Inspiration & Revelation
The Word of God.
What is the Bible?
This is the inspired interpretation of God’s revelation of himself in the history of Israel and in the life and destiny of his Son
“We meet him in the words of the Bible as he revealed himself then and as we cannot meet him in any other book”
The justification for the Bible’s Unity
What is God as the one and only divine author?
Various authors may interpret the source differently, but God is the one true inspiration and source of the bible
The manner of thinking of most Biblical scholars.
What is Semitic thinking?
Semitic means “Arabic, Hebrew, or any other Afro-Asiatic family” and thus, this kind of thinking also constitutes what the manner of thinking the Jews or Israelites had then. This kind of thinking encompasses a school of thought that once a word comes out of a person’s mouth, the reality or power of this word is then passed to the receiver of the Word. Applying this to reading the Bible, the messages of the Word and its positive influences are then passed to us whenever we read the Word.
The process where books are recognized as inspired.
What is Canonization?
In order to deem a book canonical, the Catholic Church takes into consideration the cohesiveness of the book with the other books (1), its apostolic origin (2), its ability to foster prayer and love (3), and the reception of the local community (4).
The first language the Bible was translated to.
What is Greek?
It was translated to Greek because the language was widely used by Christian missionaries. The translation was so popular that the entire New Testament was written in Greek.
The theory that says human authors were alone responsible for the writing of the books except when they were in danger of leading the leader into religious error.
What is Negative Assistance Theory?
Suggests that the bible is a religious textbook made to provide answers to particular problems
Divine influence is not present in the setting forth of God’s truth, except in a negative way
Does not allow the character of the bible as the word of God
The reason for different interpretation of God.
What is having multiple writers?
Writers varied in background, education, social and cultural insights, and religious perspective which led to different interpretations.
To set forth the history of God’s salvation.
What is the purpose of the Bible?
This is contrary to how others perceives the Holy Bible in which the Holy Bible is treated as a history book. The Holy Bible should not be understood literally, and it is encouraged to read the passages figuratively and in the context of God and the writers He has chosen. For example, instead of treating it as encouraging people to procreate despite the risks or threats of overpopulation, the passage “Be fruitful and multiply” can be understood in the context of that time when the population was scarce, and furthermore, it can be understood as way of God commanding us to spread the Word, and thus, influence more people to become disciples.
The council that announced the canonization of several books in the Bible.
What is Council of Trent?
Council of Trent explicitly and authoritatively announced the canon of the 72 books of the bible in 1546. The correctness of the Canon and the decree of the council rests on the faith in the guidance of the Church by the Holy Spirit.
The first American Catholic translation based on the earliest existing form rather than on the Vulgate.
What is the New American Bible?
It is known to be one of the most accurate translations used in modern day times because it was translated directly from the original text. Most translations are based on previous translations like the Latin Vulgate.
The theory that states that God approved the Bible only after it was completed.
What is Subsequent Approbation Theory?
Assures us that the Bible contains the truth about God and his relationship to the world.
The Image of God from the Old Testament.
What is God as the punisher of sinners?
Events like the Great Flood and 10 plagues sent to Egypt supported this image of Him.
This refers to learning everything about God and about his will for the world’s redemption in Jesus Christ
What is the Truth of the Bible?
The purpose is not to write a history book but to set forth the history of God’s salvation. These writings teaches us “that truth in which God wanted to put into the sacred writing for the sake of our salvation”.
What the Catholics call the books such as 1 and 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Judith, and the like as.
What are Deuteronomicals?
Deuteronomical means “second listed”, and the said books were called as such because they were only accepted after a couple of debates on them. Protestants, on the other hand, called these books as Apocrypha which means “hidden, secret or not inspired”.
The least interpretive translation of the Bible
What is the Revised Standard Version
This version that was published in 1952 is known for its word-for-word translation.
The theory that says God alone is responsible for the content of the Bible
What is Divine Dictation Theory?
Human authors are merely recording machines that wrote down God’s word; it is unknown how God dictated the word to them.
Not two distinct sources of revelation.
What are Bible and Tradition?
“Sacred tradition and sacred scripture from one sacred deposit of the word of God, which is committed to the Church”
Similar to the Word.
What are the Sacraments?
In the same sense of receiving each sacrament, each Biblical passages we read or listened to in the openness of faith also bridges the relationship we have with God, connecting and bonding us further with Him.
A good way to learn to interpret the Bible.
What is joining Bible studies?
It does not take one to be a Biblical scholar to interpret the Bible but it also aids one to join a Bible study in order for one to be guided by a person who is competent in giving appropriate interpretations of the Bible. This then helps one to properly read the Bible, and have different perspectives or viewpoints in reading the Word.
The American name of the translation used by the Protestant churches.
What is the King James Version?
The Authorized version is the most widely used translation by English speaking protestants. It was dubbed the King James version because the translation was done during the rule of King James I of England.
The word for God showing his word and act to his people.
What is Revelation?
The self-revelations of God took place primarily in history: lives of patriarchs, saving events of Exodus, history of Israel, and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The self-revelations of God were described in written form as a spiritual gift of inspiration and to be assured that we have a true picture of God.
The Bible as a constitution of understanding God.
What is Constitutive revelation?
The Bible is the constitution of, or the essential basis for understanding of God and his will for salvation.
This brings us closer to God when it is read or listened to in the openness of faith.
What is the biblical word?
The Biblical Word may refer to the passages or written messages of God’s salvation which are relayed to us by the Biblical writers of the Old and the New Testament. Reading about the salvation history with a closed mind and heart may not allow one to consume or to absorb the positive effects that the Word may provide for our spirituality.
Guides the reader in approaching the scriptures.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
If one approaches the scriptures with faith in his or her heart, the Holy Spirit will help that person to be more open and welcoming in receiving the Word as well as applying the Word to his or her life. However, this fact does not mean that the Holy Ghost will magically come in times of difficulty or challenges in reading the Word since doing so removes us of our own free will, and thus, turns us into mere marionettes who can only respond intelligently to the messages of the Bible with the help of a puppet master, in this case, the Holy Spirit.
What makes the newer versions of the Bible different from the older versions.
What is the degree of interpretation of the original text?
The older versions were more like direct translations from the original text, newer versions like the Good News Bible are more interpretive and leave more room for imagination.