1

COLEGIO DE STA. ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.

Osmeña Avenue, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, 6119
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

LEARNING MODULE 1
DISTANCE EDUCATION
SACRED SCRIPTURES (THEO 111)

AN OVERVIEW

This course is a study on the Sacred Scriptures in a general perspective and a glimpse on the
foundation of our Christian living. The first part of the course introduces the students to the Bible by
tracing the growth of the chosen people of God and how the experiences and concerns which
develop among the believers throughout the centuries somehow went into the formation of the Old
Testament. The second part of the course follows the arrival of Jesus, and His efforts to save His
people from destruction. His rejections, death and resurrection gave rise to the preaching of the
apostles resulting in the formation of the New Testament.
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
1. Recognize that the Bible is one of the world’s great books and it has a unique power to
convince people who read it with an open mind.
2. Discover that the Bible is nothing less than God revealing Him to the human race, and whose
writers were on the receiving end of God’s salvation.
3. Accept that the Bible is not only a book for prayer or for instruction, but a book where the
Cross of Jesus and His resurrection are at its very center communication life to us.
4. Illustrate the reciprocal relationship of the Old and New Testaments

These are the topics that we will be introduced and learned by you for the whole semester:

MODULE 1 The Book (Etymology, Old Testament, In the Beginning & the Chosen People)
MODULE 2 The New Testament (A new covenant, Judaism & the Roman Empire)
MODULE 3 The Promise Land, The Kingdom & A Holy Nation
MODULE 4 Stories with a Message, Persecution, Resistance & Revival
MODULAR 5 Singing to the Lord, the Wisdom of Israel & the Messengers of God
MODULAR 6 The Good News
MODULAR 7 Early Christian Letters & In the End

EXAMINATION PERIOD

Periodical Examinations for offline learners are given on the exact schedule of the
examination. The tests are given online hence, students must look for an internet connection where
he can log in his goggle account and join the group in taking the test. The Finance Office will post
names of students who have permits so permit no exam policy will be strictly followed.
 2

COLEGIO DE STA. ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.

Osmeña Avenue, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, 6119
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
At the start of the module, you are to take the reassessment test to see how much background information
and knowledge you have in teaching Sacred Scriptures.
This module is self-instructional. You can read, analyze concepts and ideas presented, and reflect on
them. The activities and Self-check Questions (SCQ) will help you assess how you progress as you go through
this module. If you need help and further clarification, you can ask for the assistance of your teacher at the end
of every week for feed backing and monitoring of your progress.
Your answers to the SCQ and Activities will be evaluated by your teacher. This will be part of your
formative evaluation.

DO NOT WRITE YOUR ANSWERS IN THE MODULE. YOUR ANSWERS SHOULD BE WRITTEN IN A SEPARATE
SHEET TO BE SUBMITTED TO YOUR TEACHER ON OR BEFORE THE DEADLINE.

PRE-ASSESSMENT
Name _______________________________________ Course/Yr. _________ Date: _________
Many claim to know a lot about the Good Book. Well now it’s time to put those assumptions to the test (in an
enjoyable way) by participating in our intriguing Bible Trivia.

Multiple Choice: Read and circle the correct answer.

1. How many books are there in the Old Testament?
a. 12 c. 39
b. 27 d. 66
2. What is the name commonly given to the first five books of the Old
a. Pseudepigrapha c. Septuagint
b. Apocrypha d. Pentateuch
3. Who wrote the first five books of the Old Testament?
a. Moses c. Adam
b. Noah d. Abraham
4. In what language was the Old Testament written?
a. Latin c. Greek
b. Assyrian d. Hebrew
5. What time period does the Old Testament cover?
a. The beginning of man to the time of the Messiah’s death
b. The building of the temple of Solomon to the time of its destruction
c. The time of the Messiah to the time of His death
d. The beginning of man to the time of the Messiah
6. Which of these books is NOT found in the Old Testament?
a. Leviticus c. Numbers
b. Revelation d. Deuteronomy
7. Which of these books come first in order in the Old Testament?
a. Exodus c. Ecclesiastes
b. Lamentations d. Ruth
8. With how many loaves of bread did Jesus use in feeding 5,000 men?
a. 5k c. 7k
b. 3k d. 10k
9. What was the name of the strongest man in the Bible who slayed a lion with his bare hands?
a. Peter c. Samson
b. Goliath d. David
10. Who calmed the Sea of Galilee?
a. Pontius Pilate c. Aaron
b. Jesus Christ d. Samson
 3

