Sacred Scriptures Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards generated from the Sacred Scriptures lecture notes, covering biblical approvals, origins, inspiration, canonicity, formation stages, and senses of scripture.

Nihil Obstat

A Latin term meaning "nothing hinders," given by a Censor Librorum as an attestation that a book contains nothing damaging to faith or morals.

Imprimi Potest

A Latin term meaning "it may be printed," given by the major religious superior if the author is a member of a religious congregation.

Imprimatur

A Latin term meaning "let it be printed," given by the author's diocesan bishop or the bishop of the place in which the book is published.

Byblos

The Greek word for papyrus.

Biblion

The Greek word for scroll or book, with the plural form being biblia.

Bibliotheca Divina

A Latin term meaning "divine library," used by St. Jerome to refer to the Bible.

Codex

An easy-to-use book formed by placing sheets of papyrus on top of each other, folding them in the middle, and binding them.

Archbishop Stephen Langton of Canterbury

The historical figure who divided the books of the Bible into chapters.

Robert Estienne (Stephanus)

The French printer who divided the chapters of the Bible into verses.

Vulgate

The definitive Latin translation of the Scriptures commissioned by Pope St. Damasus I in 383 CE and translated by St. Jerome.

Biblical Inspiration

The special influence of the Holy Spirit upon human authors so that they may write what God wanted them to write.

Principle of Causality (in Inspiration)

The theological principle stating that the Holy Spirit is the principal cause of the Bible and the human person is the instrumental cause.

Biblical Inerrancy

The doctrine that while the Bible contains error, it teaches no error and teaches only the saving truth.

Five Stages of Scriptural Formation

The sequential stages of biblical formation: 1. Events and Experiences, 2. Oral Tradition, 3. Written Tradition, 4. Edited Tradition, and 5. Canon of Scriptures.

Canon

Derived from a word meaning "measuring stick," it refers to the measuring stick by which a sacred writing was judged to be divinely inspired and the official list of inspired books accepted into Scriptures.

Canonization

The Church's official recognition that a book is inspired.

Canonicity

The condition or state of a book having passed the standards for determining divine inspiration, hence being declared as canonical.

Criteria for Old Testament Canonicity

The standards for Old Testament canon inclusion: Prophetic origin, Coherence with the Torah, Constant use in the liturgy, and Language.

Criteria for New Testament Canonicity

The standards for _ canon inclusion: Apostolic origin, Coherence with the essential Gospel message, and Constant use in the liturgy.

Apocrypha

From the Greek word for "veiled or secret," referring to books that did not pass the criteria for canonicity, lacked apostolic guarantee, and cannot be used as standards of faith and morality.

Deuterocanonicals

Literally meaning "second canon," referring to books in the Catholic Bible considered to be of equal inspiration as the Protocanonicals.

Septuagint

The Greek translation of the Bible known to Jesus and the Apostles, maintained in Catholic Apostolic Tradition.

Covenant (Testament)

A solemn agreement between God and Israel, fulfilled and universalized by Jesus Christ.

Literal Sense

The sense of Scripture containing the meaning that the human author directly intended to convey to his audience.

Allegorical Sense

The sense of Scripture consisting of patterns and parallelism where events gain a more profound understanding through their significance in Christ.

Moral Sense

The sense of Scripture where reported events lead believers to act justly and serve for human instruction.

Anagogical Sense

The sense of Scripture concerned with interpreting the relationship of Sacred Scripture to the eternal glory that awaits believers in the Kingdom of God.