REED III (Jesus and the kingdom of God) Midterm
Pointers
Prepared by: Bro. Jhon Michael Bongcawel
The Bible or “the Holy Scripture”
What is a Bible?
 is a collection of books written under the
positive influence of God by chosen men in
different places and different times (longer
definition)
 Word of God in words of men (shorter
definition)
 Is the story of God’s revelation in history,
written by men under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, and contained in the Old and
New testaments
Names:
Bible – is derived from the latin Biblia, which is a
transliteration of the greek word “ta biblia” which
means “the Books”
Holy Scripture – this is the term used most
frequently in the bible itself and in Early Christians
and in jewish tradition. We call it Holy because of its
origin (God), its contents (Word of God), and its
purpose (the sanctification of man)
Testament – the bible is more than a book; it is a
collection of Books. The word testament here does
not mean what we might take it to mean in modern
English; it is the same word as the latin testamentum,
which in turn renders the Hebrew word berith (pact,
covenant). The main theme of God’s dealings with
mankind therefore is the “covenant”.
What is a Council?
• The purpose of Church councils is to seek
and obtain divine revelation. Church
councils are an environment where we can
receive inspiration to make decisions, better
serve individuals and families, and plan and
coordinate the work of the Church. Councils
operate differently in the Church than they
do in other decision-making bodies.
Who is the author of the bible?
Vatican I
 God is the author.
Vatican II
 Those divinely revealed realities which are
contained and presented in Sacred Scripture
have been committed to writing under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
 In composing the sacred books, God chose
men and while employed by Him they made
use of their powers and abilities, so that with
Him acting in them and through them, they,
as true authors, consigned to writing
everything and only those things which He
wanted. (Man is also an author)
Why are these books considered Sacred?
 These books are considered sacred
because they have been inspired by
God.
By some of the supernatural influence God
enlightened the mind and moved the wills of the
writers so they wrote all that he wished and only
what he wished.
 Because they were free instruments of
God, the writers brought their own
personalities with them into what they
wrote.
 Because of this inspiration it can be said
that the principal author of the bible is
God.
 Because inspiration left the writers
completely free, we can expect to find
in the bible various kinds of literary
forms, styles of writing, and degrees of
grammatical accuracy.
How to distinguish a Catholic bible?
- It bears IMPRIMATUR & NIHIL OBSTAT
which is an assurance given by the Bishop
that the book is free from error in Faith and
Morals, and is approved by the Catholic
church.
Books of the Bible
Old Testament:
Historical : 21 books
Prophetic: 18 books
Wisdom: 7 books
New Testament:
Gospel :4
Acts of the Apostles :1
Letters of Paul : 13
Hebrews :1
Catholic Letters :7
Revelation :1
 The Gospels report that Jesus was born in
(The different classification of the books of the Old Bethlehem, a village in Judea about 5-6 miles
Testaments. See the separate sheet.) south of Jerusalem
Four period of the Old Testament:
1. Patristic Period
2. Tribal confederation
3. Monarchy Period
4. Prophetic period
The life of Jesus Christ may be divided into three
parts:
 His childhood
 His hidden life
 His public life

“Annunciation” - refers to “The visit of the

angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary to
inform her that she was to be the Mother of the
Savior.

When is the Solemnity of the Annunciation

celebrated?
 The Solemnity of the Annunciation is
celebrated on March 25, which is nine
months prior to the Feast of Our Lord’s
Holy Birth – Christmas.

How did the Blessed Virgin Mary conceive

the Lord Jesus?
 The Blessed Virgin Mary conceived the
Lord Jesus by the power of the Holy
Spirit and without a human father.

NATIVITY / BIRTH OF JESUS

 Christmas is the Church’s celebration of the
birth of Christ on December 25 in its public
worship of God. The Catechism of the
Catholic Church defines Christmas as: “The
feast of the Nativity, the birth of Jesus”
When was Our Lord Jesus Christ actually
born?
The Catholic Church never pretended that the
Lord Jesus was actually born on December 25.
The Church came to celebrate Christ’s birth on
December 25 was a major pagan celebration of
the Natalis Solis Invicti – the festival of the
Roman sun god at the solstice.

Where was the Lord Jesus born?