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PRELIMINARY
Course Guide
1. It is expected that interactive learning and teaching will enrich the learning experience of all
students. Each student will work in partnership with their professor to create a positive
learning experience for all. Student engagement is a necessary condition for an active learning
experience. It includes contributions discussion, positive interactive learning with others, and
an enthusiastic attitude towards inquiry. Everyone is expected to be a positive contributor to
the class learning community, and students are expected to share the responsibility of learning
from each other.
2. All students must adhere to a standard of academic conduct, demonstrating respect for
themselves, their classmates, and the core values of the University.
3. Read through the COURSE SYLLABUS, so you know the rhythm of the course, and what is
expected.
4. As a requirement for periodic summative assessment (prelim, midterm, and finals), it is
required that you provide a scanned copy of your examination permit.
5. The maintenance of academic honesty and integrity is a vital concern of the Graduate School.
Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty shall be subjected to both academic and
disciplinary sanctions. If you copy or substantially copy, work from anyone else on a
paper, the work must be put in quotes and the source(so cited). Otherwise, it is
plagiarism. If plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty are found on a course
requirement, the student may be punished. Written course requirements are subject to
verification for plagiarism.
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COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Code: GEC RE 001
Course Title: God‟s Saving Actions In History, Our Story: From Abraham To Jesus
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This three-unit course introduces the students into the narrative of God‟s Saving Action‟s in
History told through the lens of the Old and New Testaments. Preliminary discussions center on
the phenomenological reflection on religion as a universal phenomenon and on the initiative of
God who reveals Himself, His plan for and involvement in man‟s life through His creation and
Sacred Texts. Story of God‟s saving actions present the sequential events of the fall of the First
Parents and God‟s offer of Salvation through the instrumentality of His Old Testament chosen
people (the patriarchs), with whom He establishes His covenantal relationship and to whom he
makes promises. The struggles of the people‟s faith journey to see God‟s promises fulfilled and
in establishing their identity as God‟s chosen people and as a nation, highlight the roles of the
judges, kings and prophets. The definitive revelation of God finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ,
whose Incarnation, ministry, death, and resurrection constitute the economy of salvation.
Course Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course, the students will be able to:
1. Articulate their understanding of religion as a universal phenomenon that has common
dimensions;
2. Articulate their understanding of God‟s plan of salvation through divine revelation;
3. Explain the idea of the God‟s covenantal relationships with his redeemed people from the
patriarchs to Christ;
4. Illustrate the flow of salvation from the creation of man until the coming of the promised
Savior;
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5. Explain the roles of the judges, kings, and prophets in the struggles of God‟s people‟s faithjourney;
6. Articulate their understanding of Christ as the definitive revelation of God;
7. Articulate their understanding of Christ‟s central role in God‟s plan of salvation by His
Incarnation, ministry, death and resurrection;
8. Practice reading the Bible every day; and,
9. Participate in the outreach programs of the University that reflect the practical dimension of
the course.
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Course Outline
MODULE 1
UNIT 1 - Introduction And Overview
Topic 1 - Apparition of Our Lady of La Salette
Topic 2 - ULS Vision, Mission, Core Values, Philosophy of Education
UNIT 2 - Explaining Religion As A Universal Phenomenon
Topic 1 - Religion as a Universal Phenomenon
UNIT 3 - Divine Revelation
Topic 1 - Divine Revelation
Topic 2 - God‟s Revelation through Sacred Texts
Preliminary Examination
MODULE 2
UNIT 1 - Genesis Account
Topic 1 - Creation and the Fall of Man
Topic 2 - God‟s Plan of Salvation
UNIT 2 - Covenant And Revelation
Topic 1 - Liberation and God‟s Covenant
Topic 2 - The Promised Land and the Continuing Struggles
UNIT 3 - The Prophetic Life
Topic 1 - Prophetic Vocation
Midterm Examination
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MODULE 3
UNIT 1 - The Public Ministry of Jesus, His Life and Suffering
Topic 1 - The Promised Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
Topic 2 - Jesus‟ Ministry and the Call of Disciples
Topic 3 - The Suffering and Death of Christ
UNIT 2 - The Resurrection of Christ
Topic 1 - The Glorified Christ
Final Examination
REFERENCES
Bible
