scripture and tradition

Scripture and Tradition

Scripture and

Tradition

Scripture and Tradition (I)

Saint Matthew writing his Gospel by Caravaggio

Scripture and Tradition (I) (1)

Scripture and Tradition (I)

Scripture and Tradition together

constitute the single deposit of revealed

truth given by God to the Church and

infallibly taught by the Magisterium.

KEY DEFINITION

Scripture and Tradition (I) (2)

What is Scripture?

What is Scripture? (1)

What is Scripture?

Scripture is the single collection of 73 books called the Bible.

This collection is the entire content of God’s inspired written truth, revealing himself and his saving plan.


What is Scripture? Given its importance for salvation, God, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has guaranteed that the Bible records faithfully and without error, everything that he wanted written and no more.

(c.f. Dei Verbum 11)


What is Scripture?


What is Scripture?

This picture emphasises that Scripture is inspired by God but

written through true human agency.

The feet of St Matthew

One foot is on the ground and one is

raised, indicating the earthly and heavenly influences behind the

evangelist.

Angel

Matthew

Communication The angel brings to St Matthew’s mind the

details he should include in his gospel.


What is Tradition?

Saint Jerome in his Study by Antonello da MessinaSt Jerome was a father and doctor of the Church who taught the

truth of the Tradition and who produced the ‘Vulgate’ translation of Scripture into Latin.

What is Tradition? (1)

What is Tradition? Tradition is what is revealed by God and handed on by the apostles, including those things not explicitly recorded in Scripture.

‘Tradition’ comes from the Latin tradere, which means ‘to hand on’. The disciples taught before they wrote, and this oral teaching remained authoritative alongside written Scripture.Hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.

2 Thess 2:15


What is Tradition?

Tradition expresses that breadth of divine teaching which cannot be exhaustively communicated in any one written form, as the apostle John states:There are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Jn 21:25


What is Tradition?Some truths of Tradition have subsequently been given dogmatic definition by the ‘Magisterium’. Examples are the number of the sacraments and Mary’s Assumption. The definition of the books of Scripture is itself the fruit of the Tradition.

Other manifestations of Tradition can be found in the liturgy, art and music of the Church.


What is the Magisterium?

Christ handing the keys to St Peter by Pietro PeruginoThis reminds us that Christ gave Peter the authority to teach

infallibly the revealed truth which Scripture and Tradition communicate.

What is the Magisterium? (1)

What is the Magisterium?The Magisterium is the teaching office of the Church exercised by the Pope, the successor of Peter, and the bishops in union with him.

With the authority of Jesus Christ (Jn 16:13; Mt 16:19) the Magisterium teaches infallibly the revealed truth which Scripture and Tradition communicate.I would not believe in the Gospel, had not the authority of the Catholic Church already moved me.

St Augustine, Contra Epistolam Manichaei 5, 6 (ccc. 119)


What is the Magisterium?

The principal teachings of the Magisterium are the dogmatic decrees of the papacy, the Creeds and the other doctrines of the twenty-one Ecumenical Councils since the time of the apostles.


SummaryQuestions

to reinforcekey points

Discussionquestions

Practicalactivities

Presentation Part II

Summary Activities I

Please select an activity or go immediately to part II of the presentation

Summary Activities I

Summary

Activities Menu Presentation Part II

• Scripture and Tradition together constitute the single deposit of faith given by God to the Church.

• Scripture is the single collection of 73 books called the Bible. It is the entire content of God’s inspired written truth, revealing himself and his saving plan.

• Tradition is what is revealed by God and handed on by the apostles, including those things not explicitly recorded in Scripture.

• The Magisterium is the teaching office of the Church exercised by the Pope, the successor of Peter, and the bishops in union with him.

Summary I

Questions to reinforce key points

Scripture

Tradition

Magisterium

By what three interlocking principles do we know God’s revelation?


123

Click on a box to reveal one of the

answers

Questions to reinforce key points I

Discussion questions


• Discuss why we have both Scripture and Tradition. Why is a merely written Revelation insufficient?

• Discuss why we need the teaching office of the Church, the Magisterium.

Select one or more of the following:

Discussion questions I

Practical activities


• Read the Compendium of the Catechism questions 11-17.

• Read part or the whole of a document of the Magisterium such as Dei Filius of Vatican I or Dei Verbum of Vatican II.


Practical activities I

Scripture and Tradition (II)

The Conversion of St Augustine by Gozzoli. St Augustine’s conversion was brought about by reading

Scripture. He became a great father and doctor of the Church’s Tradition in explaining Scripture.

