MODULE 1 ⁃ God led, liberated, and corrected His

people.

⁃ He forgave their sins. He thus revealed

Revelation of God (God reveals Godself)
Himself as Yahweh, He-who-is-with His people.

⁃ Jesus Christ "completed and perfected

He reveals himself in different ways:
⁃ God's revelation by words and works,
signs and miracles, but above all by his death and
glorious resurrection from the dead" (DV 4).
1. IN CREATION
⁃ Thus the Risen Christ, prefigured in the
⁃ God said “Let us make a man in our
Old Testament and proclaimed by the apostles, is the
image, after our likeness” (Gn 1:26)
unique, irrevocable and definitive revelation of God’
⁃ He gives us a share in His own creativity

⁃ God creates the whole world for us, to

3.IN THE CHURCH
support us in life and reveals Himself to us through His
handiwork. ⁃ Jesus himself had gathered around him
a group of disciples who would form the nucleus of his
NATURAL SIGNS
Church.
⁃ All creation has become affected by sin
⁃ in this Church, the "Good News" of
-"sin entered the world, and with sin death" (Rom 5:12).
Jesus Christ would be proclaimed and spread to the
⁃ The "natural signs" of the Creator have ends of the earth by the power of the Holy Spirit, sent
thus become disfigured by pollution, exploitation, down upon the apostles at Pentecost.
injustice, oppression and suffering.
⁃ Sacred Scripture and the living tradition
⁃ God chose to reveal Himself in a of the Church transmit to us the teachings of Jesus.
second, more intimate way, by entering into the history
Liturgical/Ecclesial Signs
of the human race He had created.
⁃ God continues to manifest Himself
today through the Holy Spirit in the Church.
2. in Scripture, through Salvation History
⁃ He is present in the Church's preaching
The Bible records God's entering into a special covenant the truth of Scripture, in its witness of loving service,
relationship with His chosen people, the race of and through the celebration of its Christ-given
Abraham, the people of Israel. Sacraments.

⁃ Christ's revelation in the Church is the

new and definitive covenant [which] will never pass
BIBLICAL SIGNS away.
⁃ In Old Testament, God revealed Himself
through biblical signs made up of both deeds and
words. 4. IN OTHER RELIGIONS

⁃ He made covenant with Noah, with ⁃ For whatever is true and holy in non-
Abraham, and with Moses. He performed great works Christian cultures and religions is accepted by the
for His Chosen People, and proclaimed their saving Catholic Church since it "often reflect|s] a ray of that
power and truth through the prophets' words. truth which enlightens all men."

⁃ Filipino Catholics, therefore, should

"acknowledge, preserve and encourage the spiritual and
moral truths found among non-Christians, also their  Third stage, the written Gospels. “The
social life and culture" sacred authors, in writing the four
Gospels, selected certain elements that
 “openness in understanding the religious
had been handed on orally or already
convictions of others. [For] ‘dialogue based on
in written form, others they
hope and love will bear fruit in the Spirit’ (RMi
synthesized or explained in view of the
56)” [PCP II 112-13].
situation of their churches, while
preserving the form of proclamation.
 Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then,
Agent, Content and Goal of the revelation.. are bound closely together.
 Jesus Christ is “himself both the mediator and  Tradition can be taken either as the process
the fullness of all Revelation” (DV 2; cf. CCC 65) by which divine revelation, coming from
 Filipino Catholics, therefore, recognize in Jesus Jesus Christ through the apostles, is
Christ the goal, the content, and the agent of communicated and unfolded in the
God’s Self-revelation. community of the Church, or as the content
 As goal, Jesus is “the key, the centre and the of the revelation so communicated.
purpose of the whole of man’s history” (GS 10),  The living Tradition of the Church, which
in whose image we all are to be conformed (cf. includes the inspired word of God in Sacred
Rom 8:29). Scripture, is the channel through which
 He is also its content, The Revealed One. In God’s self-revelation comes to us.
himself, Jesus reveals both God and ourselves.  As Sacred Scripture grew from Tradition, so
“Christ, the new Adam, in the very revelation of it is interpreted by Tradition __ the life,
the mystery of the Father and of His love, fully worship, and teaching of the Church.
reveals man to himself and brings to light his Biblical Inspiration
most high calling” (GS 22)
 Christ is also its agent, the mediator. “God is  The Sacred Scriptures are said to be
one. One also is the mediator between God and “inspired” in a special sense __ not just
men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as as some artist or author may be
a ransom for all” (1 Tim 2:5-6). “inspired” to paint or compose. Rather,
 The Church herself receives Christ’s revelation. biblical inspiration means that the
sacred and canonical books of the Old
Scripture and Tradition and New Testaments, whole and
 The Sacred Scriptures, collected in the entire, were written under the
Bible, are the inspired record of how God inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that
dealt with His people, and how they we can call God their “author” and the
responded to, remembered, and Bible “the Word of God”
interpreted that experience.  Biblical inspiration, then, is a charism
referring to the special divine activity,
Three stages of how the Gospels were formed : communicated to individual authors,
 First stage, the life and teaching of editors, and compilers belonging to the
Jesus — what Jesus, while he lived community, for the sake of the
among us, really did and taught for community.
our eternal salvation, until the day he The Canon of Scripture
was taken up.
 Second stage, oral tradition. After  Canon - books which have been truly inspired
Jesus’ Ascension, the apostles handed by God and thus have God for their author.
on to their hearers what Jesus had said  The Canon of Scripture is divided into the books
and done. written before Jesus’ life (the Old Testament)
and those written after (the New Testament).
Inerrant Saving Truth