Christifideles Laici
Gaudium et Spes
Sacrocanctum Concilium
Dei Verbum
Evangelium Vitae
Evagelii Gaudium
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Declaration Concerning Sexual Ethics
I Believe, A Little Catholic Catechism
Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church
CODEX IURIS CANONICI
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Catechism for Filipino Catholics. Philippines: Catholic Bishops‟ Conference of the Philippines.
(2008).
Flannery, A. Vatican Council II: More Post conciliar Document. (Vol. 1). Philippines: St. Paul
Publications. (2007).
Flannery, A. Vatican Council II: More Post conciliar Document. (Vol. 2). Philippines: St. Paul
Publications. (2007).
Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Manila: Episcopal Commission in
Catechesis and Catholic Education. 2005
Knox, Ian.,C.S.Sp. Theology for Teachers. Quezon City Philippines: Claretian Communication
Publication. 2011
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Introduction
This module starts by providing you the Story of Our Lady of La Salette‟s Apparition, ULS
Vision-Mission, Core Values and Philosophy of Educations, then continues to the discussion on
Religion as a Universal Phenomenon, Divine Revelation, God‟s Revelation Through the Sacred
Text. It is divided into tree units, Units 1-3, and each unit discusses the major topics mentioned
above. Each unit also has activities and reflections with guide question taken from the respective
topics.
As a salettinian, these are the things that you need to know so that you will not only grow
intellectually but more so, you grow more in your relationship with yourself, others and God.
Motivation
Why did you choose to study at La Salette? Who motivated you? Prior to your enrollment, have
you heard the beautiful story and history of La Salette? Are you fascinated by it? Well, every
institution has its unique and beautiful story. Each institution also has its own charism and own
way of making itself known to its constituents. As we go on, you may indulge yourself to the
topics being discussed in this module.
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TOPIC 1
APPARITION OF OUR LADY OF LA SALETTE
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
Share the relevance of the Story of the Apparition of Our Lady of La Salette , Vision, Mission,
Core Values and Philosophy of Education to the present time.
Reflect on the statement “so that they may have life and have it to the full.”
The Apparition
The beautiful lady now stood up while the children remained transfixed
where they were. She said to them in french: “come near, my children, be
not afraid. I am here to tell you great news”.
Fully reassured by these words the children hurried to
meet her. Her voice, they said, was like music. They
approached so near her that, as they later expressed it,
another person could not have passed between them and
her. The lady also took a few steps towards them.
Source:http://www.miraclehunter.com/ma
rian_apparitions/approved_apparitions/las
alette/index.html.
They looked at her and noticed that she did not cease
weeping all the time she spoke to them. As Maximin put
it, “She was like a mama whom her own children had
beaten and who had escaped to the mountain to weep.”
The beautiful Lady was tall and seemed to be made of light. She was dressed
like women of the region with a long dress, an apron nearly as long as the
dress, a shawl that crossed over her breast and was knotted in the back, and a
cap or bonnet similar to the ones worn by peasant women. Roses crowned her
head while another wreath of roses adorned the edges of her white shawl and
a third garland surrounded her shoes.
Source:https://www.lasalette.org/about
-la-salette/apparition/the-story/705-themessage-of-la-salette.html
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Over her brow shone a light in the form of a diadem. On her shoulders shone a heavy chain and
from a smaller golden chain hung a resplendent crucifix with a hammer and pincers placed on
each side of the Cross, a little beyond the nailed hands.
The Message
The unknown Lady now spoke to the children. “We were drinking her words”, they would say
later, adding, “she wept all the time she spoke to us”.
“Come near, my children, be not afraid; I am here to tell you great news.
“If my people will not submit, I shall be forced to let fall the arm of my Son. It is so strong, so
heavy, that I can no longer withhold it.
“For how long a time do I suffer for you! If I would not have my Son abandon you, I am
compelled to pray to him without ceasing; and as to you, you take not heed of it.
“However much you pray, however much you do, you will never recompense the pains I have
taken for you.
“Six days I have given you to labor, the seventh I have kept for myself; and they will not give it
to me. It is this which makes the arm of my Son so heavy.
“Those who drive the carts cannot swear without introducing the name of my Son. These are the
two things which make the arm of my Son so heavy.
“If the harvest is spoilt, it is all on your account. I gave you warning last year with the potatoes
