7800-SOT- HS-CA-STextbk-int_web

SPIRIT of TRUTH 

SACRED SCRIPTURE 

Student Textbook 

FRAMEWORK COURSE A

SPIRIT of TRUTH 

SACRED 

SCRIPTURE 

Student Textbook 

FRAMEWORK COURSE A

About Sophia Institute for Teachers 

Sophia Institute for Teachers was launched in 2013 by Sophia Institute to renew and rebuild Catholic 

culture through service to Catholic education. With the goal of nurturing the spiritual, moral, and cultural 

life of souls, and an abiding respect for the role and work of teachers, we strive to provide materials and 

programs that are at once enlightening to the mind and ennobling to the heart; faithful and complete, as 

well as useful and practical. 

Sophia Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1983. 

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, © 1994, 

1997, 2000 by Libreria Editrice Vaticana–United States Catholic Conference, Washington, D.C. All rights 

reserved. 

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 

1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C., and are used by permission of the copyright 

owner. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without 

permission in writing from the copyright owner. 

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their permission to use their material in this publication. Every attempt was made to secure permission to 

reprint any protected material in this publication. Any omissions or errors were unintentional, and we will 

make adjustments immediately upon request. 

© 2020 by Sophia Institute for Teachers. 

All rights reserved. Portions of this publication may be photocopied and/or reproduced within the 

schools which purchased it for educational use only. Written permission must be secured from the 

publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book outside the school which purchased it in any medium. 

This text is pending review for conformity by the Subcommittee on the Catechism, United States 

Conference of Catholic Bishops. 

Printed in the United States of America 

Design by Perceptions Design Studio 

Cover image: The Four Evangelists, Pieter Aertsen (1560–1565). 

Art History Museum, Vienne / Alamy stock photo. 

Spirit of Truth: Sacred Scripture Student Textbook 

ISBN: 978-1-622827-800 

First printing

Contents 

Acknowledgments................................................................................................................................. ii 

Unit 1: Divine Revelation: God Speaks to Us .............................................................2 

Chapter 1: Divine Revelation and Its Transmission .............................................................................4 

Chapter 2: The Inspiration and Structure of Sacred Scripture ...........................................................20 

Chapter 3: The Interpretation and Life of Sacred Scripture in the Church.........................................36 

Unit 2: The Early World and the Patriarchs................................................................54 

Chapter 4: Creation and the Fall........................................................................................................56 

Chapter 5: Cain and Abel to the Tower of Babel ................................................................................78 

Chapter 6: The Patriarchs .................................................................................................................94 

Unit 3: God’s People Become a Nation.................................................................... 112 

Chapter 7: The Exodus..................................................................................................................... 114 

Chapter 8: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth..............................................................................................136 

Unit 4: Rise and Fall of the Kingdoms......................................................................156 

Chapter 9: Samuel, Saul, and David ...............................................................................................158 

Chapter 10: Solomon and the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah .........................................................178 

Chapter 11: Exile, Return, and Revolt .............................................................................................196 

Unit 5: Wisdom and Prophecy...................................................................................212 

Chapter 12: The Wisdom Books ......................................................................................................214 

Chapter 13: The Prophets ...............................................................................................................232 

Unit 6: The Gospels and the Life of Christ...............................................................252 

Chapter 14: The Gospels ................................................................................................................254 

Chapter 15: The Early Life of Christ ................................................................................................276 

Chapter 16: Jesus’ Public Ministry ...................................................................................................292 

Chapter 17: The Paschal Mystery ...................................................................................................314 

Unit 7: The Early Church............................................................................................332 

Chapter 18: The Book of Acts...........................................................................................................334 

Chapter 19: The Epistles..................................................................................................................354 

Chapter 20: The Book of Revelation ...............................................................................................376 

Glossary............................................................................................................................................394 

© Sophia Institute for Teachers 

i

Acknowledgments 

Spirit of Truth High School Edition follows the basic scope and sequence of the Doctrinal Elements of 

a Curriculum Framework set forth by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This course 

corresponds to Elective Course A: Sacred Scripture. 

Authors 

Joseph Breslin 

Courtney Brown 

Emily Stimpson Chapman 

Michael Gutzwiller 

Emma Hegarty 

Anna Maria Mendell 

Victoria Nelson 

Aidan O’Connor 

Ethan O’Connor 

Catherine Petrie 

Amy Roberts 

Ryan Schwartz 

Andrew Swafford 

Michael Verlander 

Janet Wigoff 

Editors 

Veronica Burchard 

Emily Stimpson Chapman 

Mike Gutzwiller 


Ethan O’Connor 

Catechetical Consultant 

Michel Therrien, S.T.L., S.T.D. 

Copyeditors and Proofreaders 

Laura Bement 

Janelle Gergen 


Design 

Perceptions Design Studio 

Amherst, NH 

ii 

© Sophia Institute for Teachers

A special thanks 

In grateful recognition of Lawrence Joseph 

and Lynn Marie Blanford. 

The chapter readings in this textbook were developed in partnership 

by Sophia Institute and Emmaus Road Publishing, an initiative of the 

St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. 

The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology is a non-profit research 

and educational institute that promotes life-transforming Scripture 

study in the Catholic tradition. The Center serves clergy and laity, 

students and scholars, with research and study tools — from books 

and publications to multimedia and online programming. 

Sophia Institute is particularly grateful to Dr. Scott Hahn, Ken 

Baldwin, and Chris Erickson for their generosity and contributions to 

this textbook. We value their friendship and are grateful for all they 

do to help people encounter Christ through Scripture and engage in 

the work of catechesis and evangelization. 

© Sophia Institute for Teachers 

1

UNIT 1 

Divine Revelation: 

God Speaks to Us

Unit 1 

3 

Every book, in some way, has the power to change us. Some 

are inspiring, others teach us. Some even harm us. But no 

book can change us as much as Sacred Scripture. 

St. Paul explained, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is 

useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training 

in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, 

equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17). 

There are, of course, plenty of other books out there that 

will teach us, correct us, and train us in “righteousness”—that is, 

help us to become good and just people. But not one of those 

other books will do it so well as Sacred Scripture, because none 

of them are the inspired Word of God. Moreover, none of those 

books brings us into a direct, personal encounter with the Word 

of God made flesh: Jesus Christ. 

Nothing else we ever read will be as important as Sacred 

Scripture. For this reason, it is so important that we read it correctly. 

The Holy Bible is not like other books. If we just pick it up 

and try reading it cover to cover, from beginning to end, it is easy 

to get confused, lose the thread of the biblical “plot,” or even 

miss the point of it all entirely. 

This unit will give you the tools that will enable you to see the 

point. Some of the most fundamental questions about the Holy 

Bible will be answered: What is Scripture? Why do we have the 

Bible? How is it inspired by God? Why should we read it? How 

should we interpret it? Why does it matter to me? 

As the answers to these questions emerge, you will learn to 

navigate Scripture with greater confidence and knowledge. You 

will also see the scope of Salvation History—God’s saving work 

in time—and understand your place in that history. Most importantly, 

you will have the opportunity to grow closer to Jesus by 

spending time prayerfully contemplating God’s Word. 

In This Unit 

■ Chapter 1: Divine Revelation and its Transmission 

■ Chapter 2: The Inspiration and Structure of Sacred 

Scripture 

■ Chapter 3: The Interpretation and Life of Sacred 

Scripture in the Church

Chapter 1 

Divine Revelation 

and Its Transmission

Unit 1, Chapter 1: Divine Revelation and Its Transmission 

5 

Chapter Overview 

God, as a loving Father and Creator, wants all of humanity to know Him; He desires to be 

in relationship with every human person. Revelation is God’s way of showing Himself to 

us through the natural world and divine action. We can come to know truths about God by 

observing the magnificence and beauty of the world, but that is only the beginning. All of 

Salvation History shares the true story of God gradually revealing Himself and His plan for 

humanity’s goodness over time. Ultimately, God chose to become human so we could see 

His love and mercy firsthand in His Cross and Resurrection. Following Christ’s Resurrection, 

God has continued to reveal His love for humanity through His disciples. Jesus instructed 

the Apostles to continue His work by proclaiming the Good News to all, and we can 

find these truths of the Faith in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. 

In this chapter you will learn that… 

■ Divine revelation is God’s communication of Himself to us by which He reveals the mystery of His divine plan. 

■ Human beings are made members of God’s family through covenants, which are sacred and permanent 

bonds of family relationship. 

■ There are six major covenants in Salvation History, and each one brings mankind into a more intimate and 

loving relationship with God. 

■ The two sources of divine revelation are Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, which share a common 

source, God Himself, and together form one Deposit of Faith. 

■ The Deposit of Faith is interpreted by the Magisterium, who guards and protects the truths of the Faith and 

cannot err in matters of faith and morals. 

Bible Basics 

Connections to the Catechism 

I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold 

fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you. 

1 CORINTHIANS 11:2 

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them 

in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit, 

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And 

behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” 

MATTHEW 28:19–20 

CCC 50 (pgs. 6, 7) 

CCC 51 (pg. 7) 

CCC 52 (pg. 9) 

CCC 53 (pg. 7) 

CCC 65 (pg. 10) 

CCC 77 (pg. 11) 

CCC 78 (pg. 13) 

CCC 80 (pg. 13) 

CCC 81 (pg. 13) 

CCC 82 (pg. 13) 

CCC 85 (pg. 14) 


6 Sacred Scripture 

Vocabulary 

Natural Revelation (n.): 

God’s communication of 

Himself to us through the 

created order. 

God first uses the natural 

world as a way to reveal 

Himself to us. 

The Revelation of God 

The natural world bears the mark of its Creator, much like a book is written 

in the voice of its author or a painting displays the brushstrokes of its 

artist. Signs of God’s goodness and love, His power and majesty, and His 

providence and care are everywhere. By simply contemplating the world 

around us, we can come to know a great deal about God; evidence of who 

He is and how He loves us is in every sunset and mountaintop, as well as 

every flower and grain of wheat. The Catechism of the Catholic Church 

tells us, “By natural reason man can know God with certainty, on the 

basis of his works” (50). That is to say, just as we can read a book and 

know with certainty that it was written by an author or look at a painting 

and know without a doubt that it was composed by an artist, we can look 

at the world around us and know its Creator, God Himself. Further, just as 

we can know something about an author or artist by their works, so too can 

we know something about God by what He has made. We call this most 

basic form of revelation natural revelation. 

While the natural world reveals much about God to us, it does not reveal 

everything. There are some truths about who God is and what His plan 

is for us that we cannot perceive by our own power. Nature is not enough. 

For some truths, more is needed. Again, think of a book and its author: 

Paradise landscape with the Creation of the animals by Workshop of Jan Brueghel the Younger (17th century). 



7 

while we can know for certain that the book was indeed written by an author 

and is not a collection of words that randomly assembled itself into a book, 

and we can even gain insight into the author herself and what she wanted 

to communicate by her work, we cannot know many other things about her. 

We cannot know her motivation for writing, her influences, her likes and 

dislikes, and especially, who she is beyond what she has made. In order to 

know these things about the author, we would have to meet her, and she 

would have to reveal these things about herself. 

The same is true regarding God. The Catechism continues, “there is 

another order of knowledge, which man cannot possibly arrive at by 

his own powers: the order of divine Revelation. Through an utterly 

free decision, God has revealed himself and given himself to man. … It 

pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to 

make known the mystery of his will” (50–51). In order for us to know 

Him more fully, He had to reveal Himself to us. We call God’s revelation of 

Himself divine revelation. Through divine revelation, God makes Himself 

known and reveals His plan for us. 

God did not simply reveal all of Himself and His divine plan at once, 

however, and expect humanity immediately to see and understand everything. 

God, who is the divine teacher, prepared us to receive the fullness 

of His self-revelation gradually and in stages, and in words and deeds: 

“The divine plan of Revelation is realized simultaneously ‘by deeds 

and words which are intrinsically bound up with each other’ and shed 

light on each another. It involves a specific divine pedagogy: God 

communicates himself to man gradually. He prepares him to welcome 

by stages the supernatural Revelation that is to culminate in the person 

and mission of the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ” (CCC 53). The 

realization of God’s divine pedagogy, or teaching method, in human history 

is called Salvation History. 

Covenant 

Salvation History is the true story of God’s love and mercy revealed to 

us throughout human history, culminating in the Incarnation of His Son, 

Jesus Christ, and in His Death and Resurrection, which won for us salvation 

from sin and death. Salvation History is, in a sense, the “plot” of 

Sacred Scripture. 

Vocabulary 

Divine Revelation (n.): 

God’s communication 

of Himself, by which He 

makes known the mystery 

of His divine plan by 

deeds and words over 

time, and most fully by 

sending His Son, Jesus 

Christ. 

Divine Pedagogy (n.): 

The teaching method 

of God, who is the 

divine teacher, by which 

He revealed Himself 

gradually and in stages 

and by words and deeds. 

Sacred Scripture (n.): 

The written record of 

God’s revelation of 

Himself contained in the 

Old and New Testaments. 

It was composed by 

human authors inspired 

by the Holy Spirit. The 

Bible. The Word of God. 

Covenant (n.): A sacred 

permanent bond of 

family relationship. God 

entered into a series 

of covenants with His 

People throughout 

Salvation History to invite 

us to be part of His divine 

family and to prepare us 

gradually and in stages, 

and in words and deeds, 

to receive the gift of 

salvation. 

This plot unfolds through a series of covenants with mankind. A covenant 

is a sacred and permanent bond of kinship, or family relationship, 

entered into by two or more people. More than a simple contract involving 

goods and services, a covenant involves a gift of self between persons. 

The two human covenants we are most familiar with are marriage and 



Vocabulary 

Mediator (n.): The 

person whom God chose 

to represent all those 

entering into a covenant 

with Him. Adam, Noah, 

Abraham, Moses, David, 

and Jesus Christ are 

the mediators of the 

six primary covenants 

throughout Salvation 

History. 

Covenantal Sign (n.): An 

external representation 

of the interior reality 

occurring within a 

covenant. Every covenant 

included a sign taken 

from human experience 

to represent the depth 

of God’s love and mercy 

present at the heart of the 

covenant. 

First, God 

entered each 

covenant with 

a mediator, or 

human person 

who stood in for 

everyone else 

who was part of 

the covenant. 

adoption. Through the marriage covenant, one man and one woman who 

are members of different families become united in a new family. Their 

union is permanent and requires the total self-gift of each person. Adoption, 

a supremely loving response to a tragedy such as death or abandonment, 

makes a child a member of a family into which they were not born. In a 

similar way, human beings are made members of God’s family through 

covenants. We are adopted into the family of God — His supremely loving 

response to the tragedy of our sin. 

Generally speaking, covenants were quite common in ancient societies. 

They were typically made with a solemn oath and sealed through a sacred 

ritual and meal. Likewise, covenants always came with terms (often called 

the covenant law). People would enter into covenant with one another, but 

only under certain conditions. In biblical times, if those conditions were not 

met, a grave consequence (death, for example) followed. If the conditions 

were fulfilled, blessing followed. 

An Overview of Salvation History 

There are six major covenants God entered into with His people throughout 

Salvation History. The stories of five of these covenants are found in 

the Old Testament, and the story of the sixth and final covenant is found 

in the New Testament. The covenants have a number of common characteristics 

we can identify to help us better understand each one. First, God 

entered each covenant with a mediator, or human person who stood in 

for everyone else who was part of the covenant. Second, each covenant 

contained a covenantal sign, or outward representation of God’s love for 

His people at the heart of each covenant. Third, each covenant contained 

a promise made by God to His people. Fourth, and finally, each covenant 

grew progressively larger in the number of people that were incorporated 

into God’s family through it. These characteristics will help guide our deeper 

discussion of each covenant of Salvation History. 

God first revealed Himself to Adam (and Eve), making a covenant with 

him and all of creation, with the Sabbath as a sign. After the Fall of Man, 

God promised to send a Savior to redeem the human race from sin. God 

continued His self-revelation with Noah, establishing a covenant through 

him, in which He promised never again to destroy the human race by flood, 

with the rainbow as a sign of His promise. Next, God entered a covenant 

with Abraham, promising him the Promised Land and great blessings to 

the world through Abraham’s descendants. The sign of this covenant was 

circumcision. Centuries later, God freed His Chosen People from slavery in 

Egypt through Moses and established them as a nation in a new covenant 

with Him at Mt. Sinai. He promised them, again, the Promised Land and 



9 

made the sign of this covenant the Law. Then, God established the final 

covenant of the Old Testament with David, ruler of the Kingdom of Israel, 

promising that his descendants would sit upon an everlasting throne. 

Finally, in the fullness of time, God established a New Covenant, in 

which He fulfilled all of the promises of the Old Covenant and saved His 

people from sin. The Incarnation of His Son, Jesus Christ, marked the 

definitive stage of divine revelation: the Word became flesh. In Jesus, God 

has most perfectly shown Himself to us. As Jesus Himself tells us, through 

Him, we know God: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 

14:9). Likewise, through Jesus, we have access to God and can share 

in His divine life as His adopted sons and daughters: “God … wants to 

communicate his own divine life to the men he freely created, in order 

to adopt them as his sons in his only-begotten Son. By revealing 

himself God wishes to make them capable of responding to him, 

and of knowing him and of loving him far beyond their own natural 

capacity” (CCC 52). Through Jesus’ physical presence among us, His 

Vocabulary 

Incarnation (n.): The 

fact that the Son of God 

assumed human nature 

and became man in 

order to accomplish our 

salvation. Jesus Christ, 

the Son of God, the 

second Person of the 

Trinity, is both true God 

and true man. 

Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst (ca. 1622). 

God has most perfectly 

revealed Himself through 

the Incarnation of His Son, 

Jesus Christ. 



Vocabulary 

Paschal Mystery 

(n.): Christ’s work of 

redemption accomplished 

by His Passion, Death, 

Resurrection, and 

Ascension. 

Great Commission 

(n.): The final words of 

Christ to His Apostles 

before His Ascension 

into Heaven, found in 

Matthew 28:18–20. In 

these words, Christ gave 

His Apostles, and thereby 

the Church, the mission of 

evangelization — making 

disciples of all the nations. 

Gospel (n.): One of the 

first four books of the New 

Testament. They are the 

heart of the Scriptures 

and proclaim the Good 

News of salvation won for 

us by the Passion, Death, 

and Resurrection of Jesus 

Christ. The Gospels are 

our primary source of 

knowledge of life of Jesus 

Christ. The word “Gospel” 

means “Good News.” 

Martyr (n.): A person 

who is killed for bearing 

witness to his faith. 

words and deeds, His signs and wonders, and, above all, through His 

Paschal Mystery — His suffering, Death, Resurrection, Ascension — and 

sending of the Holy Spirit, Jesus made God known to the world. Jesus, the 

Word of God, is God’s final word on Himself. “In him he has said everything; 

there will be no other word than this one” (CCC 65). 

As God’s relationship with His people progressed, more and more people 

were invited into His covenant family. From the original couple (Adam 

and Eve), to a faithful family (Noah and his wife, and his sons and their 

wives), to a holy tribe (Abraham and his tribe), to a chosen nation (Moses 

and the Israelites), to a royal kingdom (David and the Kingdom of Israel), 

and culminating in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, God drew 

the entire human race to Himself. The goal of God’s whole plan of revelation 

— the end of the whole sweep of Salvation History — was to bring us 

into the closest, most loving, most intimate relationship possible with Him. 

In other words, Salvation History, in its deepest essence, is a love story, 

one between God and all of us, His Chosen People. 

The Transmission of Divine Revelation 

When the Son of God assumed a human nature, He made the truth of who He 

was known through both His words and deeds. He told parables, preached 

sermons on mountaintops, and answered the questions of Jewish leaders. 

He also multiplied loaves and fish, healed the sick, and even resurrected the 

dead. Then, after His own Resurrection, shortly before He returned to the 

Father in Heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to us, He told His Apostles to do as 

he had done: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing 

them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit, 

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, 

I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19–20). 

This final command of the Lord before His Ascension into Heaven is 

known as the Great Commission. After Pentecost, the Apostles, filled with 

the Holy Spirit, responded to this commission by transmitting the Gospel in 

three ways: orally, through their example, and in writing. 

So, as Jesus did, they preached the Gospel: they proclaimed the Good 

News of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Also, like Jesus, what they 

preached was accompanied by various deeds: administering Baptisms, 

hearing confessions, celebrating the Eucharist, and performing miracles, 

such as healing the sick and raising the dead. For nearly all of the Apostles 

those deeds also included martyrdom (CCC 2473); the Apostles bore witness 

to the truth of who Jesus was through their willingness to sacrifice 

their lives for that truth. Finally, to ensure that what they had received was 

handed down faithfully to future generations, the Apostles fulfilled Jesus’ 



11 

commission by writing it down “under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit” (Dei 

Verbum 7). These are the writings that make up the New Testament. 

It is important to note that the portion of the apostolic preaching that 

was written down did not exhaust the content of the Gospel, nor did it render 

their preaching obsolete. Rather, the written word complemented the 

preached Gospel, allowing the Gospel to be transmitted faithfully as the 

first generation passed and the Church spread throughout the world. 

Writing down what they preached was not the only way the Apostles 

ensured their work would continue after they were gone. They also appointed 

successors — anointing and laying hands on men — and transferred to 

them the authority which had been given to them by Christ Himself. These 

successors, or bishops, would serve the Body of Christ as the original 

Apostles did and with the same authority: through teaching, preaching, administering 

the Sacraments, and ensuring that the needs of the Church’s 

most vulnerable members — the poor, the sick, widows, orphans, the unborn, 

and the elderly — were met. The successors to the Apostles in turn 

had the power to ordain successors of their own, so the Gospel could be 

proclaimed in word and deed to every new generation. This process, which 

we call apostolic succession, was explained by the early Church Father 

St. Irenaeus, who wrote: “In order that the full and living Gospel might 

always be preserved in the Church the apostles left bishops as their 

successors. They gave them their own position of teaching authority” 

(CCC 77). 

Vocabulary 

Bishops (n.): A successor 

to the Apostles who has 

received the fullness of 

the Sacrament of Holy 

Orders. He is the leader 

of a particular church, or 

diocese, entrusted to him. 

Apostolic Succession 

(n.): The handing on 

of apostolic preaching 

and authority from 

the Apostles to their 

successors, the bishops, 

through the laying on of 

hands as a permanent 

office in the Church. 

Christ ordained Peter 

and the Apostles as the 

first bishops so that they 

could transmit the Gospel 

through speech, by 

example, and in writing. 

The Sacrament of Ordination (Christ presenting the Keys to Saint Peter) by Nicolas Poussin (ca. 1636–1640). 



Lives of Faith 

St. Paul 

Sacred Scripture reveals that God uses the most 

unlikely people to accomplish His will. In the case 

of St. Paul the Apostle, God made a hated enemy 

of the early Christian community into its greatest 

evangelist. 

Paul, a faithful Jewish man and scholar, was 

convinced that the Church was a perversion of his 

tradition. He despised Christians and was zealous 

in his persecution of them. While heading toward 

Damascus, planning to put any Christians 

he might find in chains, Paul experienced a vision 

of the risen Christ, who said to him, “Why are you 

persecuting me?” When Paul asked who was 

speaking to him, the voice replied, “I am Jesus, 

whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:4–5). This encounter 

with Christ instantly converted Paul and 

set him on a path of healing, reconciliation, and 

tireless evangelization. 

Paul was a master at evangelizing. He could 

turn any circumstance into an opportunity for 

sharing the Gospel message, and he often had 

to think on his feet. He proclaimed Jesus among 

both Jews and Gentiles alike. The Gentiles were 

pagans, and their way of thinking was radically 

different from that of the Jews and the early 

Christians. They believed in many gods, and 

they did not have what we know now as the Old 

Testament to serve as a foundation for their understanding 

of God. How could Paul proclaim 

the God of Israel and His Son, Jesus, to people 

who did not have the necessary context to understand 

it? 

One story perfectly illustrates Paul’s ability to 

understand his audience and bring them to a new 

understanding of the world. In Athens, Greece, 

he noticed a number of pagan 

shrines dedicated to 

various gods of the ancient 

world. Among them was one 

peculiar altar, and he used 

that observation as the cornerstone 

of his teaching: 

You Athenians, I see that 

in every respect you are 

very religious. For as I 

walked around looking 

carefully at your shrines, 

I even discovered an 

altar inscribed, “To an 

Unknown God.” What therefore you unknowingly 

worship, I proclaim to you. The 

God who made the world and all that is 

in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does 

not dwell in sanctuaries made by human 

hands, nor is he served by human hands 

because he needs anything. Rather it is 

he who gives to everyone life and breath 

and everything. (Acts 17:22–25) 

Paul even quoted from the Greek poets so 

his audience might hear the message of the God 

of Israel and His Son, Jesus, with a more open 

heart. 

Paul traveled the world establishing churches, 

and the New Testament preserves several of 

his letters. They reveal a man eager to win the 

hearts of people to Jesus. He was concerned with 

the everyday life of people he met, he was confident 

that Jesus could transform their lives, and 

he used whatever images or ideas he could to 

communicate the truth to them. 

Paul traveled 

the world 

establishing 

churches. 



13 

The Unity of Scripture and Tradition 

There are two distinct modes of transmission of divine revelation: Sacred 

Tradition and Sacred Scripture. The word tradition comes from the Latin 

word tradere, which means “to hand over.” Thus, the Catechism explains 

of the handing on of the Gospel message, “this living transmission, accomplished 

in the Holy Spirit, is called Tradition, since it is distinct 

from Sacred Scripture, though closely connected to it” (78). In other 

words, Sacred Tradition encompasses the handing on, in time, of all the 

Apostles had received from Jesus’ teaching and example, as well as all 

the knowledge they had received from the Holy Spirit. In short, it is the 

entirety of the Church’s doctrine, life, and worship passed down from bishop 

to bishop and from age to age. Sacred Scripture, or the Bible, is “the 

speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy 

Spirit” (CCC 81). It is the written record of God’s revelation of Himself in 

Salvation History. Sacred Tradition, then, is the Word of God handed on 

and proclaimed. 

Both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition share a common source: 

God Himself. The Catechism elaborates: “Sacred Tradition and Sacred 

Scripture, then, are bound closely together and communicate one 

with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine 

well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and 

move towards the same goal” (80). Both Sacred Tradition and Sacred 

Scripture make “present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of 

Christ” (CCC 80), though in different and complementary ways. Together, 

“Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word 

of God, committed to the Church” (Dei Verbum 10). This Deposit of Faith 

contains in whole all that has been divinely revealed to us. Thus, the Church 

“does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy 

Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and 

honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence” (CCC 82). 

Vocabulary 

Tradition (n.): The 

handing on of customs 

or beliefs. From the Latin 

word tradere, meaning “to 

hand over” or “deliver.” 

Sacred Tradition (n.): 

The living transmission of 

the Gospel message in 

the Church. 

Deposit of Faith (n.): 

The full content of divine 

revelation communicated 

by Christ, contained in 

Sacred Scripture and 

Sacred Tradition, handed 

on in the Church from 

the time of the Apostles, 

and from which the 

Magisterium draws all that 

it proposes for belief as 

being divinely revealed. 

Although some may believe that Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition 

are at odds with each other, or that Sacred Scripture is more important 

than Sacred Tradition, these beliefs are false. First, because Scripture and 

Tradition share the same source, they cannot be opposed to each other. 

Truth never contradicts itself. Second, and more fundamentally, Sacred 

Scripture is part of Sacred Tradition; it is the part that was written down. 

Sacred Tradition existed before any of the New Testament was written. 

During the first years of the early Church, the Apostles proclaimed the 

Gospel solely through words and deeds. Moreover, Sacred Tradition assures 

us of Scripture’s authenticity — that the books of the Holy Bible are 

truly inspired by God. 



Vocabulary 

Magisterium (n.): The 

living teaching authority 

of the Catholic Church 

whose task it is to give 

authentic interpretation 

of the Word of God 

found in Scripture and 

Tradition, and to ensure 

the faithfulness of the 

Church to the teachings 

of the Apostles in matters 

of faith and morals. This 

authority is exercised by 

all of the world’s bishops 

in union with the pope, 

and by the pope alone 

when he defines infallibly 

a doctrine of faith or 

morals. 

Infallibility (n.): 

The charism of being 

infalliable (incapable of 

error) in matters of faith 

and morals. 

