Lesson Two - The Bible

Text by Pat Austin, St. Patrick's Cathedral RCIA Instructor

Reference: Chapter 39 the Bible

Last week we learned that God made us to "know, love and serve Him" and that our eternal happiness depends on how well we do that. Ok, Who is going to tell me how? Who is going to tell me what I have to know in order to do this?

God is the one to tell us. However, He did not tell us all at once. God revealed these truths (the how and the knowledge) slowly over thousands and thousands of years beginning with creation, Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, prophets and finally sending His Son, Jesus. These truths that God revealed are called Divine Revelation.

How did God make these truths known to us?

Some of the truths God let us figure out for ourselves by observing the world around us, then using our reasoning power to draw conclusions from what we observed.

A few examples:

• I know from observing and studying about the order in the universe, that whoever is responsible has to be a super intelligent person. I know that God is a responsible for creation, therefore, I know a truth about God -- He is intelligent.
• The Sunsets, seasons ... they give us a clue to the beauty of god.
• Niagara Falls, volcanoes, earthquakes. They give us clues to the power of God.
• The Rocky Mountains, glaciers. They give us clues to the magnificence of God, the splendor of God.
• Our natural resources. They give us clues to God's love and caring.

However, there are some truths about God that we would not be able to figure out by ourselves. For example - Trinity, angels, heaven, hell, Jesus is the Son of God.

How did God reveal these truths to us? God did not reveal these truths all at once. God did it slowly. He worked through history, specifically Salvation History

• Before Christ -- B.C. -- God revealed truths through His chosen people -- the Jews -- Abraham, Moses, Prophets etc., indirectly.
• From the time of Christ -- A.D. (Anno Dominae, In the year of the Lord) Jesus, God Himself, revealed truths directly to us.

Where do we find these truths or divine revelation? Two places, Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, the Bible.

What do you mean by Sacred Tradition? God first spoke to Adam and Eve, then Noah, then Abraham, etc. Each generation repeated the truths orally, that is by word of mouth. Then eventually they began to write down the teachings of God, keeping them, then collecting them, then putting them in one collection referred to by the Jews as the Torah and Sacred Writings. We Christians refer to these same writings as the Old Testament.

Really, the Old Testament is the oral/spoken Divine Revelation from God -- Oral Tradition -- put into writing. The old testament was finished 100 B.C.

The New Testament was formed pretty much the same way as the Old Testament. However, it wasn't over centuries but less than 100 years. Jesus was the teacher (oral/spoken). He taught the Apostles/Disciples. After Jesus' death/resurrection/ascension they remembered what He taught; they repeated it verbally for several years. They then began to write it down, collect the writings and put them into one collection, the New Testament. The New Testament was completed by 100 A.D.

VERY IMPORTANT POINT -- All that Jesus said and did was not written down in the New Testament. We know this from Jn. 21:25. Where then is the rest of what Jesus said and did. The Catholic Church teaches that it is in the tradition of the Church, the early writers in the Church. You won't find it in one book. Actually, the Bible tells us to hold fast to tradition, whether spoken or written. 2 Thes. 2:15, 1 Cor. 11:2

Jesus never read the Bible -- it didn't exist. The New Testament was written after he died. Jesus did read the Old Testament.

There has been no new divine revelation since 100 A.D. God has told us all that we need to go to heaven. Divine Revelation ended with John, the Evangelist. There will not be any NEW Divine Revelation coming from God.

All of God's truths are called the "Doctrines of the Faith." Another name for these truths is "Deposit of Faith." The Apostles' Creed contains just about all of the truths or at least a reference to them.