Handout in Theo 1 = Scriptures and Tradition

8/9/2019 Handout in Theo 1 = Scriptures and Tradition

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TRADITION: SCRIPTURAL APOSTOLIC TEACHINGS OF THE MAGISTERIUM

SCRIPTURAL TRADITION

- These are traditions that take their roots in the HOLY BIBLE. These practices andbeliefs can be justified by quoting Sacred Scriptures.

Example: Baptism - Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing themin the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Mt. 28:19

APOSTOLIC TRADITION

These are the teachings which the Apostles left us, not through writtenscripture, but through the unbroken chain of succession of Popes,bishops, priests and deacons. This unbroken chain is an assurance thatthe teachings of the Apostles are preserved intact.

Church teachings that are based on Apostolic Traditions are containedin theCatechism of the Catholic Church.

And for us Filipinos, we also have the Catechism for FilipinoCatholics.

Example: Doctrine of the Communion of Saints

TEACHINGS OF THE MAGISTERIUM- Lt. Magister- teacher- MAGISTERIUM = the teaching authority of the Church. This is exercised by thePope in making solemn definitions, or by Bishops in an Ecumenical Council likeVatican 2

The teachings of faith are never stagnant. As time goes by, the Churchsunderstanding of her own teachings deepen, leading to the definition andpromulgation of new teachings.

These teachings are new not because they were just invented. On the contrary,they have always been part of the ancient teachings of the church, only that theywere not immediately defined.

Examples:THE MARIAN DOGMAS WERE DEFINED BY VIRTUE OF THE CHURCHS MAGISTERIUM- DIVINE MOTHERHOOD = Council of Ephesus, 431- IMMACULATE CONCEPTION = Pope Pius IX. 1854

A SUMMARY OF THE SACRED TRADITION = NICENE CREED (Council ofNicaea, 325)

SACRED SCRIPTURES

The seed is the Word of God..

Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ. St Jerome


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How was the bible formed ?

A. ACTUAL EVENTS

Refers to the actual experience of Gods people which theyinterpreted as Gods intervention in history

Life and teachings of Jesus what Jesus really taught and did for

our eternal salvation, while he lived among us, until his ascension.B. ORAL TRADITION

That the people may forever remember these important events,which were deemed manifestations of Gods concern andintervention, they were handed on to succeeding generations.

After Jesus ascension, the apostles handed on to their hearerswhat Jesus said and done.

C. WRITTEN SCRIPTURES

The facts, stories and information were sorted, edited andeventually put into writing to serve as norms against which, or onthe basis of which, other stories and tradition will be verified and

as well to more effectively preserve the priced Tradition. The sacred authors, in writing the Gospels, selected certain

elements that had been handed on orally or those already inwritten form, others they synthesized or explained in view of thesituation of their churches, while preserving the form ofproclamation. But always in such away that they have told us thehonest truth about Jesus.

THE BIBLE

From Greek word: Ta Biblion/Ta Biblia the Book/the Books

referring to the whole sacred volume

From Latin: Biblia book designates the eminence of the Bible

BIBLE : collection of sacred writings which the church solemnly recognized as:

Word of God, written by men, through the inspiration of theHoly Spirit

Word of God

The Divinely revealed realities which are contained andpresented in the text of the Sacred Scriptures have beenwritten down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, God is the author of the Sacred Scripturebecause He inspired its human authors, acting in and bymeans of them, He thus gives an assurance that theirwritings teach without error His saving truth.

To say that the Bible is the Word of God is toacknowledge its Divine Authorship.

Written by men through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit

God inspired some men to put His words into writing,persons who lived in a particular context, using the means


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available to them as they went through the natural process of gathering, selection and finally writingdown.

Being written by men, God is able to speak to us in humanlanguage something we do understand and we can relateto.

All scripture, inspired " of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, tocorrect to instruct in justice" 2 Timothy 3:16

Dei Verbum 11

To compose the Sacred Books, God chose certain men, whomHe employed in this task, made full use of their own faculties and

powers, so that, though He acted in them and by them, it was as true asauthors that they consigned to writing whatever He wanted to be written,and nothing more.

INSPIRATION

From Latin verb inspirare to breath into

By supernatural power God so moved and impelled the humanauthors to write - he so assisted them when writing - that the things heordered and those only they first rightly understood, then willed faithfully towrite down, and finally expressed in apt words and with infallible truth.

According to Providentissimus Deus by Pope Leo XIII:Inspiration is a special influence of the Holy Spirit on

the Human authors, such that they were able to write downwhat God wanted them to write.

It is a charism referring to Special Divine Activity,

communicated to individual authors, editors and compilers belonging tothe community, for the sake of the community.

When the Holy Spirit works, He touches more than theHuman Authors, in some fashion, He also touches both the Proclaimersand the Hearers of the Word.

