Taken from : The Bible Blueprint-A Catholic’s Guide to Understanding and Embracing

God’s Word

By: Joe Paprocki

Loyola Press

THE BIBLE

METAPHORS

Blue Prints, Library, and Shrek?

A Blueprint is a plan. When it’s followed, a new creation is made. God has a plan for us, and when we follow His plan, we become a new creation. The Blueprint for salvation is found in the Bible, and the Bible itself is constructed according to a plan. In Jesus’ day, a carpenter was not just a cabinet maker or furniture builder, but really more an architect. It makes perfect sense that Joseph, Jesus’ father on earth was an architect, since His Heavenly Father is the “architect” of all creation.

God indeed, is an “architect” with a plan:

“For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

The Bible is a like a library-a collection of

booksConsider the Bible a library that you will become more familiar with over time. The more familiar you become with God’s library, the more you will

use it.

BIBLE BLUEPRINT8-SECTIONS OF THE

BIBLE

Old TestamentPentateuch

(Torah)HistoryWisdomProphets

New TestamentGospels

Acts of the ApostlesLetters

Revelation

B-I-B-L-E

This one’s okay….

B-asicI-nstructionB-eforeL-eavingE-earth

This one’s about revelation!

B-lessedI-Intimacy(relationship with God)

B-egets (to cause, generate)

L-life E-verlasting (Heaven)

We don’t read the Bible to find answers and we don’t study the Bible in order to debate it’s meaning with others. The Bible is an invitation to intimacy with God, a relationship with Him!

We pray the Bible so that we may encounter the living God who is revealing Himself through Genesis 1 to Revelation 22:21!

The Bible has many layers; the more you read it, the more layers you uncover, the more you know the Author…. Let’s let Shrek and Donkey help us with this one!

“Fight truth decay-study the Bible

daily”-C.S. Lewis

CHOOSING A BIBLE

The Bible was not written in English and Jesus did not speak English.

So, the English Bible we read today is an interpretation of the original language of the author, likely Hebrew or Greek.

By the 3rd Century, the Old Testament Books, originally written in Hebrew, were translated Greek, and by the 5th Century, the entire

Bible was translated to Latin. As Centuries progressed, the Bible was translated in many different languages. So, there is no such thing as

the original English text of the Bible.

Every Bible is an interpretation of the original text. We are called to interpret the Bible within the context of our faith tradition and within

the context of what the original author intended.

So, if different Bibles use different interpretations, how can one select a Bible that is consistent with a Catholic approach

to the Word of God?-First we need to understand the difference

between the Catholic and Protestant Bibles.

-both are the inspired Word of God-but it’s important to understand that our 2

traditions have different floor plans for organizing God’s library.

-the Catholic and Protestant traditions have developed their own final list of books, referred to as The Canon which they consider inspired and thus to be included in the Bible.

-The Catholic Canon contains 73 books; 46 Old Testament Books and 27 New Testament

-The Protestant Canon includes 66 books-omitting 7 books of the Old Testament

What translation of the Bible do we use at Mass on Sunday?

The New American Bible (NAB)

Other Catholic Bibles:The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB)

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

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ENTERING GOD’S LIBRARY

THE OLD TESTAMENT

THE PENTATEUCH OR

THE TORAH: THE FIVE BOOKS OF THE LAW

This section captures the beginnings of the relationship between God and the people of Israel, with the central focus being in the Exodus event-

the experience of being led from slavery to freedom

Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy

Highlights of the Pentateuch

-the Creation-Adam and Eve-Cain and Able-Noah’s Ark-the Tower of Babel-Abraham and Sarah-Joseph (the Coat of Many Colors)-Moses-in the reeds, the burning bush, the 10 plagues, the Passover, The 10 Commandments-the 12 Tribes of Israel-the laws, traditions and feasts of Israel

HISTORY:JOSHUA THROUGH 2 MACCABEES

This section records the story of the people of Israel who, under various leaders (book of Judges and Kings)

fought to establish and keep the Promised Land. Highlights of this

section include:Joshua-crossing the Jordan and the walls of Jericho

Samson and DelilahSamuel

King SaulDavid and Goliath-King David

Elijah and ElishaDivision of the Kingdom

Exile and ReturnJudith and Esther

WISDOM-BOOK OF WISDOM

THROUGH THE BOOK OF SIRACH

This section of the Bible gathers together all the wisdom teachings of the people of Israel that were collected over thousands of years of wandering the desert, living in the Promised Land, worshipping in the temple, and struggling through the Exile. This section also includes many anecdotes, sayings, prayers, poems, and songs.

