Chapter 1:
What is the Bible?
Understanding the Scriptures
1. Introductory Lesson – for first day of class
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Syllabus.
How the lessons of this text will be taught.
Instructional policy.
Materials.
Homework.
1. Introductory Lesson – for first day of class
HOMEWORK
Reading
 Read Chapter 1 through the sidebar
Periods of Bible History (p. 6–9)
2. Scripture, Tradition,
and the Magisterium
ANTICIPATORY SET
Explain to the students St. Paul wrote the Second Epistle to Timothy near
the end of his life when he was in prison for having preached the Gospel.
St. Paul had ordained St. Timothy a bishop and gave him advice to carry out
his ministry.
Have each student complete a focused reading on 2 Timothy 3:10―4:5,
using the following question:
 What is the nature of Sacred Scripture, and what are its purposes?
Have each student work with a partner to focus on verse 16, and, using a
dictionary if necessary, explain what the verse means.
2. Scripture, Tradition,
and the Magisterium
BASIC QUESTIONS
 In what two ways is the Word of God transmitted, and who has the
authority to interpret it authoritatively?
KEY IDEAS
 The Word of God is transmitted by Sacred Scripture and Sacred
Tradition, and its authoritative interpretation has been entrusted solely
to the Magisterium of the Church.
2. Scripture, Tradition,
and the Magisterium
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What does inspired mean?
Literally, inspired means breathed in. With respect to the Sacred Scriptures, it
means God the Holy Spirit guided the Sacred Authors who wrote the books
of the Bible.
Who are the two authors of the Sacred Scriptures?
God is the principal author of Scripture; the human authors are also true
authors who, when they wrote, acted as free, subordinate, intelligent
instruments of the Holy Spirit.
What does inerrant mean with respect to the Sacred Scriptures?
It means Scripture does not err in teaching the truth God wishes it to teach.
2. Scripture, Tradition,
and the Magisterium
GUIDED EXERCISE
Conduct a think/pair/share on the paragraph “Reading Sacred
Scripture . . .” (p. 7), and then ask the students the following question:
 How is reading Sacred Scripture like receiving the Eucharist?
2. Scripture, Tradition,
and the Magisterium
GUIDED EXERCISE
Conduct a think/pair/share using the following questions to better
understand the Catechism, nos. 889–892 (p. 8).
 889: How do the People of God share in the infallibility of Christ?
 890: What is the task of the Magisterium?
 890: What is the pastoral duty of the Magisterium?
 890: What charism (gift) of the Holy Spirit did Christ give the Magisterium
to carry out its pastoral duty?
 891: What two forms does infallibility take?
 891: How should the faithful respond to an infallible teaching?
 892: How should the faithful respond to an ordinary, or non-infallible,
teaching of the Pope or the bishops with him?
2. Scripture, Tradition,
and the Magisterium
FOCUS QUESTIONS
If Christianity is not a religion of the book, what is it?
It is a religion of the divine Person of Jesus Christ, who is the living Word
of God.
Who is the central Person found in Sacred Scripture?
Jesus Christ is the central Person in Scripture.
Why should people study Sacred Scripture?
People study so they can come to know Jesus Christ and his teachings.
2. Scripture, Tradition,
and the Magisterium
CLOSURE
Have each student write a paragraph about the relationship among
Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium.
2. Scripture, Tradition,
and the Magisterium
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Reading
 How the Bible Was Written through The Bible
Is Religious (pp. 10–13)
Study Questions
 Questions 1–11.
Workbook
 Questions 1–8.
2. Scripture, Tradition,
and the Magisterium
ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT
Have each student free write for five minutes about the relationship
between the four Catechism questions on page 8 (nos. 889–892) and the
passage from 2 Timothy in the Anticipatory Set (p. 7).
3. The Bible as Religious History
ANTICIPATORY SET
Explain the Bible contains a tremendous variety of writing styles. This is
due to its many different authors, who wrote about different events and for
different reasons over thousands of years.