(„pommes de terre‟) but you did not heed it. On the contrary, when you found the potatoes spoilt,
you swore, you took the name of my Son in vain. They will continue to decay, so that by
Christmas there will be none left.”
The French expression “pommes de terre” intrigued Melanie. In the local dialect the word for
potatoes was “las truffas”, whereas “pommes” for Melanie meant the fruit of the apple tree.
Hence she instinctively turned towards Maximin to ask for an explanation, but the Beautiful
Lady forestalled her.
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“Ah, my children, you do not understand? Well, wait, I shall say it otherwise”.
And she continued her discourse in the local dialect of their region.
“If you have wheat, it is no good to sow it; all you sow the insects will eat, and what comes up
will fall into dust when you thresh it.”
“There will come a great famine. Before the famine comes, the children under seven years of
age will be seized with trembling and will die in the hands of those who hold them; the others
will do penance by the famine. The walnuts will become bad, and the grapes will rot.”
Here the Beautiful Lady addressed the children separately, confiding to each a secret. She spoke
first to Maximin, and though the little shepherd did not perceive that her tone of voice had
changed, Melanie at his side could not hear a word, though she still saw the Beautiful Lady's lips
moving. Then came Melanie's turn to receive her secret under like conditions. Both secrets were
given in French. Again addressing the two children in the idiom familiar to them, the Lady
continued: “If they are converted, the stones and rocks will change into mounds of wheat, and
the potatoes will be self-sown in the land.
“Do you say your prayers well, my children?”, she asked the shepherds. Both answered with
complete frankness: “Not very well, Madam”. “Ah, my children”, she exhorted them, “you must
be sure to say them well morning and evening. When you cannot do better, say at least an Our
Father and a Hail Mary; but when you have time, say more.”
“There are none who go to Mass except a few aged women. The rest work on Sunday all
summer; then in the winter, when they know not what to do, they go to Mass only to mock at
religion. During Lent, they go to the meat-market like dogs.”
“Have you never seen wheat that is spoilt, my children?”, the Beautiful Lady then asked them.
“No, Madam”, they replied.
“But you, my child”, she insisted, addressing the little boy in particular, “you must surely have
seen some once when you were at the farm of Coin with your father. (Coin was a hamlet near the
town of Corps). The owner of the field told your father to go and see his ruined wheat. You went
together. You took two or three ears of wheat into your hands and rubbed them, and they fell into
dust. Then you continued home. When you were still half an hour's distance from Corps, your
father gave you a piece of bread and said to you: „Here, my child, eat some bread this year at
least; I don't know who will eat any next year, if the wheat goes on like that‟”.
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Confronted with such precise details, Maximin eagerly replied: “Oh yes, Madam, I remember
now; just at this moment I did not remember”.
Then the Lady, again speaking French as at the beginning of her discourse and when giving the
secrets, said to them: “Well, my children, you will make this known to all my people.” Now she
turned slightly to her left, passed in front of the children, crossed the brook Sezia, stepping on
stones emerging from it, and when she was about ten feet from the opposite bank repeated her
final request, without turning around or stopping: “Well, my children, you will make this well
known to all my people.” These were her last words.
Source:https://www.grenoble-tourisme.com/en/catalog/activity/sanctuaire-de-notre-dame-de-la-salette106706/
Our Lady of La Salette Shrine, Corps Alps, La Salette. The exact location of Mary’s apparition at La
Salette, France.
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Meanwhile the two witnesses were still standing motionless at the spot where the conversation
had taken place, when suddenly they realized that the heavenly Visitor was already some steps
away from them. In their eagerness to join her again, they ran across the brook and were with her
in a moment. Thus, in the company of Maximin and Melanie, the Lady moved along, gliding
over the tips of the grass without touching it, until she reached the top of the hillock where the
children, after their sleep, had gone to look after their cows. Melanie preceded her by a few
steps, and Maximin was at her right.
On reaching the summit the Lady paused for a few seconds, then slowly rose up to a height of a
meter and a half. She remained suspended in the air for a moment, raised her eyes to Heaven,
then glanced in the direction of the southeast. At that moment, Melanie, who had been standing
at the left of the Lady, came in front in order to see her better. Only then did she notice that the
celestial Visitor had ceased weeping, although her features remained very sad.
The radiant vision now began to disappear. “We saw her head no more, then the rest of the body
