Lesson 1: Canon of Scripture: How the Bible Came to Us Phunziro 1: Canon ya Malemba: Momwe Baibulo Linafikira Kwa Ife
Duration: 30 minutes
Christians speak of the Bible as the inspired word of God, yet the Bible as we know it today did not arrive as a single finished book. It was gathered, tested and recognised by the early Jewish and Christian communities over many centuries. The story of how the Bible came to us is called the history of the canon, from the Greek word kanon meaning a measuring rod or rule.
The Meaning of Inspiration
The Christian conviction that the Bible is inspired rests on texts such as 2 Timothy 3:16, which says that all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, and 2 Peter 1:20-21, which teaches that prophecy never came by human will but by people being carried along by the Holy Spirit. Inspiration does not mean dictation. The human authors wrote in their own languages, using their own personalities and historical settings, but the Holy Spirit guided them so that their words communicated God's message faithfully.
Formation of the Old Testament Canon
The Hebrew Scriptures grew in three stages. The Law (Torah or Pentateuch) — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy — was accepted first, traditionally linked with Moses. The Prophets followed, including the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings) and the Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the Twelve). The Writings (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ruth, Esther and others) were the last to be gathered. Jewish tradition associates the final recognition of the Hebrew canon with the period after the return from exile, and Christian churches received this collection as the Old Testament.
Formation of the New Testament Canon
The New Testament grew out of the life of the early Church. The letters of Paul, written in the 50s and 60s of the first century, were copied and shared between churches. The four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John — were written and circulated in the second half of the first century. Acts, the general letters and Revelation completed the twenty-seven books. Early Christians tested each writing by three measures: apostolic origin, agreement with the rule of faith and widespread use in worship. By the fourth century, councils such as Hippo (AD 393) and Carthage (AD 397) confirmed the list of twenty-seven New Testament books already accepted by most churches.
Translations and the Common Believer
The Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek in the third and second centuries BC, producing the Septuagint, which the first Christians read. Jerome later produced the Latin Vulgate around AD 400. During the Reformation, scholars such as Martin Luther (German, 1534) and William Tyndale (English, early 1500s) translated the Bible into the languages of ordinary people. In Malawi, missionaries and local translators produced the first Chichewa Bible in the early twentieth century, allowing the gospel to speak directly to Malawian readers.
Uses of the Bible Today
Because the Bible is believed to be inspired, it serves many purposes: worship and liturgy, preaching and teaching, moral guidance (Psalm 119:105), prayer and meditation, counselling, academic study and a basis for oath-taking in courts. Each of these uses depends on the conviction that the text carries God's authority across time and culture.
Nthawi: Mphindi 30
Akhristu amati Baibulo ndi mau ouziridwa a Mulungu, koma Baibulo monga timadziwira lero silinafike ngati buku limodzi lokonzeka. Linatoledwa, linayesedwa ndi kuvomerezedwa ndi mipingo yoyambirira ya Ayuda ndi Akhristu m'zaka zambiri. Mbiri ya momwe Baibulo linafikira kwa ife imatchedwa mbiri ya canon, kuchokera ku mawu achi Greek akuti kanon otanthauza ndodo yoyezera kapena lamulo.
Tanthauzo la Kuuziridwa
Chikhulupiriro cha Chikhristu chakuti Baibulo linauziridwa chimazikika pa malemba monga 2 Timoteyo 3:16, amene amati Malemba onse ndi ouziridwa ndi Mulungu ndipo amathandiza pophunzitsa, kudzudzula, kukonza ndi kuphunzitsa chilungamo, komanso 2 Petro 1:20-21, amene amaphunzitsa kuti ulosi sunabwere chifukwa cha kufuna kwa munthu koma anthu anayankhula motsogoleredwa ndi Mzimu Woyera. Kuuziridwa sikutanthauza kulamulidwa mawu ndi mawu. Olemba a munthu analemba m'zilankhulo zawo, pogwiritsa ntchito khalidwe lawo ndi mbiri yawo, koma Mzimu Woyera anawatsogolera kuti mawu awo atumize uthenga wa Mulungu mokhulupirika.
Kapangidwe ka Canon ya Chipangano Chakale
Malemba achiHeberi anakula m'magawo atatu. Lamulo (Torah kapena Pentateuch) — Genesis, Eksodo, Levitiko, Numeri ndi Deuteronomo — linavomerezedwa choyamba, ndipo mwambo umalumikiza ndi Mose. Aneneri analowa pambuyo pake, kuphatikizapo Aneneri Akale (Yoswa, Oweruza, Samueli, Mafumu) ndi Aneneri a Kumapeto (Yesaya, Yeremiya, Ezekieli ndi Khumi ndi Awiri). Zolemba (Masalmo, Miyambo, Yobu, Rute, Estere ndi ena) zinatoledwa komaliza. Mwambo wa Ayuda umakhulupirira kuti canon ya chiHeberi inavomerezedwa pambuyo pa kubwerera kuchokera ku ukapolo, ndipo mipingo ya Chikhristu inalandira mndandandawu ngati Chipangano Chakale.
Kapangidwe ka Canon ya Chipangano Chatsopano
Chipangano Chatsopano chinakula kuchokera mu moyo wa Mpingo woyambirira. Makalata a Paulo, olembedwa mu 50s ndi 60s a zaka za m'ma 100, anakopedwa ndi kugawidwa pakati pa mipingo. Ma Uthenga Wabwino anayi — Mateyu, Marko, Luka ndi Yohane — analembedwa ndi kugawidwa m'theka lachiwiri la zaka za m'ma 100. Machitidwe, makalata ambiri ndi Chivumbulutso zinamaliza mabuku a 27. Akhristu oyambirira anayesa cholembedwa chilichonse ndi njira zitatu: chiyambi cha atumwi, kugwirizana ndi chikhulupiriro chakale komanso kugwiritsidwa ntchito kwakukulu mu mpembedzero. Pofika zaka za m'ma 300, mabwalo monga Hippo (AD 393) ndi Karthage (AD 397) anavomereza mabuku 27 a Chipangano Chatsopano omwe mipingo yambiri inkavomereza kale.
Matembenuzidwe ndi Okhulupirira Wamba
Chipangano Chakale chinamasuliridwa kuchokera ku Chihebri kulowa ku Chigriki m'zaka za m'ma 300 ndi 200 BC, kupanga Septuagint, lomwe Akhristu oyambirira ankawerenga. Jerome pambuyo pake anapanga Vulgate ya Chilatini pafupifupi AD 400. Pa nthawi ya Kukonzanso, anthu ophunzira monga Martin Luther (Chijerumani, 1534) ndi William Tyndale (Chingerezi, kumayambiriro kwa zaka za m'ma 1500) anamasulira Baibulo m'zilankhulo za anthu wamba. Ku Malawi, amishonale ndi omasulira am'deralo anapanga Baibulo loyamba la Chichewa kumayambiriro kwa zaka za m'ma 1900, kulola uthenga wabwino kulankhula mwachindunji ndi owerenga a ku Malawi.
Ntchito za Baibulo Masiku Ano
Chifukwa Baibulo limakhulupiridwa kuti linauziridwa, limagwiritsidwa ntchito pa zinthu zambiri: mpembedzero ndi liturgy, ulaliki ndi kuphunzitsa, chitsogozo cha makhalidwe (Salmo 119:105), pemphero ndi kusinkhasinkha, kulangiza, maphunziro a sukulu komanso monga maziko olumbirira m'makhoti. Ntchito iliyonse imatsamira pa chikhulupiriro chakuti Malemba akunyamula ulamuliro wa Mulungu kudutsa nthawi ndi miyambo.
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.