Sources of Wisdom and Authority Flashcards
What is the Bible
The Bible is the holy book of Christians, it is a library of 73 books that were written by 40 different authors over a 1500 year period
What do Christians believe about the Bible
Christians believe the Bible is divinely inspired and reveals God to his creation
How many books are in the Old Testament
39 books mainly written in Hebrew.
How many books are in the New Testament
27 books mainly written in Greek.
Old Testament
These are the ancient Hebrew Scriptures, and are about the Jewish people before the birth of Christ.
It is the story of a covenant people of Israel, the people to whom God revealed his plan of salvation history through the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant with the Ten Commandments, and through the sending of the prophets.
New Testament
These are stories and letters about the life of Christ and the early Christian community
The New Testament is the living witness of a resurrected people and the new and everlasting covenant.
What type of books are found in the Old Testament
. History
. Prophets
. Writings
What type of books are found in the New Testament
. 4 Gospels
. The Act of the Apostles
. 21 letters
What is the Catholic interpretation of the Bible
Inspired Word of God
Catholics believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, written down by human writers
The Bible is God’s message in human words and as such is influenced by the human writer’s personal beliefs and interests.
What is the Evangelical Protestant interpretation of the Bible
It is the word of God and must always be taken literally, therefore it is called a literalist Christian view.
There are no mistakes and everything in the Bible is true; it is inerrant (containing no errors) and absolute.
If the Bible seems to contradict itself, there must be a reason for this.
If the Bible seems to contradict science, scientists must be wrong.
What is the Liberal Protestant interpretation of the Bible
The Bible was written by humans; inspired like any other writers. This is sometimes called the liberal view.
The Bible contains spiritual truths and not literal truths.
The Bible helps people become closer to God by sharing human experience.
What are the divergent understandings of the authority of the Bible within Christianity
Catholics accept the teachings of Science (such as the Big Bang and evolution) because they are not literalists.
The Catechism teaches that God is the author of the Bible. In Church, after readings, the phrase ‘The Word of the Lord’ is used.
Faith in Christ and the Church is most important. Faith in the Bible comes second.
The clergy (Priests and Bishops) use the magisterium to help interpret scripture
for the people.
What is Magisterium
‘Magisterium’ signifies authority to teach the truth of salvation.
This authority rests with the Pope and his bishops, and comes from the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent at Pentecost to guide the Church.
The Pope and the magisterium are servants of the faith that has been handed down by apostolic succession from St Peter to the Pope today- this is the Sacred Tradition.
Ordinary Magisterium
These are the everyday teachings of the Church, found in the sayings and writings of bishops and Popes, e.g. in letters and homilies. It is infallible and has complete authority for Catholics
Extraordinary Magisterium
This is the infallible teaching of the Church on a special matter, it can be either :
. Conciliar
. Pontifical
Conciliar Magisterium
Through an ecumenical council. This is when the Pope calls together all the bishops of the Church to settle a matter of dispute or to explore new questions facing the Church. There have only ever been 21 of these.
Pontifical Magisterium
Through the ex cathedra declarations of the Pope.
Under certain very particular and rare conditions the Pope can declare some teachings of the Church to be infallible:
Pope Pius IX, 1854, defined the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
Pope Pius XII, 1950, defined the Assumption of Mary
What is a dogma
A doctrine defined as infallible by the extraordinary magisterium is called a dogma
The Magisterium as a source of wisdom and authority
“The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.”(CCC100)
The statement refers to the Apostolic Tradition, i.e. the oral teachings of the apostles that were never written down. It has been handed down to today’s Church through Apostolic Succession: centuries of repetition to form traditions within the Catholic Church. Therefore, the Magisterium has supreme authority
What is the role of the Magisterium
interpret the Bible and the Apostolic Tradition for the life of Catholics in the modern world
to help Catholics respond to new situations e.g. advancements in technology and medicine like genetic engineering and IVF treatments.