no more; she seemed to melt away. There remained a great light”, related Maximin, “as well as
the roses at her feet which I tried to catch with my hands; but there was nothing more”. “We
looked for a long time”, added Melanie, “to see if we could not have another glimpse of her”, but
the Beautiful Lady had disappeared forever. The little shepherdess then remarked to her
companion: “Perhaps it was a great Saint”. “If we had known it was a great Saint”, said
Maximin, “we would have asked her to take us with her”.
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TOPIC 2
VISION, MISSION, PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
La Salette education is a transformative process towards the fullness of being, inspired by the
message of reconciliation, as lived and experienced by the community through the integration of
Filipino cultural and university core values rooted in Jesus Christ.
Vision:
The University of La Salette, Inc. a Catholic institution founded by the Missionaries of Our Lay
of La Salette, forms reconcilers “ so that they may have life and have it to the full “( John 10:10 )
Mission:
The University of La Salette, Inc. is a premier institution of choice, providing accessible, quality,
and transformative education for integral human development particularly the poor.
Core Values:
 Faith – The total submission to God‟s call to Holiness and commitment to His will.
 Reconciliation – The constantly renewing our relationship with God, others and all creation
through life of prayer, penance and zeal.
 Integrity – The courage and determination to live and die for Salettinian ideals.
 Excellence – Upholding the highest standard of quality assured education and professionalism
in the areas of instruction, research, and extension.
 Solidarity - Commitment to building a community anchored on mutual trust, confidence,
teamwork, unity and respect for the dignity of the humen person and creation.
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Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this module you are expected to:
1. Share the importance of religion in the promotion of peace and unity.
2. Identify the significant role of religion in promoting peace and unity.
TOPIC 1
RELIGION AS A UNIVERSAL PHENOMENON
Religion means. The belief in and worship of a supernatural controlling power, especially a
personal god or gods.. A particular system of faith and worship.. The way of life committed to by
monks and nuns.. religion, synonyms: faith, mythology.
Religious Phenomenon?
During a religious experience, a human being can be accompanied by various religious
phenomena, which some researchers describe as “incidental” religious phenomena. They are
characterized by varied intensity, complexity and changeable frequency [1,2]. They can be
visions, ecstasies, mystical raptures, and stigmata.
Why is religion universal in human society?
Religion is a social institution because it includes beliefs and practices that serve the needs
of society. Religion is also an example of a cultural universal because it is found in
all societies in one form or another.
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The Universal Call To Prayer
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2566
Man is in search of God. In the act of creation, God calls every being from
nothingness into existence. "Crowned with glory and honor," man is, after the
angels, capable of acknowledging "how majestic is the name of the Lord in all
the earth."1 Even after losing through his sin his likeness to God, man remains
an image of his Creator, and retains the desire for the one who calls him into
existence. All religions bear witness to men's essential search for God.
Acts 17:27
“that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far
from each one of us “
Seven Dimensions of Religion
The Ritual Dimension
This is the way in which the community re-enacts its myths and confirms and expresses its
beliefs through action. Worship, Praying, Regular Gatherings, Rites of Passage.
The Experiential Dimension
This is one of the most attractive dimensions of religion - the capacity of ritual, prayer, worship
to evoke feelings of security and comfort or on the other hand feelings of awe, inexplicable
presence, mystery, ecstasy. People react when they have encountered something which they
believe is very profound
The Mythical Dimension
Myths are the sacred stories that pass from generation to generation - they are sacred because
they reveal and explain what that tradition believes to be the ultimate nature of gods, humans and
the universe – One such story is the Hopi tradition of how peaches became sweet and the bees
got wings. – The stories in the 3 case studies of the Australian Aboriginals, the Tingling, and the
Polynesians we studied
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The Doctrinal Dimension ( philosophical )
Many religions have a system of doctrines - beliefs about the nature of Divinity or ultimate
reality and the relationship of humans to that ultimate, real, divinity. Provides rational for many
of the practices and ideas of the religion.

