catholic sources of wisdom and authority

Outline three features of the Old Testament.

• Originally written in Hebrew - translated into Latin in the 4th century

• Took 1500 years to put together

• Catholics believe there are 46 books; Protestants believe there are 39 books

Outline three features of the New Testament.

• Originally written in Greek - translated into Latin in the 4th century

• Took 70 years to put together

• 27 books

What are the literary forms in the Old Testament?

• Law - includes the 613 rules that Jews follow, Torah (e.g. Exodus, Leviticus, Genesis)

• History - history of the Jewish people (e.g. Judges, Esther, Kings)

• Prophets - warnings and calls for repentance (e.g. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos)

• Writings - advice on how to be a good Christian, including songs and poetry (e.g. Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon)

What are the literary forms in the New Testament?

• Gospels - accounts of Jesus’ life (e.g. Matthew, Mark, Luke)

• Letters - written to early Church communities to give instruction (e.g. Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians)

• Apocalyptic - describes the end of the world (Revelations)

SOW for the Bible

‘The Gospels are the heart of all the Scriptures’ (CCC)

What are the divergent attitudes towards towards the Bible?

• The Catholic Bible includes 7 deuterocanonical books which aren’t in the Protestant Bible

• The inclusion of these books was confirmed at the Council of Trent in 1545

• They were written in Greek, not Hebrew - and therefore written later, so Protestants excluded them

What are the three ways to interpret the Bible?

• Inspired (CATHOLIC VIEW) - the Bible is the inspired word of God (influenced by humans), but there is truth in the Bible (e.g. God created the world). Time and culture must be taken into account when reading the Bible.

• Literal - it is true word for word, there are no mistakes, if there’s a contradiction there’s a reason, if there’s a contradiction with science then science is wrong

• Liberal - written by humans; inspired by any other writer, contains spiritual not literal truth, symbolism in the Bible, some parts are irrelevant and outdated

SOW for Bible interpretations

‘All scripture is inspired by God’ (Bible)

How do Catholics use the Bible?

• Prayerful activity

• Read and understand as a whole text - shouldn’t be taken out of context

• Source of guidance and comfort in times of need

Who are the leaders in the Church in order of authority?

1. Pope

2. Cardinal

3. Archbishop

4. Bishop

5. Priest

6. Deacon

7. Laity

What is the ordinary magisterium?

• Everyday teaching of the Church

• Found in writings and speeches of bishops and popes

• Examples include letters, homilies, exhortations, etc

What is the extraordinary two types of magisterium?

CONCILIAR

• Through an ecumenical council

• Pope calls all bishops to meet to settle or explore new questions

• Example: the Second Vatican Council

• There have been 21 of these

PONTIFICAL

• There have only been two ex cathedra (‘from the chair’) declarations of the Pope - immaculate conception and Assumption of Mary were declared infallible

What do the magisterium do today? (Include a SOW)

• ‘Interpreting the Word of God has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium’ (CCC)

• Address issues that didn’t exist in Jesus’ time (e.g. IVF and genetic engineering)

Outline three key points about the CCC.

• It is a doctrinal manual of Catholic teachings

• Current English version written in 1992

• First published in 1566

What are the four constitutions of the Second Vatican Council?

• Sacrosanctum Concilium

• Lumen Gentium

• Dei Verbum

• Gaudium et Spes

What changes were made following Sacrosanctum Concilium? Include a SOW.

• Mass could be celebrated in local language

• Eucharist could be received in both forms, not just bread

• Priest faces congregation

• ‘Active participation in the liturgy’ (Sacrosanctum Concilium)

What changes were made following Lumen Gentium? Include a SOW.

• Possibility of salvation for non-Christians and even atheists

• Explanation of the importance of Mary

• Emphasis on importance of the leity

• ‘recognise the services and gifts of the laity.’ (Lumen Gentium)

What changes were made following Dei Verbum? Include a SOW.

• The Word of God is not a book, but Jesus

• The Bible is the inspired Word of God

• Gospels are particularly important

• ‘Jesus perfected revelation’ (Dei Verbum)

What changes were made following Gaudium et Spes? Include a SOW.

• Covers economics, poverty, social justice, culture, unity among Christian denominations, etc

• Highlighted impact of science and technology

• Reflected on importance of dialogue with atheists and other Christians / groups

• ‘the joys and anguish of people…are the joys and anguish of Christians too’ (Gaudium et Spes)

What is the Church as the People of God?

