The Bible
Sacred Scripture is the Speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.
(CCC para 81)
A traditional name for the Bible is ‘the good book’. In actual fact, it is a collection of books written in many different genres (i.e. literary styles) over a period of several hundred years. The most basic division of the Bible is, of course, the Old and New Testament. However, both Testaments can be subdivided:
Old Testament
The Pentateuch
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
The Historical Books
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel and Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 & 2 Maccabbees
The Wisdom Books
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus (AKA Ben Sira)
The Prophets
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi
The New Testament
The Gospels
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Acts of the Apostles
The Epistles of Paul
Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon
General Epistles
Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2 & 3 John
Revelation
Theology of the Bible
The Catholic Church teaches the following about the Bible (or Sacred Scripture):
- The Bible is inspired by God. As St. Paul puts it, the Bible is ‘God breathed’ (2 Tim 3:16)
- The Bible is inerrant. The Vatican II Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum) states, "Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully, and without error that truth which God wanted put into the sacred writings for the sake of our salvation" (no. 11).
Bible As Inspired
What does it mean that the Bible is ‘God breathed’? What St. Paul was saying was that although the books of the Bible were written by different people of different times and places, the ultimate author of the scriptures was God. He guided the authors of the various books to write what He wished to be written.
Bible As Inerrant
If the Bible had not been inspired of God, it could not have been inerrant. Because of its divine inspiration, however, we can have faith that the Bible presents a completely faithful witness to the work of God in creation from the creation and the Fall to the crucifixion and the revelation of St. John. It is the Bible’s inerrancy that allowed St. Paul to write to Timothy that ‘All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be upright’ (2 Tim 3:16)
Sola Scriptura is Latin for ‘Scripture Alone’. Whereas the Catholic Church teaches that God has used both the Bible and Sacred Tradition to impart His revelation to Mankind, the Protestant Christian reformers of the sixteenth century declared that the Bible alone was used by God and that one’s faith should be guided by it alone. This remains the belief of Protestant Christians to this day. However, this belief is not biblical. For example, St. Paul taught on several occasions that the churches to which he pastored should not only do as he wrote but as he spoke:
1 Corinthians 11:2 I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 . . . stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth, or by letter.
2 Timothy 1:13-14 Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me . . . guard the truth which has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
2 Timothy 2:2 And what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
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