Why you playin’?
In week one we played the telephone game where a phrase was said to one person and passed down to the last. Why did we play this game? How did it connect to the credibility of the Bible?
Consistency of scripture through the years
This credibility characteristic means to remain constant or the same throughout different timeframes
Consistency
A friend read Micah 5:2 in which the Messiah is said to come from Bethlehem, but also read in Matthew 2:23 where it is referenced that the Messiah would be called a Nazarene. They ask you how both could be true. How do you respond?
Both are correct. Though Jesus was born in Bethlehem, it was only on the way to report for a census. The family lived in Nazareth.
What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?
Over 1,000 documents and 300 scrolls (many in pieces) made mostly from goat skin stored in clay pots near a small city called “Qumran”.
It’s important to never voice the questions you have as they might be seen as doubt.
False! Asking questions is a key component of building your faith!
In week two we played a detective game where you investigated a potential “discrepancy” of the Bible. What was one of the discrepancies discussed and how would you explain it?”
There were many, reference week two lesson plan
In week two our credibility characteristic was irrefutability. What does this mean?
The bible can “stand up” to our questions
Asking questions, rooted in faith, without fear is a part of our Christian walk- this is how we learn and grow
Ask someone you trust/a mentor, but most important, ask the Holy Spirit. He guides us into all truth.
A friend is struggling to believe that the Bible could’ve been copied so many times throughout the years and still remain consistent. They’ve heard of scribes, but think because of human error, there’s no way the passages could have remained unchanged. How would you respond?
There are many ways. Below are some of the requirements of the scribes.
Each column of writing could have no less than 48, and no more than 60, lines.
They must say each word aloud while they were writing.
They must wipe the pen and wash their entire bodies before writing the most Holy Name of God, YHVH, every time they wrote it. Also before they would write the Most Holy Name of God, they would wash their hands 7 times.
There must be a review within thirty days, and if as many as three pages required corrections, the entire manuscript had to be redone.
The letters, words, and paragraphs had to be counted, and the document became invalid if two letters touched each other. The middle paragraph, word and letter must correspond to those of the original document
In what year(s) were the Dead Sea Scrolls found?
1946 to 1956
In week two we used the story of Habakkuk and how he asked God questions to emphasize how we too can ask questions when we’re not sure.
Correct
In weeks three, we pretended to be scribes, but without any of the scrutinous requirements of the scribes. Can you name one requirement?
Each column of writing could have no less than 48, and no more than 60, lines.
▪ They must say each word aloud while they were writing.
▪ They must wipe the pen and wash their entire bodies before writing the most Holy Name of God, YHVH, every time they wrote it. Also before they would write the Most Holy Name of God, they would wash their hands 7 times.
▪ There must be a review within thirty days, and if as many as three pages required corrections, the entire manuscript had to be redone.
▪ The letters, words, and paragraphs had to be counted, and the document became invalid if two letters touched each other. The middle paragraph, word and letter must correspond to those of the original document
In week three we discussed a credibility characteristic personified by the scribes. What was it?
Diligence
Your friend asks why they should even care about the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls. What would you say?
See week six lesson
The Dead Sea Scrolls contain a copy of every book of the Old Testament, except which one?
Esther
The oldest manuscript of the Old Testament we have is the silver scrolls.
True.
The Silver Scrolls, found at Ketef Hinnom in Israel, contain texts from the Hebrew Bible that date to about 700-650 BCE. 2700 years old!
In week four we played the game two truths and a lie. What are two truths you could easily state regarding the Bible’s historical accuracy?
See lessons 4 and/or 7
Week four's credibility characteristic was historical accuracy. Name one way in which archaeological discoveries of texts have shown the accuracy of the Bible.
There are many. Can reference week 4 lesson plan
The silver scrolls
The En-Gedi scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls
The Codex Sinaiticus
and more
Despite the facts we’ve learned, your friend is not convinced that she will ever be able to trust the Bible. How do you respond?
Ultimately, you really won’t trust the Bible merely because of these reasons we have or will discuss. Your trust for the Bible will strengthen over time. It’s not that different from why you trust your best friend. You trust them because you’ve gotten to know them and they’ve proven themselves to be trustworthy. So it is with the Bible. The more you get to know the Bible, the more you will trust it. If you don’t read it, if you never study it, you’ll never get to experience how it proves itself again and again in your life.
Though the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered many years ago, we’re still learning from them. Give an example of how.
New technologies mean we can learn new things. Infrared technology was recently used to unveil scripts that were otherwise on readable.
The bible is THE most scrutinized ancient book and yet has stood the tests of time and scrutiny as a credible source over centuries of study.
True
In week six you played a game in which we wrote down a phrase, passed the phrase to the next person, and that person was allowed to change one letter or word. Why would we play this game?
To emphasize the importance of understanding the scrutiny of the scribes and the miracle that our bibles in present time were practically unchanged (as we learned through the discovery of the dead sea scrolls)
In week seven of the series, we discussed the credibility characteristic of accuracy. Name one way in which the Bible has been accurate in prophecy
See weeks seven lesson plan- there are multiple
Israel becoming a nation again
Babylonian take over
Jesus and the messianic prophesies we fulfilled
Some of the Dead Sea scrolls are so old that they were only found in pieces or scraps. You have a friend who wonders how they knew which scrap went where. What would you say?
DNA testing was done on the goat skins, to determine which pieces belonged together
Someone asks you “what’s the big deal about the dead sea scrolls”. What would you say?
See week six lesson plan
The Copper scroll of the Dead Sea scrolls is arguably the most fascinating as it’s the only scroll written on copper, or metal of any kind, and it contains a treasure map.
True