3. The Bible as Religious History
BASIC QUESTIONS
 What is the relationship between the human and divine authorship of
the Sacred Scriptures?
 Why is it important to understand the books of the Bible as works of
human literature?
 What kind of history does the Bible contain?
KEY IDEAS
 The Bible was written by inspired Sacred Authors who wrote only what
God wanted; consequently, it is true and without error.
 To understand the Bible, one needs to take into account the authors’
intentions, which can be discovered through literary modes and
circumstances.
 The Bible presents religion, specifically salvation history.
3. The Bible as Religious History
GUIDED EXERCISE
The Bible contains a tremendous variety of writing styles. This is due to its
many different authors, writing about different events and for different
reasons across millennia.
Conduct a think/pair/share to look up the following biblical passages and
match each with the category that most accurately fits the passage.
Luke 1:1–4
Complicated theology
Song of Songs 2:8–13
Symbolic vision
Chronicles 2:1–17
Beautiful poetry
Romans 6:1–4
Accurate history
Revelation 12:1–6
Family genealogy
3. The Bible as Religious History
FOCUS QUESTIONS
Why is the Bible literature?
The Bible uses literary forms and techniques to convey its meaning.
How does the Book of Genesis shed light on Jeremiah 4:23?
Jeremiah drew on imagery from the creation narrative to communicate how terrible
God’s judgment would be against Judah. It was as if God would uncreate Judah.
What does it mean to describe a Sacred Author’s intention?
Intention describes what the Sacred Author wanted to affirm and what God wanted
to reveal by his words.
Extension: In every book of the Bible there are two intentions: what the Sacred
Author intended and what God intends. God’s intention often goes beyond the
intention of the Sacred Author; for example, many passages in the Old Testament
foreshadow Christ without the Sacred Author having realized it.
3. The Bible as Religious History
GUIDED EXERCISE
Conduct a think/pair/share using the following question:
 How can the Sacred Author’s intention be discovered in a
particular passage of the Bible?
3. The Bible as Religious History
FOCUS QUESTIONS
Why are different personalities recognized in the books of the Bible?
The various books of the Bible have very different human authors.
Why is the Bible—unlike any human book—completely free from
error?
The principal author of the Bible is God, who cannot err.
Why might some ideas in the Bible seem outdated?
The Sacred Authors presented their messages in ways the people of their
time could understand.
3. The Bible as Religious History
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What is the primary purpose of Sacred Scripture?
It conveys religious truths, and it is ordered toward the salvation of all
people.
What are the two senses of Scripture?
They are the literal, i.e., that which the Sacred Author intended to express,
and the spiritual, i.e., the meaning when read under the influence of the Holy
Spirit in light of Christ.
How do modern people tend to view religion differently than ancient
peoples, including the authors of Sacred Scripture?
Modern people tend to see religion in terms of personal experience, whereas
the ancient peoples saw it as an essential aspect of society; religion held
together history, culture, politics, and all else.
3. The Bible as Religious History
FOCUS QUESTIONS
In what way is every human historian biased?
Every human historian writes from a point of view, selecting what he
considers important and interpreting the facts according to his or her
viewpoint.
Why is the Bible unbiased?
The principal author is God the Holy Spirit, who sees things exactly as
they are.
What is salvation history?
All the history in the Bible is salvation history, i.e., the gradual unveiling
of God’s plan to save all people unfolding through the ages.
3. The Bible as Religious History
GUIDED EXERCISE
Have the students analyze the illustration from the Biblia Pauperum (p. 22),
and then ask them to identify the stories in the three central panels.
1. Esau sells his birthright to his brother Jacob for a pot of stew.
2. The Devil tries to tempt Christ, promising him all the kingdoms of the
earth if he will only worship him.
3. Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit to be “like gods.”
