UNDERSTANDING REVELATION Dennis Raymond P. Maturan De La Salle College of St.

Benilde From Latin :

The Two Methods of Christian Revelation GOD Source of Truth Revelation Man Tradition Oral Tradition Tradition Scriptural

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b)

revelare - to unveil revelatio - uncovering

Various Meanings of Revelation 1. The act of revealing or disclosing. 2. An astonishing disclosure. 3. Gods disclosure of Himself and His will to His creatures. 4. God relating to man His Truth and Mysteries. 5. The act of removing the mystery or veil covering hidden truths about God. 6. It is God unveiling Himself to human beings. What is Therefore Revelation? It is the disclosure by God of Himself and His will to the human race by way of communication. God is the Communicator while man is the either the transmitter or intermediary. Depending on the intermediary, there are two forms of revelation commonly called natural and supernatural.

The Two Forms of Revelation

1. 2.

Natural (General) Revelation it is man knowing by nature and seeking by nature God since he was created by God Himself. (Gk. Syneidesis) Supernatural (Divine) Revelation it is God, specifically telling man, His mysteries which cannot be known by man naturally.

The Three Religions Claiming Revelation JUDAISM: Monotheistic religion of the Jews (Abrahams descendants). Israelites relationship with Yahweh as revealed through Moses. Based upon the Old Testament, rabbis Divided into the Sanhedrin, Elders, Pharisees, Scribes, Zealots, Levitical priests and other minor factions. At present, has a minority of ultraorthodox Jews known as Hasidic Jews. CHRISTIANITY: Faith of both Jews and Gentiles who embraced Jesus Christs teachings and Himself as the fulfillment of the OT promises. Accepts the Triune as three distinct persons. Beliefs based upon the Bible (both OT and NT) through Jesus and the Apostles. United as a Church community. Divided into three major factions: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism. ISLAM:

What is Christian Revelation? It is the means by which man knows the divine truths 1. The written font of truth such as the scriptures and 2. The unwritten tradition, which have come down to us from practices and attendant arguments of history.

Literally means Submission to Gods will. Middle Eastern religion with Allah as the one God as founded by the Prophet Mohammed. Faith based upon the Quran. Two major factions are the Shiite and Sunni groups. Follows the five Pillars of Islam.

3.

By this revelation then, the deepest truth about God and mans salvation is made clear to us in Christ, ho is the Mediator and at the same time the fullness of revelation (DV2). 4. To see Jesus is to see the Father (Jn. 14:19). For this reason, Jesus perfected revelation by fulfilling it through His work of making Himself present and manifesting Himself: through His words and deeds His signs and wonders, but especially through his death and glorious resurrection from the dead and final sending of the Spirit of Truth (DV4)

BIBLICAL INSPIRATION Dennis Raymond P. Maturan De La Salle - College of St. Benilde What is Biblical Inspiration? The mysterious working together of God and man, of divine grace liberty, in the composition of the books of the Bible, through divine impulse and direction. That God is the Author of the Sacred Books using the agency of men to produce what He wished to be written and placing in the Scriptures the contents that He wished men to have.

The special influence of the Holy Spirit on the writers of Sacred Scripture, in virtue of which God Himself becomes the principal author of the books written and the sacred writer is subordinate author, making use of his nature and temperament, without violence to the free and natural activities of his or her human faculties.

proper translation from the original texts. In general, it seeks through tradition, archaeology, history and criticism, to expound the true meaning of the Bible. In particular, it concerns itself with the various senses of Scripture, the literal, spiritual senses, and the accommodation of Scripture.

Is Divine Inspiration Divine Dictation? Inspiration does not mean that every word in the Bible was dictated by the Holy Spirit which would make man a mere amanuensis but he made room for His personal style, language and mental individuality.

