Lesson 1: Introduction to the Bible: Its Nature and Authority Phunziro 1: Mau Oyamba a Baibulo: Mkhalidwe ndi Ulamuliro Wake
Duration: 30 minutes
The Bible is the holy book of Christians and the foundation of Christian belief, worship and daily life. The word Bible comes from the Greek word biblia, which means books. Although we talk of the Bible as a single book, it is actually a collection of 66 books written by about 40 different authors over a period of roughly 1,500 years, in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. In Malawi most Christian homes keep a copy of the Buku Loyera or the Good News Bible, and many churches such as the CCAP, Catholic, Anglican and Baptist use it as their main book for teaching and preaching.
The Meaning of the Bible
The Bible is God's word written through human authors who were guided by the Holy Spirit. In 2 Timothy 3:16 we read that all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. Christians therefore call the Bible the Word of God because they believe that through its pages God speaks to His people, teaches them the truth about Himself, shows them how to live, and reveals His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.
The Authority of the Bible
The Bible has authority in three main ways. First, it has religious authority: it is the final standard for what Christians believe about God, human beings, sin, salvation and eternal life. Second, it has moral authority: it gives rules, commandments and examples that guide Christian behaviour, such as the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) and the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 to 7). Third, it has spiritual authority: Christians believe that when the Bible is read and preached, the Holy Spirit uses it to change hearts, comfort the afflicted and bring people to faith.
How the Bible Was Formed
The books of the Bible were written on scrolls of papyrus and parchment. Over many centuries, the Jewish community and later the early Christian Church accepted certain books as inspired and rejected others. This process is called the formation of the canon. The Old Testament canon was settled by Jewish teachers around the first century AD. The New Testament canon was finally agreed by Christian Church councils in the fourth century AD (for example, the Council of Carthage in 397 AD). Different Christian traditions today have slightly different lists. The Catholic Bible has 73 books because it includes the Deuterocanonical (Apocryphal) books, while most Protestant Bibles used in the CCAP have 66 books.
Translations and the Bible in Malawi
The Bible was first translated into Chichewa in the late nineteenth century by missionaries such as those from the Livingstonia and Blantyre missions. The modern Buku Loyera, published by the Bible Society of Malawi, is widely used in churches, schools and homes. Having the Bible in one's own language, as 1 Corinthians 14:9 teaches, helps believers to understand and apply the Word clearly.
Why Study the Bible
Studying the Bible helps students to know God, to develop good character, and to understand the moral foundation of Malawian and world civilisation. Even those who do not accept the Bible as God's Word benefit from studying it because it has shaped literature, law, art, music and family life in much of the world.
Nthawi: Mphindi 30
Baibulo ndi buku loyera la Akhristu ndipo ndi maziko a chikhulupiriro, kupembedza ndi moyo watsiku ndi tsiku wachikhristu. Liwu lakuti Bible limachokera ku liwu la Chigriki la biblia, lomwe limatanthauza mabuku. Ngakhale timanena Baibulo ngati buku limodzi, kwenikweni ndi mabuku 66 osonkhanitsidwa pamodzi, olembedwa ndi anthu pafupifupi 40 osiyanasiyana pa zaka pafupifupi 1,500, m'zilankhulo zitatu: Chihebri, Chiaramaic ndi Chigriki. Ku Malawi, m'mabanja ambiri achikhristu muli Buku Loyera kapena Good News Bible, ndipo mipingo yambiri monga CCAP, Katolika, Anglicana ndi Baptist imagwiritsa ntchito Baibulo ngati buku lalikulu la chiphunzitso ndi ulaliki.
