GRADE 7

LESSON 4: Bible Library

AIM
To understand the Bible as God's word in human language, and to
WHAT YOU NEED
have a basic idea of its composition , as well as the different canons
found in the Jewish, Catholic and Protestant communities (8.2.9,   Copies of the
8.3.8, 8.3.9, 8.3.10, 8.3.11) worksheet, The Bible
Library (1) 

OUTCOME  Bibles (6)

Learners have some awareness of the structure of the Bible.   Copies of the
worksheet, Bible
Exploration (6) 
TEACHER BACKGROUND

The word ‘canon’ means rule or measure. When we talk about the canon of scripture, we are
referring to the list of books which, in the Church’s judgement are inspired by the Holy Spirit. (We
also talk of canonised saints - those who measure up to the Church’s norms of holiness.)
A covenant is a binding agreement between two people or parties that is sealed with a special
ceremony.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
1 Divide the class into groups. Each group is given one of the four sections on the
worksheet, The Bible Library, to read and study. Section 4 is for a more gifted group.

2 Invite questions for clarification from the groups.
3 Groups prepare a 2-minute presentation of their section.
4 Groups present their sections.
5 All the learners read the whole sheet silently and individually.
6 Learners are given the worksheet, Bible Exploration, to complete. 

 

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION – Core Curriculum Grade 7

GRADE 7

The Bible Library

1 THE ORIGIN OF THE BIBLE

The word ‘bible’ comes from ‘biblia’, a Greek word meaning a collection of books. (We
have, in Afrikaans, the word ‘biblioteek’, meaning library.) The Bible is a library of books,
and just like any library, it contains different kinds of writing. We have, for example, fiction
and non-fiction, legal and technical books, teaching books, history, inspirational books,
stories, poems, songs and prayers. The books do not appear in the Bible in the order in
which they were written. They were put together much later to tell the story of God’s
covenants with humankind.
This story had been passed on by word of mouth for many centuries as an oral tradition.
Parts of the story were eventually written down. The books as we know them now were
written over a period of 1000 years, from about 900 BC until 100 AD, or roughly from the
time of Kings David and Solomon until 100 years after the death of Jesus Christ. The
writers wrote in the language of the time, mostly in Hebrew, but some books were written
in Greek and Aramaic.

2 THE JEWISH OR HEBREW BIBLE

What Christians call the Old Testament is a library in itself, consisting of three main
sections. The first letters of the names of these three sections, Torah, Nebiim, and
Kethubim, when put together, give us the Jew’s own name for the Bible, the Tanak.
The Law (Torah), also called the Pentateuch in Greek, consists of the five books, Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Law contained in these books is said
to have come from Moses and covers moral laws, for example the Ten Commandments,
and laws for worship and special customs, such as circumcision, paying debts and many
other things. These books are the foundation of the Jewish religion.
The Prophets (Nebiim) contain some history, but the real purpose of prophecy is to
interpret the signs of the times in which the prophet lived. The biblical prophets all wrote
about the way the people were living or forgetting to live out their covenant relationship
with God. The books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings contain the messages of the
Former Prophets, for example, Elijah, while the other books in this section, the Latter
Prophets, are all named after a particular prophet. Among them are the major prophets -
Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and 12 minor prophets.
The Writings (Kethubim) contain a variety of books, some history, stories, psalms and
wisdom sayings such as Proverbs.

3 THE CANON OF THE BIBLE/…

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3 THE CANON OF THE BIBLE

The Christian Bible is divided into two parts, or testaments. This word means ‘agreement’
and refers to the agreement or covenant God made with the people. The Old Testament,
the Hebrew Bible or Tanak, contains the story of the covenant God made with the People
of Israel through Moses, and is about the time before Jesus. The New Testament contains
materials about the new covenant instituted by Jesus. The Old Testament writings were
gathered together by the Jewish leaders. The New Testament writings were chosen by the
leaders of the early Christian Church. These collections of books are known as the Canon
of Scripture. All the books that were chosen were acknowledged to have been written
with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that God dictated word for
word what the writers were to say but that God influenced how the writers presented the
story.
There is a difference between the Catholic and the Protestant canons. The Catholic canon
contains some extra books which formed part of the Jewish canon in the Greek speaking
world at the time of Jesus, but they were not included when the canon was finalised by the
Jewish leaders after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. Many Protestant churches
base their Old Testament on this revised Jewish canon. The extra books known as
deutero-canonicals or apocrypha are mainly from the last centuries before the birth of
Jesus. All Christians, however, use the same 27 books of the New Testament. They are
the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Letters and the Apocalypse, or
book of Revelation.

