Divine Revelation by Letter - The Bible
Divine Revelation by Letter - The Bible
Divine Revelation by Letter - The Bible
"BY LETTER"
(2 Thessalonians 2:15):
The Bible
Hebrews 1:1-2
In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to
our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days,
he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of
all things and through whom he created the universe,
1 Corinthians 2:9-10
But as it is written: "What eye has not seen, and ear has
not heard, and what has not entered the human heart,
what God has prepared for those who love him," this
God has revealed to us through the Spirit.
Matthew 16:17
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon
son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed
this to you, but my heavenly Father."
Matthew 11:27
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one
knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom
the Son wishes to reveal him.
2 Peter 1:21
for no prophecy ever came through human will; but
rather human beings moved by the holy Spirit spoke
under the influence of God.
Romans 1:19
For what can be known about God is evident to them,
because God made it evident to them.
MOSES
BC BC
Evangelists, Paul,
BC AD Peter, James, etc.,
wrote down what
they received . . .
This library contains among its books, many kinds and types
of literature. There are law books or literature (e.g. Leviticus),
there are books of history (e.g. the books of Kings and
Chronicles), poetry (e.g. Song of Songs) and hymn books
(e.g. Psalms), parables or stories (e.g. Job), biography (e.g.
Gospels), prophetical (e.g. Revelation), collections of sayings
(e.g. Proverbs), etc.
Much printed currently within this library is not a part of the
revelation of the Word of God. The writers of the books of
the Bible did not title the books (with the possible exception
of Mark's Gospel).
Hence the titles of the books are not the Word of God. The
sacred authors did not write in paragraphs or use punctuation
or label sections or outline their books.
2 Kings 24:12
Then Jehoiachin, king of Judah ... surrendered to the
king of Babylon, who, in the eighth year of his reign,
took him captive.
605 538
2 Kings 25:1-7
In the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign,
on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar, king
of Babylon ... advanced against Jerusalem ... The king
was therefore arrested ... (Nebuchadnezzar) blinded
Zedekiah, bound him with fetters, and had him brought
to Babylon.
The Israelites and their king were taken into captivity.
2 Chronicles 36:20
Those who escaped the sword he carried captive to
Babylon, where they became his and his sons' servants
until the kingdom of the Persians came to power.
Jeremiah 52:28-30
This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar
led away captive: in his seventh year, three thousand
and twenty-three people of Judah; in the eighteenth year
of Nebuchadnezzar, eight hundred and thirty-two persons
from Jerusalem; in the twenty-third year of
Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,
exiled seven hundred and forty-five people of Judah:
four thousand six hundred persons in all.
2 Kings 25:12
But some of the country's poor, Nebuzaradan, captain of
the guard, left behind as vinedressers and farmers.
Jeremiah 40:11
... the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah ...
Ezekiel 33:27
Thus the word of the Lord came to me: Son of man,
they who live in the ruins on the land of Israel reason
thus: ... Tell them this: Thus says the Lord God: As
I live, those who are in the ruins I swear shall fall by
the sword; ...
2 Kings 25:26
Then all the people, great and small, left with the army
commanders and went to Egypt ...
2 Kings 25:22
As for the people whom he had allowed to remain
in the land of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
appointed as their governor Gedaliah, son of Ahikam,
son of Shaphan.
Jeremiah 42:14
... we will go to Egypt, where we will see no more war,
hear the trumpet alarm no longer, nor hunger for bread;
there we will live.
Jeremiah 43:7
Against the Lord's command they went to Egypt and
arrived at Tahpanhes ...
While in captivity, Babylon was captured by Cyrus of Persia.
2 Chronicles 36:20
... the Persians came to power.
2 Chronicles 36:23
Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: "All the kingdoms of
the earth the Lord, the God of heaven, has given to
me, and he has also charged me to build him a house
in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever, therefore,
among you belongs to any part of his people, let him
go up, and may his God be with him!"
With Cyrus' proclamation, the captivity of the Israelites came
to an end. The Jews began their return to Israel.
Ezra 1:5
Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin and
the priests and Levites--everyone, that is, whom God
has inspired to do so--prepared to go up to build the
house of the Lord in Jerusalem.