Trinity

Bodhisattva
The Ethical Dimension ( legal )
In every tradition you will find sets of rules, behavioral precepts or guidelines for conduct
according to which the community judges a person good or evil depending on the level of
conformity to those precepts. Ideas and laws that shape behavior.
Laws of Man

Beatitudes

5 Precepts

Ten Commandment
The Social Dimension ( institutional )
A religious tradition implies some sort of social organization through which it perpetuates itself.
There can be individuals who exemplify the religious tradition, and who live outside of society,
but the teachings and the tradition itself is preserved and passed on through the social
organization of churches, temples, mosques or monasteries.

Masjid

Church

Synagogue

Sangha
The Material Dimension
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The physical buildings, implements, paintings, statues, books, etc. associated with a tradition, as
well as geographical places and features that are mythically associated with the tradition.
An outgrowth of religious experience/encounter.

Music

Art

Symbol

Architecture
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TOPIC 1
DIVINE REVELATION
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
1. Make a reflection paper on how you encounter God in your life for the first time.
2. Explain why there is a need for God to give His Law to His people.
3. Identify some factors on how you keep God‟s Law.
4. Choose your favorite Biblical passage on keeping God‟s Law and make a reflection paper on
how it affects your daily actions.
God Reveals Himself To His Creations And Makes Known The Mystery Of His Will
Through Historical Men And Women.
It “pleased God to reveal himself and to make known the mystery of His will through which men
and women could have access to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit and thus become
sharers in the divine nature (Eph 1:9; 2:18; 2 Pt 1:4).
Judeo-Christianity: as Revealed Religion (Religion of the Book)
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"God, who creates and conserves all things by his Word,
provides men with constant evidence of himself in created
realities. And furthermore, wishing to open up the way to
heavenly salvation - he manifested himself to our first
parents from the very beginning” (CCC 54 DV 3;
cf. Jn 1:3; Rom 1:19-20). He invited them to intimate
communion with himself and clothed them with
resplendent grace and justice.
This revelation was not broken off by our first parents' sin.
"After the fall, [God] buoyed them up with the hope of salvation, by promising redemption; and
he has never ceased to show his solicitude for the human race. For he wishes to give eternal life
to all those who seek salvation by patience in well-doing” (DV 3; cf. Gen 3:15; Rom 2:6-7).
Revelation to Chosen Ones (Israel and later the Gentiles)
God chose the people of Israel to be a special treasure whom he would deliver from slavery and
establish a covenant with them. This covenant established laws that would allow the people to
proclaim that God is the only living and true God.
“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; it
is you the Lord has chosen out of all the peoples on
earth to be his people, his treasured possession.”
(NRSV)
“Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my
covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out
of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is
mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and
a holy nation. These are the words that you shall
speak to the Israelites.” (NRSV) Ex. 19: 5-6
Revelation by Love
By love, God has revealed Himself and given Himself for all men and women in order that we
might know Him and realize the meaning and purpose of our lives.
Gradual Revelation
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In revelation God speaks so that men may respond to him, know him, and love him far beyond
their own natural capacity. God reveals himself gradually, in deeds and words. CCC 64, CCC 53,
68
God promised to remain with his adopted sons and daughters of Israel forever. He did not just
reveal Himself to them one time but continues to do so, especially through the prophet.
No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father
of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come
from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your
descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your
descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will
give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
(NRSV) Gen. 5-8
God’s Revelation
God Reveals His "Plan Of Loving Goodness"
511 "It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to make known the
mystery of his will. His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Christ, the
Word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit, and thus become sharers in the divine nature."22
52 God, who "dwells in unapproachable light", wants to communicate his own divine life to the
men he freely created, in order to adopt them as his sons in his only-begotten Son.3 By revealing
himself God wishes to make them capable of responding to him, and of knowing him and of
loving him far beyond their own natural capacity.
53 The divine plan of Revelation is realized simultaneously "by deeds and words which are
intrinsically bound up with each other"4 and shed light on each another. It involves a specific
divine pedagogy: God communicates himself to man gradually. He prepares him to welcome by
stages the supernatural Revelation that is to culminate in the person and mission of the incarnate
Word, Jesus Christ.
St. Irenaeus of Lyons repeatedly speaks of this divine pedagogy using the image of God and man
becoming accustomed to one another: The Word of God dwelt in man and became the Son of
1
This numeric before the paragraph signify the paragraph‟s number in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
2
This numeric after the sentence/s signifies the verse in the Bible where a particular passage is taken.
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man in order to accustom man to perceive God and to accustom God to dwell in man, according
to the Father's pleasure.5
The Stages Of Revelation
1. In The Beginning God Makes Himself Known
54"God, who creates and conserves all things by his Word, provides
men with constant evidence of himself in created realities. And
furthermore, wishing to open up the way to heavenly salvation - he
manifested himself to our first parents from the very beginning."6 He
invited them to intimate communion with himself and clothed them
with resplendent grace and justice.
55 This revelation was not broken off by our first parents' sin. "After the fall, [God] buoyed them
up with the hope of salvation, by promising redemption; and he has never ceased to show his
solicitude for the human race. For he wishes to give eternal life to all those who seek salvation
by patience in well-doing."7 Even when he disobeyed you and lost your friendship you did not
abandon him to the power of death. . . Again and again you offered a covenant to man.8
2. The Covenant with Noah
56 After the unity of the human race was shattered by sin God at once sought to save humanity
