BIBLE FACTOID: Biggest and Smallest

The longest chapter if the Bible is Psalm 119 with 176 verses. The shortest chapter is Psalm 117 with only 2 verses. Incidentally, the middle chapter of the Bible is Psalm 118.

The longest book of the Bible is Psalms with 150 chapters, or psalms. It contains 43,743 words. The shortest book is 3 John with only 1 chapter and 299 words.

The longest verse in the Bible is Esther 8:9 with 90 words. The shortest verse is John 11:35 with only 2 words, “Jesus wept.”

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: The Hurt & The Healer

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: From the Pulpit

Memorial Day

Take a moment today to remember those who died fighting for the United States of America. Without these brave soldiers, we may not have the right to study (and quiz on) the Bible today.

HUMOR: Thinking ahead...

Found on the internet.

As the elderly man lay dying in his bed, death's agony was suddenly pushed aside as he smelled the aroma of his favorite homemade chocolate chip cookies wafting up the stairs.

Gathering his remaining strength, he lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with intense concentration, supported himself down the stairs, gripping the railing with both hands. In labored breath, he leaned against the door frame, gazing wide-eyed into the kitchen.

There, spread out upon newspapers on the kitchen table were literally HUNDREDS of his favorite chocolate chip cookies!

Was it heaven? Or, was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?

Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table, landing on his knees in a rumpled posture, one hand on the edge of the table. The aged and withered hand quiveringly made its way to a cookie near the edge of the table; feeling the warm soft dough actually made the pain of his bones subside for a moment. His parched lips parted; the wondrous taste of the cookie was already in his mouth; seemingly bringing him back to life.

What, then, was this sudden stinging that caused his hand to recoil?

He looked to see his wife, still holding the spatula she had just used to smack his hand.

"Stay out of those!" she said, "they're for the funeral."

COOL TOOLS: NIV Study Bible Introductions

One of the more useful parts of the NIV Study Bible is the introductions offered to each and every book. These intros give you historical info about the book, the author, the basic themes, and an outline of the book itself. It is a useful way to get an overview of the book and place it in historical context. But now, you don't need to buy the book to get these intros! They are available online! Click on over and take a look.

WEEKLY COMIC: A Whale of a Time

BIBLE FACTOID: How long did it take to write the Bible?

It was written over a period of some 1,500 years, from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to about 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ)

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Born Again

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.[a]
Their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4

BIBLE NEWS: The Bible Comes to Inuktitut

After 34 years of work, the Bible has been translated into Inuktitut, a language of many Eskimo tribes. This project highlighted some of the unique challenges that translators face in lands very different from those where the Bible was written.

Plant and animal names were among the biggest difficulties and often the word "tree" was used for them. In some cases, English words such as "camel" were used. One surprising difficulty was the complete absence of a term for "peace" in Inuktitut. That forced the translators to use complete sentences to get the idea across to readers, according to Haaretz.

HUMOR: What would you say?

Found on the web, and made me chuckle.

After dying in a car crash, three friends go to Heaven for orientation.

They are all asked the same question: "When you are in your casket, friends and family are mourning over you, what would you like to hear them say about you?"

The first guy immediately responds, "I would like to hear them say that I was one of the great doctors of my time, and a great family man."

The second guy says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher who made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow."

The last guy thinks a minute and replies, "I'd like to hear them say...... LOOK, HE'S MOVING!!!!!"

COOL TOOLS: NTGreek.Net

We've discussed before that the New Testament was written in Greek, but have you ever wanted to learn how to read it in that original language? NTGreek.Net offers an online course of study for those looking to begin studying this ancient language. Check it out!

WEEKLY COMIC: To the Max!!!

BIBLE FACTOID: The Human Authors

The Bible is not one book, but a collection of books written by a number of men (as inspired by the Holy Spirit) across the centuries. Did you know just how many people were involved with producing the scriptures you hold today?

