ANNOUNCEMENT: Scheduling Notes for 2014-2015

This info was sent out by e-mail, but the coaches wanted to make sure it reached as many potential quizzers for next year as possible.

• First, the annual Bible Quiz Team kickoff meeting will be Sunday, August 24 after the church service.  If you know anyone who is interested in joining the team for this upcoming year, pass the word!
• Second, we’re looking to change the day for practices, so that we can have as many quizzers there as possible.  We’re looking to meet on Monday nights from 6:30-7:30 PM.  Please let us know if this change in date or time causes issues for anyone.

GETTING READY: When was the Epistle of James written?

The second book we'll be studying for the 2013-2014 season will be the epistle of James.  The next few weeks of the "Getting Ready" series, we will be considering the high-level questions about this book.  If you have additional questions, don't be shy about e-mailing the coaches!

When was the epistle of James written?

Unlike Paul's epistles, whose references can be fit into the narrative in Acts, James's letter is harder for scholars to pinpoint.  It was clearly written to Christians living in the first century (i.e. from 1 to 99 A.D.)  Various evidences indicate it was written between 47 and 60 A.D., possibly in the last years before James (brother of Jesus) was martyred in 62 A.D.  The book mentions the persecutions going on in Jerusalem as current affairs, which are recorded in Acts and elsewhere in church history.

TOPICS FROM PRACTICE: Biblical Hours

Okay, this one isn't a question that came up in practice, but one that I think might come up in the next practice.  In this week's chapter, we read...

About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing....He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around...
Matthew 20:3-6 (NIV 1984)

...but that kind of timekeeping doesn't sound anything like what we have today.  So how did Jesus (and Jews of his era) keep time?

The Jewish day was divided by sunset and sunrise (notice sunset comes first).  There were 12 hours in the day and 12 hours in the night.  For the daytime, they were roughly:

1st hour - 7:00 AM
2nd hour - 8:00 AM
3rd hour - 9:00 AM
4th hour - 10:00 AM
5th hour - 11:00 AM
6th hour - 12:00 PM
7th hour - 1:00 PM
8th hour - 2:00 PM
9th hour - 3:00 PM
10th hour - 4:00 PM
11th hour - 5:00 PM
12th hour - 6:00 PM

So, the verses could be translated...

About 9 AM he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing....He went out again about noon and 3 PM and did the same thing. About 5 PM he went out and found still others standing around...
Matthew 20:3-6 (NIV 1984)

Source:  Here

What kind of time commitment does Bible Quizzing require?

We live in a busy world, and between school, church, sports, and extracurricular activities, teens are often the most busy people around. So, that raises the question of what kind of time commitment does the Bible Quiz Team demand? While the exact times may vary by person, our general guidelines are:

• At least 2 read-thrus of the assigned chapter per day.  (About 1/2 hour)
• Our 1 hour practice each Sunday between services (About 1 hour)
• Approximately monthly quiz meets (We usually leave the church by 7 AM and return about 3 PM)
• Twice a year, we'll have major quiz meets where we'll be staying overnight at host churches.  We leave on Friday night and return Saturday evening or Sunday noonish.  (Be watching for more details here as the season gets closer)

Studying, of course, is a highly personal affair.  Some teens can get by with the minimum read-thrus.  Others choose to incorporate it into their school study schedule, or set up get-togethers during the week to study and quiz with friends.  You get out of Bible Quiz Team, as with most things in life, what you put into it!