part by part. The covenant with Noah after the flood gives expression to the principle of the
divine economy toward the "nations", in other words, towards men grouped "in their lands, each
with [its] own language, by their families, in their nations".9
57 This state of division into many nations is at once cosmic, social and religious. It is intended
to limit the pride of fallen humanity10 united only in its perverse ambition to forge its own unity
as at Babel.11 But, because of sin, both polytheism and the idolatry of the nation
and of its rulers constantly threaten this provisional economy with the perversion
of paganism.12
58 The covenant with Noah remains in force during the times of the Gentiles, until
the universal proclamation of the Gospel.13 The Bible venerates several great
figures among the Gentiles: Abel the just, the king-priest Melchisedek - a figure of
Christ - and the upright "Noah, Daniel, and Job".14 Scripture thus expresses the
heights of sanctity that can be reached by those who live according to the
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covenant of Noah, waiting for Christ to "gather into one the children of God who are scattered
abroad".
3. God chooses Abraham
59 In order to gather together scattered humanity God calls Abram from
his country, his kindred and his father's house,16 and makes him Abraham,
that is, "the father of a multitude of nations". "In you all the nations of the
earth shall be blessed."17
60 The people descended from Abraham would be the trustee of the
promise made to the patriarchs, the chosen people, called to prepare for
that day when God would gather all his children into the unity of the
Church.18 They would be the root on to which the Gentiles would be
grafted, once they came to believe.19
61 The patriarchs, prophets and certain other Old Testament figures have been and always will
be honored as saints in all the Church's liturgical traditions.
4. God forms his people Israel
62 After the patriarchs, God formed Israel as his people by freeing them
from slavery in Egypt. He established with them the covenant of Mount
Sinai and, through Moses, gave them his law so that they would
recognize him and serve him as the one living and true God, the
provident Father and just judge, and so that they would look for the
promised Savior.
The Call of Moses
63 Israel is the priestly people of God, "called by the name of the LORD", and "the first to hear
the word of God",21 the people of "elder brethren" in the faith of Abraham.
64 Through the prophets, God forms his people in the hope of salvation, in the expectation of a
new and everlasting Covenant intended for all, to be written on their hearts.22 The prophets
proclaim a radical redemption of the People of God, purification from all their infidelities, a
salvation which will include all the nations.23 Above all, the poor and humble of the Lord will
bear this hope. Such holy women as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Judith
and Esther kept alive the hope of Israel's salvation. The purest figure among them is Mary.24
5. Christ Jesus -- "Mediator And Fullness Of All Revelation"25
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God has said everything in his Word
65 "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by
the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a
Son."26 Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father's one,
perfect and unsurpassable Word. In him he has said everything;
there will be no other word than this one. St. John of the Cross,
among others, commented strikingly on Hebrews 1:1-2:
In giving us his Son, his only Word (for he possesses no other), he
spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word - and he has no
more to say. . . because what he spoke before to the prophets in
parts, he has now spoken all at once by giving us the All Who is
The Risen Christ
His Son. Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or
revelation would be guilty not only of foolish behavior but also of
offending him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living with the desire for some
other novelty.
There will be no further Revelation
66 "The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never
pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of
our Lord Jesus Christ."28 Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made
completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the
course of the centuries.
67 Throughout the ages, there have been so-called "private" revelations, some of which have
been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of
faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live
more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the Magisterium of the Church,
the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes
an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.
Christian faith cannot accept "revelations" that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of
which Christ is the fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions and also in certain
recent sects which base themselves on such "revelations".
In Christ, God has revealed everything.
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“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these
last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he
also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God‟s glory and the exact imprint of God‟s very
being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.” (NRSV) Heb. 1: 1-3
 Faith is Man‟s Response to Revelation
 Man‟s response to revelation is called Faith. CCC 52, 142-144
 Faith is a surrendering of our intellect and will to God. CCC 150-55
 Faith is also a human act to trust in God and this act can only be made by man by grace. Grace
is a gift from God.
 Faith builds upon reason to heal it, perfect and elevate it. CCC 156-58
 No one can force man to have faith in God. Man has free will to choose God. CCC 160-65
 Faith is necessary for salvation; it is the beginning of eternal life.
 To live, grow, and persevere in faith, man must pray, nourish his faith with the Word of God,
and do acts of charity.
IN BRIEF
68 By love, God has revealed himself and given himself to man. He has thus provided the
definitive, superabundant answer to the questions that man asks himself about the meaning and
purpose of his life.
69 God has revealed himself to man by gradually communicating his own mystery in deeds and
in words.
70 Beyond the witness to himself that God gives in created things, he manifested himself to our
first parents, spoke to them and, after the fall, promised them salvation (cf. Gen 3:15) and offered
them his covenant.
71 God made an everlasting covenant with Noah and with all living beings (cf. Gen 9:16). It will
remain in force as long as the world lasts.
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72 God chose Abraham and made a covenant with him and his descendants. By the covenant
God formed his people and revealed his law to them through Moses. Through the prophets, he
prepared them to accept the salvation destined for all humanity.
73 God has revealed himself fully by sending his own Son, in whom he has established his
covenant for ever. The Son is his Father's definitive Word; so there will be no further Revelation
after him.
