In objecting to the Church speaking out on moral issues, a friend recently quoted the “Judge not…” line from Scripture. It made me think of this…
Posts Tagged ‘Bible’
Suffering – Part 1: Is it inevitable?
14
Sep
I’ve been working on a document for a friend which examines the Scriptural perspective on suffering. I thought I’d share a few sections of it here…
Read the Cat!
31
Aug
Yesterday I posted the MP3 recordings of “Dei Verbum”, the document on Sacred Scripture from the Second Vatican Council.
I decided that today I’d also post the section of the Catechism on Sacred Scripture, which draws extremely heavily from that Council document.
Catechism On Scripture (PDF) (MP3)
Speaking of the Catechism, did you know that Flocknote have a service which will email you a short section of the Catechism each day?
Leading a Bible study Feedback: Part 2
07
Aug
Today I’m going to continue looking at some of the feedback I received from my series on Leading a Bible Study. Yesterday I considered the meeting location and today I’m going to look at the comments concerning the discussion itself.
A Bible study leader should try and encourage the shy members of the group to speak up
Impressing Girls at Bible Studies
22
Jul
Have you ever been to a Bible study with a guy who always seems able to find the right page of the Bible in seconds? It’s impressive, right? You’re still flipping backwards and forwards through the Bible while he’s looking smug, polishing his glasses and helping the more attractive females in the group find the right page…
I would suggest that he’s able to find things so quickly, in large part, due to his understanding of the structure of the Bible. We looked at the structure of the New Testament yesterday, so let’s apply what we covered yesterday.
Let’s say that we’re looking for the 2 Timothy 3:15…
We know that Paul wrote this letter. Therefore 2 Timothy 3:15 must appear after the Gospels and Acts.
We also know that if we find ourselves flicking through the epistles from other Saints (James, Peter etc.) then we’ve gone too far.
When we’ve found the Pauline epistles, we have to narrow down our search…
We know that 2nd Timothy is a letter to a person (Timothy), so it must appear in the second half of Paul’s letters, after his letters to communities.
After a little bit of searching we finally come across 2nd Timothy. We turn to Chapter 3 and look to the 15th verse:
…from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. - 2 Timothy 3:15
So it’s clear that understanding the structure of the Bible makes it considerably easier to navigate. Now you can be a Bible ninja too 
From Nathan Huang
The Shape of the New Testament
21
Jul
One of the wonderful treasures of the Catholic faith in the Roman Rite is the Lectionary.
Every Sunday the congregation hears large chunks of Scripture selected from different parts of the Bible, from both the Old and New Testaments:
1. Old Testament passage
2. Psalm
3. New Testament Epistle
4. Gospel Reading
Making Connections
The Readings selected for each week are usually united by a common theme. This is especially true for the Old Testament passage and the Gospel Reading. The brilliance of this arrangement is that it shows the unity between the Old and New Testaments. As the great Early Church Father, St. Augustine, wrote:
“The New Testament is hidden in the Old and the Old is revealed in the New”
- St. Augustine of Hippo, “Quaestiones in Heptateuchum” 2.73
However, as good as this arrangement is, I have found that it can lead to certain difficulties. In particular, Catholics can sometimes have difficulties understanding how the Readings they hear on Sunday relate to the respective books of Scripture from which they are drawn, and also how those books fit into the the New Testament as a whole.
What can be done to address this problem? Well, when leading small Bible study groups, I always begin by asking those present to walk me through their New Testament’s “Table of Contents” page. I do this because, as with most things, once one comprehends the overall structure of something, the contents becomes less intimidating and more memorable because one already understands the framework and context in which that content has been placed.
Clients From Hell
21
Jun
I’m subscribed to Clients From Hell. Here’s a great post from yesterday:
Client: Do you animate bible stories?
Me: We don’t currently, but we can animate anything you like. What do you have in mind?
Client: Well how much is it to animate the bible?
Me: Well it depends on what stories from the bible you want. The duration of the animation, how many characters, sets etc. Do you have a script?
Client: Well I don’t want to elaborate on the bible, I just want to animate it for the kids.
Me: Right, okay, but in order to give you a budget I need to start somewhere so I can figure out roughly how many characters, props and such.
Client: How much time will it take for creation?
Me: The creation of the assets? Characters, sets etc?
Client: No, Creation, in the book of Genesis.
Me: A lot more then 7 days.
My “Life Verse”
08
Jun
A lot of Christians choose a “life verse”, a favourite verse from the Bible which is a source of encouragement and inspiration. If I had to pick one passage from the Bible I guess I’d choose the following text from 2nd Corinthians:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Here’s what Tim Hawkins has to say about his favourite Bible verse…
The Medicine Chest
05
May
“Procure books [of the Bible] that will be medicines for the soul. At least get a copy of the New Testament, the Apostle’s epistles, the Acts, the Gospels, for your constant teachers.
If you encounter grief, dive into them as into a chest of medicines; take from them comfort for your trouble, whether it be loss, or death, or bereavement over the loss of relations.
Don’t simply dive into them. Swim in them. Keep them constantly in your mind. The cause of all evils is the failure to know the Scriptures well.” – St. John Chrysostom
You’ve got (ancient) mail!
22
Dec
When reading any book of the Bible we must first talk about its literary genre. What kind of writing is it? Is it apocalyptic? Is it poetry? Is it historical? The literary genre to which a document belongs affects how we understand it.
If we get the literary genre wrong, it is extremely likely that our interpretation will be faulty. Therefore, when we are looking at a book of the Bible which is an epistle i.e. a piece of correspondence, we must read it as such. It is also extremely helpful when reading a biblical epistle to first examine the conventions of letter writing at the time of the Apostles.
A friend recently asked that we should study the First Epistle of St. Peter together. Since I’ve had to explain the mechanics of ancient letters a few times now, I’ve decided to devote a blog entry to the subject so that I can easily refer to it in future 
(There is a technical difference between an “epistle” and a “letter” but we’ll ignore that distinction in this post)
Snooping on Mail
To see the structure of ancient letters more clearly, let’s examine a short letter written by a Pagan in approximately AD 150:
Apion sends heartiest greets to his father and lord Epimachus.
I pray above all that you are well and fit; and that things are going well with you and my sister and her daughter and my brother.
I thank my Lord Serapis that he kept me safe when I was in peril on the sea.
As soon as I got to Misenum I got my journey money from Caesar – three goldpieces. And things are going fine with me. So I beg you, my dear father, send me a line, first to let me know how you are, and then about my brothers, and thirdly, that I may kiss your hand because you brought me up well, and because of that I hope, God willing, soon to be promoted.
Give Capito my heartiest greetings, and my brothers and Serenilla and my friends. I sent you a little picture of myself painted by Euctemon. My military name is Antonius Maximus. I pray for your good health. Serenus sends good wishes, Agathos Daimon’s boy, and Burbo, Gallonius’ son.
Deconstructing Apion
There are several distinct features in this letter:
1. Greeting. The author first identifies himself (“Apion”) and then identifies to whom he is writing (his father “Epimachus”):
Apion sends heartiest greets to his father and lord Epimachus.
2. Prayer. The author prays for the health and well-being of the recipients (his father, siblings and niece):
I pray above all that you are well and fit; and that things are going well with you and my sister and her daughter and my brother.
3. Thanksgiving. The author gives thanks to his god (“Serapis”):
I thank my Lord Serapis that he kept me safe when I was in peril on the sea.
4. Body. There is then the main contents of the letter. He speaks a little bit about military life and expresses gratitude to his father.
As soon as I got to Misenum I got my journey money from Caesar – three goldpieces. And things are going fine with me. So I beg you, my dear father, send me a line, first to let me know how you are, and then about my brothers, and thirdly, that I may kiss your hand because you brought me up well, and because of that I hope, God willing, soon to be promoted…
5. Personal greetings. The author asks that his greetings be conveyed to some other people. Finally, he sends greetings from those who are with him.
Give Capito my heartiest greetings, and my brothers and Serenilla and my friends...Serenus sends good wishes, Agathos Daimon’s boy, and Burbo, Gallonius’ son