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Joshua = Joshua - 1350 B.C.
Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel = Samuel/Nathan/Gad - 1000 - 900 B.C.
1 Kings, 2 Kings = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah = Ezra - 450 B.C.
Esther = Mordecai - 400 B.C.
Job = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Psalms = several different authors, mostly David - 1000 - 400 B.C.
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon = Solomon - 900 B.C.
Isaiah = Isaiah - 700 B.C.
Jeremiah, Lamentations = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
Ezekiel = Ezekiel - 550 B.C.
Daniel = Daniel - 550 B.C.
Hosea = Hosea - 750 B.C.
Joel = Joel - 850 B.C.
Amos = Amos - 750 B.C.
Obadiah = Obadiah - 600 B.C.
Jonah = Jonah - 700 B.C.
Micah = Micah - 700 B.C.
Nahum = Nahum - 650 B.C.
Habakkuk = Habakkuk - 600 B.C.
Zephaniah = Zephaniah - 650 B.C.
Haggai = Haggai - 520 B.C.
Zechariah = Zechariah - 500 B.C.
Malachi = Malachi - 430 B.C.
Matthew = Matthew - A.D. 55
Mark = John Mark - A.D. 50
Luke = Luke - A.D. 60
John = John - A.D. 90
Acts = Luke - A.D. 65
Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon = Paul - A.D. 50-70
Hebrews = unknown, mostly likely Paul, Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos - A.D. 65
James = James - A.D. 45
1 Peter, 2 Peter = Peter - A.D. 60
1 John, 2 John, 3 John = John - A.D. 90
Jude = Jude - A.D. 60
Revelation = John - A.D. 90

From GotQuestions.Org.

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: It Is Finished!

In honor PETRA's recent visit to LeTourneau University, which was witnessed by at least one former quizzer.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: 12th Century Illuminated Bible

An "illuminated manuscript" is an ancient document which monks added careful artistic illustration to, while copying. Illuminated Bibles are some of the most beautiful examples of this art form in all of history.

BIBLE NEWS: "Bible School in a Box"

Often when we think about "missions trips", we think about ministering to people in other countries or other continents. But our own land contains many people who have never heard the gospel, including those living on American Indian Reservations. One church has created a "Bible School in a Box" to bring the message of Jesus to the Lakota people.

Amy said, “We would go out into these places in the middle of nowhere, and as soon as we got out of the truck, children would come literally flying out of the houses.”

The outlying areas — Red Scaffold, Iron Lightning, Thunder Butte — rarely receive missionary visits because they are so far from Eagle Butte, the main area. This, however, is where the greatest need lies, Dye said. These towns lie in the two poorest counties in the United States, Dewey and Ziebach counties, where alcoholism is at 75 percent, unemployment at 80 percent, and Dye said, “Hopelessness is 100 percent.”...

The Higdons visited at Christmas time in 2008 and 2009, and while still on the reservation, Maggie Higdon suggested returning in the summer for a Bible school. The youth brainstormed, and came up with the idea of Bible School in a Box. A team returned in the summer of 2010 and 2011 and are planning a return trip in July this year.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's of Bible Quizzing. We know it is your faithfulness that inspires Quizzers to study every week, and stay focussed when times get tough.

COOL TOOLS: Art & the Bible

The Bible is among the most popular subjects of art in history. No other book or story has reached so much of the world, and inspired so many artists of all walks of life. If you're ever looking at a section of scripture, and wondering how to picture it, Art & the Bible is a great resource. You can search by book and chapter for a piece of art which relates to, or was inspired by that section of scripture.

WEEKLY COMIC: Competitive Prayer?

BIBLE FACTOID: The Canon

"Canon" is derived front the Greek word "Kanon," signifying a measuring rod. Thus, to have the Bible "canonized" meant that it had been measured by the standard or test of divine inspiration and authority. It became the collection of books or writings accepted by the apostles and leadership of the early Christian church as a basis for Christian belief. It is the standard by which all Christians throughout the ages live and worship.

The Old Testament canon was already in place by the time Jesus walked the Earth, and the criteria used by the ancient Israelites is not known. The New Testament, on the other hand, was developed in a time period for which we have detailed written history. The criteria were:

1. The book was written by someone who knew Jesus. (Paul did not know Jesus while He was on Earth, but met Him in the Damascus road incident.)

2. The book was universally used and accepted by Christians. (Even within New Testament Scripture we see early acceptance of some of the important writers of what would become canon.)

