“Ignorance of the Scriptures is

ignorance of Christ.” St. Jerome

 OBJECTIVES:

1. Discuss clearly the richness of the

Sacred Scriptures as the Word of God,
written by men through the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit;
 OBJECTIVES:

2. Articulate ways to strengthen one’s

commitment to read the bible;
 OBJECTIVES:

3. Thank in God in prayer for his constant

inspiration in doing his will.
What is a Bible?
Who wrote the Bible?
How was the Bible formed?
Why read the Bible?
How significant is the Bible in today’s
generation?
 `

The Bible is a Book of

Remembrance
The Bible is a Faith-Record

The Bible contains a

Religious Interpretation of
History
ACTUAL This Refers To The Actual Experiences Of
God’s People Which They Interpreted As
EVENTS God’s Intervention In Their History.

So That The People Will Forever

ORAL Remember These Important Events,
They Are Handed On To Succeeding
TRADITION Generations Through Storytelling.

WRITTEN These Stories Were Sorted, Edited, And

Eventually Put Into To Serve As Norms
SCRIPTURES Against Which Other Stories And Traditions
Will Be Verified; And To More Effectively
Preserve Tradition.
WHEN WE READ THE BIBLE WE ALSO
REALIZE THAT THERE ARE:
• DIFFERENT FORMS OF EXPRESSING TRUTH.

• AUTHORS WERE NOT SO CONCERNED

ABOUT HISTORY ITSELF, BUT "SALVATION
HISTORY“.
•(HOW THE EVENTS OF THE PAST COULD BE
UNDERSTOOD IN RELATION TO THEIR
FAITH.)
 SALVATION HISTORY DEALS WITH
GOD'S LOVE FOR US, FIRST SHOWN TO THE
CHOSEN PEOPLE, AND THEN FULFILLED IN
THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS
CHRIST.
GK. “TA BIBLIA” – “THE BOOKS”-REFERS THE WHOLE SACRED VOLUME
LT. “BIBLIA” – “THE BOOK”-DESIGNATES THE EMINENCE OF THE BIBLE

THE BIBLE IS A COLLECTION OF SACRED WRITINGS

WHICH THE CHURCH SOLEMNLY RECOGNIZED AS THE:
“GOD IS THE AUTHOR OF SACRED SCRIPTURE
BECAUSE HE INSPIRED ITS HUMAN AUTHORS; HE
ACTS IN THEM AND BY MEANS OF THEM. HE
THUS GIVES ASSURANCE THAT THEIR WRITINGS
TEACH WITHOUT ERROR HIS SAVING TRUTH”
Dei Verbum 11

TO SAY THAT THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD

IS TO ACKNOWLEDGE ITS DIVINE AUTHORSHIP.
THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD.
The word “OF” tells us three things about the
BIBLE:
1. It is WORD ABOUT GOD – We learn about God
through the Bible
2. It is the SPOKEN WORD OF GOD – Sacred
Scripture contains God’s revelation of Himself
3. It is WORD THAT BELONGS TO GOD – God is the
Bible’s author, custodian, interpreter, and
teacher.
 The Bible did not fall from heaven. When God gave us his
word, he inspired some men to put in into writing. The
Bible was written by persons who lived in a particular
context, using the means available to them as they went
through the natural process of data gathering, selection,
and finally writing down scriptures.
Because the Bible was written by men, then through the Bible God is able to
speak to us in human language- something we can understand and relate to.
"All Scripture, Inspired Of God, Is Profitable To Teach, To Reprove,
To Correct To Instruct In Justice" 2 Timothy 3:16
Lt. “in spirare” – to breathe into
“BY SUPERNATURAL POWER GOD SO MOVED AND
IMPELLED THE HUMAN AUTHORS TO WRITE - HE SO
ASSISTED THEM WHEN WRITING - THAT THE THINGS HE
ORDERED AND THOSE ONLY THEY FIRST RIGHTLY
UNDERSTOOD, THEN WILLED FAITHFULLY TO WRITE
DOWN, AND FINALLY EXPRESSED IN APT WORDS AND
WITH INFALLIBLE TRUTH.”
Providentissimus Deus, Pope Leo XIII
INSPIRATIONIS THE SPECIAL
INFLUENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
ON THE HUMAN AUTHORS,
SUCH THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO
WRITE DOWN WHAT GOD
WANTED THEM TO WRITE.
INSPIRATION IS NOT:

•DICTATION – God did not dictate the words

to the human authors. As stated earlier, the
human authors had to go through all the
processes involved in coming up with a
written work.
INSPIRATION IS NOT:

•POSSESSION – The human authors

were not coerced by God to write.
They did not lose their free will when
they put God’s Word into writing. On
their end, they had to cooperate with
inspiration.
CHRISTIANS AND JEWS AGREE THAT
INSPIRATION MEANS THAT:
1. THE IMPULSE TO WRITE
CAME FROM GOD

2. THE BIBLE CONTAINS

THINGS GOD WILLS MAN
TO KNOW ABOUT HIM
3. THE MIND AND THE WILL OF THE
HUMAN AUTHOR WERE
SOMEHOW INFLUENCED BY
GOD TO WRITE WHAT WAS
WRITTEN WITHOUT TAKING
AWAY THE AUTHOR’S OWN
WILL OR ABILITY TO WRITE OR
POWER TO EXPRESS THINGS IN
HIS OWN WAY FOR THE PEOPLE
FOR WHOM HE WAS WRITING.
4. GOD GUIDED HIS PEOPLE IN
THEIR CHOICE OF WHAT
WRITING WAS TO BE
INCLUDED IN THE FINAL
VERSION OF THE BIBLE.
INERRANCY MEANS FREEDOM FROM
ERROR. THE INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE
IS A CONSEQUENCE OF ITS INSPIRATION.
BECAUSE GOD IS THE PRINCIPAL
AUTHOR OF THE BIBLE, THEN IT
CANNOT BUT CONTAIN THE TRUTH.
BUT THE BIBLE CONTAINS ERROR…
ERRORS IN SCIENCE :

THIS IS BECAUSE THE BIBLE WAS NOT WRITTEN

TO BE A SCIENCE TEXTBOOK. THE AUTHORS HAD
PRIMITIVE KNOWLEDGE OF SCIENCE.

(E.G. THE SUN MOVES AROUND THE EARTH:

JOSHUA 10:14)
ERRORS IN HISTORY :

THE BIBLE WAS A PRODUCT OF ORAL TRADITION.

THIS TRADITION PRESERVES THE ESSENTIAL CONTENT, NOT
THE TRIVIAL DETAILS, SO IT IS POSSIBLE TO FIND
CHRONOLOGICAL ERRORS, CONTRADICTORY DETAILS, AND
INACCURATE QUOTATIONS ONCE IN A WHILE.

(E.G. THE ANIMALS NOAH’S ARK: GENESIS 6:19 AND

GENESIS 7:2)
ERRORS IN MORAL UNDERSTANDING :

THE PEOPLE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT DID NOT

LEARN OF GOD’S WILL INSTANTLY. IT TOOK TIME
BEFORE THEY UNDERSTOOD GOD’S PRECEPTS,
HENCE THERE WERE INSTANCES WHEN THEY LABEL
SOMETHING GOOD AS BAD AND VICE VERSA.

(E.G. TOTAL EXTERMINATION OF ENEMIES IS GOD’S

WILL: JOSHUA 11:13-14)
THESE ERRORS DO NOT IN ANYWAY AFFECT THE ESSENTIAL
MESSAGE OF SACRED SCRIPTURES.

THE BIBLE CONTAINS ERROR

BUT TEACHES NO ERROR.