ST LAWRENCE MARTYR CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

1
ST LAWRENCE MARTYR CATHOLIC COMMUNITY FAITH
ENRICHMENT SERIES 2007-2008 INTRODUCTION TO
THE BIBLE A CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE Juanita
Meller, Ph.D. Fr. Kevin Schindler-McGraw, OFM
Conv. Session 1 Sat., 18 Oct. 2008
2
 CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH Luke 168-79 (Morning
Prayer The Benedictus)     Blessed be the
Lord, the God of Israel he has come to his
people and set them free.   He has raised up for
us a mighty savior, born of the house of his
servant David.   Through his holy prophets he
promised of old that he would save us from our
enemies, from the hands of all who hate us.   He
promised to show mercy to our ancestors and to
remember his holy covenant.   This was the oath
he swore to our father Abraham to set us free
from the hands of our enemies, free to worship
him without fear, holy and righteous in his
sight all the days of our life.  
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the
Most High for you will go before the Lord to
prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of
salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.   In
the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on
high shall break upon us, to shine on those who
dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to
guide our feet into the way of peace.   Glory to
the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit,   As it was in the beginning, is now, and
will be forever. Amen.
3

• Schedule for the course
• Session 1 Sat., 18 Oct. 2008
• Introduction / Resources for Scripture study
• Praying the Scriptures practice of Lectio
  Divina theological reflection
• Overview Principle elements of a mature,
  contemporary approach to the study and praying of
  Scripture (what it is and what it is not)
• For next session read Dawes, Introduction to
  the Bible, pp. 6-33

4

• Session 2 Sat., 25 Oct. 2008
• Overview of the corpus of the Scriptures
  (including, but not limited to Old
  Testament/Hebrew Scriptures and New
  Testament/Christian Scriptures - their origins
  major genres how they relate to each other how
  they relate to the Church, etc.)
• Prayer practice of Lectio Divina theological
  reflection
• We will use
• - elements of the Morning Prayer (Lauds) of the
  Church to open and close the sessions in prayer
• - an element of reflection/meditation on a
  specific Scripture passage toward the
  middle/break time of each session.

5
Sacred Scripture Types of Resources
6
Selected Translations/Versions of the Bible (in
English) Revised Standard Version
(NRSV/RSV) New American Bible (RNAB/NAB) Jerusal
em Bible (NJB/JB) New International Version
(NIV) Good News Bible (paraphrase rather than
translation)
7
Introductions/Surveys Commentaries Concordances
/Indices Lexica (Lexicon) Atlases/Maps
8
Document text available on Vatican
website (www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations
/cfaith/pcb_index.htm)
9
2008, Paulist Press
10
2007, Liturgical Press
11
Sept. 29, 2008
12
Development of Interpretation in History
13
Underlying principles no reading of Bible
w/o interpretation - even if un-self-conscious
Word of God in words of humans Dei Verbum God
speaks to men and women in sacred Scripture in
human fashion   SS sign - concrete,
physical object - points beyond itself to
meaning - like w/ poem painting  
14

• endures after death of author loss of content
• AND the original text/language
• distance between author lt--gt interpreter
• need for consciousness of interpretive process
•  
• METHODS
•   exegesis act of interpretation
• hermeneutics theory of how /
• principles/assumptions employed

15

• Patristic ? Medieval Periods
• (ca. 200 1500 C.E.)
• Harmony between message of OT NT
• Harmony between message of Bible and message of
  Church
• - based on source rather than content
• Harmony between sacred secular knowledge
• Different interpretations on different levels
  simultaneously
• Imaginative (fluid) methodology
• In modern period ? loss ? great shift

16
Reformation and Counter-Reformation (ca. 1500
1650 C.E.) Protestant Reformers The Bible
interprets itself The Bible authenticates
itself The Bible has a single meaning Word of
God accessible to individual believer
w/o bishops, theologians, etc. Catholic
Response (reaction) / (e.g., Council of Trent,
1546) right of Church, not indiv., to decide
true meaning of Scripture interp. must conform
w/Church tradition (Church Fathers) SCRIPTURE
TRADITION BUT ? strict, closed to necessary
re-interpretation
17
Modern Era (ca. 1650 C.E. Today) Rise of
historical criticism (critique) Divine
authorship ? human authorship Word of God in
human words e.g., for Pentateuch ? J-E-D-P
for gospel acct.s ? 2 source theory (Mk
Q) Protestants Catholics ? differences
re INERRANCY - inspiration ? divine / human
origins Both/And rather than Either/Or
18
CATHOLIC CHURCH Not conducive to freedom of
thought e.g. Pius IX ? Syllabus of Errors
1864 Sequence/development of opening -
largely around question of inspiration/inerrancy
1893 Leo XIII / Providentissimus Deus 1943
Pius XII / Divino Afflante Spiritu 1965
Vatican II / Dei Verbum
19
Postmodern (present period) Again renewed
reflection on hermeneutics AND exegesis ? the
subject interpreting AND the object of
interp. Increasingly psychological
introspective/reflective BUT Catholic
perspective / corrective in this e.g.,
Benedict XVI ? insistence on dichotomy
between relativism TRUTH e.g., Veritatis
Splendor
20
Development will CONTINUE! God Revelation ?
ongoing / process
21
Key Elements of Catholic Approach Inspiration
/ Inerrancy Gods role as author human
instrument w/ limitations Inerrancy as
such downplayed FOCUS ? TRUTH
presented/communicated Revelation
Salvation history History of
salvation Salvation IN History Gods being
action our reception interpretation SS
record of that inspired by H.S. in ongoing
way in the community of faith
22
Canonicity canon Gk. kanon Heb. qaneh
(reed) measuring stick / ruler Early
Church rule of truth in SS
Tradition canonical belongs to list of
sacred books inspired by God
have regulating (rule) value for faith
morals Rom. Cath. Church Protestant
Churches protocanonical
- no doubt -
canonical deuterocanonical -
some discussion -
apocryphal apocryphal
- outside canon, -
pseudepigraphcal
but noteworthy
23

• For next session read Dawes, Introduction to
  the Bible, pp. 6-33
• Session 2 Sat., 25 Oct. 2008
• Overview of the corpus of the Scriptures
  (including, but not limited to Old
  Testament/Hebrew Scriptures and New
  Testament/Christian Scriptures - their origins
  major genres how they relate to each other how
  they relate to the Church, etc.)
• Prayer practice of Lectio Divina theological
  reflection