Section 1 Bible Test
Church
(1) The entire People of God throughout the world, (2) The diocese, which is also known as the local Church, (3) The assembly of believers gathered for the celebration of the liturgy, especially the Eucharist
Exegetes
A Biblical Scholar attempting to interpret the meaning of biblical texts
Septunagint
A Greek translation of the New Testament
Literary Conventions
A defining feature of a particular literary form
Apocalyptic Literature
A literary form that uses events and dramatic symbolic language to offer hope to a people in crisis
Canon of Scripture
A matter of Sacred Tradition, defined many times throughout Church history by conciliar documents. It illustrates how both Sacred and Tradition are needed to grasp the fullness of the Catholic faith
Gentiles
A non-Jewish person. In Scripture, they were those outside of the covenant, those who did not know how to fulfill God's will.
Prophet
A person God chooses to speak his message of salvation
Doublets
A second version of a saying or of a narrative
Covenant
A solemn agreement between human beings or between God and human beings in which mutual commitments are made
Moral Truth
A truth dealing with the goodness or evil of human acts, attitudes, and values
Codices
Book-like manuscripts that replaced scrolls
Literary Forms
Different kinds of writing determined by their literary technique, content, tone, and purpose (how the author wants the reader to be affected)
The New Testament is in the old concealed, and the Old Testament is in the New Revealed, because both the Old and New Testaments are related and equal to each other. The Old Testament foreshadows what will be in the New Testament and what there is still to be taught, and the New Testament fulfills everything unknown from the Old Testament. They even/equal each other out.
Explain this statement in regards to the way that the Old and New Testaments are related: "The New Testament is in the old concealed, and the Old Testament is in the New Revealed."
1.) Ideological Analysis -examines the biases, assumptions, or strongly held beliefs that underlie our interpretation of Scripture 2.) Literary Analysis -examines Scripture in light of genre, plot, characters, and symbolism 3.) Sociohistorical -studies the issues or concerns facing the community
List and describe the 3 different types of exegesis
1.) The life and teaching of Jesus -Jesus lived and taught among us until his Ascension 2.) The oral tradition -The Apostles handed on what Jesus had said and done 3.) The written books -The inspired authors selected certain elements from what had been handed on, to bring us the truth about Jesus
List and describe the 3 stages in the formation of the New Testament
1.) Literal -what the words of Scripture actually mean in their proper context 2.)Allegorical -Reveals a hidden meaning or symbol 3.) Moral -To act on the instructions and encouragement we find in Scripture to do good and to act justly 4.) Anagogical -We are led from considering scriptural events to considering events in our lives that are significant for our eternal salvation Contextualist Approach: The approach through which our understanding of the literal sense of Scripture is informed by scientific and historical knowledge
List and describe the 4 Senses of Scripture (include the Contextualist Approach)
1.) Apostolic -A book based on preaching and teachings of the Apostles and their disciples 2.) Community Acceptance -If a Christian of an important Christian as valid it would be accepted into the canon 3.) Liturgical -If Christians used this book in their liturgical celebrations, especially the Eucharist, then the early bishops considered it valid for growth in prayer and faith 4.) Consistent -A books message had to be consistent with other Christian and Hebrew writings
List and describe the 4 criteria used for whether or not the Bishops included a book into the canon of Scripture
1.) The Introductory Rites -begin with an entrance antiphon that is always taken from either the Old Testament or the New Testament (Opening Prayer) 2.) The Liturgy of the Word -integral to the Eucharist and indeed to every Sacrament. Through Scripture we are led to respond in faith to the meaning of the sacramental action, proclaimed and expressed by the Word of God -In addition to the three readings on Sundays, a psalm is read or sung (Responsorial Psalm). Then, before the Gospel, a Gospel acclamation is read or sung -Following the Gospel, a homily is given by the priest or deacon 3.) The Liturgy of the Eucharist -At the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer, we are invited by the celebrant to join the angels and saints as they sing, "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts" -the blessing of the Holy Spirit, invoked by the priest -before receiving the Eucharist, we unite in prayer as sons and daughters of the Father, brothers and sisters of Jesus, as we pray the Lord's Prayer -receive the Eucharist 4.) The Concluding Rite -As we are dismissed, we accept the gift of peace that the Risen Christ offered to his disciples as he commissioned them to go forth and to share that peace with the world
List and describe the 4 parts of the Mass
Liturgical Year
The Church's annual cycle of religious feasts and seasons that celebrate the events and mysteries of Christ's birth, life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension, and forms the context for the Church's worship
Magisterium
The Church's living teaching office, which consists of all bishops, in communion with the Pope, the bishop of Rome
Consencration
To declare or set apart as sacred or to solemnly dedicate to God's service; to make holy. At Mass the Consecration occurs during the Eucharistic prayer when the priest recites Jesus' words of institution, changing the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ
They have greatly misread it, and did not read it from the standpoint of the Lamb, standing as though slain.
What should you tell someone who reads the Bible and thinks that being violent is okay?
