one sings.

Importance or use of Songs

i. For praising God

ii. For entertaining people during worship

iii. For conveying messages to God

d. Oracles or Prophecies

- These are warnings issued to people on what would happen in the future because of disobeying

God.

Importance or use of Oracles or Prophecies

i. To predict the future punishment.

e. Parables

- A parable is an imaginary story with some teaching about Kingdom of God.

Importance or use of parables

i. To attract listeners’ attention

ii. To help people remember the message

Who is a Patriarch?

- A male head of the family or community that people have a lot of respect for.

male leader, elder or ruler.

- A father-ruler,

List four Patriarchs recorded in the Bible

• Abram or Abraham

• Isaac

• Jacob or Israel

• Joseph