Download Unit 2, Lesson 4 - Sophia Institute for Teachers

An Introduction To the Bible
What is Sacred Scripture?
Scripture is the Living Word of God written down and passed down to
us throughout History.
Sacred Scripture is a love letter from God to His people.
“In the Sacred Books the Father who is in Heaven comes lovingly to
meet his children and talks with them” (CCC 104).
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Salvation History
The Scriptures comprise the story of our Salvation known as
Salvation History.
Salvation History: The history of God coming to meet man in time
through the revelation of His words and deeds so that we might be
saved from eternal separation from Him.
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A Living Word
The Scriptures are a living Word.
We must ask God to open our minds to
understand the Scriptures and apply
them to our own lives.
Scripture is the word of God
incarnate in human words.
St. Jerome says, “Ignorance of
Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”
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When Was the Bible Written?
Between 1100 B.C.-A.D. 100
 Old Testament: Parts during 1100 B.C.,
the bulk of it was written 700-100B.C.
New Testament: A.D. 70-A.D 100
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Who Was the Bible Written By?
The Old Testament was written by Jews
and Israelites.
The New Testament was written by
Jewish Christians.
The Authors lived in the Holy Land, but
also in other parts such as Greece and
Egypt.
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How Did the Canon Come to Be?
The Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit has the authority to
determine what books belong in the canon of Scripture.
Canon of Scripture: The Definitive list of inspired books.
A.D. 393 - Council of Hippo- List of Books for the Canon issued.
A.D. 397 - Council of Carthage- Same list given again.
A.D. 1546 - Council of Trent makes a definite decree that the Canon as we
know it today is the list of books inspired by God.
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Division of Books in the Old
Testament

Torah/Pentateuch (1st five books of the Bible)

Historical Books

Prophetic Books

Wisdom Books
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Old and New Testaments

Testament: something that serves as a sign or evidence of a specified
fact, event, or quality.

The Old Testament is fulfilled in the New and the New is hidden in the Old.

The Old Testament is the story of God preparing his people for Christ.

It needs to be read in the light of Christ.

The Old Testament is valuable in and of itself, and a lot can be learned
from it independent of the New Testament.
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Old and New Testaments
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
The New Testament focuses on the
life, teachings, Passion, and
Resurrection of Christ along with the
beginnings of the Church.

The Gospels are the primary source
we have for the life of Christ.

The Old Testament and New
Testament are a collection of several
smaller stories that make up ONE
story!
For more online resources developed
especially for Catholic School Teachers, visit
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