4 THE BIBLICAL WRITERS

For the whole of the Bible there were many different writers, most of them Hebrews or
Jews. Some are known and some unknown. They wrote in different places, at different
times and from different points of view. This can be seen clearly in the gospels which all
tell the story of Jesus but from a slightly different point of view. Scripture scholars believe
that there were 4 main groups of writers, or traditions, in the Old Testament.
The Yahwist tradition (indicated by the letter J) dates from about 950BC. God is called
Yahweh, which means "I AM", and God is shown to be a very human God, always ready
to bless and forgive.
The Elohist tradition (E) calls God “Elohim” and dates from about 750 BC. The prophets
are very important in this tradition. God is a shadowy person and much is written about
sin, morality and our duty towards God and one’s neighbour.
The Deuteronomist tradition (D) is found mainly in the Book of Deuteronomy. It dates
back to the 7th century and deals mainly with the Law of Moses.
The Priestly tradition (P) dates back to the 6th century and stresses the importance of
worship, ritual and tradition.
An example of these traditions can be found in the two different creation stories in Genesis
1 and 2. Which of the two creation stories do you think could be from the Yahwistic
tradition?

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION – Core Curriculum Grade 7

GRADE 7

Bible Exploration

PART I
Conduct a mini-tour through the Bible library:
1 Visit the two main sections. Which is the longest? …………………………………..
2 Where would you find the Book of Psalms? Between ………………. and ……………………..
3 How do you know whether a passage is a poem or psalm? ..............………………………….
4 Which gospel comes last? ……………………..
5 Find the story of Jonah and the whale. Give the book, chapter and verses ……………………..
6 Why is the book of Numbers called by that name? …………………….............….………..…
7 Why are the books of the Law called by that name? (Read the main headings of the sections in
Exodus 20 - 31 to find some clues.) ……………........................……………........
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
8 Find the book of Proverbs and skim through to find a proverb that you find interesting.
……………………………………………………………………………......................……..……
PART II
True/False – tick the correct answer. True False
1. The Old Testament was written before the birth of Jesus Christ. ........ …….
2. God dictated the Bible. ........ ........
3. All Christians use exactly the same Bible. ........ ........
4. There are 3 writers in the Old Testament. ........ ........
5. There are 4 gospels in the canon of the New Testament. ........ ........
6. The Yahwistic tradition describes God in very human terms. ........ ........
7. Most of the Bible was written in English. ........ ........
8. The Bible contains some poems and stories. ........ ........
9. The biblical canon is a weapon used by Moses against the Egyptians. ........ ........
10. The oral tradition means that stories were passed on verbally. ........ ........
11. Elijah was a prophet. ........ ........
12. Wisdom sayings are part of the Law. ........ ........
13. Jesus dictated the gospels. ........ ........
14. The Bible was written over a period of 1000 years. ........ ........
15. The New Testament is the same for all Christians. ........ ........
16. The word Yahweh means "I AM". ........ ........
17. The deutero-canonical books are in the Protestant Bible. ........ ........
18. Prophets are there mainly to foretell the future. ........ ........
19. The biblical books are put together in the order in which they were written. ........ ........
20. The Bible is a collection of different kinds of books. ........ ........

