in celebration of national bible week, i shall be sharing some of the lessons from my high 1 cle classes at xavier school last year, particularly about the sacred scriptures.
In life...
Why do we read?
What do we usually read?
What constitutes a good reading material?
Reading is a basic skill that needs to be developed and loved. It is a basic tool for communication, expression and understanding. We read different materials for different reasons. Reading enhances individual growth.
What is the Bible?
• The word Bible originates from the Latin word “biblia” which means “book”
• The Greek word “biblia” which is the plural form of ‘biblion’ means “books”
The Bible is...
• the most translated, most studied and most venerated book in the world;
• known with different names: Bible, Holy Scriptures, Word of God, Good News, Holy Book, Book of Life. These different names are indications of the different ways it is regarded by people through the ages.
• a collection of 73 books or sacred writings about God which come in different literary forms such as poems, historical accounts, prayers, laws and exhortations, narratives, prophetic writings, parables, letters.
• divided into two main parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Catholic Bible, there are 46 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. The Protestant Bible has only 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament.
• the 7 books which are recognized in the Catholic Bible are called Deuterocaconicals (books of Christian Old Testament that are not included in the Jewish bible, i.e. Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1&2 Maccabees)
What makes the Bible unique?
1. Its Message
God reveals Himself to us as Love. Revelation is God’s self-communication to man. This self-revelation of God took place primarily in history: in the lives of the patriarchs, in the saving events of the Exodus, in the covenant of Israel with God, and finally in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Through the Bible, we are able to read about how God has acted in the lives of the particular figures/people of Israel in the Old Testament to communicate His great love for man. This self-communication is made concrete in the very person of Jesus Christ who is “God-with-us” as we read His life in the New Testament.
Although not always directly expressed, every word of the Scriptures tells us about God’s will for salvation, for the fullness of life for His people and for all creation. This divine will for salvation was fully made clear in Jesus. (Read Col. 1:15-20, Eph 1: 3-6, 3:2-6). This is why the entire Bible is often referred to as the record of “Salvation history”. As such, salvation history is the story of God’s plan of salvation, which began with Israel, reached its climax in Jesus Christ, continues to our present time in the Church and will go on till the end of time. Indeed, the Bible gives us a glimpse of who God is – His character and His purpose in creating, redeeming and sanctifying us.
2. Its Origin
The Bible is the Word of God in the words of men. In the words of Vatican II,
“...the books of the Old and New Testaments, whole and entire with all their parts were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been handed on such to the Church itself.” (Vatican II, Dei Verbum II) This confirms what has been said by St. Paul in his letter to Timothy. (see 2 Timothy 3:16)
3. Its Purpose and Nature
The Bible is a book of faith, which grew from a believing community. The books of the bible are read in the light of faith. We should read the Bible on its own terms: not as a science or history book but as a religious book about the love story between God and man. The Bible must be read and understood in the sense in which it was intended by God and by the biblical authors. Their purpose was not to write a history book in the modern western sense, but to set forth the history of God’s plan of salvation. In a way, we can analogously compare the Bible to a romance novel than any other form of literature. It is basically a book narrating the love story of God and his people. What is special about the Bible as a romance novel is that the reader is invited not just to read it but to be part of it! The Word of God, when it is read or listened to in the openness of faith can bring God in His self-revelation closer to us and can lead us to a close encounter with Him.
We read the Bible for many reasons. But it is only by reading the Bible with faith and with an open heart that we can experience God’s word in a living way. Ultimately, we read it with the hope that God’s Word will fill up our minds, set aflame our hearts, transform us and draw us to communion with the living God who speaks to us through it. In faith, we accept completely that God Himself is speaking to us through the events, characters and figures we encounter in the passages. When we read the Bible with faith, we allow God’s Word to touch us, to inspire us, to give us hope and to help us find meaning, comfort and strength. (Read Hebrews 4:12)
Tomorrow: How was the Bible formed?
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