The Bible Questions and Answers - Form 1 Topical CRE

QUESTIONS

1. Why do some Christians find it difficult to read the Bible?
2. How is the bible used in Kenya today
3.      
   1. Explain why the Bible is written in different styles  
   2. Describe the translation of the Bible from the original languages to local languages in Kenya 
   3. State how the Bible is used to spread the gospel
4.      
   1. Outline the development of the translation of the Bible from the original languages to local languages
   2. State six ways in which Christians can use the Bible in their evangelization ministry
5.    
   1. Outline ways in which Christians use the Bible to spread the good news
   2. State seven problems which church leaders encounter in their work of evangelization
6. Give seven reasons why reading the Bible is important to Christians.
7.    
   1. Identify five literacy forms used by the Authors of the Bible    
   2. Give four ways in which the Bible is used to spread the Gospel today    
8. Explain five reasons why the Bible was written after the death and ascension of   Jesus Christ.
9.      
   1. Explain the reasons why the bible was translated from original languages to  local languages    
   2. Why do some Christians find it difficult to read the bible                   
10.    
    1. List down five books  of  the  apocrypha                   
    2. Give seven effects of the Bible translation into African languages               
    3. State eight reasons why the Bible is referred to as the goods news                                 
11. Why do Christians read the bible?
12.      
    1. Identify five major divisions of the New Testament in their order          
    2. Describe the development of the Bible translation from the original language to local languages 
13. Why do some Christians find it difficult to read the Bible?
14.    
    1. Why did the missionaries translate the Bible into African local languages?
    2. Explain four ways in which the translation of the Bible into African languages led to African mass evangelism.  
    3. Give reasons why Kenyans are attracted to the Church.

ANSWERS

1. Due to illiteracy.
   Its difficult to interpret its message.
   Due to lack of time.
   Unavailability of Bibles.
   Lack of faith in God.
   Lack of interest.
   Fear because it rebukes them.
   Some see it as an ordinary book.
2. Read for spiritual growth.
   Used to commit leaders to oaths of offices.
   Used in Courts of Law.
   Used in religious ceremonies and rituals, such as, weddings, funerals, baptism.
   Guide people on how to relate with others.
   Used to spread the Gospel.
   Used in church service. (7 x 1) mks)
3.    
   1. It was written by different authors
      It was written at different times in history
      It was written for different readers/ audience
      Different books were written for different reasons
      The authors were influenced by different circumstances in history
      Various parts of the Bible were originally written in different languages i.e. the Old testament in Hebrew and New testament in Greek
   2. It was originally written in Hebrew language
      Greek scholars translated the New Testament into Greek language. It was called the Septuagint
      In the 4th century it was translated into the Latin language in a version called the Vulgate
      Martin Luther translated the Bible into German language
      John Wycliffe translated the Bible into English language
      The missionaries i.e. Dr. Ludwing Krapf translated part of the Bible into Kiswahili and Taita languages
      Later it was translated by the Kenya Bible society into several local languages such as Luhya, Kikuyu, Luo, kamba (Any 7x1=7 mks)
   3. It is read to others
      It is translated into local languages
      Christian songs are formed using Bible messages
      The Bible message is preached to other people
      It is used in teaching CRE in schools
      The Bible distributed to individuals to read
      It is used in taking oaths therefore increasing the faith of those who participate
      Christian literature is written using Bible messages
4.      
   1. Bible originally written in Hebrew and Greek languages
      The old Testament was originally written in Hebrew the languages of the Israelites.
      The old testament was later translated into Greek, done by 70 scholars.
      The translated version was referred to as septuagirit.
      The Greek translation had additional six books commonly called the Deutro – canonical books.
      The New Testament was first written in Greek, a century after the death of Christ.
      In the 4th century, the entire Bible was translated into Latin.
      The easier version of the Latin bible was done by great scholar, called Jerome it was called the vulgate.
      The first English version was done by John Wyclife from England.
      In 1611, the Authorized version of the English Bible was written through an order King James I.
