Old Testament

 What does the word Bible mean?  The books  The Old Testament shows us God’s love and is the basis of which religion?  The Jewish Religion  What is the New Testament primarily about?  It tells us about Jesus and the early church

 What are the three types of history that form the bible?  Oral, Written & Edited  How did the writers of the Old Testament know what to write?  They were inspired by God  What does the name “Christ” mean?  The anointed one

 Do Catholics believe that scripture is true?  YES! We are contexualists, so although there may be minor errors in dates or names, we believe the message of each story to be true  How are the revelations in scripture a form of inspiration?  The authors were somehow in touch with the truth of God in their lives. This is what we mean when we say that the Bible is inspired.

Contextual Vs. Literal

Contextualists Catholics interpret the Bible contextually, not literally. This means that Catholics consider when and where the book was written, as well as considering the beliefs, legends, fables, art and scientific understanding of place and time period.

Literalists Read the story as if it were true in every word, historically and scientifically

Which is it??? Literal or Contextual 1.The house is north of Ennismore 2.I’m so hungry I could eat a horse 3.At Christmas, the mall was a zoo 4.I go to Math class 3 rd period 5.I’m crazy about math 6.Daryl Bennett is mayor of Peterborough

Which is it??? Literal or Contextual? 1.She blew out of the cafe, mad as a hatter! 2.The snake said to Eve, “You will not die” 3.Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary 4.Noah built a giant ark 5.I walked around Paris, France 6.The CN Tower is in Toronto

Contextualists It’s not that we don’t believe in the stories! Catholics believe in the message of each bible story and we consider the proper historical and textual context to determine what it meant to its original audience

Contextualists It takes thought and prayer to determine how the bible applies to today’s world and to our own lives That is what we will do this unit – read Scripture stories and determine what they mean to our lives today

New Testament Remember: there are some parts of the bible (New Testament) that we do believe LITERALLY happened as they are written! We believe that all the miracles performed by Jesus DID HAPPEN because he was the son of God