GOD’S JOURNEY WITH HIS PEOPLE

WEEK 1

God created all things, (world and the human persons). They were in “paradise” which means,
there was harmony, justice, peace, and joy. Despite the very good condition of life that they were in, the
first human beings (“Adam” and “Eve”) still committed sin.

The Sacrament of God is Jesus and the Sacrament of Jesus is the Church (John 20:21, Acts 1:8)

The church started as a religious renewal movement/ group in Jerusalem, Israel by no other than
Jesus Christ, Jesus grounded the Church on the foundation of the Apostles and it spread from Jerusalem
to the Roman Empire world until throughout all the earth.

The first name of the Church was The Way (Acts 9:2), the members of the Church were called
Christians in Anitioch (Acts 11:26). The church was persecuted by the Roman Empire until the
conversion of the Emperor Constantine in 313 AD which paved the way for Christians to infiltrate Rome
until Christianity was declared as the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD by Emperor
Theodosius.

Way back in 45 A.D, the first apposite who went to Rome and started the Church there was no
other than Peter. Later, reflecting on the mission of Jesus who He passed on the Church, the Church’s
official “name” or title evolved into: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.

The different kinds of priests according to spirituality or mission area

A. DIOCESAN- a term use for priest serving their local places.

B. MONKS- it is composed of sisters (not priests). Example of few monks in Cagayan is those sisters
at St. Claire monastery in Iguig.
C. MISSIONARIES- are group/ community of priests who really want to go to serve remote places
that not yet evangelize.
Examples:
1. THE DOMINICANS who was founded by St. Dominic in Prouille, France in 1216 (Dominic was
a Spanish priests)
2. THE AUGUSTINIANS which started in 1244 in Italy (group or no specific founder)
3. THE JESUITS OR CALL SOCIETY OF JESUS who was founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola,
formerly a Spanish soldier who became a priests.
4. THE CICM and other missionary groups only came out later.
THE CICM was founded by a diocesan priest Theophile Verbist in 1862.
GOD’S JOURNEY WITH HIS PEOPLE
 WEEK 2

INTRODUCTION TO SACRED SCRIPTURES

THE FORMATION OF THE BIBLE

The bible did not come out as a book/compiled from the beginning. The process was God’s
revelation to people. Oral tradition by which the people preached and passed it to the next generations,
and the writing stage. The whole Bible was written over a period of more than 1000 years. From about
1000 BC to about 100 AD.
BIBLICAL INSPIRATION
 GOD’S JOURNEY WITH HIS PEOPLE
WEEK 3
Explanation of Terms:

Etymologically the word Canon comes from Latin ‘Canon’ which is a translation of Greek word, derived
from Hebrew, meaning bar or rod used for measuring. As a tool for measuring, like ruler or T-square it
is used as a basis to draw a straight line. Symbolically, the word canon is applied as norm or standard
in proclaiming an official teaching of the Church. Adopted with Christian importance the word was
used in the Canon of Saints, Canon of the Mass, and canon of the Bible. These examples suggest that there
are official contents which we must observe as a standard, thus, outside these lists, invalidates its
connection to the Church’s teachings.

TWO GROUPS OF CANONICAL BOOKS

EVENTS THAT WILL SUPPORT THE INCLUSION OF THE 7 DEUTRO-CANONICAL BOOKS
The canon of Scriptures is divided into the books written before Jesus’ life (Old Testament) and
those written after (New Testament). Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church determined the inspired
and normative New Testament Books in terms of their apostolic origin, coherence with the
essential Gospel Message, and constant use in the Church’s Liturgy. After a long development, the
Church finally accepted as inspired, sacred and canonical, the 46 books of the Old Testament and
the 27 books of the New Testament that we find in our Catholic Bible.

SOME OF THE MAJOR GENRES WITHIN THE HEBREW BIBLE (OLD TESTAMENT)

SOME OF THE MAJOR GENRES WITHIN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Smaller Genres and Sub-Genres within New Testament:

The New Testament Gospel contain narrative materials, discourse materials, and some mixed genres:

Narrative genres include the following:

-genealogies

-narrators introductions, transitions and summary passages

-miracle stories

-call and sending stories

-conflict or controversy stories

Discourse genres include the following:

-parables and allegories

-laws and legal interpretations

-short exhortations: individual sayings or proverbs

-longer speeches: discourses or monologues

There are two kinds of interpreting the Biblical Text, Exegesis and Eisegesis. The first one is Exegesis, It is the
exposition of a text based on a careful, objective analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out of”
that means that the interpreter is being led to his conclusions by following the text.

Between the two methods of interpreting the text in the Bible, Exegesis is the proper or highly
recommended, as it is being used by the official interpreters of the Bible.
 Chapters and Verses
            When the Bible was compiled there were no chapters and verses yet.  Stephen Langton,
Archbishop of Canterbury divided the Bible into chapters only in 1227. Later, Robert Stephanus
divided the Bible into verses only in 1551.
How to read Chapters and Verses in the Bible?
            Genesis 3:16 - The word Genesis represents the book, the first number before the colon (3)
represents the chapter while the number after the colon (16) represents the verse. The above
sample reads as Genesis chapter 3 verse 16.
 GENESIS 12: 1-3

“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the
land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name
great, so that you will GOD’S JOURNEY
be a blessing. WITH
I will bless HISbless
those who PEOPLE
you, and him who dishonours you I will
WEEK 4
curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”