Tanthauzo la Baibulo
Baibulo ndi mawu a Mulungu olembedwa kudzera mwa anthu otsogoleredwa ndi Mzimu Woyera. Mu 2 Timoteo 3:16 timawerenga kuti Malemba onse anauziridwa ndi Mulungu ndipo ndi opindulitsa kuphunzitsa, kudzudzula, kuwongolera, ndi kuphunzitsa chilungamo. Choncho Akhristu amatcha Baibulo kuti Mawu a Mulungu chifukwa amakhulupirira kuti kudzera m'masamba ake Mulungu amalankhula ndi anthu ake, amawaphunzitsa choonadi chokhudza Iye mwini, amawasonyeza mmene angakhalire, ndi kuwulula ndondomeko yake ya chipulumutso kudzera mwa Yesu Khristu.
Ulamuliro wa Baibulo
Baibulo lili ndi ulamuliro m'njira zitatu zazikulu. Choyamba, lili ndi ulamuliro wachipembedzo: ndi muyezo womaliza wa zomwe Akhristu amakhulupirira za Mulungu, anthu, tchimo, chipulumutso ndi moyo wosatha. Chachiwiri, lili ndi ulamuliro wa makhalidwe: limapereka malamulo ndi zitsanzo zotsogolera khalidwe lachikhristu, monga Malamulo Khumi (Eksodo 20) ndi ziphunzitso za Yesu pa Phiri (Mateyu 5 mpaka 7). Chachitatu, lili ndi ulamuliro wauzimu: Akhristu amakhulupirira kuti Baibulo likawerengedwa ndi kulalikidwa, Mzimu Woyera umaligwiritsa ntchito kusintha mitima, kutonthoza osautsika ndi kubweretsa anthu ku chikhulupiriro.
Mmene Baibulo Linapangidwira
Mabuku a Baibulo analembedwa pa zikopa ndi mapepala a papyrus. Pakapita zaka zambiri, Ayuda ndi pambuyo pake Mpingo Woyambirira wachikhristu anavomereza mabuku ena ngati ouziridwa ndipo anakana ena. Ntchito imeneyi imatchedwa kuyambitsidwa kwa canon. Canon ya Chipangano Chakale inakhazikitsidwa ndi aphunzitsi Achiyuda cha m'ma zaka a 100 AD. Canon ya Chipangano Chatsopano inavomerezedwa ndi mabungwe ampingo cha m'ma zaka a 300 mpaka 400 AD (mwachitsanzo, msonkhano wa Carthage mu 397 AD). Masiku ano mipingo yosiyanasiyana ili ndi mindandanda yosiyanaserako. Baibulo la Katolika lili ndi mabuku 73 chifukwa limaphatikizapo mabuku a Deuterocanonical (Apocrypha), pamene Baibulo la Protestant lomwe limagwiritsidwa ntchito ndi CCAP lili ndi mabuku 66.
Mamasuliridwe ndi Baibulo ku Malawi
Baibulo linamasuliridwa koyamba ku Chichewa chakumapeto kwa zaka za m'ma 1800 ndi amishonale a Livingstonia ndi Blantyre Mission. Buku Loyera lamakono, losindikizidwa ndi Bible Society of Malawi, limagwiritsidwa ntchito mu mipingo, masukulu ndi nyumba. Kukhala ndi Baibulo mu chilankhulo cha munthu, monga 1 Akorinto 14:9 imaphunzitsa, kumathandiza okhulupirira kumvetsetsa bwino ndi kutsatira Mawu.
Chifukwa Choti Tiphunzire Baibulo
Kuphunzira Baibulo kumathandiza ophunzira kudziwa Mulungu, kukhala ndi makhalidwe abwino, ndi kumvetsetsa maziko a makhalidwe a chikhalidwe cha ku Malawi ndi padziko lonse. Ngakhale amene sakhulupirira kuti Baibulo ndi Mawu a Mulungu amapindula ndi kuliphunzira chifukwa lakhudza mabuku, malamulo, zojambulajambula, nyimbo ndi moyo wabanja m'mbali yaikulu ya dziko.
Exercise RequiredMasewera Ofunikira
You must pass this exercise to complete the lesson. Questions are randomly selected each attempt. Muyenera kupambana masewera awa kuti mumaliza phunziro. Mafunso amasankhidwa mwachisawawa nthawi iliyonse.