PROBLEMS WITH READING THE BIBLE

•Traduttore, traditore – Translator, traitor.

•Difference in culture, time, geography
SURVEY OF BIBLICAL HISTORY
AND THE ORIGIN OF THE BIBLE
From Cabrido, “Total Recall,” &
Swenson, “Getting to the Good Book: History of the
Bible”
TIME OF THE PATRIARCHS
• 2000-1800 B.C.
• Golden age of Egyptian culture. It became a magnet
attracting many migrants.
• Abram left Ur. He did try out in Egypt, but
eventually settled in Canaan.
• Late 18th century B.C.
• Hyksos, a Semitic race, grew in power. They overran
Egypt and became its new rulers c.a. 1650 B.C.
• Famine struck Canaan. Jacob’s descendants found
favor under the Semitic Hyksos’ rule through
Joseph.
EXODUS AND ENTRY TO THE PROMISED LAND
•c.a. 1550 B.C.
• Hyksos’ rule was overthrown.
• Israelites became slaves until the time of
Ramses II (1290-1224 B.C.)
•c.a. 1240 B.C.
• Exodus and the covenant at Sinai. Leader:
Moses
• When Israel entered Canaan, they were led by
Joshua.
Biblical Text/Tradition

•Yahwist Tradition (J)

• Use of YHWH to refer to God
• Anthromorphic portrayal of God
AGE OF KINGS
•c.a. 1010 B.C.
• Desiring more stability and disregarding the dangers
of monarchy, Israel was given its first King – Saul.
•c.a. 1030 B.C. – Davidic Dynasty
• David (c.a. 1030 B.C.) – not a descendant of Saul
• Solomon (c.a. 970 B.C.) – not the first born
• The shaky foundation of this dynasty gave rise to
the beginnings of the writing down of Israelite
tradition
Biblical Text/Tradition

•The succession narratives

•Start of writing down of the Yahwist
Tradition
KINGDOM DIVIDED
•Northern and Southern Kingdom
• Intermarriages of Solomon opened Israel to idolatry
• Construction projects – forced labor/slavery, high
taxes
• Rehoboam – son of Solomon, King of Judah (South)
• Jeroboam – led the revolt, King of Israel (North)
• Twin plagues denounced by the prophets
• Injustices against the poor
• Immoral idolatrous practices
Biblical Text/Tradition
•Elohistic Tradition (E)
•Use of Elohim to refer to God
•Emphasis on the holiness & transcendence of God
•Deuteronomist Tradition (D)
•Stress on obedience to the Mosaic law
•Amos, Hosea, Micah, Proto-Isaiah,
•First editing of Deuteronomic Text: Joshua,
Judges, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings
FALL OF THE TWO KINGDOMS
•722 B.C. – Assyrians, led by Shalmaneser
V, conquered Israel, Judah paid a high
ransom to Sennacherib for its reprieve
(c.a. 701 B.C.)
•587 B.C. Judah was defeated by
Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar.
Exile.
Biblical Text/Tradition (EXILE)
• Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Ezekiel,
Baruch, Lamentations
• Priestly Tradition (P):
• Cultic approach to God
• Collection of materials for the TORAH: JEPD
• Final Editing of Deuteronomist History
• Wise men: try to give hope to a nation –
Proverbs, Deutero-Isaiah
EXILE & RETURN
•Punishment and Purification
•Priest: gathered old traditions – Priestly
tradition
•Reflection on history, tried to make sense of
exile – Deuteronomic History
•538 B.C. – Cyrus the Great of Persia – liberated
them.
•Rebuilding of Jerusalem
•Aramaic became the lingua franca
Biblical Text/Tradition

•Haggai, Proto-Zechariah, Deutero-

Zechariah, Trito-Isaiah, Malachi, Obadiah
•Final Editing of the TORAH
HELLENIZATION

