Lesson 01: Bible Definitions
Directions: Each lesson in this course consists of a brief lesson, memory work and an examination. A perfect score is required to pass the examination and move to the next lesson. This page is designed to be printed and studied away from the computer. Make sure your text size settings are set to "Medium" before printing.
Assignments:
1. Carefully read and learn the lesson below.
2. Read the Catechism questions in the memory work section and memorize the answers.
3. Complete your lesson examination when all assignments are mastered.
Lesson
Directions: Study the following lesson carefully before beginning your memory work. Read it slowly and think about what it says and what it means.
Take a look through the telephone book and you'll see dozens--even hundreds--of Christian churches. They are not simply different places where Christians meet for worship. They are groups of people who claim to be Christians yet cannot agree on many important Christian teachings. Nearly all of them respect the Bible, yet none of them agree on what the Bible means, how it should be used in our day or what its role should be in Christian life. What a mess.
Clearly this was not what the Lord Jesus had in mind when He called the twelve disciples to follow Him and build His Church. St. Paul spoke against this division in many of his writings, but most clearly in Ephesians 4:
I urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Obviously, this idea of the Christian faith does not agree with what we see in the telephone book. There is only "one Lord, one faith, one baptism". In the same way, there is only one Bible and it cannot possibly be the source of hundreds of different teachings--teachings that often contradict one another. The telephone book reveals an important problem.
THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH
The solution to the mess we see was provided from God from the very beginning of the Church. God gave to man the Sacred Scriptures and established a Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church to make sure that His followers would be safely led to Heaven. Christ gave that Church the gift of the Holy Spirit to light, to guard, to rule and to guide it into all truth. He said this Himself:
I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.
Obviously the Holy Spirit is not guiding different groups to different truths! From the beginning, the Holy Spirit has guided and protected the Holy Catholic Church from falling away from the true faith of Jesus Christ and will until the end of the world. The telephone book may cause us to wonder whether this is true, but we will find that the confusion is man's fault and no fault of God's.
RESTORING THE BIBLE
One of the most important steps we must take to guard our souls is to restore the Bible to its proper place in our lives. It is the most important book that will ever be written and has the power to instruct you for salvation. Moreover, the Bible belongs in the Catholic Church. All of the promises of the Scriptures are realized right before our eyes when we live under the wings of the Catholic Church. We do not need to run around trying to find teachers to explain the meaning of Scripture to us when we can open our eyes and see it, open our mouths and taste it, reach out and touch it, breathe in and smell it, sit back and hear it.
Secondly, we will never understand the Bible until the Spirit that guided in the men who wrote the Scriptures is the same Spirit ruling our hearts and minds. This is the way God intended for His people to understand the Bible: by being filled with the Holy Spirit. St. John teaches us this clearly:
I write this to you about those who would deceive you; but the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that any one should teach you; as His anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you, abide in him.
Thus, as we begin our study of the Bible in this Scripture Catechism course, remember that if you do not walk in Christ's ways, you ought not to expect to understand, that is truly understand, Christ's words. Go to Mass, make Confession, do Penance, prepare for Confirmation, obey God's commandments and pray for Wisdom, knowing that by these steps you are walking in the same path that was taken by every great Saint before you. May the Lord bless you on your way!
In this first lesson, we start with the basics.
Memory Work
Directions: Read the questions below carefully and memorize the answers.
1. What does the word "Bible" mean?
The word "Bible" means "book."
2. From what language is the word derived?
From the Latin "Biblia," which in turn comes from the Greek.
3. Is the Greek word for what we call the "Bible" in the singular or in the plural?
In the plural, which means that it should be translated "the books".
4. Why did the Greeks use the plural form?
They used the plural form because the Bible is not one book but a collection of books.
5. Is the Latin word for what we call the Bible in the singular or in the plural?
It is in the singular and, therefore, should be translated "the book".
6. Why does the Latin use the singular form?
Because the Bible is the most important book there is, since it is the Word of God.
7. What does the Bible contain?
The Bible contains chiefly a history of God's Revelation to mankind.
8. What does the Bible give us in addition to the history of God's dealings with mankind?
In addition, the Bible gives us instructions in faith and morals.
9. Does the Bible give other instructions?
Certain books give detailed instructions for the carrying out of religious worship in the Old Law.
10. Did the Bible, as some seem to think, fall from heaven?
No; the Bible was written by man.
11. If the Bible was written by man, why do we say it is the written Word of God?
Though written by man, we can truly say it is the written Word of God, because it was written under the inspiration of God.
Text used with permission from A Catechism of the Bible, by Rev. John O'Brien, M.A., New York 1924, available online at: http://www.drbo.org/catechism. Revised and enlarged by Fr. Jaime Pazat De Lys, F.S.S.P.X, St. Mary's, Kansas 1997. Copyright © 1997, 2003. Jaime Pazat De Lys.
Lesson Examination
Use the link below to take your lesson examination. You cannot complete this exam until you have completed all of the assignments above.
