The New Testament

Section 1: The Word of God

Part 1: A Matter of PerspectiveAs human beings, we are oriented

toward knowing God.

God first communicated Himself to us through:

Creation Conscience

But God wanted to communicate to us more than His existence; He wanted us to know His love for us.

God revealed Himself and His love next through:

Covenants Israelites Prophets Jesus Christ

Part 1: A Matter of Perspective Jesus Christ is God's final and full revelation

of Himself.

Sacred Scripture tells the story of God's Divine Revelation to us, or God's self communication through which He makes known the mystery of His divine plan.

Since Scripture reveals God, it is sacred and “authored” by God.

However, we do not mean God dictated Scripture, word for word; rather, He inspired human authors of Scripture.

Through Biblical Inspiration, the Holy Spirit assisted human beings to write biblical books; as such, they teach truths about God without error.

Part 1: A Matter of PerspectiveThe doctrine of Biblical Inerrancy says

that the books of Scripture are free from error regarding the truth God wishes to reveal for the sake of salvation. Truths that are without error are those relating to our

salvation, to our faith and morals, how we are to live as God wishes, etc.

Not every story presented in the Bible is historically or scientifically accurate.

Example: The Book of Job

Bible authors interpreted the spiritual ramification of events, therefore writing them down for future generations to also know about.

Part 1: A Matter of PerspectiveThe process of forming the Bible took many

hundreds of years.

The word Bible, from the Latin word biblia, means “books” or “library of books.”

The Church authenticated certain writings as revealed by God, through Sacred Tradition, or the passing on of the Gospel message by the Apostles first orally, then written down, and interpreted by the Magisterium of the Church.

Deposit of Faith, or the heritage of faith passed on from the Apostles to today as revealed truth.

Sacred Scripture• 46 Old

Testament Books

• 27 New Testament Books

Sacred Tradition• Doctrines & Dogmas

from Magisterium • Encyclicals• Council Teachings

• The Catholic Church teaches that BOTH Sacred Scriptures and Sacred Tradition are important elements to properly understanding faith.

Part 1: A Matter of PerspectiveMany Protestants only depend on

Scripture to gain salvation, eliminating the living transmission of the Church’s teaching throughout the ages (Sola Scriptura).

If we focus only on Sacred Tradition, we lack having the Word of God at our core.

Along with Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, the Magisterium, or the Church's living teaching office, interpret and expand on Christ’s teachings to address our world’s issues.

Pope Francis(2013 – Present)

Wrote the encyclical Lumen Fiedei, The Light of Faith, explaining how faith and reason work together to build

societies that promote the common good.

Part 1: A Matter of PerspectiveThe Old Testament tells

of the preparation of Christ's coming into the world through the covenants made with Israel.

The New Testament tells of God fulfilling the covenants He made with Israel in Jesus Christ.

All Scripture, both Old and New Testament, point toward and are fulfilled by Jesus Christ.

Part 1: A Matter of PerspectiveThe New Testament about Christ was not

written until AFTER Christ ascended back to the Father.

The process of putting the Old and New Testament together took many steps, including:

1. Translating the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek, called the Septuagint.

2. After translating, the texts had to be transferred from scrolls into manuscripts called codices in the 2nd century.

3. The early Church then added apostolic writings about Jesus with the Septuagint, effectively creating the Bible.

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Part 1: A Matter of PerspectiveBy putting Old and New Testaments together, the

Church showed that the one God of the Old Testament was the same God who sent His Son in the New Testament.

To understand what God accomplished in Christ, we have to look at the promises God made with Israel to fully understand the whole picture.

Jesus did not negate the old covenants made with Abraham or Moses, but rather came to fulfill the promises in them as God said He would.

Part 1: A Matter of Perspective For a particular book to be added to the canon

(collection) of books of the New Testament, the early Church used four criteria to judge a piece of writing as whether of not worthy to be placed in the Bible:

Apostolic: the writing had to be based on the teaching of the Apostles and their closest companions/ disciples.

Community Acceptance: the writing had to be accepted by the Christian community as being consistent with their beliefs.

Liturgical: the writings had to assure growth in faith of the Church, especially at Mass.

Consistent: the writing had to be consistent with the other books of Scripture and not contradict what already was accepted as God's Word.

Part 1: A Matter of PerspectiveThe books of the New

Testament are divided into 5 categories:

Gospels Acts of the Apostles Pauline Letters (Letters of

St. Paul) Catholic Epistles (Letters

from other Saints) Book of Revelation

Part 1: A Matter of PerspectiveThe word Gospel comes from the Greek

word evangelion, meaning “Good News.”

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and they are known as the Evangelists.

The Gospels are the primary source from which we learn about Jesus Christ; they are all in agreement on issues pertaining to Christ’s life.

Each Gospel was written by a separate author in different historical situations and for different audiences.

Part 1: A Matter of PerspectiveThe Acts of the Apostles is

considered to be a sequel to the Gospel of Luke since Luke was it author.

It speaks of how the Apostles’ actions spread the faith in the early Church to the Gentiles, from Jerusalem to Rome.

A Gentile was any non Jewish person who was not under the covenants God made with the Jewish people, and as such, were not in right relationship with God.

Part 1: A Matter of PerspectiveThe Pauline Letters are a

collection of letters believed to be written by St. Paul to early Christian communities he visited and established, such as:

Corinthians Romans Thessalonians, etc.

Not all letters were written by St. Paul, even if attributed to him.

The Catholic Epistles were letters written by other different writers to the all Christian audiences.

Part 1: A Matter of PerspectiveThe Book of Revelation

is the last book of the New Testament.

The Bible begins with a vast and empty universe, on the verge of Creation, and ends in Revelation with an affirmation of a hope for a New Creation.

Part 1: A Matter of PerspectiveThe New Testament was formed in 3

broad stages:

1. Life and Teaching of Jesus (Jesus teaching on Earth)

2. Oral Tradition (Apostles passing on the teachings of Jesus)

3. Written Books (Writing down the stories passed down or refining written texts that need more explanation)

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