1. How to Find a Scriptural Reference
Introduction to Catholic Christianity
Mr. Berghout

2. How to Find a Scriptural Reference
The Bible is composed of books.
Each book is composed of chapters
Each chapter is composed of verses.
A Scriptural reference provides all the information you need to find a particular passage!

3. Once you know how the system works, you can look up any Bible verse in a few minutes. There are also new and even easier ways to look up Bible verses on the internet.

4. Where have you seen Scriptural References?

6. For example, the reference John 3:16.
The name of the books comes first. Here the name is John (often abbreviated Jn.)
The chapter appears directly after the name of the book. The example gives the number 3, meaning chapter 3.
The last number, separated from the chapter number by a colon, indicated the verse.
The example refers to verse 16.

7. Scriptural references generally contain more detailed information
Scriptural references generally contain more detailed information. Here are some examples:
Gen. 1:1-8 means Genesis, chapter 1, verses 1 through 8.
Gen. 1:3,6,9 means Genesis, chapter 1 verses 3,6, and 9. (Notice the comma between separate verses from the same chapter.)

8. Gen. 2:8-10,18-25 means Genesis, chapter 2, verses 8 through 10 and verses 18 through 25.
Gen. 1 – 3 means Genesis, chapter 1 through 3. (Notice the long dash between chapter numbers. It could also be written Genesis 1:1-31; 2:1-25; 3:1-24, listing all the verses.
What does Gen. 1:31--2:3 mean?

9. Distinct references to different chapters are separated by a semicolon
Distinct references to different chapters are separated by a semicolon. Gen. 1; 3 means Genesis, chapter 1 and 3 (but not chapter 2).
What does Gen. 2:4-7,14; 3:1-3,8 mean?
It means Genesis, chapter 2, verses 4 through 7 and verse 14, then chapter 3, verses 1 through 3 and verse 8.

10. A long verse may be broken up into parts
A long verse may be broken up into parts. To designate the first part of a verse, the letter a is used; for the second part of the verse, b is used. Gen. 1:9a means Genesis, chapter 1, the first part of verse 9.
Some books of the Bible share the same name. For example, 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel means “the First Book of Samuel” and “the Second Book of Samuel.” Notice the number of the book comes before the name of the book.
What does 2 Sam. 1:11-12 mean?

11. Additional Information about the Bible
The Catholic canon, contains 73 books: 46 in the OT (Hebrew Scriptures) and 27 in the NT
Catholic Bibles have seven OT books or parts of books not included in other Christian Bibles.
When these books are included in a Protestant Bible, they are usually found in a section called the Apocrypha or Deutero-canonical Books.

12. Additional Information about the Bible
For those who may not know, the Septuagint was the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. The common abbreviation for it—LXX, or the Roman numerals for 70—come from a legend that the first part of the Septuagint was done by 70 translators.

13. Additional Information about the Bible
By the first century, the LXX was the Bible of Greek-speaking Jews and so was the most frequently used version of the Old Testament in the early Church. For this reason, it was natural for the authors of the New Testament to lift quotes from it while writing in Greek to the Church.

14. Additional Information about the Bible
An example where the Greek gospels present Jesus as quoting the Septuagint: In Mark 7:6–7, Jesus quotes the LXX of Isaiah 29:13 when he says, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’"

15. Additional Information about the Bible
Of course, the reason people usually ask about the New Testament authors’ use of the Septuagint is because it contains the seven deuterocanonical books that are now omitted from Protestant Bibles. Showing that the New Testament authors quoted from the LXX argues in favor of (though does not in itself prove) the inspiration of these seven books.

16. Why you need to read the Bible A Catholic view
Introduction
This article is published with Ecclesiastical Permission, Dublin, Ireland. It is also available in printed form (details at bottom of page), and is being distributed to every Catholic parish in Ireland. This is to fulfil the Second Vatican Council injunction:
"This sacred Synod earnestly and specifically urges all the Christian faithful...to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the excelling knowledge of Jesus Christ...
For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ..." Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Section 25

17. Why you need to read the Bible A Catholic view
1. Because it is God's inspired word
Vatican Council states that "All Scripture (both Old and New Testament) is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproving, for correcting, for instruction in justice that the man of God may be perfect, equipped for every good work." Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Section 11 (Also 2 Tim. 3: 16 & 17)

18. Why you need to read the Bible A Catholic view
In encouraging us not to neglect reading the Old Testament as well as the New, Vatican Council states that "God, the inspirer and author of both testaments, wisely arranged that the New Testament be hidden in the Old, and the Old be made manifest (clear) in the New...The books of the Old Testament ..show their full meaning in the New Testament .. and shed light on it and explain it."
Decree on Divine Revelation, Section 16

19. Why you need to read the Bible A Catholic view
2. Because the Bible is true and essential for today as always
That's why Vatican Council states that, "The books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching firmly, faithfully, and without error, that truth which God wanted put into the sacred writings for the sake of our salvation."
Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Section 11

20. Why you need to read the Bible A Catholic view
3. Because Jesus said:
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. - Matthew 4:4

21. Why you need to read the Bible A Catholic view
4. Because it shows the way you can have a personal relationship with God
Vatican Council specifically asks all Christians to read the Bible frequently in order to know Jesus.
"This sacred Synod earnestly and specifically urges all the Christian faithful... to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the excelling knowledge of Jesus Christ. For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ...And let them remember that prayer should accompany the reading of sacred Scripture, so that God and man may talk together."
Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Section 25

22. Why you need to read the Bible A Catholic view
Jesus himself said: And this is eternal life that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
John 17:3 If you do not have a personal relationship with God, then ask Jesus to take over your life and be your personal Saviour and Lord. He will transform and change your life and bring meaning where there was emptiness.

23. Why you need to read the Bible A Catholic view
5. Because it challenges us to spread the Good News of Salvation
Jesus said to His disciples: Go into all the World and preach the Gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Mark 16:15 & 16 Vatican Council states what the first, primary duty of a priest is - namely: "Since no one can be saved who has not first believed, priests...have as their primary duty the proclamation of the Gospel of God to all...For through the saving Word, the spark of faith is struck in the hearts of unbelievers and fed into the hearts of the faithful."
Decree on the Ministry of Priests, Section 4

24. Why you need to read the Bible A Catholic view
Let us encourage our priests and ministers and pray that they will be filled with the Holy Spirit as they fulfill their primary duty of proclaiming the Gospel.
This command of Jesus is not just to be obeyed by priests and ministers, but by all Christian lay people as we allow the Holy Spirit to empower us for this task.
Vatican Council affirmed this when it stated that all Christian lay people should "look for opportunities to announce Christ by words addressed either to non-believers with a view to leading them to faith, or to believers (both Catholic and Protestant) with a view to instruction and strengthening them and motivating them toward a more fervent life". Decree on Laity, Section 6