God, in His 

divine wisdom, 

has entrusted 

to His Church 

His revelation 

of Himself and 

His plan for 

salvation. 

Scripture, in turn, attests to the importance of Sacred Tradition. St. 

Paul writes, “Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from 

me. … Guard this rich trust with the help of the holy Spirit that dwells 

within us” (2 Tim. 1:13–14). He goes on to advise, “what you heard 

from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will 

have the ability to teach others as well” (2 Tim. 2:2). 

The Magisterium 

The task of interpreting the Deposit of Faith contained in both Sacred 

Scripture and Sacred Tradition belongs to the living teaching office of the 

Church alone, which is known as the Magisterium (from the Latin word 

magister, which means “teacher”). This authority is exercised in the name 

of Jesus Christ and “has been entrusted to the bishops in communion 

with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome” (CCC 85), who is the 

pope. Guided by the Holy Spirit, when the bishops, together in union with 

pope, teach definitively in matters of faith and morals, they are given the 

charism of infallibility, or being free from error. The Magisterium, however, 

is not above the Word of God, nor is it a source of revelation. Rather, it 

serves the Word of God by listening to it devotedly, guarding it, teaching 

and interpreting it, and explaining it to each new generation, always with 

the help of the Holy Spirit. 

Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium “in accord 

with God’s most wise design, are so linked and joined together that one 

cannot stand without the others, and that all together and each in its own 

way under the action of the one Holy Spirit contribute effectively to the 

salvation of souls” (Dei Verbum 10). That is to say, God, in His divine wisdom, 

has entrusted to His Church His revelation of Himself and His plan for 

salvation in such a way that we can be confident that what the Church proposes 

for belief is true. This truth is drawn from the Deposit of Faith, given 

to the Church by Jesus Himself and handed on whole and intact through 

the centuries. And the authentic interpretation of His Word is found in the 

Catholic Church. This divine design ensures that God’s loving and merciful 

invitation to be in a relationship with Him and to receive the gift of salvation 

is faithfully made to us all. 



15 

? 

Why do Catholics believe in things that 

are not found in the Bible? 

Everyone believes religious truths that 

are not found in the Bible. Protestants, 

for example, believe in the canon of 

Scripture — the list of books believed to 

be inspired by the Holy Spirit — but that 

list is not found anywhere in the Bible. So 

why do they hold certain books to be sacred? 

Because of Tradition. 

Remember, not everything Jesus said 

and did was written down. And even what 

was written down was not written down 

until decades after His Death. By that 

point, the Church was already growing 

and spreading across the Roman Empire 

and beyond thanks to the preaching, 

teaching, and witness of the Apostles. 

These men handed on what they received 

from Jesus, and they expected 

their successors to do likewise. 

Three times St. Paul included this 

very sentiment in his letters, writing, “I 

praise you because you remember 

me in everything and hold fast to the 

traditions, just as I handed them on to 

you” (1 Cor. 11:2); “Therefore, brothers, 

stand firm and hold fast to the 

traditions that you were taught, either 

by an oral statement or by a letter of 

ours” (2 Thess. 2:15); and “We instruct 

you, brothers, in the name of [our] 

Lord Jesus Christ, to shun any brother 

who conducts himself in a disorderly 

way and not according to the tradition 

they received from us” (2 Thess. 3:6). 

So Scripture itself tells us to hold fast 

to traditions, which have been handed 

down by word of mouth. It tells us to believe 

and live certain teachings that are 

not included in Sacred Scripture. This, 

in large part, is because Scripture itself 

is part of Sacred Tradition. The reason 

we know which books are inspired by 

the Holy Spirit is because the Apostles 

and their successors handed down that 

knowledge from generation to generation 

until the Church decided it was prudent to 

officially compile it in a canon. 

All Catholic beliefs, however, are 

supported by the Bible. Certain words or 

prayers or teachings may not be mentioned 

explicitly, but all are mentioned at 

least implicitly. Sacred Scripture supports 

Sacred Tradition, just as Sacred Tradition 

supports Sacred Scripture. 



The Truth Is… 

Humanity failed to keep the promises made in the covenants with God — but 

God never failed on His end. In each of the covenants, God offered His people 

love, mercy, and protection, asking that they in return stay loyal to Him and 

turn away from sin. To this day, humanity yields to the temptation of the Devil 

and rejects God when we break His covenant of love. Yet God continues to 

remain faithful to the promises He made to us. God keeps loving us no matter 

how many times we hurt him. God keeps loving us even when we turn and walk 

away from Him. God’s love never fails, and He desires for us to return to His 

merciful embrace. It has been true for the entirety of Salvation History — just 

take a look! 

In the Old Testament, Israel failed so many times; we could even sympathize 

with God if He had given up and walked away. Yet He kept reaching 

out and revealing His heart to humanity. The Israelites built a golden calf and 

started worshiping it instead of God, yet He forgave them. King David committed 

adultery and murder, yet God forgave him. Even in His greatest act of love, 

when God sent His only Son into the world, humanity rejected Him and brutally 

murdered Him. Each of us rejects God in this same way when we choose to 

sin, to turn our backs on Him. Jesus was nailed to the Cross because of our 

sins. And just as He forgave the Israelites and King David, so He forgives you. 

Jesus could have walked away from the suffering and death He underwent, but 

He willingly chose to die for us because He loves us. He waits for us with open 

arms every time we drift away. The narrative of Salvation History is not some 

distant fairytale — it is our story. 



17 

Chapter 1 

Focus and Reflection Questions 

1 What can we know about God from the use of reason? 

2 Why did God choose to reveal Himself to us? 

3 In what way did God prepare us to receive the fullness of His divine revelation? What is the 

process of this preparation called? 

4 What is Salvation History? How does it unfold? 

5 What is a covenant? What is involved in a covenant? How were they typically made in the 

ancient world? 

6 What are the six major covenants of Salvation History? 

7 What is the definitive stage of divine revelation? Why? 

8 How did Jesus make God known to the world? 

9 What is the Great Commission? How did the Apostles respond to it? 

10 What is apostolic succession? Who are the successors of the Apostles? 

11 What are Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, and how are they related to one another? 

12 What is the Magisterium, and what is its responsibility? 

13 In what way is the Magisterium infallible? 

14 Why do Catholics believe things about the Faith that are not in the Bible? 

15 How did St. Paul evangelize to the Athenians? How can you apply his missionary approach in 

your own life? 


18 

Sacred Scripture 

Straight to the Source 

ADDITIONAL READINGS FROM PRIMARY SOURCES 

For chapter 1, the primary source reading for this chapter will look in close detail at the official and dogmatic 

teaching of the Catholic Church regarding divine revelation found in the Vatican II document Dei Verbum. You 

will read all of Dei Verbum in this course. 

Dei Verbum 2, 5–6, The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, 

November 18, 1968 

2. In His goodness and wisdom God chose to reveal Himself and to make known to us the hidden purpose 

of His will (see Eph. 1:9) by which through Christ, the Word made flesh, man might in the Holy 

Spirit have access to the Father and come to share in the divine nature (see Eph. 2:18; 2 Peter 1:4). 

Through this revelation, therefore, the invisible God (see Col. 1;15, 1 Tim. 1:17) out of the abundance 

of His love speaks to men as friends (see Ex. 33:11; John 15:14–15) and lives among them (see Bar. 

3:38), so that He may invite and take them into fellowship with Himself. This plan of revelation is realized 

by deeds and words having an inner unity: the deeds wrought by God in the history of salvation 

manifest and confirm the teaching and realities signified by the words, while the words proclaim the 

deeds and clarify the mystery contained in them. By this revelation then, the deepest truth about God 

and the salvation of man shines out for our sake in Christ, who is both the mediator and the fullness of 

all revelation. 

5. “The obedience of faith” (Rom. 16:26; see 1:5; 2 Cor 10:5–6) “is to be given to God who reveals, an 

obedience by which man commits his whole self freely to God, offering the full submission of intellect 

and will to God who reveals,” and freely assenting to the truth revealed by Him. To make this act of 

faith, the grace of God and the interior help of the Holy Spirit must precede and assist, moving the heart 

and turning it to God, opening the eyes of the mind and giving “joy and ease to everyone in assenting 

to the truth and believing it.” To bring about an ever deeper understanding of revelation the same Holy 

Spirit constantly brings faith to completion by His gifts. 

6. Through divine revelation, God chose to show forth and communicate Himself and the eternal decisions 

of His will regarding the salvation of men. That is to say, He chose to share with them those divine 

treasures which totally transcend the understanding of the human mind. 

As a sacred synod has affirmed, God, the beginning and end of all things, can be known with certainty 

from created reality by the light of human reason (see Rom. 1:20); but teaches that it is through His 

revelation that those religious truths which are by their nature accessible to human reason can be 

known by all men with ease, with solid certitude and with no trace of error, even in this present state 

of the human race. 



19 



Focus Questions 

1 What does God do in His goodness and wisdom? 

2 Why does God speak to men as friends and live among us? 

3 How is God’s plan of revelation realized? 

4 What is the relationship between God’s words and deeds? 

5 Who is the mediator and fullness of all revelation? 

6 What is the Obedience of Faith? What is needed to make it? 

7 What did God choose to do? 

8 How can God be known with certainty? 

9 What does God’s divine revelation reveal to us? 


Chapter 2 

The Inspiration 

and Structure of 

Sacred Scripture

Unit 1, Chapter 2: The Inspiration and Structure of Sacred Scripture 

21 


God is the author of every word in Scripture, but He also chose to use human authors 

to record the history of salvation. The Holy Spirit “breathed” into the words of the Bible, 

making Scripture God’s living Word. The human authors worked with this inspiration from 

God and used their own talents and abilities to write the books included in the canon of the 

Bible. The canon, or collection of texts in Scripture, is comprised of 73 books, beginning 

with Genesis and ending with Revelation. Divided into two main sections, the Old 

Testament and the New Testament, the books of the Bible present one connected story. 

Utilizing a variety of literary styles, the epic narrative of God’s love for His people is 

recounted through histories, prophesies, poetry, epistles, songs, and parables. 


■ All Scripture is inspired by God. 

■ The authorship of Scripture is both fully the work of man and fully the work of God. 

■ Because Scripture is the living Word of God, we can be assured it is true and free from all error. 

■ The Old and New Testaments work together to give us a complete picture of Salvation History. 

■ Both the Old and New Testaments contain a wide variety of writing styles, or literary forms. 

Bible Basics 

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for 

teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training 

in righteousness. 

2 TIMOTHY 3:16 

Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, 

and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which 

will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” And 

likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This 

cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be 

shed for you.” 

LUKE 22:19–20 


CCC 105 (pg. 22) 

CCC 106 (pg. 22) 

CCC 107 (pg. 23) 

CCC 129 (pg. 24) 

CCC Glossary (pg. 24) 



Vocabulary 

Ruah (n.): Hebrew word 

meaning “breath” or 

“spirit.” 

Inerrant (adj.): Without 

error. Scripture is inerrant: 

it teaches without error 

the truth God wanted 

known for the sake of our 

salvation. 

These sacred 

writers were 

true authors 

and not puppets 

taking dictation 

from God. 

The Authors of Sacred Scripture 

All of Scripture is inspired by God. This truth means God moved through the 

human authors of Scripture to write what He wanted committed to writing for 

the sake of our salvation. Practically, this means that each book of the Bible 

has, in effect, two authors: a divine author and a human author. First and 

foremost, God is the primary author of Scripture. The Catechism states 

with no uncertainty that “the books of the Old and the New Testaments, 

whole and entire, with all their parts … written under the inspiration 

of the Holy Spirit … have God as their author and have been handed 

on as such to the Church herself” (105). The truth expressed by the 

Catechism was shared by St. Paul, who wrote, “All Scripture is inspired 

by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and 

for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). The Greek word St. Paul 

used for inspired is theopneustos, literally “God-breathed.” We read about 

God’s Spirit at the beginning of creation and that God breathed His breath 

of life into Adam to give him life. The Hebrew word for “spirit” and “breath” 

used in both instances is the same, ruah. Just as God’s Spirit was present 

at the creation of all things and was breathed into Adam at his origin, so too 

is God’s Spirit breathed into the Scriptures, making them the living Word 

of God. God, therefore, is the primary author of Scripture, as He really and 

truly speaks to us in the Word. 

At the same time, the human authors of the books of Scriptures are 

still true authors. The Catechism continues: “To compose the sacred 

books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them 

in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, 

though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that 

they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more” 

(106). While God did not put physical pen to paper to write the Scriptures, 

He wrote through the human authors of Scripture. These sacred writers 

were true authors and not puppets taking dictation from God. They wrote 

using their own powers and abilities, and chose the different writing styles, 

languages, and details in each story. In this way both God and the human 

authors are true authors of Scripture. 

The Inerrancy of Scripture 

Because God is the author of Scripture, we can be sure of its inerrancy, 

or that what it teaches is free from all error. This conclusion follows from 

our understanding of the very nature of God. God, after all, is all good, the 

fount of all holiness, and the source of truth. Obviously, the source of all 

truth cannot teach something that is wrong; truth cannot contradict truth. 



23 

The Catechism explains regarding Scripture’s inerrancy: “Since 

therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should 

be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that 

the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that 

truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided 

to the Sacred Scriptures” (107). In other words, we can be 100 percent 

certain that Scripture contains the truth we need to know for the sake of 

our salvation. While some parts of the Bible may be intended to be read 

as factual or historical record, and other parts as poetry or metaphor, everything 

in the Bible communicates to us some truth God wanted known 

in order for us to get to Heaven. Because Scripture is the living Word of 

God, we can always be assured that what God has spoken to us in His 

Word is true and free from all error. If we come across what seems to be 

a contradiction in the Scriptural text, it may be that we are interpreting it 

wrong, have translated it wrong, or simply do not know enough to make a 

well-formed judgment. 

Since Scripture ultimately 

comes from God, we 

cannot doubt its truth and 

freedom from error. 

The Inspiration of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio (1602). 



Vocabulary 

Old Testament (n.): The 

46 books of the Bible 

that record the history of 

salvation from creation 

through the old covenant 

with Israel in preparation 

for the appearance of 

Christ as Savior of the 

World. 

New Testament (n.): 

The 27 books of the Bible 

written by the sacred 

authors in apostolic times 

that have Jesus Christ, 

the incarnate Son of God, 

as their central theme. 

Typology (n.): The study 

of how persons, events, 

or things in the Old 

Testament prefigured the 

fulfillment of God’s plan 

in the Person of Christ. 

The earlier thing is called 

a type. 

As an old saying 

put it, the New 

Testament lies 

hidden in the 

Old and the Old 

Testament is 

unveiled in the 

New. 

CCC 129 

The Structure of Sacred Scripture 

Before we can discuss certain principles for interpreting Scripture, it is 

helpful to first have a better understanding of its structure. The Bible (which 

comes from the Latin word biblia, meaning “books” or “scrolls”) is a collection 

of many different types of books written over the course of thousands 

of years. Some of those books are histories; others are letters, songs, 

prophecies, wisdom literature, and more. Each book has to be interpreted 

both on its own terms (as a work of history, prophecy, wisdom literature, 

and so forth) and in the context of the whole Bible. 

The Bible is arranged into two parts: The Old Testament and the New 

Testament. The Old Testament contains the Jewish Scriptures and is focused 

on God’s work with humanity in general and the Jewish people in 

particular, from the creation of the world until a couple centuries before the 

birth of Jesus Christ. The New Testament focuses on the life and ministry 

of Jesus Christ and the history of the early Church. It contains the Gospels, 

the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, and the Book of Revelation. The 27 

books of the New Testament are authoritative for Christian life and faith. 

Like Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, the Old and New 

Testaments work together to give us a complete picture of Salvation 

History. Both are essential to understanding how God has worked in time 

to redeem us and make us holy. Each testament helps us understand 

the other; each sheds light on the other. They are, the Church teaches, 

mutually interpreting, with the meaning of the New Testament concealed 

in the Old and the meaning of the Old Testament revealed and fulfilled in 

the New. 

The Church often refers to this way of reading Scripture as “typology.” 

In other words, by reading Scripture through a lens of typology, we are able 

to discern the “persons, events, or things in the Old Testament which 

prefigured … the fulfillment of God’s plan in the person of Christ” 

(glossary of the CCC). The Church has always used this way of reading 

the Scriptures to understand God’s saving plan. The Catechism explains: 

“Christians therefore read the Old Testament in the light of Christ crucified 

and risen …[and] the New Testament has to be read in the light 

of the Old. Early Christian catechesis made constant use of the Old 

Testament. As an old saying put it, the New Testament lies hidden in 

the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New” (129). 

Both the Old and New Testaments contain different writing styles, or 

literary forms. 

■ Narrative: Narratives tell a story in a straightforward way, recounting 

some event or story of an important person in Israel’s history. 



25 

Law and Gospel by Lucas Cranach (16th century). 

■ Law: The Law, mostly contained in the first five books of the Bible, 

called the Pentateuch, are writings that communicate how to best love 

God and each other. The Law is necessary to free us from sin and 

direct us toward the ultimate goodness, who is God. 

The Old and New 

Testaments shed light on 

each other and give us a 

full account of Salvation 

History. 

■ Prophecy: The prophetic writings of the Bible foretold the consequences 

of Israel’s current course of action and called them to repentance 

and right worship of God. Prophetic writings also warn us today 

of similar actions and consequences in our own lives and call us to turn 

away from sin and pursue holiness. These writings would also tell of 

the fulfillment of God’s promises to His people and of His loving care 

for them. 

■ Poetry: The poetic writings of the Bible use metaphorical and artistic 

language to communicate basic truths about God and human nature. 

Although they typically do not rhyme, they follow a certain rhythm and 

meter and employ characteristic literary devices such as parallelism 

and repetition. 

■ Wisdom/proverbs: Wisdom literature comments on the human condition 

using learned, quotable sayings. These often offer advice for a 

wide range of topics and situations. 



The Church has declared 

and defended the full 

canon of Scripture 

as divinely inspired. 

 

Vocabulary 

Canon (n.): The official 

list of inspired books 

that appear in the Bible. 

The Catholic canon of 

Scripture includes 46 Old 

Testament books and 27 

New Testament books. 

St. Matthew and the Angel by Guido Reni (ca. 1635–1640). 

■ Parable: Parables are short stories that communicate layers of truth. 

Jesus often used parables to teach His disciples. 

■ Genealogy: Genealogies record family ancestries and reveal important 

family connections between individuals in the Bible. 

■ Epistle/letter: The epistles are letters written by St. Paul and other 

Apostles to early Christian communities and individuals to encourage 

them in their faith. They offer advice and teaching that often apply to 

our situations today. 

■ Apocalyptic: Apocalyptic writings communicate truths about God and 

our salvation through visions, often including strange imagery and 

symbolism. 

The Canon of Sacred Scripture 

The official list of inspired books in Sacred Scripture is called the canon of 

Scripture. The books of sacred Scripture delineated by the Church Fathers 

and defined at the Council of Trent includes 46 books of the Old Testament 

and 27 books of the New Testament. 



27 

Old Testament Canon 

Pentateuch 

New Testament Canon 

Gospels 

Genesis 

Exodus 

Leviticus 

Historical Books 

Joshua 

Judges 

Ruth 

1 & 2 Samuel 

1 & 2 Kings 

1 & 2 Chronicles 

Wisdom Books 

Job 

Psalms 

Proverbs 

Ecclesiastes 

Prophetic Books 

Major Prophets: 

Isaiah 

Jeremiah 

Lamentations* 

Baruch*† 

Ezekiel 

Daniel† 

*Included after Jeremiah 

†Deuterocanonical Book 

Numbers 

Deuteronomy 

Ezra 

Nehemiah 

Tobit† 

Judith† 

Esther† 

1 & 2 Maccabees† 

Song of Songs 

Wisdom† 

Sirach† 

Minor Prophets: 

Hosea 

Joel 

Amos 

Obadiah 

Jonah 

Micah 

Nahum 

Habakkuk 

Zephaniah 

Haggai 

Zechariah 

Malachi 

Matthew 

Mark 

Luke 

John 

Acts of the Apostles* 

Pauline Epistles 

Romans 

1 & 2 Corinthians 

Galatians 

Ephesians 

Philippians 

Colossians 

1 & 2 Thessalonians 

1 & 2 Timothy† 

Titus† 

Philemon† 

Hebrews** 

Catholic Letters 

James 

1 & 2 Peter 

1, 2, & 3 John 

Jude 

Revelation* 

*These are each in a category of 

their own. 

**The authorship of this letter, 

although not its divine inspiration, is 

disputed. 

†These are also known as the 

Pastoral Letters. 




St. Josemaria Escriva 

“Before God, who is eternal, you are much more a 

child than, before you, the tiniest toddler. And besides 

being a child, you are a child of God — Don’t 

forget it.” 

St. Josemaria Escriva is one of the most 

quotable saints. His books The Way, Furrow, and 

The Forge are filled with short sayings that ring 

true long after they are read. His unique views on 

Christian spirituality came from the crucible of a 

difficult life. 

In 1902, Josemaria was born in Spain to loving 

and hard-working parents. His father was 

once a successful business owner, but the business 

failed, and he was left to serve as a clerk 

in the clothing store he once owned. Josemaria’s 

family also experienced the tragedy of three of his 

siblings passing away in the span of three years. 

He discovered his vocation early on in life 

when he began to ask who God was and what it 

really meant to serve Him. Though young, he took 

on added prayers and penances as he tried to 

discern the will of God. As he was preparing to become 

a priest, tragedy struck the family when his 

father passed away, leaving Josemaria to support 

his mother and his surviving siblings. Upon his ordination, 

he immersed himself into his priesthood 

and lived at the service of others. Of the priesthood 

he said, “A priest should love the young and 

the old, the poor and the rich, the sick and the 

children. He should prepare himself well to celebrate 

Mass. He should welcome and take care of 

souls one by one, like a shepherd who knows his 

flock and calls each sheep by name. We priests 

do not have rights. I like to 

think of myself as a servant 

of all, and in this title I take 

pride.” 

St. Josemaria is perhaps 

best known for founding 

the organization Opus Dei, 

which offers religious formation 

for laymen, priests, 

and religious to live lives of 

holiness no matter their situation. 

He explained Opus 

Dei to Time magazine in 

this way: “Opus Dei aims to 

encourage people of every 

sector of society to desire 

holiness in the midst of the world. In other words, 

Opus Dei proposes to help ordinary citizens like 

yourself to lead a fully Christian life, without modifying 

their normal way of life, their daily work, their 

aspirations and ambitions.” 

Going on, he said, “Opus Dei is not interested 

in vows or promises. It asks its members to make 

an effort to practice human and Christian virtues, 

as children of God, despite the limitations and errors 

that are inevitable in human life.” 

St. Josemaria reminds us that everyday people 

are called to be saints. There is a way for you 

to be a saint precisely as you are, as a student or 

as a son or daughter or through your homework. 

Every human endeavor can be transformed into 

something holy, something beautiful and pleasing 

to God. 

St. Josemaria 

is perhaps 

best known for 

founding the 

organization 

Opus Dei. 



29 

During the first several centuries after Jesus’ Death and Resurrection, 

there existed a widespread consensus among Christians about which 

books were considered divinely inspired. This consensus was affirmed by 

the Magisterium at various ecumenical councils throughout the centuries. 

The primary criteria for determining which books were part of the canon of 

Scripture was the liturgy. The books affirmed as inspired were those that 

had been read in the Church’s liturgy since the very beginning. 

During the Protestant Reformation, the Protestant “reformers” sought 

to remove certain books from the Bible, prompting the Magisterium once 

more to address the question of the canon of Scripture. At the Council of 

Trent in 1546, the Catholic Church definitively and dogmatically declared 

which books did and did not belong to the official list of scriptural books. 

Echoing the early Church Fathers, the Fathers of Trent officially listed the 

same 46 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament 

as divinely inspired and therefore canonical. 

As for the canon itself, the Church’s Old Testament canon is primarily 

based on the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament, which 

was the version of the Jewish Scriptures in common use among both the 

Hellenist (Greek-speaking) Jews in places such as Rome and Alexandria 

and the early Christians. The Septuagint included translations of the biblical 

books that had been written in Hebrew (with the exception of a few 

chapters in Aramaic) plus newer books that had been written in Greek. A 

Jewish rabbinical council held at Jamnia in AD 96 opted to use the Hebrew 

translation of the Old Testament texts, formalizing the canon of the Old 

Testament for Jews and thus excluding these newer Greek-written books. 

The Church, however, did not change the version they used because they 

no longer accepted the authority of the Jewish rabbis. It was this Hebrew 

version of the Old Testament that was later adopted by Protestants. For 

this reason, the Books of Tobit, Judith, Sirach, Wisdom, Baruch, and 1 and 

2 Maccabees, as well as additional parts of Esther and Daniel, are considered 

canonical by Catholics, as well as the Orthodox and other Eastern 

Christians, but not by Protestants and modern-day Jews. Catholics often 

refer to the seven books as “deuterocanonical,” which literally means 

“second canon,” while Protestants refer to them as “apocryphal” or “the 

apocrypha.” 

Vocabulary 

Ecumenical Council (n.): 

A meeting of all the world’s 

bishops together in union 

with the pope. 

Protestant Reformation 

(n.): A sixteenth-century 

revolt begun by Martin Luther 

that divided and eventually 

splintered Christianity. Many 

Christian churches, which 

are known as Protestant 

churches or denominations, 

formed as a result of this 

split. Though Jesus desires 

that His Church be one, 

all baptized Christians are 

brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Septuagint (n.): The pre- 

Christian Greek translation 

of the Old Testament books 

made by Jewish scholars 

and later adopted by Greekspeaking 

Christians. 

Deuterocanonical (adj.): 

Of the second canon. A 

designation often used by 

Catholics to refer to seven 

books of the Old Testament 

not recognized as canonincal 

by Protestants and modernday 

Jews but which have 

always been recognized as 

inspired Scripture by the 

Catholic Church. Because 

Protestants doubt their status 

as inspired, Protestants 

refer to these books as “the 

apocrypha” or “apocraphycal 

books.” These books 

are Tobit, Judith, Sirach, 

Wisdom, Baruch, and 1 and 

2 Maccabees, as well as 

additional parts of Esther and 

Daniel. 


30 


? 

Why isn’t Scripture enough for Catholics? 

Although Scripture is tremendously important 

to the Catholic Church and the to be written down. 

action to be done before it was a book 

life of its members, it is not the only 

Moreover, Jesus did not command 

way God’s revelation has been passed 

His Apostles to write down the stories, 

down to us. Remember, St. John the 

accounts, and miracles. He commanded 

Evangelist told us there “are also many 

them to celebrate the Eucharist; baptize 

other things that Jesus did” and if 

people in the name of the Father, Son, 

they were all written he did not think 

and Holy Spirit; and make disciples of all 

“the whole world would contain the 

nations. Writing the Gospel down helped 

books that would be written” (John 

the Apostles hand on the Tradition of the 

21:25). 

Church, but it was not the Tradition in 

Likewise, before the Gospel of full, just a part of it. 

John is believed to have been written, 

It is also important to note this 

the Church, not the documents of the 

question usually arises in reference 

Church, was named as the “pillar and 

to the doctrine of sola scriptura, which 

foundation of truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). 

means putting one’s faith in “scripture 

The Church existed more than a generation 

before even the earliest epistles 

alone.” This idea, which is embraced 

by many groups of Protestants, is 

of the New Testament, and the term 

not found in Scripture. As mentioned 

New Testament itself refers to the New 

above, Scripture itself tells us to hold 

Covenant, which specifically refers to 

fast to traditions and what we have 

the Eucharist and, therefore, the liturgy. 

heard. Scripture embraces the whole 

At the Last Supper, Jesus gave His of Tradition and points us to the teaching 

authority of St. Peter and the other 

disciples His Body and His Blood, specifically 

calling the offered chalice “the Apostles. Sola scriptura rejects that authority, 

which subsists in the Church’s 

new covenant in my blood” (Luke 

22:20) and instructing us to “do this Magisterium, and ultimately that makes 

in memory” of him (Luke 22:19). The sola scriptura an unbiblical teaching 

New Covenant, or Testament, was an contrary to Sacred Scripture. 



