Divine inspiration
the gift of the Holy Spirit that God gave to the human authors of the Bible which enabled them to write what He wanted committed to writing for the sake of our salvation
Theopneustos
Greek for âGod-Breathedâ
Inerrant
Without error
Canon of Scripture
the official list of inspired books that make up the Bible
Septulagint
the pre-Christian Greek translation of the Old Testament books made by Jewish scholars and later adopted by Greek speaking Christians
Synod
a meeting of bishops of a particular region of the whole world or bishops and priests and other members of the faithful within a particular diocese to address the doctrinal and pastoral needs of the church
Gnostic gospels
Ancient books about the life of Christ that are infused with theology that reflects the Gnostic heresy rampant at the time. Two are falsely attributed to St. Thomas the Apostle and St. Mary Magdalene
Gnosticism
The name given to a heresy of the early Church that taught, among other things, that Jesus was not fully human, the material world was evil, and salvation was achieved through secret knowledge or gnosis.
Arianism
An influential heresy of the early Church that taught that Jesus , the Son of God, was created by God the Father, and therefore not truly equal to Him or of the same substance.
Apocryphal books
those 7 books of the Old Testament & parts of the books of Esther and Daniel that are not considered by most Protestants to be inspired writings but are still considered valuable for their historical, spiritual, and theological significance. Also called the âapocryphaâ
Council of Trent
An ecumenical council held from 1545-1563 in Trent, Italy that sought to affirm Church teaching, answer Protestant heresies, and end abusive practices within the Church.
Latin
The universal language of the Roman Empire, which, until modern times, was read and understood by most educated people in the Western world. To this day, it is the official language of the Catholic Church.
Vulgate
The 4th century Latin translation of the Bible that was mostly completed by St. Jerome. It became the official Latin translation of the Bible for the Catholic Church in the 16th century. The Latin word vulgata means âcommonly usedâ
Literal translation
A straightforward translation of the Bible that replaces words in the original language with words in the secondary language that have the same simple meaning and without regard for figures of speech of nuances in meaning.
Dynamically Equivelant Translation
A translation of the Bible that uses different words or different figures of speech from those in the original in attempt to preserve the actual, deep meaning of the original.
What is Scripture?
Godâs written Word
What must we know in order to understand Scripture?
How to approach and read Scripture.
What is divine inspiration and how does it work?
It allowed the human authors of the Bible to be true authors of Godâs Word.
What is the purpose of the Bible?
To present truths about God and humanity
How does the Church guide us in understanding Scripture?
The church gives guidelines on how scripture should be approached
Why might Scripture seem difficult to understand?
Because it can be hard to know when to take the Bible literally or metaphorically
Why is Scripture never outdated?
Because some plans God has for us havenât happened yet
What role should faith play when we read Scripture?
Because depending on your faith, what your church sees as divinely inspired varies
How was Sacred Scripture developed to become the Bible that we read today?
The churchâs early bishops were guided by the Holy Spirit to make clear which books were divinely inspired
What is the oral tradition?
The practice of verbally sharing Jesusâ stories before the printing press was made.
What happened at Pentecost?
The Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and granted them an even fuller understanding of Jesus and His mission.
What is the origin of the Old Testament? The origin of the New Testament?
The Old Testament came into being when the people of Israel settled into the Promised Land and then the New Testament books originated from eyewitnesses to the events of Jesusâ life or by close companions of the Apostles
What is the relationship between the written tradition and the oral tradition?
From Oral tradition, authors selected passages to include when starting Written tradition.
What is the canon of Scripture?
The 73 books of the Bible that the Church believes are divinely inspired and kept in the Bible
Who was St. Jerome?
St. Jerome was the person who wrote what was to become the official Latin Translation of the Bible.
What is a martyr?
A person who is killed for their religious beliefs
What did the emperor Constantine do that changed the Church?
He made Christianity legal in the Roman Empire
What is Gnosticism?
A heresy th t denied the true humanity of Christ and also His redemptive suffering and Death of the Cross.
What happened at the Council of Trent?
Declared an official canon of Scripture
What should be done if there is a disagreement about two translations of Scripture?
Check if the translations have notes that help explain the passage.