Episcopalian Christians and the Bible
The Bible is a scented garden, delightful, beautiful. It enchants our ears with birdsong in a sweet, divine and spiritual harmony, it touches our heart, comforts us in sorrow, soothes us in a moment of anger, and fills us with eternal joy. Let us knock at its gate with diligence and with perseverance. Let us not be discouraged from knocking. The latch will be opened. If we have read a page of the Bible two or three times and have not understood it, let us not be tired of re-reading it and meditating on it. Let us seek in the fountain of this garden “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). We shall taste a joy that will never dry up, because the grace of the Bible garden is inexhaustible. -St. John of Damascus (675-749)
As is true for all Christians, the Bible takes a central place in our shared life of faith. We believe that the whole Bible, the Old and New Testaments, are a faithful record of God's revelation to humanity. They tell the story of God's work in creation and salvation, and particularly in the work of God's son, Jesus Christ.
As is true for all Christians, the Bible takes a central place in our shared life of faith. We believe that the whole Bible, the Old and New Testaments, are a faithful record of God's revelation to humanity. They tell the story of God's work in creation and salvation, and particularly in the work of God's son, Jesus Christ.
St. Jerome by Trophîme Bigot
Every one of our services contains extensive readings from Scripture. In the Eucharist we hear readings from the Old Testament, the Psalms, the Epistles, and the Gospels. The Daily Office contains even more readings for each day of the year. Additionally, many of the texts of our prayers are drawn from the Bible.
Unlike some churches, Episcopalians tend not to be biblical literalists. The tendency to demand that every word of the Bible is given directly by God and carries equal weight for the development of doctrine and practice often leads towards a kind of idolatry of the written word. One of our older articles of faith, called the Thirty-Nine Articles, defined Scripture in this way:Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.
2011 marked the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, also called the Authorized Version. This masterpiece of English literature is a product of the same Anglican faith that we profess. We honor and revere the beauty of its language, but the truth is that more contemporary translations of Scripture are more accurate and faithful to the ancient Greek and Hebrew texts. While a number of translations are allowed to be used in Episcopal Church liturgies, we use the New Revised Standard Version here at St. Stephen's.
Unlike some churches, Episcopalians tend not to be biblical literalists. The tendency to demand that every word of the Bible is given directly by God and carries equal weight for the development of doctrine and practice often leads towards a kind of idolatry of the written word. One of our older articles of faith, called the Thirty-Nine Articles, defined Scripture in this way:Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.
2011 marked the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, also called the Authorized Version. This masterpiece of English literature is a product of the same Anglican faith that we profess. We honor and revere the beauty of its language, but the truth is that more contemporary translations of Scripture are more accurate and faithful to the ancient Greek and Hebrew texts. While a number of translations are allowed to be used in Episcopal Church liturgies, we use the New Revised Standard Version here at St. Stephen's.