Catholic Approach to the Bible
• Important Catholic ecclesiastical documents on interpreting the
Christian Bible:
• The Pontifical Biblical Commission: “The Interpretation of the Bible in the
Church” (1993)
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
The Bible is both the inspired Word of God ...
... and the inspired work of human authors:
Document defined “Historical Truth of Gospels”
Historical – bcse they deal w/ words/Actions of Jesus (adapted)
3 Stages of Gospel Development
Gospel writing is influenced by Resurrection & 1st Century Church
The Commission does not cover infancy narratives.
4 Levels of Scriptural Interpretation:
a.
b.
c.
d.
What is the Story Saying?
What is the Author Saying?
What is God saying to “me” personally?
How can I put this into Action?
“Synoptic Gospels”
“Look at Together)
Scholars Agree – Mark = 1st Written Gospel
How
Two Observations
a. Almost ALL of Mark is found in MT & Luke
eg: Mark = 661 Verses
MT uses 606 / Luke uses 320 (Only 31 unused)
b. All 3 Gospels follow Same order with variations.
3 Stages of Gospel Development:
a. Age of the Historical Jesus
b. Oral Tradition
c. Written Tradition
Stage 1: Era of the Historical Jesus
a. Based on the life of the Man:
Yehoshua bar Yoseph)
b. Date: 4-6 B.C.E.
Born in Bethlehem: (Reign of Herod the Great)
Began Teaching (A.D. 28) / Died 4/7/30
Teaching: “God’s Kingdom = Present Reality”
Boiling Point – Death (Failure) & Resurrection (Hope)
Stage II = Oral Tradition
a. Resurrection = Success….Spread the Good News
b. Parousia = 2nd Coming of Christ
erroneous belief – Parousia = imminent
c. Purpose: Interpret the meaning of Key Events
(NOT to Preserve an exact Biography)
Stage III: Written Tradition:
Rationale:
a. Jesus did not return when expected
b. Eye witnesses were dying
c. Focus Shift: Preserve the Stories & Preaching
d. Offer more Instruction to new converts
e. Contradict “Heresies”
Writings surfaced that were NOT Apostolic
Witnesses
Christian Writings:
a. 4 Gospels
b. Letters to Various Communities
(Chronicle of the Early Church)
c. Symbolic Work (AKA Revelation)
The Dating of the Gospels
Key Dates and Events:
• Jesus dies around the year 30 CE.
• The earliest New Testament books, the letters (Chronicles) written by
Paul, were composed in the decade of the 50s CE.
• James, Peter, and Paul are all killed in mid 60’s during the persecution
of the church in Rome by Nero.
• The deaths of these important church leaders encouraged the writing
down of narratives about Jesus.
Development of New Testament
Christian Scriptures
Birth of Jesus
Death of Jesus
4-6 BCE
Stage I: Historical Jesus
30 AD
1st Thessalonians
51 AD
Stage II: Oral Tradition
Mark
70 AD
Revelation
90-100 AD
Stage III: Written Tradition
- Paul’s Letters to New Communities
- Written Gospels
- Other Writings
Some Points about the Three Stages
• The Evangelists didn’t write the Gospels to give us “histories,” as we
use the term.
• They wrote so readers would “come to believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God” (John 20:31).
• For Christian faith, Stage 3 is the most important. It gives the
Evangelists’ inspired reflections on the meaning of Jesus.
• To ask the Gospels historical or Stage 1 questions is to distract from
their main purpose. (Modern readers pose such questions anyway.)
Purposes and Concerns of The Gospel Writers
1. For Christianity to be a legal religion in the Roman Empire;
2. To argue for the church’s way of being Jewish after the Temple’s
destruction by the Romans in the year 70;
3. To explain why the Temple was destroyed;
4. To show that the claim that the Crucified One had been raised was
consistent with the Scriptures of ancient Israel;
5. To validate bringing the Gospel to non-Jewish Gentiles;
The Development of the Gospels
• Mark - first Gospel to be written, around 70 CE.
• Matthew and Luke were composed, independently of one another,
sometime in the 80s or 90s.
• Matthew and Luke used Gospel of Mark as source material.
• Both Matthew and Luke contain a large amount of material in
common that is not found in Mark.
• Matthew and Luke also had a collection of Jesus’ sayings that they
incorporated into their works. Known as “Q”.
Why: Writing for different audiences w/ unique
problems/ interests
LUKE: Wrote to GENTILE (Non-Jewish) Christian Audience
Theology: Jesus saves ALL Men and Women.
MATTHEW: Wrote to Jewish Audience
(Christians who converted from Judaism)
Theology: Jesus fulfilled All the Promises made to the Jews.
MT & LUKE tell two different BIRTH stories:
Few agreements in details /
Many Contradictions.
Synoptic Problem:
MARK
SMS
Matthew
Luke
Q
SLS
Different Authors Record the same basic materials:
eg: LUKE & MATTHEW = Same Basic Outline
- Birth
- Baptism
- Career in Galilee
- Journey to Jerusalem
- Passion / Death / Resurrection
Theological Problems
• No astronomical record of a unique star (MT 2)
• No Historical CENSUS record
• Origin of Mary & Joseph
WHY were these stories included?
