Last Will And Testament-Will And Testament

The word canon is derived from the Greek word kanon (“kanon”), a rod, ruler, staff, or measuring rod. The Biblical canon is the list of books recognized by the leaders of the church, based on objective criteria, to be inspired by God and to authoritatively and accurately express the historical relationship between God and His people.

Formal creation of Christian Scripture was achieved slowly. In the early years, the message of Christianity was transmitted orally. Preachers, many of whom had seen Jesus and heard him teach, shared vivid memories and proclaimed the message of His death, burial, and resurrection.

As the years passed, however, and the church spread into Asia Minor and Italy, written records about Jesus and the apostles became increasingly important. For instance, as an aging apostle, Peter urged readers to rely heavily upon what he had written (2 Peter 1). Eventually, those writings would assume a status equivalent to the Hebrew Scriptures.

There is little doubt, that the earliest texts of the emerging New Testament canon were the letters by Paul written around and just after 50 AD. Soon the gospels, the apostolic memoirs, became available as well. These texts conformed to the “rule of faith” – the Christian truth recognized in the early church. As evidenced from the early church writings, by 100 AD all books of what we now call the NT (except for a few letters and Revelation) had implicitly been accepted as part of the canon.

The first known effort to create an official list occurred in 140 AD (known now as Marcion’s canon). This included 10 of Paul’s letters and the Gospel of Luke. Marcion was a gnostic heretic (he believed the God of the OT was not the God of the NT, and he rejected the humanity of Christ). He strongly disliked the Jewish aspect of the gospels. His list was soon viewed heretical by Early Church Leaders, but sparked the need for a formal canon.

That second century conflict, scholars say, shaped the church’s emphasis on authentic apostolic connection as the main determinant of canonical status. Either a book would be written by an apostle/disciple of Jesus (Matthew, John, Peter, Paul) or by somebody closely associated with an apostle/disciple (Luke via his links to Paul, Peter and others, Mark as the “voice” of Peter, James and Jude as the brothers of Jesus). Consequently some highly regarded writings from second and third generation Christians were excluded (this includes many of the Early Church Leaders).

In 397 AD (at the Council of Carthage) a list was finally compiled and found wide acceptance. There was little disagreement, except for the books of James, Jude (both brothers of Jesus, but not known to be disciples during his lifetime), 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, and Revelation. These books were later accepted and included in the completed New Testament.

Based on his research of the manuscript evidence for the New Testament, the great classical scholar Sir Frederic Kenyon writes:

“The interval then between the dates of original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established.”



By: Rob VandeWeghe

About the Author:

Janetta Busby

Kevin A.R.T. asked:


Then what about all the people who followed Jesus’ teachings, believed He was the son of God, but died before the entire New testament was compilated? Do they go to hell?

Whatever happed to them, will happen to me. I follow Jesus. Paul was a great guy, so was Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, but none of them were writing using the word of God. So I am one of the people who met Jesus, then died before they read the rest of the New Testament.

Fermin Goldsworthy

This article is the first in a series of articles that present the ideas of my print-on-demand book, “The Fourth Day: Why the Bible is Historically Accurate”.

When I was college student, I was introduced to the concept of biblical inerrancy. My pastor, Al Jackson of Lakeview Baptist Church in Auburn, Alabama, drove the point home that the Word of God, the Bible, was “God-breathed”. He explained that since the Bible was “God-breathed” it was created in the same manner as Adam when God breathed life into man in the book of Genesis. The Bible was designed, just like man was at creation, when God instructed over forty authors exactly what to write. The Bible was designed in the sense that the whole book’s purpose is the revelation of the messiah of mankind, Jesus Christ. The Bible points to Christ in very direct ways by giving the specific characteristics of his human life. The prophecies of the Old Testament indicated he would be born in Bethlehem, through the line of Jesse, and by a virgin. The spiritual aspects of Christ are alluded to in the symbols of the atonement sacrifices where animals were put on an altar and then sprinkled with salt, a symbol of eternity, to represent the once-and-for-all sacrifice that the Son of God would make on a cross one day. God coordinated all this information to point to Christ, God’s plan for man’s salvation.

