The Inspiration & Authorship of Scripture

The Inspiration and Authorship of Scripture [U2L3]

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.  (repeat 3 times)

Objectives

• All Scripture is inspired by God, who is the primary author of Scripture.

• Scripture teaches solidly, faithfully, and without error the truth that God wanted written in Scripture for the sake of our salvation.

• We must consider the intention of the human authors, circumstances of the times, and literary techniques used in order to full understand what God wanted known through the text.

• There are two main senses of Scripture: the literal sense and the spiritual sense. 

Vocabulary

•  Wisdom/ Proverbs: a short expressive saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice.

• Parable: a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels.

• Genealogy: a line of descent traced continuously from an ancestor.

• Epistle: Letter

• Apocalyptic : talking about the end of the world

• What do you see in this image?

• What words or phrases come to mind when you see this image?

• What does this image tell us about inspiration? Based on this image, what do you think it means that Scripture is inspired?

• Scripture is the Word of God. How can it be God’s word and be written by human authors?

• What is the difference between inspiration and simply a great idea?

Understanding Divine Inspiration 

Read to answer questions

Multiple Choice

Under whose inspiration is Scripture written

• men

• animals

• the Holy Spirit

Multiple Select

Because of the one who inspired the Scriptures, we can say that Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation.

• true

• false

2 Tim. 3:16-17

"all Scripture is divinely inspired and has its use for teaching the truth and refuting error, for reformation of manners and discipline in right living, so that the man who belongs to God may be efficient and equipped for good work of every kind”

Open Ended

What does 2 Timothy 3:16-17 say about Scripture?

Open Ended

Since God used human authors, what two things need to be taken into consideration when reading Scripture?

Open Ended

According to the reading, we must pay attention to the different “literary forms” in Scripture. What is meant by this, and why is this important?

Open Ended

What do the Scriptures ultimately teach us about God and how He relates to us?

Letter

1) Of all the Scripture used in the letter, which one stood out or struck you the most? Why?

2) What emotions or feelings did the letter evoke in you?

3) How does the use of Scripture in this letter help you to reflect on God’s love for you

III. THE HOLY SPIRIT, INTERPRETER OF SCRIPTURE

109 In Sacred Scripture, God speaks to man in a human way. To interpret Scripture correctly, the reader must be attentive to what the human authors truly wanted to affirm, and to what God wanted to reveal to us by their words.⁷⁵

110 In order to discover the sacred authors' intention, the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking and narrating then current. "For the fact is that truth is differently presented and expressed in the various types of historical writing, in prophetical and poetical texts, and in other forms of literary expression."⁷⁶

CCC

111 But since Sacred Scripture is inspired, there is another and no less important principle of correct interpretation, without which Scripture would remain a dead letter. "Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by whom it was written."⁷⁷

The Second Vatican Council indicates three criteria for interpreting Scripture in accordance with the Spirit who inspired it.⁷⁸

Open Ended

In one or two sentences, summarize the main point(s) of paragraphs 109-111.

CCC

112 1. Be especially attentive "to the content and unity of the whole Scripture". Different as the books which compose it may be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God's plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since his Passover.⁷⁹

The phrase "heart of Christ" can refer to Sacred Scripture, which makes known his heart, closed before the Passion, as the Scripture was obscure. But the Scripture has been opened since the Passion; since those who from then on have understood it, consider and discern in what way the prophecies must be interpreted.⁸⁰

CCC

113 2. Read the Scripture within "the living Tradition of the whole Church". According to a saying of the Fathers, Sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church's heart rather than in documents and records, for the Church carries in her Tradition the living memorial of God's Word, and it is the Holy Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture (". . . according to the spiritual meaning which the Spirit grants to the Church"⁸¹).

114 3. Be attentive to the analogy of faith.⁸² By "analogy of faith" we mean the coherence of the truths of faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation.

Multiple Select

Paragraphs 112-114 give three criteria for reading Scripture. What are those three criteria?

• Be attentive to the content and unity of the whole Scripture.

• Read the Scripture within the living Tradition of the whole Church

• Match it to what society says is right

• Be attentive to the analogy of faith

CCC

The senses of Scripture

115 According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish between two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual, the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral and anagogical senses. The profound concordance of the four senses guarantees all its richness to the living reading of Scripture in the Church.