Ezra and Nehemiah recorded the return of the Israelites
to Jerusalem.
Ezra 7:28
I therefore took courage and, with the hand of the Lord,
my God, upon me, I gathered together Israelite family
heads to make the return journey with me.
Nehemiah 2:11
When I had arrived in Jerusalem, I first rested there
for three days.
Many Israelites went on to Egypt from Babylon
instead of returning to Israel. History records a
substantial Hebrew population in northern Egypt.
The roots of the double Old Testament canon in
geography center around the fact that a great number
of Israelites departing Babylon fled to northern Egypt.
They became part of the city of Alexandria after
Alexander the Great conquered the region and
founded the city. There were ultimately more Jews in
Alexandria at the time of Christ than lived in Palestine
-- as there are more Jews in the United States today
than in Israel and more Jews in New York City than in
Jerusalem.
1 Maccabees 1:1,4
After Alexander the Macedonian, Philip's son, who came
from the land of Kittim, had defeated Darius, king of
the Persians and Medes, he became king in his place,
having first ruled in Greece. ... He collected a very
strong army and conquered provinces, and rulers, and
they became his tributaries.
.
Alexandria
334
Alexander founded the city of Alexandria in 332 BC. He
wanted to make the city the finest port in the ancient world.
The city numbered chiefly Greeks, Jews, and Egyptians. It
was the capital of Egypt. Most notable among the boasts of
the city was the Library--the greatest collection of books in the
ancient world in 3rd century BC.
Alexander
In Alexandria, Demetrius of Phaleron was the librarian of
Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BC); he wanted copies of
the Jewish Law for the Library of Alexandria. Such is perhaps
the beginning of a Greek translation of the Torah. Historians
do know that the compilation of a full translation of the Torah
was made in the early 3rd century BC.
As the first semblance of a Hebrew canon is collected, the
language was dying such that it was considered dead by
135
AD. It was dying sufficiently by the time of Christ that
Jesus and his contemporaries used Aramaic, a Semitic
language which had replaced Hebrew as the common
language of the Jewish people.
Malachi
Nehemiah
Ezra
Biblical
silence
There is no biblical silence in the Greek Septuagint: the
Septuagint conveys the original text of some books (Wisdom,
2 Maccabees) and the basic canonical form of others, either
in part (Esther, Daniel, Sirach) or as a whole (Tobit, Judith,
Baruch, and 1 Maccabees).
1 Maccabees
Wisdom
Judith
Daniel
Esther
Tobit
Sirach
No 2 Maccabees
Biblical Baruch
silence
While the Septuagint was a collection of the books of the
Old Testament and an attempt at a canon, it was not a fixed
canon in the first century. It was a popular translation of
scripture because Greek was the common language of the
entire Mediterranean world by the time of the Apostolic Church.
393 397
The first translation of the Bible from Greek to Latin, now the
common language (the vulgar or "Vulgate") of the Mediterranean
world, was made by Jerome, in Rome, in 383-384 AD. He based
his translation on the Hebrew text of the Palestinian canon, but
translated from the Greek Septuagint canon those books not
found in the Palestinian canon. Jerome's Old Testament canon
for the Latin Vulgate contained the books of the Alexandrian
canon, 46 books.
383-4
Catholics accepted the canon of the Bible--the Alexandrian
canon of the Old Testament--as a matter of uncontested faith.
Since it was not a matter of controversy for sixteen centuries,
there was no need to define the canon as infallible truth.
