God’s Revelation through His Words in
Scripture
ETYMOLOGY- The Origin of the word Bible
CANON OF THE BIBLE- Books that
contain the authoritative word of God
“ta biblia” - Greek word which means “the
books”
- Later translated to Latin “biblia”
which means “book”
Stages in the Development of the Bible-
How the Bible came to be
Deuterocanonical Books- Why is Catholic
bible different from Non-catholic bible
The Bible was written by different authors,
using different writing styles, and composed
over a span of almost a thousand years in
three different languages: Hebrew,
Aramaic, and Greek.
The Bible, as we have it today, is the result
of a process.
● Saving Events/ Experiences:
- story of God saving the people
-happened within the community
-events which God revealed Himself
to his people and invited them to
enter into a covenant with Him
● Oral Tradition:
-the memory and meaning of the
saving events were transmitted from
one generation to another
story-telling, poems, songs, and
rituals
● Written Tradition:
-parts of the oral tradition were
written down in variety of ways
-stories, sayings, poems, songs, and
narratives
-continued side by side with oral
tradition
● Edited Tradition:
-Involves gathering together pieces
of the oral and written tradition and
formulating them in such a way that
they spoke to the lives of the people
● Canonical Tradition:
-The process by which some sacred
writings became a book of the Bible,
while some did not.
OLD TESTAMENT:
- contains 46 books written from the
tenth century BC to the second
century BC.
- tells us about God’s relationship with
Israel before the time of Christ
New Testament (Greek):
- contains 27 books written between
40 AD and 110 AD
- describes the new relationship that
God has began with ALL people
through Jesus when he lived on
earth
- also describes the establishment of
the Church
Deuterocanonical Books: Means “second
canon” because there was a certain
reluctance by the church to admit these
books into the canon of the Scripture
● Catholic Bible- Old Testament has
46 books and New Testament has
27 books, total of 73 Books
● Non-Catholic Bible- Old Testament
has 39 books and New Testament
has 27 books, total of 66 books
7 Deuterocanonical Books:
1. Judith
2. Tobit
3. Baruch
4. Wisdom
5. Sirach
6. 1 Maccabees
7. 2 Maccabees
The Catholic Church continued to retain
these books believing that they are divinely
inspired. These books are recognized as
good books.
SYNTHESIS:
The Bible is God’s self-manifestation of
Himself to us in order for us to know the
universal truth and wisdom in view of our
salvation.
It speaks to us of God’s assurance of love
and of His promise of salvation for
everyone, which was revealed to us in the
life and history of Israel and in the fullness
of God’s revelation to His begotten Son,
Jesus Christ.
LESSON 2:
1. DIVINE INSPIRATION: The word
“inspiration” comes from the Latin
word “inspirare” which means “to
breathe upon” or “God-breathed”.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
states that biblical inspiration is an action of
God upon human authors to write only what
God wants written.
HOW DIVINE INSPIRATION WORK:
The Church identified God as the principal
author of the Bible through the
prompting and guidance of the Holy
Spirit on the human writers.
On the other hand, the human authors
cooperated with the grace of divine
inspiration through their human freedom
and creativity.
2. INERRANCY OF THE BIBLE:
If the Bible is truly the Word of God, would it
be truthful to claim that the Bible contains
NO ERROR? If God is the primary author
and God Himself is the PERFECTION OF
ALL TRUTH, then all that Scripture
claims to be true must necessarily be
TRUE. (Hahn, 2009)
BIBLICAL INERRANCY: -means that the
Bible is a trustworthy guide on the road to
salvation.
The Vatican II document on Divine
Revelation states that the books of the Bible
teach “firmly, faithfully and without error
the truth recorded in the sacred writings
for the sake of our salvation.”
INERRANCY: Biblical inspiration and
inerrancy DOES NOT mean that the human
authors are going to be accurate when it
comes to all historical and geographical
facts, but it does mean that the essentials of
the faith, whether in the Jewish or Christian
tradition, are kept intact with divine
assurance.
When reading the Bible, we must keep in
mind that the authors were not teaching
history, but religious truth.
Bible as Faith-Testimony
The bible must be regarded as a
faith-testimony that instructs divine
wisdom and directs man and woman to
his/her ultimate destiny after being created
in the image and likeness of God.
Two Ways of Interpreting the Bible:
1. EXEGESIS
- comes from the Greek word
exegeomai which basically meant
“to lead out” (Hayes and Holliday,
1987).
- It is studying the text itself in
order to lead out or draw out its
real and intended meaning.
- It is an OBJECTIVE understanding
of the text.
2. EISEGESIS
- is “an interpretation that is placed
into the text which the text itself did
not mean” (Tapiador, 1993).
- The readers make their own
interpretation according to their own
understanding and feeling, then,
appropriate such personal
explanation – thus, it is truly
SUBJECTIVE.
2. CANONICITY:
The canon simply refers to the list of
inspired books.
The word canon is derived from the Hebrew
word “qaneh” which refers to a reed, a
measuring stick which was eventually
understood as “a measure, a rule, norm or
standard (of excellence)” (NJBC,
1990;1035)
The Jewish Scripture is divided into Three
Parts:
1. TORAH - which means Law
- simply means an “instruction” or
“teaching”.
- It is “often rendered LAW” because it
implies a rule of life and teaching to
be followed by the people of Israel in
view of their covenant relationship
with Yahweh as their only God.
- Torah (Pentateuch) refers to the first
five books: Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy.
2. Nevi’im - which means Prophets
- means “prophet” – spokesperson of
God
- recounts the rise of persons and
messengers who are dedicated to
communicate the Word of God to
Judah and Israel
- divided into two sections: the Former
Prophets and the Latter Prophets
- Former Prophets:contains four
historical books—Joshua, Judges,
Samuel, and Kings.
- Latter Prophets: includes four
prophetic works—the books of
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the
Twelve (Minor) Prophets
- Minor Prophets includes the books
of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah,
Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk,
Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and
Malachi.
3. Ketuvim - which means Writings
- offers a collection of writings and
literary works contextualized after
the exile in Babylon
- includes: Psalms, Proverbs, Job,
Song of Solomon, Ruth,
Lamentations of Jeremiah,
Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra,
Nehemiah, and I and II Chronicles.
The Catholic and Protestant Canon:
1. Non-Catholic Canon:
- Followed the PALESTINIAN CANON
- 66 Books
2. Catholic Canon:
- Followed the ALEXANDRIAN
CANON
- 73 Books
LESSON 3: STEWARDSHIP OF GOD'S
CREATION
COMPARISON BETWEEN THE TWO
CREATION STORIES IN THE BIBLE
Chapter 1: Immense Power
(Genesis 1:1-2:3)
1. Chronological
- Events are reported in the order they
occurred
- Shows the orderliness of God’s
creation
2. Creation of the Cosmos
- Universal in scope
3. Name of God is God
- Shows His majesty, glory
4. God spoke the world into being
- Evidence of His power over all
- Transcendent nature of God
- Keep His distance. Detached
5. God created
- The Hebrew word “bara” is only
used in OT with God as the subject
and no material is ever mentioned
- Only God can create
6. “It was good”
- All of God’s creation appeared to be
symmetrical and self-reliant
- Not even a hint of possible
disharmony
Chapter 2: Immeasurable Love
(Genesis 2:4-2:25)
1. Logical/Topical
- Events are recorded in this
sequence to tell a story
- Demonstrates God’s intimate
involvement with man
2. Creation - caring for man
- Focus is specific in Eden
3. Name of God is Lord God
- Personal name for God
- Shows His tender love
 4. God molded man with His hands
- Feeling of personal involvement
- Shows intimacy of the Lord God
5. God formed
- The Hebrew word “yeser” indicates
He used His own hands as a pottery
craftsman molds a work of art
6. “It is not good for man to be
alone”
- From the start of Genesis 2
narrative, we see a reliance upon
community and companionship
- Both vertically (towards God) and
horizontally (with one another)
GOD AND HUMAN BEING:
NATURE OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP
A. The principle and end of humans is
God, the one who breathed life and
destined him and her in paradise.
B. Human Being is elevated by God,
willed from the start, to be
STEWARDS of God’s creation.
C. Human Beings are the image of
God’s goodness and love and are
called to cultivate and share such
goodness and love to the rest of
creation.
D. God’s creation must never be
understood as a one-time event but
as an on-going, sustaining creative
act of God.
HUMAN BEING’S RESPONSIBILITY
(LAUDATO SI’ OF POPE FRANCIS)
In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis gives biblical
account of creation, then meditates on the
mystery of the universe which he sees as a
continuing revelation of the Divine.
“Everything is related…woven together
by the love of God for creation and
creatures.“
The Main Themes:
1. he relationship between the poor
and the fragility of the planet
2. the conviction that everything in the
world is connected
3. the critique of the new paradigms
and forms of power and derived from
technology
4. the call to seek other ways of
understanding the economy and
progress
5. the value proper to each creature
6. the human meaning of ecology
7. the need for direct and honest
debate
8. the serious responsibility of
international and local policy
9. the throwaway culture and the
proposal of a new lifestyle
POPE FRANCIS SUGGESTS
WAYS ON HOW WE COULD START THE
CHANGE
1. Approach nature with “awe and
wonder”
- If we see nature as a part of God’s
creation and see our connection to
all living things, we are struck by its
beauty and seek to care for it
instead of subdue it.
2. Reuse instead of Throw Away
- Pope Francis highlights recycling as
an essential part of life, which will
greatly reduce the need for landfills
and will help us preserve our earth
for generations to come.
3. Preserve Nature’s Diversity
- Pope Francis warns us not to “think
of different species merely as
potential ‘resources’ to be exploited,
while overlooking the fact that they
have value in themselves.”
 4. Have physical contact with nature Adam and Eve Story
- Pope Francis writes that “were not
meant to be inundated by cement,
asphalt, glass and metal, and
deprived of physical contact with
nature.”

