**Introduction**
* 2 Timothy 3:16-17
* 2 Peter 1:20-21
**How is the Bible Organized?**
* Old Testament – 39 books, 5 general categories
* New Testament – 27 books, 5 general categories
* Authors of the New Testament
**Language and Literary Styles:**
* Old Testament – Hebrew, Aramaic
* New Testament – Greek
* Literary Styles
**Development of the Christian Canon: What was the criteria for determining if a book should be a part of the canon?**
* Apostolicity
* Orthodoxy
* Antiquity
* Use
* Adaptability
**Manuscripts**
* Textual criticism
* Summary of NT Manuscripts
* 24,970 ancient manuscripts of the New Testament; earliest go back to 110 AD
* Comparison with other Ancient Writers
{note}#3
A word on the Old Testament...
* Process of copying manuscripts
Importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls (1947)
**Translations**
* Choices – Textual and Linguistic
* Formal equivalence
* Functional equivalence
* Free translation