Council of Trent:
Old Testament canon: 46 books
Alexandrian Canon
The Septuagint
the Catholic Church, following the model of refuting error and
defining biblically unrevealed truth set in Acts 15--accepting
the Holy Spirit as revealing authority--defined, at the Council
of Trent, 1563, the Old Testament canon of 46 books following
the Alexandrian Greek Septuagint. Luther Trent
1529 1563
Chronology of the Apostolic Age and the Development
of the New Testament Canon
58 Romans written
The voyage to Rome 59/60
Paul's first Roman imprisonment 61-63 Philemon written
Colossians written
Ephesians written
Philippians written
James written
EVENT DATE WORK
Paul taken to Rome 63/64
Peter in Rome 64 1 Peter written
65 Mark written
1 Timothy written
Titus written
The Apostle James is martyred
Paul's second imprisonment and death 67 2 Timothy written
Peter's death; Linus is Bishop of Rome Hebrews written
The destruction of Jerusalem 68-70
70s Matthew written;
Luke and Acts written
Anacletus is Bishop of Rome 78
70s/90s Jude written
90s John written
1, 2, and 3 John written
Revelation written
Clement is Bishop of Rome 92-101 1 Clement written
John's death at Ephesus 98
First Christian Canon of the Old Testament c. 100 Alexandrian Canon in Greek
Melito, Bishop of Sardis c. 170 Produced the first known Christian attempt at an Old
Testament canon. His list uses the Septuagint order of books
but contains only the Old Testament protocanonicals minus
Esther.
Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons 185 Developed a New Testament Canon without 3 John, James
or 2 Peter)
Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea c. 325 History of the Church written; referred to James, Jude,2 Peter,
and 2 and 3 John as "disputed, yet similar to most."
Exuperius, Bishop of Toulouse 405 Wrote to Pope Innocent I requesting a list of canonical books.
Pope Innocent listed the Trent canon.
The Canon of the Bible
All Christians realize that if God has revealed Himself by
communicating His will to man, man must be able to know
with assurance where that revelation lies. Hence the need
for a list (i.e., canon) of books of the Bible. In other words,
man needs to know without error (i.e., infallibly) what the
books of the Bible are.
Jesus has told us that he has not revealed all truths to us.
John 16:12-13
I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it
now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will
guide you to all truth.
Jesus then told us how he was planning to assist us in knowing
other truths.
John 14:16-17
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth,
which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees
nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains
with you, and will be in you.
John 15:26
When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from
the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the
Father, he will testify to me.
The New Testament writers sensed how they handled
truth-bearing under the influence of the Holy Spirit,
the Spirit of Truth.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For I handed on (paredoka) to you as
of first importance what I also received ...
2 Timothy 2:2
And what you heard from me through
many witnesses entrust (parathou) to
faithful people who will have the
ability to teach others as well.
There was a constant history of faithful people from Paul's
time through the Apostolic and Post Apostolic Church.
Since the Catholic Church does not define truths unless errors
abound on the matter, Catholic Christians look to the Council
of Florence, an ecumenical council in 1441 for the first definitive
list of canonical books.
Fixed canons of the Old and New Testaments, hence the Bible,
were not known much before the end of the 2nd and early
3rd century.
PROTOCANONICAL BOOKS
HEBREW SCRIPTURES
Available at the End of the Fourth Century
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,Deuteronomy;
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings,
1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith,
Esther, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees;
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs,
Wisdom, Sirach;
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel,
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum,
Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi;
Enoch Literature; 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras; 2 Baruch, 3 Baruch;
Psalms of Solomon; Sibylline Oracles;
Letter of Aristeus to Philocrates; Assumption of Moses;
3 Maccabees, 4 Maccabees; Prayer of Manasseh
PROTOCANONICAL AND DEUTEROCANONICAL BOOKS
HEBREW SCRIPTURES
Available at the End of the Fourth Century
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,Deuteronomy;
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings,
1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith,
Esther, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees;
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs,
Wisdom, Sirach;
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel,
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum,
Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi;
Enoch Literature; 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras; 2 Baruch,3 Baruch;
Psalms of Solomon; Sibylline Oracles;
Letter of Aristeus to Philocrates; Assumption of Moses;
3 Maccabees, 4 Maccabees; Prayer of Manasseh
PROTOCANONICAL AND DEUTEROCANONICAL WITH APOCRYPHAL
NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES
PROTOCANONICAL BOOKS
NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES
2 Timothy 3:16
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for
teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training
in righteousness,
Exodus 17:14
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write this down in a
document as something to be remembered."
Exodus 34:27
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write down these words,
for in accordance with them I have made a covenant
with you and with Israel."
Isaiah 8:1
The Lord said to me: "Take a large cylinder-seal, and
inscribe on it in ordinary letters ... "
Isaiah 30:8
Now come, write it on a tablet they can keep, inscribe
it in a record; that it may be in future days an eternal
witness.
