Divine Revelation The communication of some truth by God

to a rational creature through means which are beyond the ordinary course of nature.

SACRED SCRIPTURE:

The Speech of God as it is put

down in writing under the breath of

the Holy Spirit.The Roman Catholic Church established the official canon (the Bible we know today) at the Council of Hippo in 393 A.D. Almost 400 years after the death of Christ!

SACRED TRADITIONEntire transmission of the Word of God

which has been entrusted to the

Apostles by Christ the Lord and the

Holy Sprit.

• Oral Tradition• Examples of Sacred

Tradition: Assumption of Mary, Immaculate Conception.

Dei Verbum• Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation• Promulgated by Pope Paul VI on November 18,

1965.“All Scripture is [a]inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for [b

]training in righteousness”2 Timothy 3:16

Importance: Defines and explains Divine Revelation

Inspired: God Himself guided the authors who wrote the books of the Bible. “In composing the sacred books, God chose men and while

employed by Him they made use of their powers and abilities, so that with Him acting in them and through

them, they, as true authors, consigned to writing everything and only those things which He wanted”

– Dei Verbum

Inerrant: the Bible does not err, it always teaches Truth.

Inspiration of St. Matthew, Carrivagio (1602)

Magisterium: The teaching office of the Church consisting of the Pope and Bishops that interprets Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Infallibility: the principle that the Church cannot make an error on matters of faith due to the divine help of Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Bible as Covenant

Covenant: an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not do something specified. A bond of sacred kinship

Note: A covenant is not the same as a contract. Ex: a corporation is a contract, a

marriage is a covenant.God establishes covenant between certain individuals and/or His People (Israelites) throughout the Bible.

Covenants within the Bible

• God and Adam• God and Noah• God and Abraham• God and Moses• God and David• Jesus Christ fulfills the New Covenant

(Matthew 26:28). – See Understanding the Scriptures pg. 15

Where did the Bible Come From?

The Old Testament contains ancient Hebrew texts which tell of God’s covenant with His people and their history. This portion of the Bible contains books on: Law (Pentateuch), History, Wisdom, and Prophets.

The New Testament contains the Gospels (Law), Acts of the Apostles (History), Epistles (Wisdom), and Revelations (Prophecy).

Testament coming from the Greek word testis which means “witness.” Testament, in terms of the Bible also refers to a pact, agreement, or covenant.

“The New Testament lies hidden in the Old Testament and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New Testament” -St. Augustine

The forming of the New Testament

• Jesus nor his disciples began writing everything down as it happened.

• Jesus’ death and resurrection and ascension around 33 A.D.

• Scholars believe the Gospel of Matthew was written between 60-85 A.D.

• Oral Tradition played a huge role in the development of the Gospels.

• Oral Tradition allowed for the stories and teachings of Jesus to be passed along before they were written down. – Witness and oral memory are valid sources. – Jesus was a preacher not a recorder.– Early disciples did not initially write down Jesus

life and teaching because they thought the Parousia or Second Coming was going to occur shortly after Jesus’ ascension.

Formation of the New Testament

• The canon is the list of books proper for reading in the Liturgy.– Developed due to the liturgy practiced by early

Christians.– Guided by the Holy Spirit the Church decreed

which written works were divinely inspired and thus created the list which we have today.

Church Councils affirming Canonicity

• Synod of Hippo 393 A.D. - first Church council that affirmed the Holy Scriptures to be included in the Canon.

• Council of Trent April 8, 1546 A.D. – In response to the Reformation the Church decreed the definitive canon, which is the Bible we now know today.

• Vatican and Vatican II Council 1870 and 1962 A.D. – Reaffirmed the Church’s interpretive authority of Scripture in its constitutional chapter, Dei Verbum (The Word of God).

Translation History

-Original OT work written in Hebrew.

-Original Gospels are thought to be written in Greek. (Some scholars believe that some might have been written in Hebrew or Aramaic).

-The Epistles and Revelations were also written in Greek.

Translation History Continued

• Septuagint- Greek Translation of the Hebrew Bible (OT). Begun around 250 B.C. completed 100 B.C.

• Vulgate – Latin Translation of the Bible. It is the source of modern day translations.

• King James Bible – Protestant version of the Bible written in Old English.

• The New American Bible – English Bible that we use today.

Funny Translations/Misprints• “Sinners Bible” or the “Sin On Bible” (KJV, 1716):

John 8:11 reads “Go and sin on more” rather than “Go and sin no more”.

• “Adulterers’ Bible” (KJV, 1631):The word “not” is missing from the seventh commandment in Exodus 20:14, rendering it “Thou shalt commit adultery.” The printers were fined £300 and most of the copies were recalled immediately. Only 11 copies are known to exist today.

• “Place-makers’ Bible” (Geneva, 1562):In the second edition of the Geneva Bible, Matthew 5:9 reads “Blessed are the placemakers: for they shall be called the children of God”. The correct translation is peacemakers.

Dei Verbum Directions

1. Round Robin read each Chapter within your teams

2. When finished reading work with your shoulder partner to complete the worksheet.

3. Finish for Homework.