COLEGIO DE STA. ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.

Osmeña Avenue, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, 6119
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
LEARNING MODULE 1: The Book/In the Beginning/the Chosen People

INTRODUCTION The word Bible can rightfully claim to be the great-grandson of the Greek
word biblos, which was the name given to the outer coat of a papyrus reed
in Egypt during the eleventh century B.C.. The plural form of biblos is biblia,
and by the second century A.D. Christians were using this latter word to
describe their writings. Biblia gave birth to the Latin word of the same
spelling, biblia, which was in turn transliterated into the Old French biblia by
the same process. The modern English word Bible is derived from the Old
French, with the Anglicized ending. The word is thus the product of four
stages of transliteration and transmission. The term Bible is often used
synonymously with “Scripture” or “Word of God”

LEARNING At the end of the module, you should be able to:

OBJECTIVES  Explain the meaning of the Bible and determine its origin and
development
 Identify various Biblical facts and their role in understanding the Bible
 Enumerate the Major topics of “The Book of Genesis”.
 Illustrate why Abraham is called “Our Father in Faith”, and learn from
the stories of Isaac and Jacob how God deals with people.
 Memorize the Decalogue, drawn up in the form of a treaty in Mount
Sinai.
LEARNING  Natividad, Dr. Ma. Lucille C. Sacred Scripture: Soul of Theology
RESOURCES  Manangan, Nordelita A., Introduction to the Holy Bible
 Internet sources: Bible sharing.BEC Module: 3RSS Read-Share.
 http://www, c-b-f.org/start.php

LEARNING INPUTS
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
SELF-CHECK QUESTIONS (SCQ)

Lesson 1 The Book

The etymology (or origin) of the word Bible: comes from the Greek word for
book, which literally means scroll, which came from the name of an old
Phoenician port called Babylos, where Egyptian papyrus was imported from
into Greece. From there it passed through Latin into English

 Christians started using the term in 223 AD

 John Chrysostom, in 386 AD, was the first writer to use the term for
the Old and New Testaments together.

 The English form of the Greek name Biblia, meaning "books," the

name which in the fifth century began to be given to the entire
collection of sacred books, the "Library of Divine Revelation."

 The name Bible was adopted by Wickliffe, and came gradually into
use in our English language.

 The Bible consists of sixty-six different books, composed by many

different writers, in three different languages, under different
circumstances; writers of almost every social rank, statesmen and
peasants, kings, herdsmen, fishermen, priests, tax-gatherers,
tentmakers; educated and uneducated, Jews and Gentiles; most of
them unknown to each other, and writing at various periods during
the space of about 1600 years: and yet, after all, it is only one book
dealing with only one subject in its numberless aspects and
 4

COLEGIO DE STA. ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.

Osmeña Avenue, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, 6119
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
relations, the subject of man's redemption.

What is the Bible?

 A. The Bible or Sacred Scripture is the written, inspired, Word of

God. 2 Tim 3: 16-17
 The Bible is a “fundamental” source of Divine Revelation. John 21:
24-25
 Divine Revelation is God’s self-communication, the unveiling of the
mystery of God and his redeeming activity.
 God’s salvific activity has been present from the beginning of the
time and made manifest to every age and every generation
 The fullness of Divine revelation of God’s redeeming works is Jesus
Christ (Hebrews 1: 1-4) the promised, incarnate, eternal Word of
God made flesh for our salvation.
 Jesus’ life (deeds, words, preaching, person), death (passion,
suffering, crucifixion), resurrection (victory over death) also known as
paschal mystery unveils the totality of who God is and his plan of
salvation.
 This fullness of revelation continues to be handed down to us
through Sacred Tradition, the living, authentic, unbroken, oral
transmission of Jesus’ teachings and through the Bible.

What is the relationship between the Bible and Sacred Tradition?

Jesus said: “He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects
me; but he who rejects him rejects me rejects him who sent me.” Luke 10:16

Jesus words did not vanish with Jesus’ ascension, His teachings continued
to live under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the preaching of the
Apostles and their successors, the Pope and the bishops, collectively known
as the Magisterium or teaching body of the Church.

The oral teaching, this living memory, his unbroken reception of the living
Word of God from one generation of Chris tians bishops to the next is what
we call, Sacred Tradition.

Sacred Scripture is something tangible and is contained in inspired sacred

“books.” Sacred tradition is a living reality. The Bible is the uniquely inspired
part of Sacred Tradition. Sacred Tradition is the Bible as received,
meditated on, contemplated, read and put into effect in the life of the
Church.

Tradition reveals in the sense that it amplifies or clarifies or actualizes the

text of the bible. What is important here is that everything in Sacred
Tradition is necessarily related to the written Bible.
 5

COLEGIO DE STA. ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.

Osmeña Avenue, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, 6119
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Just five books make up one of the three major sections of the OT
Scriptures. On the relation of the Torah to the rest of the OT, Jesus casts a
sharper relief by implying that there was a two-fold division of the OT: the
law and the prophets (Mt. 5:17; Lk. 24:27). The Torah was foundational for
all the other inspired writings that should follow.

The Pentateuch

God made everything good, and humans, in particular, to be in a special

relationship with him.

 GENESIS is the revelation of ORIGINS of creation, of mankind, of

sin and evil, of history, and of sacred history. As a subtle theological
statement, God is simply presupposed as the book opens.

 The HISTORICAL Books these books are not unbiased history but
instead are written to emphasize God’s action in history.

The historical books are not books of pure history but instead
emphasize God’s actions in the history of the Jewish people.

 The WISDOM and the POETRY Books which use Hebrew poetry to
teach how to live a good and holy life.

a. The Book of Psalms contains 150 prayers that are meant to be

sung as part of Jewish worship, and today we encounter the Psalms
in the Responsorial Psalm at Mass.
 6

COLEGIO DE STA. ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.

Osmeña Avenue, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, 6119
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. The Book of Proverbs is a collection of sayings that gives advice

on how to be a good and wise person.

c. The Book of Job seeks to understand the age-old question, “Why

does God allow bad things to happen to good people?”

 The PROPHETS is a person that God calls to speak on his behalf.

The prophets of Israel had two basic messages:

a. Calls to reform

b. Hope-filled promises
(Answer Activity 1.1 and SCQ 1.1)
Lesson 2 GENESIS

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth
was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and
the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

And God said, ‘Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water
from water.’ So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault
from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault ‘sky’. And there
was evening, and there was morning – the second day.
 7

COLEGIO DE STA. ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.

Osmeña Avenue, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, 6119
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

And God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and
let dry ground appear.’ And it was so.  God called the dry ground ‘land’, and
the gathered waters he called ‘seas’. And God saw that it was good.
 Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and
trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various
kinds.’ And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed
according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to
their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and
there was morning – the third day.

And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day
from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days
and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the
earth.’ And it was so. God made two great lights – the greater light to govern
the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the
stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to
govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God
saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the
fourth day.

And God said, ‘Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly
above the earth across the vault of the sky.’ So God created the great
creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and
 8

COLEGIO DE STA. ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.

Osmeña Avenue, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, 6119
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird
according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and
said, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and
let the birds increase on the earth.’ And there was evening, and there was
morning – the fifth day.

And God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their
kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild
animals, each according to its kind.’ And it was so. God made the wild
animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and
all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And
God saw that it was good.

Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that
they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the
livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along
the ground. ’So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God
he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill
the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky
and over every living creature that moves on the ground. ’Then God said, ‘I
give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every
tree that has fruit with seed in it.

They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the
birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground –
everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.’
And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And
there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day.
 9

COLEGIO DE STA. ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.

Osmeña Avenue, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, 6119
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in their entire vast array.
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the
seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day
and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that
he had done.

Chosen people, the Jewish people, as expressed in the idea that they have
been chosen by God as his special people. The term implies that the Jewish
people have been chosen by God to worship only him and to fulfill the
mission of proclaiming his truth among all the nations of the world. This idea
is a recurring theme in Jewish liturgy and is expressed in many passages of
Scripture, as for example: “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God,
and the Lord has chosen you to be a people of his own possession, out of
all the nations that are on the face of the earth” (Deut. 14:2). The term
chosen people is a free translation of the biblical terms
ʿam segullah (“treasure people”) and ʿam nahallah (“heritage people”).

Exodus

The word “exodus” means departure. In God's timing, the exodus of the
Israelites from Egypt marked the end of a period of oppression for
Abraham's descendants (Genesis 15:13), and the beginning of the
fulfillment of the covenant promise to Abraham that his descendants would
not only live in the Promised Land, but would also multiply and become a
great nation (Genesis 12:1-3, 7).

The purpose of the book may be expressed as tracing the rapid growth of
Jacob's descendants from Egypt to the establishment of the theocratic
nation in their Promised Land.

Leviticus

Chapters 1-7 outline the offerings required of both the laity and the
priesthood. Chapters 8-10 describe the consecration of Aaron and his sons
to the priesthood. Chapters 11-16 are the prescriptions for various types of
uncleanness. The final 10 chapters are God’s guidelines to His people for
practical holiness. Various feasts were instituted in the people's worship of
Jehovah God, convened and practiced according to God's laws.

Blessings or curses would accompany either the keeping or neglect of

God's commandments (chapter 26). Vows to the Lord are covered in
Chapter 27. The primary theme of Leviticus is holiness. God's demand for
holiness in His people is based on His own holy nature. A corresponding
theme is that of atonement. Holiness must be maintained before God, and
holiness can only be attained through a proper atonement.

Numbers

Most of the events of the Book of Numbers take place in the wilderness,
primarily between the second and fortieth years of the wandering of the
Israelites. The first 25 chapters of the book chronicle the experiences of the
first generation of Israel in the wilderness, while the rest of the book
describes the experiences of the second generation. The theme of
obedience and rebellion followed by repentance and blessing runs through
the entire book, as well as the entire Old Testament.

The theme of the holiness of God is continued from the book of Leviticus
into the book of Numbers, which reveals God's instruction and preparation
of His people to enter the Promised Land of Canaan. The importance of the
 10

COLEGIO DE STA. ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.

Osmeña Avenue, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, 6119
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Book of Numbers is indicated by its being referred to in the New Testament
many times. The Holy Spirit called special attention to Numbers in 1
Corinthians 10:1-12. The words "all these things happened to them for
examples" refers to the sin of the Israelites and God’s displeasure with
them.

Deuteronomy

The Israelites are commanded to remember four things: God’s faithfulness,

God’s holiness, God’s blessings, and God’s warnings. The first three
chapters recap the trip from Egypt to their current location, Moab. Chapter 4
is a call to obedience, to be faithful to the God Who was faithful to them.
Chapters 5 through 26 are a repetition of the law. The Ten Commandments,
the laws concerning sacrifices and specials days, and the rest of the law are
given to the new generation.

Blessings are promised to those who obey (5:29; 6:17-19; 11:13-15), and
famine is promised to those who break the law (11:16-17). The theme of
blessing and cursing is continued in chapters 27-30. This portion of the book
ends with a clear choice set before Israel: “I have set before you life and
death, blessing and cursing.” God’s desire for His people is found in what
He recommends: “choose life” (30:19).

The Promise Land

The promised land in the Bible was that geographic are God the Father
swore to give to his chosen people, the descendants of Abraham. The
territory was located in ancient Canaan, on the eastern end of the
Mediterranean Sea. Numbers 34:1-12 details its exact boundaries.

For nomadic shepherds like the Jews, having a permanent home to call
their own was a dream come true. It was a place of rest from their constant
uprooting. This area was so rich in natural resources God called it “a land
flowing with milk and honey.”

The Book of Judges is the second of the Books of the Former Prophets
in Hebrew Scripture, and serves as part of the Historical Books of the Greek
Septuagint Old Testament, in the following order: Joshua,
Judges, Ruth, Samuel, and Kings, as well as the books of the Restoration.
These continue as such in our Christian Old Testament of the Bible.
The Book of Judges is known as Κριταὶ in the Greek Septuagint.

The Book of Judges relates the difficult period after the conquest of Canaan
by Joshua, when the twelve tribes began to settle in the territories assigned
to them. The primary message is that the twelve tribes thrive in the land
when they are faithful to the Lord, but when they fall away from the
covenant; they are besieged by their enemies.

However, the Lord God remains faithful in spite of their behavior, and when
beseeched by the people, sends a Judge to save them in times of crisis.
The cycle of sin, servitude, supplication, and salvation recurs throughout the
Book of Judges.

Who is Methuselah? (Ancestors in Faith)

Noah’s grandfather, Methuselah, was the most elderly man of whom we

have any record. He is a son of Enoch, and a godly patriarch. His father
Enoch was a very righteous man and was apparently taken directly to
Heaven, without dying.

The exact meaning of this very ancient name is somewhat uncertain. Dr.
 11

COLEGIO DE STA. ANA DE VICTORIAS, INC.

Osmeña Avenue, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, 6119
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Henry Morris said it may mean, “When he dies, judgment.” Others say:
“When he is dead, it shall be sent” (“it” refers to the Deluge) (Cornwall and
Smith, Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names). Others say the name means:
“Man of the dart” or “…javelin” (Holzinger / Also: Larry Richards, Every Man
in the Bible).

This ancient righteous man lived before the Flood, and died at the age of
969 years, in the year of the Flood and before it began (Genesis 5:21-27; 1
Chronicles 1:3). This fact, plus the former possible meaning of his name,
suggests that Methuselah’s very godly father, Enoch, received a prophecy
from God when his son was born, thus the name.
Methuselah’s great age may be further evidence of God’ “long-suffering… in
the days of Noah” (1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 3:9).

Methuselah’s name is mentioned 7 times in the Bible: Genesis 5:21-22, 25-

27; 1 Chronicles 1:3; Luke 3:37.

In Christ’s lineage

Methuselah is in the genealogy of Mary, mother of Jesus (below) and of

Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus.

Adam (created by God) = Seth =Jared = Enoch = Methuselah = Lamech =

Noah = Abraham = King David = Mary = JESUS

(watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALsluAKBZ-c)
(answer SCQ 1.2)
(Accomplish Activity 1.2)
ASSESSMENT Google Classroom:
a. Content: Quiz
b. Performance Task: Online Demonstration
FEEDBACK (Learners must be given feedback about their performance. Feedback must
be specific. Terms such as: “very good”, “excellent”, “keep up” etc. are
positive feedback and welcomed but actually is not a very good feedback
since it is not specific. A more specific feedback is: “Your grammar in
sentence _____ needs to be improved;” “ The right term should be ‘take
out’ NOT ‘take away”; )

Prepared by:

Ms. Antoinette Ronquillo - Dela Cruz

Arts and Sciences Department