Barclay, W. – Making the Bible

Making the Bible

by William Barclay

William Barclay was a Scottish author, radio and television presenter, Church of Scotland minister, and Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University of Glasgow. He wrote a popular set of Bible commentaries on the New Testament that sold 1.5 million copies. william-barclay.com

Summary

In this classic work by british author William Barclay, he explains God’s process of giving us the Bible. Chapters are (1) the Grandeur of the law, (2) the Writings, (3) For further guidance, (4) The final test.

This is a three chapter work (rather long chapters with many subdivisions) about the formation of the Bible and the Canon. Chapers run: The Grandeur of the Law, The Starting-Point of Scripture, Some Discrepancies, The Holiness Code, Just Because the Days of the Prophets Were Held to Have Ended, The Prophets Established, The Writings, Attributed Authorship, The People of the Book, The Emergence of Sacred Scripture, The First Christian Books, Collecting Paul’s Letters, Making the Collection, The Gospels Win Their Place, A Written Gospel, Authoritative and Sacred, Discarding the Old Testament?, The Church’s Decision, Closing of the Books, The Final Completion, The Final Test: Does the Book Speak of Christ? Faith in a Living Saviour


Brown The Devil's Mission of Amusement
7 page article from 1889. Hollywood in the church and her ministries. Brown was a student of C.H Spurgeon.
Excerpts:
Different days demand their own special testimony. The watchman who would be faithful to his Lord and to the city of his God needs to carefully note the signs of the times and to emphasize his witness accordingly. Concerning the testimony needed now, there can be little if any doubt. An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, that is so gross, so brazen in its impudence, that the most shortsighted of spiritual men can hardly fail to notice it....  Amusement for the people is the leading article advertised by each... until the hideous fact has been proved up to the hilt, that "amusement" is ousting "the preaching of the Gospel" as the great attraction... The Concert is fast becoming as much a recognized part of church life as the Prayer Meeting; and it is already, in most places, far better attended.

"Providing recreation for the people" will soon be looked upon as a necessary part of Christian work, and as binding upon the Church of God, as though it were a Divine command, unless some strong voices are raised which will make themselves heard.

Read the 7-page article: Brown, The Devil's Mission of Amusement.

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Chapter Content

GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1
THE MAKING OF THE OLD TESTAMENT 4
I. THE GRANDEUR OF THE LAW 6
The Starting-Point of Scripture 9
Some Discrepancies 10
The Holiness Code 11
Just because the days of the prophets were held to have ended 13
The Prophets Established 15
II. THE WRITINGS 16
Attributed Authorship 18
The People of the Book 21
The Emergence of Sacred Scripture 24
The First Christian Books 26
Collecting Paul’s Letters 27
Making the Collection 29
The Gospels Win their Place 31
A Written Gospel 33
Authoritative and Sacred 34
Discarding the Old Testament? 36
The Church’s Decision 38
Closing of the Books 39
The Final Completion 40
III. FOR FURTHER GUIDANCE 42
IV. THE FINAL TEST 43
Does the Book Speak of Christ? 44
Faith in a Living Saviour 46
BIBLIOGRAPHY 47

More Works by William Barclay

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pc10 Sexual Purity
is an exhortation to purity in sexual matters for the Christian. We look at various aspects of the issue.
Topics: It is not an impossible fight! | The Biblical Model | Homosexuality and Prostitution | Nudity and the Mind | Self-Stimulation | Resisting the Temptation.
Excerpts: Job 31:1 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? Job understood that sexual sin begins with the sight, and the seeing before desiring. Job made a covenant with himself, a commitment that he would not look on young women to desire them or to let his imagination run wild with them even their image or in his thoughts. Equally, Jesus taught us in Mat. 5:28 that even thinking sinful thoughts without doing them is as sinful as actually doing them. This is an amplification of Exo 20:17 “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife”. David saw before taking (2Sam 11:2).
Fasting is to teach us that the body does not control over us, and this is exactly what is necessary for people with this problem. This sin is pinned to the thoughts, “for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” Pro 23:7. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” Phil 4:13.

Read the Tract: pc10 Sexual Purity.

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