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION – Core Curriculum Grade 7

GRADE 7

LESSON 5: The World of Jesus

AIM
To share some knowledge of the different religious and political
WHAT YOU NEED
groups in Palestine (8.4.10, 8.4.11)   Copies of the
worksheet (1) 
 Map of the Mediterranean
OUTCOME lands (3)
Learners have some knowledge of the world in which Jesus lived.   Worksheet (4) 
 Bibles with maps (5)
TEACHER BACKGROUND

The story of Samuel, built on the story of the feeding of the five thousand [Matthew 14:13-21] is
used as a teaching story incorporating information about the religious traditions and background of
the Jewish people and the political setting at the time of Jesus and the early Church. A very brief
overview follows.
Palestine at the time was a mixture of people, languages and cultures. Governed by Rome the
Greek language and culture were strong even amongst Jews. Many non-Jews known as Gentiles
also lived there. The Jews awaited a Messiah but believed that he would be a political as well as
spiritual leader as King David had been. Some Jews, belonging to the party of the Zealots wanted
to overthrow the Roman rule by force.
The Sanhedrin led by the High Priest was the Jewish council and had a religious and political role.
Its members included elders - a lay aristocracy, Sadducees - who were of the priestly class, scribes
- doctors and students of the Law, and Pharisees, who were the group who lived strictly by the
letter of the law. The Pharisees and Sadducees, were the main religious groups in Jerusalem. They
held some different religious opinions, because the Sadducees refused to accept any revelation
outside of the Torah, or five books of Moses. The Pharisees, for instance, believed in resurrection,
life after death, angels and demons, while the Sadducees rejected these idea. Scribes were
concerned with studying, interpreting and teaching the scriptures. They also worked in the village
synagogues as the priests were only found in the temple in Jerusalem where they were concerned
with the offering of sacrifices.
Over the centuries because of the wars and the exile of the people many Jews came to be living in
other countries. This was known as the Diaspora. These were the people visited by Paul on his
missionary journeys. Jews at home and abroad refused to worship the statues of Roman emperors
that were considered gods and were often in trouble. After they lost the war of 66-70AD against
Rome, Jerusalem was partly destroyed.
The early Church spread first within Palestine to the Jews, then to Gentiles and then to Jews and
Gentiles outside Palestine. In the 1st century AD Jews and Christians were living side by side in
Rome at a turbulent time for the Roman Empire. There was much internal chaos and at times there
was trouble too between the Jews and Christians. The current emperor had to maintain order.
The emperor Nero was a paranoid tyrant. In 64AD Rome was burnt down - apparently by himself
- but he blamed the Christians and used that as an excuse to persecute them.

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GRADE 7

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
1 Have the learners read through the story of Samuel. Guide them to focus on the
following three aspects: family life in a fishing village, the religious situation, and the political
situation. 
2 In groups have them discuss one of the above three aspects, drawing comparisons with
our world of today.
3 Using a map, if available, provide input as appropriate about the religious and political
world of the time from the TEACHER BACKGROUND or other sources.
4 Referring to the story of Samuel, and to other sources, ask the learners to write a
sentence of explanation for each of the italicised words in the story. The words are scribe,
Torah, scroll, Aramaic, synagogue, preacher, Passover, Zealot, Pharisee, catacombs.  

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
5 Invite the learners to review the maps of Palestine of the time and of the missionary
journeys of Paul if they are contained in the Bibles at their disposal.
6 Make a list of questions about the historical aspects of the story and have a class quiz,
e.g. what is a synagogue? a scribe?
7 Invite the learners to choose a Biblical character of the time and make up their own story
about this person.