Biblical Literary Forms and Criticism In interpreting the accuracy and exact interpretation of the Bible, the Church encourages the study and investigation of the Scriptures with modern approach to: 1. 2. The literal sense of the Bible and the meaning intended by the writers. The scientific examination of the literature of the Old and New Testaments with the aid of history, archaeology, ethnology and other sciences by which new and accurate means may be used to determine the precise expression of the writers and interpretation of biblical writings. Factors scholars must examine are: Conditions of the author. The literary Style. The milieu in which the writing was done. The cultural and ethnic surroundings The influences of the time and space. The linguistic aspects of biblical writing. The tradition and oral transmission of the texts together with the distinctive marks that these made upon the writings. The Welt Anschauung, the Sitz Im Leiben and the Heilige Geschichte of those times. The literary genres or forms such as:

How Did God Inspire the Sacred Writers? 1.) God so influenced the minds of the sacred writers that they first rightly understood all, and only, the things that He wanted written. 2.) He also influenced their wills that they determined faithfully to write down these things. 3.) He influenced them that they aptly and inerrantly expressed these things in writing. Can the Bible Contain Errors? What is said about inerrancy of the Bible refers only to the original text of the inspired writings and not to those which were later copied from the original texts. However, unless there is a divinely appointed guardian of the sacred text (which is the Sacred Magisterium), there is no positive assurance in the course of time that it would not be badly corrupted even in very important matters.

3.

How do we Scientifically Study the Bible? Hermeneutics (Greek: hermeneus = interpreter) The art and science of interpreting the Sacred Scriptures and if inquiring into their true meaning. The science of interpreting the meaning and true sense of the books and texts of Scripture in accordance with the principles of exegesis. It defines the laws that exegetes are to follow in order to determine and explain the sense of the revealed Word of God. 2) Exegesis (exegete = translator) It is the study whereby the investigation and exposition of Sacred Scripture is presented for

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The Parables short fictitious narrative stories where spiritual or moral truth is drawn. The Allegories a figurative story with a veiled meaning. The Beast Fable those forms found in Gen. 3:1-15, Nb. 22:1-21, etc. The Short Story and Historical Novel the core of these stories are historical although the writer did not intend to write history but simply uses

traditions and fashions to bring out a religious lesson. (Gen. 37-50, etc.).

The Problem Story racial and intermarriage issue such as found in the Book of Ruth. The Speech as Literary Device those of King Solomon and St. Paul as found in the Book of Kings and Epistles showing the moral authority of the biblical person. Revelation According to Vatican IIs Dei Verbum 1) Dei Verbum The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation of The Second Vatican Council (Vat. II) promulgated on November 18, 1965. Verbum Deis five sections treat of:

1. To have a general backgrounder on the Bible 2. To have a working and practical knowledge of what it is all about 3. To have a deeper appreciation of the Bible itself What is the Etymology of the Word Bible? The word Bible literally means little books.

Derived from Greek biblion, diminutive of byblos meaning a collection of books. Also from Latin biblia, meaning book. The English word Bible is based from the Latin term above.

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The transmission of Divine Revelation through the faith of believers and the custody of the Church. 2. Divine Revelation itself. 3. Sacred Scripture as Gods inspired Word to be interpreted under the Churchs guidance. 4. The Old Testament as fulfilled in and also shedding light on the New Testament as the completion of Gods self disclosure. 5. The importance of Sacred Scripture in the life of the Church. 2) Dei Verbum on Revelation:

What Generally is the Bible ? It is the worlds most famous and influential book though not the oldest. It is the worlds most thoroughly studied book. The book that inspired three great world religions namely: 1. Judaism 2. Christianity 3. Islam It is known as the Good Book as if it were a single book. It is a collection or library of many small books written over a period of more than 1,000 years. The Hebrew Bible or Old Testament deals with the chosen people, Israel. It contains narrative and legal books, poetry and prophecy. The Christian Bible which includes both the Old and New Testaments, consists of narratives of Jesus life, theological account or the early Church, letters and apocalypse.

Essentially teaches that In His goodness and wisdom, God chose to reveal Himself and to make known to us the hidden purpose of His will (Eph. 1-9), by which through Christ, the Word made flesh, man has access to the Father in the Holy Spirit and comes to share in the divine nature. That through this revelation therefore, the Invisible God (Col. 1:15; 1Tm. 1:17), out of the abundance of His love speaks to men as friends (Ex. 33:11; Jn. 15:14-15) and live among them (Bar. 3:38), so that he may invite and take them into fellowship with Himself. That this plan of revelation is realized by deeds and words having an inner unity: the deeds wrought by God in the history the history of salvation manifest and confirm the teaching and realities signified by the words, while the words proclaim the deeds and clarify the mystery contained in them.