Since the time that my pastor explained these things to me I have taken them to heart and I have studied the Bible with the attitude that the Bible is historically correct as well as spiritually correct. Conservative Christians have adopted this philosophy in every subject covered in the Bible except for one, chronology. Chronology, the study of the historical timeline, has been a subject where it seems the Christian community has conceded defeat. For whatever reason, Christians in the modern era have sought compromise with scholars, many of whom are downright antagonistic to Christian beliefs, so that the timeline of the Bible would have the stamp of authenticity from historians.

An article in Biblical Archaelogy Review effectively demonstrates the level of Biblical antagonism that archeological community can exhibit. Consider an excerpt from the opening paragraph of an article entitled Minimalists on Parade (Biblical Archaeology Review, Jan/Feb 2005, Vol 31, No. 1, Page 16-17): “At a recent conference on reconstructing Israelite history held in Rome, the so-called Biblical minimalist position was upheld by a number of prominent scholars. This position is not monolithic, however, and different minimalist scholars stressed different arguments. Among them:

* The Bible cannot be used as a historical source. [The position that defines a Biblical minimalist.]

* Neither can archaeology, which can only tell us whether ancient Israelites ate from a bowl 20 or 30 centimeters wide. A history of Israel based on archaeology is useless.

* There was no Exodus.

* The famous Tel Dan inscription mentioning David, excavated by Israeli archaeologist Avraham Biran, is probably a forgery; and the Hebrew words in the inscription that read “House [Dynasty] of David” probably mean something else.

* David and Solomon are only symbolic characters, not real characters.

* The Biblical accounts of the United Kingdom of Judah and Israel under David and Solomon are simply later projections into a distant mythic past.

* Judah did not even become a state until about a hundred years after David-if he lived.” One scholar mentioned in this article, Giovanni Garbini of the Universita’ di Roma La Sapienza, makes a particularly provocative comment in this article: “The name Jacob “is clearly an artificial creation of post-exilic age [after the Babylonian Exile]. It was not Jacob who became Israel, but Israel who became Jacob…”. These minimalists, who appear to represent the majority of the archaeological community, don’t regard the Bible as historically accurate. Among their objections: they don’t believe that David, Solomon or Jacob existed and don’t believe the Exodus ever occurred. These positions are as idealogically opposed to the conservative Christian view of the Bible as one can image. So why should we (Christians) seek the counsel of this group in the understanding of such a precious concept as the historical timeline of the Bible? Yet this is what has happened.

Here’s another problem with relying on the scientific community to authenticate the Bible: they have “rational” blinders on. Scientists that have no faith in Christ are limited in their ability to investigate because they assume that certain phenomena are impossible even before the investigation has begun. Since they consider themselves to be “rational” scientists the assumption that an “irrational” event has occurred is implausible. The scientific method basically allows anyone to make an assumption (any assumption), conduct research of known facts or run an experiment and use the research and/or the experiment to validate the assumption. These “rational” scientists when confronted with an “irrational” assumption simply leap over the research and experimental process and declare that the assumption in invalid because they have assumed the “irrational” assumption is just not possible. So why do these “rational” scientists behave this way? Well, consider the following possibility. Let’s say that an “irrational” event is assumed and information is collected or an experiment is performed to confirm its validity. Let’s say that the irrational event has been validated. What would be the response of the “rational” scientist? More than likely, complete denial. Such an outcome would create complete chaos in his philosophy since his “rational” method of investigation, the scientific method, would have been used to prove that an “irrational” event was possible. So what is an “irrational” event? It is just another way of saying a supernatural event, one that is beyond our understanding. Can the scientific process be used to validate an “irrational” event? Jesus Christ thought so. Jesus was explaining this idea of being “born again” to a Pharisee named Nicodemus in the New Testament (John 3:8): “The wind blows where it wishes, and you here its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus was clearly confused by this concept of being “born again” but Jesus was saying that even if you didn’t comprehend or believe this supernatural phenomenon could occur, just like something as intangible as the wind, there would be tangible evidence of it.