31 


People quote Scripture all the time but often take passages out of context and 

use the text for their own agendas. Some reporters are notorious for isolating 

a quote from a source and misleading readers from the whole truth — the same 

happens when one passage from Scripture is skewed. Individuals constantly 

attempt to legitimize sinful actions with support from a Bible quote! As Catholics, 

we believe Scripture is inerrant by virtue of God’s inspiration, but that does not 

mean all interpretations are equal, especially those that stray from the original 

intention of the sacred authors. The meaning of Sacred Scripture is not meant 

for unguided interpretation — without the Church and her wisdom serving as a 

lens for analysis, everyone reading Scripture would have their own opinions, 

leading to division among the communion of the faithful based on discrepancies 

of meaning. Truth is not relative; truth is as consistent and pure as the God 

who created it and who constantly reveals it through the words of the Bible. 

So how do we properly interpret Scripture? How can we know what Scripture 

is trying to tell us about God and our salvation? God does not call us all to be 

Scripture scholars, but He does want the truths contained within Scripture to 

be accessible to every person. Jesus gave us the gift of the Church and the 

Magisterium precisely for this purpose. The teaching body of the Church, under 

the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, interprets the Word of God for the faithful and 

provides the context through which Scripture should be read. Jesus entrusted 

Peter and the Apostles, who became the first pope and bishops, to “feed my 

sheep” (John 21:17), and to guide the believers in the truth. Through apostolic 

succession, the truths of the Faith have been passed down from the Apostles 

through an unbroken line of bishops to the leaders of the Holy Church today. 


32 


Chapter 2 


1 What does it mean that all Scripture is inspired by God? 

2 How can we say that the human authors of Scripture are true authors? 

3 What does it mean that the Bible is inerrant? What specifically is inerrant? How should we 

treat any seeming contradictions in a Scripture text? 

4 What kinds of writing are found in the Bible? 

5 What are the two parts of the Bible, and what do each contain? 

6 How are the Old and New Testaments related to one another? 

7 What is typology? 

8 What are the different literary forms contained in the Bible? 

9 What is the canon of Scripture? When and why was it officially defined? 

10 What is the Church’s Old Testament canon based on and why? 

11 What has always been considered canonical by the Catholic Church but is not by Protestants 

and modern-day Jews? 

12 Why do Catholics not believe in the doctrine of sola scriptura? 

13 What does St. Josemaria Escriva teach us about the value of everyday life? 



33 






Dei Verbum 7–11, The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, November 

18, 1968 

7. In His gracious goodness, God has seen to it that what He had revealed for the salvation of all nations 

would abide perpetually in its full integrity and be handed on to all generations. Therefore Christ the Lord 

in whom the full revelation of the supreme God is brought to completion (see 2 Cor. 1:20; 3:13; 4:6), commissioned 

the Apostles to preach to all men that Gospel which is the source of all saving truth and moral 

teaching, and to impart to them heavenly gifts. This Gospel had been promised in former times through 

the prophets, and Christ Himself had fulfilled it and promulgated it with His lips. This commission was 

faithfully fulfilled by the Apostles who, by their oral preaching, by example, and by observances handed 

on what they had received from the lips of Christ, from living with Him, and from what He did, or what 

they had learned through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The commission was fulfilled, too, by those 

Apostles and apostolic men who under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit committed the message of 

salvation to writing. 

But in order to keep the Gospel forever whole and alive within the Church, the Apostles left bishops as 

their successors, “handing over” to them “the authority to teach in their own place.” This sacred tradition, 

therefore, and Sacred Scripture of both the Old and New Testaments are like a mirror in which the pilgrim 

Church on earth looks at God, from whom she has received everything, until she is brought finally to see 

Him as He is, face to face (see 1 John 3:2). 

8. And so the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be 

preserved by an unending succession of preachers until the end of time. Therefore the Apostles, handing on 

what they themselves had received, warn the faithful to hold fast to the traditions which they have learned 

either by word of mouth or by letter (see 2 Thess. 2:15), and to fight in defense of the faith handed on once 

and for all (see Jude 1:3). Now what was handed on by the Apostles includes everything which contributes 

toward the holiness of life and increase in faith of the peoples of God; and so the Church, in her teaching, 

life and worship, perpetuates and hands on to all generations all that she herself is, all that she believes. 

This tradition which comes from the Apostles develop in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit. For 

there is a growth in the understanding of the realities and the words which have been handed down. This 

happens through the contemplation and study made by believers, who treasure these things in their hearts 

(see Luke, 2:19, 51) through a penetrating understanding of the spiritual realities which they experience, 

and through the preaching of those who have received through Episcopal succession the sure gift of truth. 

For as the centuries succeed one another, the Church constantly moves forward toward the fullness of 

divine truth until the words of God reach their complete fulfillment in her. 


34 




The words of the holy fathers witness to the presence of this living tradition, whose wealth is poured into 

the practice and life of the believing and praying Church. Through the same tradition the Church’s full 

canon of the sacred books is known, and the sacred writings themselves are more profoundly understood 

and unceasingly made active in her; and thus God, who spoke of old, uninterruptedly converses with the 

bride of His beloved Son; and the Holy Spirit, through whom the living voice of the Gospel resounds in 

the Church, and through her, in the world, leads unto all truth those who believe and makes the word of 

Christ dwell abundantly in them (see Col. 3:16). 

9. Hence there exists a close connection and communication between sacred tradition and Sacred 

Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity 

and tend toward the same end. For Sacred Scripture is the word of God inasmuch as it is consigned to 

writing under the inspiration of the divine Spirit, while sacred tradition takes the word of God entrusted 

by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, and hands it on to their successors in its full purity, 

so that led by the light of the Spirit of truth, they may in proclaiming it preserve this word of God faithfully, 

explain it, and make it more widely known. Consequently it is not from Sacred Scripture alone that the 

Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed. Therefore both sacred tradition 

and Sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence. 

10. Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the 

Church. Holding fast to this deposit the entire holy people united with their shepherds remain always 

steadfast in the teaching of the Apostles, in the common life, in the breaking of the bread and in prayers 

(see Acts 2, 42, Greek text), so that holding to, practicing and professing the heritage of the faith, it becomes 

on the part of the bishops and faithful a single common effort. 

But the task of authentically interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed on, has been entrusted 

exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church, whose authority is exercised in the name 

of Jesus Christ. This teaching office is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has 

been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously and explaining it faithfully in accord with 

a divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it draws from this one deposit of faith everything 

which it presents for belief as divinely revealed. 

It is clear, therefore, that sacred tradition, Sacred Scripture and the teaching authority of the Church, in 

accord with God’s most wise design, are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the 

others, and that all together and each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit contribute 

effectively to the salvation of souls. 

11. Those divinely revealed realities which are contained and presented in Sacred Scripture have been 

committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For holy mother Church, relying on the belief 

of the Apostles (see John 20:31; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19–20, 3:15–16), holds that the books of both the 

Old and New Testaments in their entirety, with all their parts, are sacred and canonical because written 

under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been handed on as such 



35 



to the Church herself. In composing the sacred books, God chose men and while employed by Him they 

made use of their powers and abilities, so that with Him acting in them and through them, they, as true 

authors, consigned to writing everything and only those things which He wanted. 

Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted 

by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully 

and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation. Therefore 

“all Scripture is divinely inspired and has its use for teaching the truth and refuting error, for reformation of 

manners and discipline in right living, so that the man who belongs to God may be efficient and equipped 

for good work of every kind” (2 Tim. 3:16–17, Greek text). 


1 Whom did Jesus commission, and what did He commission them to hand on? How did they accomplish 

this task? Who else fulfilled Christ’s commission? 

2 What was done in order for the Gospel to be kept whole and alive forever? 

3 What does everything handed on by the Apostles include? 

4 Where and by whose help does Tradition develop? 

5 What has occurred through the Tradition of the Church? 

6 What three things are the Apostles and their successors to do in the “light of the Spirit of truth”? 

7 What two things form the one sacred deposit of the Word of God? 

8 Who has the task of authentically interpreting the Word of God? Where did this authority come from? 

9 Why is the Magisterium not above the Word of God? 

10 Paragraph 11 tells us that in composing the sacred books, “God chose men” and employed them 

to write “those things which He wanted.” Why do you think God chose to reveal Himself in this way, 

that is, in written word, using the powers and abilities of human beings? 


Chapter 3 

The Interpretation and 

Life of Sacred Scripture 

in the Church

Unit 1, Chapter 3: The Interpretation and Life of Sacred Scripture in the Church 

37 


While Sacred Scripture is the true Word of God and is free from error, human interpretation 

can often go astray. Therefore, the Second Vatican Council provided the faithful with helpful 

guidelines for reading the sacred texts in order to prevent confusion and misinterpretation. 

Readers must consider the historical context of Scripture, the style of writing the author 

employed, the greater cohesive story being told, and the rich layers of meaning in the text. 

The Living Word of God is dynamic—the sheer depth of meaning existing within Scripture 

indicates there is always more to be revealed. God speaks to the hearts and minds of His 

people today just as He did thousands of years ago when the books of the Bible were 

written. Scripture weaves through the very fabric of our lives, forming the structure of the 

Mass and guiding the rhythm of our daily prayer. Scripture cultivates our relationship with 

God and directs us to share the truth of His divine love with the people around us. 


■ There are different “senses of Scripture” that must be understood in order to read and comprehend God’s 

Word. 

■ Historical and literary criticism are methods of studying Scripture. 

■ The Bible must be read in context, and biblical scholars must always interpret Scripture within the living 

Tradition of the Church. 

■ We are meant to pray with Sacred Scripture so it does not become just an object of study. 

■ Sacred Scripture is central to the Church’s liturgy and to traditional prayers such as the Our Father, Hail 

Mary, Angelus, and Rosary. 

■ When we read Scripture, God calls us to respond to Him with faithful love. 

Bible Basics 


“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those 

on whom his favor rests.” 

LUKE 2:14 

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your 

kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.” 


CCC 103 (pg. 43) 

CCC 104 (pg. 44) 

CCC 109 (pg. 42) 

CCC 111 (pg. 38) 

CCC 113 (pg. 39) 

CCC 114 (pg. 39) 

CCC 116 (pg. 40) 

CCC 117 (pg. 40, 41) 

CCC 132 (pg. 44) 

CCC 144 (pg. 48) 



Vocabulary 

Second Vatican Council 

(n.): The most recent 

ecumenical council of 

the Church, held at the 

Vatican between 1962 

and 1965. Also called 

Vatican II. 

Principles of Interpretation 

At the Second Vatican Council, which was held from 1962 to 1965, the 

bishops of the world sought to address many of the problems that had 

arisen in recent times when scholars attempted to interpret the Bible 

apart from prayer and an active living faith. To help Catholic scholars 

going forward, the council laid out a series of principles for biblical interpretation. 

Among those principles are three criteria for “interpreting 

Scripture in accordance with the Spirit who inspired it” (CCC 111). 

These criteria are: 

1. Be especially attentive to the content and unity of the 

whole Scripture. 

The different texts of Scripture must be read in context. No single passage, 

chapter, or book exists in isolation. Everything in Scripture must 

be read not just in the context of the chapter or the book it is found, but 

also in the context of the whole of the Bible. We cannot separate the 

part from the whole, otherwise we risk cherry-picking passages, that is, 

selecting one or two single passages and interpreting them in isolation, 

often falsely or incorrectly. Instead, we need to recognize that every 

line in the Bible has something to tell us about the whole of Salvation 

History and that the whole of Salvation History has something to tell us 

about every line in the Bible. 

The Church has 

always corrected the 

errors of those who 

interpret Scripture 

incorrectly and take 

it out of context. 

 

Jesus Among the Doctors by David Teniers the Younger (ca. 1651–1656). 



39 

2. Read the Scripture within the living Tradition of the whole 

Church. 

Sacred Scripture is the written component of Sacred Tradition. Just as 

the Word of God is handed on in the Tradition of the Church, so too is 

the Word of God handed on in written form in Scripture, though in a 

different way. Remember, Scripture came out of Tradition: there was a 

time in the life of the Church when there was no New Testament, but the 

Deposit of Faith was still faithfully handed on. Sacred Scripture, therefore, 

must be interpreted from within the living tradition of the Church. 

The Catechism tells us: “Sacred Scripture is written principally in 

the Church’s heart rather than in documents and records, for the 

Church carries in her Tradition the living memorial of God’s Word, 

and it is the Holy Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation 

of the Scripture” (113). As such, the entirety of Scripture belongs to 

the Church’s living Tradition, and guided by the Spirit, the Church interprets 

Scripture within that living Tradition. 

3. Be attentive to the analogy of faith. 

The analogy of faith means “the coherence of the truths of the 

faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation” 

(CCC 114). In other words, by this criteria we must remember that 

the doctrines of our Faith cannot contradict each other — truth cannot 

contradict truth. Proper interpretation of Scripture must always seek 

an inner consistency and keep in mind that all the doctrines of the 

Faith are also interconnected; each illuminates the others. Just as 

we must consider the whole of Scripture when interpreting a single 

passage, and then refer to the whole of Sacred Tradition, so too must 

we consider Scripture within the entirety of our Faith and all that God 

has divinely revealed to us. 

In the end, the Church is the proper setting for the interpretation of 

Scripture. It is to the Apostles and their successors that Jesus gave His 

authority, and they have faithfully carried out their responsibility for nearly 

2,000 years. It is the Church who wrote the New Testament, and who then 

collected, approved, and handed on the canon of Scripture. And it is the 

Church still today, and until the end of time, who teaches only what she has 

received, listens faithfully to the Word of God, and guards and protects the 

authentic interpretation of Scripture with dedication. 

It is to the 

Apostles and 

their successors 

that Jesus gave 

His authority, 

and they have 

faithfully 

carried out their 

responsibility 

for nearly 2,000 

years. 

The Senses of Sacred Scripture 

Another key to reading and interpreting the Bible rightly is to understand 

the different “senses of Scripture.” There are, broadly speaking, two different 

“senses”: the literal sense and the spiritual sense. 



Vocabulary 

Literal Sense (n.): The 

meaning that comes 

directly from the Scripture 

text and is intended by the 

sacred author. 

Spiritual Sense (n.): The 

meaning of the Scripture 

text that reveals the 

inner unity of God’s plan 

through the realities and 

events of Scripture, which 

are signs God uses to 

point to deeper meaning. 

The spiritual sense is 

further broken down into 

three parts: the allegorical 

sense, the moral sense, 

and the anagogical sense. 

Allegorical Sense (n.): 

The subcategory of 

the spiritual sense that 

helps us acquire a more 

profound understanding 

of events in the Bible 

by recognizing their 

significance in Christ. It 

is the typology present in 

the Scripture text. 

Moral Sense (n.): 

The subcategory of 


helps us recognize how 

the events reported in 

Scripture lead us to act 

justly. Also called the 

“tropological sense.” 

Anagogical Sense 

(n.): The subcategory of 


helps us view realities 

and events in the Bible 

in terms of their eternal 

significance, leading us 

toward our true homeland: 

Heaven. 

The first sense is the literal sense. The literal sense may refer simply 

to the plain meaning of the words the sacred author chose, or as 

the Catechism describes it: “the meaning conveyed by the words of 

Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound 

interpretation” (116). But it may also include the use of symbolism and 

metaphor, if that was the author’s intention. Sometimes the literal sense of 

a passage is plain: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35) means just that — Jesus 

wept. Other times, though, historical context, literary forms, or cultural 

and linguistic differences make it more challenging to understand the 

literal meaning of a passage. The literal sense of Scripture is always 

present in any given Scripture passage and must always be understood 

first in order to properly understand the spiritual sense. As St. Thomas 

Aquinas wrote, “All other senses of Scripture are based on the literal” 

(quoted in CCC 116). 

The second sense of Scripture is the spiritual sense. The spiritual 

sense allows us to understand how the realities and events of Scripture 

are themselves signs of our Faith. When we look for the spiritual sense 

of a passage, we are looking for the meaning that goes beyond the literal 

words on the page and sheds light on spiritual truths. Importantly, the 

spiritual sense can never contradict the literal sense of Scripture. The 

spiritual sense can, however, reveal a deeper or complementary meaning 

to the passage, showing us a depth we did not first perceive when we 

read the words. 

The spiritual sense of Scripture is actually subdivided into three categories: 

the allegorical sense, moral (or tropological) sense, and 

anagogical sense. 

Allegorical Sense 

The allegorical sense helps us “acquire a more profound understanding 

of events by recognizing their significance in Christ” (CCC 117). As 

noted in the previous chapter, the allegorical sense helps us recognize 

and understand the typology present in the Scripture text, that is, how the 

persons, events, and things of the Old Testament foreshadow Jesus Christ. 

The earlier person, event, or thing in the Old Testament is called a type. 

The term type is derived from a Greek word meaning “stamp,” which referred 

to the original pattern or mold used to leave an imprint in coins. Thus, 

when discerning the allegorical sense of Scriptural text, we are considering 

the imprint made in Salvation History by the earlier person, event, or thing 

that is fully realized in Christ. A simple example would be how the crossing 

of the Red Sea by the Israelites in Exodus is a “type of Christ’s victory 

and also of Christian Baptism” (CCC 117). 



41 

Moral (Tropological) Sense 

The moral sense helps us to recognize how “the events reported in 

Scripture ought to lead us to act justly” (CCC 117). The moral sense of 

a text teaches us how to live morally, or how to act in a right way, choosing 

right from wrong. We learn what is moral from the example of people in 

Scripture whose stories teach us either what to do or what not to do. We 

also learn what is moral in explicit moral teaching (which could also be 

found in the literal sense, or plain meaning of the text), such as the Ten 

Commandments. 

Vocabulary 

(See page 40) 

Type (n.): A person or thing 

in the Old Testament that 

foreshadows a person or 

thing in the New Testament. 

Anagogical Sense 

The anagogical sense (from the Greek word anagoge, which means “leading 

up”) helps us “view realities and events in terms of their eternal 

significance, leading us toward our true homeland: thus the Church 

on earth is a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem” (CCC 117). The anagogical 

sense teaches us about our true destiny, which is Heaven, and the 

things of the end (death, judgment, Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell), often 

by analogy or visions or by direct teaching, as in Christ’s teachings of the 

end. An example of the anagogical sense can be found in 2 Maccabees 12, 

when Judas Maccabeus prays for his dead soldiers. His prayer tells us he 

believed his prayer would have some effect on his soldiers in the afterlife. 

We can discern, then, that there must be some third state after death other 

than Heaven or Hell, which is Purgatory. 

Our understanding of 

Hell, Purgatory, and 

Heaven come from 

reading Scripture in an 

anagogical sense. 

Dante and His Poem by Domenico di Michelino (1465). 



Vocabulary 

Biblical Criticism (n.): 

The study of the text of 

Scripture in order to come 

to a better understanding 

of its meaning. It most 

often takes one of two 

forms: historical criticism 

and literary criticism. 

Historical Criticism (n.): 

The method of Scripture 

analysis that considers 

the historical context of a 

book or passage. 

The Holy Mass makes 

present the events of 

Scripture and primarily 

uses scriptural texts. 

Recognizing the spiritual senses helps us more fully understand the 

words of Sacred Scripture. It also helps us grow closer to Jesus as we read 

the Bible. As the Church teaches, perceiving the allegorical sense enriches 

our faith and helps us to know Jesus better; perceiving the moral sense 

helps us grow in charity, for we learn more about how God wants us to 

live; and perceiving the anagogical sense helps us grow in hope, because 

it reminds us to keep an eternal perspective on things. 

Biblical Criticism 

In order to interpret Scripture properly, we must “be attentive to what the 

human authors truly wanted to affirm, and to what God wanted to reveal 

to us by their words” (CCC 109). Therefore, we must take into consideration 

the context of the passages we are reading, the literary forms, 

and the writers’ intentions. To do so, we can take advantage of a variety of 

different schools and methods of biblical criticism. The word “criticism” 

here can be misleading, because it can sound like we are looking for errors 

or critiquing the text. Instead, it means we are studying the text and trying 

to come to a better understanding of what it says. This type of studying 

most often takes one of two forms: historical criticism and literary criticism. 

Historical criticism looks at the historical context of a book or passage, 

examining what the cultural, political, and sociological events and 

Fridolin Assists with the Holy Mass by Peter Fendi (1833). 



43 

trends of its time tell us about it. Literary criticism looks at the composition 

of the text. It uses language, genres, figures of speech, allusions, and more 

to shed light on the meaning of biblical passages. We can use both methods 

at the same time. For example, we could examine common types of 

literature in different historical eras or specific words used in a certain time 

period. Very often, the kinds of things considered in literary criticism are 

entirely dependent on the historical context from which they came. These 

methods, when used well, help shed light on the human meaning of the 

Scripture text. 

Vocabulary 

Literary Criticism (n.): 

The method of Scripture 

analysis that considers 

the composition of a book 

or passage, including 

genres of writing, figures 

of speech, allusions, 

metaphors, and more. 

Ultimately, we need to remember that if we truly want to grow in our 

understanding of Scripture, studying it from an academic perspective is not 

enough. We must also pray with the Bible, contemplating it and meditating 

upon it as we remain open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who is the 

one who inspired Sacred Scripture and is our best help in understanding it. 

The Role of Scripture in the Life of the Church 

As we have learned, Sacred Scripture is the Word of God inspired by 

the Holy Spirit for the sake of our salvation. As such, the words, prayers, 

teachings, and people of Sacred Scripture are woven into the fabric of the 

Church’s life. Indeed, the Catechism tells us: “the Church has always 

venerated the Scriptures as she venerates the Lord’s Body. She never 

ceases to present to the faithful the bread of life, taken from the one 

table of God’s Word and Christ’s Body” (103). 

This reverence for Sacred Scripture is evident first and foremost in the 

Holy Mass. It is in the Mass that the Church venerates the Word of God 

as she venerates the Body of Christ. In both, which we receive from the 

same altar, we receive God Himself. The readings, the responsorial psalm, 

and the Gospel are exclusively from Scripture. So too are the prayers and 

antiphons. The words of the Kyrie (“Lord have mercy”) echo the cries of the 

Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:22. The Gloria features the joyful words 

that the angels cried out at Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:14). The Sanctus (“Holy, 

Holy, Holy”) is the song of the angels in Heaven in Revelation 4:8. The 

words we pray before Communion, “Lord I am not worthy that you should 

enter under my roof,” are the words spoken to Jesus by the Centurion in 

Matthew 8:8. And the words of the consecration (“This is my body … This 

is my blood”) are those spoken by Jesus in the Upper Room on the night 

before He died, when He first instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist 

(see Matt. 26:26–28; Mark 14:22–24; Luke 22:19–20). 

Even more importantly, the events of Scripture are made present 

through the Mass. In the Mass, we worship Jesus with the angels, as 

in the Book of Revelation. And in the Mass, Jesus is present in Body 



Vocabulary 

Liturgy of the Hours 

(n.): The public prayer of 

the Church that sanctifies 

the whole course of the 

day and night. It consists 

of a variety of prayers, 

Scripture readings, most 

especially the Psalms, 

and writings of the saints, 

divided into “hours,” which 

are prescribed to be 

prayed at specific times 

of day. 

and Blood, Soul and Divinity under the appearance of bread and wine. 

Similarly, just as knowledge of the Bible helps us understand what is taking 

place in the liturgy, knowledge of the liturgy can help us understand 

the Bible. We receive from both the Scriptures and the Mass the one Word 

of God, Jesus Christ. 

In addition to the Mass, the Scriptures are also integral to the 

Liturgy of the Hours. Also known as the Divine Office, the Liturgy of the 

Hours is the universal, public prayer of the Church. Priests, deacons, and 

religious pray it every day, and the laity are encouraged to pray it as well, 

whether in whole or part, allowing the biblical readings and meditations to 

draw us closer to Jesus and sanctify the hours of the day. 

Then there are the traditional prayers of the Church which draw upon 

Scripture: the Our Father (Matt. 6:9–15; Luke 11:2–4); the Hail Mary (Luke 

1:28, 42) and the Angelus (Luke 1:26–38; John 1:14). The Rosary not only 

uses these scriptural prayers but calls us to pray them while meditating 

upon twenty different events from the life of Christ. 

Finally, in Scripture the Church “finds her nourishment and her 

strength” (CCC 104) for her preaching and teaching, with the Church 

seeing the study of Scripture as “the very soul of sacred theology” (CCC 

132). Priests are instructed to preach about Scripture in their homilies, and 

The laity are encouraged 

to pray the Liturgy 

of the Hours as a 

way to unite their 

prayer throughout the 

day with the prayer 

of the Church. 

 

Beatrice by Marie Spartali Stillman (1895). 



45 


St. John Chrysostom 

Scripture says, “the word of God is living and 

effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, 

penetrating even between soul and spirit, 

joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections 

and thoughts of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). 

In other words, if you read the Bible seriously, 

expect a reaction. The words of Scripture can 

change lives; they can also make people angry. 

St. John Chrysostom knew this all too well. 

He was a renowned orator, having been trained 

in the art of rhetoric — the name Chrysostom itself 

means “golden-mouthed.” He began to pursue 

the religious life by joining a community of hermits 

and was subsequently ordained as a deacon 

and then as a priest. In the year AD 398, he was 

made bishop of Constantinople. From the start he 

made quite a stir. Wishing to follow Christ’s teaching, 

he dispensed with the unnecessary comforts 

and excesses of his office and gave the money he 

saved to the poor. 

St. John also made enemies. When he publicly 

reproved the Empress Eudoxia for her extravagant 

ways, hoping for her conversion and that 

of society itself, he instead made an enemy of 

both her and her husband, the Emperor Arcadius. 

Embittered by St. John’s reproofs, Eudoxia and 

Arcadius instigated a series of plots that led to 

his exile. 

He was, however, without fear, declaring: 

“When driven from the city, I cared nothing for 

it. But I said to myself, if the empress wishes to 

banish me, let her banish me — ‘the earth is the 

Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.’ If she would saw 

me in sunder, let her saw me 

in sunder — I have Isaiah for 

a pattern. If she would plunge 

me in the sea — I remember 

Jonah. If she would thrust 

me into the fiery furnace — I 

see the three children enduring 

that. If she would cast me 

to wild beasts — I call to mind 

Daniel in the den of lions. If 

she would stone me, let her 

stone me — I have before 

me, Stephen the protomartyr. If she would take 

my head from me, let her take it — I have John 

the Baptist. If she would deprive me of my worldly 

goods, let her do it — naked came I from my mother’s 

womb, and naked shall I return.” 

He was eventually allowed to return from exile. 

But then the empress erected a great silver 

statue of herself right outside of the great church 

of Hagia Sophia. Wild and drunken celebrations 

honoring the empress’s statue interrupted 

the bishop and his priests at their prayers. John 

Chrysostom spoke loudly against these celebrations. 

These actions led to another banishment, 

from which the aged bishop would not return. He 

died in exile in the year AD 407. 

St. John’s life was imbued with Scripture, and 

his deep love and knowledge of the Word of God 

is worthy of imitation. If we are convinced of God’s 

love for us, which He has revealed in Scripture, 

there is nothing in this world that should frighten 

us. 

St. John’s life 

was imbued 

with Scripture. 



Scripture informs the writing, research, and teaching of all her theologians. 

The goal of all the Church’s teaching — her preaching, homilies, catechesis, 

and writing — is to bring people into a relationship with Jesus Christ, the 

Word of God made flesh. An encounter with the written Word of God helps 

make that possible. 

How to Use Sacred Scripture 

To get to know Jesus, we can read about His life in the Gospels, spend 

time prayerfully contemplating His actions, listen to His words, and listen 

to words others wrote about Him. 

With this prayerful communication in mind, here are some ways to use 

the Bible: 

Read the Bible 

on your own, in 

the morning or 

before bed. A 

good place to 

start is with the 

Gospels. 

■ Read the Bible on your own, in the morning or before bed. A good 

place to start is with the Gospels. You could also begin by reading 

narrative books outlined below, which would give you the big picture 

of Salvation History. 

■ Read the readings for Mass each day, following the Catholic 

Lectionary. This will enable you to read the majority of the Bible over 

a span of three years and unite you each day to the liturgy of the 

Church. Likewise, contemplating the readings before Mass can help 

prepare your heart and mind for whatever God might be speaking to 

you in the readings and homily. 

God calls us to have a 

childlike faith, joyfully 

loving and trusting 

in the Father. 