Revelation Can Be Found In Several Contexts
Revelation can be found in several contexts.
 God, who creates and conserves all things by his Word provided men with constant evidence
of himself in created realities.
 Jesus Christ, sent as a man among men, spoke the words of God and accomplished the saving
work which the Father gave him to do.
 Christ the Lord, in whom the entire Revelation of the Most High God is summed up,
commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel. In preaching the Gospel they communicated the
gifts of God to all men.
 The apostles and other men associated with them, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
committed the message of salvation to writing.
 The full deposit of what was revealed is guarded and expounded faithfully through the
Church‟s Magisterium
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TOPIC 2
GOD’S REVELATION THROUGH SACRED TEXTS
God is the author of Sacred Scripture. "The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and
presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit” (DeiVerbum 11).
What is the Bible?
Christians believe that the Bible is inspired by God, is without error, and does not misrepresent
the facts. It is entirely trustworthy and is the final authority on everything it teaches. The Bible
records the drama of redemption in the history of Israel and the life, death, and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. As Christians we acknowledge both Jesus (John 1:1) and Scripture (2 Timothy
3:16) as the “Word of God.” Christians should not focus solely on Jesus Christ and treat
Scripture just like any other “classic text.” Nor should we focus primarily on the Bible as God‟s
divine inerrant Word and treat Jesus as simply a character in a small part of the texts.
Bible – Etymology “ Biblia “ meaning book
 It is a collection of Ancient writing about God
 Words of God in words of men, Sacred book of God.
 Written by persons from the people of God, for the people of God, about the God experience
of the people of God.
 Collection of sacred scriptures are the inspired record of how God deal his people, and how
they responded to, remembered and interpreted that experience.
Nature Of The Bible:
 The Bible is a book of shared memories. It is a record of a people‟s experiences woven into a
life history.
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 The Bible is a Word of God. It is a divine revelation in human expression. It is the work of
God and the work of human hands written in faith and can be understood by faith.
 The Bible is a means of Divine Revelation. It reveals and conceals God‟s self-gift. It invites us
to an ever deeper encounter self- gift.
 The Bible is the Library of Books. It contains books of different literary genres, written at
different times and written at different places and from varied reasons.
Divisions Of The Bible
Old Testament
These are stories about an old agreement between God ( YHWH ) and man ( Hebrews ) when the
Hebrews came out from Egypt and how it worked out.It is a lesson on faithfulness, expressed
variedly through laws, stories, prophecies and wisdom literature. It highlights the ever faithful
God who always keeps on gathering his people despite their constantly being scattered.
New Testament
These are stories and teaching about a new agreement between God and man based on the
teaching and life of Jesus who opened up the relationship between God and all men who believed
in Him.
Religions of the Book: Judaism, Christianity, Islam
For Judaism: God revealed himself in/through the O.T. (36 books – Hebrew Classification of
Books in O.T)
For Catholics: God revealed himself in/through the O.T and N.T (46 books in the O.T & 27
books (book, gospels & letters) in the N.T.
For Protestant (following the Hebrew Classification)
For Islam: God revealed in/through Kor‟an
*The Catholic Church Only Recognizes 73 Books in the Holy Bible
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The Church accepts and venerates as inspired the 46 books of the Old Testament and the 27
books of the New.
It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in
the list of the sacred books (Cf. DV 8 § 3). This complete list is called the canon of Scripture. It
includes 46 books for the Old Testament (45 if we count Jeremiah and Lamentations as one) and
27 for the New (DS 179; 1334-1336; 1501-1504).
The Hebrew Bible: TaNaK
The Hebrew Bible has been traditionally divided into three parts: Law, or Tora,
Prophets, or Nevi‟im
Writings, or Ketuvim
The acronym “Tanak” refers to this tripartite division (i.e., Torah [T], Nevi‟im [N], Ketuvim
[K]).
Translations of the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew: the Original Language:
Hebrew Text in Extant today in distinct forms
The Masoretic Text:
The official version of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, for Judaism and Christianity since
the early Middle Ages. Masoretic Text, which derives its name from the Masoretes, the scribes
who preserved, edited, and pointed the text (i.e., added vowel signs, accents, and punctuation of
a sort). The Masoretic tradition probably originated in the late first or early second century.
Samaritan Pentateuch:
As a distinct recension the Samaritan Pentateuch probably owes its origin to the schism in the
second century BCE.
There are 150 manuscripts of the Samaritan Pentateuch, many nothing more than fragments, and
most in Hebrew, though some are in Aramaic and Arabic.
Old Greek (Septuagenta)
The Greek Translation of the Old Testament (including the Old Testament Apocrypha).
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The name “seventy” comes from the legend found in the pseudepigraphal Letter of Aristeas, in
which it is claimed that King Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–247 BCE) commissioned seventytwo
Palestinian scribes to translate the Hebrew Pentateuch into Greek for the royal library.
Old Latin (Vulgata)
The Old Latin survives in fragmentary manuscripts,
liturgical books, and quotations of early Latin fathers (e.g., Tertullian, Cyprian, Ambrose).
A few books survive in complete form as part of the Vulgate (Baruch, Epistle of Jeremiah,
Wisdom, Sirach, 1 and 2 Maccabees).
Vulgate.
In 382 Pope Damasus I commissioned Jerome to prepare a reliable Latin translation of the Bible.
Based the Old Testament translation on the Hebrew text.
Targums
Produced over generations in the homiletical and liturgical setting of the synagogue, the targums
constitute an Aramaic translation/paraphrase/interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. The word
targum, from the Aramaic word trgm, “to translate,” basically means a paraphrase or interpretive
translation.
Versions of English Translated Holy Bible
Some versions:
 English Standard Version (ESV)
 Good News Bible (Catholic edition in Septuagint order) (GNBDK)
 Good News Bible (GNB)
 King James Version (KJV)
 King James Version, American Edition (KJVA)
 New American Bible, revised edition (NABRE)
 New American Bible, revised edition (NABRE)
 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
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 New King James Version (NKJV)
 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
 World English Bible (WEB)
AND MANY MORE…
From English Translations to Vernacular

