1. Faith and Revelation Chapter 3 The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ through Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture

2. The Church Transmits the Revelation of Jesus Christ pp 56-63

3. God used Sacred Scripture to transmit salvation history. The proper response to that revelation is faith. The Church is a motive of credibility for the truth of DR because it has been faithful to Christ for two millenia despite severe trials.

4. The faithfulness of the Church is promised by Christ. When Christ made St. Peter the head of the church, he said, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18)

5. Think/Pair/Share Why are the following questions of utmost importance? How has the Good News revealed by Jesus Christ been transmitted through the generations? How can we be sure his message has been handed on faithfully?

6. Answer TPS The two questions are interrelated. How the message has been transmitted helps us know if it has been transmitted faithfully. If we cannot be sure it has been faithfully transmitted, we cannot be sure of the message.

7. It makes sense... that God would provide a means by which his Revelation should be fully preserved and transmitted in the future. Since the Good News is for all people and all times, it makes sense that he would provide a way for all people to have access to this Revelation.

8. To guarantee his Revelation would reach all nations unadulterated (without change), Christ established his Church and granted his teaching authority to the Apostles.

9. The HS guarantees the Church can infallibly (without error)transmit the Faith.

10. Christ’s guarantee was fulfilled on Pentecost when the HS descended upon the Apostles.

11. The infallibility guaranteed to the teaching of the Apostles was first seen in the Council of Jerusalem when the Apostles decided the Gentiles did not have to follow the Mosaic Law: “It has seemed good to the the HS and to us” (Acts 15:28)

12. The Council of Jerusalem is a model for Ecumenical Councils.

13. An Ecumenical Council is a meeting at which bishops from around the world convene to discuss and debate matters of concern to the whole Church.

14. ecumenical - Greek oikoumene means the inhabited world

15. Ecumenical Councils have addressed theological issues and matters of worship and Church discipline.

16. In the history of the Church Ecumenical Councils served as the primary means by which bishops discussed and made definitive decisions about issues facing the entire Church.

17. The two key qualities of an Ecumenical Council are that representatives (bishops) from local churches and the successor of St. Peter, the pope (or his legate) must be present.

18. The pope or his delegate presides over an Ecumenical Council.

19. If a decree of the Magisterium from an Ecumenical Council is ratified by the pope, it is binding on all Christians.

20. There have been 21 Ecumenical Councils (Nicaea I through Vatican II).

21. The Magisterium is the teaching office of the Church, a protection by the Holy Spirit which gives the Church the power to transmit Christ’s Gospel faithfully and correctly.

22. The Apostles and their successors comprise it.

23. sensus fidelium The sense of the faithful - “the whole body of the faithful who have an anointing that comes from the holy one cannot err in matters of belief.

24. The Magisterium guides the People of God in knowing the Faith.

25. The infallibility of the Magisterium means the Church cannot teach error in matters of Faith and morals. The HS ensures the infallibility of the Magisterium.

26. The response of the faithful to a teaching of the Magisterium should be faithful obedience.

27. The Mag explains and interprets theology, does not create it.

28. Two places teachings of the Mag can be found are in the creeds and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

29. Deposit of Faith - the whole content of Divine Revelation Two sources of DofF are Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture ST, SS, and the Mag work together and none can stand alone.

30. Partner activity Work with a partner to identify the two ways the Mag exercises the charism of infallibility. Pope alone - bishops with the pope -

31. Answer The pope enjoys infallibility by virtue of his office when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful, he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to Faith or morals. The body of bishops is infallible when, together with the successor of St. Peter (the pope), they exercise the supreme Magisterium, above all in an EC.

32. T/P/S What does St. Matthew teach about St. Peter’s authority (16:18-29)?

33. Christ gave Simon a new name, St. Peter. He said he would build his church on St. Peter. The powers of death will not prevail against Christ’s Church Christ gave St. Peter the keys of the Kingdom. St. Peter’s decisions as head of the Church on earth are recognized by Christ and his Father in Heaven.

34. Tradition and Scripture pp 63-69

35. Sacred Tradition the Word of God received from Christ through the Apostles that has been handed on without alteration by the Church under the protection of the Holy Spirit.

36. Tradition is sacred because the Church receives supernatural assistance from God to transmit the Gospel.

37. Jesus told the Apostles... “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20) And Jesus told St. Peter, “The powers of death shall not prevail agains [the church]” (Mt 16:18) This is Scriptural evidence indicates that God gives the Church supernatural assistance.

38. Tradition existed before Sacred Scripture. The teachings of Christ were first passed on orally and later written down.

39. The difference between Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture is that Sacred Tradition encompasses the entire Deposit of Faith, while Sacred Scripture refers to the part of Tradition that is written down.

40. The two kinds of traditions in the Bible and in the life of the Church are divine or Sacred Traditions, which have God as their author, and human traditions, which were created by men.