      The Revised Standard Version (RSV) was done between 1881 -1885.
      The early missionaries to E.A started the translation of the Bible into local languages in the 19th century.
      Most of the through the work of the Bible society of Kenya.
   2. Read the bible to others
      Bible used for instructing and teaching new converts
      Used for preaching and teaching on different issues.
      It’s the main text in teaching and learning CRE in schools and Colleges
      Christians hymns are composed from the bible.
      Christians translate the bible into local languages.
      It’s used in oath taking/making promises so that they take the work seriously.
      Many Christians books, pamphlets, magazines and other writings quote Bible passages to reinforce their teaching/messages.
5.      
   1. Christians read the Bible to others
      Bible is used for instructing and teaching new converts on Christian doctrine
      Used for preaching & teaching on different on different issues
      Bible is used as the main text book in teaching and learning of Christian Religious Education in schools and Colleges
      Used as a reference book in general search of knowledge
      Hymns are composed from the Bible
      Christians distribute Bibles to individuals to read the word of God
      Christians translate the Bible into vernacular so that many people can read and understand un their own language
   2. Lack of money and resources to meet the needs
      Lack of acceptance by some Christians i.e. education
      What they teach may make them unpopular i.e. politicians
      May be working in hostile environment, where they suffer from diseases and harsh weather
      Poor infrastructure and inaccessibility
      Some people may not be ready to forgive church leaders when they make mistakes
      Lack of co-operation from church members/ leaders
      May suffer stress/ depression
      May face harassment from civil authorities
      May face temptations from worldly pleasures
      Too much demand on their time
6. Provides moral and spiritual guidance
   Helps discover the will of God/ discover the mid of God
   A way of communicating with God
   Helps understand Christian doctrines
   Gives guidance
   Source of consolation
   Source of knowledge,
   Spiritual development
7.    
   1. The use of narratives /prose form e.g. Genesis
      Religious epics e.g. Exodus
      Legal expressions/legislative texts e.g. Leviticus
      Prophetic speeches e.g. Jeremiah
      The use of prayers e.g. Nehemiah
      The use of poetic devices e.g. psalm
      The use of wise saying e.g Proverbs
      Philosophical essays e.g Job
      The use of love songs e.g. song of songs
      Epistles e.g Romans
      Biographies/ Gospel e.g. St. Luke
   2. It is used for preaching by Priests/evangelists
      It is used for instructional purposes
      Free distribution of Bibles to schools/people
      The Bibles are freely sold in Bookshops
      There is massive publication of the Bible for e study e.g. Daily living
      Quotations from the Bible are printed in the magazines/funeral programmes/wedding cards
      There is on going translation of the Bible into local languages
      Illustrations /Biblical stories are shown/hanged on the wall/calendars/posters/Christian magazines
8. There was need to write an orderly account for Jesus
   There was need for a text to combine both old and new testaments
   There was rapid expansion of the church
   It was intended to counter the rise of false teaching which confused the Christians
   Christians had awaited for long for the second coming of Jesus Christ which was not forth coming
   The death of many eye witnesses led to the need to write so that we preserve Jesus teachings
   The writing materials on which the work was recorded was available
   They had the Holy Spirit which inspired them to write
9.    
   1. in order too enable the word of God to reach more people in their own language
      in order to train local people to take up leadership skills
      in order to increase the demand for formal education
      to facilitate the expansion of the church
      to indigenize Christianity
      to encourage research into African language/culture
      in order to establish local bible translation society e.g. bible society of Kenya
   2. some church traditions/leader bar members from reading the bible
      difficulty in interpreting the scriptures
      existence of different biblical versions therefore difficulty in identifying the best
      being too busy/lack of time
      lack of interest in the bible /interest in other books other than the bible
      it is so voluminous
      lack of reading skills/culture
      unavailability of the bible
      it is too expensive/costly to some
      lack of faith in God fear of collective rebuking nature of the bible/fear of being challenged
      some see the bible as an ordinary book
      negative attitude to be reading the bible
      laziness in reading the bible
      some believe that the bible is only read on specific worship days e.g. Friday, Saturday, Sunday
10.      
