HOW CATHOLICS INTERPERT THE BIBLE

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HOW CATHOLICS INTERPERT THE BIBLE
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Opening Prayer

• "All Scripture is God-breathed. As we gather
  together this evening, let us realize that the
  words we are studying are inspired by God. May
  WE be inspired as we seek to understand your
  mystery, made known to us through revelation.
• Psalm 119 tells us "The unfolding of your words
  gives light it gives understanding to the
  simple.
• May our simple understandings be broadened and
  our minds enlightened this evening. Amen.

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Bible Timeline

• Adam and Eve 4000bc
• The Great Flood 2350bc
• Covenant with Abraham 1900bc
• Israelites enter Egypt 1700bc
• 10 Commandments/Exodus 1500bc
• King David / Solomon's Temple 1000bc
• Temple destroyed/Babylonian Exile 587bc
• Temple rebuilt 515bc

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BOOKS OF THE BIBLE - the specifics

• Hebrew Bible or Jewish Scriptures - a
  collection of books written mostly in Hebrew
• Septuagint (LXX) - seventy interpreters
• A pre-Christian translation from Hebrew to Greek
• Alexandria Egypt, between 300bc and 100bc
• FIRST COLLECTION - original collection of books
• SECOND COLLECTION - added 7 additional
  Apocryphal books (200-100bc)
• Entire collection became known as the OLD
  TESTAMENT

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BOOKS OF THE BIBLE - the specifics

• There were lots of books of the Bible
• 50 Gospels, 22 Acts of the Apostles, etc.
• ROMAN CANON (list)
• Council of Hippo, 393, created list of Old and
  New Testament books which is the same as the
  Roman Catholic Canon today
• Council of Trent, 1556 Final infallible
  definition of canonical books.

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BOOKS OF THE BIBLE - what they contain

• OLD TESTAMENT
• LAW Torah(5)
• HISTORY (12)
• WISDOM (5)
• MAJOR PROPHETS (5)
• MINOR PROPHETS (12)
• APOCRYPHAL (7)

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BOOKS OF THE BIBLE - what they contain

• NEW TESTAMENT
• GOSPELS (4)
• HISTORY/ACTS(1)
• EPISTLES TO CHURCHES (9)
• EPISTLES TO FRIENDS (4)
• GENERAL EPISTLES (9)

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BOOKS OF THE BIBLE - the specifics

• APOCRYPHAL BOOKS
• Written 200-100bc
• Authors unknown
• Apocryphal means Hidden or Secret
• Kept carefully concealed and shown only to
  full-fledged members of the religion.
• Rejected by Protestants
• Always considered inspired by Catholic Church.

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BOOKS OF THE BIBLE - the specifics

• APOCRYPHAL BOOKS
• Tobit
• Judith
• Wisdom
• Ecclesiastes
• Baruch
• 1-2 Maccabees
• Ester (parts)

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Catholic vs. Non-Catholic Bibles?

• Many versions of the Bible
• The Vulgate
• Revised Standard Version (RSV)
• New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
• New International Version (NIV)
• New American Bible (NAB)
• New Jerusalem Bible (NJB)
• Revised English Bible
• Good News Translation
• Readers Digest Bible

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BIBLE AS HISTORYFact or Fiction?
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BIBLE AS HIS-STORY(and OUR story)
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INSPIRED???

• The bible is the Inspired word of God.
• NOT dictated - but truly Gods word through man
• God divinely inspired the words used
• Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law
  or the Prophets I have not come to abolish them
  but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until
  heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest
  letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by
  any means disappear from the Law...
• The Bible is the undeniable, authoritative,
  Word of God to humanity.

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THEOLOGICAL TRUTH - NOT - HISTORICAL TRUTH

• The Bible is not a HISTORICAL document
• Contains some historical facts
• Numbers are largely symbolic
• 7 Days of Creation
• 40 years in the Desert

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THEOLOGICAL TRUTH - NOT - HISTORICAL TRUTH

• Must ask ourselves What is the Theological
  Truth? What is God telling us through HIS Story?
• Example Numbers are significant because they
  indicate something
• 7perfection/completion
• 40Conversion/change
• Old agefavored by God
• Example Lk. 1030 - the Good Samaritan

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Biblical Punctuation

• Scriptua Continua
• Scriptures up until 900AD were written without
  punctuation, spacing or capitalization.

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• No, price too high!

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• No price too high!

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The Bible is Inerrant ?

• Does NOT mean every word in the bible is to be
  understood literally
• (I.e. an Eye for an Eye)
• Unlimited vs Limited Inerrancy
• Can not Proof-text.
• Bible must be taken in context

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John 1633 - "These things I have spoken to you,
so that in Me you may have peace. In the world
you have tribulation, but take courage I have
overcome the world.
Which is it Jesus?

• Matt. 1034 - "Do not think that I came to
• bring peace on the earth I did not come to
• bring peace, but a sword.

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THEOLOGICAL TRUTH - NOT - HISTORICAL TRUTH

• Journeys are sometimes symbolic
• Mark 731-37 Then Jesus left the vicinity of
  Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of
  Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.

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Catholic Interpretation of the Bible

• Multiple sources of Gods revelation
• Bible
• Tradition
• The Church
• The primary concern must be the literal sense
• the sense the human author directly intended
• The sense that the words convey

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Catholic Interpretation of the Bible

• Historical/Critical Method of Interpretation
• God speaks through the human context
• Scriptures were written at specific time/place
• Local literary forms are important
• Local customs must be understood

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Private Interpretation?

• Church does not promote a Party Line about the
  Scriptures.
• Catholics are free to interpret the bible.
• Church is sounding board
• Faith Seeking Understanding

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What do we know about God from the Bible?
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What do we know about God from the Bible?
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How would you interpret this?

• Gen. 126 - Then God said, "Let Us make man in
  Our image, according to Our likeness and let
  them rule over the fish of the sea and over the
  birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all
  the earth,
• Gen. 27 - Then the LORD God formed man of dust
  from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
  the breath of life and man became a living
  being.
• Gen. 221 - So the LORD God caused a deep sleep
  to fall upon the man, and he slept then He took
  one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that
  place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the
  rib which He had taken from the man, and brought
  her to the man.

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How would you interpret this?

• Moses lived to be 120 years old
• Noah lived to be 950 years old

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How would you interpret this?

• 2 Kings 223-24 From there Elisha went up from
  there to Bethel and while he was going up on the
  way, some small boys came out of the city and
  jeered at him, saying, "Go up, you baldhead! Go
  up, you baldhead!"
• And he turned around, and when he saw them, he
  cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two
  she-bears came out of the woods and tore
  forty-two of the boys.
• From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and thence
  he returned to Sama'ria.

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Purpose of the Bible

• OLD TESTAMENT
• The economy of the Old Testament was
  deliberately so oriented that it should prepare
  for and declare in prophecy the coming of
  Christ. Vatican II - Dei Verbum
• NEW TESTAMENT
• GOSPELS Principle source for the life and
  teaching of the incarnate Word, our Savior.
• EPISTLES firmly establish...more precisely
  Christs authentic teaching. - Dei Verbum

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Purpose of the Bible

• The Books of Scripture are the truths that God
  put in our hands for the sake of our salvation.
• God wants to be knownfor OUR good!