3. The book was commonly read at Christian worship services. (We see signs of these services in many books, including those which capture early Church hymns.)

4. The book was consistent with the Old Testament and established apostolic teaching. (As Jesus noted, Christianity doesn't replace or correct the Old Testament, but it fulfills it.)

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: A Thousand Little Things

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Computers Used in Bible Translation

Somehow, this is turning into Bible Translation Week. This photo, brought to you by JAARS, shows a history of computers used in Bible Translation. You'll notice they're all portables - a good reminder that Bible Translation happens in the field, not in an office somewhere!

BIBLE NEWS: Translation is NOT easy

A few days back we mentioned that the Bible was not written in English - it's original writings were in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Thanks to scholars, we have a plethora of English translations which do their best to convey the original writings accurately. But what about people who speak less-popular languages? They often only have one translation provided by Missionaries like Wycliffe Bibe Translators. These languages may not have scholars who understand the ancient languages, and may not even have a starting point for discussion of things like "sheep" and "goats" depending on what part of the world they're in. So what is a Bible translator to do? Some recent controversies have highlighted the difficulty that Bible Translators have walking the line between making the Bible understandable to a foreign culture and language, and maintaining the theology taught by Christ.

Creson said that in some cases, what are known to scholars as the "divine familial terms" -- God the Father and the Son of God -- don't make sense in translation in some cultures. Islamic teaching, for example, rejects the notion that God could be involved in a relationship similar to a human family, and Creson argues that people in such cultures might be immediately put off by those terms.
"Translation is a very laborious process, because you have to understand the culture of the community, and you don't understand that overnight," he said.
But using words like "Messiah" instead of "Son" and "Lord" instead of "Father" badly distorts the essential Christian doctrine of the Trinity, in which God is said to be one being in three persons, according to Wycliffe's critics.

Be praying for Bible translators. The job may seem straightforward - exchanging words for other words - but all too often, it is walking a minefield without a map.

HUMOR: Empty vs Full

Found this one on the web. It's not mine, but I appreciate the sentiment.

One Saturday the Pastor's 5 year old daughter complained of a stomach ache to her mother. Her mother replied, "That's because you have an empty stomach. You need to feed it with something."

The next day her father sat down after a long sermon and complained of a headache. His daughter replied, "That's because you have nothing in your head you need to feed it with something."

COOL TOOLS: Online Parallel Bible

Most of us are aware that the Bible was not written in English. The Old Testament is a combination of Hebrew and Aramaic, and the New Testament is Greek. So, anytime we read the Bible in English - the Bible Quizzing or any other reason - we're reading a translation. So, how do we know that we're getting back to what the original writer intended? One way is to read several different translations, to get the different perspectives of different translators. The Online Parallel Bible is a very effective (and free!) way to do that. Enter any Bible Reference, and it'll give you many different translations side by side, so you can compare how scholars have viewed the verse over the years. It is the next best thing to going to Seminary and learning Greek.

Have a nice trip, see you next fall

May 3rd is the National Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer. Please take some time out of your day to pray for your family, your school, our church, and our country. Some schools may be doing a "See You At the Pole" event to pray before or after school. Other towns are staging prayer events at Town Hall or a local park. Either way, take a moment today to say a special prayer for your world.

Challenge Conference is Coming

The Challenge Conference will be a chance to put to work all the scripture that you've learned, as teens from all over the country travel to New Orleans to praise God, witness to the city, and have a great time together.

So... What's Next?

Districts is over, practices for the year are over, so... what is next for Quiz Team in general and this blog in particular?

Well, Nationals is still coming, and while Trumbull does not currently plan to field a team, there will be plenty of Bible Quizzing news to come down the pike from there. Be watching here for "spy photos" and other features when July rolls around.

In the meantime, we're going to take a month or so off from Bible Quizzing, per se, and just focus some fun. We'll be posting news related to the Bible, good music, comics, jokes, photos, and other interesting tidbits. As always, this site will be updated every day. Then, starting soon, we'll begin getting ready for the 2012-2013 season, where we'll be studying the Gospel of Matthew.

But, for now, let's have some fun!