Certainly not all scientists believe in this manner, but the great majority of them do. How many of these scientists will view the Bible with no preconceived notions? When these scientists read in the Bible that the Earth was created in seven days they will not consider this as true because they have been trained that the universe is billions of years old. When these scientists read that a man lived to be 969 years old in the Bible they dismiss it as myth or fairy tale because men don’t currently live to be that old. They will not consider the possibility that at one time in history men did live that long. When these men read the account of Noah and a worldwide flood they have always attributed it to “local” flooding. This may have some ring of truth to it since until that time, according to the Bible, the world was one big land mass (the world was all in one place, i.e., local). According to the Bible the continents didn’t divide until the life of Peleg, a descendant of Noah. Again, the scientists certainly are not going to agree with this theory of the land mass shift because they will insist that this geological process needed millions of years to accommodate the movement of the continental land masses. Since these archeologists disagree with Christians in so many fundamental matters described in the Bible how will we ever reach an agreement on a historical timeline?

The present chronological model of the Bible is based on a mixture of Biblical truth and theoretical historical models. I believe it is time that we consider a new approach to Biblical chronology. The model I propose is based solely on the information in the Bible. If the Bible is true then historians will confirm the result of the theologians (assuming the theologians have interpreted the Bible correctly). Why should God’s Word have to be authenticated by men? If the Bible is truly trustworthy the truth of the Bible should be laid out for men to see and respond to its truth. In 1995 David Rohl, an Egyptologist, wrote his book A Test in Time to propose a radically different theory in chronology. He proposed a timeline that was based on some Biblical evidence. In fact, Rohl’s proposed date of Solomon’s reign is consistent with the timeline developed from my literal interpretation of the Bible. What is even more amazing about David Rohl is that he is described among archaeologists as a maximalist, someone who believes the Bible is historically accurate, yet he characterizes himself as a spiritual “agnostic”. If David Rohl is a maximalist then I am a “maximum” maximalist, someone significantly to the right of David Rohl’s view since I believe that the Bible is historically accurate and indeed the very word of God as it claims to be. Therefore I believe my perspective on the chronology of the Bible is unlike anything you have ever heard before.

The purpose of my book, “The Fourth Day: Why the Bible is Historically Accurate”, was to prove a biblical concept that I believe will synchronize the events recorded in the Bible with Egyptian history, Babylonian history, Persian history and Archaeology. The recognition of this concept will allow the reader to tie together all these areas of study in one neat package so that when viewed together there is no discrepancy between the Bible and these other elements of ancient history. The recognition of this concept will also illustrate that the Bible is not only a trustworthy religious document but a trustworthy historical document because of its chronological precision. First, assume that from the beginning of creation to the end of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ is a period of 7000 years; a time period analogous to the 7 day period of creation of the world mentioned in the book of Genesis. Next, recognize that the sacrifice of the Passover lamb in the Old Testament is symbolic of the fact that Jesus Christ was crucified exactly 4000 years after the creation of the world. According to the Mosaic Law each family that observed Passover was to purchase a lamb 4 days prior to the day of Passover and that lamb was to live in that household until the late afternoon of the day when the Israelite priest had to sacrifice the lamb and it was to be accomplished by nightfall. I believe these 4 days were God’s way of illustrating that the lamb of God, Jesus Christ, would be sacrificed on a cross 4000 years after the creation of the world. Therefore, symbolically and in actuality, Jesus Christ was sacrificed on the fourth day.