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 GRADE 7

Samuel’s Gift
A STORY OF THE TIME OF JESUS
As the son of the village synagogue's only scribe, Samuel took his work and his studies
seriously. He knew he could follow in his father's footsteps but hoped that he might
even be able to go to the Temple in Jerusalem where the great teachers sat daily
discussing and debating the Torah and the other sacred writings. Samuel had secretly
taught his sister Judith to read the scrolls, as girls weren't usually given that privilege.
So on hot summer evenings or cold winter nights they talked of the history of their own
people, exiled and oppressed so often.
But they were interested in the lives of others too. At home they spoke Aramaic, the
local language of the people. In the synagogue they learned some Hebrew, and his
father had introduced him to Greek - the world language of culture and trade. They also
liked to find out more about the Roman soldiers and their sports and hobbies. Young
Samuel learned much about life beyond the village from the caravans and traders passing
by. So when his friend Judas said, "Come on, let's go and hear this new preacher, a man
called Jesus," Samuel asked his mother for some bread and fish and the boys ran off,
Judith tagging along behind.
In the great crowd that followed Jesus along the shore of the Sea of Galilee that long
day, they recognised many local villagers but also some of the scribes and elders, Romans
and slaves. They were soon caught up in the message and the personality of the
preacher. "Blessed are the poor,… those who hunger,…… Forgive your enemies. Do
not judge. "These were pretty controversial statements. Were they the family values
they had been taught? They were hardly conscious of time and suddenly, it seemed, the
sun was dropping low in the sky and people were beginning to feel hungry. People
started muttering, "Who has some food?" "Does anyone have something to eat?"
Without thinking twice he raised his hand and as Jesus looked at him and raised his hand
in blessing Samuel passed his loaves and fishes out to those around him, who in turn
passed the food on to others. Having eaten the crowd slowly dispersed.
Over the next months, although Samuel was afraid to discuss it with his father, he
thought long and hard about what he heard and experienced. From time to time
snippets of news reached them, about Jesus, about a rebellion here or a riot there over
paying taxes to Rome and to the temple too.
At the Passover the family as usual traveled in convoy to Jerusalem, for protection
against robbers on the road. King Herod's temple was becoming more beautiful every
year but some parts, like the outer court where traders sold animals for the various
sacrifices, were quite intimidating to these country people. A particular commotion
there really sent them scurrying and in the next few days it seemed as if the atmosphere
in Jerusalem was quite electric. Roman soldiers were on high alert. There were strange

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 GRADE 7

currents, people muttering, whispering, gathering in groups, shouting in the streets and
once from a distance it seemed to Samuel as if there was some kind of procession going
on, which scattered quickly when there was a most horrific storm.
The journey home as usual was subdued and life settled again into its simple everyday
family routine. The men fished, the women fetched water, the children played and the
older ones learned their family trade. As a student scribe Samuel's time was taken up,
reading and copying scrolls, studying and translating the passages that were read in the
synagogue.
All the while he pondered on the words he had heard. "Blessed are you who hunger and
thirst for justice, for they shall have their fill." Should he join the Zealots and their
liberation army and free his people from Roman oppression? Not being of the priestly
class, should he become a great teacher or preacher at least?
Gradually more and more was being heard about this new group of believers, but yet
he remained unsure. The famous Pharisee, Saul, passed by the village on his way to
Damascus where it was told he was going to stamp out these dangerous beliefs. Not
long after that Judith dragged him out to the market place where he could hardly believe
his eyes when he recognised Saul now preaching boldly in the name of Jesus. Full of fire
he told his story. He had been blind but the Lord had spoken to him and called him.
Then Samuel knew. The Lord had spoken to him too, long ago, with his eyes, when he
asked him to share the few loaves and fish that were all he had.
Samuel joined Paul, becoming a trusted companion, interpreter and scribe. Quietly in
the background he followed Paul throughout the Greek world, where the Jews had been
scattered, and finally to Rome, the centre of the world. It was there that the emperor
Nero, in his paranoid fear of anyone who might usurp his power, persecuted the
Christians. In the dark secret passages and chambers of the catacombs Christians
worshipped and studied. Although they were aware of the danger the community was
devastated when Peter and then Paul died for the cause. But their faith was strong and
in the streets of Rome the simple secret symbol of a fish, drawn in the sand when passing
word became a real source of strength. Samuel smiled gently. His favourite symbol.
He had not gone back during the Jewish-Roman war when Jerusalem had been almost
completely destroyed but some years later he went home to Bethsaida to visit his
mother, still living in the little family home. Going up on to the roof he found his treasure
jar still tucked between stones. Excitedly he opened the jar and carefully unwound the
scroll, his eyes searching for the fading words, "Today I shared my fish with a thousand
people. Praise be to God" (TR 2000)

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION – Core Curriculum Grade 7

