UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES: A COMPLETE COURSE ON
BIBLE STUDY
Textbooks:
Understanding the Scriptures by Scott Hahn (The Didache Series)
The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version (2nd Catholic Edition).
Prerequisites:
Completion of Theology I: Introduction to Catholicism
Course Description:
This course introduces the student to a holistic understanding of the Word of God, which is most fully
revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God (Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of
Christ-St. Jerome). We will delve into the mystery of the Sacred Scriptures which draw us into a
covenantal relationship with the Triune God-Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The student will be challenged
to extrapolate from Scripture using methods covered in class.
Course Goals:
1. To help and encourage the student to study the Word of God independently.
2. To enable the student to recognize God speaking to them via the Sacred Scriptures
3. To enable the student to read the Scriptures theologically.
4. To immerse the student within the lived tradition of the Catholic faith which is grounded in
the Scriptures.
Course Objectives:
1. To develop a love for Christ as revealed in the Scriptures.
2. To understand the Jewish context for the New Testament (to read it as a 1st century Jew).
3. To synthesize the whole of the Biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation
4. To know the historical circumstances of the people of God and how God chose to save them
and make them His chosen people.
5. To describe the five covenants that God makes with us.
6. To relate the literal, moral, anagogical, and allegorical senses to specific Scripture passages.
Evaluation:
Homework assignments, quizzes, tests, Scripture memory verses, Gospel project, and participation
Supplemental Materials:
Films: Footprints of God Series, The Star of Bethlehem, Joseph, and Ten Commandments
Books: Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible
Course Sequence:
I. What is the Bible?
a. How the Bible was written
b. What “Salvation History” is
c. How the Canon came to be
II. The Old Testament
a. The Books of the Old Testament
b. Law, History, Wisdom, and Prophecy
c. Quick outline of Old Testament History
d. What typology is and how it works
III. The Creation of the World
a. The two creation accounts
b. A covenant with the Universe (Adam and Eve)
c. Creation is Good
d. The Marriage Covenant
e. Creationism and Evolution
f. Original Sin
IV. The Early World
a. The Evil Line of Cain
b. Cain and Abel
c. The Flood
d. The Tower of Babel
V. Abraham, Our Father
a. The Promises to Abram
b. The Three-fold Covenant with Abraham
c. The Story of Lot (Sodom and Gomorrah)
d. The Binding of Isaac
VI. The Patriarchs
a. Isaac and Rebekah
b. Jacob and Esau
c. Jacob’s Ladder
d. 12 Sons, 12 Tribes of Israel
e. Joseph and the “redemption” of his enslavement
VII. The Exodus
a. The Birth and Rescue of Moses
b. Moses Rebels
c. The Burning Bush
d. The Ten Plagues
e. The Passover
f. The Paschal Lamb as a type of Christ
g. The Covenant on Mt. Sinai
h. The Temple in Heaven and on Earth
VIII. The Law
a. The Golden Calf
b. The institution of the priesthood
c. In the Wilderness (Numbers)
d. Outline of Deuteronomy
IX. The Rise of the Kingdom
a. The Conquest of Canaan
b. Joshua
c. The Judges
d. Samuel, the King-maker
e. Saul, the Anointed one
f. David, the man after God’s own Heart
X. The Kingdom of David
a. Jerusalem, the New Capital
b. The Ark’s arrival
c. The Davidic Covenant
XI. Wise King Solomon
a. Imperial Israel
b. The Wisdom of Solomon
c. Solomon’s pride and apostasy
XII. The Divided Kingdom
a. Israel and Judah (North and South)
b. Jonah
c. Elijah and Elisha
d. Assyria conquers Israel
XIII. Conquest and Exile
a. Isaiah
b. Wicked King Manasseh
c. The Great Reform, Josiah
d. Jeremiah
e. The Babylonian Exile
XIV. A Remnant Returns
a. Cyrus the Messiah and Daniel
b. Ezra
c. What God really wants (when they return)
XV. Revolt of the Maccabees
a. Greeks desecrate the Temple
b. The success of the Maccabees
c. Hanukkah
XVI. The World of the New Testament
a. Pharisees, Sadducees
b. Herod the Great
c. The Spread of the Jewish Religion
d. The Samaritans
XVII. The New Testament
a. The New Law: the Four Gospels
b. The Evangelists (lives and background)
XVIII. The Incarnation
a. The “Word made Flesh”
b. The Birth of Jesus
c. The Epiphany
d. Jesus Teaching the teachers
XIX. What Jesus Did
a. John the Baptist baptizes Jesus
b. Temptation in the Wilderness
c. Water into Wine (Wedding of Cana)
d. Cleansing the Temple
e. Eating with Sinners
f. Women and Samaritans
XX. What Jesus Taught
a. Teaching with Authority
b. Parables
c. Love your enemies
d. Pray without Ceasing
e. Jesus is the Bread of Life
XXI. The Cup of Consummation
a. The Missing Cup
b. Gethsamene
c. Peter’s Denial
d. Blasphemy
e. Judas Repents
f. Pilate
g. Jesus is Crucified
h. “Behold Your Mother”
i. The Last Cup
XXII. The Resurrection
a. The Women who met the Risen Lord
b. The Road to Emmaus
c. Doubting Thomas
d. Back to Galilee
e. Peter’s Redemption
XXIII. Paul, An Apostle
a. Peter and Paul in Acts
b. Apostle to the Gentiles
c. Paul’s conversion
d. Paul’s Travels
XXIV. The End of History
a. What Jesus taught about the end of the world
b. The End of the old covenant
c. The Siege of Jerusalem
d. The Vision of the Heavenly Jerusalem
e. The Heavenly Eucharist
f. The Beasts in the Book of Revelation
g. The New Jerusalem
h. Early Christian Churches
XXV. How to Read the Bible
a. The Bible is Literature
b. The Four Senses of Scripture
c. Look to the Church for Guidance
d. Pray (encounter the Scriptures always in prayer)