    1. Esdras
       Wisdom
       Baruch
       1st Macabees
       2nd Macabees
       Tobit
       Ecclesiastics
       Judith
    2. Development of local languages
       Local people could read the Bible in their own languages
       The word of God reached more people in their own languages
       It led to the establishment of more schools to cater for the growing
       Led to formation of independent churches as Africans could read and interpret the Bible.
       Africans became more actively involved in the church.
       Africans began exercising leadership in the churches
       Africans became critical of certain issues preached by missionaries e.g. equality, love, monogamy e.t.c
       It led to mass evangelism – more Africans became Christians.
       There was demand for more Bibles leading to establishment of local printing presses.
       Missionaries began to appreciate the African culture, thus reducing suspicion between parties.
       Africans rediscovered their own cultural identify e.g. dancing styles, local languages, musical instruments e.t.c.
       Africans understood themselves better and became more aware of their own human dignity.
       It led to the establishment of Bible translation societies e.g. Bible society of Kenya.
    3. Bible has a message of Hope.
       Contains messages of reconciliation
       Through it man gets salvation from his fallen state
       It gives an answer to the suffering of man
       Gives a man revelation of mysterious
       Through it God communicates his will to man
       It brings mankind closer to God.
       Makes man to be aware of his destiny
11. It is the word of God.
    It provides moral and spiritual guidance.
    Helps to discover the will of God.
    Reading it is an aspect of worship.
    It is the basis of Christian doctrines and practices.
    It gives guidance on relationships among human being.
    Christians come to discover who they are.
    Helps understand the universe and their relationship to it.
    Help in spiritual development and maturity.
    It is a source of inspiration
    Helps understand the meaning of their lives and relationship to god and to one another.
12.      
    1. Gospels
       Paul letters
       General letters
       Historical book
       Prophetic book
    2. The O.T was originally written in Hebrew
       O.T books were translated into Greek
       The Greek translation was known as Septuagint
       The N.T was originally written in Greek
       In the 2nd C, it was translated into Latin
       The Latin translation was known as vulgate
       In the 16th C, it was translated into English
       In the 19th C, the missionaries who came to Kenya translated the English version into Kiswahili and other later other languages such as kikuyu, dholuo, kikamba, kalenjin and other languages
13. Due to illiteracy.
    Its difficult to interpret its message.
    Due to lack of time.
    Unavailability of Bibles.
    Lack of faith in God.
    Lack of interest.
    Fear because it rebukes them.
    Some see it as an ordinary book.
14.      
    1. Make evangelization effective
       They wanted Africans to understand the scripture easily
       Translation made it possible for missionaries to learn African languages
       They wanted to use the translated Bible as their resource text in missionary education
       They wanted to keep abreast of the changes in the world
       The missionaries wanted to indigenize Christianity and make it adaptable to local situations and cultures (Any 5= 5x1=5mks)
    2. The ability of African to read and interpret the Bible into their own languages contributed to development of independent churches which attracted any to Christianity
       As Africans read the Bible in their own local languages, they participated more actively in church affairs
       As Africans read the Bible in their vernacular and understood it’s content many embraced Christianity
       Missionaries knowledge of local Bible enabled them to preach to more Africans as communication was not a problem
       The missionaries were able to appreciate African culture. This removed suspicion between the two and more people were attracted to Christianity.
       Africans were able to have a better understanding of God’s word as they could read and interpret it on their own
       Translation promoted revival movements and these were used to preach to more people (4x2=8mks)
    3. Kenyans are attracted to Church as membership creates a source of identity and belonging
       Some go to Church out of habit or as a Sunday routine
       Some go to Church to socialize and make friends
       Some go to Church to receive material help
       For spiritual growth
       Some see the Church as a place to receive recognition
       Others are attracted to Church out of a sense of duty
       To seek consolation and comfort
       To receive physical healing
       To seek forgiveness and correction
       Some go to Church to seek God’s blessings (7x 1=7mks)