I.B.2.b.5Preparation through John the Baptist (CCC, nos. 523, 717-720).CCC
I.B.2.cJesus Christ, the first and the last, the definitive Word of Revelation, the one to whom all Scripture bears witness, is God's only Son (CCC, nos. 65-67, 73, 101-104, 134, 423).CCC
I.B.3The transmission of Divine Revelation (CCC, nos. 74-95).CCC
II.A.1Inspiration is the gift of the Holy Spirit by which a human author was able to write a biblical book which really has God as the author and which teaches faithfully and without error the saving truth that God willed to be consigned to us for our salvation (CCC, nos. 105, 135).CCC
II.A.2Since God inspired the biblical writers, he is the author of Scripture (CCC, nos. 105-106, 136).CCC
II.A.3Because the human authors needed to use the language and thinking of their time, we need to study the conditions and use of language in the context of their time and understand what they intended to communicate, remembering that these human authors might not have been conscious of the deeper implications of what God wanted to communicate (CCC, nos. 106, 108-114).CCC
II.A.4The Bible is inerrant in matters of Revelation and faith: because God is the author of Scripture, all the religious truths that God intends to reveal concerning our salvation are true; this attribute is called "inerrancy" (see DV, no. 11; CCC, no. 107).CCC
II.A.5The Bible is a sacred text for Christians; it contains in the Old Testament writings sacred to the Jews.
II.B.1Oral tradition and its role (CCC, nos. 76, 126).CCC
II.B.2Development of the written books (CCC, nos. 76, 106).CCC
II.B.3Setting the canon of Scripture (CCC, no. 120).CCC
II.B.3.aApostolic Tradition is the basis for which books the Church included (CCC, nos. 120, 138).CCC
II.B.3.bSometimes other criteria came into play, e.g., the Gnostic gospels were rejected in part because they did not include or shied away from the suffering and Death of Jesus.
II.B.3.cLocal Councils of Hippo (AD 393) and Carthage (AD 397).
II.B.3.dEcumenical Council of Trent (AD 1545-1563).
II.C.3.aLiturgy of the Hours (CCC, nos. 1176-1177).CCC
II.C.3.bScripture at Mass and other liturgies (CCC, nos. 103, 1096, 1100, 1184, 1190, 1349).CCC
II.C.3.cThe psalms and the Our Father are biblical prayers shared by all Christians (CCC, nos. 2585ff., 2759ff.).CCC
II.C.3.dLectio divina: a meditative, prayerful approach to Scripture (CCC, nos. 1177, 2708).CCC
II.C.3.eScripture as basis for individual prayer and for prayer within small Christian communities and other parish, school, or local gatherings (CCC, nos. 2653-2654).CCC
III.AAuthentic interpretation of the Bible is the responsibility of the teaching office of the Church (CCC, nos. 85-87, 100).CCC
III.A.1Divino Afflante Spiritu (Pius XII, 1943; permitted limited use of modern methods of biblical criticism).
III.A.2Dei Verbum (DV) (Vatican II, 1965; Church teaching on Revelation).
III.A.3Pontifical Biblical Commission, Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, 1993, nos. 5-19.
III.BCriteria for interpreting the Sacred Scripture (CCC, nos. 109-114, 137).CCC
III.B.1Read and interpret Sacred Scripture within the tradition and teaching of the Church.
III.B.2Give attention both to what the human authors intended to say and to what God reveals to us by their words.
III.B.3Take into account the conditions of the time when it was written and the culture where it was written.
III.B.4Read and interpret Sacred Scripture in the light of the same Holy Spirit by whom it was written (DV, nos. 12-13).
III.B.5Read and interpret each part of Sacred Scripture with an awareness and understanding of the unity of the content and teaching of the entire Bible.
III.B.6Be attentive to the analogy of faith, that is, the unity that exists in all Church teaching.
III.CSenses of Scripture (CCC, nos. 115, 118-119).CCC
III.C.1The literal sense: the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis (CCC, nos. 109-110, 116).CCC
III.C.2.aAllegorical sense: recognizing the significance of events in the Bible as they relate to Christ.
III.C.2.bMoral sense: Scripture teaches us and encourages us how to live and act.
III.C.2.cAnagogical sense: Scripture speaks to us of eternal realities.
III.DThe Bible in relation to science and history (CCC, nos. 37, 159, 1960).CCC
III.D.1The Church teaches us how to relate truths of faith to science.
III.D.2There can be no conflict between religious truth and scientific and historical truth (CCC, no. 159).CCC
III.D.3The difference between the Catholic understanding of Scripture and that of those who interpret the Bible in an overly literalist, fundamentalist way or with an approach limited to a symbolic understanding.
IV.A.1This is the name given to the forty-six books which make up the first part of the Bible and record salvation history prior to the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ (CCC, no. 120).CCC
IV.A.1.aMany Protestant Bibles have only thirty-nine books in the Old Testament; other Protestant Bibles contain the additional seven, referring to them as "deuterocanonical."
