What is the Bible?
It is the word of God, written by authors that were inspired by God or guided by the Holy Spirit. It is split into the Old Testament and the New Testament.
What books make up the Old Testament?
- Law
- History
- Wisdom
- Prophecy
What are the books of Law?
They explain how/why the Jews were chosen by God and included the laws they were given to follow.
What are the books of History?
They are stories about how God helped the Jews but they refused to listen.
What are the books of Wisdom?
They are a mixture of prayers, psalms and poems that help people understand their faith.
What are the books of Prophecy?
They are the books of the prophets whose words challenged people to stay faithful to God.
What books make up the New Testament?
- The Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
- The Acts of the Apostles
- The Epistles
- Revelation
What are the Gospels?
They are books about the actions and teachings of Jesus.
What are the Acts of the Apostles?
They are books about the events in the early church.
What are the Epistles?
They are letters written by the Apostles to spread the word.
What is Revelation?
It is a book about John’s mystical visions and the end of the world.
What is the criteria for acceptance?
- An apostle had to behind the authority of the book
- The book had to be written early
- The book had to be accepted by all churches
What is the order of Creation?
Day 1 - Day and Night is created
Day 2 - The sky is created
Day 3 - The earth, sea and vegetation is created
Day 4 - The sun, moon and stars are created
Day 5 - The birds and creatures are created
Day 6 - The animals and humans are created
Day 7 - God rested
What is the Catholic understanding of Creation?
They believe that the stories are myths that convey deeper truths like:
- God created everything
- All that God made was good
- Humans were the highpoint of Creation
- Humans were made to look after God’s creations
What is the nature of God as Creator?
- He is the only creator who created everything
- All creation is special
- Humans share qualities with him as we were mad in his image
What is the nature of God as Omnipotent?
- God has the power to to anything he wants
- He can make anything from nothing
- Christians must trust in God
What is the nature of God as Transcendent?
- God only needs to say a word and it will be so
- He is above and beyond his creations
- He is beyond human understanding and cannot be described in human words
What is Human nature of Spirit?
- Adam was created by breathing life into him
- Hebrew for ‘breath’ is ‘ru’ach’ which means spirit
- We share qualities as we were made in his image
What is the Human nature of Free Will?
- God created the Garden and let Adam eat from trees
- God didn’t prevent Adam from eating the forbidden fruit
- It doesn’t mean that our sin is without consequence as it draws us away from God
What is the Natural Law?
It is the teaching that our knowledge of right and wrong comes from our human nature given to us by God. The two basic laws are:
- Do good and avoid evil
- Protect and preserve life
How does Michelangelo’s painting show Creation?
- Adam is shown as the perfect human showing that what God made was good
- God’s beard shows that he is Timeless
- Adam and God are in a similar position to show how we are made in his image
- God is held up by angels to show his Transcendence
- Adam reaches out to God showing that we depend on him
What aspects of Michelangelo’s painting are misleading?
- Adam was given the breath of lived and not touched
- Adam is depicted as white
- Adam is the same size conveying that we are equal
- God is drawn as old that reduces him to a human level
How does the ‘Hand of God’ painting show God?
- The hand is big to show his power
- The lines show how his power is across the universe
What is the Second Vatican Council?
It was a series of important gatherings with all the bishops to update Catholic teachings. It took place between 1962-1965.