GRADE 7

LESSON 6: Bible Wisdom

AIM
To help the learners become familiar with the wisdom literature of
WHAT YOU NEED
Old and New Testament so that it may serve them as a guide for
life (11.3.10, 11.3.11)
 Bibles (2)(4)(5)(6)(10)
 Small strips of paper with
OUTCOME references to passages
from the Sermon on the
Learners are familiar with wisdom literature in the Bible. Mount (8)
 Materials for posters (9)
LEARNING ACTIVITIES  The Slave Girl from Song of
1 Gifts of the Spirit: Isaiah, an Old Testament prophet the Bird (Anthony de
gives us a picture of how holiness works [11:1-2]. Mello) (11) 
Traditionally we list the seven gifts of the Spirit as:
 ♫ Seek Ye First or Show
wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge,
Me Your Ways (12)
piety, and wonder and awe. Note that wisdom is placed
first in the list. It is a very important gift - but what is it?
2 Two Women and a Child [1Kings 3:16-28]: Read or tell the story as an example of
wisdom in action. Ask the learners to discuss Solomon’s situation. How did he demonstrate
wisdom? Note the results of his wisdom: life was preserved and justice was done.
3 Wisdom: How then can we define wisdom? Knowledge is one thing, but knowledge alone
does not help us to make decisions in difficult circumstances. Invite the learners to share
occasions when they have been in such circumstances. What we need is wisdom which
enables us to apply our knowledge to actual situations so that the decisions we take lead
to true happiness and success.
4 Solomon asks for wisdom: Wisdom is a precious gift which we should ask for. Read or
tell the story of Solomon who chose wisdom above all other possible gifts [1Kings 3:5-15].
5 Old Testament Wisdom Literature: Wisdom literature was a form of literature used by
the different nations in the Near East. Israelite wisdom was the product of the scribes and
was written down from about the time of King David. The Bible offers us much that will
help us grow if we apply it. Its wisdom literature gives advice, inspires, encourages, and
reprimands. It contains were wise sayings and instructions to the young about good
behaviour. Some of the books we can consult are Proverbs, Wisdom, Job, Ecclesiastes
(Qoheleth), Ecclesiasticus (Sirach). Let the learners identify these by looking at the content
page of the Bible.
6 Proverbs: As an example, concentrate on the Book of Proverbs, in particular the section
[10:1-2:16] which contains the Proverbs of Solomon. Have the learners browse through
this section. They choose a saying that is particularly meaningful for them to share with the
class.
7 The Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew chapter 5-7 contains the Golden Rule: Do
to others whatever you would have them do to you. It also has many other wise sayings of
Jesus gathered together into one sermon.

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8 Hand out strips of paper on which are written Scripture references to parts of the
Sermon on the Mount. Choose the references yourself. In small groups have the learners
discuss the meaning of their passages. Finally ask them to find modern-day examples of
the various sayings in their own lives or the lives of others to which these sayings can be
applied.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
9 Learners make posters of the proverbs they chose in ACTIVITY 6.
10 Ten Virgins [Matthew 25:1-13]: This story illustrates the wisdom of being prepared.
11 The Slave Girl: This is a story from the East found in The Song of the Bird by Anthony de
Mello. The hakim had the wisdom to discern the ailment that afflicted the girl, whereas the
king was blinded by his own personal interest.
12 Sing: Seek Ye First or Show Me Your Ways.

MATERIALS
THE SLAVE GIRL
A Moslem King fell passionately in love with a slave girl and had her transferred from the
slave quarters to the palace. He planned to marry her and make her his favourite wife
but, mysteriously, the girl fell seriously ill on the very day she entered the palace. She
grew steadily worse. Every known remedy was given her, to no avail. She hovered
between life and death.
In despair the King made an offer of half his kingdom to anyone who would cure her. But
who would attempt to cure an illness that had baffled the best physicians of the realm?
Finally a hakim appeared who asked to be allowed to see the girl alone. After he had
spoken with her for an hour he appeared before the throne of the King who anxiously
awaited his verdict.
“Your Majesty,” said the hakim. “I do indeed have an infallible cure for the girl. And so
sure am I of its effectiveness that were it not to work, I should willingly offer myself to
be beheaded. The medicine I propose, however, will prove to be an extremely painful
one—not for the girl, but for you.’
“Mention the medicine,” shouted the King. “And it shall be given her, no matter the cost.”
The hakim looked at the King with compassion and said, “The girl is in love with one of
your servants. Give her permission to marry him and she will be instantly cured.”
Poor King! He wanted the girl too much to let her go. He loved her too much to let her
die.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION – Core Curriculum Grade 7