Biblical prophecies and the ‘end times’ 1 study
History of the Bible 1 study
Contradictions 1 study
Historical notes 11 studies
- 4The land of Canaan
- 5The different Bible versions
- 6The Apocryphal Writings
- 7Examples of the Deuteronomist source
- 8The Catholic Bible
Biblical prophecies and the ‘end times’
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DAN000
General introduction to the book of Daniel
General introduction to the book of Daniel, a major prophetic text of the Old Testament. This article lays the historical, literary and theological foundations needed to understand this apocalyptic book, addressing its structure, author, main themes and the exegetical debates over its date and reliability.
Daniel 7.1 (King James Version) :In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.Notehad: Chaldee, sawNotematters: or, wordsNoteand it: or, wherewith itNoteit raised…: or, it raised up one dominionKing James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org
History of the Bible
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BIB002
The Writing and Compilation of the Texts of the Old Testament
This article examines the complex composition of the Old Testament, from oral transmission to written compilation. It covers various sections of the Hebrew Bible, such as the historical books recounting the history of Israel and the poetic books offering reflections on faith. The prophetic texts are also analyzed, highlighting the prophets' calls to repentance. The impact of these texts, at first limited to the Jewish people, is now worldwide.
Contradictions
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CTD009
Was John the Baptist the Elijah who was to come?
Jesus regards John the Baptist as the prophesied Elijah, indicating a symbolic mission, but John denies this identity literally, according to John 1:19-21. This distinction between mission and personal identity clarifies an apparent biblical contradiction.
Malachi 4.5 (King James Version) :Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org
Historical notes
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INF011
The land of Canaan
The land of Canaan, corresponding to present-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and parts of Jordan and Syria, is described in the Bible as 'the most beautiful of all lands'. Inhabited by the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites and Philistines, it is the land promised to the Hebrew people. Two stages, separated by 470 years, mark its conquest: Abraham's arrival, followed by Joshua's conquest after captivity in Egypt and wandering in the wilderness.
Ezekiel 20.6 (King James Version) :In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
INF012
The different Bible versions
There are not several Bibles, but different translations of the same Greek and Hebrew source texts. Changes in language require regular revisions. Catholics include seven deuterocanonical books that are absent from the Protestant canon. The Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation is criticised for its theologically motivated choices.
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INF029
The Apocryphal Writings
The apocryphal books are religious writings excluded from the official biblical canon. A distinction is made between the Old Testament apocrypha (Tobit, Judith, Maccabees, Sirach…), recognized as deuterocanonical by Catholics and Orthodox, and those of the New Testament (the Gospels of Thomas, Philip, Mary Magdalene…), often with a Gnostic coloring. Their study sheds light on the religious history and debates of the first Christian centuries, without placing them on the level of the canonical Scriptures.
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INF036
Examples of the Deuteronomist source
This article examines the Deuteronomist source, highlighting its role and influence in the Hebrew Bible through Deuteronomy and other historical books such as Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings. Focusing on themes of law, covenant and centralized worship, it explores Deuteronomistic theology and its implications for Israel.
1 Samuel 12 (King James Version) :And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.Notebribe: Heb. ransomNoteto blind…: or, that I should hide mine eyes at himAnd now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man’s hand.And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.Noteadvanced: or, madeNoterighteous…: Heb. righteousnesses, or, benefitsNoteto: Heb. withNotecommandment: Heb. mouthNotecontinue…: Heb. be afterNow therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king.Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes.Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;Notein: Heb. fromNotehow…: or, what a great thingAnd turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
INF039
The Catholic Bible
This article explores the composition of the Catholic Bible, its books and its distinctive features, notably the deuterocanonical books and the canon fixed at the Council of Trent.
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INF040
The Protestant Bible
This article analyzes the content and differences of the Protestant Bible, compared with the Catholic Bible, focusing on the Old and New Testaments.
Matthew 1.1 (King James Version) :The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
INF045
The Tanakh
The Tanakh is the canon of the sacred Scriptures of Judaism, corresponding to the Christian Old Testament. Its name is an acronym formed from its three sections: Torah (Pentateuch), Nevi'im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings). Written mainly in Hebrew with a few passages in Aramaic, it forms the theological, moral and liturgical foundation of Judaism and the common roots of the Jewish and Christian traditions.
Ruth 1.1 (King James Version) :Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.Noteruled: Heb. judgedNotecontinued: Heb. wereKing James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
INF051
The Codex Alexandrinus
The Codex Alexandrinus is a Greek biblical manuscript of the fifth century, made up of 773 leaves of vellum and containing most of the Old and New Testaments. Originating in Alexandria, it was presented to King Charles I of England in 1628 by Patriarch Cyril Lucaris. Today held in the British Library in London, it belongs to the Byzantine family of the text and is a major witness for textual criticism and the history of the transmission of the Scriptures.
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INF052
The Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus
The Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus is a palimpsest manuscript of the 5th century (AD 400-440), discovered by Tischendorf in 1840 and held in the National Library of France. Written in Greek uncial script, it contains portions of the Old and New Testaments and belongs to the Alexandrian family of the biblical text, regarded as close to the originals. It is fundamental for textual criticism and the history of the transmission of the Scriptures.
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INF068
The Vulgate
The Vulgate is a Latin translation of the Bible made by Saint Jerome at the end of the 4th century at the request of Pope Damasus I. Translated mainly from the Hebrew for the Old Testament and revised from the Greek for the New Testament, it became the standard version of the Roman Catholic Church for more than a thousand years. The Council of Trent officially made it the authentic edition in the 16th century. Its influence on Western culture, theology and liturgy is considerable.
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INF069
The Peshitta
The Peshitta is one of the oldest translations of the Bible into the Syriac language (Aramaic). Its Old Testament was translated from Hebrew in the 2nd century, and its New Testament from Koine Greek in the 5th century. Meaning 'simple' or 'common', it is the standard Bible version of the Syriac Orthodox and Catholic Churches. It plays a major role in the transmission of the biblical texts and is a valuable source for textual criticism.
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ANN044
The Nazirite vow
The Nazirite vow is a vow of consecration to God, derived from the Hebrew for 'to separate oneself', defined in Numbers 6. The Nazirite abstains from wine, from…
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ANN054
The Jews
Article ANN054 clarifies the terms used to describe the people of Israel: Jew, Israelite, Israeli, Hebrew, and Semite. Each term has a distinct meaning depending on the…
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ANN081
The fulfilment of the prophecies
The article examines how the prophecies of the Old Testament find their fulfillment in the life of Jesus, by identifying 24 points marked by events…