Understanding the Scriptures. A Complete Course on Bible Study

Transcription

1 Teacher s Manual Understanding The Scriptures Understanding the Scriptures A Complete Course on Bible Study TEACHER S MANUAL

2 Teacher s Manual Understanding The Scriptures Contents i vii Introduction Contents 1 Chapter 1: What is the Bible? 13 Chapter 2: The Old Testament 27 Chapter 3: The Creation of the World 44 Chapter 4: The Early World 56 Chapter 5: Abraham, Our Father 70 Chapter 6: The Patriarchs 84 Chapter 7: The Exodus 98 Chapter 8: The Law 110 Chapter 9: The Rise of the Kingdom 125 Chapter 10: The Kingdom of David 138 Chapter 11: Wise King Solomon 149 Chapter 12: The Divided Kingdom 162 Chapter 13: Conquest and Exile 176 Chapter 14: A Remnant Returns 188 Chapter 15: Revolt of the Maccabees 199 Chapter 16: The World of the New Testament 212 Chapter 17: The New Testament 225 Chapter 18: The Incarnation 238 Chapter 19: What Jesus Did 252 Chapter 20: What Jesus Taught 264 Chapter 21: The Cup of Consummation 280 Chapter 22: The Resurrection 291 Chapter 23: Jesus Fulfills the Old Testament 302 Chapter 24: The Birth of the Church 312 Chapter 25: Reaching Out to All Nations 322 Chapter 26: Paul, an Apostle 333 Chapter 27: The New Kingdom 344 Chapter 28: The Catholic Church in Scripture 355 Chapter 29: The End of History 369 Chapter 30: How to Read the Bible In the Back 377 Chapter Tests & Answer Keys 500 Additonal Resources Page vii

3 Chapter 1 What is the Bible? Introduction It has been a fashion over the centuries in America and Europe for great men to keep diaries, and many of these diaries have been published, and in some instances they have been turned into books. The Bible can be viewed in some respects as a diary. It is the ongoing story of God s love for his people whom he created to share this eternal love. This love story has a beginning in time for us, but has no end, for his love is eternal. It is both a recording of past events and also looks forward to the finality of the resurrection. Do not miss an opportunity to remind the students this love story was written by God with them in mind. All he asks of them to make the story complete is that they return his love. Lesson 1 Tell students about goals and expectations for the course Demonstrate how to locate biblical citations Ask students what questions they would like answered in this course Assign Study Questions 1 8, and 2 Timothy 3: 16 17, 4: 2 5 Lesson 2 Vocabulary Review homework questions Tell your favorite Bible story Assign Study Questions 9 15, and 1 Peter 1: 12 2: 22 CHAPTER 1 LESSON PLAN Lesson 3 Discuss assigned readings Review homework Assign homework questions Assign section on Fides et Ratio Assign Practical Exercises Lesson 4 Review homework Do Practical Exercises Discuss Fides et Ratio Lesson 5 Review Group Study Chapter Goals Students will be able to: Locate biblical selections from citations; See connections between the CCC and the Bible; Understand the importance of Scripture and Oral Tradition; Recognize that God authored Scripture through sacred writers inspired by the Holy Spirit; Realize the importance of literary techniques in Scripture; Know Salvation History is the story of God s plan of salvation unfolding over time; and Recognize the Church s role as interpreter of Scripture. Lesson 6 Chapter One Test Assign reading homework Chapter 1 Study Guide begins on page 19 of textbook 1

4 2 What is the Bible? This section is a general introduction to the Bible and includes a micro history of its origin and purpose. A section is quoted from the CCC to indicate that this text will include appropriate references to the CCC where they will explain or enhance passages in particular chapters. What Catholics Believe about the Bible Unlike Protestant churches which subscribe only to Scripture for instruction, the Catholic Church teaches that Revelation is made up of both Sacred Scripture and Tradition. The Bible indicates both are sources of Church teaching. The Magisterium is the divinely inspired office which interprets Sacred Scripture and Tradition in an infallible manner under the guidance of the Holy Spirit whom Christ guaranteed would be with the Church until the end of time. Make sure the students have a good grasp of what it means to be infallible and how the Church is sure that the Magisterium can teach infallibility. Material is presented from the CCC to clarify the place of the Magisterium in the official teaching of the Church. It should be noted that the faithful are bound to accept the ordinary teaching of the Roman Pontiff and adhere to it with religious assent as well as any teaching that is definitively proposed, which includes ex cathedra statements. These are important points for students to understand how the Holy Spirit operates.