 The Bible is a collection of historical accounts, • Creating us and everything we see, hear and
doctrinal teachings, poems, parables, ethical touch __ from the beginning till now [natural
exhortations, apocalyptic visions and many signs];
other forms.
 Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us
that the Christian Faith is not a ‘religion of the • His words and deeds in Sacred Scripture’s record
Book.’ Christianity is the religion of the Word of salvation history, completed and perfected in
of God, ‘not a written word unable to speak, His Son-made-man, Jesus Christ [Biblical signs];
but the incarnate and living Word.’

Interpreting Scripture
• His continuing presence by the Holy Spirit in His
 St. Paul tells us that “all Scripture is inspired by people, the Church; [ecclesial signs];
God and is useful for teaching __ for reproof,
correction, and training in holiness so that the
man of God may be fully competent and • the prayer and sacramental worship, doctrine,
equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17) and moral service of the Church; [liturgical signs];
11. Four Factors

 At least four factors play a significant part in • His interior presence (Grace) in our conscience
interpreting Scripture: and in all the events of our daily lives, world
 (1) the inspired human author’s intention; events, recognized in the “signs of the times.”
 (2) the text itself;
 (3) the reader of the text; and
 (4) The common horizon connecting the How can the Infinite, Pure Spirit, God, communicate
original community context of the text with Himself to us in this life?
our Christian community reading it today.

God reveals Himself to us through the deeds

He performed in history and the words which
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS IN MODULE 1 proclaim the deeds and clarify their true meaning
(cf. DV 2.). These words and deeds show God’s
presence among us and His saving purpose for us.
What is “Revelation”?

- Revelation is God’s personal loving How important is Jesus Christ in God’s Revelation?
communication to us of who He is and His plan
to save us all in His love. It is God’s reaching
out to us in friendship, so we get to know and For Christians, it is Jesus who is:
love Him.

• The Revealer of God our Father,

• Himself the Image and Word of God; and

How does God reveal Himself?

God reveals Himself in:

 • The Final Goal of God’s revelation, our ultimate Catholics hear the Bible proclaimed at every
destiny. Mass. Readings from both Old and New
Testaments are carefully selected and arranged
according to the Church’s liturgical year.
How does Christ reveal God to us today?

In addition, parishes sponsor Bible study

Christ reveals God to us primarily through the groups and encourage a Catholic Bible in every
Church, its Sacred Scripture and living Tradition, home for family reading and prayer.
through which the Holy Spirit comes to us.

How were the Gospels formed?

To whom does God reveal Himself?

The Gospels were formed in three stages: first,

God “wants all men to be saved and come to Jesus’ own teaching in his earthly lifetime; second,
know the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), and in ways both the oral tradition in which the apostles passed on
hidden and clear, calls all to Christ, who is the what Jesus had said and done; and third, the
goal, the object, and the agent of God’s Self- putting into writing of the Gospels that we have till
revelation, and “the real light which enlightens this day.
every man” (Jn 1:9).

How do we Catholics interpret Scripture?

How are we to understand God are inspired Word in
Scripture?
In interpreting Sacred Scripture, we search out:
(1) the human author’s meaning; (2) the context of
Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the text in relation to the whole Bible; 3) within
Scripture grew from the life, worship and teaching our own search for meaning; (4) under the
of the early Church. So the Church is its authentic guidance of the Holy Spirit through the authentic
interpreter, under the active help of the same Holy interpretation of the Magisterium, the teaching
Spirit. Church.

What do we mean by the Bible’s inerrant saving truth? How important is Sacred Scripture in our daily lives?

Through the Holy Spirit’s charism of God continues to speak to us personally

inspiration, the human authors of the Bible set through His inspired Word in Scripture, thereby
down faithfully and without error the truth God
wished to convey for our salvation (cf. DV 11; 2
Tim 3:16-17). • helping us to understand the true meaning of
the daily happenings in our lives,

How do we Catholics get to know Sacred Scripture/the

Bible? • guiding our moral behavior toward authentic
freedom and loving service of others, and
 • drawing us into prayerful union with Christ, our THE FOUR GOSPELS
Way, our Truth and our Life, in his Church.
 The biblical experts do not totally agree
among them as to where, when, and for whom
each gospel was written at a different time, in
How has the Bible come to us?
a different place, and for different groups of
people.