What is the Bible? Dennis Raymond P. Maturan De La Salle College of Saint Benilde Encountering God Through the Scriptures Objectives:

How Many Books Does the bible Contain? Most Protestant Books contain sixty-six books (66). Roman Catholics, most Orthodox and some Protestants accept seventy-three books (73). Who Are the Authors and Writers of the Bible? God the main Author of the Bible as He inspired people of different times, culture and background. Man both co-author and writer of the Bible as inspired by the Holy Spirit. What Is therefore the Bible? 1. It is a collection of writings about God. 2. It is about mans relationship with other people 3. It is about how God would want man to relate to one another

4. It is the written source of Divine revelation 5. It is the history of Gods love for man 6. It is a guide about what man should do. Other Biblical Facts

Dennis Raymond P. Maturan College of Saint Benilde The Old Testament Book Descriptions: Objectives To help students of BIBSTUD comprehend the nuances of the various books of the old testament. To understand the different contents of each book division of the Old Testament. An Outline Of The Books Of The Old Testament I. Pentateuch (5 Books) a) Genesis b) Exodus c) Leviticus d) Numbers e) Deuteronomy II. The Prophets (15 Books) Major Prophets 1. Jeremiah 2. Isaiah 3. Ezekiel b) Minor Prophets 1. Hosea 7. Nahum 2. Amos 8. Habakkuk 3. Micah 9. Zephaniah 4. Joel 10. Haggai 5. Obadiah 11. Zechariah 6. Jonah 12. Malachi The Three Original Languages of the Bible 1. Hebrew: Semitic (from Shem Noahs son). Spoken by original inhabitants of Canaan. Became a dead language in 3 B.C. 2. Aramaic: Branch of Semitic. Superseded Hebrew in Palestine. Spoken by Jesus. 3. Greek (Koine): Greek dialect. Soread over the whole civilized world then after Alexander the Great. The Pentateuch The first five books of the bible The Torah (The Law) Moses the law giver The JEDP traditions Exodus the heart of Judaism The JEDP Traditions J (Yahwist) uses Yahweh as Gods personal name E (Elohist) uses Elohim for God D (Deuteronomist)- literary style of Josiahs reforms as found in Deuteronomy

Archbishop Stephen Langton of Canterbury (+1228) the person who created divisions and chapters of the Bible as used today. Santes Pagnini (1528) the person responsible for numbering the verses of the Old Testament books of the Bible Robert Etienne (Stephanus- 1555) numbered the New Testament book verses. Council of Hippo (393 A.D.) The Church Council which started the Canon of the Bible. Council of Trent (1546) The Church Council which officially declared the final Canon of the Bible. Latin Vulgate (Latina Vulgata) the official Latin Version of the Bible used by the Catholic Church as translated by St. Jerome from the original languages in the 4th century A.D.

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Biblical Authority Bible as a source of authority for thousands of Christian sects Source of different teachings and doctrines Source various doctrines and interpretations Source of both Christian unity and disunity Why Read the Bible? 1. 2. 3. 4. To know God. To know God relationship with mankind. To know Gods will for mans life. To foster and develop our faithexperience with God.

How do we read and use the Bible? Pray to the Holy Spirit before and after reading the Bible. Remember that the Holy Bible is the Word of God so ask for inspiration. Use a Catholic version of the Bible that you feel comfortable with. You may choose any Biblical book at random unless you are looking for something specific. Descriptions of the Biblical Book Divisions

P (Priestly) emphasizes priestly, legalistic and cultic aspects of Judaism

Religious Imprint Spirit of Poverty Experience of Suffering and Trials

Genesis The First Book of the Bible. Derives its name from Greek rendering of Gen. 2:4 These are the generations (Genesis) of the heavens and the earth. In the Beginning..

List of Biblical Judges The following (in order) are identified as Judges in the Book of Judges - great judges are those deemed worthy of large narratives in the Book:

Major Judges (Common Judges) MINOR 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Joshua (the first judge/great judge in the book of Exodus) Samson (great judge) Deborah (great judge) Gideon (great judge) JUDGES: Othniel Ehud (great judge) Shamgar Tola Jair Jephthah (great judge) Ibzan Elon Abdon

The Five Main Divisions of Genesis 1. The creation of the world and of our first parents, and the origin of sin; civilization and moral degeneration of mankind and history of man to the time of Noah and the Deluge; Tower of Babel, Confusion of languages and division of human race. 2. The descendants of Shem, the eldest of Noahs sons, and deals with Abraham his greatest descendant. 3. History of Abrahams son Isaac, of Esaus forfeiture of his birthright and the succession of Jacob. 4. Jacobs fortune. 5. Story of Joseph and his brothers. The Historical Books The experience of the chosen people in the desert The conquer of the the promised land Joshua and the judges The Prophets -Nabi= one who acted. Spoke and wrote under extraordinary influence of God. -The prophesied future events -The major prophets -The minor prophets -The Ebed-Yahweh The Major Prophets Jeremiah. Isaiah. Ezekiel. - Major in the sense that they wrote more accounts and events in their books. The Minor Prophets - Wrote lesser accounts:

