ii.

Acts of the Apostles

iii. Paul’s letter (14)

iv. Letter of James (6)

v. Revelation

C. THE TWO MODES OF TRANSMISSION OF DIVINE REVELATION

1. Sacred Tradition

2. Sacred Scripture

• “In keeping with the Lord’s command, the Gospel was handed on in two ways: ORALLY
by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example
they gave, by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received –
whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life and his works, or whether they had
learned it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit; IN WRITING by those apostles and other
men associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit,
committed the message of salvation to writing” (CCC, 76).
 • Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of faith. Although
they are two distinct modes of transmitting the Word of God, they have one common
source: the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. Both of them, therefore, must be accepted
and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence. The scripture itself
affirms that it does not offer a complete account of what Jesus did, so there must be
another source of faith, namely the Christian Tradition. The Christian Tradition is
contained:

 In early Church history

 In the decrees of the early Councils

 In primitive liturgies

 In the Acts of the Martyrs

 In the books of the early Fathers and Doctors of the Church and ecclesiastical writers

 In inscriptions in the Catacombs

 On Christian archeological monuments

• The Magisterium of the Church is the living teaching office of the Church, that is, the
Pope and the bishops in communion with him. It has the authority to interpret
authentically the Word of God, whether in its written or oral form, which it exercises in
the name of Jesus Christ. Its tasks are to listen devoutly to the Word of God, to guard it
dedicatedly, and to expound it faithfully.
D. THE EVANGELISTS AND THE SACRED SCRIPTURE

1. St. Matthew

2. St. Mark

3. St. Luke

4. St. John

• “The Gospels are the heart of all the Scriptures because they are our principal source for
the life and teaching of the Incarnate Word, our Savior… The fourfold Gospel holds a
unique place in the Church, as is evident in the veneration which the liturgy accords it
and in the surpassing attraction it has exercised on the saints at all times” (CCC, 125;
127).