 

The Evening Prayer by Peter Fendi (1839) 



47 

14 Chronological Books of Bible History 

History 

of Early 

World 

Patriarchs 

Israel in 

Egypt 

Conquest 

of Canaan 

Judges 

United 

Kingdom 

Divided 

Kingdom Exile Return Maccabean Revolt 

Jesus the 

Messiah 

Church 

LEVITICUS DEUTERONOMY RUTH 

1 

2 

CHRONICLES CHRONICLES 

TOBIT 

ESTHER, 

JUDITH 

2 

MACCABEES 

REVELATION 

Genesis 

1 

Exodus 

2 

Numbers 

3 

Joshua 

4 

Judges 

5 

1 Samuel 

6 

2 Samuel 

7 

1 Kings 

8 

2 Kings 

9 

70-Year 

Exile 

Ezra 

10 

Nehemiah 

11 

1 

Maccabees 

12 

100 Years 

between 

OT & NT 

Luke 

13 

Acts 

14 

JOB PSALMS PROVERBS, 

ECCLESIASTES, 

SONG OF SONGS 

TO ISRAEL 

■ Hosea 

■ Amos 

TO JUDAH 

■ Habukkuk 

■ Isaiah 

■ Jeremiah 

■ Lamentations 

■ Joel 

■ Micah 

■ Zephaniah 

EZEKIEL, HAGGAI, MALACHI 

DANIEL, ZECHARIAH 

BARUCH 

TO ASSYRIA 

■ Jonah 

■ Nahum 

TO EDOM 

■ Obadiah 

SIRACH, 

WISDOM 

MATTHEW, ROMANS, 

MARK, 1 COR., 

JOHN 2 COR., 

GAL., 

EPH., 

PHIL., 

COL., 

1 THESS., 

2 THESS., 

1 TIM., 

2 TIM., 

TITUS, 

PHILEMON, 

HEBREWS, 

JAMES, 

1 PETER, 

2 PETER, 

1 JOHN, 

2 JOHN, 

2 JOHN, 

JUDE 

■ Lectio Divina is a practice that dates back to at least the sixth century. 

It involves four steps: Lectio, in which we read a passage of Scripture 

(or better yet, have it read to us) and listen to God’s Word as if He 

is speaking directly to us; Meditatio, in which we meditate upon the 

passage to discern what the text — and God — says to us; Oratio, in 

which we respond to the Lord by praying to God about what we have 

read; and Contemplatio, in which we contemplate what we have read 

and meditated upon by resting in the Lord’s presence and allowing 

Him to move within us and speak to us. 

Vocabulary 

Lectio Divina (n.): An 

ancient form of praying 

with Scripture that is 

a slow and thoughtful 

encounter with the Word 

of God. Latin for “divine 

reading.” 

■ Read the Bible with others. This can be done as a family, with friends, or 

in a Bible study. Reading the Bible with others is a great way to discuss 

certain passages and learn to apply the Word of God to your life. 

■ Memorize key passages of Scripture. Writing down verses and 

keeping them in front of us (for example, on our bedroom mirror, 

screensaver, or notebooks) keeps the Word of God on our minds and 

in our hearts, especially in times of temptation or despair, or when we 

need a reminder of how God wants us to live. 

■ Pray the Rosary. When praying the mysteries of the Rosary, you are 

really meditating upon parts of Scripture, reflecting upon the events of 

Jesus’ life in the midst of your own life. 



Vocabulary 

Obedience of Faith (n.): 

The response due from 

man to God’s revelation 

of Himself: to listen and 

freely submit to the Word 

of God. 

Responding to the Sacred Scriptures 

In Sacred Scripture, God reveals Himself to us, shares His heart with us, 

and shows us how He prepared us to receive the greatest gift He could 

possibly give us: Himself, in His Son Jesus Christ. Each of us is called to 

receive that gift with love and respond to Him in faith. 

To respond with faith means saying yes to God and all He asks of us, 

readily obeying His commandments and trusting His plan for our salvation. 

The Catechism calls this the “obedience of faith,” noting that “To 

obey (from the Latin ob-audire, to ‘hear or listen to’) in faith is to 

submit freely to the word that has been heard, because its truth is 

guaranteed by God, who is Truth itself” (144). Because the Bible is 

inspired by God, there can be no higher standard or instruction by which 

to live. There can be no greater guide for our journey in this life. 

Further, to respond to God with love is to follow His Word not simply 

out of obedience, but out of a genuine desire to grow closer to God. The 

obedience of faith is, at its most basic level, the obedience of a loving, 

trusting child who places their hand in the hand of their Father and joyfully 

follows Him, knowing He will never lead them astray. 

Following the example of Mary, who, while carrying Jesus in her 

womb, rushed off to help her pregnant cousin Elizabeth, each of us is 

called to carry Christ to others. We are all called to be Christ-bearers, 

bringing His message of love and salvation to the world. The more we 

allow God’s Word to fill us and form us, the more readily we can answer 

that call. 

In order to carry out that task with greater love and knowledge, however, 

we need to know the Scriptures. We need to know what God reveals 

to us through His Word. 



49 


You have a responsibility not only to read the Bible — but also to share it! 

Through the words of Scripture, God Himself speaks directly to us. Yet even 

though we have the literal Word of God at our fingertips, far too many of us 

leave our Bibles sitting on the shelf, collecting dust. We are tempted to think 

the task of studying the Bible is for theologians or that it is enough to hear it 

read at Mass. This approach to Scripture limits not only our capacity to grow 

in holiness but also our capacity for joy, happiness, and fulfillment in life. Open 

your Bible and seek God there. He is waiting for you! 

Knowing and understanding the truths of Scripture naturally leads to sharing 

it joyfully with others. Finding God’s love in the text inclines our hearts 

toward spreading His love to His people. The Good News of the Gospel is not 

a secret; it is for everyone! In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded the 

Apostles, saying “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 

28:19). Considering the spiritual sense of this passage, we realize Jesus was 

talking not only to His followers 2,000 years ago but to us as well. He was commanding 

all who follow Him to go out and make disciples. The Church reminds 

us of this responsibility at the end of the Mass, when the priest echoes Christ’s 

words, saying “go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” The message of 

God’s love and mercy is too good not to share, and our love of neighbor should 

drive us to proclaim joyfully what we have received. The thought of sharing the 

stories of the Bible with strangers seems like an impossible task, meant only 

for missionaries. But do not fear! God accompanies us as we share His love 

with others through our words and actions. 


50 


Chapter 3 


1 What are the three criteria for interpreting Scripture laid out by the Second Vatican Council? 

2 Why should we not interpret a single passage in isolation from the rest of Scripture? 

3 Why must we interpret Scripture from within the living Tradition of the Church? 

4 Why is it important to interpret Scripture in consideration of all the doctrines of the Faith? 

5 What is the literal sense of Scripture? What needs to be taken into consideration when seeking 

to understand the literal sense of a passage? 

6 What is the spiritual sense of Scripture? What are the three sub-categories of the spiritual sense? 

7 What does the allegorical sense of Scripture help us recognize and understand in a text of 

Scripture? 

8 What does the moral (or tropological) sense of Scripture help us recognize in a text of 

Scripture? 

9 What does the anagogical sense of Scripture teach us? 

10 What are the two main forms of biblical criticism, and how are each defined? 

11 What are two ways Scripture is present in the Mass? What do we receive from both Scripture 

and the Mass? 

12 In what other aspects of the Church’s life is Scripture present? 

13 What are two suggested ways to use Scripture that interest you the most? Why? 

14 How are the faithful called to respond to Scripture? 

15 How did St. John Chrysostom share the Word of God fearlessly? What do you think was the 

source of His courage? 



51 






Dei Verbum 12–13, 21–22, 26, The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine 

Revelation, November 18, 1965 

12. However, since God speaks in Sacred Scripture through men in human fashion, the interpreter of 

Sacred Scripture, in order to see clearly what God wanted to communicate to us, should carefully investigate 

what meaning the sacred writers really intended, and what God wanted to manifest by means of 

their words. 

To search out the intention of the sacred writers, attention should be given, among other things, to “literary 

forms.” For truth is set forth and expressed differently in texts which are variously historical, prophetic, 

poetic, or of other forms of discourse. The interpreter must investigate what meaning the sacred writer 

intended to express and actually expressed in particular circumstances by using contemporary literary 

forms in accordance with the situation of his own time and culture. For the correct understanding of what 

the sacred author wanted to assert, due attention must be paid to the customary and characteristic styles 

of feeling, speaking and narrating which prevailed at the time of the sacred writer, and to the patterns men 

normally employed at that period in their everyday dealings with one another. But, since Holy Scripture 

must be read and interpreted in the sacred spirit in which it was written, no less serious attention must 

be given to the content and unity of the whole of Scripture if the meaning of the sacred texts is to be 

correctly worked out. The living tradition of the whole Church must be taken into account along with the 

harmony which exists between elements of the faith. It is the task of exegetes to work according to these 

rules toward a better understanding and explanation of the meaning of Sacred Scripture, so that through 

preparatory study the judgment of the Church may mature. For all of what has been said about the way 

of interpreting Scripture is subject finally to the judgment of the Church, which carries out the divine commission 

and ministry of guarding and interpreting the word of God. 

13. In Sacred Scripture, therefore, while the truth and holiness of God always remains intact, the marvelous 

“condescension” of eternal wisdom is clearly shown, “that we may learn the gentle kindness of God, 

which words cannot express, and how far He has gone in adapting His language with thoughtful concern 

for our weak human nature.” For the words of God, expressed in human language, have been made like 

human discourse, just as the word of the eternal Father, when He took to Himself the flesh of human 

weakness, was in every way made like men. 

21. The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, 

since, especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life 


52 




from the table both of God’s word and of Christ’s body. She has always maintained them, and continues 

to do so, together with sacred tradition, as the supreme rule of faith, since, as inspired by God and committed 

once and for all to writing, they impart the word of God Himself without change, and make the voice 

of the Holy Spirit resound in the words of the prophets and Apostles. Therefore, like the Christian religion 

itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and regulated by Sacred Scripture. For in the 

sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them; and 

the force and power in the word of God is so great that it stands as the support and energy of the Church, 

the strength of faith for her sons, the food of the soul, the pure and everlasting source of spiritual life. 

Consequently, these words are perfectly applicable to Sacred Scripture: “For the word of God is living and 

active” (Heb. 4:12) and “it has power to build you up and give you your heritage among all those who are 

sanctified” (Acts 20:32; see 1 Thess. 2:13). 

22. Easy access to Sacred Scripture should be provided for all the Christian faithful. That is why the 

Church from the very beginning accepted as her own that very ancient Greek translation of the Old 

Testament which is called the septuagint; and she has always given a place of honor to other Eastern 

translations and Latin ones especially the Latin translation known as the vulgate. But since the word of 

God should be accessible at all times, the Church by her authority and with maternal concern sees to 

it that suitable and correct translations are made into different languages, especially from the original 

texts of the sacred books. And should the opportunity arise and the Church authorities approve, if these 

translations are produced in cooperation with the separated brethren as well, all Christians will be able 

to use them. 

26. In this way, therefore, through the reading and study of the sacred books “the word of God may spread 

rapidly and be glorified” (2 Thess. 3:1) and the treasure of revelation, entrusted to the Church, may more 

and more fill the hearts of men. Just as the life of the Church is strengthened through more frequent celebration 

of the Eucharistic mystery, similar we may hope for a new stimulus for the life of the Spirit from a 

growing reverence for the word of God, which “lasts forever” (Is. 40:8; see 1 Peter 1:23–25). 



53 




1 What should the interpreter of Scripture do to see clearly what God wanted to communicate 

to us? 

2 What should be given attention in order to search out the intention of the sacred writers? 

3 What are four things that must be paid attention to in order to find the correct understanding 

of what a sacred author wanted to assert? 

4 Because Scripture must be interpreted in the Sacred Spirit in which it was written, what three 

other things must be taken into account when interpreting Scripture? 

5 Who has the final authority and judgment on the interpretation of Scripture? 

6 If God is the primary author of Scripture, why do you think it is so important to determine what 

the human authors intended to say? 

7 The Church holds Scripture in high regard as it does the liturgy and the Eucharist. Why? 

8 What kind of access should the faithful have to Scripture? 

9 What does the Church say must happen for all people to have access to Scripture? 

10 What should happen through the reading and study of the sacred books? 


UNIT 2 

The Early World 

and the Patriarchs

Unit 2 

55 

The stories of the early world found in Genesis 1–11 relate to 

us the very foundations of our faith. The account of creation, 

God’s covenant with Adam and Eve and all of creation, the Fall 

of Man, and the escalating drama of sin illustrated by Cain’s 

murder of Abel, the Great Flood, and the Tower of Babel all reveal 

essential truths about God, human beings, and the world 

around us. These stories set the stage for everything that comes 

after them. For this reason, a proper understanding of Genesis is 

essential to our understanding of divine revelation, the unfolding 

of Salvation History, and the fulfillment of God’s promises in and 

through His Son, Jesus Christ. Like everything else in Scripture, 

but perhaps in a more critical way, the primeval history recounted 

in the first chapters of Genesis must be read and interpreted 

in relation to the whole. It is in the context of the whole of Sacred 

Scripture and Sacred Tradition that the stories of our origins find 

their fullest meaning and shed the brightest light on the events 

of Salvation History that follow it. 

Likewise, the stories of the Patriarchs, beginning with 

Abraham in Genesis 12 and continuing with his descendants 

Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph (which brings the Book of Genesis 

to a close), provide foundational building blocks for navigating 

through Salvation History. The Catechism states that “God 

chose Abraham and made a covenant with him and his descendants” 

(72). Beginning with Abraham, each of the patriarchs 

heard God’s call in prayer and followed Him in faith. None of 

them was perfect, but each trusted God in ways that model faith 

for us. And God’s promises in His covenant with them give us 

a road map for the rest of the Old Testament and into the New. 

Each patriarch teaches us how God calls us, one step at a time, 

to place our faith and trust in Him who leads us through life to 

our heavenly destination. 

In This Unit 

■ Chapter 4: Creation and the Fall 

■ Chapter 5: Cain and Abel to the Tower of Babel 

■ Chapter 6: The Patriarchs

Chapter 4 

Where We Are in Scripture 

■ Genesis 1–3 

Creation and 

the Fall

Unit 2, Chapter 4: Creation and the Fall 

57 


Sacred Scripture begins with the Book of Genesis, which covers a vast period of time, 

starting with the story of the world’s creation. While the creation story recounted in the 

first chapters of Genesis does not present scientific facts, it does present immense truths 

about God’s love, His plan for the world, and in particular the distinction of humans as set 

apart from the rest of the created order. The loving hands of the Father created the entire 

universe out of nothingness over a series of six days, culminating in the creation of our 

first parents, Adam and Eve, who were made in His image and likeness. The harmony 

and peace in the Garden of Eden was destroyed when sin entered the world and caused 

immediate alienation from God. Yet in the midst of the tragedy of the Fall, God gave 

humanity the greatest hope and revealed that good would ultimately conquer evil. 


■ God is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, material and spiritual. 

■ The doctrine of creation, that God created all things out of nothing, has great importance for our faith. 

■ The story of creation in Genesis is not meant to be scientific explanation; rather, it communicates important 

truths about God and humanity. 

■ Man and woman are made in God’s image and likeness. 

■ God entered into a covenant with mankind and with all of creation. 

■ Sin and death entered the world through the sin of Adam and Eve. 

■ God promised to send a Savior to save us from our sins. 

Bible Basics 

God created mankind in his image; in 

the image of God he created them; 

male and female he created them. 

GENESIS 1:27 

For since death came through a human 

being, the resurrection of the dead 

came also through a human being. For 

just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ 

shall all be brought to life. 

1 CORINTHIANS 15:21–22 

Reading Assignments 

Genesis 1–3 

Psalm 8 

John 1:1–5 

Romans 5:12–21 

Connections to the 

Catechism 

CCC 337 (pg. 58) 

CCC 375 (pg. 63) 

CCC 390 (pg. 64) 

CCC 397–398 (pg. 65) 

CCC 400 (pg. 66) 

CCC 404 (pg. 67) 

CCC 418 (pg. 67) 



Who Made the Universe and Why? 

[T]he text [of 

Genesis] reveals 

in figurative 

language that 

God’s creation 

is ordered to the 

worship of God. 

At the outset of our study of the first chapters of Genesis, we should clarify 

how we ought to regard the truth of the Creation narrative. The Catechism 

states: “On the subject of creation, the sacred text teaches the truths 

revealed by God for our salvation, permitting us to ‘recognize the inner 

nature, the value and the ordering of the whole of creation to the 

praise of God’” (337). That is to say, the purpose of the creation story in 

Genesis is not to teach us chronological history or to explain scientifically 

how the world came to be. Rather, its purpose is to show us who made 

the world and why. As we will see, the text reveals in figurative language 

that God’s creation is ordered to the worship of God; that God works in 

words and deeds; that He is intimately involved in His creation and yet 

transcendent to it; and that creation is ordered and intelligible, not chaotic 

or random. It also shows us who we are and what makes us different from 

God’s other creatures; namely, humans, and humans alone, are made in 

the image and likeness of God. 

Creation 

The story of our salvation starts at the beginning of time, the dawn of creation, 

relaying what is called “primeval history.” Genesis opens by telling us 

that in the beginning there was nothing but God. The sacred author relates 

Through His divine 

Word, God is 

intimately involved 

in Creation. 

 

Creation of the World by Melchior Bocksberger (ca. 1575). 



59 

this truth to us in figurative language, saying: “the earth was without form 

or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping 

over the waters” (Gen. 1:2). The “mighty wind” that swept over the primordial 

waters is the Spirit of God Himself, present in the formlessness and 

emptiness (the “abyss”) that was before the beginning. Out of this nothingness, 

God created all that exists, the “heavens and the earth” (Gen. 

1:1) — all things visible and material (the “earth”) and all things invisible and 

spiritual (the “heavens”). 

Then God spoke and said, “Let there be light,” (Gen. 1:3) and there 

was light. God creates effortlessly by His word, through speech. It has 

been the long tradition of the Church that in this moment, when God first 

spoke, He created all the angels, spiritual beings who are the servants and 

messengers of God. 

God is intimately involved in His work of Creation, far from the false 

notion of a God who is distant and unknowable. He “separated,” “made,” 

“gathered” and “called” the things He had made by their name (Gen. 

1:3–10). Further, God did not create using pre-existing material. Rather, 

He created everything out of nothing, or ex nihilo in Latin. The doctrine 

of creation reveals to us certain attributes of God: God is all-powerful 

(omnipotent), because all things come from Him and there is nothing 

that exists that did not come from Him; God is all-knowing (omniscient), 

because, as the creator of all things, He knows all that He has made; God 

is Father (all things are begotten from Him); and God is beyond all things 

(transcendent), yet He is intimately and directly involved in His creation. 

Creation unfolds over a series of six days, which reveals a certain 

structure by which God addressed the formlessness and emptiness of creation. 

What God created on the first three days gave shape to the formless, 

serving as realms (light and darkness, sky and sea, land and vegetation), 

while what He created on the remaining three days filled those realms, 

serving as as their rulers (the sun, moon, and stars; birds and fish; plants 

and animals, including, last of all, humankind). Looking at creation in this 

way, we see how the ancient Jews understood creation as a sort of temple, 

or house of worship of God, with the Garden of Eden as its tabernacle, 

or dwelling place of God. The later sanctuaries of Salvation History (the 

tabernacle and the Temple of Jerusalem) are understood as microcosms 

of creation. Worship in the Temple of Jerusalem constituted, at some level, 

a return to Eden, a return to communion with God. Now, in the age of the 

Church ushered in by Christ, our very hearts become temples of the Holy 

Spirit. God dwells in the Eucharist housed in every tabernacle in every 

Catholic Church throughout the world. 

Vocabulary 

Angels (n.): Heavenly 

creatures who are pure 

spirits and are servants 

and messengers of God. 

Ex Nihilo (adv.): Latin for 

“out of nothing.” It refers 

to the doctrine of creation 

that God freely created all 

that exists, both visible and 

invisble, out of nothing. 

Omnipotent (adj.): 

All-powerful. 

Omniscient (adj.): 

All-knowing. 

Transcendent (adj.): 

Apart from and beyond the 

limits of created things. 

Temple (n.): A house 

of worship and dwelling 

place for God. The Temple 

of Jerusalem was God’s 

dwelling place on earth 

in the Old Testament. 

Because of Jesus’ 

sacrifice on the Cross and 

the coming of the Holy 

Spirit, He dwells in us. 

Therefore our bodies are 

temples of the Holy Spirit. 

Tabernacle (n.): The 

inner sanctuary of the 

Temple of Jerusalem 

where God dwelled. 

Prior to the building of 

the Temple, it was the 

portable house of worship 

where God dwelled with 

the Israelites during their 

desert wanderings, and 

in which were placed 

Old Testament types of 

the Lord: the Ark of the 

Covenant, manna, and 

Aaron’s staff. 



Vocabulary 

Imago Dei (n.): Latin for 

“Image of God.” Man is 

made in God’s image, 

with equal dignity as 

male and female and 

possessing rational 

faculties of intellect, free 

will, and the capacity for 

love. 

Rational Faculties (n.): 

The collective name for 

human soul’s powers of 

intellect and free will and 

the capacity for love. 

Sabbath (n.): The day 

set aside each week for 

rest and worship of God, 

echoing how God rested 

on the seventh day of 

creation. 

Shaba (v.): Hebrew for 

“oath swearing” or “to 

swear an oath.” 

Sheva (n.): Hebrew for 

“seven.” 

Saba (v.): Hebrew for “to 

be made full,” “to be made 

complete,” or “to be made 

whole.” 

The Imago Dei 

On the sixth day, after God had made all the animals, He created human 

beings in His image and likeness: 

Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after 

our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, 

the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and 

all the creatures that crawl on the earth. 

God created mankind in his image; 

in the image of God he created them; 

male and female he created them. (Gen. 1:26–27) 

The Latin phrase imago Dei, or Image of God, taken from this passage 

of Genesis, is a term that ultimately implies man’s filial, or family, relation 

to God. Being made in His image reveals something about our essential 

nature as human beings: that we are like God with the powers of intellect, 

free will, and the capacity for love. These rational faculties are proper to 

the human soul (as well as angelic souls) and, as expressed in and through 

our bodies, are precisely what make us human, as opposed to an animal, 

plant, or angel. 

While the sun, moon, and stars are the “rulers” of the sky, and plants 

and animals the “rulers” of the land and sea, God gave man dominion over 

everything He had made (Gen. 1:26). We also see that humankind is made 

as “male and female” (Gen. 1:27), imaging God both individually and 

communally in their one flesh union (Gen. 2:24). At the end of each day, 

God looked at what He had made and pronounced it to be “good” (Gen. 

1:4, 10, 18); but at the end of the sixth day, God declared what He had 

made — human kind — to be “very good” (1:31), the pinnacle of creation. 

The Seventh Day 

Genesis 2 opens on the final day of creation, the seventh day, or the 

Sabbath: “On the seventh day God completed the work he had been 

doing; he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken. 

God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it 

he rested from all the work he had done in creation” (Gen. 2:2–3). The 

Hebrew word for “oath-swearing,” shaba, and the Hebrew word for seven, 

sheva, share the same root word, saba, which means “to be made full,” 

“to be made complete,” or “to be made whole.” On the seventh day, when 

God rested from His work of creation, God “seven-ed” Himself — He swore 

a covenant oath with all of creation (even though the word covenant does 

not appear in these first chapters of Genesis). In this proto-covenant, God 

established the order of creation, oriented toward worship of and communion 

with Him. He invited man, through Adam — the mediator of the 



61 

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo Buonarroti (ca. 1511). 

covenant — to be a part of His covenant family. The Sabbath day is a day 

set aside for this communion and worship, to rest from unnecessary work 

and to be in relationship with God and with each other. Notably, whereas 

Scripture tells us that each preceding day ended (“Evening came, and 

morning followed…” [Gen. 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31]), it says nothing about 

the seventh day, the day of covenant, ending. In a sense, the seventh day 

is today, in which God continuously invites us to be in relationship with Him 

and to worship Him. 

God created man with 

intellect, free will, and a 

power to love. 

Vocabulary 

Adam (n.): Hebrew for 

“man.” It can be used to 

refer to males as well as 

the collective humankind. 

The Story of Creation: Part 2 

After we read about the Sabbath, Genesis 2 shifts the focus from the big 

picture to a zoomed in view of God’s unique covenant relationship with 

man. Unlike Genesis 1, which relates the simultaneous creation of man 

and woman, emphasizing the essential truth that human beings are made 

male and female in God’s image and likeness, Genesis 2 begins with the 

creation of man, or Adam (Hebrew for “man,” which can be understood in 

both the “male” sense of the word and in reference to collective “humankind”). 

Here, God formed the man from the clay of the ground and “blew 

into his nostrils the breath of life” (Gen. 2:7). Imagining this scene easily 

reveals the incredible intimacy by which God brought the first man to life, 

closely, personally, by His own hand, and with His own breath. In fact, the 

Hebrew word ruah, which is translated as “breath,” is the very same word 

used in Genesis 1:1 for the Spirit of God that swept over the primordial waters 

of creation. Ruah perhaps more accurately translates into “spirit.” Thus, 



Vocabulary 

Shamar (v.): Hebrew for 

“to cultivate and to care 

for,” or “to guard and 

protect.” 

God breathed into Adam His own Spirit and gift of life. The very presence 

of God placed within Adam is what animated him and gave him life. 

Right after God declared everything “good” and even “very good” in 

Genesis 1, we find that something is “not good” in Genesis 2:18 when God 

says, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Since mankind is made in 

the image and likeness of God — and since God is Himself a communion 

of Persons, a Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — man is made for 

communion. And so, God brought all the animals to the man to name and 

seek out a suitable partner. 

Of course, Adam failed to find a mate, as none of the other creatures 

God made are in His image and likeness. And so, God cast a deep sleep 

on the man and created woman from Adam’s side. The moment the man 

saw the woman he instantly recognized that she was like him, another being 

made in God’s image and likeness, and the one with whom he would be 

in communion to reflect the trinitarian nature of God. To mark this moment, 

the man spoke the first poetic verse in history, signifying the unity of the relationship 

of man and woman in the first marriage in history. He exclaimed: 

This one, at last, is bone of my bones 

and flesh of my flesh; 

This one shall be called “woman,” 

for out of man this one has been taken. (Gen. 2:23) 

Covenant Terms 

God placed 

Adam and Eve 

in the Garden of 

Eden (Paradise) 

and there He 

dwelled with 

them in intimate 

friendship. 

Genesis 2 also provides us more detail about God’s first covenant with 

man. God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Paradise) and 

there He dwelled with them in intimate friendship. He planted a tree in the 

middle of the garden (the tree of knowledge of good and evil) and gave 

them one, single, reasonable command: “You are free to eat from any 

of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and 

evil. From that tree you shall not eat; when you eat from it you shall 

die” (Gen. 2:16–17). The tree represented Adam and Eve’s fundamental 

choice: to love God and be obedient to Him, or to reject His love. God made 

it clear, however, that rejecting Him would result in death. 

God also gave Adam a job: to cultivate and care for the garden and 

everything in it. The original Hebrew for Adam’s job is shamar, which can 

alternately be translated as “to guard and protect.” This is the same language 

used later in the Old Testament to denote the work of the Levitical 

priests in the tabernacle and in the Temple, thus making Adam the first 

priest, whose responsibility was to offer all of creation back to God. Further, 

God made Adam the first prophet and the first king in creation. A prophet 

is someone who speaks for God. Because Adam spoke for God when he 



63 

named all the animals, Adam became the first prophet. And when God 

gave Adam dominion — the authority of a king to rule over or govern — over 

all creation, Adam became the first king. As we will see in our exploration 

of Salvation History, these three roles — priest, prophet, and king — carry 

great significance and are three roles that Jesus claimed for Himself and 

gives to each of us at our Baptism. 

Describing the original covenantal situation between Adam and Eve 

and between them and God, Genesis states, “the man and his wife were 

both naked, yet they felt no shame” (Gen 2:25). It attests to the original 

state of our first parents without sin. While they were literally naked, the 

idea of nakedness here refers more deeply to the harmony they experienced 

in their relationship with one another, with God, and with all the 

world. Sin, sickness, and death had no place in Eden. The Church refers 

to this harmony between human beings, God, and the rest of creation 

as Original Justice and holiness, which was a “share in … divine life” 

(CCC 375). 

Vocabulary 

Original Justice and 

Holiness (n.): The 

original state of human 

beings before sin. Original 

Justice refers to how, in 

the beginning, there was 

no suffering or death, man 

was at peace with himself, 

there was harmony 

between men and 

women, and there was 

peace between Adam and 

Eve and all of creation. 

Original Justice was lost 

due to the Original Sin. 

Original holiness refers to 

the state of friendship with 

God enjoyed by Adam 

and Eve before their sin 

brought pain, suffering 

and death into the world. 

God Forbidding Adam to Eat from the Tree of the Knowledge 

of Good and Evil by Michiel Coxie (ca. 1550). 

The tree of knowledge 

of good and evil 

represented Adam and 

Eve’s choice either to 

love God in obedience or 

to reject His love. 



The Fall of Man 

The Fall is a 

real event that 

happened 

to ... real people, 

however, these 

happenings 

are given to 

us in symbolic, 

figurative, and 

even mythic 

language. 

When contemplating the story of the Fall of Man, we should remember 

that “the account of the fall in Genesis 3 uses figurative language, 

but affirms a primeval event, a deed that took place at the beginning 

of the history of man” (CCC 390, emphasis added). The story of the 

creation of man and woman and their fall is about real people and real 

events; we have original parents, whom we have named Adam and Eve, 

and the Fall is a real event that happened to these real people, however, 

these happenings are given to us in symbolic, figurative, and even mythic 

language. 

By the opening of Genesis 3, God had completed His work of creation 

and was dwelling in the garden with Adam and Eve. Then we are introduced 

to the snake (“serpent” in some translations of Scripture), or nahash 

in Hebrew. This Hebrew word can also refer to a gigantic dragon-like creature, 

or leviathan (see Isa. 27:1). In fact, Revelation 12:9 identifies the 

Serpent of Genesis 3 as a “huge dragon” and “the Devil and Satan.” 

Thus, we can understand the snake to be Satan, or the Devil, himself. 

The sacred author of Genesis describes the snake as “the most cunning 

of all the wild animals the Lord God had made” (Gen. 3:1). It can 

be easy to trivialize the Fall as we envision the scene, but the snake was 

likely fearsome in appearance and capable of malicious deception to get 

what he wanted. His appearance in the garden might have struck Adam 

and Eve with fear. 

Upon entering the garden, the snake addressed the woman, saying, 

“Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the 

garden’?” (Gen. 3:1). Notice the subtle untruth of his words: God did not 

tell them they could not eat the fruit from any tree in the garden. Rather, 

God told them they could eat the fruit from every tree except for one, the 

tree of knowledge of good and evil. If they did, God had told them, they 

“shall die” (Gen. 2:17). Eve countered: “We may eat of the fruit of the 

trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle 

of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, or 

else you will die’” (Gen. 3:2–3). While Eve got things mostly right, God 

had said nothing about touching the fruit. The snake immediately saw her 

confusion, knowing full well what the rules were, and further lied to her: 

“You certainly will not die! God knows well that when you eat of it your 

eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know good and 

evil” (Gen. 3:4–5). Eve saw that the fruit looked good to eat, and, accepting 

the snake’s lie that they would not die, took the fruit from the tree, ate 

it, and gave some to her husband to eat. Thus, humanity’s first sin, the first 

human disobedience to God, was complete. 



65 

Far from simply eating a piece of fruit, the actions of Adam and Eve represented 

an act of sinful pride: placing their own desires ahead of God’s, 

taking something for themselves on their own terms rather than receiving 

it as a gift from God. The Catechism explains: 

Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in 

his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God’s command. 

This is what man’s first sin consisted of. … In that sin, 

man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned 

him … Seduced by the devil, he wanted to “be like God,” but 

“without God, before God, and not in accordance with God.” 

(397–398) 

Vocabulary 

Pride (n.): The undue 

self-esteem or self-love 

that seeks attention and 

honor and sets oneself in 

competition with God. It 

is the Capital Sin that is 

traditionally considered 

the source of all other 

sins. 

When we sin, we fail to trust in God as a loving Father who desires our 

genuine happiness and instead see Him as a master whose law appears to 

us as arbitrary — as keeping us from the happiness we desire. Remember, 

God made us in His image and likeness and invited us to be in covenant 

relationship with Him as His sons and daughters and heirs. In other words, 

God was already offering us the chance to be like Him. The first sin can 

be characterized by the profound difference between receiving a gift being 

offered and stealing that same gift. 

It is fair to ask at this point where Adam was during this scene. Most of 

the story focuses on the interaction between Eve and the snake, and yet 

Scripture speaks in multiple places of the Fall as the sin of Adam (Rom. 

5:12; 1 Cor. 15:22), not the sin of Eve. Adam was not far away; rather, he 

Adam and Eve gave in to 

pride and put their own 

desires before God’s. 

The Rebuke of Adam and Eve by Domenichino (1626). 



was with her the whole time! Genesis 3:6 tells us that Eve gave some of 

the fruit to her husband “who was with her” (emphasis added). While 

Eve may have succumbed to the temptation of the Serpent and failed to 

trust in God’s Word, Adam first failed in his duty to guard and protect the 

garden and everything in it (including his wife), allowing the snake to lie to 

and threaten his wife while he did nothing. 

Original Sin 

The dramatic first sin at the dawn of human history severed humanity’s 

relationship with God, as well as their communion with one another. The 

Devil’s lies were deceptively masked as half-truths: he promised that their 

eating would make them “like gods” (Gen 3:5), but they were already like 

God (Gen. 1:26); he promised that their eyes would be opened once they 

ate of the fruit (Gen. 3:5), but their eyes were only opened to their own 

shame (Gen. 3:7). The original harmony between man and woman became 

one marked by lust and domination. Harmony with creation was also 

broken: “visible creation has now become alien and hostile to man. 

Because of man, creation is now subject to ‘its bondage to decay’” 

(CCC 400). While the Devil said they would not die if they disobeyed God’s 

command (Gen. 3:4), and they did not immediately drop dead on the spot, 

they did die spiritually, losing the grace of Original Justice and holiness and 

the gift of sharing in the divine life — and they eventually died physically as 

well (Gen. 3:19; Wis. 1:13; 2:23–24). 

Even more, they 

hid from God in 

fear, distancing 

themselves from 

their previous 

intimacy with 

Him. 

Adam and Eve immediately experienced the consequences of the first 

sin. Scripture tells us that right after eating the fruit, the “eyes of both 

of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they 

sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves” (Gen. 

3:7). Even more, they hid from God in fear, distancing themselves from 

their previous intimacy with Him. God gave them the opportunity to confess 

their sin and take responsibility for what they had done. Instead, both 

Adam and Eve tried to pass the blame on to someone else: Adam blamed 

Eve, and Eve the snake (Gen. 3:11–13). And so God allowed them to experience 

the consequences of their sin as punishment: suffering in their 

respective nature as male and female. To Eve, God intensified “toil” and 

“pain” in childbirth, and to Adam, “toil” in working the ground to produce 

food, a ground which is now “cursed” because of his disobedience (Gen. 

3:16–17). Finally, because they could not abide by the limits set on them 

as creatures, they were banished from the garden (Gen. 3:22–24). 

The sin of Adam and Eve was not just a personal sin; it wounded human 

nature itself and resulted in the complete loss of the supernatural faculties 

of faith in intellect and charity in will. Humanity for all generations inherited 



67 

this wounded human nature. We call the fallen state of human nature that 

affects every human person Original Sin. Original Sin is not a committed 

sin or an act. Rather, it is a contracted state, a fallen “human nature 

deprived of original holiness and justice” (CCC 404). The Catechism 

continues: “As a result of original sin, human nature is weakened in its 

powers, subject to ignorance, suffering and the domination of death, 

and inclined to sin” (418). We suffer three things as a result of Original 

Sin, which are known as artifacts of the Fall: 

1. A darkened intellect, which makes it difficult for us to perceive the 

good, true, and beautiful. 

2. A weakened will, which makes us susceptible to temptation. 

3. An inclination, or tendency, toward sin, known as concupiscence. 

Vocabulary 

Original Sin (n.): The 

state of human nature 

deprived of the original 

holiness and justice Adam 

and Eve enjoyed before 

the Fall. 

Concupiscence (n.): The 

tendency or inclination 

to sin that is an effect of 

Original Sin. Even though 

Baptism erases the 

stain of Original Sin, the 

tendency to sin remains. 

Allegory of Salvation by Antonius Heusler (ca. 1555). 

Though fallen from the 

state of grace, mankind 

can attain salvation 

through the merits of 

Christ’s Passion and 

Resurrection. 



Vocabulary 

Protoevangelium (n.): 

The name given to 

Genesis 3:15, in which 

God promises to send a 

Savior to crush the head 

of the Serpent (Satan) and 

defeat sin and death. It 

is the first announcement 

of the Gospel, the Good 

News of salvation won by 

Jesus Christ. Latin for “first 

Gospel.” 

New Adam (n.): A title for 

Jesus Christ that reflects 

His triumph over sin and 

death and His creation 

of the world anew. The 

title refers to how Jesus 

redeems human nature, 

which was wounded by the 

sin of the first man, Adam. 

New Eve (n.): A title for 

Mary that describes how 

eternal life became possible 

through her obedience to 

God. Just as sin and death 

entered the world through 

the disobedience of Eve, 

Mary’s obedience to God 

led to the birth of God’s Son, 

Jesus Christ, who died on 

the Cross and rose from the 

dead to save us from sin. 

Promise of Redemption 

In His mercy, however, God did not leave us to our sin. While Adam and 

Eve failed to uphold the terms of the original covenant and experienced the 

consequences of their failure, God, in His perfection, never failed to love us 

and show us His mercy. Almost immediately after the Fall, God promised to 

send a Savior to rescue us, telling the snake: “I will put enmity between 

you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They will 

strike at your head, while you strike at their heel” (Gen. 3:15). 

In these words, the Church recognizes the first promise of the Savior, 

Jesus Christ, the only Son of God and the descendant of Adam and Eve 

who would free us from the power of sin and death. Enmity is a word that 

means hatred, discord, or conflict. In other words, in this first proclamation 

of the Good News, or the Gospel, God foretold the conflict between good 

and evil, and sin and righteousness, that would become the central drama 

of human existence. Into the midst of this enmity, the Savior will come, 

descended from the woman, who will crush the head of the snake. We 

call this passage of Genesis the Protoevangelium, or the first Gospel, 

because it is the first promise of our salvation. 

Sin entered the world through one man — Adam. As the “head” of the 

human race, Adam lost friendship with God by his disobedience not just for 

himself, but for the entire human family. At the same time, salvation comes 

through one man — Jesus. Jesus is the New Adam, who undoes Adam’s 

disobedience through His perfect obedience, and who reunites us to God 

as the Head of the Body, the Church. St. Paul explains: “For since death 

came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also 

through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ 

shall all be brought to life” (1 Cor. 15:21–22). 

Similarly, as Adam’s sin occurred with the help of Eve, Jesus’ work of 

salvation occurs with the cooperation of Mary. Where Eve said no to God 

and then helped lead Adam astray, Mary said yes to God and allowed 

Jesus to enter the world through her. Thus, Mary is called the New Eve. 

While the prophecy made in the garden was only fully understood after 

it was fulfilled in Jesus, we can see that, from the beginning, God shows 

His power in promising to bring something good out of the evil of our sin. 

Out of the evil of our sin God is able to unveil His plan of love and mercy 

that ultimately leads to our salvation from sin. 



69 

? 

What is the Pentateuch? Who wrote it? 

The Pentateuch is the traditional name five books, the stories of four of the five major 

covenants of the Old Testament are re- 

for the first five books of the Bible: 

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, counted: the covenants with Adam, Noah, 

and Deuteronomy. Alternately, these same Abraham, and Moses. 

books are known as the “Books of Moses” The ancient tradition of both the Jewish 

and the “Torah,” which is Hebrew for “law.” faith and Christianity is that the Pentateuch 

The word Pentateuch itself is derived from originated with Moses. That is to say, tradition 

holds that Moses was the primary author 

the Greek words pente (five) and teuchos 

(scroll), together meaning “five scrolls,” of the majority of these texts. This fact is attested 

to in multiple places within the books 

in reference to the five books of Moses. 

The Pentateuch is accepted by Jews and themselves; other places in Scripture outside 

Christians alike as Scripture. 

of the Pentateuch, including Jesus Himself; 

The five books of the Pentateuch cover and other historical sources. Modern scholarship, 

however, for various exegetical rea- 

a vast stretch of time, from the very beginning 

of the world at its creation to the death sons, has suggested differently. 

of Moses, which can be placed at some The prevailing scholarly theory in modern 

times regarding the authorship of time in the 13th century BC. Within these 

the 

Torah Scroll photographed by Lawrie Cate (March 9, 2009). 

License info: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic. 


70 


Pentateuch originated from a nineteenth 

century Protestant scholar named Julius 

Wellhausen and is typically called the 

Documentary Hypothesis. He suggested 

that the Pentateuch as we have it today 

is the result of the work of various editors 

working after the Babylonian Exile to 

compile material from four hypothetical 

original sources: the Yahwist (J), Elohist 

(E), Deuteronomist (D), and Priestly (P) 

sources. Each source was gleaned from 

various identifying markers in the texts of 

the Pentateuch, and to many contemporary 

scholars, helped to satisfy perceived 

inconsistencies in the texts. Many variations 

on this theory exist today. Each 

of these sources, however, are purely 

hypothetical; none of the supposed four 

original sources have been found to this 

date. And there are other numerous 

problems within the theory. 

The Catholic Church, in response to 

the rise of the Documentary Hypothesis 

and other similar theories regarding 

the authorship of the Pentateuch, has 

reaffirmed the traditional teaching that 

Moses was the primary author of the first 

five books of the Bible. The Church, however, 

allows for the fact that even though 

Moses should be regarded as the primary 

author, this fact does not mean he put 

pen to paper and personally wrote every 

last word. Further, the Church leaves 

open the possibility that “Moses used 

sources, written documents namely or 

oral traditions, from which in accordance 

with the special aim he entertained and 

under the guidance of divine inspiration 

he borrowed material and inserted it in 

his work either word for word or in substance, 

either abbreviated or amplified” 

(Pontifical Biblical Commission, “Reply 

Concerning Mosaic Authorship of the 

Pentateuch,” 1906). The Church also 

allows for the fact that later editors may 

have added content or revised existing 

content, none of which diminishes the 

Mosaic origins of the texts. 



71 


God grieves over our suffering. Sin, and the suffering that accompanies it, entered 

the world with the Fall, and it persists to this day. The harmony and peace 

that originally existed at the time of creation is lost. The act of the first sin and 

its subsequent consequences cannot be undone. The effects of sin are visible 

all around us: pain, poverty, war, sickness, heartbreak, and injustice. These 

effects may make us wonder: If God is all powerful and loves us, why doesn’t 

He bring an end to suffering? This is a question many people ask when faced 

with suffering, and unfortunately, many people lose their faith because they 

believe there could not possibly be a God out there, or that He does not love 

His creation, if He does not intervene and stop bad things from happening. 

In reality, God has taken the greatest action possible against the powers 

of evil. If God were to make suffering suddenly vanish, He would be violating 

the free will He gave to men and women, a trait that is essential to our human 

nature. To force humanity to turn away from sin and love Him would not be 

love at all. True love can only exist in complete freedom. God did the only 

thing He could — He took our suffering upon Himself. The Passion and Death 

of Christ bridged the gap created between God and man when sin entered 

the world, and His sacrifice made eternal life in Heaven possible. It also gave 

meaning and purpose to the suffering we experience here on earth. Now our 

suffering can be united to Christ’s and work to bring about the salvation of the 

world. The Death and Resurrection of Christ does not restore the world to the 

original harmony of Eden but instead elevates humanity to something higher, 

an even greater unity with God. As we pray at the Easter Vigil, “O happy fault, 

that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer.” In Christ, we are made new, 

and we are given hope for eternal life. 


72 


Chapter 4 


1 How ought we to regard the truth of the story of creation in Genesis? What is the purpose of 

the story? 

2 What did God do to create? What did He create by doing so? 

3 What is the doctrine of creation? What does it reveal to us about God? 

4 What does it mean that the ancient Jews understood creation to be a temple for worship of 

God? How has this understanding evolved in the age of the Church? 

5 What does it mean that human beings are made in the image of God? 

6 What did God do on the seventh day when He rested from His work of creation? What is the 

purpose of the Sabbath? 

7 With what did God create the first man? How did He bring Him to life? 

8 What did Adam recognize about Eve the moment he saw her? 

9 What did the tree of knowledge of good and evil represent? Why was God’s command 

regarding it reasonable? 

10 How was Adam the first priest, prophet, and king in creation? 

11 What is attested to by the language of Genesis that Adam and Eve were “naked, yet they felt 

no shame” (Gen. 2:25)? 

12 What was Adam and Eve’s sin? 

13 What were the effects on Adam and Eve from disobeying God and eating the fruit? 

14 What were the consequences God allowed Adam and Eve to experience as punishment for 

their sin? 



73 

15 What is Original Sin? What three things do we suffer as a result of Original Sin? 

16 What is the Protoevangelium? How is it fulfilled? 

17 What is the Pentateuch? Who is its traditional author? What does the Church teach about its 

traditional authorship today? 

18 What is the Documentary Hypothesis? 


74 




Humani Generis 36, An Encyclical Letter of Pope Pius XII, August 12, 1950 

36. For these reasons the Teaching Authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the 

present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions, on the part of men experienced 

in both fields, take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the 

origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter — for the Catholic faith obliges us 

to hold that souls are immediately created by God. However, this must be done in such a way that the 

reasons for both opinions, that is, those favorable and those unfavorable to evolution, be weighed and 

judged with the necessary seriousness, moderation and measure, and provided that all are prepared to 

submit to the judgment of the Church, to whom Christ has given the mission of interpreting authentically 

the Sacred Scriptures and of defending the dogmas of faith. Some however, rashly transgress this liberty 

of discussion, when they act as if the origin of the human body from pre-existing and living matter were 

already completely certain and proved by the facts which have been discovered up to now and by reasoning 

on those facts, and as if there were nothing in the sources of divine revelation which demands the 

greatest moderation and caution in this question. 

1 What did Pope Pius XII permit regarding the question of the theory of evolution? What must 

Catholics believe about the origins of the human person? 

2 Various popes since Pius XII have taught that Catholics are free to believe in the theory of evolution 

as long as we submit to the same belief about the origins of the human person taught by Pius XII 

(answered in question 1). Given the ordering of creation in Genesis 1, how could the theory of 

evolution and the traditional biblical account of creation be reconciled? 



75 



Decree Concerning Original Sin, The Council of Trent, Session V, 1–2, June 

17, 1546 

1. If anyone does not confess that the first man, Adam, when he transgressed the commandment of God 

in paradise, immediately lost the holiness and justice in which he had been constituted, and through the 

offense of that prevarication incurred the wrath and indignation of god, and thus death with which God 

had previously threatened him, and, together with death, captivity under his power who thenceforth had 

the empire of death, that is to say, the devil, and that the entire Adam through that offense of prevarication 

was changed in body and soul for the worse, let him be anathema. 

2. If anyone asserts that the transgression of Adam injured him alone and not his posterity, and that the 

holiness and justice which he received from God, which he lost, he lost for himself alone and not for us 

also; or that he, being defiled by the sin of disobedience, has transfused only death and the pains of the 

body into the whole human race, but not sin also, which is the death of the soul, let him be anathema, 

since he contradicts the Apostle who says: 

By one man sin entered into the world and by sin death; and so death passed upon all men, in whom all 

have sinned. 

1 To be declared anathema is to be banned or formally excommunicated by the Church. Summarize 

the two false beliefs that lead to being declared anathema articulated by the Council of Trent. 

2 Given these teachings regarding Original Sin, why do you think the Catholic Church advocates so 

strongly for the Baptism of infants? 


76 




Gaudium et Spes 12–13, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern 

World, December 7, 1965 

12. According to the almost unanimous opinion of believers and unbelievers alike, all things on earth 

should be related to man as their center and crown. 

But what is man? About himself he has expressed, and continues to express, many divergent and even 

contradictory opinions. In these he often exalts himself as the absolute measure of all things or debases 

himself to the point of despair. The result is doubt and anxiety. The Church certainly understands these 

problems. Endowed with light from God, she can offer solutions to them, so that man’s true situation 

can be portrayed and his defects explained, while at the same time his dignity and destiny are justly 

acknowledged. 

For Sacred Scripture teaches that man was created “to the image of God,” is capable of knowing and 

loving his Creator, and was appointed by Him as master of all earthly creatures that he might subdue them 

and use them to God’s glory. “What is man that you should care for him? You have made him little less 

than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him rule over the works of your 

hands, putting all things under his feet” (Ps. 8:5–7). 

But God did not create man as a solitary, for from the beginning “male and female he created them” (Gen. 

1:27). Their companionship produces the primary form of interpersonal communion. For by his innermost 

nature man is a social being, and unless he relates himself to others he can neither live nor develop his 

potential. 

Therefore, as we read elsewhere in Holy Scripture God saw “all that he had made, and it was very good” 

(Gen. 1:31). 

13. Although he was made by God in a state of holiness, from the very onset of his history man abused 

his liberty, at the urging of the Evil One. Man set himself against God and sought to attain his goal apart 



77 



from God. Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, but their senseless minds were 

darkened and they served the creature rather than the Creator. What divine revelation makes known to 

us agrees with experience. Examining his heart, man finds that he has inclinations toward evil too, and is 

engulfed by manifold ills which cannot come from his good Creator. Often refusing to acknowledge God 

as his beginning, man has disrupted also his proper relationship to his own ultimate goal as well as his 

whole relationship toward himself and others and all created things. 

Therefore man is split within himself. As a result, all of human life, whether individual or collective, shows 

itself to be a dramatic struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness. Indeed, man finds that 

by himself he is incapable of battling the assaults of evil successfully, so that everyone feels as though 

he is bound by chains. But the Lord Himself came to free and strengthen man, renewing him inwardly 

and casting out that “prince of this world” (John 12:31) who held him in the bondage of sin. For sin has 

diminished man, blocking his path to fulfillment. 

The call to grandeur and the depths of misery, both of which are a part of human experience, find their 

ultimate and simultaneous explanation in the light of this revelation. 

1 How should all things on earth be related to man? Why does the Church offer solutions to the 

problems experienced by man? 

2 What does Scripture teach that it means to be made in God’s image? How is the companionship 

of male and female connected to this meaning? 

3 What happened to man as a result of his abuse of his liberty? 

4 The excerpt from Gaudium et Spes says that “man is split within himself … all of human life … shows 

itself to be a dramatic struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness.” What human 

experiences support this claim? 


Chapter 5 

Cain and Abel to 

the Tower of Babel 


■ Genesis 1–11

Unit 2, Chapter 5: Cain and Abel to the Tower of Babel 

79 


Once sin entered the world, it quickly took hold of humanity and sowed seeds of 

division and destruction. Immediately following the Fall, Scripture presents the 

narrative of the undoing of the first family. Cain, the eldest son of Adam and Eve, 

murdered his younger brother, Abel, perpetuating the cycle of sin begun by his 

parents. Likewise, Cain’s descendants rejected God, and the world became further 

entrenched in sin with each succeeding generation. God decided to start over and 

renew the world through the Great Flood, sparing only Noah and his family, the only 

people who remained steadfast in their faith. Despite this fresh start, the inclination 

to sin persisted in the hearts of God’s people and continued the trajectory of 

destruction in the story of Salvation History. 


■ The story of Cain and Abel demonstrates the impact of sin on humanity; but God gives everyone the 

opportunity to repent of their sins. 

■ The descendants of Cain were sinful and wicked, while the descendants of Seth remained faithful to 

God, until the two lines intermarried and sin, once again, infected the entire human race. 

■ The Great Flood is a re-creation event, a baptism of the earth. 

■ God entered into a new covenant with Noah and his family. 

■ The story of the Tower of Babel demonstrates the fundamental sin of pride. 

■ The consequences of the Tower of Babel are reversed at Pentecost. 

Bible Basics 

If you act rightly, you will be accepted; but if not, sin lies 

in wait at the door: its urge is for you, yet you can rule 

over it. 

GENESIS 4:7 


Genesis 4 

Genesis 6–10 

Genesis 11:1–9 

Be fertile and multiply and fill the earth. 

GENESIS 9:1 



Cain gave in to sin and 

killed his brother Abel, 

committing the first 

murder. 

The First Mourning by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1888). 

Following the story of the Fall of Man, Genesis 4 begins to reveal the consequences 

of what occurred in the Garden of Eden and how those events 

have wreaked havoc on the human family. For sin is not primarily about 

broken rules but broken lives and broken relationships. 

Cain and Abel 

Adam and Eve initially had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain became a “tiller 

of the ground” (a farmer) and Abel a “herder of flocks” (a shepherd) 

(Gen. 4:2). In time, both made an offering to God. God “looked with favor” 

(Gen. 4:5) upon Abel’s offering, but did not do so upon Cain’s. While 

the Scripture text does not specifically tell us why God approved of Abel’s 

offering and not Cain’s, some see a clue in the description of their offerings. 

We are told that Abel brought his offering from the “fatty portion of the 

firstlings of his flock” (Gen. 4:4), but no such description is provided for 

Cain’s offering “from the fruit of the ground” (Gen. 4:4). It seems that 

perhaps Abel offered God the best and first of his labors while Cain did not. 

Regardless of the true reason, which is unknown to us, Cain, unhappy 

with the lack of favor from God, grew angry and was admonished by God: 

“Then the Lord said to Cain: Why are you angry? Why are you dejected? 

If you act rightly, you will be accepted; but if not, sin lies in wait 

at the door: its urge is for you, yet you can rule over it” (Gen. 4:6–7). 

God’s warning about sin could be made to all of us today. Sometimes, 



81 

when things do not go our way, we feel wronged in some way, and we are 

tempted to react sinfully. As God warned, sin is always lying in wait for us, 

but it is not an inevitability. We can resist temptation. We always have the 

ability to rule our desires and actions, resist temptation, and not sin. Cain, 

however, failed to resist the lure of sin and resorted to murdering his brother 

(Gen. 4:8). 

Even after the first murder, God gave Cain the chance to repent. Cain 

refused, however, famously answering God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 

(Gen. 4:9). Like his parents before him, God allowed Cain to experience 

the natural consequence of his actions as punishment, banning him from 

tilling the ground that received his brother’s spilled blood and condemning 

him to a nomadic life wandering the earth. Cain lamented his punishment, 

fearing he would be killed in his wanderings. But God intervened to end 

the cycle of violence and sin by marking Cain as a warning to others not 

to continue their sinfulness. This mark of Cain represents he is still a child 

of God, and God loves him unconditionally, despite his flagrant disrespect 

of God. Further, God said Cain would be avenged “seven times” if anyone 

killed him, showing God’s commitment to the covenant He had made with 

humanity (remember, the Hebrew word for seven also means covenant). 

Even here, God reaffirmed the covenant He had made with creation. 

The story of Cain and Abel reveals how quickly and how far sin had 

infected the human race. In only one generation removed from the first sin, 

brother had killed brother, evidencing that sin and death had entered the 

world and man was no longer at peace with himself. Cain was tormented 

by jealousy and fear, showing that there was no longer harmony between 

man and creation. And Cain disobeyed God and preferred his own desires 

to God’s, showing how the sin of pride is at the root of all sin. 

This mark of 

Cain represents 

he is still a child 

of God, and 

God loves him 

unconditionally, 

despite his 

flagrant 

disrespect of 

God. 

The Descendants of Cain and Seth 

Two lines of descendants emerge out of the story of Cain and Abel: one 

descended from Cain and given over to sin and wickedness; the other 

descended from Adam and Eve’s third son, Seth, who remained faithful to 

God. Seth’s line, “began to invoke the Lord by name” (Gen. 4:26), that 

is, they sought to honor God rather than making a name for themselves 

or giving in to the sin of pride that had already devastated their relatives. 

Seth, too, is described as Adam’s son, “in his likeness” (Gen. 5:3). 

This language gives us an interpretive clue into what it means to be made 

in God’s likeness (as we learned in the previous chapter), namely, that human 

beings were made to be sons (and daughters) of God. The Sethites, 

who invoked the Lord by name, were the heirs-apparent of the original 

covenant, the sons of God. 



Vocabulary 

Polygamist (n.): A person 

who takes more than one 

wife. 