• Because of the Christological Significance they saw in the Birth
• The Birth & Conception – the moment when God reveals who Jesus
was. (Christological Moment)
Profile: The Gospel of Matthew
• Written in the mid-80s.
• Jewish scribe extremely familiar with Israel’s
Scriptures.
• Written for a Jewish audience, both
demographically and in self-understanding.
• Matthew follows the Torah as authoritatively
taught by Jesus.
• In competition for the heart and soul of
Judaism with local Pharisees (hence, their
intensely negative portrayal in Matthew’s
Gospel).
The Gospel According to Matthew:
Matthew portrays Jesus as the fulfillment of Hebrew Scripture
• Jesus “comes not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it”
• Jesus, like a new Moses, presents the definitive teaching about the
Torah.
• Jesus is the “living Torah”.
Matthew’s Christology
The Main Christological idea in Matthew is:
Jesus is the definitive teacher of the Torah because he
himself personifies it. His instructions on love and
forgiveness must be put into practice in the Church.
Authentic discipleship is thus defined by doing what
Jesus commands.
Profile: The Gospel of Luke
• Written around the same time as
Matthew.
• Part one of a two-volume work (Acts of
the Apostles).
• Has two target audiences: Gentiles in
the Roman Empire and Jewish
Christians
• Presents Christianity as a religion for
Jews and Gentiles worthy of legal
recognition by the Roman Empire.
• Almost every Roman character in LukeActs is portrayed favorably.
According to the Gospel of Luke
• Luke concerned with the poor, the
oppressed, the diseased, and women.
• Christians are expected to address the
physical needs of people, particularly the
disadvantaged, and see to it that none go
hungry or without shelter.
• Jesus brings God’s promises of blessings
for the world through Israel to fulfillment.
• Authentic discipleship is defined by
promoting the well-being of all, especially
the marginalized, and by fostering peace
and unity.
Christology of Luke
Jesus is the one who brings shalom, that is, peace,
healing, reconciliation, forgiveness, and wholeness.
Why? Luke is a Physician!
If Stories are written 60 years after Jesus
Backward view:
a. Resurrection – God reveals the Christological moment
(Who Jesus was)
b. Death
c. Ministry
d. Baptism
e. Mt & Luke: Christological Moment occurred at Conception.
POINT: We MUST read the stories with Post-Resurrection Insight!
Post - Ressurrection
a. Apostles Preached: two-fold response
1. Some believed & worshipped
2. Others rejected the message & the Preacher
b. Evangelists noted same pattern in Jesus’ life
1. Some believed
2. Others rejected
c.
MT & Luke’s Christmas stories follow this seqauence.
1. Some believed
2. Others rejected
Differences
Luke
Matthew
• Mary and Joseph are
Galileans who travel to
Bethlehem of Judah
because of a Roman census
an go to a cave.
• Joseph and Mary are
natives of Bethlehem,
where they reside in a
house.
• They return home to
Nazareth afterwards,
seemingly stopping at the
Temple in Jerusalem on
their way.
• After fleeing to Egypt to
escape the murderous
designs of Herod the Great,
they relocate to Galilee.
Infancy Narratives: Differences
Luke
• Luke repeatedly compares Jesus
with John the Baptizer,
• The Revelation of the birth is
presented to lowly Jewish
shepherds as the first people to
learn the news of the birth of
the Christ-child.
Matthew
• No parallel story of John the
Baptist (Not Mentioned at all)
• The Revelation of the birth is
detected by foreign astrologers:
the Magi, who learn from chief
priests.
Infancy Narratives: Differences
Luke
Matthew
• Simeon and Anna in Jerusalem
publicly proclaim who Jesus is.
• King Herod in Jerusalem hunts
throughout the region for the
infant Jesus to kill him.
• Jesus’ family observantly GO to
Jerusalem,
• The Holy Family AVOID the city
of Jerusalem.
Infancy Narratives:
Differences
Luke
Matthew
• The spotlight is on Mary
• The spotlight shines on Joseph.
• Mary is portrayed as one who
hears and keeps God’s word.
• Joseph receives divine guidance
in a series of dreams.
Similarities: (Both Luke & Matthew)
• Both ID “Who Jesus is & Meaning of His coming
• Joseph – Line of David
• Mary & Joseph = Legally Engaged (Yet not living together)
• Angelic announcement reveals conception through Divine
intervention
• Child is to be named Jesus
• Child is to be the Savior
• Birth occurs in Bethlehem / Under reign of King Herod
There is
an Adult Christ
In Christmas!
Review: Definitions
• Hebrew Scriptures
• Christian Scriptures
• Theology = Study of God
• Christology = Study of Christ
• Synoptic
• Synoptic Problem
• Infancy Narrative
• “Q” or “Quelle”
• SMS
• SLS
• Gospel Parallels
• Pontifical Biblical Commission
(1964) (The historical truth of
the Gospels)
• Christological Moment
• Post-Resurrection Insight
Homework
Reading for the Week:
Matthew: Chapters 1 & 2
Daily Personal Study: (See Website)
www.ChurchOfSaintAndrews.org