Scribes, Scrolls, and Scripture: The Amazing Journey of the Bible
May 17 / The Amazing Story of the Bible
Introduction: Why History Matters: Discussing common myths about how the Bible was formed, the concept of divine providence in textual transmission, and the
goal of textual criticism.
May 24 / Writing the Bible
Chapter 1: Materials & Methods: Exploring the invention of the alphabet, ancient writing materials (papyrus, parchment), scrolls vs. codices, and the culture of ancient scribes.
May 31 / Copying the Old Testament
Chapter 2: The Hebrew Text: The meticulous work of Jewish scribes, the Masoretic Text, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and how scholars reconstruct the original Old Testament text.
June 7 / Copying the New Testament
Chapter 3: The Greek Text: Examining the abundance of New Testament manuscripts, common scribal errors (intentional and unintentional), and how textual critics
weigh the evidence.
June 14 / The Old Testament Canon (Early Era)
Chapter 4: The First Collection: How the Jews recognized the Hebrew scriptures (Law, Prophets, Writings), the witness of Jesus and the Apostles, and the early
church’s view of the Old Testament.
June 21 / The Old Testament in the Reformation
Chapter 5: The Apocrypha Debate: Why Catholic and Protestant Bibles have different Old Testaments, the role of the Reformation Jerome and the Vulgate, and the Reformers' return to the Hebrew canon.
July 12 / Mid-Course Q&A & Synthesis
Chapter 6: A break for the class to ask questions and receive answers up to this point in the class.
July 19 / Early and Medieval Translation
Chapter 7: Beyond Greek and Hebrew: The Septuagint (Greek OT), the Latin Vulgate, early Syriac and Coptic versions, and the myth that the Bible was entirely
hidden from the public during the Middle Ages.
July 26 / The English Bible up to the King James
Chapter 8: The Price of Translation: John Wycliffe, William Tyndale's martyrdom, the Geneva Bible, and the historical context that led to the monumental 1611
King James Version.
August 2 / The English Bible after the King James
Chapter 9: Modern Translations: The discovery of older manuscripts (like Codex Sinaiticus), the shift away from the Textus Receptus, and understanding the
spectrum of modern translation philosophies (formal vs. dynamic equivalence).
August 9 / Providence and Preservation
Conclusion: Trusting the Text: Synthesizing the course. How believers can confidently trust the Bible they hold today, balancing the human elements of its history
with the divine reality of its inspiration.
Introduction: Why History Matters: Discussing common myths about how the Bible was formed, the concept of divine providence in textual transmission, and the
goal of textual criticism.
May 24 / Writing the Bible
Chapter 1: Materials & Methods: Exploring the invention of the alphabet, ancient writing materials (papyrus, parchment), scrolls vs. codices, and the culture of ancient scribes.
May 31 / Copying the Old Testament
Chapter 2: The Hebrew Text: The meticulous work of Jewish scribes, the Masoretic Text, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and how scholars reconstruct the original Old Testament text.
June 7 / Copying the New Testament
Chapter 3: The Greek Text: Examining the abundance of New Testament manuscripts, common scribal errors (intentional and unintentional), and how textual critics
weigh the evidence.
June 14 / The Old Testament Canon (Early Era)
Chapter 4: The First Collection: How the Jews recognized the Hebrew scriptures (Law, Prophets, Writings), the witness of Jesus and the Apostles, and the early
church’s view of the Old Testament.
June 21 / The Old Testament in the Reformation
Chapter 5: The Apocrypha Debate: Why Catholic and Protestant Bibles have different Old Testaments, the role of the Reformation Jerome and the Vulgate, and the Reformers' return to the Hebrew canon.
July 12 / Mid-Course Q&A & Synthesis
Chapter 6: A break for the class to ask questions and receive answers up to this point in the class.
July 19 / Early and Medieval Translation
Chapter 7: Beyond Greek and Hebrew: The Septuagint (Greek OT), the Latin Vulgate, early Syriac and Coptic versions, and the myth that the Bible was entirely
hidden from the public during the Middle Ages.
July 26 / The English Bible up to the King James
Chapter 8: The Price of Translation: John Wycliffe, William Tyndale's martyrdom, the Geneva Bible, and the historical context that led to the monumental 1611
King James Version.
August 2 / The English Bible after the King James
Chapter 9: Modern Translations: The discovery of older manuscripts (like Codex Sinaiticus), the shift away from the Textus Receptus, and understanding the
spectrum of modern translation philosophies (formal vs. dynamic equivalence).
August 9 / Providence and Preservation
Conclusion: Trusting the Text: Synthesizing the course. How believers can confidently trust the Bible they hold today, balancing the human elements of its history
with the divine reality of its inspiration.