Isaiah 34:16
Look in the book of the Lord and read: No one of these
shall be lacking, for the mouth of the Lord has
ordered it ...
Jeremiah 36:1
In the fourth year of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of
Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have
spoken to you ...
Matthew 5:18
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.
Luke 24:44
He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke
to you while I was still with you, that everything written
about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets
and psalms must be fulfilled."
John 5:39
You search the scriptures, because you think you have
eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf.
John 10:35-36
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God
came, and scripture cannot be set aside, can
you say that the one whom the Father has
consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes
because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
Matthew 4:4
He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live
by bread alone, but by every word that comes
forth from the mouth of God.'"
Acts 15:15-16
The words of the prophets agree with this, as is
written: 'After this I shall return and rebuild the fallen
hut of David; from its ruins I shall rebuild it and raise
it up again ...'
Romans 1:17
For in it is revealed the righteousness of God
from faith to faith; as it is written, "The one who is
righteous by faith will live."
The Catholic Church officially defined her meaning of
inspiration in
The Catholic Church has been solicitous over the way in which
the Bible is interpreted. Experience teaches us that it is easy
to find even contradictory meanings from the same Scripture
with an unbridled approach to reading and interpreting the Bible.
The Catholic Church teaches that the first principle of
hermeneutics is the literal meaning of the text.
John 6:60,66
Then many of his disciples who were listening said,
"This saying is hard; who can accept it?" ... As a result
of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former
way of life and no longer accompanied him.
“Once, when speaking to the Jews, Christ said: ‘Unless you eat
my flesh and drink my blood you shall have no life in you.’ This
horrified them and they left him. Not understanding his words
in a spiritual way, they thought the Savior wished them to
practice cannibalism.”
The Song of Solomon Illustrated
Chapters 4 and 7
How beautiful you are, my darling. How beautiful
you are!
Your eyes are like doves behind your veil;
Your hair is like a flock of goats;
Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes;
Your lips are like scarlet thread;
Your temples are like a slice of pomegranate;
Your neck is like the Tower of David…built with
rows of stones on which are hung a thousand
shields. . .
Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a
gazelle which feeds among the lilies;
Your lips, my bride, drip honey and mild under
your tongue;
And the fragrance of your garments is like the
fragrance of Lebanon . . .
Your navel is a round goblet …
Your belly is like a heap of wheat …
Your nose is like the Tower of Lebanon
faces toward Damascus . . .
Fuller Sense
But the Bible has God, a divine author, besides the human
author. The Church teaches that there exists a more-than-
literal meaning for understanding the Bible: a fuller sense.
The fuller sense is the deeper meaning intended by God as
divine author. The fuller sense of Scripture, since it is the
meaning intended by God, may not have been clearly known
and intended by the human author.
Christ of history and the divine Christ of faith; on the origin
and growth of the Scriptures.
Spiritus Paraclitus (1920), Pope Benedict XV, Bishop of
Rome, 1914-1922
Commends modern critical methods in biblical studies.
All biblical interpretation rests upon the literal sense. Goal
of biblical studies is to learn spiritual perfection, to arm
oneself to defend the faith, to preach the word of God fruitfully.
Divino Afflante Spiritus (1943), Pope Pius XII, Bishop of
Rome, 1939-1958
Permitted scholars to use original text of Scriptures. No claim
was made that the Vulgate is always an accurate translation,
but that it is free from any errors in faith or morals. The
scholar must be principally concerned with the literal sense
of the Scriptures; search out and expound the spiritual sense;
avoid other figurative senses. Literary criticism should be
employed. Stated that there are but few texts whose sense
was determined by the authority of the Church (only seven
biblical passages have been definitively interpreted in
defending traditional doctrine and morals--Jn 3:5, Lk 22:19,
1 Cor 11:24, Jn 20:22, Jn 20:23, Rom 5:12, Ja 5: 14); this
counteracts the frequent misunderstanding that Catholics
have no freedom interpreting the Scriptures.
Pope Pius XII, Bishop of Rome, 1939 - 1958
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture texts are taken from the New American Bible with
© 1985 – 2005, Robert Schihl and Paul Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright
Flanagan owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in
any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.