• People who have faith in Jesus

• Joined through Baptism

What is the Church as the Body of Christ?

• Emphasises unity of Church members

• Jesus is the Head that leads the body

• United through Baptism

Why is the Body of Christ important for Catholics today? Include a SOW.

‘the body is one and has many members’ (Bible)

Catholics are different parts of the ‘body’ and they join together as one. We all receive different gifts, which are all needed. All in the Body of Christ are interdependent. The Church carries on Jesus’ work today.

What are the divergent attitudes to the Body of Christ? Who is the Head?

• Catholics - Pope is the Head, Catholics are the Body

• Orthodox - councils of bishops working with all people are the Head, Orthodox Church are the Body

• Protestants - Bible / some Church leaders are the Head, all Christians are the Body

SOW for the four marks of the Church

‘We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church’ (Nicene Creed)

What does ‘one’ mean in terms of the four marks of the Church? Why is it important?

• One body, one Church

• Unity of the Trinity

• Catholic Church united through one mass

IMPORTANCE

• Division exists within Christianity with many denominations

• Duty to pray for and talk to other Christians

What does ‘holy’ mean in terms of the four marks of the Church? Why is it important?

• Set apart for a special purpose

• Jesus is a source of all holiness

• Church is a visible sign of this holiness

IMPORTANCE

• Church gives opportunity for regular prayer + sacraments

• Get to know and love God through these opportunies

• Saints epitomise holiness

What does ‘catholic’ mean in terms of the four marks of the Church? Why is it important?

• Meaning ‘universal’

• Jesus universally present

IMPORTANCE

• History evidences the strength and permanence of the Church

• Church continues to suffer from persecution - Catholics must strengthen the Church

What does ‘apostolic’ mean in terms of the four marks of the Church? Why is it important?

• Living tradition of the apostles

• Authority passed down by Pope and bishops - Apostolic Succession

IMPORTANCE

• Magisterium guides Catholics on issues e.g. IVF and war

• Duty to preserve and pass on the faith

How is Mary united with Jesus? Include a SOW.

• Doctrine about Mary is also about Jesus (Immaculate Conception, Assumption of Mary)

• She is the mother of the Church because she’s the mother of Jesus (the Church is the Body of Christ)

• ‘Mary is inseparable from her union with Christ’ (CCC)

How is Mary a model of discipleship? Include a SOW.

• Called the first disciple - she believed in Jesus from the moment of conception

• Her sacrifice and service began before Jesus’ birth

• Mary was the ‘handmaid of the Lord’ (Bible)

How is Mary a model of faith and charity? Include a SOW.

• She accepted the risk of bearing Jesus

• She obeyed the command to flee to Egypt

• Charitable - she encouraged Jesus to solve the problem of a lack of wine at the wedding in Cana

• She watched Jesus at the cross

• ‘her complete adherence to the Father’s will’ (CCC)

How does the Church honour Mary today?

• Statues / Lady Chapels

• Many titles e.g. Theokotos (Mother of God) and Madonna

• Marian solemnities (feast days) e.g. 15 Aug: The Assumption of Mary, 1 Jan: Mary the Mother of God

• Prayers dedicated to Mary e.g. Hail Mary, Magnificat, Rosary

• Religious orders dedicated to Mary e.g. the Marist Fathers

• Pilgrimages e.g. Lourdes in France, Knock in Ireland

How is Jesus an example to Catholics when making moral decisions?

• Love for others - he cared for the poor etc ‘do to others as you would have them do to you’ (Bible)

• Forgiveness - he even forgave those who crucified him

• Servanthood - with crucifixion being the ultimate servant act and showing his disciples at the Last Supper how to love each other

• Social justice - he cared for physical and spiritual needs. Parable of the Sheep and Goats (Bible)

What do Catholics turn to when making decisions?

• Conscience

• Scripture + tradition

• Magisterium

What is Natural Law?

• Discoverable providing rules for all - ‘do good, avoid evil’

• The Catholic Church follows the teaching on natural laws from St Thomas Aquinas

What is Virtue Ethics?

• You should consider the moral character of a person to analyse their ethical decisions

• St Thomas Aquinas referred to cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude) and theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity)