Chapter 1

AN INTRODUCTION
TO SCRIPTURE
 The main sources of the
Catholic faith

• Sacred Scripture

• Sacred Tradition
 Sacred Tradition
• Before a system of writing was developed,
people had to depend on memorization for
the transmission of vital stories and facts that
they wanted later generations to know.

• This practice of handing down stories, belief

and custom by words of mouth is known as
“Oral Tradition.”
 Nature of Sacred Scripture

- sacred scripture is fundamentally different

from all other books ever written in human
history
First, it is the inspired word of God.
• this means that God guided the human
authors to compose the written accounts of
his revelation to his people.
• He gave them a special grace called divine
inspiration.
• Biblical inspiration was not a dictation from
God to some human secretary. Nor it was a
division of labor God and the writer where
God wrote some parts of the work and other
parts were left to the human author.
Inspiration was not a means of forcing writers
against their will to record what God wanted
them to record.
• Divine inspiration was the direct influence and
guidance of the Holy Spirit under which the
sacred writers wrote all that God wanted
them to write and only what God wanted
them to write (DV 11, CFC 85). Therefore,
both God and human beings were the real
authors of the whole Scripture.
• While God motivated the minds of the human
authors in their writings. They remained the
true authors of Scripture. God did not change
the human writers’ background and
personality. He took the human authors as
they were. These human authors wrote freely
in their own way making use of their abilities
and putting a stamp of their own individuality
in their work. If the sacred writer was an
educated person, education colored each
page; if he was a shepherd, the simplicity of
nature with pictures of herds and pasturelands
showed in his text.
• Being a divinely inspired book, Scripture enjoys
inerrancy. This means that Scripture, the living
Word of God, teaches firmly, faithfully and
without error that truth, which God wants, put
into the sacred writings for the sake of the
Salvation of all. Details about age, dates, and
order of events and the like are not necessarily
accurate. They are not the salvific truth that
God is making known (DV 11, CFC 89). The
religious message in Scripture is inerrant. This
message communicates the truth that God
invites all to share in His divine life through
Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.
• Scripture is inspiring because the word of God
uplifts and rouses faith in the lives of people
today. It talks ABOUT ENCOUNTERS OF FAITH
TO BRING OTHERS TO FAITH IN God through
the Spirit of the Risen Crucified Lord.
 Second: Scripture is the living and
active Word of God.
• The Word of God is the food of salvation and
fountain of life of all people.

• God speaks to the readers today as he

addressed the people of old.

• As the psalmist says, “That today you would

hear his voice, do not harden your hearts (Ps
95:7-8).
 Third, it is a story of God’s
work in the world beginning
with God’s creation of the
material world and the human
person gifted with intellect
and will.
• It continues through the story of alienation
from God through sin, God’s call of a
particular people to be the vehicle of his
revelation and blessing and the climax of this
saving, reconciling work in the person,
teaching, actions, passion, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 Fourth, Scripture is God’s
word in human words.
• The written words in Scripture are God’s
words through the words of the human
authors.

• God speaks in Sacred Scripture in human

fashion.
• He chose to be part of human history by
entering history long before the Incarnation of
the Word in Jesus Christ. Instead of
abandoning humanity after the fall of Adam
and Eve, God patiently guided Adam’s
descendant back to himself. He chose to show
and communicate himself and his will that all
people may come to salvation. God
communicates in Scripture through tangible
signs of images, parables, allegory and poetry.
 Biblical Interpretation
St. Paul asserts all scripture is inspired by God
and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for
correction and for training in righteousness so
that everyone who belongs to God may be
competent, equipped for every good work
(2 Tim. 3:16-17).
How does the reader and hearers
of God’s word effectively and
adequately interpret Scripture?

• Christian tradition identifies four senses of

Scripture.
• These are the literal that teaches what
happened; and the three spiritual senses,
including the allegorical, what is to be
believed, the moral what should be done; and
the anagogic towards what we must hope for
(CFC 94).
 1. Literal Sense
• The literal sense simply establishes the
historical event and character in the narrative
of a particular Scripture text. Scripture,
however, is not just a compilation of any kind
of stories but are stories written from an
experience of faith. Scripture seeks to instruct
and bring others faith.
• Scripture seeks to instruct and bring others
faith. “ But they were written for the purpose
of our instruction, upon whom the end of the
ages has come” ( 1 Cor 10:11)
• The historical Scriptural narratives calling for
an authentic Christian faith demand a fruitful
and meaningful interpretation that goes
beyond the narration of past events.
• This involves a certain alertness to the
spiritual sense which is the meaning
expressed by the biblical text when read
under the influence of the Holy Spirit, in the
context of paschal mystery of Jesus and the
new life he gives.
• This means paying close attention to the
symbolic language and images used in the
text.
 2. Allegorical Sense
• The allegorical sense points to Jesus Christ as
the Lord and Savior. “ But these are written in
that you may come to believe that Jesus is the
Messiah, the Son of God, and that through
this belief you may have life in his name” (Jn.
20:21)
• Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of Christian faith,
is the center of the whole Scripture (DV 4).

• This meaning is not mere “head knowledge”

or abstract truth. It is personal knowing that
Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man is the
fulfillment of the plan of salvation. He is the
new and eternal covenant God established
with his people (CFC 96).
• For example, the first story of creation (Gen. 1)
speaks of God as the Creator and source of
everything.