Some Biblical critics, though not all, believe that Abimelech was also originally considered a judge, becoming changed to a "king" owing to his being regarded as evil, at which point Shamgar was added to the list so that there were still 12 in the Book. Textual criticism also views the minor judges as being added to the list simply to make the total number equal 12, a number of religious significance to the Israelites The First Book of Samuel also mentions: Minor Judge Eli (great judge) Major Judge (Common Judge) Samuel (great judge) According to some textual critics the initial portion of the first book of Samuel, containing these two names, was probably originally the final part of the Book of Judges. Hence the original form of the book, according to some textual critics, listed 8 judges, 7 good and 1 bad, 7 being a religiously significant number. The Sapiential Books The wisdom of the writers Inspirational passages Poetry Psalms The Deuterocanonicals -The Septuagint -The Apocryphals -The Greek vs. The Hebrew texts

Hosea Amos Micah Joel Obadiah Jonah

- Zephaniah - Haggai - Zechariah - Malachi - Nahum - Habakkuk

The Marks of a True Prophet Denounces Evil God-centered Religious Zeal

-Catholic,Orthodox and Protestant Biblical versions The Divisions of the New Testament Books and Their Descriptions The Perfection of Judaism and Fulfillment of the Old Testament Objectives: To Understand That Christianity Is the Perfection of Judaism. To Understand That the Promised Messiah in the Old Testament Had Already Come., That the New Testament Had Already Superceded the Old Testament. That the Old Testament Is the Key in Understanding the New Testament. The Holy Gospels The Good News of Salvation. The Words and Life of Jesus the Promised Messiah. The Synoptics: Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Greek of the Masses 2. Aramaic The dialect of Our Lord Jesus Christ The Evangelists and Their Symbols Synoptists: }St. Matthew }St. Mark }St. Luke St. John

The Formation of the Gospels

Stage 1 = Historical Jesus Stage 2 = Oral Preaching of the Early Church/Eye-Witness accounts Stage 3 = The Written Gospels

The Gospel of John.

The Synoptic Gospels The Gospels of St. Matthew (260 verses, St. Mark (600 verses) and St. Luke (600 verses) Seeing All Together Q (Quelle) - the common written source Differences in chronological facts and emphasis Great similarity on events related and literary forms Offer the same comprehensive view of life and teachings of Christ St. Matthew Symbolized in art as a human head since his Gospel begins with Christs ancestry Former Tax Collector (Publican) Familiar with the Palestine Region A good teacher of Jewish customs, practices and Old Testament expert St. Mark Symbolized in art as a lion (eagle in the eastern art) since he begins his Gospel with the story of St. John the Baptist in the desert the home of wild beasts Cypriot who toured with Sts. Peter and Paul as secretary and interpreter A convert to Christianity who never personally met Jesus Interpreter to St. Peter Translated Aramaic into Greek St. Luke Symbolized in art as an ox, a sacrificial animal since his Gospel begins with priest Zachary in the temple Only non-Jewish Evangelist from Antioch Well-educated doctor convert to Christianity who joined St. Paul Wrote also the Acts of the Apostles as the second part of his accounts of the Christian Faith with his Gospel as the first part

The New Testament 1. A collection of 27 separate books. Written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Communicates to us the divine revelation made through Jesus Christ.

List of NT Book Categories Historical: The 4 Gospels The Acts of the Apostles 2. Didactic/Doctrinal: The 13 Epistles of St. Paul The 8 Other Epistles 3. Prophetical: The Apocalypse Authors of the New Testament Books 1. Apostles: St. Matthew St. John St. James St. Peter St. Paul St. Jude 2. Disciples: St. Mark St. Luke The Languages of The New Testament 1. Koine: Hellenistic Greek Greek of the Merchants