“Bible” comes from the Greek word “Biblia”, THE FOUR EVANGELISTS
meaning “books.” So the Bible is really a collection
1. MARK
of “books.” The content was first passed on by oral
 Before 70 AD
tradition over a long period of time before it was
 Rome
put in written form.
 Christians of Gentile ( non background )
 Suffering saviour
2. Matthew
The Old Testament was composed in Hebrew
 Between 70 AD - 90AD
and translated into Greek around the 2nd and 3rd
 Antioch, Syria
centuries before Christ. The New Testament was
 Christians of Jewish Background
composed in Greek during the 2nd half of the 1st
 Teaching Saviour
century A.D.
3. Luke
 Between 70 AD - 90 AD
 Greece
––––––––––
 Christians of Greek background
 Compasionate saviour
4. John
* Traditionally four ‘senses’ of Scripture have
 After 90 AD
been distinguished: literal: the meaning intended
 Ephesus
by the original author, providing the basis for all
 Christians of all backgrounds
other senses; allegorical: a point by point
 Live giving saviour
interpretation of the text’s series of actions as
symbolic of a meaning metaphorically implied but
not expressly stated; moral: the meaning for our
instruction, “as a lesson to us” (1 Cor 10:11);
anagogic: the mystical meaning, interpreted in the
light of its eternal significance. The four senses
were summarized: the literal, teaches what
happened; the allegorical, what is to be believed; THE PORTAITS OF JESUS
the moral, what is to be done, the anagogic,
towards what we must strain (cf. CCC 115-19). SUFFERING SAVIOUR ( MARK )

 Deeply influenced by the historical fact that at

the time he was writing the Gospel, the
https://justmehomely.wordpress.com/ Christians in Rome we’re suffering persecution
2012/02/09/chapter-2-gods-call-revelation/ in the hands of Nero, the Roman emperor
 Mark stressed the suffering of Jesus.

TEACHING SAVIOUR (MATHEW)

MODULE 2  He wrote his gospel mainly for Jews, the

mathean community were greatly interested in
 how Jesus’ teachings fit in with the teachings of
Moses.
Resurrection - a transition from mortal life on earth,
 Mathew stressed how Jesus brought the
through physical death, to a new, completely different,
teachings of Moses to fulfilment ( Mt. 5:17 )
form of immortal life. Derived from the past participle
COMPASSIONATE SAVIOUR (LUKE) of the Latin verb resurgere, "to rise again."

 The Jesus portrait of Luke was influenced by the In many biblical texts, Jesus is the subject of his own
fact that he wrote for the Gentiles (Non-Jews), action: "he will rise from the dead" (Mark 8:31; 12:25;
especially the outcasts of society, eg. The poor, John 11:23-24; etc.).
the woman, etc.
In other passages, Jesus is the object of God's action:
 He stressed Jesus concern for the
"he will be raised from the dead" (Mark 12:26; 16:6;
“marginalized” sectors of society.
Luke 9:22; etc
LIFE GIVING SAVIOUR (JOHN)
Resurrection is the "reincarnation" or "immortality" of
 Was influenced by the fact that he wrote for a soul.
Christians of all backgrounds ( john wrote a
Resuscitation - the restoration or revival of a person
later stage where they were already many
from a coma, unconsciousness, or apparent death back
converts )
to the same earthly life.
 He stressed how Jesus came to make the lives
of all richer and fuller ( Jn 10:10 ) Reanimation - the re-joining of an earthly body with
the same soul (or a new soul?) after a temporary
separation.
SYNOPTIC GOSPELS: SYN = SAME OPTIC = LENS
Reincarnation - the rebirth of a soul into a new &
( Refers to mark, Luke and Mathew only )
different but still physical & mortal body (common idea
Earliest gospel ever written – MARK in some Eastern religions).