When you recognize this concept to be true, several significant conclusions regarding history become evident. The Israelite Monarchies of David and Solomon occurred about 180 years later than held by historians. The period of the Persian Empire from Cyrus the Great’s announcement of the rebuilding of Jerusalem until Alexander the Great’s invasion lasted only 21 years (not the approximately 200 year period currently held by historians). Egypt did not have a king (a Pharaoh) for 300 years between the 20th and 21st dynasties. I support these conclusions using the Bible, Astronomy, Archaeology, the writings of ancient historians and the monuments of ancient kings.

In the next installment of this series of articles I will address one of the most provocative discoveries of this approach to history; the discovery that the Persian Empire described in the book of Daniel only lasted for 21 years and not the 200 years claimed by historians.



By: Darren Thompson

About the Author:

Dane Nimura

lina asked:


I am taking a religious studies class next year but want to learn as much as I can about Christianity, Judaism and Islam before the class starts. I know that the Old Testament is mostly about the beginning of Judaism and the New Testament is the introduction to Jesus and Christianity, and the Koran is the Islamic bible, but where does the Torah fit in to this?

Max Sola

Baseball Allday asked:


I’ve been having my quiet times for about 6 months now, and I have completely finished the New Testament. Now I’m on to the Old Testament, but I don’t know what to read. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Eugena Lane

Duke of Tudor asked:


Old Testament’s exact contents differ in the various Christian denominations. Here is the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_of_the_Old_Testament_canon

Why don’t Christian Churches compile all the books in a single unified Bible? Is there anyway I could purchase Eastern Orthodox, Ethiopian (Oriental) Orthodox, and Syriac Bibles in English via internet since I wish to read the books available only in the above Churches?

Diane

Contemplation about your death is never pleasant, but doing the wise thing by foreseeing the possible circumstances of your demise and impact on your family is an honorable act. A last will is a document/form that will ensure your wishes are upheld upon your death.

The most important reason why you probably want to make a perfect last will and testament is because you want your loved ones to inherit your precious wealth. You can also use a last will to determine whom the legal guardian(s) for your children will be. A tax efficient last will can help ensure your wealth is mainly transferred to your loved ones by allowing you to name an executor of your will. The executor will ensure the application of the will.

There are a few basic things you should consider while making your will. Make your will at a young age before your so old or become so senile that it could be argued you were too mentally incompetent to execute your last will and testament. Also, remember to always date your last will since a newer last will always cancels out the older last will and testament. Finally, its best to keep your last will as simple, precise, and as easy to read/understand as possible.

Whomever the will is for (the “testator”) must sign their last will and testament in the company of at least two witnesses who are not beneficiaries of the will and can attest to it. Each page of the last will and testament must be signed by the testator, numbered, and dated accordingly (any corrections must be countersigned).

It is best to keep the will in a safe place you and the beneficiaries know about; typically this is a bank vault. Any signed copies can be held by an advocate. Codicils can be attached to it and read out to make changes in the will. Although, if there are too many changes it’s best just to write a new will.

The main contents of the will are:

1) Name and home address

2) Short descriptions of your assets

3) An alternative beneficiary in case the first one becomes deceased before you.

4) Gifts to people

5) If desired, the cancellation of debts

6) Name of the executor to manage your estate

7) Name of the guardian to look after your minor child(ren).

Your signature

9) And, the two witnesses signature’s

Appointing a guardian is important if you have minor children. If you do not appoint a guardian the state will appoint one for you and this can mean CPS (Child Protective Services) in some cases. The guardian for the minor must be over 18 years of age. The guardian must also be previously consulted about your decision to appoint him/her as the guardian.

An executor’s job is to pay off taxmen, creditors, cancel credit cards, subscriptions and distributes the testator’s assets according to his/her will. The executor can be a spouse, a friend of yours, a family member, a trust company, or a lawyer.

You could start getting ready to write your will today by taking an inventory of your assets, and who receives them. Consider your family’s future liabilities in the case of death, and decide for yourself if you want to do the honorable act.



By: Dan Copernicus

About the Author:

Winter Hules