Because the God in the Bible is a dreadful God, who orders murder, mayhem and chaos. Christians call the Old Testament the "hard passages." Jesus in the New Testament reveals infinite mercy and compassion, and says to "love your enemies, bless those who curse you, pray for those who maltreat you, resist not evil."
Why does there seem to be such a discrepancy the God of the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament?
They were very comfortable with more symbolic ways of reading text. Also because they are warlike people, so they try to reach for this militaristic metaphor.
Why would the ancient Israelites use such graphic imagery when they were writing these stories?
Play around with evil, toy with it, we battle it to some degree, but then we typically keep a little bit for ourselves. We don't battle it all the way down.
According to Bishop Barron, what do most of us sinners do with evil?
To "Read these passages in a metaphorical, allegorical, and symbolic way, as about the spiritual struggle."
According to Origin, how should we read these Scripture verses where God seems to be pretty violent and cruel?
Saul doesn't kill all of them. He kills most of them, he defeats them, but then keeps a lot of the livestock for himself, and he keeps King Agag, the King of the Amalekites for himself. The take away the message when we read that Samuel the prophet "hacker Agag to pieces," should be that we have to put the ban on them, and read these stories as allegories of the spiritual struggle, and the way that we should fight evil all the way down.
Explain the significance of God's command to Saul to put "the ban" on the Amalekites. What should the take away message be when we read that Samuel the prophet "hacked Agag to pieces?"
The 3 year cycle found in the Church's lectionary is, on the Sundays of cycle A, the Gospel readings come mainly from the Gospel of Matthew; in cycle B, from Mark; and in cycle C, from Luke. The Gospel of John is proclaimed during Lent, Holy Week, and in the Easter season in all three cycles and on five Sundays in cycle B. On weekdays the Lectionary is organized in a two-year cycle, year I (odd-numbered years) and year II (even-numbered years). There are usually only two readings (an Old or New Testament reading and the Gospel) proclaimed at Mass on weekdays.
Explain the three-year cycle found in the Church's lectionary. How does the Sunday cycle differ from the Weekday cycle? What is the Revised Common Lectionary? What is the main difference between the Lectionary and the Bible?
"Christ crucified." This is so important because this represents the Lamb Slain, but is The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Finish this sentence: "The only standpoint from which we should read the whole of the Bible is the standpoint of _____ _____." Why is this so important?
Divine Revelation
God's self-communication through which he makes known the mystery of his divine plan. It's a gift accomplished by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit through the words and deeds of salvation history
Through reliance on Tradition, the Church discerned which books are sacred. Together this list of books authenticated by Tradition and accepted as God's Revelation by the Church is called the canon of Scripture. The word canon comes from the Greek word kanon, meaning "measure" or "standard," which evolved into the word canon, meaning "rule." "In reality, "All Sacred Scripture is but one book, and this one book is Christ, 'because all divine Scripture speaks of Christ, and all divine Scripture is fulfilled in Christ."
How did the Old and the New Testaments eventually get joined together into one book?
Because along the road it is Jesus himself who explains Scripture to the friends. Later, at table, Jesus once more breaks the bread and offers it to them as his own Body and Blood. The friends identify Jesus in both actions: opening up Scripture and breaking the bread. This intimate connection between Scripture and the Eucharist has been fostered by the Church ever since. From the earliest liturgies of the Church, the celebration included both the reading of Scripture—writings from the Old Testament as well as the apostolic writings and the Eucharist. In every Eucharist, in both the Word and in the Sacrament, we encounter the Risen Christ.
How does the story of the Road to Emmaus illustrate the intimate connection between Scripture and the Eucharist?