Inspiration is not:

1. Dictation

God did not dictate the words to thehuman authors, because the human authors had to go through all theprocesses involved in coming up with a written work.2. Possession

Human authors were neither coerced byGod to write nor do they lost their freewill when they put Gods Word intowriting, rather: they cooperate with inspiration

INERRANCY OF THE BIBLE

freedom from error

a consequence ofInspiration since Godis theprincipal author, it cannot but contain the Truth


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But the Bible contains errors:i. Error in Science

the Bible is not written as a science textbook

the Human author used materials (orientations and

concepts) which were available in his time including his primitiveknowledge in science.

e.g. the sun moves around the earth: Joshua 10:14

ii. Error in History

the Bible is a product of Oral tradition, and this Traditionpreserves the essential content, not the trivial details.

as such, it is possible to find:i. chronological errors;ii. contradictory details; andiii. inaccurate quotations

e.g. The animals in Noahs Ark: Genesis 6:19 and Genesis

7:2

iii. Error in Moral Understanding

the people of the Old Testament did not learn Gods willinstantly

it took time for them to understand Its precepts, hence,there were instances when they leveled something good as bad and viceversa.

e.g. total extermination of enemies is Gods will: Joshua11:13 14

The Bible contains Errors, but teaches no error because the errorsdo not in anyway affect the essential message of the Scriptures

CANONICITY OF THE BIBLE:

from Greek word: kanon a stick or measuring rod- implies norm or standards

Canonicity

the Churchs official declaration that a book isinspired, and is therefore, a worthy basis of faith and morals

this declaration neither make a book inspired nor addto inspiration;

it is simply an acknowledgementand recognitionof the Inspiration which the book has always possessed.

For a book to be declared Canonical, it has to passcertain standards. As it passes the standards, it becomes astandard itself--

CANON OF THE SCRIPTURES


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refers to the canonical books or the list and compilation ofinspired books. Criteria for Canonicity for OLD and NEW TESTAMENT OLD TESTAMENT it must not contradict the Torah (Pentateuch5books of Moses)

it must constantly be used in liturgy (public worship) it must be written in Hebrew Language in somecases, language becomes a factor for the Jews reject non-Hebrew writings

it must be stored in the Temple Chest being placed inthe Temple Chest, it is tantamount to canonization or recognition of thewritings as canonical

NEW TESTAMENTA. Apostolic Origin

either the books were written by the Apostles(or their immediate disciples) themselves or they were used as sourcesB. Coherence with the Essential Gospel

the content must be consistent with themessage of ChristC. Constantly used in the liturgy

they were used by the early Christiancommunities in their celebration of the breaking of the bread and inother liturgical functions.

APOCRYPHAL

when a book fails to meet the standards, it is labeled as such: i.e., ofdoubtful authority.

CANON OF SCRIPTURES when a book has passed the standards, itbecomes part of this

refers to the official list of inspired books.

ROMAN CATHOLIC BIBLE73 (72) BOOKS

46 Books in the Old Testament(45 if Jeremiah and Lamentations are

counted as one)27 Books in the New Testament

PROTESTANT BIBLE66 BOOKS39 Books in the Old Testament27 Books in the New Testament

Reason for the difference:

DEUTEROCANONICAL literally means: second canon


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refers to the second set of canonicalbooks

During the Council of Trent, before the Catholic Church finally closed theCANON (which means: from then on, no other books will be added to the Bible), theChurch declared as canonical some Old Testament books which were recognized

ever since as inspired, but were not formally declared as part of the canon ofscriptures.

Unfortunately, the Protestants have already deviated from the ways of theCatholic Church when this happened, so they do not have the Deuterocanonicals intheir Bible. If ever they include it, they simply label the books Apocryphals. Onething is for sure, the Protestant Canon was still a product of the prudent judgment ofthe Catholic Church before the split took place.

CHAPTERS & VERSES OF THE BIBLE

Most Rev. Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury

divided the Bible into chapters, during the thirteenth

century

Robert Estienne, French printer divided the Bible into verses, in the sixteenth century

2 Main Divisions of the Bible

OLD TESTAMENT NEW TESTAMENT

refers to the covenant betweenGod and Israel mediated byMoses

refers to the covenant betweenGod and Humanity mediated by

Jesus Christcentral event Exodus central event - The

Resurrectionlanguage predominantlyHebrew

language- predominantly Greek

finds light and fulfillment in theNew Testament

finds its foundation in the OldTestament

prefigurations fulfilled in theNewTestament

prefigured in the Old testament

The Old Covenant- The Old Covenant was written on stone tablets.- Its service brought death and condemnation.- The covenant made with Moses had come to an end.

The New Covenant- The New Covenant is engraved in our hearts.- Its service leads to life and frees one from being condemned.- The Covenant in Jesus is to last forever.


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Handout in Theo 1 = Scriptures and Tradition