5 This section concludes by stating that the Bible is one book since its author was the Holy Spirit. It is important for the students to understand that the Bible was written by God himself. Talking about how God wrote the Scriptures through sacred writers can be a good way to bring up discussion about obedience to God and the acceptance of vocations. The next section expands on the idea of God as the author of Scripture. Students may have questions about why we accept Tradition to be as reliable as the written Scriptures. It may help to explain that at first, all the Church s teachings were handed down orally in the beginning in both the Old Testament and later in the New Testament. Since the Scriptures were not written during Christ s life, the Apostles at first spread his Word by speaking to crowds and to people they met during their travels. Most of what uneducated people learned was through word of mouth. 3

6 How the Bible Was Written This is an introduction to some of the human writers and types of literature contained in the Bible. Point out to the students that individual writers wrote using the language and style of the culture of their times. Since the writers were living in pastoral times, many of their figures of speech and examples were taken from ordinary events in the lives of farmers or shepherds. This section also points out that the Bible is not always easy to interpret or understand, and again ties in the idea of the Church and the Magisterium, which are led by the Holy Spirit and can offer us guidance. The Bible is Religious Literature Literature can take many forms such as history, poems or prose. The Bible is unique because it is history written from God s viewpoint. Since the Holy Spirit is the author, it is written from his point of view. The characters found in the Scriptures are those whom God wanted to use in his plan for the salvation of mankind. Consider the case of Adam. If we did not know of his Original Sin and its effects, it would be more difficult to understand why and how all mankind is affected by sin. 4

7 For the literal and spiritual senses, see The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church by the Pontifical Biblical Commission a commission attached to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the service of the Church s Magisterium. One of the most interesting facets of the Bible is how people who were considered unimportant played such pivotal roles in the religious development of mankind. This topic can be used to start a discussion on the grace of God and its effects on us. God chooses the humble and makes them great. Relate a favorite biblical story with colorful details for the students. Follow up with a lesson you learned from the reading. Ask student volunteers for their favorite biblical stories and ask what lessons the students learned from their stories. 5

8 What Salvation History Is One of the great mysteries of life is the fact that God had planned from all eternity to share his love with men and angels through the act of creation. Though God knew that man would sin before he created him, he also had a plan to save those who would follow him faithfully and created man anyway. Salvation History is that plan. In spite of human failures, God makes seven covenants with man and pledges his aid to enable the covenants to be accomplished as he desires. We may fail God, but those who strive to do as he wishes will be saved in and through the covenants he has made with us. 6

9 The Church Will Be Our Guide The people of the Old Testament had the prophets to guide them in understanding the Word of God. With the New Testament, Christ leaves us a Church to divinely interpret both the Old and New Testaments for our edification and sanctification. Unfortunately, there will always be those who disagree with Church teaching just as there were those who disagreed with the Old Testament prophets. The students must be helped to understand that they can always find the truth by learning and following the Church s teaching in matters of faith and morals. Though the Old Testament prophets were not always available to all the people, Christ has given us his Church, and its teachings are available to all who seek them. 7

10 8 How the Canon Came to Be After Christ ascended into Heaven, many thought the end of the world would come soon. As time went on, it became apparent that his return was not in the foreseeable future. To protect Christ s teaching, a decision was made to gather the written material of the Apostles into one book. Books which did not stand the test of apostolic origin, conformity to Christ s teaching, and use over time in the Liturgy were not made part of the canon because it was evident that these books were not divinely inspired. Though some of this rejected material was of value in determining the cultural milieu of the times, it could not be accepted as Revelation. Non canonical books are called apocryphal. Examples of some of these books include the Gospel of Peter, the Book of Moses, and the Book of Enoch. There was a division among the Jewish scholars between the Septuagint or Alexandrian canon, a collection of forty six books translated into Greek by seventy Jewish scholars, and the Palestinian canon, which did not contain the deutero canonical books. The deutero canonical books are represented in early Christian art found in the catacombs. St. Irenaeus, Tertullian, and St. Clement of Rome allude or refer to these in their writings. The Council of Trent formally and definitively stated the deutero canonical books are canonical. This section concludes with a listing of the seven covenants God has set up as part of the history of salvation.