IV.A.1.bCatholics rely on the Greek version of the Old Testament for their Bible, while Protestants tend to rely on a Hebrew version.
IV.A.2It is called the "Old" Testament because it relates God's teaching and actions prior to the coming of Jesus Christ, who is the fullness of Revelation. It also focuses on the covenant God made with the Jewish people, which is called the "Old Covenant" to distinguish it from the New Covenant made by Jesus Christ (CCC, nos. 121-123).CCC
IV.A.3The Old Testament contains the Pentateuch, the Historical books, the Wisdom books, and the Prophetic books.
IV.B.1This is the name given to those twenty-seven books which compose the second part of the Bible and which focus on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and some writings of the early Church.
IV.B.2The New Testament is composed of the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles or Letters, and the book of Revelation.
IV.CThe unity of the Old Testament and the New Testament (CCC, nos. 124-125, 128-130, 140).CCC
VI.AIs it true that Catholics do not use or read the Bible?
VI.A.1No. Catholics use the Bible regularly. The Bible or Scripture is an integral part of Catholic prayer life, forming part of every Mass, every sacramental celebration, and the official daily prayer of the Church--the Liturgy of the Hours (CCC, nos. 141, 1190).CCC
VI.A.2The Church urges Catholics to use the Bible in personal prayer (CCC, nos. 2653-2654).CCC
VI.A.3Scripture study and prayer groups using Scripture are a common part of parish life.
VI.A.4In the fourth century, St. Jerome said that "ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ"; this underlines the importance of Scripture in the life of the Church (CCC, no. 133).CCC
VI.BIsn't the Bible just another piece of literature?
VI.B.1No. While Scripture contains various types of literary forms and genres, it is more than just literature. It is the inspired Word of God (CCC, no. 135).CCC
VI.B.2Since it is not just another piece of literature, Scripture cannot be either read or understood merely in the same way as other literature (CCC, no. 108).CCC
VI.B.3Scripture always needs to be read or interpreted in the light of the Holy Spirit and under the direction of the Church (CCC, nos. 100, 111, 119, 137).CCC
VI.C.1It depends on what one means by "literally." The Church does not always propose a literalist or fundamentalist approach to Scripture but rather a contextualist approach. The Church teaches that all of Scripture is true on matters pertaining to religious and salvific teaching because it is inspired by God for that purpose (CCC, nos. 107, 116).CCC
VI.C.2The Bible has a definite historic basis for events recounted in both the Old and the New Testaments; the Church particularly upholds the historicity of the Gospels (CCC, no. 126). However, the Church does not claim that the Bible's purpose is to present scientific or historical facts (CCC, no. 107).CCC
VI.C.3The Church gives guidelines for interpretation of Sacred Scripture (see earlier in outline).
VI.DIsn't the Bible about the past? Why do people today think it applies to them?
VI.D.1While the Bible contains history, stories, and teaching about events in the past, Scripture is the living Word of God. While the content is rooted in particular moments in history, the message is timeless and universal.
VI.D.2God continues to speak to us through Scripture; this is why the liturgies of the Church always contain Scripture and why personal prayer focused on Scripture is vital.
VI.EWhy do Catholics maintain beliefs and practices that are not in the Bible?
VI.E.1The Bible is not the sole means that God chose to hand on the truths of Revelation. Scripture and Tradition are the two complementary ways Revelation is passed down (CCC, nos. 80, 97).CCC
VI.E.2There are teachings that come through Tradition that are not explicitly found in Scripture. However, nothing taught through Tradition ever contradicts Scripture since both come from Christ through the Apostles (CCC, no. 82).CCC
VI.E.3Apostolic Tradition refers to those things that Jesus taught to the Apostles and early disciples, which were passed down to us at first by word of mouth and were only written down later. We identify these beliefs as coming from Tradition and understand that this Tradition is part of God's Revelation to us (CCC, no. 83).CCC
VI.FWhy do some people try to change what the Church teaches about Jesus Christ?
VI.F.1People have tried to change teaching about Christ for many different reasons. Sometimes it is to justify their particular belief or lack of belief. Sometimes it has been out of sincere but misguided or misinformed efforts to try to explain mysteries about Jesus Christ or God's Revelation.
VI.F.2In the early history of the Church, there were a number of heresies about Jesus Christ which arose when people tried to explain the mystery of who he was and is. An example of this is the Arian heresy, which denied the full divinity of Christ.
VI.F.3Sometimes people did not like what Jesus taught or did or what happened to him. There were a number of "gospels" written, which the Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, recognized as not authentic. Some of these gospels shied away from teaching the Incarnation, suffering, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus.
VI.F.4In modern times, there are individuals and groups who try to explain in natural scientific terms the miracles of Jesus, thus undermining his divinity.