The Mystery of Redemption At the core of our Catholic identity is our collective history. Not just concerned with historical details but it is primarily concerned with salvation history Sal. History- How God establishes a relationship with his people and how they respond. Reaches its high point in Christ We are still trying to come to a better understanding of these events. The story of the Church as it understands itself

Preparation for the Church God makes the world ready for the incarnation. He establishes his relationship with humanity slowly over time. Nation of Israel Many of the ideas and beliefs we hold about God are first established here OT history Monotheism, covenant, law, liturgy etc.

Bible- SS SS= Written record of the lived faith of God’s people SS= OT+NT OT= TNK- Torah (Law), Nebeim (Prophets), Ketubiim (writings) SS- Word of God in human words

Inspiration Dual authorship (Human and Divine) How? The mechanics of Inspiration remain a mystery while the fact of it is accepted How not? Mechanical Dictation- The human author merely records what God tells him. (No Human freedom, mistakes/ inconsistencies?) Subsequent Approbation- The human author writes the story and God prevents them from making mistakes. (No real Revelation)

The fact of divine inspiration has been taught by Doctors of the Church, and the encyclicals of Leo XIII, Benedict XV and Pius XII and reaffirmed at Vatican I and II The manner has not been explained- Mystery

Key concepts for inspiration Truly the word of God- God moves the human author to produce something beyond their human power while respecting human freedom Truly words of man- Have free use of their talents and resources in cooperation with Holy Spirit Inspiration effects the work itself Levels of meaning for the believer- Literal/historical, allegorical, fuller senses (faith)

Covenant context- The spoken word of God’s covenant with Israel and the Church in written form (Scriptures) becomes normative for the faith and life of the community. Dual authorship- Both God and a human writer. The same Holy Spirit guides authors to produce works and guides the community to recognize the Word of God in those books

3 consequence Expresses a truth which leads to salvation Not all kinds of truth This truth is expressed many ways This truth must be seen in light of the content and unity of the whole of SS and Tradition. See Dei Verbum

Sola Scriptura Protestant doctrine claiming that the Bible alone is the authority in matters of faith. Not scriptural.- Jesus left a Church with divine authority to govern in his name (Mt. 16:13-20 commissioning of Peter and the apostles, Jn 14:16- Sending the Holy Spirit to the Church.) The Bible does state that scripture should be used along side of Tradition 2Thess 2:15, 3:6 “Stand firm brothers and keep the traditions we have taught you, whether by word of mouth or letter.”

The Bible does tell us that not everything we need to know is in it. John 21:25 tells us that not everything Jesus said and did was recorded. We must hold fast to oral tradition, the preached Word of God (1cor 11:2, 1 pet 1:25) 2 Pet 3:15 warns that Scripture can be very difficult to interpret. Sola Scriptura goes against history The Church exercised its authority based on tradition when it formed Scripture and the canon

Scripture needs a living, continuing authority to interpret it. (Constitution and Supreme Court) By allowing everyone to interpret scripture in a strictly personal was has in part led to the fractioning of Christianity into more than 33,000 denominations. God left us with a living authority to aid in our understanding and interpretation of Scripture

For more on inspiration see Dei Verbum chapter3 Development of Scripture The Bible doesn’t simply appear but is created, often over a long period of time. Event->Oral Tradition->Written Tradition->Redaction (editing) -Exodus –Event (c. 1200BC- Moses) written traditions (c. 900’s- classical prophets) Redaction (c. 500- Ezra- post exile)

What is the purpose of the Bible? A book of religious truth A sharing of faith The record of the people’s belief in God It is not the purpose of the Sacred Author to teach historical, mathematical or scientific truth or any facts other than religious truth. We must be careful not to demand these from Scripture.

Approaches to the Bible Fundamental Approach Literal readers Takes every phrase, description and text literally (word for word) Offers simple solutions to complex questions Fails to take into account changes in language and style Often against logic May take a concordist approach- try to harmonize a fundamental understanding with science (Bibilical day= thousands of years)

B. Critical Approach (AKA-Historical Critical Method) -Attempts to take the Bible on its own terms Studies the politics, cultures and circumstances that impact the formation of SS. Studies oral traditions and they were combined into the Biblical Story Tries to understand what the authors were saying to their audience Takes into account the layers of meaning a text may have.

Senses of Scripture (CCC116-117) Literal Sense “The meaning conveyed by the words of scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation: All other senses of Scripture are based on the literal.” ccc116 The meaning intended by the inspired author Not to be confused with a fundamental approach

Spiritual Sense “Deeper, symbolic meaning pointed to by the literal sense.” Ccc.117 Seeing how the passage fits into God’s plan 1. Allegorical sense- How the OT events prefigure Christ Red Sea- Baptism, Manna- Eucharist 2. Moral Sense- Lead us to follow their example and act justly 3. Anagogical Sense- How the text leads us to heaven Eucharistic feast- Prefigures heavenly feast