St. John Symbolized as an eagle (lion in eastern art) since his opening Gospel verses carry the reader to a flight in the Infinite The Disciple Whom Jesus loved Son of a rich fisherman and former disciple of St. John the Baptist Witness to the Transfiguration of Jesus and other events in the life of Jesus The Intended Audiences of the Evangelists St. Matthew Jewish readers familiar with OT St. Mark persecuted and suffering Christian-Gentiles in Rome St. Luke Greek converts for catechetical instructions St. John Christians already familiar with synoptics

Letter

informative or a command from a superior to his subordinates It is more of s treatise or essay for public reading with greetings, literary device or a form of dedication Biblically, books of the NT named by reference to the people to whom they are addressed or by the name of the writer It is more personal and concrete with reference to definite situations St. Pauls writings should actually be called letters rather than epistles together with St. Johns 2nd and 3rd writings

St. Paul the Apostle (Saul) The 13th Apostle Apostle of the Gentiles Born in Tarsus A former Pharisee Former persecutor of Christians An educated Roman citizen Converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus Made three missionary journeys to the Gentile world Martyred and beheaded in Rome (A.D. 67)

The Acts of the Apostles Written by St. Luke in Greek around A.D.63 in Rome Narrates important events in lives of Sts. Peter and Paul Also to some degree St. John, the two Sts. James and St. Barnabas Historical narrative Accounts on the founding of the Church Pentecost and Influence of the Holy Spirit in lives of early Christians Miracles on account of faith Persecution of faithful Rapid expansion of Christianity in the Mediterranean World The Epistles of St. Paul THE MISSIONARY EPISTLES TO THE GENTILES: To the Romans To the Corinthians (1 & 2) To the Galatians To the Ephesians To the Philippians To the Colossians To the Thessalonians (1 & 2 ) Categories: A) Eschatological = 1 & 2 Thes B) General Pastoral = 1 & 2 Cor C) Soteriological = Gal. & Rom D) Captivity = Phil., Phlmn, Col. & Eph E) Personal Pastoral = 1 & 2 Tim., Ti The Personal Pastoral Epistles: To Timothy (1 & 2) To Titus To Philemon Addressed to his young missionary companions as a shepherd of his flock Epistle Generally, it is a letter that is formal, didactic, instructive,

The Other Epistles To the Hebrews (unknown author) Catholic Epistles: Of St. James Of St. Peter (1&2) Of St. John (1,2&3) Of St. Jude The Catholic Epistles and the Other Epistles Given collectively to the eight nonPauline Epistles All are termed Catholic with the exception of Hebrews Catholic or universal since they were directed to the whole Church as a whole rather than to particular areas or groups such as the Pauline Epistles St. Peter Former fisherman First Pope and leader of the Apostles Originally named Simon but his name was changed by Jesus to Peter (Greek) or Cephas (Aramaic) Very human yet given a divine mandate by Christ Himself Martyred in Rome by crucifixion (inverted) Messages of St. Peters Epistles

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3. 4.

To encourage Christians in the face of persecutions To present the Churchs earliest teachings on the Sacrament of Baptism and the Redemptive value of Christs death To persevere in the Faith To await in hope for the 2nd coming of Christ

Foretold the Fall of Pagan Rome and final victory of Christ and of His Church Foretells the Victory of Christ over Satan and the Antichrist Full of imageries, prophecies, allegories and symbolisms

St. John the Apostle and Evangelist Son of Zebedee and brother of St. James the Apostle and former fishermen The closest to Jesus during the last supper Cousin of Jesus Only Apostle not to be martyred Wrote 1 Gospel, 3 Epistles and 1 Apocalypse Messages of St. Johns Epistles 1st Epistle = emphasis on Charity or Christian love 2nd Epistle = Charity and Perseverance of Christians encouraged 3rd Epistle = again perseverance as directed to Gaius St. James the Lesser- Apostle Son of Alphaeus The Less or Lesser means younger as he is differentiated from another Apostle with the same name who is Greater or older One of the original 12 Apostles Messages of the Epistle of St. James Written in Greek but style is and language typically Jewish Stresses on the Moral Conduct of Christians Perseverance and Charity Respect for the Poor Control of Ones tongue Faith as practiced in Good Works St. Jude the Apostle Apostle and Martyr Known also as Judas Thaddeus to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot A relative of Jesus Known as the Patron of the Hopeless Cases Messages of St. Judes Epistle Defend the Faith from people who disrupt unity Strengthen Faith of Hebrew Converts to Christianity Warns against false prophets The Book of Revelation Apocalypse Last book of the NT attributed to St. John the Apostle Written to give hope to persecuted Christians