The Spiritual Sense is divided into the

•  the allegorical sense

• moral sense

• anagogical sense

Multiple Choice

What sense are the allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses parts of?

• spiritual

• literal

• both

• none

CCC- The Literal & Spiritual Sense

116 The literal sense is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation: "All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal."⁸³

117 The spiritual sense. Thanks to the unity of God's plan, not only the text of Scripture but also the realities and events about which it speaks can be signs.

1. The allegorical sense. We can acquire a more profound understanding of events by recognizing their significance in Christ; thus the crossing of the Red Sea is a sign or type of Christ's victory and also of Christian Baptism.⁸⁴

2. The moral sense. The events reported in Scripture ought to lead us to act justly. As St. Paul says, they were written "for our instruction".⁸⁵

3. The anagogical sense (Greek: anagoge, "leading"). We can view realities and events in terms of their eternal significance, leading us toward our true homeland: thus the Church on earth is a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem.⁸⁶

118 A medieval couplet summarizes the significance of the four senses:

The Letter speaks of deeds; Allegory to faith;

The Moral how to act; Anagogy our destiny.⁸⁷

The Spiritual Sense

• Allegorical: helps us understand how some of the events of the Old Testament foreshadow Jesus Christ

• moral: teaches us how to act rightly

• anagogical: helps us to relate what the events of Scripture have to do with our final destination — Heaven

Multiple Choice

helps us understand how some of the events of the Old Testament foreshadow Jesus Christ

• allegorical

• anagogical

• moral

Multiple Choice

teaches us how to act rightly

• allegorical

• anagogical

• moral

Multiple Choice

teaches us how to act rightly

• allegorical

• anagogical

• moral

Multiple Choice

Abram obeys God and moves from the land of Ur.

(which sense is it referring to?)

• literal sense

• spiritual sense

Multiple Choice

Jesus wept for His friend Lazarus, who had died.

• literal sense

• spiritual sense

Multiple Choice

Jesus washing the feet of the Apostles teaches us that we are called to serve others.

(which sense is it referring to?)

• literal sense

• spiritual sense

Multiple Choice

Abraham almost sacrificing his beloved son, Isaac, points to God the Father sacrificing His beloved Son, Jesus.

(which spiritual sense is it referring to?)

• Allegorical sense

• Moral sense

• Anagogical sense

Multiple Choice

Jesus washing the feet of the Apostles teaches us that we are called to serve others.

(which spiritual sense is it referring to?)

• Allegorical sense

• Moral sense

• Anagogical sense

Multiple Choice

The city of Jerusalem and the Temple are merely symbols of the Heavenly Kingdom that awaits us.

(which spiritual sense is it referring to?)

• Allegorical sense

• Moral sense

• Anagogical sense

Writing Styles of the Bible 

• Narrative: straightforward way story, recounting some event or story of an important person in Israel’s history. 

• Law: mostly contained in the first five books of the Bible, called the Pentateuch, are writings that communicate how best to love God and each other. The Law is necessary to free us from sin and direct us toward the ultimate goodness that is God. 

Writing Styles of the Bible 

• Prophecy: writings of the Bible that foretold the consequences of the current course of action of the people of Israel and called them to repentance and right worship of God. Prophetic writings also warn us today of similar actions and consequences in our own lives and call us to turn away from sin and pursue holiness. These writings would also tell of the fulfillment of God’s promises to His people and of His loving care for them.

• Poetry: writings of the Bible use that metaphorical and artistic language to communicate basic truths about God and human nature. Although they typically do not rhyme, they follow a certain rhythm and meter and employ characteristic literary devices such as parallelism and repetition

Writing Styles of the Bible 

• Wisdom/proverbs: literature that comments on the human condition using wise quotable sayings. These often offer advice for a wide range of topics and situations.

• Parable: short stories that communicate layers of truth. Jesus often used parables to teach His disciples.

• Genealogy: record family ancestries and reveal important family connections between individuals in the Bible. 

Writing Styles of the Bible 

• Epistle/letter: letters written by St. Paul and the other Apostles to early Christian communities and individuals to encourage them in their faith. They offer advice and teaching to their recipients that often apply to our situations today.

• Apocalyptic: writings that communicate truths about God and our salvation through visions, strange imagery, and symbolism.

Multiple Choice

A story told straightforward as it happened

• narrative

• law

• prophecy

• poetry

• wisdom/proverbs