scripture & tradition - dcref · scripture & tradition . introduction v god is the author...
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SCRIPTURE & TRADITION
INTRODUCTION v God is the author of Sacred Scripture
v God slowly revealed Himself to man
v Revelation – Initially by Oral Traditions handed down from generation to generation in songs, narratives, and poetry
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INTRODUCTION v Revelation documented in Sacred
Scripture
v Revelation also handed down in the Apostolic Tradition of the Early Church
v No new revelation before the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ – CCC 66
v Sacred Scripture and Tradition are bound together
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INTRODUCTION v Sacred Scripture and Tradition – “Deposit
of Faith” or “Heritage of Faith”
v Deposit of Faith - The doctrines and teachings of the Catholic Church
v Guarding the Deposit of Faith is the mission which the Lord entrusted to His Church
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INTRODUCTION v An authoritative body interprets the
deposit of faith
v Magisterium of the Church – The Pope, Bishops, theologians - Guided by the Holy Spirit
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SACRED SCRIPTURE v The Bible
v A collection of Divinely Inspired writings called “Books”
Ø Different writings
Ø Different authors
Ø Different styles
Ø Different literary forms
Ø Different historical periods
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SACRED SCRIPTURE v Two sections
v The Old Testament – 46 Books
Ø In 3 divisions - - the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings
v The New Testament – 27 Books
Ø May be divided into Historical books (Four Gospels and Acts of the Apostles), Didactic books (the Epistles) and the Prophetic book (Apocalypse/Revelation)
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Old Testament v Roman Catholics recognize 46 books of the
OT as inspired
v 7 Books considered the Apocrypha (hidden) and “Inspired”
v Jews and Protestants recognize only 39 books in the OT as inspired
v Points forward to the coming of the Messiah
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OLD TESTAMENT v The Pentateuch - the Torah or Law
Ø The first five books of the Bible
Ø Considered written by Moses
Ø Reminds the Israelites that God had called them to be the chosen people
Ø God had entrusted them with the Promise of a Messiah
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OLD TESTAMENT v The Prophets
Ø The Former Prophets of the Historical Books
Ø The Latter Prophets
Ø The prophets were intermediaries between God and His people
Ø The function of a prophet is to instruct and reprove the people in God’s name
v The Writings Ø Consists of all the remaining books of the OT –
e.g. Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Canticles, Lamentation
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OLD TESTAMENT v Current form written by Jewish scholars around
3rd Century B.C.
v Translated from Hebrew to Greek for the benefit of the Jews of the Diaspora
v The countries (outside of Palestine) throughout which the Jews were dispersed
v Also the Jews living in those countries
v The exile place in two periods Ø 721 B.C – The Northern kingdom
Ø 587 B.C the Babylonian Captivity – Southern Kingdom
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NEW TESTAMENT v Announces the fulfillment of the promise of
the Messiah
v His coming and his act of redemption of mankind to the restoration of friendship with God
v Comprised of 27 different books attributed to 8 different authors
v Written over a period of 50 years in different countries to different Christian communities
v Accepted as divine revelation at the Catholic Council of Carthage in 397 A.D.
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TRADITION v Divinely inspired Tradition is spelled with
a capital “T”
v It signifies beliefs, lessons, instructions of a religious nature passed down from earlier periods through divine inspiration
v Different from tradition with a small “t” - the passing down of customs or practices of a culture from generation to generation
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TRADITION v Revealed truths can be found in the Bible –
written truths
v Revealed truths can also be found in Tradition – Oral truths
v Doctrine depends both on Scripture and the oral teaching of Christ and the Apostles
v Both are divinely inspired
v John 21:25
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CONTROVERSY v Protestants believe that the Bible and nothing
more is the sole theological source
v There are no revealed truths except those truths found in the Bible
v Catholics accept the Tradition of the early Church and those written lessons of the disciples of the Apostles handed down orally some 200 years before the Gospels were written
v John 14:25
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MAGISTERIUM v The Magisterium is the teaching authority of
the Catholic Church
v It gives an authentic interpretation of the Word of God – both written and oral
v Comprised of the Bishops, in union with the Pope with input from learned Theologians
v The Church interprets Scripture and Tradition, and defines dogma, obliging the faithful to strict adherence to it
v Luke 10:1-16; Matt. 28:18-20
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CATECHISM v The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a
statement of the Church’s faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition, and the Church’s Magisterium (CCC foreword - 3)
v It is a norm for teaching the faith and an instrument of ecclesial communion
v It is to guard and present better the deposit of Christian doctrine in order to make it more accessible to the Christian faithful and to all people of good will
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