SYSNTHESIS:
- The grandeur, beauty and power of
Creation is a manifestation of the
The fall of human
greatness of God’s power and love.
God’s command of Prohibition
But when we looked at the current
- Knowledge of “Good and Evil”- for
state of nature, we cannot deny the
the Hebrew understanding, it refers
fact that we neglected our sacred
to the whole, to an entirety, to
duty of protecting and preserving
EVERYTHING
this wonderful gift. We become
- A supreme quality that is only due to
abusive stewards. We thought that
God, the Creator
there is no limit to the earth’s
HUMAN
generosity. The call of Pope Francis
- limited nature
to reflect and repent is urgent. We
- will never be able to accommodate,
have to act now before it is too late.
comprehend or contain the
The disasters we are experiencing
knowledge of everything unto
are signs that we have to do our
himself and by himself
part, to become the stewards that
God wanted us to become.
Is connected to the deepest levels of
life- the unconscious, the dark and
unknown side of human life
MODULE 3 LESSON 2: SIN AND GRACE
The Prodigal Son Story
2. Sin Resulted Due to Lack of
Just as the father in this story loved his
Discernment
sons, God, our Heavenly Father, loves his
- the primary fault of the man &
children. Even when we disappoint him and
woman was their refusal to discern,
stray from what he has taught us, his love
and decide in a conscious,
remains strong and he longs for our return.
deliberate, rational way
There is no end to our Heavenly Father’s
love!!