1.) The Gospels -Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John -Written by Evangelists 2.) The Acts of the Apostles -considered a "sequel" to the Gospel of Luke because in it Luke continues his account of the saving work of Jesus, -recounts the spread of the early Church from its origins in Jerusalem to the ends of the earth, to the limits of the known world, to the center of the known universe: the city of Rome 3.) The Pauline Letters (including Letters Attributed to Paul) -21 in all -13 of them are attributed to the Apostle Paul 4.) The Catholic Epistles -other 7 letters were written by other writers and are called the catholic epistles -These letters were not addressed to one particular local church but to a wider Christian audience—to all the faithful of the universal Church 5.) The Book of Revelation -All of God's Revelation, from the creation of the world to the hope for the world to come, points to Jesus Christ
List and describe the 5 major categories of the New Testament
1.) We must recognize the unity of the whole of Scripture -Because Scripture reveals God's plan for us, and because Jesus Christ is the center of that plan, we must discern the meaning of Scripture based on the complete picture of God's plan to save us through Jesus Christ 2.) We must understand Scripture in light of the Tradition of the Church through the centuries -As the Fathers of the Church said, "Sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church's heart." The Church carries Scripture within her Tradition and relies on the guidance of the Holy Spirit for spiritual understanding of the Word of God 3.) We must respect the analogy of faith, the unity of individual doctrines, or teachings, within the whole of Revelation, and the interconnectedness between doctrines. -To guide us in interpreting Scripture according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we depend on the Magisterium of the Church. Only the teaching office of the Church can make a definitive judgment on what Scripture means for our faith and moral development
List and explain the 3 principles which guide us in interpreting Scripture in accordance with the Holy Spirit
Gospels
The Four Books contributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The "principal source for the life and teachings of the Incarnate Word"
Eucharist
The celebration of the entire Mass. The consecrated bread and wine that have become the Body and Blood of Christ
Analogy of Faith
The coherence of individual doctrines with the whole of Revelation. Each doctrine is connected with Revelation, and connected with all other doctrines
Bible
The collection of Christian Sacred writings, or Scripture, accepted by the Church as inspired by God and composed of the Old and New Testaments
Biblical Exegesis
The critical interpretation and explanation of a biblical text
Typology
The discernment of God's work in the Old Testament as a prefiguration of what he accomplished through Jesus Christ in the fullness of time
Biblical Inerrancy
The doctrine that the books of Scripture are free form error regarding the truth God wishes to reveal through Scripture for the sake of our salvation
Word of God
The entire deposit of truth revealed by God throughout history and transmitted through Scripture and Tradition, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit
Biblical Inspiration
The gift of the Holy Spirit, which assisted human beings to write biblical books, so they have God as their author and teach faithfully and without error the saving truths that God willed to give us
Deposit of Faith
The heritage of faith contained in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, that has been passed on from the time of Apostles
Senses of Scripture
The literal and spiritual senses. The spiritual senses are the allegorical, the moral, and the anagogical
Incarnate
The mystery of Jesus Christ, the Divine Son of God, becoming man. From Latin, meaning, "to become flesh"
Synoptic Gospels
The name given to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, because they are similar in style and content. From the Greek for, "seeing the whole together"
Passover
The night the Lord passed over the house of the Israelites marked by the blood of the lamb, and spared the firstborn sons from death
Lectionary
The official liturgical book containing the readings of the Mass, the Gospels, the Responsorial Psalms, and the Gospel Acclamations
Tradition
The process of passing on the Gospel message. Began with the oral communication of the Gospel by the Apostles, was written down in Scripture, is handed down and lived out in the life of the Church, and is interpreted by the Magisterium under the guidance of the Holy Spirit
1.) Ex Cathedra -The most authoritative teachings of the Magisterium are statements issued by the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, ex cathedra "from the chair" 2.) Conciliar Documents -issued by an Ecumenical Council, these represent the collective work of the entire Magisterium 3.) Papal Encyclical -informed by Scripture at every level of authority 4.) Apostolic exhortations, constitutions, and letters -informed by Scripture at every level of authority 5.) Pastoral Letters issued by national bishops' conferences -informed by Scripture at every level of authority
What are the 5 levels of authority in Church teaching?
1.) Tobit 2.) Judith 3.) Wisdom 4.) Sirach 5.) Baruch 6.) I Maccabees 7.) II Maccabees Protestant Bibles omit them because Martin Luther said, "These are books which are not held equal to the Sacred Scriptures and yet are useful and good for reading." Others speculate he wanted to remove anything which disagreed with his own theology
What are the 7 "Deuterocanonical Books?" Why do Protestant Bibles omit them?
"We must read the entire Bible from the standpoint of the last book of the Bible." Also, who will unlock, who will unseal the Scroll. This is because the sealed part of the Scroll was the hardest to read and interpret.
What did the Church Father, Origin of Alexandria, teach on how we should read the Bible?
The enemies of Israel stand for all the things that stand athwart God's purposes, in the Old Testament. We should fight the enemies, all the way down. To fight them all the way and not by half measures.
What do the enemies of Israel stand for in the Old Testament? How should we fight the enemies of God?
To say that Jesus Christ is pre existent it means, that the Holy Trinity, (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) existed from all eternity. The Son of God existed as the Word of God but without a human nature. It was only at the Annunciation, when Mary consented to be the Mother of God, that the Word of God, sent from the Father, took on a human nature through the power of the Holy Spirit, became incarnate, and was named Jesus, meaning "God saves." Both Scripture and Tradition bear witness to this preexistent Word of God who became incarnate for our sake.
What does it mean to say that Jesus Christ is preexistent?
The text was written by spiritual authors depended on the message they wanted to convey to their readers. The meanings these authors tried to convey depended on the message they read into and perceived from God. Also, it means that everyone is a child of God, and God loves everyone, but he does not control where you are placed in the social structure of life (finding the Moral Truth).
What does it mean to say that the inspired authors applied their spiritual insight into the social structure which already existed at the time? Give an example.
A Scroll comes out that is sealed by 7 seals. The scroll stands for if you want the whole of the Bible/the whole of God's Revelation, but the sealed part of the scroll means that those are the parts that are hard to read and hard to interpret. Also, we hear the voice that is asking who will unlock it, who will unseal the scroll? The one who has weakness, will be unable to open the seals. This is because of the lamb that comes in and is slained.
What is the significance of the 5th chapter of the Book of Revelation? What does the scroll signify? What do the seals signify?