Transcript Chapter 2 – Introduction to Sacred Scripture

Chapter 2 – Introduction to
Sacred Scripture
Chapter Overview
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The Game of Life
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The Bible is the Inspired Word of God
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How to Read the Bible
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How to Understand the Bible
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Biblical Translations
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Modern Approaches for Studying Sacred Scripture
Sacred Scripture & Bible
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Sacred Scripture
 Sacred = holy
 Scripture = Writing
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Bible = books
Opening Activity
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Locating & Reading Bible References
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Textbooks, Bibles, notebooks
The Bible is the Inspired
Word of God
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Bible is written record of God’s Revelation
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God comes to us through this collection of
writings
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Bible is a “living book”
 For it to remain so, we must call on Christ,
through the Holy Spirit, to open our minds to
its Good News
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Because Sacred Scripture is the Word of God,
the Church teaches that:
 God is the author of the Bible
 The Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the
sacred books
 The Sacred Scriptures teach the truth
What is Inspiration?
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Means that God is the author of the Bible; he used the human
authors as his instrument to convey Divine Revelation to us
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God used human authors as instruments to commit to writing
those truths that are necessary for our Salvation, & to do so
w/o error
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Under influence of Holy Spirit, human authors drew on their
own background, education, skill & talent as writers, &
vocabulary to write what God intended for people to know
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End product = the inerrant Word of God
Partner Work
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Pg. 28 Reflection Questions #2-4
How to Read the Bible
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Purpose of interpreting Bible – to discover what God
wanted biblical authors to reveal for the benefit of our
Salvation
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To discover the human authors’ intentions we must:
 Learn how the history of their time & culture
influenced them
 Study their language & how they used it to express
themselves
 Identify the literary form or genre of their writing
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Since Sacred Scripture is inspired, it “must be
read & interpreted in the light of the same Spirit
by whom it was written” (Dogmatic Constitution
on Divine Revelation)
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2nd Vatican Council taught 3 ways for interpreting Scripture in
accordance w/the Holy Spirit who inspired it:
 1) Note the content & unity of the whole Scripture
 “The New Testament lies hidden in the Old, & the Old
Testament is unveiled in the New.” – St. Augustine
 2) Read Scripture within the living Tradition of the whole Church
 3) Pay attention to the analogy of faith
 Analogy of faith – the unity of the truths of the faith among
themselves & within the whole plan of Revelation
 This means that truths revealed in Sacred Scripture can’t
contradict each other
Proof-Texting
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Citing a passage from Scripture out of context in
order to support an opinion
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Never ever make fun of a bald guy – 2 Kings
2:23-24
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Jesus hated fig trees – Matthew 21:19
Literary Forms
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Literary genre (or form) – a type of writing that has a particular style
or content.
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Exegesis – process used by scholars to discover the meaning of the
biblical text
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Identifying the literary genre helps us determine the literal meaning or
literal sense of the biblical text
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Literal sense – the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture &
discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation
Literary Forms/Genres
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Allegory - extended comparison where many elements of a story stand for
deeper realities like abstract ideas, moral qualities, or spiritual realities
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Biography - written account of a person’s life
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Creed - formal statement of religious belief
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Etiology - story that gives the cause of something
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Fable - brief story w/a moral; often uses animals that act & speak like humans
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History - a chronological narrative or record of events, as in the life or
development of a people, country, or institution
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Law - rule of conduct or standard of behavior established by proper authority,
society, or custom
Literary Forms/Genres
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Prophecy – an inspired utterance made by a prophet, which expresses
God’s will
Genealogy – a record of one’s ancestors
Hyperbole – a deliberately exaggerated saying to highlight the topic
under discussion
Miracle Story – for example, a nature miracle is a report of a powerful
sign performed by Jesus to show his mastery over the elements
Riddle – question or statement that teases the mind; requires thought &
application
Parable – vivid story told to convey religious truth, usually w/surprise
ending
Pronouncement Story – passage whose purpose is to set up an important
saying
How to Understand the
Bible
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Literal Sense & Spiritual Sense
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Literal sense involves meaning of the words of Scripture
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Spiritual sense refers not in the words themselves but by the
“realities & events” that can be signified by them
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Looks to deeper meaning
3 Spiritual Senses of
Scripture
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1) Allegorical sense
 Allegory is a metaphor
 Story line conveys more than 1 level of meaning at the
same time
 Allegorical reading of Scripture looks at entire Bible,
especially OT, in light of its fulfillment in Christ
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2) Moral sense
 God’s word is intended to lead us to live good life, act
justly on behalf of God & others
3 Spiritual Senses of
Scripture
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3) Anagogical Sense
 Looking at earthly events & other realities in
context of leading us to heaven
 Our final goal is to get to heaven & Bible
shows us the way
 Anagogical comes from Greek word for
“leading”
Summary: 4 Senses of
Interpreting Scripture
 1)
Literal Sense - tells us the facts
 2) Allegorical Sense – calls us to faith
 3) Moral Sense – demands we act
w/charity
 4) Anagogical Sense - offers us hope
Biblical Translations
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Most of OT composed in Hebrew
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By 1st Cent. AD, Hebrew disappeared as ordinary spoken language,
but remained the sacred & literary language
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Entire NT written in Greek – spoken language in Roman Empire 1st
cent. AD
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Later, common spoken language changed from Greek to Latin
St. Jerome & the Vulgate
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Completed Latin translation of Old & New Testaments
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This translation known as the Vulgate
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Became Church’s official translation of Bible from the
original languages
Dead Sea Scrolls
Discovered in 1947 in caves near Dead Sea
 Belonged to Jewish Essene sect
 Contain Essene religious documents,
commentaries on certain Hebrew Scriptures, &
ancient OT manuscripts
 Very valuable to scholars in studying OT &
learning about Jewish practices at time of Jesus
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Translations of the Bible
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Protestant – King James Version
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Catholic
 New American Bible – used for readings at
liturgies in US
 New Jerusalem Bible – borrowed heavily from
French Bible
St. Jerome: Defender of
the Faith
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Translated Bible from original languages into Latin
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A Church Father – traditional title given to theologians of the 1st
eight centuries whose teachings made a lasting mark on the Church
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Translated in a cave
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Took 23 years
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Known as Latin Vulgate translation
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Became authorized Bible used in Catholic Church
One of Church’s greatest minds & defenders of the faith
Modern Approaches for
Studying Scripture