WORD OF GOD MIDTERM

Allegorical Sense

How the literal sense of Scripture refers to Jesus and the Church

Anagogical Sense

How the literal sense of Scripture refers to the union of our souls with God both now and in eternity

Deuterocanonical Books

Those books of the Old Testament which come down to us in Greek rather than in Hebrew: Tobit, Judith, certain portions of Esther, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, certain portions of Daniel, 1-2 Maccabees.

Canon (of Scripture)

The biblical canon is the list of books which belong in the Bible

Epistles

Inspired letters in the New Testament which applied an encounter with Jesus to the first Christian communities; there are Pauline Epistles (Roman, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon), and Catholic Epistles (Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude)

Gnostics

"Gnostic" comes from the Greek word "gnosis," meaning "knowledge"-- Gnostics were groups of people in the first centuries after Christ who syncretistically combined Persian religion and elements of Christianity; they believed that matter was evil and that a select group of people receive inner enlightenment on how to be liberated from matter

Gospels

The four inspired accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

Hellenistic

Something having to do with ancient Greek culture

Historical Books

The books following the Law that narrate the history of the Hebrew people from their entry into the promised land through their return from the Babylonian Captivity: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1-2 Maccabees

Illuminative Way

When the light of the mysteries of the Christian faith illumines our own life; the illuminative way moves us from an allegorical to a tropological reading of Scripture

Law (Torah)

The first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Literal Sense

That meaning primarily intended by the author of a passage of Sacred Scripture. It may be historical, but it may be according to some other genre.

Septuagint

"Septuaginta" is the Latin word for the number "70"--the Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Old Testament which Hellenistic Hebrews and the first Christians received as authoritative; a pious legend states that 70 scholars took 70 days to translate it

Prophets (Nevi'im)

The books of the Bible written by or about prophets--the major prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel (some also include Daniel); the minor prophets are Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi; the ancient Hebrews included several Historical Books among the Prophets as the "Former Prophets," contrasting them with the others as "Latter Prophets"

Purgative Way

The beginning of the Christian life where we are purged form our sins and move from the letter to the spirit of Sacred Scripture; the purgative way moves from a literal to an allegorical reading of Scripture.

Spiritual Sense

An extension of the literal sense given to Scripture by God over and above the literal sense. There are three spiritual senses: the allegorical, the tropological, and the anagogical sense.

Tropological Sense

How the literal sense of Scripture refers to God's actions in our lives and what he wants us to do.

Unitive Way

When, having been purged from sin and illumined by the mysteries of Christ, we enter into perfect communion with the three persons of the Blessed Trinity; the unitive way moves us from a tropological to an anagogical reading of Scripture

Vulgate

St. Jerome's Latin translation of the entire Bible; Jerome used the Old Testament canon of the Septuagint

Writings (Ketuvim)

The Wisdom literature of the Old Testament--Christians include Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, and Sirach among these books; the ancient Hebrews also included several Historical Books among the Writings

Note these three differences between modern science and ancient science:

1. Modern science demonstrates probabilities; ancient science demonstrates possibilities and necessities

2. Modern science gives us power over the things it studies; ancient science gives us a habit of mind in ourselves that respects the things it studies

3. Modern science attempts to move from can to must; ancient science respects the distinction between what you can do and what you must do

Note Bonaventure's three points about theology:

1. Theology is about God

2. Theology thinks about God by means of signs and things

3. The signs that theology studies are, in the allegorical sense, oriented towards drawing conclusions about Christ.

Epistomē

The Greek word for "science"; it denotes a habit of mind, a certitude about the world arising from a knowledge of the world's causes through their effects

Fides qua

The subjective habit of faith by which we believe God

Fides quae

The objective Faith which we believe, summarized in the Creed

Five Ways

The five proofs for God's existence that St. Thomas Aquinas gives in his Summa theologiae (Ia, q. 2, a. 3, co.)

Motives of Credibility

Signs that demonstrate that the Catholic faith is reasonable; motives of credibility do not prove the mysteries of the faith, only that a reasonable person could believe them

Scientia

The Latin word for "science"; means the same as the Greek word "epistomē"

Subalternation

When one science gets its first principles from another, higher science, such as how engineering receives its principles from physics

Theos

The Greek word for "God," from which we get "Theology" (the study of God)

Vestigia trinitatis

A Latin phrase meaning "vestiges [lit. footprints] of the Trinity"; vestigia trinitatis are reflections of God's threeness in Creation that we can only appreciate in the light of faith

Note the relationships among St. Augustine's three kinds of words:

Written Word

Note how this applies to the Scriptures:

Human Written Word

Humanity of Christ (God's Spoken Word)

Note these things that St. Thomas Aquinas proves about God in the Summa theologiae

-God is the first un-moved mover, who causes all motion in the universe

-God is the pure act, who causes the existence of all things in the universe

-God's existence is necessary, and serves as the ground of the fact that everything exists, even though it might not have

-God's existence is the perfection in which all the goodness of creation participates

-God's mind and will are the reason why the whole of the cosmos functions so well

-God is the goal of our heart's natural desire

Doctrina

A Latin word that can mean either the act of teaching people in the Church, or the things which are taught in that act

Hermeneutics

The study of how we read and interpret texts

Sign

That which points to something else, according to St. Augustine; natural signs are built into the nature of the universe, while conventional signs only point to something because a person wants to use the sign to point to a given thing

Thing

A reality to which as sign points, according to St. Augustine

Notice the Three Ways in which the Magisterium of the Church exercises the charism of infallibility:

1. Ordinary Magisterium of Bishops teaching together throughout the world.

2. Extraordinary Magisterium of Bishops in union with the pope in an Ecumenical Council

3. Extraordinary Magisterium of Pope acting in virtue of his own apostolic authority

Charism

A supernatural gift given by God for building up of the Church

Corruptio optimi pessimum

A Latin phrase meaning "the corruption of the best is the worst"

Inerrancy

A charism which ensures that the words and ideas of Scripture and Tradition are the words and ideas of God. Inerrancy is a positive charism.