• Seen in the light of JESUS’ TEACHINGS AND

THE Church’s convictions expressed in the
creeds, God is not simply the Creator.

• He is also the Father whom Jesus invites all to

call God as “Abba” or Father.

• “This is how you are to pray: Our Father in

heaven” (Mt. 6:9).
 3. Moral Sense
• The moral sense of Scripture communicating a
sense of urgency exhorts all to respond
immediately to God’s call to a covenant
relationship with him by following Jesus’ call
to discipleship (Mk. 2:14).
• Through the empowering love of the Spirit
one takes up the challenge of keeping God’s
commandments and imitating Jesus’ self
emptying love.

• A willing and generous response opens up to

a deeper and fuller life promised by Christ.
 4. Anagogic Sense
• The anagogic sense of Scripture directs the
human person to be sharers in the life of God
in Jesus Christ through the Spirit. This
meaning brings a sense of renewed hope in
one’s life today and in anticipation of the
eternal banquet.
The essential part of the interpretation of
Scripture is how the Christian message is
performed, appropriated and live out in one's
daily life.

The message touches us and effects a person's

real Christian convictions, moral values of love
and service to others, and genuine
sacramental worship that reaches out to God.
 Sacred Scripture and Sacred
Tradition
• Before a system of writing was develop,
people has to depend on memorization for
the transmission of vital stories and facts that
they wanted later generations to know. This
practice of handling down stories, beliefs and
customs by word of mouth is known as “Oral
Tradition”. With the development of writing,
such oral traditions were put down in written
form.
• The books of Scripture grew from tradition
and the list of canonical books came from the
Church. Guidance from the Church is
necessary for an authentic and meaningful
interpretation of Sacred Scripture.
 Division of Scripture
• Sacred Scripture is divided into two parts;

• The Old Testament

• the New Testament.

• The word testament means covenant that

God made with his people.
 Old Testament
The Old Testament is the story of the Israelites
in the light of the various covenants God made
with them.

It is largely a story of the infidelity of the people,

and God's unfailing love for humankind.
• The Old Testament is collection of sacred
books of the Hebrews written over a period of
900 years.

• It prepares and announces the coming of a

Messiah, the Redeemer.
It is divided into four major parts.

• Pentateuch
• Historical,
• Wisdom,
• and Prophetic Books.
 Pentateuch
• refers to the first five books of Scripture.

• These books express God's love for humanity

in creation, the fall and the formation of
God's people.
 Historical books
• are not simply about historical events in ancient
times.

• These books describe how God intervened in

the history of his people.

• After the People of God entered the Promised

land, they started to build their own nation.

• The historical books narrate all the difficulties

and failures, and triumphs of the Israelites.
• These books point to God's steadfast love for
Israel amidst the people's infidelity and
unrighteousness.
 Wisdom books
• abound with the proverbs and simple sayings
full of wisdom.

• They also contain the psalms or prayers of

praise for the greatness and goodness of God,
of thanksgiving and love for God, of trust in
God's power in times of fear and anxiety, and
of lamentation for one's sins and its effects on
the person and other people.
 Prophetic books
• The prophets appeared when the nation
became weak and eventually fell captive to
foreign nations.

• Prophetic books expressed God's sense of

justice, his anger against deceit, and the
oppression of the poor and the weak.
• Most importantly, prophetic books speak of
coming messiah.

• These prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus Christ,

the Son of God who became like us in all
things but sins.
 New Testament
The New Testament present how God's plan for
redemption of all was achieved by own into the world.

God made final covenant with his people sealed in the

blood of Christ(1 Cor. 11:25).

This plan was from the beginning, for although the

testament are distinct, they are closely linked.
The Old Testament promise God leads up to the
fulfillment of the promise in the new Testament.

The Old Testament can be fully understood only in the

light of it the New Testament.
• The NEW TESTAMENT contains twenty-
seven books written between 50-100
A.D.

• It was written in Greek, and proclaims

Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God who
became man.
 Gospel
The four gospel tell about the life, words
and deeds, and passion, death and
resurrection of Jesus.

They conclude with the mission which the

Risen Jesus gave to all believers to bring the
Good News to the whole world and the
promise to his abiding presence in disciples.
 Acts of the Apostles
• is the continuation of the Gospel of St. Luke.

• This book describe how the first Christian

communities lived and worked, and how they
spread the Good News.
 Apostolic Letters
• the earliest in the New Testament, contain the
letters of apostles.

• Most of them are from Paul but some are

from James, Peter, John and Jude.

• These are letters giving practical instructions

and words of encouragement concerning
Christian faith and practices addressed to
members of early Christian communities.
 Revelation
• is the last book of the New Testament.

• It gives John's vision of the second coming of

Christ, the completion of the Kingdom of God.
What is the difference between a
Protestant and a Catholic edition
of the Bible?
Catholic edition of the Bible:
72 books (or 71,73, 74 depending on how
we count the OT books)

Protestant edition of the Bible:

65 books (or 64,66, 67 depending on the
counting)
The books of the Catholic edition
of the Bible usually not included in
a Protestant edition are the ff:

Tobit Baruch
Judith 1 Maccabees
Wisdom 2 Maccabees
Sirach