Unit 1: Scripture & The Deposit of Faith

Magisterium

The official teaching authority of the Catholic Church, exercised by the Pope and the bishops in communion with him, tasked with authentically interpreting Scripture and Tradition.

Tradition (Sacred Tradition)

The living transmission of the Gospel message and Church teachings, handed down from the Apostles through Apostolic Succession, which complements Sacred Scripture.

Scripture (Sacred Scripture)

The inspired and written Word of God, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, composed by human authors under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Old & New Testaments (Number of books)

The Catholic Bible contains a total of 73 books: 46 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament.

Literary Forms/Styles in the Bible

The diverse genres used by biblical authors to convey truth, including historical narrative, law, poetry, wisdom literature, prophecy, gospel, and apocalyptic writing.

Plot, Characters, Setting, Design Patterns

The literary elements of biblical narrative; design patterns refer to recurring themes, motifs, or parallel events (like wilderness journeys or water crossings) that link Old and New Testament stories together.

Allegorical Sense

The spiritual sense of Scripture that shows how people, events, and places in the Old Testament point forward to and prefigure Jesus Christ and the New Testament.

Anagogical Sense

The spiritual sense of Scripture that points toward our ultimate heavenly destiny, eternal life, and the final fulfillment of God's kingdom.

Moral Sense

The spiritual sense of Scripture that teaches us how to act justly, live rightly, and apply the biblical teachings to our daily ethical choices.

Gospel Development: Stage 1

The Historical Jesus: The actual life, ministry, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as He lived in first-century Palestine.

Gospel Development: Stage 2

Oral Tradition: The period after the Ascension where the Apostles and early disciples spread the Good News by word of mouth through preaching and missionary work.

Gospel Development: Stage 3

The Written Gospels: The final period where the oral traditions were recorded and edited into the four written Gospels to preserve the testimony of the eyewitnesses.

Two-Source Hypothesis

The widely accepted historical theory that the Gospel of Mark and a lost collection of Jesus' sayings (called Q) were used as the primary sources by Matthew and Luke to write their Gospels.

Q Source (Quelle)

A hypothetical, lost written collection of Jesus' sayings used as a common source by the authors of Matthew and Luke, derived from the German word for "source."

Synoptic Gospels

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which "see together" because they share a similar structure, timeline, and outline of Jesus' life.

Gospel of Matthew: Writer, Date, Audience, Purpose

Written by a Jewish-Christian scribe (attributed to Matthew the apostle) around 80-85 AD for a Jewish-Christian audience to prove Jesus is the promised Messiah who fulfills the Old Testament law.

Gospel of Mark: Writer, Date, Audience, Purpose

Written by John Mark (a companion of Peter) around 65-70 AD for persecuted Gentile Christians in Rome to emphasize Jesus as the Suffering Servant and a model of endurance.

Gospel of Luke: Writer, Date, Audience, Purpose

Written by Luke (a Gentile physician and companion of Paul) around 85-90 AD for Gentile Christians (Theophilus) to show Jesus as the universal Savior who brings compassion to the marginalized, poor, and women.

Gospel of John: Writer, Date, Audience, Purpose

Written by the Apostle John (the Beloved Disciple) around 90-100 AD for a diverse Christian community to emphasize Jesus’ cosmic divinity as the Word of God made flesh (Incarnation).

Discipleship (Gospels Theme)

The lifelong commitment to follow Jesus, take up one's cross, and live out His teachings through love, service, and community, with each Gospel presenting a unique perspective on this call.

Visions of Jesus (Gospel Portraits)

The unique theological lens of each Gospel writer: Matthew portrays Jesus as the New Moses/Messiah; Mark portrays Him as the Suffering Servant; Luke portrays Him as the Universal Savior; John portrays Him as the Divine Word/Son of God.

Translation: Christ

Translates from the Greek 'Christos' (and Hebrew 'Messiah'), meaning "Anointed One."

Translation: Gospel

Translates from the Old English 'godspel' (and Greek 'euangelion'), meaning "Good News."

Translation: Lectio Divina

Translates from Latin, meaning "Divine Reading" or "Holy Reading"—a traditional monastic practice of scriptural prayer and meditation.

Translation: Synoptic

Translates from the Greek 'synopsis', meaning "seeing together" or "taking a common view."

Translation: Q Source

Translates from the German word 'Quelle', meaning "source."