•End of Persian Period – Alexander

defeated Darius III (332 B.C.)
•Greek became the lingua franca
•Statue of Zeus erected in the
Temple of Jerusalem ->
Maccabean revolt.
Biblical Text/Tradition
•Job, Ruth, Tobit, Qoheleth
(Ecclesiastes), Sirach
(Ecclesiasticus), 1-2 Maccabees,
Judith
•Daniel, Jonah, Joel
ROMAN RULE
•Power struggle in the Hasmonean dynasty, a
family of high priests and kings, the rival
factions of Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II
sought intervention of Rome
•63 B.C. – Pompey entered Jerusalem and
began the Roman rule in Palestine
•ca. 30 A.D. – Death of Jesus of Nazareth
•70 A.D. – Destruction of the Temple of
Jerusalem
Biblical Text/Tradition
• Before fall of Jerusalem (70 AD)
• Wisdom
• 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, Philippians,
Philemon, 1-2 Corinthians, Romans, MARK,
James, 1 Peter
• After fall of Jerusalem (70 AD)
• MATTHEW, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians,
Hebrews, Revelation, LUKE-Acts, Ephesians,
JOHN, Jude
• Johannine Letters
• Pastoral Letters
• 2 Peter
OBSERVATION ON THE FORMATION OF THE BIBLE
• None of the books was composed with the purpose
of becoming biblical, per se. Rather the contents
assumed authority over time within communities of
faith, which only later compiled them into the Bible
that we have today.
• Nearly all the Bible’s literature is attributed to one
person or another who did not actually write it.
• Most scholars think that the first five books of the
Bible took shape during exile.
DATING TANAKH
• TaNaKh – Torah (1st 5 Books), Neviim (Prophets), Ketuvim
(Writings)
• ca. 450 BCE – Ezra (priest & scribe) finalized the Pentateuch
(Torah)
• ca. 200 BCE – finalization of the prophets (includes Joshua,
Judges, Samuel, Kings)
• ca. 100 BCE – Septuagint (LXX) Greek version of the Hebrew
scriptures. Probably read by Jesus’ disciples. Later, rejected by
Jews because of its popularity among Christians.
• ca. 130 CE – Writings and the full canon of the Hebrew
scripture. Rejection of books after Ezra and Nehemiah (450
BCE).
Formation of the Gospels
• Stage 1: the time of Jesus
•What Jesus actually said and did
•Preached, healed, performed miracles
•Suffered, crucified, and rose again
•He was often misunderstood by his
disciples
•No stenographer yet
Formation of the Gospels
• Stage 2: Time of the Apostles
• 2 Significant Events
• Resurrection
• Descent of the Holy Spirit
• These events enabled the disciples to remember Jesus and
have a NEW UNDERSTANDING of him
• They proclaimed their faith everywhere, adapting it in new
life settings.
• They remembered Jesus and what he deed in the Eucharist
Formation of the Gospels
• Stage 2: Time of the Apostles (con’t.)
• no written gospel during this period because they believe
that the Parousia or the second coming is very near
• Semitic society favors oral tradition than written one.
• Some LETTERS containing the core of the Gospel were
written to respond to specific problems of certain
communities
• Partial written compilation of Jesus’ parables, miracles and
sayings and an outline of the passion narratives were already
being written and passed around.
Stage 3: Time of the Evangelist
• Factors that contributed to the writing down of
the Gospels
• The Parousia did not come as expected
• There is a need for a reliable reference
• The Apostles were dying
CRITERIA FOR NT CANON

• Antiquity – the closer to Jesus’ time the better.

• Attribution to Jesus’ Apostles (Matthew & John)
or their close associates (e.g., Luke & Mark)
• Wide acceptance
• Broad application or relevance – not limited to
an individual or specific community
 EXPERIENCE -> BIBLE Transmission of the
reflection and
memory of the
experience in
Reflection on different manners (t)RADITION
(unwritten)
Revelation & (e.g. songs, rituals,
through interpretation stories, poems,
EXPERIENCE of these customs, creeds, etc.)
Experiences
Writing down of the
reflection and
SCRIPTURES
memory (written)

(T)RADITION – transmission
TRADITION AND SCRIPTURES

•Because scripture is “born” from tradition, it

may shed light in understanding the
scriptures.
•Because the scripture is “fixed,” can serve as
a norm for correcting the “living” tradition
of the Church.
Magisterium
• Teaching authority of the Church
• Given to the Clergy (Bishops, Priests, Deacons)
• Tasked to interpret the scriptures
• Expressed in official documents (CCC, CFC, Lumen Gentium,
etc.)
• Analogy
• RP – Church
• Consti. – Scriptures
• SC - Magisterium
Conscience and Magisterium (Gaillardetz, 2003)
LEVELS OF THE CHURCH EXAMPLES RESPONSE OF THE BELIEVER
TEACHING
DOGMA Scriptures, Creed, Assent of Faith
what is said in the [makes an act of faith, trusting that this teaching is
Liturgy
revealed by God]
DEFINITIVE DOCTRINE The Catholic canon Firm Acceptance
of the Bible [“accepts and holds” these teachings to be true.]
AUTHORITATIVE Concrete moral A Religious Docility of Will and Intellect
DOCTRINE teachings, e.g., on [strives to assimilate a teaching in their religious
in vitro fertilization
stance, while recognizing the remote possibility of
error.
PROVISIONAL APPLICATION OF Pastoral letter of Conscientious Obedience
CHURCH DOCTRINE, CHURCH CBCP
DISCIPLINE, AND PRUDENTIAL [obeys (the spirit of) any church law which does
ADMONITIONS not lead to sin, even when questioning the value
of the law.]
Conscience and Magisterium (con’t.)
• Aquinas: “Anyone upon whom the ecclesiastical
authorities, in ignorance of the true facts, impose a
demand that offends against his clear conscience should
perish in excommunication rather than violate his
conscience.” (Sentences, IV, 38, 2, 4)
• Gaillardetz (2003): “docility, submission, due respect” to
the Magisterium
• further study the teaching
• examination of conscience
• determine whether one’s difficulties lies on a particular
teaching and not to the Magisterium as a whole.
CATHOLIC CANON
• OT canon
• We follow the Septuagint Canon (LXX) because this version was
often cited by New Testament writers.
• The LXX includes books called Deuterocanonical (e.g. Tobit, Judith,
1 & 2 Maccabees, Sirach, Baruch, some parts of Daniel, Esther, and
Jeremiah
• N.B. They were NOT ADDED, rather they are originally part of
Septuagint Canon
• NT canon
• Under the leadership of Augustine of Hippo both the councils of
Hippo (393 AD) and Carthage (397 AD) accepted the entire list of
27 books as we know them today.
THE AUTHORITY OF
SCRIPTURE
Migliore
 INADEQUATE APPROACHES TO THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURES
APPROACHES GOOD POINT INADEQUACY
Biblicist View Respect and COMPARE: Eph 6:5 VS. Gal 3:28
Scripture = reverence
God’s Word for the Equal importance to parts that are product of the
(without scripture cultural context of the author vs. parts that
qualification) proclaims the reign of God