Lead a class discussion using the following question:
 How can the stories of Esau and Jacob and Adam and Eve be read in a
spiritual sense, that is, in light of the mystery of Christ, who was tempted?
3. The Bible as Religious History
GUIDED EXERCISE
Conduct a think/pair/share using the following questions according to
the chart “Archaeological Periods and Biblical Events” (p. 13).
 How many archaeological periods span biblical events?
 Which book of the Bible covers human prehistory?
 When did Abraham live?
 In what archaeological period was the Exodus?
 When was David King of Israel?
 During which archaeological period did Christ appear on Earth?
3. The Bible as Religious History
CLOSURE
Put the students in groups of three or four to brainstorm reasons
people might think there are errors in the Bible.
3. The Bible as Religious History
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Reading
 What “Salvation History” Is through How the
Canon Came to Be (pp. 14–18)
Study Questions
 Questions 12–14.
Workbook
 Questions 9–15.
3. The Bible as Religious History
ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT
Have each student write a paragraph exploring the parallel between the
human-divine authorship of the Bible and the human-divine Incarnation
of God in Jesus Christ.
Briefly share answers.
4. Salvation History
and the Canon of Scripture
ANTICIPATORY SET
Administer a closed-book, open-workbook quiz.
4. Salvation History
and the Canon of Scripture
BASIC QUESTIONS
 What is salvation history?
 How do the Catholic faithful understand the content of their Faith,
including the Bible?
 How did the Church determine which books are canonical?
KEY IDEAS
 Salvation history is God’s plan to save humanity, specifically the story of
the covenants made between God and his people.
 The Church is a guide to understand the Faith, including the Sacred
Scriptures.
 The Church formally declared the canon of Scripture, based on
apostolic Tradition, at the Ecumenical Council of Trent.
4. Salvation History
and the Canon of Scripture
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What is salvation history?
The Bible, taken as a whole, tells the story of God’s plan to save the human
race as it has been unveiled in history.
How is salvation history different from other kinds of history?
Salvation history includes not only the past but the future as well.
What is a covenant in the context of the Old Testament?
In the Old Testament, a covenant was an agreement between God and man
made through an individual to establish a family relationship between God
and his people.
4. Salvation History
and the Canon of Scripture
GUIDED EXERCISE
Have the students analyze the illustration of the Garden of Eden (p. 15),
and then lead a class discussion using the following question:
What four vignettes of the story of Adam and Eve does the artist portray?
4. Salvation History
and the Canon of Scripture
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What are the two major divisions of the Bible?
The Old Testament was written before the time of Christ, and the New Testament
was written after.
What prompted early Christians to determine which books are canonical, i.e.,
authored by God and should be included in the Bible?
Early Christians tried to decide which books to include in liturgical worship. The
Septuagint, or Greek translation of the Old Testament, was used in the early
Church; however, there was some disagreement over which of the many writings in
existence should be included in the New Testament.
What are some examples of Catholic doctrine found in the deuterocanonical
books?
The Book of Tobit speaks of guardian angels. The Second Book of Maccabees
teaches people to pray for the dead, i.e., the existence of Purgatory.
4. Salvation History
and the Canon of Scripture
GUIDED EXERCISE
Deliver a mini-lecture on canonicity and the correct interpretation of
Scripture.
4. Salvation History
and the Canon of Scripture
CLOSURE
Have each student use his or her notes to write a paragraph summarizing
the three criteria the Church used to determine which books are
canonical.
4. Salvation History
and the Canon of Scripture
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Study Questions
 Questions 15–23.
 Practical Exercises 1–2.
Workbook
 Questions 16–25 and Vocabulary.
4. Salvation History
and the Canon of Scripture
ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT
Divide the students into groups of three or four and complete the first
part of Practical Exercise 2 (p. 21), requiring them to interpret Luke 12:51–
53 two different ways.
Have a few students share their interpretations, and then lead a class
discussion about the two remaining questions in Practical Exercise 2.
The End