Theology Midterm: Unit 3: Intro to Scripture
Inerrancy-without error. This means that Scripture only teaches truth. Scripture is not necessarily meant to teach a scientific or historical lesson, but it always tells us religious truth. Reveals the truth we need to know for our salvation.
Canon-”measure” is Hebrew. The official list of inspired books in the Bible. Made up of two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Deuterocanonical-7 books found only in the Catholic Canon.
Septuagint-The Greek translation of the Old Testament from 3rd century BC.
Exegesis-The process used by scholars to discover the literal meaning of the biblical text.
Inspiration-From the Latin inspirare, meaning “to breathe into.” Connected to “spirit” which also comes from the Latin word for “breath.” To influence, move, or guide through divine power.
Vulgate-Latin translation of both testaments.
How do you read the Bible? (In other words, what should you keep in mind when you read the Bible?)-We must pay attention to what the human author intended when they wrote and what God wanted to reveal through their words.
1. Read within the Tradition and the teaching of the Church.
-Authentic interpretation is the responsibility of the Magisterium.
2. Give attention to:
-What the human authors intended to say (literal sense).
-What God reveals to us by their words (spiritual sense).
3. Take into account:
-Conditions of the time it was written.
-Culture where it was written.
-(Historical context, cultural norms.)
4. Read and interpret Scripture in the light of the same Holy Spirit by whom it was written.
5. Read and interpret each part of the Bible with an awareness and understanding of the unity of the content and teaching of the entire Bible.
-Scripture shows us the unity of God’s plan.
-Jesus Christ is at the center of it all.
6. Be attentive to the analogy of faith.
-Analogy of Faith: the unity that exists in all Church teaching.
-We must explain Scripture in a way that is not contrary to what Tradition teaches.
Dual authorship of Scripture-God and human authors. 100% divine authorship and 100% human authorship. Since God is the author, Scripture is without error.
Major differences between the Old & New Testament-
Old Testament:
-46 books
-Written before the coming of Jesus.
-Originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic.
-Divisions: Torah/Law/Pentateuch, historical books, wisdom books, and prophetic books.
New Testament:
-27 books
-Written after the coming of Jesus.
-Originally written in Greek.
-Divisions: Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Letters, Revelation.
Literal and (3) spiritual senses of Scripture-It is necessary to find the literal meaning of the text before we find the spiritual meaning.
Literal: Interpreting what the author says.
Spiritual: What God wants to reveal through the author.
-Allegorical: How the passage relates to Jesus.
-A metaphor or sustained comparison where the story conveys more than one level of meaning.
-What the words mean in the larger context of salvation history.
-Asks the question: How does this relate to Jesus?
-Moral: How the passage relates to how we should live our lives.
-How Scripture teaches and encourages us to act justly.
-Asks the question: In the light of this passage, how should we live our lives?
-Anagorical: How the passage points to eternity.
-Seeing earthly events in the context of our journey to heaven.
-Teaches you where you are going: helping you build the virtue of hope while leading you to heaven.
-Asks the question: How does this passage point to eternity?
Literal vs literalistic interpretation of Scripture-
Literal:
-Divine inspiration
-100% human and 100% God authorship: What message did they have?
-Finding the message through the words that were written
Literalistic:
-Dictation
-God tells humans “word for word”
-Apply interpretation “word for word”
-Out of context
-Reads text at face value
4 kinds of Biblical criticism-
Form criticism: Identifies the literary genre (history, prophecy, genealogy, parable, etc).
Historical criticism: Tries to determine the historical context of the biblical text. Important because where and when a text was written means that words, phrases, and ideas might have had different meanings or implications.
Source criticism: Helps to discover where the biblical authors got their material.
Redaction criticism: How the various editors put together their sources and arranged them the way they did.
The kinds of truth we find in Scripture-Religious truths
Scripture citations-
-The first word tells you the title of the book
-A number in front of the book means there multiple books
-The number right before the colon is always the chapter
-The number after the colon is the verse
-A dash means read through
-A comma means only read verses listed
How was Scripture written down?-Through human authors, an instrument that God works through.
CCC 108- "not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living”
Who is the Word of God?- Jesus Christ