What is the Bible?

• Bible is the God-inspired written record of how He made himself known to certain people in
history,
• This why, the Bible is also called “Scriptures”, meaning Sacred Writings.
• In the Second Vatican Council’s decree on Divine Revelation, the Bible is described as “sacred
books” where God as Father lovingly comes to His children and talks to them.
• During the Holy Mass, God’s Word is celebrated in the Liturgy of the Word.
• Bible readings are taken from the Old and New testaments, and the priest in his homily helps to
interpret God’s message for us today.

What the Bible is all About?

• 1) The Bible is about God
Through His inspired Word in the Bible, we can get to know our God, who and what He is, His
character, and His purpose in creating, redeeming and sanctifying us. We can learn about how
God called people to walk with Him. We can come to know God as one who acts, who involves
Himself with us, and who calls us, and never as One who is remote, insensitive, and indifferent.

• 2) The bible is about people

The great part of the Bible consists of the narratives about real men and women to whom the
Word of God came – heroes and villains, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, servant girls
and queens, judges, prophets, and kings – all chosen to play a role in God’s saving plan.

• 3) The Bible is about Salvation History

The Bible records almost 2000 years in the history of a small butsignificant group of people in
the Middle East – the Israelites. However, the purpose of the Biblical writings was not to set
down a scientific and historical records of the events of Israel history but to give the spiritual
and religious significance of these events and thus to glorify God.

• 4) The Bible is about Faith

The Bible is not merely a collection of religious stories or simply one of the many surviving
examples of ancient religious literature from the Middle East. Neither it is like our modern
science or history books. Itis a book offaith which grewfrom a believing community. Itisthe living
witness
to God and the central source for His revealing Himself and His salvation to us today.. The Bible
has been written precisely to convey God’s eternal and perennial message of love and salvation
for all.

• 5) The Bible is about Us

While 3000 years ago seems so distant from us who have entered the third millennium, the
universal theme of the Bible speaks to us like no other book movie cam reluctant leaders like
Moses and Jeremiah speak to us about our fear to follow God’s call and to do what is right. The
Bible provides us with a unique and irreparable means to understand the true meaning of what
is happening in ourlives – our relationships, our dreams, and our difficulties. In the Sacred
Scriptures we learned that by God’s loving grace, we are saved and we are loved. From our
creation, we are unique, free, and “on our way” to a life that has meaning
The Bible is God’s Word in Human Word (Biblical Inspiration)
• According to Vatican II, Dei Verbum
• The Bible is divinely inspired book,
• Biblical inspiration means that the authors were inspired by God Himself for a unique purpose – for
our salvation.
• Inspiration means that God worked in and through the human authors in such away that they
were empowered to use their own talents and words to write what God wanted them to
communicate for the sake of our salvation.
• The Bible is without error regarding the truths for our salvation.
• The Church teaches: “Since all of Scripture was written, compiled and edited under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and
without error teach the truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided
the sacred Scriptures”.
• Inerrancy does not imply that the Bible is free from any error. (Ex. 1 Samuel 31:4 – about Saul)
History of the Bible

The Bible was formed over time

• Much of the content of the old Testament came from Oral Traditions which were handed down
from generation to generation.
• These included songs, narratives, prayers and poems – all of which the people had memorized and
preserved.
• Some of the contentfrom the oral traditions dated back to 1900 years before the coming of Christ.
• With the Oral traditions were written materials such as speeches and writings of the Prophets,
works of sages and poets, codes and laws.
• Priests and other trained Scribes who were employed by Israelite kings gathered these oral and
written materials, then edited, organized, and compiled them into books.
• After individual books were completed, these were included in the collection of books already
formed.
• Lastly, the Israelites had to decide which books were to become part of the final collection of
books known as the Canon of the Scriptures.
• The Torah, which was finalized around 550 BC was the earliest collection of books, followed by
prophets in 200 BC, and the Writings around 100 AD.
• The Canon of Hebrew Scriptures or the Old Testament used by Christians was completed by 100
AD.
• The development of the Old Testament alone must have taken more than 1000 years

The Bible is a Collection of Many Books

• Two parts of the Christian Bible: The New and The Old Testaments
• Testament means agreement or covenant
• The Old Testament - is centered on the covenant made by God with the Israelites and the many
consequences of this covenant on their lives not only as individuals but especially as a nation.

The Three Groups of Books of the Old Testament

• 1) The Torah or the Law contains the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
 • It is most sacred to the Jews for it contains the revelations of God as the one who makes the
covenant with them.
• 2) The Prophets – contains the writings of the Prophets and their speeches about the Israelites’
covenant with God.
• This group of books is further classified into: (1) the former or the non-writing prophets which
include Joshua, Judges, First and Second Book of Samuel, and First and Second Book of Kings. • (2)
the latter or the writing prophets which include the major prophets namely, Isaiah, Jeremiah,
and Ezekiel; and the minor prophets namely, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum,
Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
• 3) The Writings – containsthe remaining books of the Old Testament called Historical and Wisdom
Books: Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel,
Ezra, Nehemiah, First and Second Books of Chronicles, Wisdom, Sirach, Tobit, Judith, Baruch and
Maccabees.
• These books elaborate in one way or another what the covenant with God means. • The New
Testament - deals with the new covenant of God’s people with Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten
Son who became man to save humankind from sin
• The books of the New Testament are grouped into four:
• 1) The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) are four different accounts on Jesus’ redeeming
life, teachings and work written in four unique ways.
• The climax in each Gospel is Jesus’ Passion, Death and Resurrection.
• 2) The Acts of the Apostles is the sequel to the gospel of Luke. It records the events in the early
church from Christ’s ascension to Paul’s missionary journey to Rome.
• 3) The Apostolic Letters or the Epistles are the Letters of Paul and three other apostles, namely
Peter, John and James, to the Christian communities.
• These letters provide teachings and instructions in Christian faith and practices. • 4) The book
ofRevelation isthe last book of the Bible and isthe only apocalyptic book (concerning the end of the
world).
• It contains John’s vision of Christ’s second coming and the completion of God’s Kingdom. • The
Old and the New Testaments are distinct yet closely link. The Old Testament which leads to
theNew Testament, is incomplete in itself.
• The new Testament , on the other hand, cannot be understood adequately without the old
Testament.
• The Canon of Scriptures – refers to the complete list of books in the Old and New Testaments
recognized by the church as divinely inspired.
• The Catholic Canon accepted 46 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament
as inspired, sacred and canonical.

ACTIVITY #1

1. As Marian Students, why should we study the Bible even during this pandemic period?
(3-5 sentences only)
2. “Genesis Truths”
Instruction: Write clear and concise truths which both the first and second Creation narratives teach us
about ourselves, other people, our world, and God.

Seeing God in the First Creation Story

(Genesis 1:2-4)

Seeing God in the Second account of Creation (Gen. 2:4-25)

What the Creation narratives teach me

1. About my self
a.
b.

2. About others
a.
b.

3. About the world

a.
b.

4. About God
a.
b.