The Bible Truth in the Bible & Literal vs Contextual Interpretations

Do You Read the Bible Literally or Contextually? Literal Approach ■ Refers to exact meanings, as in dictionary definition. ■ Literal means “every word”. ■ Reading the Bible word for word. ■ Every sentence is taken to mean exactly what it says.

Contextual Approach ■ The words are put in context. ■ We consider the culture, time, and place. ■ This approach tries to determine what the authors were saying to the people of their own time. ■ Sometimes we have to “interpret” the passage to understand what the author was saying. Do You Read the Bible Literally or Contextually?

Interpret the following statements: StatementMeaning It’s raining cats and dogs. Break a leg The early bird catches the worm Kill two birds with one stone A stitch in time saves nine Give me a break Knock it off Take a hike I literally died

Interpret the following statements: StatementMeaning It’s raining cats and dogs. It’s raining heavily (big droplets!) Break a leg The early bird catches the worm Kill two birds with one stone A stitch in time saves nine Give me a break Knock it off Take a hike I literally died

Interpret the following statements: StatementMeaning It’s raining cats and dogs. It’s raining heavily (big droplets!) Break a leg Good luck (do well) The early bird catches the worm Kill two birds with one stone A stitch in time saves nine Give me a break Knock it off Take a hike I literally died

Interpret the following statements: StatementMeaning It’s raining cats and dogs. It’s raining heavily (big droplets!) Break a leg Good luck (do well) The early bird catches the worm You will have an advantage if you do something immediately before someone else does Kill two birds with one stone A stitch in time saves nine Give me a break Knock it off Take a hike I literally died

Interpret the following statements: StatementMeaning It’s raining cats and dogs. It’s raining heavily (big droplets!) Break a leg Good luck (do well) The early bird catches the worm Having an advantage if you do something immediately before someone else does Kill two birds with one stone To achieve two things at once A stitch in time saves nine Give me a break Knock it off Take a hike I literally died

Interpret the following statements: StatementMeaning It’s raining cats and dogs. It’s raining heavily (big droplets!) Break a leg Good luck (do well) The early bird catches the worm Having an advantage if you do something immediately before someone else does Kill two birds with one stone To achieve two things at once A stitch in time saves nine If you sort out a problem immediately it may save a lot of extra work later. Give me a break Knock it off Take a hike I literally died

Interpret the following statements: StatementMeaning It’s raining cats and dogs. It’s raining heavily (big droplets!) Break a leg Good luck (do well) The early bird catches the worm Having an advantage if you do something immediately before someone else does Kill two birds with one stone To achieve two things at once A stitch in time saves nine If you sort out a problem immediately it may save a lot of extra work later. Give me a break Disbelief; Take it easy on me. Knock it off Take a hike I literally died

Interpret the following statements: StatementMeaning It’s raining cats and dogs. It’s raining heavily (big droplets!) Break a leg Good luck (do well) The early bird catches the worm Having an advantage if you do something immediately before someone else does Kill two birds with one stone To achieve two things at once A stitch in time saves nine If you sort out a problem immediately it may save a lot of extra work later. Give me a break Disbelief; Take it easy on me. Knock it off Stop it! Take a hike I literally died

Interpret the following statements: StatementMeaning It’s raining cats and dogs. It’s raining heavily (big droplets!) Break a leg Good luck (do well) The early bird catches the worm Having an advantage if you do something immediately before someone else does Kill two birds with one stone To achieve two things at once A stitch in time saves nine If you sort out a problem immediately it may save a lot of extra work later. Give me a break Disbelief; Take it easy on me. Knock it off Stop it! Take a hike Go away! I literally died

Interpret the following statements: StatementMeaning It’s raining cats and dogs. It’s raining heavily (big droplets!) Break a leg Good luck (do well) The early bird catches the worm Having an advantage if you do something immediately before someone else does Kill two birds with one stone To achieve two things at once A stitch in time saves nine If you sort out a problem immediately it may save a lot of extra work later. Give me a break Disbelief; Take it easy on me. Knock it off Stop it! Take a hike Go away! I literally died something annoys, embarrasses, or worries you very much

So Should Catholics Read the Bible Literally or Contextually? It depends on the writing in question. Generally we are called to read the Bible Contextually, but some books/passages must be read literally. Usually we are able to determine which approach should be utilized. View the following video as an example...

FIRST...Recall These Two Concepts 1.Inspiration: Although the Bible was not written by God, we believe the Holy Spirit has influenced the Bible’s writers to write only what is true and good. 2.Inerrancy: As a result, we believe that while there are some minor errors in Scripture (dates, names, etc.) there is NO ERROR in the main message.

➢ Religious – the Bible is primarily this type of truth! God communicates his love for us through the experiences of our lives. The Bible has recorded how humans have responded and failed to respond to God over the centuries.

➢ Moral – Through a variety of stories, the Bible teaches us what is right versus what is wrong, and how we are to live so that we may be close to God. e.g. “Thou shalt not kill.

➢ Symbolic – Using myths, allegories and parables the Bible teaches us the lessons that a person requires to live their lives in goodness. It often requires us to read between the lines.

➢ Proverbial – truth is communicated in wisdom sayings or lived experience. ➢ Historical – The Bible contains the most accurate history of the Hebrew people that we know (even though sometimes it may contain minor errors). There are not many history books from this era. The Hebrew Scriptures contain the history of the Hebrew people from approximately 2000 BCE to 100 CE.

➢ Scientific – the Bible reflects the scientific beliefs of the various times it was written (it often shows the primitive scientific understanding of the people of the day). We look beyond scientific evidence to find religious truth.

Kahoot - Bible Truth

Origins of the Bible & Its Truth ■ The Bible is a compilation of the religious experiences of the people of Israel. It showed their developing understanding of their relationship with God.

■ It is a special way for God to communicate with us. ■ God also speaks to us through creation and our conscience. ■ The authors of the Bible were writing about how they experienced God in their lives (an important tool for reflection) ■ If the Bible is read with sincerity, then it becomes God’s special revelation to us. We are free to hear or ignore this revelation to us. What We Should Believe About the Bible:

■ The Bible can be interpreted in many ways. ■ It can be experienced differently for different people. ■ A person can change, build upon or explore their experience. What We Should Believe About the Bible: