Teacher’s Manual ‑ Understanding The Scriptures

Understanding the Scriptures

A Complete Course

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TEACHER’S MANUAL
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 Teacher’s Manual ‑ Understanding The Scriptures

Contents
i Introduction
vii Contents
1 Chapter 1: What is the Bible?
13 Chapter 2: The Old Testament
27 Chapter 3: The Creation of the World
44 Chapter 4: The Early World
56 Chapter 5: Abraham, Our Father

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70 Chapter 6: The Patriarchs

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84 Chapter 7: The Exodus

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98 Chapter 8: The Law

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110 Chapter 9: The Rise of the Kingdom

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125 Chapter 10: The Kingdom of David
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138 Chapter 11: Wise King Solomon
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149 Chapter
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12: The Divided Kingdom
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162 Chapter 13: Conquest and Exile

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176 Chapter 14: A Remnant Returns

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188 Chapter 15: Revolt of the Maccabees

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199 Chapter 16: The World of the New Testament

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212 Chapter 17: The New Testament

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225 Chapter 18: The Incarnation

238 Chapter 19: What Jesus Did
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252 Chapter 20: What Jesus Taught

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264 Chapter 21: The Cup of Consummation

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280 Chapter 22: The Resurrection

291 Chapter 23: Jesus Fulfills the Old Testament
302 Chapter 24: The Birth of the Church
312 Chapter 25: Reaching Out to All Nations
322 Chapter 26: Paul, an Apostle
333 Chapter 27: The New Kingdom
344 Chapter 28: The Catholic Church in Scripture
355 Chapter 29: The End of History
369 Chapter 30: How to Read the Bible

In the Back
377 Chapter Tests & Answer Keys
500 Additonal Resources Page

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 Teacher’s Manual ‑ Understanding The Scriptures ‑ Chapter 1

Chapter 1

What is the Bible?

Introduction Chapter Goals
It has been a fashion over the centuries in America Students will be able to:
and Europe for great men to keep diaries, and many • Locate biblical selections from citations;
of these diaries have been published, and in some • See connections between the CCC and the
instances they have been turned into books. Bible;
The Bible can be viewed in some respects as a • Understand the importance of Scripture and

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diary. It is the ongoing story of God’s love for his Oral Tradition;

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people whom he created to share this eternal love. • Recognize that God authored Scripture

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This love story has a beginning in time for us, through sacred writers inspired by the Holy

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but has no end, for his love is eternal. It is both Spirit;

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a recording of past events and also looks forward • Realize the importance of literary techniques
to the finality of the resurrection.
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• Know Salvation History is the story of God’s
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Do not miss an opportunity to remind the students

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this love story was written by God with them

• Recognize the Church’s role as interpreter of
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in mind. All he asks of them to make the story

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complete is that they return his love.

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CHAPTER 1 LESSON PLAN

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Lesson 1 Lesson 3
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• Tell students about goals and • Discuss assigned readings

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expectations for the course • Review homework

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• Demonstrate how to locate biblical • Assign homework questions 16‑20

citations • Assign section on Fides et Ratio
• Ask students what questions they • Assign Practical Exercises
would like answered in this course
• Assign Study Questions 1‑8, Lesson 4
and 2 Timothy 3:  16‑17, 4:  2‑5 • Review homework
• Do Practical Exercises
Lesson 2 • Discuss Fides et Ratio
• Vocabulary
• Review homework questions Lesson 5
• Tell your favorite Bible story • Review
• Assign Study Questions 9‑15, • Group Study
and 1  Peter 1:  12‑2:  22
Lesson 6
• Chapter One Test
• Assign reading homework

Chapter 1 Study Guide begins on page 19 of textbook

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 Teacher’s Manual ‑ Understanding The Scriptures ‑ Chapter 1

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What is the Bible? Make sure the students have a good grasp of what
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it means to be infallible and how the Church is

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This section is a general introduction to the Bible sure that the Magisterium can teach infallibility.
and includes a micro history of its origin and pur-
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pose. A section is quoted from the CCC to indicate Material is presented from the CCC to clarify the
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that this text will include appropriate references place of the Magisterium in the official teaching
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to the CCC where they will explain or enhance of the Church. It should be noted that the faithful
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passages in particular chapters. are bound to accept the ordinary teaching of the
Roman Pontiff “and adhere to it with religious as-
sent”  as well as any teaching that is “definitively
What Catholics Believe proposed,”  which includes ex cathedra statements.
These are important points for students to un-
about the Bible derstand how the Holy Spirit operates.
Unlike Protestant churches which subscribe only
to Scripture for instruction, the Catholic Church Notes
teaches that Revelation is made up of both Sacred
Scripture and Tradition. The Bible indicates both
are sources of Church teaching. The Magisterium
is the divinely inspired office which interprets Sa-
cred Scripture and Tradition in an infallible man-
ner under the guidance of the Holy Spirit whom
Christ guaranteed would be with the Church until
the end of time.

