CATHOLICISM 101The History of the Bible and its Parts

Winter 2020, Class 1 of 5

Memoria Ecclesiae (memory of the Church)

• This is where the deposit of faith is

constantly lived out and passed on in

Scripture and Tradition

• Our way of life is based on what was given

to us by Christ and what we received from

him, our “memory” of that, is manifest in the

writings that came after (Scripture) and in

the manifestations of living that faith

(Tradition)

Fathers continued…

• Irenaeus

• For even creation reveals Him who formed it, and the very work

made suggests Him who made it, and the world manifests Him who

ordered it. The Universal [Catholic] Church, moreover, through the

whole world, has received this tradition from the Apostles (Against

Heresies 2:9 [A.D. 189]).

• Tertullian

• For wherever both the true Christian rule and faith shall be shown

to be, there will be the true Scriptures, and the true expositions, of

all the true Christian traditions (The Prescription Against Heretics 19 [A.D. 200]).

What is Sacred Scripture?

• Inspired Word of God

• Authors used their own faculties, but inspired by the Spirit to give

truths of faith (NOT ROBOTS)

• Some other faiths are not like this as much

• Quran – dictated by Angel Gabriel to Mohammad

• Mormon – written on tablets and revealed by Angel” Moroni

• Veda – Hindu texts partly revealed by their gods

• For more info check out:

• Dei Filius (1870, Vatican I)

• Divino Afflante Spiritu (Pope Pius XII, 1943)

• Dei Verbum (Vatican II, 1965)

Evangelists

• The writers made use of “their own faculties and powers”

(CCC 106)

• “With supernatural power, the Holy Spirit so moved and

impelled the hagiographers to write – he was present to

them- that the things that he ordered, and only those, they

first rightly understood, then willed faithfully to write down,

and finally expressed in apt words and with infallible truth.

Otherwise it could not be said that God was the author of

the entire Scripture.” – Pope Leo XIII (DS 3293)

Scripture for Early Christians?

• 2 Timothy 3:14-17

• But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly

believed, knowing from whom you learned it, 15 and how from

childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to

instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All

scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof,

for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone

who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good

work.

• Acts 2:42 – “memoirs of the Apostles”

Brief History of Bible

Old Testament Formation

• Typically it is said that the writing of the

books of the Old Testament took place in

the 1400 years before Christ

• A common date chosen for the compilation

of its books is around 430BC with Ezra

being its compiler (Josephus)

Diaspora and Septuagint

• Important Dates:

• 753BC – Israel conquered by Assyria

• 597BC – Judah conquered by Babylon

• 539BC – Cryus’ edict and return to Zion

• 332BC – Jerusalem falls to Alexander the Great

• Greek becomes the lingua franca

• Septuagint

• 72 scholars come together in Egypt to translate Hebrew Bible into

Greek (started around 250BC finished by 100BC for sure)

• Much of NT is quoting from this document

• Oldest we have is Codex Vaticanus and Sinaiticus (4th century AD)

• Qumran! – Silver Amulets

OT Books

• TaNaK

• Torah – The Law (Pentateuch – first five books)

• Nevi’im – The Prophets

• Ketuv’im – The Writings

• Current breakdown is helpful

• Books of the Law

• Books of History

• Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I and II Samuel, I and II Kings, I and II

Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, and I and II

Maccabees

• Books of Wisdom

• Books of Prophecy

Deuterocanon/Apocrypha

• There were books written after the compilation of Ezra in

Greek and that were included by the time of the

Septuagint

• Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Wisdom, Sirach, I/II Maccabees

• **The Septuagint includes these books

• Christians used these books

• Common arguments against

• Weren’t quoted by NT authors

• Ecclesiastes, Esther, Song of Songs – AssumptionMoses/Enoch

• Content not always positive worldview

• Ecclesiastes and Esther

• Aren’t used by Jews now (history)

New Testament Formation

• Jesus never writes anything or directs

anything to be written

• Expectation of a quick end

• Most things that are written are in response

to a need

• Overall, AT LEAST takes 40 years to write

what we now consider to be the New

Testament starting in 45AD

Beginnings of the “Bible”

Beginnings of the “Bible”

• Biblia – Books – library of books that tell the story of

salvation

• Canon of the Bible

• Canon comes from a word meaning “reed” which was used in the

middle east for measuring things

• The use later comes to be the measure of the Christian life can be

found in these books

What is the Canon then?

• Since no list of what is inspired exists within the writings

themselves this creates a problem

• Consider persecutions with rulers wanting to burn them….

• People creating their own lists of what should be read at Mass

• Enter Marcion (100-160AD)

• Cuts Scriptures down to Gospel of Luke and 10 letters of Paul

• Draws attacks from many bishops we now know as saints

• For the next 200 years, the Christians communities slowly

refine the list

• Up to 50 Gospels and 22 Acts were roaming around, as well as

good writings like Letters from Pope Clement, Barnabas, etc…

Post Constantine

•Criteria for Books to be Considered• Apostolic Origin

• Widespread acceptance among local churches

• Orthodox teachings

• Constantine asks for 50 copies of Christian Scriptures for

his new city

• Legality allows for open discussion among bishops

Coming Together

• 382AD – Council of Rome under Pope Damasus

• Canon of Scripture is solidified for first time with 72 Books

• St. Jerome commissioned to translate all of them from Hebrew and

Greek into Latin (vulgate – vulgar - common tongue)

• 397AD – Council of Carthage confirms this

• 419AD – Another Council in Carthage under St. Augustine

comes up with same list and sends to Rome for

confirmation

• Confirmed by Council of Florence in 1442

• Confirmed by Council of Trent in 1546

Down through the Ages

High Cost of Scripture

• Needed for a Bible to be made by hand

• 427 pieces of parchment

• Making 107,100 folios

• Costing 218 pounds (English assessment)

Translations

• Originals in Hebrew and Greek

• Latin found its way in by the mid-100s AD as well as

Syrian dialects

• By the time of the printing press there was an explosion of

cheaper ways to publish which also led to greater literacy

rates

• Yet, we have records of popular translations before the

printing press in Spanish, Italian, Danish, French,

Norwegian, Polish, Bohemian and Hungarian, not to

mention English and German.

• 27 editions in German before Luther, 40 Italy, 18 France,

etc.

Martin Luther

• Would translate his own unauthorized version of the

Scriptures into German and removed the 7 books written

in Greek as well as Jude, James, Revelation and wanted

Hebrews and the likes of 2 Peter out.

• Pressure kept the NT ones in other editions, but even the

KJV began to move the 7 books to the appendix and

eventually out

• Was a fantastic work of modern German however which

helped bring together the language in the midst of rise of

the printing press

Later Translations

• English Duoay-Rheims would be translated completely

into English in 1609-1610

• King James Version appears in 1611 and it becomes the

English standard

• Revised Standard Version (1952) updating of KJV

basically

• New American Bible (1970)

• Catholic translation directly from Hebrew and Greek

• What we use at Mass!

Different “Senses of Scripture”

• Literal• The interpretation that “refers to the sense of the words

themselves”

• Spiritual• Allegorical

• The written word points beyond itself (typology)

• Crossing the Red Sea -> Baptism

• Isaac carrying wood for sacrifice -> Jesus for Cross

• Moses/David -> Jesus

• The written word stands for something else (allegory)

• Gal 4:22-26 or the Good Samaritan

• Moral (Tropological)

• Deals with the moral disciplines that can be taken from a text

• Future (Anagogic)

• Interpretation with a focus on the future or end times