Chapter 1 Our Story of Faith

Vocabulary

 Bible – amazing story of God’s love for us; God’s word written down by humans; the Church’s holy book, also called Scripture. The word bible means “library.”  eternity – time without end; unchangeable timelessness. For Christians, eternity refers to life after death.

 Saint Jerome – translated the Bible into Latin;  the Vulgate – St. Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible; the official version of the Bible among Catholics for hundreds of years  Oral tradition – the spoken word passed from one generation to the next  Inspired – moved and guided by God’s spirit

 psalms & canticles – poems and prayers that were once sung; ex. Book of Psalms  folktales – old stories changed and expanded by biblical writers to teach certain truths about God; ex. Book of Job  oracles – messages from God spoken by prophets, often introduced by the words “Thus says the Lord”; ex. Servant Songs from Isaiah

 historical accounts – accounts written to reveal God’s activity in the world; ex. Books of Chronicles, Kings, Samuel  short stories & novels – stories told to show how virtuous people are supposed to live; ex. “Joseph and His Brothers,” Books of Tobit, Esther, and Jonah

 parables – short stories told to answer a question and illustrate a deeper point; ex. “The Good Samaritan”  letters – addressed to early Christians by the apostles and their followers; ex. St. Paul’s letters

 apocalypse – a form of writing that describes the destruction of evil times and the coming of God’s kingdom; ex. Book of Revelation  inspired – a term used to describe Scripture; moved and guided by the Holy Spirit

Notes

 We can all be thankful God created each of us to be unique (special in his or her own way).  Each of us has a story to tell.  Everything in our life is part of our story – good and bad

Part of a Greater Story  You don’t create your story on your own; other people help shape it  We are part of a bigger story – the greatest and oldest – God’s story  God’s story  beginning of time

John Donne  “No man is an island, entire of itself…Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”  All related, all human  All affected by what happens to others

A Larger Question  Always wonder & question about God  God wants us to know story of His presence in world – He tells it, people have listened

Dead Sea Scrolls  Discovered in 1947, shepherd boy  Pieces of Old Testament  Now in museum in Jerusalem

Bible  Book of Books  pages  Most books written over period of 6 centuries  Stories part of oral tradition (centuries) before written  Books written – different times, different authors, different forms of storytelling

Bible (ctd.)  Common purpose: story of God’s love for our world  We have purpose in creation – destined for eternity  Translated into languages, available for everyone  Copied by hand before printing press  Sometimes ornately decorated by hand with mini paintings (“illuminated”) showing scenes from stories

Bible (ctd.)  Catholic Bible = 73 books (46 O.T., 27 N.T.)

St. Jerome  Feast day September 30  Translated Bible from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek to Latin  His version = Vulgate (“vulgar” = common, for all people)  Official version among Catholics until 1943  Lived A.D.

A Story of Love  Love of family & friends reflects God’s love, keeps us going  Writers of Bible inspired by God; connected, past, present, future  Stories of God’s love help us lead good lives today & look to future – not a book of the past  Bible = divine and human work (human authors inspired by God)

Praise the Creator  “psalm” – Greek – “songs to be sung to a stringed instrument”  Many psalms written in response to wonders of creation & God’s love in shaping it