Highlights of this section include:-Job’s suffering-150 Psalms for all occasions-wise sayings-”There is a time for everything”-thousands more sayings about wisdom, prudence, good health, wealth, holiness, family, friends, misery, death, and even table etiquette

PROPHETS-ISAIAH THROUGH MALACHI

The last section of the Old Testament. The prophets’ purpose was to call the people of Israel to return to their past faithfulness to God lest that face dire consequences. When the people of Israel find themselves mired in the Exile, the Prophets held out hope for the future. This hope was the promise of a messiah and an everlasting kingdom.Broken into the major

(lengthier): -Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the minor (briefer)-Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Jonah

THE NEW TESTAMENT

THE GOSPELS

The Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, contain the stories that are most sacred to our Christian faith and heritage: Stories of the life , teachings, miracles, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.

THE GOSPELS

The section of the Bible in which we walk with Jesus.Some Highlights:

-The birth of Jesus-The Holy Family-Temptation of Jesus in the desert-The Beatitudes and the Our Father-Parables-the Golden Rule and the Great Commandment--Numerous Miracles-The Last Supper, Eucharist, Washing of the Feet-Agony in the Garden-Peter’s Denial and Judas’ Betrayal-the Way of the Cross-the Crucifixion-the Resurrection and appearances of Jesus-Powerful images such as “the Bread of Life”, “The Light of World”, and “the Way, the Truth, and the Life”

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

It’s just one book-the Acts of the Apostles. It relives the experience of the early Christian community. It is in many ways a sequel to the Gospel Of Luke because it is written by the same author (unknown)

Some Highlights:-Jesus’ Ascension-the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost-the communal life of the early Church-Saul’s conversion and baptism-the missionary work of Peter, Saul (Paul), Barnabas-Peter and Paul’s miracles-Paul’s travels, imprisonment, shipwreck, and arrival in Rome

LETTERS-ALSO CALLED THE EPISTLES

ROMANS THROUGH JUDE

These are letters that represent communications in the early church-before email and text and Facebook All the letters are addressed to the Christians and the leaders of their communities. They were designed to teach, admonish, encourage, correct, and update the various churches.

Some highlights:-grace

-justification by faith-the Law

-the Eucharist-the metaphor of the Body-variety and unity of gifts

-ministry-suffering-Christ and his cross-Christian conduct

REVELATION-THE END OF THE

BIBLE

One of the most misunderstood books of the Bible. Many falsely use it to predict

the end of the world. It is written in apocalyptic style and uses many symbols and figurative language to describe the eternal struggle between good and evil. Despite all the frightening imagery, the uplifting conclusion of this book is that

good has, and always will prevail.

READING THE BIBLEFootnotes, Cross-References,

Concordances and Commentaries

CROSS-REFERENCES IN THE BIBLE

An extensive list of numbers of letters and Bible passages, where you can find another passage dealing with the same or related topic, story, character, etc. When you look up cross-references, you can compare how different books of the Bible tell the same story or reflect a similar event.-Isaiah 11:2: The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

-Matthew 3:16-After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him

FOOTNOTES

Additional information about a passage or verseDepending on the version you are reading, footnotes are symbolized by an asterisk * or consecutive letters of the alphabet

Reading footnotes (and cross-references) can help us gain an understanding that deepens our overall comprehension of the Bible.Footnotes provide us with :

-the meaning of a word or phrase-the historical setting of a story-geographical locations-important dates-how certain stories and people are related-customs and traditions of Biblical people

Let’s look up some footnotes:Genesis 6:5-22; Matthew 1

FACTS IN THE BIBLE

The Bible is a rich resource of historical data.Archeology has verified the existence of people, places

and events mentioned in the Bible. While it is true that there are many historical discrepancies when it

comes to biblical facts, the Bible is a treasury of historical information.

Everything in the Bible is true-but not necessarily fact. But, every time you read a scriptural passage, you are encountering God’s Truth!Figurative Language-when is the Bible using it?

THE NEXT STEPS-SOME STARTING

POINTS-MAY I RECOMMEND…

The Old Testament: The Book of Exodus-the Exodus story us the centerpiece of the entire Old Testament-the defining moment of the people of Israel. Full of drama, deadly plagues…

Psalms: A place to deepen our faith and our prayer life, easy reading and profound inspiration for every mood.

The Gospel of Mark: Mark’s Gospel is the shortest and easiest to read. A “just the facts” approach allows you to cover the whole Gospel story in just a few hours

A mother wanted to talk with her teenager, who was in their bedroom, but the door was closed. She could hear her teenager moving around, but her repeated knocks went unanswered. So, she wrote on a sticky note:

Revelation 3:20

“Listen, I am standing at the door, knocking.”

The mother left the note and went to the kitchen. A while later, she returned to her teenager’s room. The door remained closed and she could hear movement, but on the outside of the door, she saw a new sticky on the door that read:

Genesis 3:10

“I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid

because I was naked.”