Nephilim (n.): Mysterious 

individuals from Genesis 

6 who are described as 

“the heroes of old” and 

the “men of renown.” 

Careful study of Scripture 

reveals they are, in fact, 

the children of marriages 

between the sinful 

descendants of Cain and 

the faithful descendants of 

Seth. They were morally 

corrupt men who sought 

to honor themselves 

rather than God. 

Great Flood (n.): The 

cleansing and re-creation 

of the world by God when 

the human race had 

become so sinful that only 

one righteous man, Noah, 

remained. The Ark (a type 

of the Church) carried 

Noah and his family to 

salvation through the 

Flood waters. 

The line of Cain, on the other hand, did not fare as well as the line of 

Seth. Rather than seeking to honor God, they sought to make names for 

themselves, often embracing sin. Cain had a son, Enoch, and then founded 

the first human city, naming it after his son. A few generations later, another 

descendant of Cain, Lamech, became the first polygamist (a person 

who takes more than one wife) and displayed a violent streak, boasting 

to his wives of killing multiple men for slight transgressions (Gen. 4:23). 

Further descendants of Cain became the first nomadic people and keepers 

of livestock (Gen. 4:20), the inventors of music (Gen. 4:21), and the first 

metal workers (Gen. 4:22). The sacred author of Genesis here described 

many of the elements of civilization (cities, entertainment, technology, and 

so forth) and attributed them to the wicked line of Cain. This attribution is 

not to say these things are sinful of themselves, but they can very easily 

be used in sinful ways that do not honor God and do not value the human 

person. These elements of civilization, all of which are with us still today, 

are capable of being used justly and in moderation to honor God and bring 

about good things, but they also have the inherent ability to distract us from 

God and make it more difficult to remain faithful to Him. 

Unfortunately, the line of Seth was not immune to the temptation of sin, 

and those of the line eventually intermarried with the wicked line of Cain 

(Gen. 6:1–4). Their offspring became known as the Nephilim, who are 

described as the “heroes of old, the men of renown” (Gen. 6:4). To be 

renowned is to be well-known and famous, literally to have made a name 

for oneself. The offspring of the lines of Cain and Seth became morally 

corrupt and sought to “make a name” for themselves. They selfishly honored 

themselves rather than God and wanted others to honor them as well. 

Thus, at this point in pre-history, it becomes hard to see who, if anyone, are 

the inheritors of the covenant. 

Noah and the Flood 

Genesis 6–9 gives us the account of the Great Flood and of the second 

major covenant of the Old Testament, God’s covenant with Noah. The story 

opens with confirmation of the infestation of sin in the human race from 

the intermarrying of the lines of Cain and Seth: “When the LORD saw 

how great the wickedness of human beings was on earth, and how 

every desire that their heart conceived was always nothing but evil, 

the LORD regretted making human beings on the earth, and his heart 

was grieved” (Gen. 6:5–6). The covenantal line had become corrupt with 

sin, and man’s heart had become wicked. 

And so, God declared, “I will wipe out from the earth the human 

beings I have created, and not only the human beings, but also the 

animals and the crawling things and the birds of the air, for I regret 



83 

that I made them” (Gen. 6:7). Put another way, the Great Flood, which 

God would soon send, brings about a reversal of God’s creation, a point 

evidenced by the use of the categories of “human beings,” “animals,” 

“crawling things,” and “birds of the air,” which echoes in reverse order 

the description of the things God had made in Genesis 1. 

Out of all the human race, however, one man found favor with God: 

Noah, a descendant of Seth. Noah (and thereby his family) alone continued 

to honor the name of God. Scripture tells us very little about Noah, 

other than the fact that he was faithful to God and did all God asked of him. 

God revealed to Noah His plan to send a flood by which He would destroy 

all living things, and He gave Noah specific instructions for building an ark. 

God commanded Noah to bring two of every kind of animal, one male and 

one female (Gen. 6:19), into the ark, and seven pairs of every clean animal, 

which was a reference to the later Jewish law of kosher, which regulated 

the kinds of animals that were allowed to be eaten and sacrificed (Gen. 

7:2). Noah did as God commanded, brought his family into the ark, and 

“the Lord shut him in” (Gen. 7:16). 

Vocabulary 

Ark (n.): A place or vessel 

that provides safety and 

protection. The word 

used for the boat God 

commanded Noah to build 

to save himself and his 

family as well as pairs of 

every unclean animal and 

seven pairs of every clean 

animal during the Great 

Flood. 

Kosher (adj.): Allowed by 

the Jewish law regulating 

the kinds of animals 

allowed to be eaten 

and sacrificed and their 

preparation. 

Then the rains came for forty days and nights, flooding the earth and 

destroying all living creatures that were not inside the ark. Here, too, the 

Noah’s Ark by Roelant Savery (ca. 1628). 

God chose Noah to 

continue the race of 

mankind and to save two of 

every animal. 



language used to recount the Flood echoes the words of creation from 

Genesis 1: “All the fountains of the abyss burst forth, and the floodgates 

of the sky were opened” (Gen. 7:11), and later, “God made a 

wind sweep over the earth” (Gen. 8:1). This description intentionally is 

meant to draw the reader’s memory back to the beginning, before God had 

made all that exists, when the earth was empty (the abyss) and God’s spirit 

swept over the primordial waters. The Flood was a re-creation event, a sort 

of turning back the clock to the beginning to start again. The difference this 

time, however, is that God would not begin creation anew out of nothing (ex 

nihilo) but from Noah and his family and the remnants of creation brought 

into the ark. This new creation would ensure that God’s original covenant 

with creation made through Adam was not forgotten but instead renewed. 

God’s Covenant with Noah 

God renewed His original 

covenant with creation 

through Noah. 

After the Flood waters receded, many days after the rains began, the ark 

came to rest on Mt. Ararat. Soon Noah and his family were able to leave 

the ark and step onto dry land. The very first thing Noah did after leaving 

the ark was to build an altar and offer sacrifice to God from every clean 

animal he brought onto the ark (Gen. 8:20). From the beginning, Noah had 

prepared for this moment (taking the animals for this sacrifice onto the ark 

Noah and His Ark by Charles Willson Peale (1819). 



85 

in the first place), showing that all along he had the expectation of faith 

that he and his family, through God’s mercy and protection, would survive 

the Flood. Recall that offering sacrifice is the role of those who guard and 

protect the Temple, the job God gave to Adam as the first priest of creation 

and that Noah now assumed as a new Adam. 

God entered a new covenant with Noah and promised He would never 

again destroy the human race by flood. This new covenant was like the 

original covenant with Adam in almost every way. God gave Noah and his 

family the same command He had given to Adam: “Be fertile and multiply 

and fill the earth” (Gen. 9:1). And He commanded them to “subdue” the 

earth, giving them the same dominion, or rule, over God’s creation that was 

given to Adam. 

God reaffirmed with Noah that he was made in God’s image (as are 

all human beings) but, in doing so, gave one addition to this covenant. 

Whereas before God had given Adam and Eve all of the fruit from the trees 

in the Garden of Eden to eat except for the fruit of the tree of knowledge 

of good and evil, God now allowed that “Any living creature that moves 

about shall be yours to eat; I give them all to you as I did the green 

plants” (Gen. 9:3). Even more, God now required of human beings accountability 

for the life of others (seemingly in direct response to the murderous 

acts of the line of Cain): 

God gave 

Noah and his 

family the same 

command He 

had given to 

Adam: “Be 

fertile and 

multiply and fill 

the earth” (Gen. 

9:1). 

For your own lifeblood I will demand an accounting: from 

every animal I will demand it, and from a human being, each 

one for the blood of another, I will demand an accounting for 

human life. 

Anyone who sheds the blood of a human being, 

by a human being shall that one’s blood be shed. 

(Gen. 9:5–6) 

Finally, God placed the rainbow in the sky as a reminder of His promises 

and sign of this new covenant with creation, made with Noah as mediator. 

God’s covenantal family had now grown from one holy couple (Adam 

and Eve) to be one holy family (all of Noah’s family). 

Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood in Tradition 

The Church has long understood the story of Noah’s Ark and the Great 

Flood as a foreshadowing, or type, of the Sacrament of Baptism, in which 

the water of Baptism washes away all sin, including Original Sin, and brings 

about a new creation. In a certain way, we can think of the Great Flood as 

a Baptism of creation. Further, the early Church Fathers often saw Noah’s 

ark as a foreshadowing of the Church. Like the ark, the Church is the one 



Vocabulary 

Table of Nations (n.): 

A genealogy found in 

Genesis 10 that traces 

the various lineages that 

stemmed from the sons of 

Noah. 

Shem (n.): Hebrew for 

“name.” The eldest son of 

Noah. 

place of salvation that has withstood the turbulence of the world around 

her to remain the bastion of truth and grace, and where all who receive 

Baptism are delivered through water into life. 

Noah’s Sin and The Table of Nations 

After Noah entered the covenant with God, he planted a vineyard. 

Sometime later, he got drunk from the wine that came from his vineyard 

and laid naked inside his tent. One of his three sons, Ham (who had a 

son named Canaan), discovered his father drunk and naked. He told his 

other two brothers, Shem and Japheth, to come and see, apparently so 

they could witness their father’s shame. Rather than participating in Ham’s 

act of dishonoring their father, Shem and Japheth took a robe and walked 

backwards into the tent so they would not see Noah and covered him. 

When Noah awoke, he sternly rebuked Ham and cursed his son, 

Canaan, and commended Shem and Japheth: 

“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! 

Let Canaan be his slave. 

May God expand Japheth, 

and may he dwell among the tents of Shem; 

and let Canaan be his slave.” (Gen. 9:26–27) 

Sin had once 

again manifested 

in the human 

race. 

Thus, Ham’s descendants through his son, Canaan, are set in conflict 

with the descendants of Ham’s brothers. In this story, we find similar elements 

to the first sin of Adam and Eve: fruit (grapes from the vineyard), nakedness, 

shame, and a curse. Sin had once again manifested in the human 

race. We also see multiple lines of human beings established, two who will 

remain faithful to God (Shem and Japheth) and one that will not (Ham). 

The consequence of the curse of Ham sets up another genealogy in 

Genesis 10, called the Table of Nations. It traces the various lineages 

that stemmed from Noah’s three sons, Ham, Shem, and Japheth, which 

would become 70 different nations. Importantly, this genealogy establishes 

that Israel’s historic enemies stemmed from the line of Ham. For example, 

Egypt, Babel [Babylon], Assyria, the Philistines, and the Canaanites 

(taking their name from Ham’s son, Canaan) all stem from Ham (10:6–20). 

The implication, then, is that conflict experienced between God’s Chosen 

People and their enemies is an intra-family affair. The ancient Israelite 

reader would have understood the message clearly: despite appearances, 

these peoples are our distant brothers. Also of note, Shem was presumably 

the oldest son of Noah, and thus heir to the covenant. This fact is attested 

to by the meaning of his name: Shem is Hebrew for “name.” Thus, like 

Seth before him, Shem and his descendants become the people of the 

name and honor God. 



87 

The Tower of Babel 

The inclination to sin that is an effect of Original Sin remained, even after 

the Great Flood. And so, we find that in the story of the Tower of Babel, the 

human race attempted once again to make themselves like gods . They disregarded 

God’s command to fill the earth and gathered in one place. There, 

they tried to build a tower to Heaven to “make a name” for themselves and 

replace God (Gen. 11:4). 

The tragedy of the story is that until this point the human race had in 

some way been united as one people by one language. After God confused 

their language as a consequence for building the tower, the human race 

was no longer one people. In fact, they scattered all over the earth. A drastic 

step like this was needed, however, to begin to save mankind from itself. 

God, of course, had a plan. This was not the end of the story. Although God 

punished the human race after the Tower of Babel by confusing their language 

and scattering them across the world, He would later bring us back 

together, as one people, united in His name by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

This re-union happened at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended 

upon the Apostles and all the people gathered from all over the world heard 

the Apostles proclaim the Gospel in their own language (Acts 2:1–13). It 

was as if humanity were once again speaking the same language and were 

gathered in one place. This unity was no mistake or coincidence. In the 

Church, the curse of the Tower of Babel is reversed. In the Church, mankind 

is united again in and through the Holy Spirit. In the Church, mankind 

honors God and is faithful to Him, instead of selfishly trying to make a name 

for itself. In the Church, we become part of the one People of God through 

faith and Baptism. 

Vocabulary 

Tower of Babel (n.): A 

tower built by humans 

in an attempt to get 

to Heaven to make 

themselves like God. 

As punishment, God 

confused the language 

of the human race and 

scattered them all over 

the earth. 

Pentecost (n.): The day 

when Jesus sent the Holy 

Spirit upon Mary and the 

Apostles and the Church 

was born. Fifty days after 

Jesus’ Resurrection (ten 

days after His Ascension 

into Heaven), Mary and 

the Apostles gathered in 

the upper room and were 

filled with the Holy Spirit, 

who came in a rush of 

wind and appeared as 

tongues of fire over their 

heads. The blessings of 

Pentecost reversed the 

curse of the Tower of 

Babel. 

The Tower of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1563). 

The human race rejected 

God and built the tower 

of Babel in an attempt 

to “make a name” for 

themselves (Gen. 11:4). 




God offered Cain numerous opportunities to repent and to turn away from the 

downward spiral of sin. Despite these attempts, Cain refused the offers and 

instead chose exile and a nomadic lifestyle, unmoored from his family and 

from God. Why did Cain choose self-destruction when God offered help and 

forgiveness? We can all recall instances in our lives when someone we know 

got into trouble but refused the help offered to them. Pride leads us to give in to 

temptations and can cause us to become paralyzed in our sinfulness, unwilling 

to accept help, insisting we can manage the situation ourselves. In reality, we 

can do nothing without God. The more we put our faith in our own strengths 

and powers, the more lost we truly are. 

While we may be lost in such situations, we are not forgotten. The parable 

of the Good Shepherd illustrates God’s desire for us to return to Him. The 

shepherd in the story watched over one hundred sheep, and when one went 

astray, he sought it out and brought it back to the sheepfold. Look closely at 

the story — the shepherd did not need anyone to let him know a sheep had 

gone missing; he was acutely aware that the individual sheep had strayed. He 

could have chosen to let the sheep go, to be content with the ninety-nine, but 

his heart yearned for his beloved lost sheep. The shepherd did not wait for 

the sheep to return but instead went in search of it. Rather than tricking the 

sheep or dragging it home on the end of a rope, he carried it tenderly upon 

his shoulders. Jesus identified Himself as the Good Shepherd in the parable. 

When one of His beloved children loses his way, God will never give up hope 

or stop loving him or her. He will continue to offer us opportunities for mercy 

and forgiveness until we are ready to let Him carry us home. 



89 

Chapter 5 


1 What clue does the text of Genesis give us as to why God accepted Abel’s offering and not 

Cain’s? 

2 What did God warn Cain about sin? What does that mean for us today? How did Cain respond 

to God’s warning? 

3 What does the mark of Cain represent? 

4 How are the lines that descended from Cain and Seth different? 

5 What elements of civilization does Genesis attribute to the descendants of Cain? What might 

this attribution mean? 

6 What happened when the lines of Cain and Seth intermarried? 

7 What did God decide to do in response to the wickedness of the human race? What did this 

act represent? 

8 What does it mean that the Great Flood was a “re-creation” event? 

9 In what ways was God’s covenant with Noah similar and different from the covenant He made 

with Adam? 

10 How is the Great Flood a type of Baptism? How is Noah’s Ark a type of the Church? 

11 What resulted from Noah’s curse of Ham’s son, Canaan? How is this result illustrated by the 

genealogy known as the Table of Nations? 

12 What was the sin of the people at the Tower of Babel? How did God punish them? 

13 When were the consequences of Babel reversed? How? 


90 




Excerpt from Unam Sanctam, Pope Boniface VIII, November 18, 1302 

Urged by faith, we are obliged to believe and to maintain that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and also 

apostolic. We believe in her firmly and we confess with simplicity that outside of her there is neither salvation 

nor the remission of sins, as the Spouse in the Canticles [Sgs 6:8] proclaims: “One is my dove, my 

perfect one. She is the only one, the chosen of her who bore her,” and she represents one sole mystical 

body whose Head is Christ and the head of Christ is God [1 Cor 11:3]. In her then is one Lord, one faith, 

one baptism [Eph 4:5]. There had been at the time of the deluge only one ark of Noah, prefiguring the one 

Church, which ark, having been finished to a single cubit, had only one pilot and guide, i.e., Noah, and 

we read that, outside of this ark, all that subsisted on the earth was destroyed. 

1 Over 700 years ago, what did Pope Boniface affirm regarding the relationship between the Catholic 

Church and salvation? 

2 What comparison does the pope draw between Noah’s Ark and the Catholic Church? How does 

this comparison illustrate the affirmation from question 1? 



91 



Evangelium Vitae 19, An Encyclical Letter of Pope St. John Paul II, March 25, 

1995 

At another level, the roots of the contradiction between the solemn affirmation of human rights and their 

tragic denial in practice lies in a notion of freedom which exalts the isolated individual in an absolute way, 

and gives no place to solidarity, to openness to others and service of them. While it is true that the taking 

of life not yet born or in its final stages is sometimes marked by a mistaken sense of altruism and human 

compassion, it cannot be denied that such a culture of death, taken as a whole, betrays a completely 

individualistic concept of freedom, which ends up by becoming the freedom of “the strong” against the 

weak who have no choice but to submit. 

It is precisely in this sense that Cain’s answer to the Lord’s question: “Where is Abel your brother?” can be 

interpreted: “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen 4:9). Yes, every man is his “brother’s keeper,” 

because God entrusts us to one another. And it is also in view of this entrusting that God gives everyone 

freedom, a freedom which possesses an inherently relational dimension. This is a great gift of the Creator, 

placed as it is at the service of the person and of his fulfilment through the gift of self and openness to 

others; but when freedom is made absolute in an individualistic way, it is emptied of its original content, 

and its very meaning and dignity are contradicted. 

There is an even more profound aspect which needs to be emphasized: freedom negates and destroys 

itself, and becomes a factor leading to the destruction of others, when it no longer recognizes and respects 

its essential link with the truth. When freedom, out of a desire to emancipate itself from all forms of 

tradition and authority, shuts out even the most obvious evidence of an objective and universal truth, which 

is the foundation of personal and social life, then the person ends up by no longer taking as the sole and 

indisputable point of reference for his own choices the truth about good and evil, but only his subjective 

and changeable opinion or, indeed, his selfish interest and whim. 

1 Why does Pope St. John Paul II argue that true freedom is not simply individualistic — whatever 

one person decides is best for themselves regardless of others? How does the story of Cain and 

Abel illustrate this point? 

2 What negates and destroys freedom and can lead to the destruction of others? 

3 What are two examples of this individualistic notion of freedom in our modern world? How do these 

examples show the pope’s assessment of the destructiveness of this sense of freedom? 


92 




Contra Faustum, Book XII, 14–15, St. Augustine, ca. AD 400 

14. Omitting therefore many passages in these Books where Christ may be found, but which require 

longer explanation and proof, although the most hidden meanings are the sweetest, convincing testimony 

may be obtained from the enumeration of such things as the following: — That Enoch, the seventh 

from Adam, pleased God, and was translated, as there is to be a seventh day of rest into which all will 

be translated who, during the sixth day of the world’s history, are created anew by the incarnate Word. 

That Noah, with his family is saved by water and wood, as the family of Christ is saved by baptism, as 

representing the suffering of the cross. That this ark is made of beams formed in a square, as the Church 

is constructed of saints prepared unto every good work: for a square stands firm on any side. That the 

length is six times the breadth, and ten times the height, like a human body, to show that Christ appeared 

in a human body. That the breadth reaches to fifty cubits; as the apostle says, “Our heart is enlarged” (2 

Corinthians 6:11), that is, with spiritual love, of which he says again, “The love of God is shed abroad in our 

heart by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5). For in the fiftieth day after His resurrection, 

Christ sent His Holy Spirit to enlarge the hearts of His disciples. That it is three hundred cubits long, to 

make up six times fifty; as there are six periods in the history of the world during which Christ has never 

ceased to be preached — in five foretold by the prophets, and in the sixth proclaimed in the gospel. That it 

is thirty cubits high, a tenth part of the length; because Christ is our height, who in his thirtieth year gave 

His sanction to the doctrine of the gospel, by declaring that He came not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it. 

Now the ten commandments are to be the heart of the law; and so the length of the ark is ten times thirty. 

Noah himself, too, was the tenth from Adam. That the beams of the ark are fastened within and without 

with pitch, to signify by compact union the forbearance of love, which keeps the brotherly connection from 



93 



being impaired, and the bond of peace from being broken by the offenses which try the Church either from 

without or from within. For pitch is a glutinous substance, of great energy and force, to represent the ardor 

of love which, with great power of endurance, bears all things in the maintenance of spiritual communion. 

15. That all kinds of animals are inclosed in the ark; as the Church contains all nations, which was also 

set forth in the vessel shown to Peter. That clean and unclean animals are in the ark; as good and bad 

take part in the sacraments of the Church. That the clean are in sevens, and the unclean in twos; not 

because the bad are fewer than the good, but because the good preserve the unity of the Spirit in the 

bond of peace; and the Spirit is spoken of in Scripture as having a sevenfold operation, as being “the 

Holy Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and might, of knowledge and piety, and of the fear 

of God” (Isaiah 11:2–3). So also the number fifty, which is connected with the advent of the Holy Spirit, 

is made up of seven times seven, and one over; whence it is said, “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the 

Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). The bad, again, are in twos, as being easily divided, from 

their tendency to schism. That Noah, counting his family, was the eighth; because the hope of our resurrection 

has appeared in Christ, who rose from the dead on the eighth day, that is, on the day after the 

seventh, or Sabbath day. This day was the third from His passion; but in the ordinary reckoning of days, 

it is both the eighth and the first. 

1 What are three comparisons St. Augustine makes between Noah’s Ark and the Church? 

2 Why do the Church fathers, saints, and writings of the Church continually use the image of Noah’s 

Ark as a type of the Church? 


Chapter 6 

The Patriarchs 

God’s Covenant 

with Abraham 


■ Genesis 12–50

Unit 2, Chapter 6: The Patriarchs 

95 


The story of Salvation History continues with the extraordinary faith of Abraham. Abraham, 

one of the fathers of our faith, models for us a life of listening to God’s call and trusting 

Him to keep His promises. What God asked of Abraham was not an easy task — he 

risked his livelihood and his entire family. God tested Abraham repeatedly, purifying 

and strengthening his faith through perseverance in difficulty. Despite these challenges, 

Abraham trusted and obeyed God, even to the point of sacrificing his only son for the love 

of God, and he was blessed for his faithfulness. Through this covenant, God’s Chosen 

People became the people of Israel, and His promises to them were renewed with 

each of the Patriarchs after Abraham: Isaac, Jacob (Israel), and Joseph. 


■ God called Abraham, the father of faith, to enter into a covenant with Him and to be the father of His Chosen 

People. 

■ God made three great promises to Abraham and raised each to covenant status; they would be fulfilled by 

the final three covenants of Salvation History. 

■ The sacrifice of Isaac is the greatest Old Testament type of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. 

■ God renewed His covenant with Abraham with Abraham’s descendants: Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. 

■ The story of Joseph reveals that God can bring good out of the consequences of evil. 

Bible Basics 

“In your descendants all the 

nations of the earth will find 

blessing, because you obeyed 

my command.” 

GENESIS 22:18 

“I lay down my life. … No one 

takes it from me, but I lay it 

down on my own. I have power 

to lay it down, and power to 

take it up again.” 

JOHN 10:17–18 







Genesis 24 




Genesis 37 


Genesis 45 

Genesis 49 


Catechism 

CCC 58 (pg. 97) 

CCC 2572 (pg. 100) 

CCC 2573 (pg. 105) 



Vocabulary 

Patriarchs (n.): The 

fathers of the People of 

Israel: Abraham, Isaac, 

and Jacob. 

God Calls Abraham, Our Father in Faith 

Abraham and his descendants Isaac and Jacob are known as the 

patriarchs, our fathers in faith. The story of the patriarchs begins with the 

call of Abraham (Gen. 12). God called Abram (as he was then named) in 

prayer, inviting Abram to leave everything behind and follow God to an 

unidentified land. Abram, who was 75 years old at this time, needed some 

convincing to leave his homeland in pursuit of something mysterious. God, 

therefore, enticed Abram with three promises: “I will make of you a great 

nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you 

will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those 

who curse you. All the families of the earth will find blessing in you” 

(Gen. 12:2–3). In these verses, God promised to: 1) make Abram a “great 

God called Abraham to 

be the first patriarch 

of His people. 

 

Abraham and the Three Angels by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (18th century). 



97 

nation” (meaning God would give him a land in which this nation would 

live); 2) make Abram’s “name great” (meaning God would give him descendants 

who would bear the family name); and 3) bless “all the communities 

of the earth” through Abram. 

These promises were particularly meaningful to Abram, because his 

wife Sarai had so far been unable to bear children. In faith, Abram “went 

as the Lord directed him” (Gen. 12:4), taking his wife, his nephew Lot, all 

of their possessions, and all the members of their tribe of people. 

Abram’s leaving his homeland and following God’s call “to a land that 

I will show you” (Gen. 12:1) is the first of many times Abram acted on his 

faith in God. Abram’s challenge is similar to the challenge we face when 

we follow a call from God. Abram’s story testifies that God can be trusted, 

and it is for this reason he is rightly called the father of faith. 

Vocabulary 

Promised Land (n.): 

The land promised to 

Abraham’s descendants 

by God, and the 

destination of the 

Israelites in the Exodus, 

where they would live 

in freedom from slavery 

in Egypt. The Promised 

Land foreshadows the 

coming of the Kingdom of 

God. 

The Land of Canaan 

God led Abram to the land of Canaan, the land of the promise. Remember 

that Canaan was the son of Ham, Noah’s unrighteous son, while Abram 

was a descendant of Shem, Noah’s righteous son. In promising to give 

Canaan to Abram and his descendants, God restored a lost inheritance 

to its rightful heirs. For this reason, the Fathers of the Church understood 

Canaan, the Promised Land, as a foreshadowing of Heaven. The sin 

of Adam and Eve closed the gates of Heaven to human beings, causing 

their descendants to lose the inheritance God intended for us. But with 

His Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, Jesus not only restored 

our inheritance by re-opening the gates of Heaven, He won for us greater 

grace than Adam and Eve previously enjoyed. 

Yet much like our journey to Heaven, Abram did not gain possession of 

Canaan quickly or easily. Famine forced him and his family to Egypt. When 

they returned to Canaan, Lot (Abram’s heir up to this time) parted ways 

from Abram, leaving Abram without an heir. Lot and his family became 

embroiled in a war between four local rulers and were eventually captured. 

Abram gathered together 318 soldiers and rescued him by successfully 

defeating the kings in battle. 

[T]he Fathers 

of the Church 

understood 

Canaan, the 

Promised 

Land, as a 

foreshadowing 

of Heaven. 

Melchizedek 

On his journey home after rescuing Lot, Abram met the mysterious but 

important king Melchizedek. Melchizedek, understood by the Church to be 

“a figure of Christ” (CCC 58), appears in only three verses of Genesis, but 

much of the Letter to the Hebrews discusses Jesus as a priest “according 

to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 7:17). 



Vocabulary 

Shalom (n.): Hebrew for 

“peace.” 

Tithing (v.): The practice 

of giving a percentage 

of one’s income to a 

religious organization. 

Theophany (n.): A 

profound manifestation, or 

revelation, of God. 

According to Genesis, Melchizedek was the “king of Salem,” or the 

king of peace (Salem is derived from the Hebrew shalom, meaning peace) 

(14:18). This land would later become the place where Jerusalem would 

be built. Melchizedek was also a “priest of God most high” (Gen. 14:18). 

As a priest-king, Melchizedek offered Abram and his men a sacred meal of 

thanksgiving consisting of bread and wine and a solemn blessing. Abram, 

for his part, showed deference to Melchizedek, giving him one tenth of his 

possessions. Abram’s actions are the biblical foundation of tithing, and we 

tithe to the Church today. 

This simple encounter between Abram and Melchizedek left a lasting 

imprint on Salvation History. Melchizedek’s offering became the foundation 

of the thanksgiving offering in the Temple of Solomon and the sacrifice of 

Christ offered at the Last Supper, which we receive at every Mass. Jesus 

is perfectly righteous, the “Prince of Peace” prophecied by Isaiah (Isa. 

9:5) and the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16). Jesus is 

also “high priest” (Heb. 4:14), not according to the Levitical priesthood 

(which we will learn about in a later chapter) but “according to the order 

of Melchizedek” (Heb. 7:17). In other words, Jesus is the priest-king who 

exercises kingship in a sacrificial (or priestly) way by offering His own Body 

and Blood, Soul and Divinity, under the appearance of bread and wine 

in the Eucharist. Through this offering, which we receive at every Mass, 

Jesus blesses us. 

God Makes a Covenant with Abram 

Abram struggled to persevere in faith when it seemed God delayed in fulfilling 

His promises. Abram complained to God, “What can you give me, 

if I die childless?” (Gen. 15:2), and asked God for a sign. God told him 

to bring certain animals and offer them in sacrifice to show that he valued 

God more than the wealth brought by these animals. So Abram sacrificed 

and split the animals in two, placing each half opposite the other. Then, in 

a mysterious vision, the Lord appeared to Abram as a smoking fire pot and 

flaming torch passing between the animal halves, as if to declare that If He 

did not keep His commitments, He might be be slain like these animals. Of 

course, God cannot be slain, thus assuring Abram of His faithfulness. In 

this theophany, God elevated to a covenant His first promise to Abram, 

swearing to give the land to Abram’s descendants, but not before they 

have lived “in a land not their own” where “they shall be enslaved and 

oppressed for four hundred years” (Gen. 15:12–13, 18), foreshadowing 

the future enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt. 

Circumstances, however, seemed contrary to God’s oath. Sarai was 

now beyond childbearing age. Wanting to have children just as Abram did, 

she proposed that Abram conceive a child with Hagar, Sarai’s Egyptian 



99 

Abraham Entertaining the Three Angels by Jan Victors (ca. 1640). 

slave. According to the custom of the time, Hagar’s child would be Sarai’s 

by adoption. Abram agreed to Sarai’s plan, and the son born to Hagar was 

named Ishmael, meaning “God has heard.” 

While Sarai’s solution had likely seemed reasonable to them both, God, 

however, always intended for Sarai to bear Abram’s descendants. Abram 

mistakenly acted on his own to apply God’s promise, and while Ishmael 

himself was certainly a gift from God, Ishmael was not the intended recipient 

of the covenant. 

Abram was doubtful 

of God’s promise that 

he and Sarai would 

conceive a child in their 

old age. 

In prayer, God revealed the intended heir to Abram 13 years after 

Ishmael’s birth. Abram heard God speak again, swearing even greater fulfillment 

of this promise: Abram would become “the father of a multitude 

of nations” (Gen. 17:5), the ancestor of “nations” and “kings” (Gen. 

17:6). God even changed Abram’s name to Abraham to indicate this super-abundant 

fulfillment of His promise of descendants. When God changes 

a person’s name, it is always a Scriptural indication that He is changing 

the person’s identity and the meaning of his or her life. God also changed 

Sarai’s name to Sarah and said she would bear a son. 

Abraham and Sarah laughed at the seeming absurdity of a 100-yearold 

man and 90-year-old woman having a child together, to which God then 

proclaimed that their son should be called Isaac, which means “laughter.” 

God swore that His word would come to pass, elevating this second promise 

to a covenant. 



Abraham was willing to 

sacrifice his only 

son because he had 

complete trust in 

God’s goodness. 

The Sacrifice of Isaac by Domenichino (ca. 1627–1628). 

For his part, Abraham and his descendants had to offer the sacrifice of 

circumcision as a sign that the man and his family were in covenant with 

God. It also may have been an act of penance for Abraham, who trusted 

in his own power to generate offspring when he conceived Ishmael with 

Hagar. Whatever the case, God invited Abraham to trust Him rather than 

rely on earthly powers or benefits. Abraham chose the way of trust in God 

and obeyed. 

The Binding of Isaac 

True to His word, God gave a son to Abraham and Sarah. Isaac was born 

when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90, and God made it clear 

that Isaac would inherit the covenant promises and blessing. Abraham, 

however, had to endure a “final stage in the purification of his faith” 

(CCC 2572) when God told him to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. The 

magnitude of God’s command cannot be overstated. Not only was God 

asking Abraham to kill his beloved son, He was asking Abraham to relinquish 

all of the promises God had made to Abraham. Without Isaac, there 

would be no descendants to whom God could give the land. Without Isaac, 

how would all the nations of the earth be blessed by Abraham? If Abraham 

obeyed God’s command, he risked losing everything God had promised. 

Abraham placed his faith in God and obeyed Him. “He reasoned that 

God was able to raise even from the dead” (Heb. 11:19), a remarkable 



101 

trust given that no one had ever been raised from the dead. Obediently, he 

took Isaac to the place of sacrifice. Isaac, a strong young man at this point, 

carried the wood for his own sacrifice, demonstrating that he trusted his 

father Abraham and offered himself as a willing sacrifice. After a three-day 

journey to the summit of the appointed place, Mt. Moriah (which would later 

become the same hills where Christ was crucified), Abraham built an altar, 

bound Isaac, and placed him upon it. Abraham drew his knife; but before 

he could deal the fatal blow, God stopped him and instead directed him 

to offer a nearby ram caught in a thicket. By his willing sacrifice, Abraham 

demonstrated that God was more important to him than any earthly thing. 

As a result, God swore His third promise to Abraham would be fulfilled: “In 

your descendants all the nations of the earth will find blessing, because 

you obeyed my command” (Gen. 22:18). At this point, all three of 

God’s promises to Abraham formed the covenant God made with Abraham 

for his descendants. 

But this event reveals much more than Abraham’s heroic faith. 

Abraham’s sacrifice was always regarded by his descendants as a foreshadowing 

of a future sacrifice, which we as Christians know to be Jesus’ 

sacrifice on the Cross, fulfilling and exceeding the blessings of the sacrifice 

of Isaac. Isaac, the only beloved son of his father (Gen. 22:2), carried the 

wood for his sacrifice up the hill of Moriah. Jesus, the only beloved Son of 

God the Father (John 3:16), carried the wood of the Cross for His sacrifice 

up the hill of Calvary, which was one of the hills of Moriah. To a greater 

degree than Isaac, Jesus offered His life willingly, saying “I lay down my 

life. … No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have 

power to lay it down, and power to take it up again” (John 10:17–18). 

Abraham promised Isaac that “God will provide the sheep” (Gen. 22:8), 

and, indeed, Abraham ultimately sacrificed a ram. But Jesus, “the Lamb 

of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29), is actually 

sacrificed; no ram replaces Him. By His sacrifice, Jesus won every grace 

we need to obtain the promised land of Heaven. 

By his willing 

sacrifice, 

Abraham 

demonstrated 

that God was 

more important 

to him than any 

earthly thing. 

Isaac and Jacob Inherit the Covenant 

God made a covenant with Abraham and intended the covenant to continue 

through Abraham’s descendants. Established as Abraham’s heir, Isaac 

married Rebekah, and they looked forward to having a son who would 

inherit the covenant promises. But like Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and 

Rebekah struggled to conceive and had to exercise faith in God’s promises, 

praying to Him for a son and heir. After many years, God answered their 

prayers and blessed them with twin boys, Esau and Jacob. Esau was born 

first; therefore, he was the heir of the covenant blessings. Jacob was born 

gripping his brother’s heel, and so his name means “he grasps the heel” or 



“he deceives” in Hebrew. Jacob lived up to his name when he persuaded 

Esau to sell him the covenant birthright for a pot of stew, and afterward 

deceived the then-blind Isaac to get the corresponding blessing. 

Esau bitterly 

regretted his 

indifference 

when he 

realized he 

could not get 

back what he 

had lost. 

While God is truth and does not approve of deception, Jacob’s trickery 

demonstrates how much he desired God’s blessing and the covenant 

promises. Esau “treated his right as firstborn with disdain” (Gen. 

25:34), considering it less valuable than a single meal. Later generations 

recognized Jacob’s desire for God’s blessing as noble and worthy of imitation. 

Esau bitterly regretted his indifference when he realized he could 

not get back what he had lost, and his regret turned to vengeance. He 

vowed to kill Jacob for his deception, so Jacob fled to the faraway land of 

his uncle, Laban. While en route, God confirmed in a dream of a stairway 

extending to Heaven with angels ascending it (Gen. 28:10–22) that the 

covenant blessing, with all its promises, had indeed come to Jacob. Jacob 

then vowed to serve the Lord. 

Now Jacob needed descendants to inherit the covenant from him. He 

soon fell in love with Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel, and agreed to 

work for Laban for seven years in order to marry her. But with great irony, 

Jacob was deceived by Laban: he woke up the morning after the wedding 

Esau traded his 

birthright as a 

firstborn son for 

a single meal. 

 

Esau and Jacob by Giovanni Andrea de Ferrari (date unknown). 



103 


Jacob 

Have you ever been so inspired by someone that 

it changed how you lived? 

Jacob is remembered as one of the most important 

patriarchs in the Bible. He so desired to 

be the heir of God’s promises to his grandfather, 

Abraham, that he tricked his brother, Esau, into 

giving up his right as heir and their father’s blessing 

for a bowl of soup. Young Jacob was a bit of 

a scoundrel, and, in the first episodes of his story, 

not very likeable. God set Jacob on a path of reform 

to pay for his errors and learn a better way 

of living. 

Jacob was sent out by his father to find a wife 

and soon he encountered a young woman named 

Rachel by a well. He fell in love with her and was 

so overcome with emotion that he kissed her and 

began to weep (Gen. 29:11). He knew he had to 

win her heart, no matter the cost to himself. 

Her father, Laban, was overjoyed with Jacob’s 

love for his daughter. Penniless at this time, with 

nothing to offer her father, Jacob instead pledged 

to Laban to serve him for seven years for Rachel’s 

hand in marriage. Laban agreed and Jacob set to 

work. While seven years might seem like a long 

time, to Jacob, those years seemed “like a few 

days because of his love for” Rachel (Gen. 

29:20). 

At the end of seven years, Jacob had earned 

the right to marry Rachel. But the story does not 

end there. In the culture of Jacob, it was common 

for the eldest daughter to 

marry first. On Jacob and 

Rachel’s wedding day, 

Laban switched his daughters 

and gave Jacob his eldest 

daughter, Leah, as a 

wife instead. The man who 

had tricked others had been 

tricked himself. Still, Jacob 

pledged another seven 

years of service in order to 

marry Rachel (Gen. 29:30). 

Jacob had been so inspired 

by Rachel that he began 

to change how he lived 

his life. These beginning 

steps on the path of his new 

life would even lead to reconciliation 

with his brother, 

Esau. 

Like Jacob, we should allow ourselves to 

be sanctified by the circumstances of our life, 

no matter how hard they may be. God can use 

those times in our lives, when things are difficult 

or seem like they are taking too long, as opportunities 

for growth. Jacob persevered through the 

years of waiting because he was overcome with 

love. When love for God and love for others are 

the motivators in our lives, we too can make it 

through anything, no matter how difficult. 

Like Jacob, 

we should 

allow 

ourselves to 

be sanctified 

by the 

circumstances 

of our life. 



to discover that he had mistakely married Rachel’s older sister Leah, who 

had been disguised as Rachel. Much as Jacob had deceived his blind 

father to obtain the covenant blessing — a blessing which could not be 

revoked, even if it was mistakenly given to the wrong person — Laban deceived 

Jacob into marrying the wrong woman — a marriage which could 

not be revoked once consummated. Laban then agreed to allow Jacob to 

marry Rachel in exchange for another seven years of service. 

This arrangement led to intense family drama. While Jacob did not really 

love Leah, she bore him six sons and a daughter. Jacob loved Rachel, 

but she could not conceive, leading to turmoil in their marriage. Rachel, 

like Sarah before her, sought to have a child through a surrogate. Jacob 

agreed, and Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah gave birth to two sons. Not to 

be outdone, Leah proposed a similar arrangement, and her maidservant 

Zilpah gave birth to two sons. Rachel became jealous of her sister, but, despite 

her frustration, she cried out to God and Scripture tells us that “God 

remembered Rachel. God listened to her and made her fruitful” (Gen. 

30:22). Rachel eventually gave birth to two sons, one of whom, Joseph, 

would grow up to be the savior of his people and all of Egypt. 

Jacob’s wrestling match 

with a divine being 

illustrates the struggle of 

prayer in the spiritual life. 

To remember, more than simply recalling something from memory, 

means “to become one with again.” To say God remembered Rachel does 

not mean He forgot her. Rather, this remebrance first required Rachel to 

return to God and cry out to Him, so as to become one with Him again. 

Rachel’s story reminds us that when we become angry at God and feel He 

has forgotten us, the truth is we have forgotten Him. Often we turn away 

Jacob Wrestling with the Angel by Bartholomeus Breenbergh (1639). 



105 

from God, fall into sin, and only rely on our own abilities. We abandon our 

faith in God’s promises and His plan of hope for our lives. If we remain 

faithful to Him, however, in the end, God will fulfill all of His promises to us. 

The birth of Joseph signaled to Jacob that it was time to leave Laban 

and return to Canaan to take up his covenant birthright. After barely escaping 

— by God’s providence — from Laban, Jacob entered Esau’s territory. 

The night before he was to meet Esau again, Jacob prayed and 

mysteriously wrestled with a “figure who refuses to reveal his name but 

who blesses him before leaving him at dawn” (CCC 2573). During the 

struggle, Jacob’s hip was wrenched out of its socket, which would leave 

Jacob with a limp for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, Jacob did not give 

up the wrestling match. This mysterious person, likely an angel of the Lord, 

changed Jacob’s name to Israel, meaning “you have contended with 

divine and human beings and have prevailed” (Gen. 32:29). 

We can interpret this odd encounter as a vivid portrait of the battle of 

prayer. The Catechism states, “the spiritual tradition of the Church has 

retained the symbol of prayer as a battle of faith and as the triumph of 

perseverance” (2573). Jacob held nothing back and brought to the Lord 

his troubles and fears and God heard him and contended with everything 

in his heart. God wants the same from each of us; He wants us to hold 

nothing back from Him, to bring to Him our sorrows and fears as much as 

our joys so we can come to trust in Him in all things. 

Jacob trusted in God, and the next day faced Esau and was reconciled 

with him. Esau proposed that they proceed together, but Jacob moved on 

toward Canaan instead, invoking “El, the God of Israel” (Gen. 33:20) 

when he arrived. 

Jacob received the land God promised him as the heir to the covenant 

with Abraham, cherishing this gift he had desired and worked for some 

twenty years to obtain. Like Jacob, we are heirs of the covenant promise 

of Heaven, and our desire for it motivates us to cooperate with God’s grace 

to obtain it. 

God wants ... us 

to hold nothing 

back from him, 

to bring to Him 

our sorrows and 

fears as much 

as our joys. 

The Covenant Passes to the Next Generation 

Jacob had 12 sons in total. Each would become the head of a line of descendants, 

or a tribe. Thus, Jacob’s descendants became the Twelve 

Tribes of Israel. Jacob’s oldest son by Leah, Reuben, was the heir presumptive 

to the covenant. Yet Joseph was Jacob’s favored son, as his older 

half-brothers could clearly see. Jacob gave Joseph an “ornamented tunic” 

(Gen. 37:3), or the famous “coat of many colors,” possibly as a sign that 

Rachel’s oldest son, not Leah’s, was the chosen heir. Leah’s sons became 

jealous of Joseph, and Joseph received prophetic dreams that he would 



rule over his brothers, which only made things worse. So they sold him into 

slavery and told their father that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. 

The brothers’ betrayal led to Joseph’s enslavement to Potiphar, an 

Egyptian and chief steward of Pharaoh. While Joseph prospered in 

Potiphar’s service, Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. When Joseph refused 

her, she accused him of attempted rape and Joseph was imprisoned. 

There, Joseph became known for his ability to interpret dreams. Eventually 

the Pharoah had a troubling dream and called for Joseph to interpret it. 

Joseph saw in Pharaoh’s dreams a prediction of seven years of plenty 

followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh then put Joseph in charge of 

preparing for the coming famine, making Joseph the most powerful man in 

Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. 

The famine that afflicted Egypt also reached Joseph’s family in Canaan. 

Jacob, hearing there was food in Egypt, sent his oldest ten sons to purchase 

grain and save the family from starvation. Joseph immediately recognized 

his brothers, though they did not recognize him. Without revealing 

his identity, Joseph questioned them about his father, his younger brother, 

Benjamin, and the situation at home. Then he accused them of being spies, 

imprisoning one of the brothers until the other nine brought Benjamin back 

to Egypt. Jacob initially resisted this demand, but the severity of the famine 

ultimately forced him to allow Benjamin to go. 

Joseph did not resent his 

brothers for betraying 

him — on the contrary, 

he forgave them 

unconditionally. 

Joseph and His Brothers by Abraham Bloemaert (ca. 1595–1600). 



107 

Joseph, still unrecognized by his brothers, threatened to keep Benjamin 

permanently in Egypt. When the older brothers protested, offering themselves 

and even their own sons in Benjamin’s place to protect their father 

from the grief of losing another son of Rachel, Joseph finally revealed his 

true identity, saying, “Do not be distressed, and do not be angry with 

yourselves for having sold me here. … God, therefore, sent me on 

ahead of you to ensure for you a remnant on earth and to save your 

lives in an extraordinary deliverance” (Gen. 45:5, 7). Rather than holding 

his brothers responsible for betraying him, Joseph forgave them, sent 

for his father Jacob, and arranged for his whole family to spend the years 

of famine in Egypt, where he could provide for them. In this sense, Joseph 

saved his family. 

We too, in our own lives, experience injustices. We may be falsely accused, 

ignored or rejected by people we care about, punished for wrongs 

we have not committed. We rightly feel the unfairness, and often we should 

protest against it. But sometimes we have no power to right the wrong. In 

times like these, we can remember that “all things work for good for 

those who love God” (Rom. 8:28). God sees the injustice also. He does 

not approve the injustice, but He allows the wrongdoers the freedom to 

commit the wrong. God also brings good out of injustice, often a greater 

good than if the wrong had never been done. 

Jesus perfectly demonstrates this truth. Joseph demonstrated extraordinary 

forgiveness, foreshadowing Jesus’ unsurpassed forgiveness of our 

sins. Like Joseph, Jesus was betrayed by those closest to Him. Joseph 

was sold for twenty pieces of silver, and Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of 

silver. Joseph was believed dead by Jacob (and probably the rest of the 

family), but they discovered he was alive: Joseph’s family probably felt that 

Joseph had “come back to life.” Jesus actually died, and He actually rose 

from the dead as many witnesses testified. Joseph ruled over Egypt, but 

Jesus rules over all. Jesus not only fulfills what Joseph’s life prefigured, but 

He also exceeds that prefigurement beyond expectation. 

God also 

brings good 

out of injustice, 

often a greater 

good than if 

the wrong had 

never been 

done. 

The End of the Beginning (Genesis) 

Just before Jacob’s death, he called his sons to him so as to bless each 

one (Gen. 49). Jacob rebukes the oldest three and the covenant blessing 

falls upon the fourth son, Judah, in a prophecy: “The scepter shall never 

depart from Judah, or the mace from between his feet, until tribute 

comes to him, and he receives the people’s obedience” (Gen. 49:10). 

“Scepter” and “mace” refer to the symbols of kingly authority, and so this 

blessing of Judah would be fulfilled when David and his descendants became 

kings. In future chapters, we will see how this blessing prophesies 

Jesus, a descendant of Judah (Matt. 1) who is the eternal King. 




No one wants to leave their comfort zone. We naturally like to feel secure 

and maintain the status quo. Abraham had a home, land, and wealth — he 

was comfortable. He was advanced in age and reasonably could have been 

expected to have said “no thanks” when God asked him to relocate his entire 

family and wander around in the wilderness. But Abraham, along with countless 

other biblical figures and saints, persevered in following God. Following 

God can often seem risky and uncomfortable and may lead others to ridicule 

or make fun of us for our beliefs. But Jesus made it clear during His Sermon 

on the Mount that those who follow Him will face persecution: “Blessed are 

you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil 

against you [falsely] because of me” (Matt. 5:11). 

Living our faith takes tremendous courage. Simply praying before a meal 

in public leaves many people feeling embarrassed or awkward. There are certainly 

moments when doing the right thing is easy and wins the regard of your 

peers. But more often than not, standing firm in your faith makes you look 

foolish to those who do not understand or share your faith. Standing firm in 

your faith means putting your worldly reputation at risk. As humans, we want 

to be comfortable in our social groups, in our finances, and in our careers, yet 

our faith calls us to radically put God before all of that. Pope Benedict XVI 

stated, “The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You 

were made for greatness.” Pursuing God will always mean sacrificing worldly 

comforts, but the lasting happiness found in union with Him far surpasses any 

fleeting security offered on this side of Heaven. 



109 

Chapter 6 


1 What three promises did God make to Abram? 

2 Why is Canaan, the Promised Land, considered to be a type of Heaven? 

3 What is significant about the offering Melchizedek presented to Abram and his soldiers? How 

is Melchizedek a type of Jesus? 

4 What was the meaning of the mysterious theophany of God appearing to Abram as a flaming 

firepot that passed between the split halves of sacrificed animals? What did God swear to 

Abram in this moment? 

5 When God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, what did He promise him? What oath did He 

swear to Abraham? What was the sign of this covenant and what did it mean? 

6 What did Abraham reason when he placed his trust in God after God commanded him to sacrifice 

Isaac? Because of his faith, what oath did God swear to Abraham? 

7 How does the sacrifice of Isaac foreshadow Jesus? 

8 Why was Jacob’s desire for the blessing of his father, Isaac, noble despite the trickery he 

employed to get it? 

9 What does it mean that God “remembered” Rachel? 

10 How can we interpret the story of Jacob wrestling with an angel? 

11 How did Joseph become the most powerful man in Egypt after the Pharaoh? 

12 How does Joseph foreshadow Jesus, especially in His forgiveness of our sins? 

13 How did Jacob’s final blessing signify both the kingship of David and the divine kingship of 

Jesus? 

14 What lesson of perseverance can we learn from the story of Jacob and Rachel? 


110 







Dei Verbum 14–16, The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, 


14. In carefully planning and preparing the salvation of the whole human race the God of infinite love, 

by a special dispensation, chose for Himself a people to whom He would entrust His promises. First He 

entered into a covenant with Abraham (see Gen. 15:18) and, through Moses, with the people of Israel 

(see Ex. 24:8). To this people which He had acquired for Himself, He so manifested Himself through 

words and deeds as the one true and living God that Israel came to know by experience the ways of God 

with men. Then too, when God Himself spoke to them through the mouth of the prophets, Israel daily 

gained a deeper and clearer understanding of His ways and made them more widely known among the 

nations (see Ps. 21:29; 95:1–3; Is. 2:1–5; Jer. 3:17). The plan of salvation foretold by the sacred authors, 

recounted and explained by them, is found as the true word of God in the books of the Old Testament: 

these books, therefore, written under divine inspiration, remain permanently valuable. “For all that was 

written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might 

have hope” (Rom. 15:4). 

15. The principal purpose to which the plan of the old covenant was directed was to prepare for the coming 

of Christ, the redeemer of all and of the messianic kingdom, to announce this coming by prophecy (see 

Luke 24:44; John 5:39; 1 Peter 1:10), and to indicate its meaning through various types (see 1 Cor. 10:12). 

Now the books of the Old Testament, in accordance with the state of mankind before the time of salvation 

established by Christ, reveal to all men the knowledge of God and of man and the ways in which God, just 

and merciful, deals with men. These books, though they also contain some things which are incomplete 

and temporary, nevertheless show us true divine pedagogy. These same books, then, give expression to 

a lively sense of God, contain a store of sublime teachings about God, sound wisdom about human life, 

and a wonderful treasury of prayers, and in them the mystery of our salvation is present in a hidden way. 

Christians should receive them with reverence. 

16. God, the inspirer and author of both Testaments, wisely arranged that the New Testament be hidden 

in the Old and the Old be made manifest in the New. For, though Christ established the new covenant in 

His blood (see Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25), still the books of the Old Testament with all their parts, caught 

up into the proclamation of the Gospel, acquire and show forth their full meaning in the New Testament 

(see Matt. 5:17; Luke 24:27; Rom. 16:25–26; 2 Cor. 14:16) and in turn shed light on it and explain it. 



111 




1 Why did God choose for Himself a people? 

2 How did God manifest Himself to His people? 

3 Where is God’s plan of salvation found? 

4 How should the books of the Old Testament be regarded? 

5 What is the principal purpose of the Old Covenant? 

6 What do we find in the books of the Old Testament? 

7 What did God arrange regarding the Old and New Testaments? 


UNIT 3 

God’s People 

Become a Nation

Unit 3 

113 

The Exodus is the central saving event of the Old Testament. 

God called Moses to be His prophet and to lead His people 

out of slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land to become a great 

nation. The centerpiece of this great drama of salvation is the 

Passover, which God established for His people to participate in 

and to remember for all time. God also shared His name with His 

people, revealing that He is knowable and that He has invited us to 

know Him and be in relationship with Him. 

We see throughout Scripture how God chooses imperfect people 

to accomplish His will. The story of Moses demonstrates this 

fact, as does the history of the entire people of Israel. After leaving 

Egypt, the Israelites proved to be less than faithful to God, even after 

God had shown His faithfulness to them through many miraculous 

deeds and by giving them the Law so they could learn how to love 

Him and each other. But because of their unfaithfulness, God would 

condemn them to wander the desert for 40 years until a new generation 

had arisen who had grown up dependent on God for all things. 

After Moses died, Joshua led the people into the Promised Land 

and to the successful conquering of the land of Canaan. Eventually, 

the people fell into a cycle of sin. God would send judges, or temporary 

leaders, to lead the people and restore them to right worship. 

But by the end of the time of the judges, the people had once again 

rejected God and demanded an earthly king to rule them. 

The story of the Exodus and the desert wanderings bring the 

Books of Moses, the Pentateuch, to an end. The stories of the first 

four major covenants of Salvation History are found in these pages, 

the foundation for all that will occur in the remaining 41 books of the 

Old Testament. The Books of Joshua and Judges begin what are 

commonly referred to as the historical books (which, importantly, is 

not to call the stories that came before them non-historical). These 

books tell in a chronological manner the history of Israel from its 

conquest of Canaan through its rise, fall, exile, and return. The historical 

books present a certain theological perspective on this historical 

development of God’s people, which evidences the warnings 

and prophecies of Moses to the people in the book of Deuteronomy. 

In This Unit 

■ Chapter 7: The Exodus 

■ Chapter 8: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth

Chapter 7 

The Exodus 


■ Exodus 

■ Leviticus 

■ Numbers 

■ Deuteronomy

Unit 3, Chapter 7: The Exodus 

115 


The book of Exodus introduces us to the nation of Israel, the people who have grown 

from the extended family of Jacob to a population numbering two million. The Israelites 

lived and multiplied in Egypt, thriving until a new Pharaoh felt his power threatened by 

the extensive number of Israelites and enslaved them. God instructed Moses to order 

Pharaoh to set His people free. God remained faithful to His people, despite their 

idolatry, and passed on to them the Law to teach them holiness, and He faithfully 

accompanied His people as they left Egypt and wandered through the desert on 

the way to the Promised Land. 


■ God called Moses to free His people from bondage in Egypt and bring them to the Promised Land. 

■ God revealed His name to Moses to form a personal relationship with His people. 

■ The Ten Plagues were God’s judgment upon Egypt and their false gods. 

■ The Passover in Exodus prefigures the salvific action of the Eucharist and the Paschal Mystery. 

■ God established a covenant with His people at Mt. Sinai and gave them the Law to teach them holiness. 

Bible Basics 

“I am who I am. This is what 

you will tell the Israelites: I AM 

has sent me to you.” 

EXODUS 3:14 

For freedom Christ set us 

free; so stand firm and do not 

submit again to the yoke of 

slavery. 

GALATIANS 5:1 


Exodus 1–4 

Exodus 5:1–19 

Exodus 7–11 

Exodus 12 

Exodus 13:17–15:21 

Exodus 16–17:7 

Exodus 19–20 

Exodus 25:10–22 

Exodus 32–34 

Numbers 13–14 

Numbers 20:2–21 

Numbers 21:4–9 

Deuteronomy 34 


Catechism 

CCC 65 (pg. 129) 

CCC 203 (pg. 118) 

CCC 206 (pg. 118) 



Vocabulary 

Exodus (n.): A going out 

or departure of a mass 

of people. It is the name 

given to the departure of 

the Israelites from Egypt. 

