scriptureSCRIPTURE
This concept is derived from the Latin scripto (“I write”) to refer to texts
in various world religions. Many of these scriptures are preceded by an
often long period of oral transmission before assuming a written form,
and they are considered sacred by believers because the scriptures are
revealed to humans by a divine being. This point is true of Judaism,
Christianity, Islam, and ancient Vedic Hinduism. The believed divine ori-
gins of these scriptures give them authority over other forms of written
works such as novels, diaries, or travelogues.
The scriptures of ancient Judaism consist of twenty-four separate books
that are eventually called the Bible from the Greek term biblia (books).
These discrete books recall the narrative concerning God’s interaction
with His chosen people. Within the context of this drama, the major
themes of Jewish faith are contained, including the promise of the ancient
patriarchs to be faithful to their deity, the divine deliverance of the people
from Egypt, divine guidance while wandering in the wilderness, the
bestowing of the law at Sinai to the prophet Moses, and the inheritance
of the Promised Land. These events are often abbreviated to the “Exodus
event,” which depicts God’s redemptive work for His people. Since God
acts in history for His chosen people, history is meaningful and informs
the Jewish people about what God did (past), what God is doing (present),
and what God will do in the future, representing a unity of time.
Ancient Jews refer to their scripture as Tanakh, an acronym for its
three major divisions: Torah (Law), Nevi’im (prophets), and Kituvim
(hagiographia). The most authoritative division is the Torah, consisting
of the Five Books of Moses or the Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Torah represents God’s gift to the peo-
ple of Israel. The gift is, however, conditioned upon the people’s accep-
tance of, and obedience to, the divine commandments.
Once it is collected, edited, and written to preserve it, Christian scrip-
ture represents the “Good News” of Jesus, which is especially true of the
so-called Synoptic Gospels (Mark, Luke, and Matthew). The historically
earliest Christian writings are the letters of Paul that are preserved and
gathered into a collection by the end of the first century, which are called
“letters to the seven churches,” because seven is a symbol of wholeness
in the ancient world and in this context implies the entire church.
Although Paul’s letters are addressed to particular congregations and
their problems, Paul’s message that he claims comes directly from Jesus
is intended for a wider audience within the hostile socio-cultural milieu
of the Graeco-Roman world.