Key Idea: The Christian Bible is a library, and the churches do not entirely agree on its contents. Collation is given in three words — the establishment of the Canon — and interpretation in three ways: literalism, biblical criticism, and individual interpretation.
Tested as
- Who may interpret, and by what method
- The authority of the Canon and how it was established
- Language, translation and versions
Watch for
- Forgetting individual interpretation, the third way of reading
- Treating the Apocrypha as a footnote rather than a denominational difference
- Presenting the Christian reading of the Old Testament as its plain sense
Use
- Four Gospels, Acts, letters of Paul and others, Revelation
- Papal encyclicals; the Apocrypha; sermons and books
- King James, the Jerome Bible, contemporary versions
| Heading | What the guide gives |
|---|---|
| Key texts | Extracts from the Old and New Testaments; papal encyclicals; the Apocrypha; sermons and books |
| Composition | Old Testament prophecies of Jesus (Isaiah); foundational laws; the Ten Commandments; prophetic books; four Gospels; Acts; letters; Revelation |
| Collation | The establishment of the Canon |
| Development | Variations according to denominations; the authority of the Canon; its use in public worship and private devotion |
| Interpretation | Literalism — the Bible as the Word of God; biblical criticism (exegesis); individual interpretation |
| Language | Old Testament in Aramaic and Hebrew; New Testament in Greek, aimed at different audiences, translated into the vernacular |
The question hiding inside "the establishment of the Canon"
- Somebody decided which writings are scripture, and that somebody was the Church.
- So an appeal to scripture against church authority is made using a collection the Church assembled.
- Roman Catholic and Orthodox teaching treats this as a mutual relationship between scripture and tradition.
- Churches holding that scripture alone is authoritative answer differently — and that disagreement is itself doctrinal.
- Naming this circularity is a high-value move in any Theme 2 or Theme 5 essay.
Discuss the significance of the Apocrypha for Christians.
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Examine the place of biblical criticism in Christian reading.
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
What is the guide's entry under collation? The establishment of the Canon — a decision of the Church about which writings belonged, which is why biblical and church authority cannot be neatly separated.
Name the three ways of reading. Literalism, the Bible as the Word of God; biblical criticism, meaning exegesis and interpretation; and individual interpretation.
Which key texts lie outside the Bible? Papal encyclicals for Roman Catholics, and sermons and books. The Apocrypha is listed among the key texts and is in some Bibles and not others.
In what languages were the testaments written? The Old Testament originally in Aramaic and Hebrew; the New Testament in Greek, aimed at different audiences, and translated into the vernacular.
Exam tips
- Three ways of reading, not two. Individual interpretation is the one forgotten.
- "The establishment of the Canon" is a process with a decision inside it. Say who decided.
- The Apocrypha means the churches do not share a contents page. Use it once.
- Papal encyclicals are key texts. Christian authority is not confined to scripture.