Earliest Christian writing – Paul’s letter to the Immortality - the inability to die; life continuing
Thessalonians 50 AD forever (esp. a soul after its separation from a dead
body).
Considered as one of the sources of Matthew and
Luke – MARK Eternal Life - life with God forever, not interrupted by
death; it either continues or starts anew after death.
QUELLE – Source, a hypothetical document aka Q-
document Mortal Life - normal human life on earth, ending in
death (Latin Mors); any life subject to suffering, death,
and decay.
LOW VS HIGH CHRISTOLOGY
Ascension - the return of a person, after life on earth,
Low Christology o Christology from below – to live with God in heaven
Synoptic Gospels, starting point is the humanity of
Jesus towards his Divinity.
Some OT figures return to God in heaven in various
High Christology or Christology from above –
ways:
John’s Gospel, starting point is the divinity of Jesus
towards his humanity. Thus his gospel start with an Genesis 5:24 - Enoch, the seventh Patriarch, does not
Jn 1:1 He can start with his gospel with divinity die, but is "taken" by God.
because when he wrote his gospel, abstract
2 Kings 2:1-14 - the "assumption" of the prophet Elijah,
concept of logo’s there were already many converts
taken to heaven on a fiery chariot.
or believers of Christ.
The Ascension of Jesus, only in Luke 24 and Acts 1, is a
preparation for the sending of the Holy Spirit.
Four Types of Literary Materials related to the
It is traditionally thought to have occurred near the Resurrection in the New Testament:
town of Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, just East of
Brief Statements of Resurrection Faith (Jesus
Jerusalem
says that he will be raised, or Christians
Christians believe in the "Resurrection of the Body," proclaim that Jesus was raised, with no
not merely the "Immortality of the (disembodied) narrative details)
Soul"
Empty Tomb Narratives (a few days after Jesus'
Thus, "resurrection" might be thought of as the death, some women find his tomb empty, his
reunification of the spirit or soul with a new and body missing)
immortal body.
Resurrection Appearance Stories (the risen
Yet this new "body" should not be thought of in overly Jesus appears to various individuals or groups
physicality or materialistic terms. of his disciples)

Even if our mortal body is buried or cremated, we will Ascension Narratives (Jesus "ascends" or is
receive some type of "resurrected body." taken up to heaven)

What this new (resurrected/immortal) body will be like

is unknown, since it will be radically different from our
https://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Resurrection.htm
present (physical/mortal) bodies.

St. Paul describes the dialectic of continuity &

difference with the analogy of sown seeds & grown
plants (1 Cor 15:35-50).

The main point is that we will still be "some-body,"

able to interact in personal relationship with God and
with "every-body" else. To distinguish similarly named people from one
Christians believe in the "Resurrection of the Body," another, individuals were further identified either by
not merely the "Immortality of the (disembodied) their geographical origin ("Jesus of Nazareth" or "Jesus
Soul" the Nazarene" - Mark 1:24; 10:47; etc.; "Jesus the
Galilean" - Matt 26:69), or their occupation ("the
carpenter" - Mark 6:3). They were also often associated
with relatives: usually their fathers ("Jesus, the son of
Biblical Background of Belief in the Resurrection:
Joseph" - Luke 3:24; John 1:45; 6:42; "the carpenter's
Earliest Stages in OT: No belief in life after son" - Matt 13:55), sometimes their siblings ("the
death whatsoever; life simply ceases to exist brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon" -
Mark 6:3), or more rarely their mothers ("Jesus, son of
Middle Stages in OT: Belief in a general
Mary" - Mark 6:3; cf. Matt 13:55).
resuscitation or reanimation of many of the
dead, or the whole nation, to a renewed life on
earth:
 "titles" are significantly different from names.
Latest Stages in OT: Beginning beliefs in  Messiah / Christ - both meaning "anointed
continued life after death and/or resurrection one," from the Hebrew verb MASHAH ("to
from the dead for individuals: anoint, smear with oil, pour oil over
someone") and the Greek verb CHRIO (same
NT Developments: Belief in resurrection from
def.). Many different people were called
death to a new and different form of life:
"anointed"
  Lord / LORD - Originally it was a title of respect
used for people superior to yourself, so it simply
meant "Sir" or "Master," just like Señor in
Spanish, Herr in German, or "Lords and Ladies"
in British. Later it is often also used for various
gods or for the God of Israel.
 Holy One - Originally a common circumlocution
for God (a phrase used to avoid speaking God's
name), it is later also applied as a title for Jesus
or other "saints."
 Son of God / God's Son - a person's special
relationship with God.
 Son of Man - "son of the human" in Aramaic &
Greek; originally emphasizing someone's
humanity, a powerful heavenly figure.
 Prophet - not someone who "predicts" the
future, but rather is a chosen messenger or
spokesperson for God, whose role is to speak
God's words and perform miraculous and/or
symbolic actions in order to convey God's
messages to the people.
 Rabbi / Rabbouni / Teacher - Hebrew and
Aramaic words meaning "my master" or "my
teacher" common titles of respect by the time
of Jesus.
 Great High Priest - A cultic official, one who
offered sacrifices. In Judaism, all priests had to
be from the Tribe of Levi, which Jesus was not.
 Advocate / Paraclete - the Holy Spirit in the
Gospel of John (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7), In
Greek, a "para-clete" someone "called to your
side" to assist you in some way;
 Alpha & Omega; First & Last; Beginning & End
- The first and last letters of the Greek
alphabet. Both God and Jesus are called "the
Alpha and the Omega.

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Christological_Titles.htm