- The Father who is unconditional in

his love
- The Elder Son who stayed with the
father yet holds ill-feeling toward the
father
- The Younger Son who is
disobedient, selfish, and wasteful
 ADAM JESUS
- Authority over all - Authority over all
creation creation
- Tempted and - Tempted and passed
failed (Hebrews 4:15)
- Caused all - Gave all mankind the
mankind to be opportunity to be
infected with sin forgiven of sin
- Disobedience to (Romans 5:12, 15)
God leads to death - Obedience to God
- Gave authority to leads to life (John
- Man and Woman let the snake satan 10:10)
decide for them - Took authority back
- When human being is able to stop from satan
its appetite and desire, it
discovers a world of values
superior to all that can satisfy the
natural appetite

God’s mercy and compassion is greater

4. God’s Grace: Redemption Through
Christ, the New Adam
Temptation: The Two Adams Contrasted
1 John 2:16 Genesis 3:6; First
Adam
than our sins. Jesus, the New Adam, is
teaching us to follow Him in His total
OBEDIENCE to the Father’s will. This is
the only way for us to live fully as God’s
children, created in His image and
likeness.
Luke 4:1-13;
Second Adam –
Christ

“The lust of the “The tree was “Command this

flesh” good for food” stone to become
bread”

“The lust of the “It was pleasant to “The devil…showed

eyes” the eyes” Him all the
kingdoms”

“The pride of “A tree desirable “Throw yourself

life” to make one wise” down from here”