Infallibility

A charism which prevents the Magisterium from falling into error, though without giving it particular words. Infallibility is a negative charism.

Inspiration

A special, supernatural gift given to the human authors of sacred scripture whereby the words that they authored were also words that God authored.

Magisterium

The teaching office of the Church which she receives from Christ, as a participation in his Prohetic Office, by which he reveals and teaches saving truths to the world. "Magisterium" comes from the Latin, "magister," meaning "teacher." The Magisterium is not a source of Public Revelation; it is an infallible teacher about Scripture and Tradition

Private Revelation

Those specific appearances of God and the saints which help us to live out more deeply what public Revelation is calling us to at the present. Private Revelation is not required for salvation.

Public Revelation

That revelation which God has given to all of humanity, made up of Scripture and Tradition, which is necessary to all people for salvation. Public Revelation ended with the death of the last Apostle (that is, St. John).

Regula Caritatis

A Latin phrase meaning "the rule of charity." The rule of charity stipulates that when we are not sure of what particular point God intends in the spiritual sense of a given passage of Scripture, we should interpret the passage in a way that builds up the love of God and love of neighbor.

Regula Fidei

A Latin phrase meaning "the rule of faith." The regula fidei stipulates that we should always read the Scriptures in the context of Tradition, as taught by the Magisterium and adhered to by the sensus fidelium.

Sensus Fidelium

An infallible adherence to Scripture and Tradition as taught by the Magisterium. "Sensus fidelium" is a Latin phrase meaning "sense of the faithful."

Scripture

An inerrant public witness to Jesus with inspired words.

Tradition

An inerrant public witness to Jesus without inspired words, but with what we might call inspired ideas

Note the correlation between the two original commandments given by God in Genesis and the two Greatest Commandments given by Jesus in the New Testament:

1. Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it > Love your neighbor as yourself

2. Do not eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil > Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength

Note the two kinds of gifts that God gives to Adam and Eve:

1. The preternatural gift of original justice

2. The supernatural gift of sanctifying grace

Note the difference between malum culpae and malum poenae:

1. Malum culpae, the evil of fault, is destructive but not purgative

2. Malum poenae, the evil of punishment, is purgative but not destructiveMarcionism

Marcionism

An early heresy, formulated by the first century heretic, Marcion, which held that God of the Old Testament was different than the God of the New Testament, and that Christians should reject the Old Testament.

Malum Culpae

A Latin phrase meaning "evil of fault." It is a moral fault that we introduce into the world.

Malum Poenae

A Latin phrase meaning "evil of punishment." It is called "evil" analogously not because it is truly evil, but because it feels evil to the one experiencing it

Mercy

Healing a defect in another, rather than merely cancelling out some punishment due another

Original Justice

The complete right ordering of Adam's and Eve's bodies to their souls, and their souls to God.

Preternatural

Something which is beyond what nature was going to do in a given instance.

Sanctifying Grace

The gratuitous gift of friendship with God.

Supernatural

Something which is above what nature could ever do.

Note the three promises that God makes to Abraham:

1. Land

2. Children

3. Blessing

Note the three aspects of the blessing that God promises to Abraham:

Blessing for himself

1. Blessing for himself

2. Blessing for his descendants

3. Blessing for all the world through his descendants

Note the difference between contracts and covenants:

-Contracts are an exchange of goods and services without a relationship

-Covenants create a relationships; goods and services exchanged within a covenant arise out of the relationship

Note the three kinds of Covenant:

-Grant Covenant: When a person of greater power/station enters into a relationship with a person of lower power/station

-Treaty Covenant: When a person of lower power/station enters into a relationship with a person of greater power/station

-Kinship Covenant: When a people of equal power/station enter into a relationship with one another

First Covenant

1. Type: Grant

2. Promise: Land

3. Hesitation: Asking for a Sign

4. Limitation: Slavery

5. Ratification: God's Offering (Genesis 15:12-21)

6. Fulfillment: Mosaic Covenant

Second Covenant

1. Type: Treaty

2. Promise: Children

3. Hesitation: Birth of Ishmael

4. Limitation: Grant Covenant turned to Treaty Covenant

5. Ratification: Circumcision (Genesis 17:9-14)

6. Fulfillment: Davidic Covenant

Third Covenant

1. Type: Kinship

2. Promise: Blessing

3. Hesitation: None

4. Limitation: None

5. Ratification: (Almost) Sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22)

6. Fulfillment: New Covenant (Jesus)

Public Revelation

That revelation which God has given to all of humanity, made up of Scripture and Tradition, which is necessary to all people for salvation. Public Revelation ended with the death of the last Apostle (that is, St. John).

Regula Caritatis

A Latin phrase meaning "the rule of charity." The rule of charity stipulates that when we are not sure of what particular point God intends in the spiritual sense of a given passage of Scripture, we should interpret the passage in a way that builds up the love of God and love of neighbor.

Public Revelation