False books, "apocrypha," were written by heretics who signed the names of apostles to give them credibility. But some apocrypha were not heretical. They contained stories about the youth of Jesus or the Virgin Mary. Is there anything wrong with reading those stories?

Who created the apocrypha and why? Why did the Fathers oppose Christians reading them? In this lesson, we will look at the rise of apocryphal writings and discuss why they were created. We will read excerpts from them to illustrate why they were rejected by the Church.

Although general consensus for the NT canon was reached around AD 400, many surprising variations continued. Complete uniformity did not exist for hundreds of years. Revelation was in, then out, then in. Why? Ethiopia has a unique canonical tradition we will also explore.

What were the main factors considered for including books in the Christian canon, which books were easily accepted, and which books faced opposition? Who decided ultimately which books the New Testament would contain? The answer is not what you think!

Certain controversies arose during the second century that created problems for the writings of the Apostle John. Some actively lobbied to keep the Gospel out of the New Testament. What was their motivation, what accusations did they raise and who came to John's defense?

Developments occurred in the second century that impacted the Church, and eventually, controversies and crises created the need for a Christian collection of Scripture. But which books would be included? Apostolic writings were not immediately considered "Scripture." Why not?

How did the Jewish Scriptures function for the early Church? What was the Jewish canon for the Jews and for the first Christians? When and why did Christians begin to compose and collect their own writings?

Is there a "best" English translation? What does a translator consider when choosing between words? Which popular Bibles are actually not translations but distortions? Dr Jeannie share her experiences as a translator and compares various versions for efficacy and accuracy.

The number of English Versions has exploded in recent years. Why? How are they different? What should you consider and what should you avoid? We'll look at the history of the English Bible, and Dr Jeannie will share some of her personal experiences in doing translation work.

Accurate and effective translation of the Bible requires language knowledge but also other skills. What considerations must translators weigh and how does their approach affect the final version? What should readers bear in mind?