Scripture and Tradition (II)

OLD TESTAMENT NEW TESTAMENT 46 books 27 books

PENTATEUCH FORMER PROPHETS

LATER PROPHETS

WRITINGS GOSPELS ACTS PAULINE WORKS

CATHOLIC LETTERS

REVEL-ATION

Genesis Exodus Numbers Leviticus Deuteronomy

Joshua Judges [Ruth] I, II Samuel I, II Kings

Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel and others

Psalms Proverbs Chronicles Job and others

Matthew Mark Luke John

Acts of the Apostles

Romans Galatians Ephesians Titus and others

James I, II Peter I-III John Jude

Revelation or Apocalypse

BEFORE the birth of Jesus Christ

AFTER the death and Resurrection of Christ

The structure of the Bible

This shows the structure of the Bible into Old and New Testaments and the major groups of books.

The structure of the Bible

How do I navigate Scripture?

A sample Biblical text from the Gospel of Matthew showing the numbering of the text in terms of

chapters and verses.

How do I navigate Scripture? (1)

EXAMPLE REFERENCE

Mt 27:2

the title of the book:

Mt (Matthew)

the chapter number:

27

the verses: 2

How do I navigate Scripture?

Any text in the Bible can be found from the title of the book, the chapter number and the verse number.

The book titles, their abbreviations and page numbers can be found at the

beginning of any Bible.


TobitJudith

1 and 2 MaccabeesWisdom of Solomon

Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)

Baruch and some additional parts of Daniel and

Esther

How do I navigate Scripture? Differences between Catholic and Protestant Bibles regarding the books of the Old Testament

From early Tradition, and with her infallible authority, the Catholic Church accepts the books listed on the left among the inspired books of the Old Testament (ccc. 120). Protestant traditions set aside these books from the Old Testament, calling them ‘apocrypha’. Many Protestant versions of the Bible do not include these books.


The authentic reading of Scripture

The Meditative Prayer of St Dominic by Fra Angelico.

This shows the saint prayerfully reading the Scriptures.

The authentic reading of Scripture (1)

The authentic reading of ScriptureRead as oneThe Bible must be read as a unified work in which God has chosen to reveal himself. Although the Bible is made up of many diverse texts from different times and cultures, it reveals a single story of God’s providence and salvation.

The Old Testament points towards its own fulfilment in the New; the meaning of the New Testament is manifested by the Old.


The authentic reading of ScriptureRead within the TraditionGod has entrusted the whole of Scripture to the Church. It is only by the Church’s authority that the Bible’s 73 books are recognised as the unified word of God. Only the Church has the right and capability of authoritatively expounding Scripture.

Profound insight into Scripture is found in the writings of the saints, fathers and doctors of the Church.


The authentic reading of ScriptureRead in the literal senseThe literal sense is the primary and direct sense of Scripture which God intends to convey through human agency. It is the meaning the writer intends, the interpretation of which is aided by the study of history and context.

A literal reading does not mean a literalistic reading of texts intended as metaphors or parables.

The literal sense also includes the making of cross-references among Biblical books.


The authentic reading of ScriptureRead in the spiritual senseIn the spiritual sense of Scripture, God has ensured that the realities mentioned in the text can also point to other realities. Allegory often links something mentioned in Scripture, especially in the Old Testament, to Christ or to the Church. Tropology (the moral sense) links something described in Scripture to the living of the Christian life of grace. Anagogy links the realities mentioned in Scripture to those of heaven.


SummaryQuestions

to reinforcekey points

Discussionquestions

Practicalactivities

Summary Activities IIPlease select an activity or go immediately

to the concluding prayer

Concluding Prayer

Summary Activities II

Summary

Activities Menu

• The two parts of the Bible are the Old Testament, written before the birth of Jesus Christ, and the New Testament, written after the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

• The Old Testament contains 46 books. The New Testament contains 27 books. These are divided into chapters and verses to aid navigation through Scripture.

• Scripture is authentically read when it is read as one and within the Tradition. The two senses for reading Scripture are the literal sense and the spiritual sense.

Concluding Prayer

Summary II

Questions to reinforce key points

Read as one

Read within the Tradition

Read in a literal sense

Read in a spiritual sense

How do I read the Scripture authentically?

Activities Menu Concluding Prayer

123

Click on a box to reveal one of the

answers

4

Questions to reinforce key points II

Discussion questions

Activities Menu

• Discuss how we read Scripture in a fully Catholic way.

• Discuss some personal experiences of reading or studying Scripture.


Concluding Prayer

Discussion questions II

Practical activities

Activities Menu

• Practise locating some specific passages of Scripture, for example from books, chapters and verses cited in this course.

• Read the Compendium of the Catechism questions 18-24.


Concluding Prayer

Practical activities II

Final Prayer

The Apostles’ Creed I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of

heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius

Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose

again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to

judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic

Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, And life

everlasting.Amen.

Final Prayer

scripture and tradition

Spiritual