41. Examples of Sacred Tradition the Divinity of Christ (Christ is God) the Blessed Trinity

42. Human traditions in the Church Architectural forms and artistic treasures

43. How human traditions relate to Sacred Tradition The Church’s theological, disciplinary, liturgical, and devotional traditions were born in the local churches over time and express Sacred Tradition in particular circumstances. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified, or abandoned under the guidance of the Magisterium.

44. 3 Sources of Sacred Tradition from the early Church the Church’s liturgies the writings of Church Fathers archaeological remains. Extension: here source refers to a witness to Sacred Tradition found in these places; Tradition was not created there.

45. Criteria for a Father of the Church Antiquity - lived before 800 AD Holiness of life Orthodoxy - outstanding insights, in perfect communion with the Church, and with the approval of the Magisterium

46. Apostolic Fathers the earliest Fathers of the Church; they wrote during the first and at the beginning of the second century and were disciples of the Apostles. They handed on the Faith received from the apostolic Church.

47. Sacred Scripture is the part of Sacred Tradition written down because of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

48. The Holy Spirit is the principal author of Sacred Scripture. Sacred Scripture is entrusted to the Church. God and the human writers are both true authors of the Scriptures.

49. The Holy Spirit did not simply assist the human writers but actually authored what they wrote. Inspiration is nothing less than divine authorship.

50. The Bible is supernatural. It has a supernatural content, the wisdom of God.

51. Two types of truth in the Bible Supernatural truths about his intimate life and the eternal decrees concerning human salvation. Natural truths people could reach through reason but he wished to make known easily, with absolute certainty, and without error.

52. The Bible is holy in its purpose Its purpose is the salvation of all. The New Testament explicitly reveals the channels of grace Christ instituted by which man can become holy.

53. The Bible is holy in its precepts The Old Testament reveals precepts of the natural and moral law. In the New Testament, Christ perfects the moral precepts of the Old Testament by declaring their true meaning, establishing the best way of fulfilling them, and teaching his disciples how to achieve greater sanctity.

54. Fundamentals of Interpreting the Scriptures pp 69-73, 75

55. There are no contradictions among passages of Sacred Scripture because God is the author of the whole Bible. An apparent contradiction between two passages of Scripture must be improperly interpreted or understood.

56. The Bible narrates historical events as well as the divine meaning and theological purposes of those events. The Bible is free from error, but it does not guarantee that individuals can interpret it correctly.

57. Modern standards of analysis do not apply to books of the Bible. Literary techniques were different then. Some factors to consider include the conditions of the time and culture; the literary forms used at that time; the customary and characteristic patterns of perception, speech, and narrative.

58. A literary form is a style of writing that communicates a message through particular creative means.

59. Literary forms in S.S. historical juridicial prophetic apocalyptic wisdom poetic epistles

60. With the Bible, it’s best to try to understand the literal sense first. The literal sense is the meaning intended by the Sacred Author.

61. Literal Questions to Ask of a Story Who What Why Result of the action

62. The Bible itself reveals how the Bible should be interpreted because... Christ granted his teaching authority, or Magisterium, to the Apostles; they passed on this authority to their successors the bishops. Therefore, the Scriptures indicate that people should look to the Magisterium to help interpret the Bible.

63. In two ways Bishops possess authority to understand the Bible. 1. the Church’s long study of the truths of the Faith 2. the supernatural assistance of the Holy Spirit as the teachers of the Church However, individual bishops do not have the authority to interpret the Scriptures on their own. This authority belongs to the Church as a whole, not to an individual bishop.

64. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is one of the best resources available to understand how the Church interprets Scripture. In the Catechism, the doctrines of the Church are explained; it is replete with quotations from Sacred Scripture and the Fathers, councils, and saints of the Church.

65. Analogy of Faith - the coherence of the truths of faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation. coherence - things work together

66. It’s important to pray before reading the Bible because God is the perfect guidance when one comes into contact with his Word. Scripture is best understood within the context of a life of prayer.

67. Faith is the essential condition to read the Bible. Faith provides the right dispositions to read the Bible. Because of Original Sin and the resulting pride and darkened intellect, a person may not want to understand what the Bible really teaches.

68. Attending Mass regularly helps a person understand the Scriptures. The Church proclaims readings from the Bible at every Mass, and almost every part of the Bible is read at some time in the cycle of readings for Sundays, weekdays, and Masses for other occasions (ex. wedding, funeral, Confirmation, etc.) Each reading from one of the Gospels provides an encounter with the life of Christ. The readings from the Old and New Testaments illuminate connections among the various parts of the Bible.

69. Conclusion Points God revealed himself so people could know him and his plan for their salvation. Divine Revelation includes both supernatural and natural truths. Christ’s definitive Revelation is found in the Deposit of Faith, entrusted to the Church and contained in Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture.

70. Conclusion Pts. Cont. The Holy Spirit both inspired Scripture and guides the Church in its living interpretation of it through the inerrant Magisterium. The Tradition of the Church is alive and active in her liturgies. The Church, Scripture, Tradition, and the sacraments form an inseparable unity.