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 Teacher’s Manual ‑ Understanding The Scriptures ‑ Chapter 1

Notes

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This section concludes by stating that the Bible is

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one book since its author was the Holy Spirit. It is

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important for the students to understand that the

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Bible was written by God himself. Talking about

how God wrote the Scriptures through sacred
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writers can be a good way to bring up discussion

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about obedience to God and the acceptance of

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vocations. The next section expands on the idea

of God as the author of Scripture.

Students may have questions about why we accept

Tradition to be as reliable as the written Scrip-
tures. It may help to explain that at first, all the
Church’s teachings were handed down orally in
the beginning in both the Old Testament and later
in the New Testament. Since the Scriptures were
not written during Christ’s life, the Apostles at
first spread his Word by speaking to crowds and
to people they met during their travels. Most of
what uneducated people learned was through
word of mouth.

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 Teacher’s Manual ‑ Understanding The Scriptures ‑ Chapter 1

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How the Bible Was Written The Bible is

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Religious Literature
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This is an introduction to some of the human

writers and types of literature contained in the
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Literature can take many forms such as history,

Bible. Point out to the students that individual poems or prose. The Bible is unique because it is
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writers wrote using the language and style of the

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history written from God’s viewpoint. Since the

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culture of their times. Since the writers were living Holy Spirit is the author, it is written from his
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in pastoral times, many of their figures of speech point of view. The characters found in the Scrip-
and examples were taken from ordinary events tures are those whom God wanted to use in his
in the lives of farmers or shepherds. This section plan for the salvation of mankind. Consider the
also points out that the Bible is not always easy to case of Adam. If we did not know of his Original
interpret or understand, and again ties in the idea Sin and its effects, it would be more difficult to
of the Church and the Magisterium, which are led understand why and how all mankind is affected
by the Holy Spirit and can offer us guidance. by sin.

Notes

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For the literal and spiritual senses, see The Inter‑

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pretation of the Bible in the Church by the Pontifical Notes

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Biblical Commission — a commission attached to

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the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at

the service of the Church’s Magisterium.
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One of the most interesting facets of the Bible is

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how people who were considered unimportant

played such pivotal roles in the religious develop-
ment of mankind. This topic can be used to start
a discussion on the grace of God and its effects
on us. God chooses the humble and makes them
great.

Relate a favorite biblical story with colorful details

for the students. Follow up with a lesson you
learned from the reading. Ask student volunteers
for their favorite biblical stories and ask what les-
sons the students learned from their stories.

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What  “Salvation History”  Is

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One of the great mysteries of life is the fact that God had planned from all eternity to share his love
with men and angels through the act of creation.
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Though God knew that man would sin before he created him, he also had a plan to save those who
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would follow him faithfully and created man anyway. Salvation History is that plan.
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In spite of human failures, God makes seven covenants with man and pledges his aid to enable
the covenants to be accomplished as he desires. We may fail God, but those who strive to do as he
wishes will be saved in and through the covenants he has made with us.
Notes

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The Church Will Be

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Notes
Our Guide
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The people of the Old Testament had the prophets

to guide them in understanding the Word of God.
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With the New Testament, Christ leaves us a Church

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to divinely interpret both the Old and New Testa-

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ments for our edification and sanctification.

Unfortunately, there will always be those who dis-

agree with Church teaching just as there were those
who disagreed with the Old Testament prophets.
The students must be helped to understand that
they can always find the truth by learning and
following the Church’s teaching in matters of faith
and morals. Though the Old Testament prophets
were not always available to all the people, Christ
has given us his Church, and its teachings are
available to all who seek them.

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 Teacher’s Manual ‑ Understanding The Scriptures ‑ Chapter 1

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How the Canon Came to Be by seventy Jewish scholars, and the Palestinian
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canon, which did not contain the deutero‑canonical

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After Christ ascended into Heaven, many thought books. The deutero‑canonical books are repre-
the end of the world would come soon. As time
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sented in early Christian art found in the cata-

went on, it became apparent that his return was combs. St. Irenaeus, Tertullian, and St. Clement of
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not in the foreseeable future. To protect Christ’s

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Rome allude or refer to these in their writings. The

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teaching, a decision was made to gather the writ- Council of Trent formally and definitively stated
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ten material of the Apostles into one book. the deutero‑canonical books are canonical.
Books which did not stand the test of apostolic This section concludes with a listing of the seven
origin, conformity to Christ’s teaching, and use covenants God has set up as part of the history
over time in the Liturgy were not made part of of salvation.
the canon because it was evident that these books
were not divinely inspired. Though some of this
Notes
rejected material was of value in determining
the cultural milieu of the times, it could not be
accepted as Revelation. Non‑canonical books are
called “apocryphal.”  Examples of some of these
books include the Gospel of Peter, the Book of
Moses, and the Book of Enoch.

There was a division among the Jewish scholars

between the Septuagint or Alexandrian canon, a
collection of forty‑six books translated into Greek