Biblicism turns the life-giving, Spirit-empowered

authority of Scripture into a deadening
authoritarianism.

God’s word > Scripture

 Comparison
Ephesians 6:5 (NIV) • Galatians 3:28 (NIV)
• 5 Slaves, obeyyour • 28 There is neither
Jew
earthly masters with nor Gentile, neither
respect and fear, and slave nor free, nor is
with sincerity of heart, there male and
just as you would obey female, for you are all
Christ. one in Christ Jesus.
INADEQUATE APPROACHES TO THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURES
(con’t.)
APPROACHES GOOD POINT INADEQUACY
Scripture as Break the Limits the Bible
Historical chains of
Source “literal” When attention is focused to much on “what
reading of really happened,” the meaning of the Bible is
Scripture separated from its literary form.

Helped in Some literary genre which does not contain

understanding facts may sometimes proclaim greater and
its own more significant truths than what history
historical books teach.
contexts
INADEQUATE APPROACHES TO THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURES
(con’t.)
APPROACHES GOOD POINT INADEQUACY
Scriptures as Take into consideration For a faith community it
Religious the different literary is more than a literature.
Classic/Literature genre in the Bible It normatively attests the
acts of the living God for
our salvation.
Private Concentrates on the The teaching of the
devotional text meaning of the Bible for scripture is not only “for
the individual. me” but also “for us.”
The witness of Scripture is polyphonic
rather than homophonic
• Various literary forms of the biblical witness are
irreducible media
• Narrative – make known to us God who is creator,
reconciler, and redeemer.
• Prophetic – disturbs us when we are veering away from
the right path.
• Wisdom – reminds us of presence of God in everyday
experience and his radical hiddenness (but present) in the
experience of suffering and evil.
Authority of the Scriptures
• Karl Barth: A real witness is not identical to which it witnesses, but it
(witness) sets it (witnessed) before us.
• Word of God in a derivative sense.
• Jesus is the Word. With him we are brought into relationship by the
witness of Scripture.
• Word of God > Scriptures
• “There are so many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to
be described individually, I do not think the whole world would
contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)
Why scripture is authoritative
• Inspired – the faith community believes that whatever is
written there is part of God’s revelation.
• Inerrant – it is considered a faithful account of the
community’s experience of God
• Inerrant not in terms of history and science
• Canonical – judge by the community as the “norm”
• Canon (lit. rod, measuring ruler) refers to the official list of
books considered as inspired & inerrant

BOTTOMLINE: It is the FAITH, expressed in the LIVING TRADITION

of the FAITH-COMMUNITY that determined that scriptures are
authoritative.
PRINCIPLES IN READING THE SCRIPTURES
• It must be read with historical and literary considerations.
But remember that the Bible is more than a book of
history or literature.
• It must be read theocentrically, in view of the God made
known to us by Jesus.
• It must be read together with the Church (traditions,
leaders, & the people) but should not be limited by the
Church.
• It must be read in the light of the present situation, but it
should not be limited to one’s personal context.
BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS
Sandra Schneider
EXEGESIS
•Aims to establish what the text actually
says.
•Regardless of whether it is factually
accurate, whether it is true, etc.
•One cannot interpret a text until one knows
what it says, but one can know what it says
without knowing what it means.
CRITICISM

•Aims to find out what the text means

•E.g.
•Exegesis: Jesus, Son of God
•Criticism: What does the term “Son of
God” mean when the author of the text
used it?
HERMENEUTICS

•Interpretation – to give meaning

•In relation to our context and concerns,
what is its message to us?
•It is the purpose of exegesis and
criticism.
THREE CONSIDERATIONS
IN HERMENEUTICS
• World behind the text – what produced the text?
• Historical Context
• World of the text – what has been produced?
• Genre, Language, Grammar, etc.
• World in front of the text – what world does the
text produce?
• Relation/relevance/message to our present context and
situation
BOTTOMLINE IS:

•Read the Bible INTELLIGENTLY

•Use the maps
•Read the footnotes and introductions
•Consult the glossary
•If possible/available, consult scholarly
Biblical Commentaries