Ilokano

Cebuano

Tagalog

Kapangpangan

Bicolano

Hiligaynon
Several Directives Regarding Scripture In The Life Of The Church
Dei Verbum ( word of God )
- provided several directives regarding scripture in the life of the Church:
The Church must see to it that suitable and correct translations are made into various languages
especially from the original texts of the sacred books.
Under the watchful eye of the Magisterium 3 , the Church should set about examining and
explaining the sacred texts in such a way that as many as possible of those who are ministers of
the divine Word may be able to distribute fruitfully the nourishment of the Scriptures to the
People of God.
All clerics, particularly priests of Christ and others who, as deacons or catechists, are officially
engaged in the ministry of the Word, should immerse themselves in the Scriptures by constant
sacred reading and diligent study.
3
Magisterium refers to the Teaching Authority of the Church.
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Bishops in particular must instruct the faithful in the correct use of the divine books, especially
of the New Testament, and in particular of the Gospels. The need for translations equipped with
necessary and really adequate explanations was noted in this directive.
Editions of sacred Scripture, provided with suitable notes, should be prepared for the use of even
non-Christians, and adapted to their circumstances
God is the Primary Author
God is the author of Sacred Scripture. "The divinely
revealed realities, which are contained and presented in
the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit” (Dei Verbum
11).
God is the author of Sacred Scripture because he inspired
its human authors; he acts in them and by means of them.
He thus gives assurance that their writings teach without
error his saving truth (cf. DV 11)
God is the primary author:

Bible was written by men under divine inspiration

People who wrote the Bible (authors: from O.T. to N.T)

Written in different places

Written at different period

Written in different social, cultural, political and economic milieu
The Canon of the Bible (that is, the law which books of the bible have been officially declared
by Catholic Church)
Interpretation of Text (Hermeneutics)
God‟s message needs the science of hermeneutics.
God‟s revelation/message has been filtered by different cultures and experiences.
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