god

• Apostolic Succession


  Before Jesus returned to heaven he commissioned apostles to continue his mission to "share" the message of salvation to all people
• The Gospel Challenge


  We are challenged by the Gospel of Christ to spread the truth and continue the mission he gave his disciples
• How the apostles fulfilled their mission

  1. Oral preaching examples

  2. Observances that were handed on and received from Christ
• Tradition


  (Lt. "tradere" — to pass on; to hand over)
• Oral Tradition


  Initially passed-on by word of mouth
• Written Tradition


  Eventually, SOME of it were put into writing
• Sola Scriptura


  Scripture only, from the Latin expression adopted by the Reformers who said that it is the Bible, not tradition or a church, which is our final authority
• John 20:30: 'Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of [his] disciples that are not written in this book'
• The sacred Scripture originated from ORAL TRADITION
• Not all Traditions had been written down, hence the Bible does not contain the entirety of revelation
• Tradition does not stop when it is written down. It continues in the life of the Church
• John 21:25: 'There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written'
• 2 Thes 2:15: 'Stand firm them, my brothers, to the TRADITIONS that we taught you, whether by WORD OF MOUTH or by LETTER'
• 1 Tim 3:15: 'the CHURCH of the living God, the Pillar and Foundation of the Truth'
• Because even if you have the textbooks, you still need the School and the Teacher
• Record of Divine Revelation

  Deposit of faith
• Dei Verbum 10: 'Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the Word of God, committed to the Church'
• Sacred Tradition


  The Living and Lived faith of the church, Can never be changed, modified or done away with, for doing so would harm the integrity of our Christian Faith
• Scriptural Tradition


  Traditions that take their roots in the holy bible. These practices and beliefs can be justified by quoting Sacred Scriptures
• Apostolic Tradition


  The teachings which the Apostles left us, not through written scripture, but through the unbroken chain of Popes, bishops, priests and deacons. This unbroken chain is an assurance that the teachings of the Apostles are preserved intact
• Magisterium


  The teaching authority of the church. Exercised by the Pope in making solemn definition or by the Bishop in an Ecumenial Council like Vatican 2. (Lt." Magister" – teacher)
• The unshakable tripod of the catholic faith

  • Sacred Scripture
  • Magisterium
  • Sacred Tradition
• Bible


  An account of life preserved in memory, turned into a text. It records events seen as design and influenced by God
• Types of content in the Bible

  • Narratives
  • Genealogies
  • Laws
  • Prophetic Oracles
  • Poetry
  • Epistles
  • Drama
  • Apocalypses
  • Sayings
  • Biographical-sketches
• Nihil Obstat


  "Nothing hinders" given by a Censor Librorum, it is an attestation a book contains nothing damaging to faith or morals
• Imprimi Potest


  "It may be printed" given by the major religious superior if the author is a member of a religious congregation
• Imprimatur


  "Let it be printed" given by the author's diocesan bishop or the bishop of the place which the book is published
• Biblion


  Scroll, book
• People discovered that sheets of papyrus can be put on top of each other, folded in the middle, and bound, resulting in an easy-to-use book called a codex
• Latin-speaking Christians then borrowed the term biblia but treated it as a singular noun
• St. Jerome used the term Bibliotheca divina (divine library)
• Emperor Constantine ordered the production of the Bible and various translations emerged from non-Hebrew and non-Greek speaking communities
• Pope St. Damasus I authorized only one definitive translation of the scriptures (Latin), also he commissioned it in 383 CE, when St. Jerome translated scriptures into Latin Vulgate
• Archbishop Stephen Langton of Canterbury divided the books of the bible into chapters
• Robert Estienne divided the chapters of the bible into verses
• The richness of The word "OF"

  • The bible is the word about God
  • The bible is the word from God
  • The bible is the word by God
• Divine Inspiration


  It's not ecstatic, not verbal / mechanical dictation, not subsequent approbation, not simply negative assistance, not mere ideological inspiration (formal inspiration)
• Biblical


  The special influence of the HOLY SPIRIT upon the human authors so that they may write what God wanted them to write
• Principle of Causality


  The holy spirit is the principle cause of the bible and the human person is the instrumental cause
• Pope Paul VI: 'The Bible must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithful and without error the truth, which God wanted to put into writing'