From the Greek exodos 

meaning “going out.” 

God heard the 

cries of His 

people and 

acted to save 

them and lead 

them to freedom 

in the Promised 

Land. 

At the beginning of the story of the Exodus, we learn that God’s people 

have greatly multiplied. Jacob (whom God had renamed Israel), his 12 

sons, and all his family moved to Egypt at Joseph’s request. There they 

settled in the best land of Egypt, the Land of Goshen, which was given to 

them by the Pharaoh. After 400 years in Egypt, Jacob’s descendants, the 

Israelites — heirs to God’s promises to Abraham — increased to be nearly 

2 million people. 

Then, a new king of Egypt came to power, likely a Pharaoh from a different 

line of kings, who “knew nothing of Joseph” (Exod. 1:8), which 

probably means he chose not to uphold any agreements made by the 

Pharaohs of old with the Israelites. The new Pharaoh was concerned there 

were too many Israelites, thinking they might overthrow his rule. So, he 

“reduced the Israelites to cruel slavery, making life bitter for them with 

hard labor” (Exod. 1:13–14). But they still grew in number. Finally, the 

Pharaoh decreed that all newborn male Israelites must be killed by being 

thrown into the Nile River. 

God heard the cries of His people and acted to save them and lead 

them to freedom in the Promised Land. This He accomplished through 

a man named Moses, through whom He established the third major Old 

Testament covenant with Israel. The book of Exodus derives its name from 

the saving acts of God in Egypt: Exodus means “going out,” specifically 

referring to the Israelites “going out” of Egypt. 

The Birth of Moses 

The story of Moses begins when one poor Israelite woman saved her son 

from the genocide decreed by the Pharaoh. She hid the child in a basket 

(the same Hebrew word used in Genesis for the “ark”) and placed 

the basket among the reeds of the Nile, hoping someone would find him. 

Someone did — Pharaoh’s daughter. After rescuing the child, Pharaoh’s 

daughter named him Moses, which means “to draw out.” 

Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s household, where he experienced wealth, 

privilege, and education that the other Israelites did not. As a young man, 

however, he lost his place in Pharaoh’s house when he murdered an 

Egyptian soldier whom he had witnessed mistreating an Israelite. Moses 

fled from Egypt and eventually settled in a land called Midian, where he 

married a Midianite woman and became a shepherd. 

The Call of Moses and the Revelation of God’s Name 

Moses was already an old man, some 40 years after he fled Egypt, when 

God spoke to him from a burning bush. God called out to Moses from the 

bush and identified Himself: “I am the God of your father … the God of 



117 

Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exod. 3:6). The 

Egyptians (and likely many of the Israelites) were polytheists. By identifying 

Himself in this way, God emphasized that He is not like the other false 

gods the people worshipped, and not just one god among many. Rather, 

He is the God of Moses’ ancestors and people, the Israelites, and He had 

come to free them from slavery. 

Vocabulary 

Polytheism (n.): 

Belief in many gods and 

goddesses. 

God then gave Moses the task of leading His people to freedom: “I 

have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard 

their cry against their taskmasters, so I know well what they are suffering. 

… Now, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, 

the Israelites, out of Egypt” (Exod. 3:7, 10). Moses, however, did not 

immediately say yes to God’s plan and instead made excuses. 

One of the excuses Moses offered to God even seemed reasonable 

given the circumstances: “If I go to the Israelites and say to them, 

‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, 

‘What is his name?’ what do I tell them?” (Exod. 3:13). God replied to 

Moses by telling him His name, “I am who I am. This is what you will 

tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you” (Exod. 3:14). The name 

God spoke to Moses and 

gave him the task of leading 

His chosen people to the 

Promised Land. 

Moses Shown the Promised Land by Benjamin West (1801). 



Vocabulary 

Tetragrammaton (n.): 

Having four letters. A word 

that refers to the sacred 

name of God, which is 

spelled with four letters in 

Hebrew: YHWH. 

God revealed to Moses — also known as the Tetragrammaton, or YHWH 

(Yahweh) — cannot be translated with complete accuracy. According to the 

Catechism, the actual Hebrew phrase used in Exodus can take any number 

of variations, from “I AM HE WHO IS,” to “I AM WHO AM” or “I AM 

WHO I AM” (206), or simply, “I AM.” Nevertheless, each of these variations 

reveals something similar about God. They show He is being, or existence, 

itself; He is uncreated, without beginning or end, and transcendent. 

The revelation of God’s name also marked a profound shift in God’s 

relationship with mankind. Prior to this theophany, human beings, like 

Abraham and his descendants, did not know God’s name but knew He 

existed. To them, He was not yet a personal God. He was not yet knowable. 

The Catechism no. 203 describes the importance of a name: 

God revealed himself to his people Israel by making his name 

known to them. A name expresses a person’s essence and 

identity and the meaning of this person’s life. God has a name; 

he is not an anonymous force. To disclose one’s name is to 

make oneself known to others; in a way it is to hand oneself 

over by becoming accessible, capable of being known more 

intimately and addressed personally. 

[God] went 

from being 

an unknown, 

anonymous face 

to being known 

and able to be 

called upon. 

When God revealed His name to Moses (and then to Pharaoh and all 

the Israelites), He went from being an unknown, anonymous force to being 

known and able to be called upon. He became someone, not something, 

and He invited us to know Him personally and intimately. 

Yet Moses continued to protest, claiming he was not good with words 

(some have theorized that perhaps Moses had a speech impediment) and 

he could not possibly persuade Pharaoh to free the Israelites. In reply, 

God told Moses that his brother, Aaron, could communicate with Pharaoh. 

Finally, Moses agreed, and the brothers went to Pharaoh to demand he let 

their people go into the desert for three days to worship. But Pharaoh denied 

their request and ordered an increase in work for the Israelite slaves. 

Although at this point Moses was not asking for his people to leave Egypt 

permanently, Pharaoh did not trust his slaves to return. 

The Ten Plagues and the Passover 

For a second time, God sent Moses to Pharaoh, this time demanding he 

let the Israelites go free. Pharaoh again refused. God then permitted a 

series of ten plagues to fall upon the Egyptians. Some scholars suggest 

that each plague can be linked to one of the Egyptian “gods” the Egyptians 

(and likely some of the Israelites) worshipped. The plagues may have represented 

a judgment on an Egyptian god or set of gods, demonstrating 



119 

in a tangible way that God had power over even the greatest of the false 

gods. Throughout the plagues, the Israelites offered animal sacrifices that 

were “abhorrent” (Exod. 8:22) to the Egyptians. These sacrifices may 

have been of animals the Egyptians considered sacred, or representations 

of their gods. Regardless, by allowing the plagues and protecting the 

Israelites from them, God wanted the Egyptians (and the Israelites) to learn 

that He was the true God. 

Pharaoh, representing all of Egypt, would not be persuaded. After each 

plague, Moses offered Pharaoh the chance to change his mind. After the 

ninth plague (a plague of darkness, which can be seen as an attack on 

Pharaoh himself, the human embodiment of the Egyptian sun god, Ra), 

Moses warned Pharaoh that if he did not relent, the firstborn son in every 

household in Egypt would die. God explained the reason for this plague, 

saying that Israel was God’s firstborn son, and “since you refused to let 

him go, I will kill your son, your first-born” (Exod. 4:23). 

Seventh Plague of Egypt by John Martin (1823). 

God brought ten plagues 

on Pharaoh and his 

people because of 

his refusal to free the 

Israelites. 



Pharaoh only released 

the Israelites after 

the death of his 

and every firstborn 

child of Egypt. 

Vocabulary 

Hyssop (n.): A plant 

of unknown identity 

(and distinct from the 

hyssop plant that grows 

in Europe and North 

America) whose branches 

were used in Hebrew 

sprinkling rituals. During 

the first Passover, God 

commanded the Israelites 

to spread the blood from 

the paschal lamb over 

their doorposts using a 

hyssop branch. 

Death of the Pharaoh’s Firstborn Son by Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1872). 

The Tenth Plague and Passover 

Unlike the plagues that came before it, the tenth plague had the potential 

to devastate Israel as well. Their firstborn sons would not be exempt unless 

they did as God commanded. Before the tenth plague began, God 

gave Moses specific instructions for the Israelites to follow: the Israelites 

must sacrifice a year-old, male, unblemished lamb, whose blood should 

be spread with hyssop on the doorposts of their homes, and whose flesh 

they must roast and eat with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. If they 

obeyed these instructions, the Lord would “pass over” their houses and no 

harm would come upon them. Further, God commanded that the Israelites 

celebrate this feast annually as a “day of remembrance” and “a statute 

forever” (Exod. 12:14), to remember what the Lord had done for them. 

As God promised, all the Israelites who obeyed His command and participated 

in the Passover meal were spared. The Egyptians were not. Even 

Pharaoh lost his firstborn son to the plague, and immediately ordered the 

Israelites to leave Egypt in the dead of night. 

The Israelites did not hesitate. Already prepared for the journey, they 

set off for the wilderness outside of Egypt. God Himself led the way, appearing 

as a pillar of fire in the night and a pillar of cloud by day. 



121 


Moses 

To begin Moses’ story, let us start at the lowest 

point in his life, because it is at this lowest 

point God does something special. Moses was a 

young man and he was also a murderer. He had 

been raised an Egyptian, the adopted son of the 

daughter of the Pharaoh. But at some point, he 

would have learned he was no Egyptian at all, 

that he was born to a Hebrew mother and would 

have been murdered at the behest of a cruel and 

vindictive Pharaoh if it were not for his mother’s 

bravery. One day he saw an Egyptian taskmaster 

beating a Hebrew slave. In a fit of passion, Moses 

murdered the Egyptian taskmaster. Then he ran. 

He ran far away from the world of the Egyptians 

and their Hebrew slaves to a land called Midian to 

forge a new life away from his past. 

At this, Moses’ lowest point, God came to 

meet him in a burning bush, a bush on fire that 

was not consumed. In this most mysterious image 

of nature unconsumed by destruction, God 

spoke to Moses. He revealed who He was: the 

God of Moses’ Hebrew forefathers Abraham, 

Isaac, and Jacob. Suddenly Moses’ past had returned 

to haunt him. God gave Moses — a man 

whose hands were stained with blood — a great 

task. Moses must go to Pharaoh and demand the 

freedom of not just one Hebrew at the hand of a 

cruel taskmaster but the entire 

Hebrew people, a nation 

of slaves who had not tasted 

freedom for generations. 

But Moses began to offer 

excuses to God, perhaps 

in hopes of changing His 

mind: Who should I say sent 

me? What if they do not believe 

me? I have a speech 

impediment — how can I be 

expected to speak? God revealed 

His name to Moses, 

I AM WHO AM; He promised 

Moses He would perform miracles; and He 

sent Aaron, Moses’ brother, to speak for Moses. 

Here, at his lowest moment, Moses was a man 

of excuses. But in the end, he had no more excuses 

left. 

God used His 

servant Moses 

to free His 

people. 

So Moses took up his staff and confronted the 

Pharaoh in Egypt as well his fellow Hebrews. He 

was a man ill at ease with his origins, too Egyptian 

for the Hebrews and too Hebrew for the Egyptians. 

Yet he confronted the Pharaoh bravely. Though 

Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn, and he was intent 

in keeping the slaves, the power of God prevailed. 

God used His servant Moses to free His people. 



Vocabulary 

Passover (n.): The 

central event of the 

Exodus. The final plague 

God sent upon Egypt 

was the plague of the 

death of the firstborn of 

every family in Egypt. 

By sacrificing a lamb, 

spreading its blood on 

their doorposts, and 

eating its roasted flesh in 

a sacred meal of bread 

and wine, the Israelites 

followed God’s commands 

so that their homes would 

be passed over by the 

plague of death. God 

also commanded that 

the Israelites remember 

this original Passover 

event every year with 

a memorial meal. 

The original Passover 

foreshadows Christ’s own 

sacrifice on the Cross. 

The Israelites 

panicked 

and cried out 

against Moses, 

blaming him for 

leading them to 

certain death. 

Passover and the Eucharist 

The Passover prefigures, or is a type, of the Eucharist. In fact, Jesus instituted 

the Eucharist at the Last Supper, which was a Passover celebration 

(Mark 14:12–26). The Passover lamb foreshadows Jesus, who is the true 

“Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Like 

the unblemished Passover lamb, Jesus was “without sin” (Heb. 4:15), “a 

spotless unblemished lamb” (1 Pet. 1:19). The Israelites were obligated 

to eat the flesh of the Passover lamb; if they did not eat the lamb itself, they 

would die. In the Eucharist, we eat the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity 

of the actual Lamb of God and receive eternal life: “Amen, amen, I say to 

you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, 

you do not have life within you” (John 6:53). Through the Passover 

meal, God was not just saving His people from Pharaoh; He was preparing 

them to recognize the Lamb and the Feast that would save each one 

of us from spiritual death. God commanded the Israelites to celebrate the 

Passover forever. The Eucharist, as the fulfillment of the Passover, carries 

out God’s command. Further, the Eucharist prefigures a heavenly banquet 

that will continue and surpass the Eucharistic celebration in a way far greater 

than how the Eucharist continues and surpasses the Passover. 

Escape from Egypt 

Led by God, the Israelites fled into the wilderness. But Pharaoh quickly 

regretted his decision. He set out into the wilderness with a mighty army, 

determined to recapture his former slaves and bring them back to Egypt. 

Soon, they caught up to the people, trapping them next to the waters of 

the Red Sea. 

The Israelites panicked and cried out against Moses, blaming him 

for leading them to certain death. God intervened, commanding Moses 

to stretch out his rod. As he did, the waters of the Red Sea parted, rising 

up like two great walls, and the Israelites passed through on dry land. 

Undaunted, Pharaoh’s army set out to follow them, but as the last Israelite 

passed to the other side, Moses lowered his rod. The waters of the Red 

Sea came crashing in upon the soldiers, destroying them completely. By 

passing through the waters of the Red Sea, the Israelites were freed from 

slavery to the Egyptians. 

The Church has long understood the passage through the Red Sea as 

a type of Baptism, much like the Great Flood, hinting at the salvation that 

would come to the world through the waters of Baptism. Like the Israelites 

passing through the waters of the Red Sea, by passing through the water 

of Baptism, we are freed from slavery to sin. 



123 

Despite the miracle God performed at the Red Sea, the Israelites continued 

to have trust problems. As soon as they grew hungry, they started 

complaining and crying out against Moses and God. The Lord calmed their 

fears — temporarily — by sending them quail and manna (Exod. 16:4–15), 

or “bread from heaven” (John 6:31), to eat. He also quenched their thirst 

with water that miraculously poured forth from a rock. God commanded 

Moses to strike a rock with his staff, which he did and water gushed forth. 

Moses gave glory to God for the miracle, a significant point for later in 

Exodus. Later, in the Gospels, Jesus would present Himself as the true 

Bread from Heaven (John 6:51) and as the Living Water (John 4:10), who 

would forever quench our thirst (John 4:14). 

Vocabulary 

Manna (n.): A miraculous 

food, “bread from 

Heaven,” God provided 

Israel under the harsh 

conditions of desert life 

and that would come with 

the morning dew. 

A Covenant with Israel 

Three months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived at the foot of Mt. 

Sinai. It was on this mountain God had first spoken to Moses, revealed 

His name, and called Moses to lead the people of Israel to freedom. Here 

God would issue an even greater call to the Israelites. Identifying Israel 

as His firstborn son, God announced that they would be “a kingdom of 

priests, a holy nation,” who would lead all the peoples of the world to 

Despite their fears, God 

sustained His people 

with heavenly bread. 

The Israelites Gathering Manna by Ercole de’ Roberti (ca. 1490). 



Vocabulary 

Ten Commandments 

(n.): The ten rules for a 

moral life given by God 

to His Chosen People 

through Moses on Mount 

Sinai. The first three 

Commandments teach 

us how to love God; the 

last seven teach us how 

to love our neighbor as 

ourselves. 

Him (Exod. 19:6). He would be a Father to Israel, and they His children, 

helping the whole world to know God’s name and walk in His ways. 

To help them fulfill this call, He gave Moses the Ten Commandments, 

as well as other ordinances and covenant blessings which God spoke 

to the Israelites with His own voice. The Israelites freely accepted God’s 

terms and agreed to keep them. 

Moses then left the people to return to the mountain and his conversation 

with God for 40 days and 40 nights. There, God carved the Ten 

Commandments on two stone tablets by His own hand and entrusted 

them to Moses. He also gave Moses detailed instructions about how the 

Israelites were to worship God, including instructions for building a tabernacle 

to be His dwelling place among His people. 

Israel’s Idolatry 

Moses’ lengthy absence led the Israelites to doubt God again. Fearing both 

Moses and God had abandoned them, they begged Aaron, Moses’ brother, 

to make them a new god, one of gold, whom they could see and worship. 

Aaron complied, taking all the people’s gold and melting it into a golden 

calf. He placed the golden calf on an altar for worship beside an altar to 

God. Thousands of Israelites worshipped the golden idol, and, as the Bible 

tells us, “rose up to revel” (Exod. 32:6). This phrase suggests they were 

engaging in sexually immoral acts that were part of the worship of Egyptian 

fertility gods. Even after God had time and time again in the past months 

demonstrated His power and fidelity to the Israelites, in one moment of 

doubt, they immediately returned to the old ways of idolatry. 

Moses headed back down the mountain just in time to witness the 

betrayal of his people. In righteous anger, he broke the stone tablets upon 

which God had written the Ten Commandments to show that the Israelites 

had broken the covenant. He called out, “Whoever is for the Lord, come 

to me!” (Exod. 32:26). Only the men of the tribe of Levi responded. Moses 

then charged the Levites to slay every person engaged in idolatry. Some 

3,000 guilty people lost their lives that day. Then Moses said to the Levites, 

“Today you are installed as priests for the Lord, for you went against 

your own sons and brothers, to bring a blessing upon yourselves this 

day” (Exod. 32:29). A new kind of priesthood was thereby established: 

instead of the firstborn sons of Israel serving as priests for their families, 

the Levites would serve as priests for all of Israel. 

The Israelites’ worship of the golden calf revealed to them that, while 

they were no longer slaves to the Egyptians, they remained enslaved to 

sin. God’s law showed the Israelites how to live as He had created them, 

as images of Him, called to be holy as He is holy, worshipping Him, living 



125 

The Israelites fell into sin 

and idolatry, worshipping 

a golden calf. 

The Adoration of the Golden Calf by Nicolas Poussin (1633–1637). 

in peace and prosperity with one another. He promised blessing for those 

who kept the covenant, not as a reward for obedience but because they 

would be living as He had created them to live. In this way, the Law was a 

gift to them. But the Israelites would break God’s Law repeatedly throughout 

their history, just as we do today. God, however, knows it is challenging 

to live His Commandments and so He gives us His grace. God’s plan for 

the Israelites, and for us, is to set us free from our slavery to sin. In this 

way He frees us to receive His love so we can be free to love Him and love 

our neighbor. 

A Law to Teach Holiness 

After the golden calf, Moses returned to Mt. Sinai to make atonement for 

the wayward Israelites. God renewed the covenant with the Israelites, but 

He established Moses as a mediator between Himself and His people. 

The covenant law given before the golden calf was straightforward; after 

their fall, God gave them a new law, a lower law, to obey. This lower law 

was symbolized by a new set of stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. 

While the Commandments were the same, rather than being carved by 

God Himself, this second set was carved by Moses. This second version of 

the Law recognized the Israelites’ weakness and adapted the moral code 

accordingly. 



Vocabulary 

Bread of the Presence 

(n.): Twelve loaves of 

bread representing the 

Twelve Tribes of Israel 

that were placed on a 

table in the tabernacle 

and later in the Temple 

of Jerusalem. The loaves 

were replaced each 

Sabbath by the Levitical 

priests, who ate the 

previous week’s loaves. 

Ark of the Covenant 

(n.): A chest described 

in Exodus 25 and made 

of the finest materials. 

It contained the stone 

tablets of the Ten 

Commandments, a 

piece of manna, and the 

staff of Aaron. Ark of the 

Covenant is also a title for 

Mary, the God-bearer: she 

carried God Himself in 

her body for nine months 

before delivering Him into 

the world. 

Much of the lower law itself is contained in the book of Leviticus, which 

takes its name from the new priestly caste, the Levites. It adapted God’s 

original plan for all of Israel to be priests to only the Levitical priesthood 

and prescribed liturgical laws that allowed a sinful, selfish people to live in 

relationship with the all-holy, all-loving God. Even though the Law was lower, 

it still prepared the way for the New Law that would be given by Jesus. 

From Mt. Sinai, God directed Moses to have the Israelites build a tabernacle, 

in which He would live continually among them as they traveled 

to the Promised Land. Within the tabernacle was the holy place that contained 

a table that held the bread of the presence, 12 loaves of bread eaten 

and replaced by the priests each Sabbath and a foreshadowing of the 

Eucharist. Perhaps the most famous furnishing of the tabernacle was the 

Ark of the Covenant, an ornate vessel made of the finest materials and 

built to specific instructions from God and that held the Ten Commandment 

tablets, manna, and Aaron’s staff. The Ark was placed behind a veil (which 

symbolized the barrier of sin between God and humanity) in the inner sanctuary, 

or Holy of Holies. As the locus of God’s presence with the Israelites, 

access to the Holy of Holies was highly restricted. 

Once God took up residence in the tabernacle, He spoke to Moses, 

outlining various sacrifices to restore or express communion with Himself. 

These sacrifices would be offered by the Levite priests on behalf of 

God manifested His 

presence to the 

Israelites through 

both the tabernacle 

and the Ark of 

the Covenant. 

Sacrifice of the Old Covenant by Peter Paul Rubens (17th century). 



127 

themselves or the other Israelites. He also described other liturgical practices 

to be observed by the Israelites and reminded them of the resulting 

blessings if they kept the covenant commands and warned them of the 

resulting curses if they did not. 

On the Edge of the Promised Land 

Approximately two years after the Israelites escaped slavery in Egypt, they 

left Mt. Sinai and traveled to the edge of the land of Canaan, the land promised 

by God to Abraham and his descendants long ago. Taking control of 

the land from the native Canaanites would be the first order of business 

upon the Israelites’ entrance into the Promised Land. Moses sent 12 spies 

ahead of the people (one spy from each tribe) to enter Canaan for 40 days 

and gain valuable information about the land and its inhabitants (Num. 13). 

Ten of the spies returned to tell the Israelites that the Canaanites were 

too big and too strong to defeat in battle. Forgetting about God’s promise 

to deliver the land into their hands, they concluded that entering Canaan 

was an impossible task. Two of the spies — Joshua and Caleb — tried to 

convince the Israelites to trust God’s promise and help. The people refused 

to listen to them. 

As a consequence of their lack of faith, God prevented the Israelites 

from entering the Promised Land at that time. God let them know that because 

they doubted Him, they would not receive the land for another 40 

years, until every adult Israelite who had left Egypt had passed away. Only 

Joshua and Caleb, the spies who urged the Israelites to trust God, would 

live to enter Canaan. When they heard that their lack of faith meant more 

wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites regretted their doubt, and, hoping 

to restore God’s original timetable, they attempted to invade Canaan. 

But they were defeated and forced to return to the wilderness. 

Forgetting 

about God’s 

promise to 

deliver the land 

into their hands, 

they concluded 

that entering 

Canaan was an 

impossible task. 

For 40 years, the Israelites passed through one foreign territory after 

another. Hunger and thirst, battles against the natives, and the inconveniences 

of being without a true home numbed the Israelites to God’s ongoing 

providence for them. Manna still appeared on the ground each morning 

to feed them. Yet the Israelites complained that they were “disgusted with 

this wretched food” (Num 21:5). They took God’s miraculous provision 

for granted. 

At one point the Israelite camp was infested with poisonous snakes, 

which killed many. Repenting, they begged Moses to intercede for them. 

When Moses did, God told Moses to make a bronze serpent, mount it on 

a pole, and “everyone who has been bitten will look at it and recover” 

(Num. 21:8). In this way the Israelites were saved from death. Centuries 

later, Jesus referenced this event, saying, “And just as Moses lifted up 



the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so 

that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14). 

Jesus said this to indicate He would be lifted up on the Cross, where He 

would save us from eternal death. 

Deuteronomy 

At the end of the 40 years of wandering, the Israelites found themselves 

once more on the edge of the Promised Land. A new generation of Israelites 

were preparing to enter and finally claim the land of their ancestors. 

God both 

renewed His 

covenant with 

His people and 

gave them yet 

another, even 

lower, law to 

guide them as 

they began life 

in the new land. 

While the second generation of Israelites had not grown up dependent 

on Egyptian ways or worshipping Egyptian Gods, but rather dependent 

on God for all things, they proved themselves little better than the first. It 

seemed it was easier to remove Israel from Egypt than to remove Egypt 

from Israel. Before they could enter Canaan, God both renewed His covenant 

with His people and gave them yet another, even lower, law to guide 

them as they began life in a new land. Moses outlined this Law in the book 

of Deuteronomy, which literally means “second law.” 

On the plains of Moab, just across the Jordan River from Canaan, 

Moses instructed the people that they must live in total fidelity to the Lord. 

He then detailed blessings and curses that would result from obedience 

or disobedience. The Law Moses gave them included several concessions 

— such as permission to declare total war against their enemies and 

permission for men to divorce their wives. God made these concessions, 

Jesus later explained, because He knew the Israelites were not capable of 

doing any better: “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed 

you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so” 

(Matt. 19:8). In other words, God was trying to make it easier, not harder, 

for the Israelites to keep the covenant. 

The book of Deuteronomy, and the Pentateuch, ends with the death 

of Moses, who was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land because 

he too had failed to trust in the Lord. (Num. 20:10–13). At one point in 

their wanderings, the Israelites had again run out of water. They grumbled 

and complained against Moses yet again. And so, as He had done once 

before, God commanded Moses to take his staff and strike a certain rock 

from which a spring of water would then come forth. Moses did as God had 

commanded, but instead of giving the glory to God for this miracle, Moses 

took the credit for himself. Because of his disobedience, Moses too would 

not live to cross into the Promised Land. God did, however, permit him to 

see it from a distance. Before his death, Moses prepared Joshua to take 

his place as the leader of his people, and then he died at the edge of the 

Promised Land. 



129 

The Death of Moses by Alexandre Cabanel (1850). 

In spite of his failings, Moses prefigured Jesus in many important ways. 

Moses was saved from death as a baby; Jesus was as well (Matt. 2:13–16). 

Moses worked as a shepherd; Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd 

[who] lays down his life for his sheep” (John 10:11). Moses delivered 

the covenant law from Mt. Sinai; Jesus delivered the covenant law in the 

Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7). Moses was known as a “prophet” because 

he spoke God’s words to the Israelites, and he foretold that God 

would send another prophet: “I will raise up for them a prophet like 

you from among their kindred, and will put my words into the mouth 

of the prophet; the prophet shall tell them all that I command” (Deut. 

18:18). Jesus, as God the Son, spoke everything the Father wanted said: 

“Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father’s one, perfect, and 

unsurpassable Word. In him he has said everything; there will be no 

other word than this one” (CCC 65). Most importantly, Moses was known 

as the “deliverer,” bringing the Israelites out of slavery into freedom. Jesus, 

whose very name means “God saves,” fulfilled and surpassed Moses’ role. 

He delivered us from slavery to sin and into freedom: “For freedom Christ 

set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of 

slavery” (Gal. 5:1). From the beginning, God planned for human beings 

to live in perfect communion with Him who is Love. But sin enslaves us to 

selfishness and makes us less loving. Jesus offers true freedom to those 

who love Him and “keep my commandments” (John 14:15). 

God did not allow 

Moses to enter the 

promised land due to his 

disobedience. 




God is calling you to a special mission during your earthly life — one that only 

you can accomplish for the Kingdom. You were designed to serve Him in a 

unique way that perfectly utilizes your God-given gifts and talents. This calling 

is your vocation, and it comes not from within yourself or from the world, but 

from God. It is a common fear that God will ask you to do something that will 

make you miserable. But God desires only the best for you! Your vocation is 

what will lead you to authentic and enduring happiness. We are all called ultimately 

to holiness, but we each have a unique path to get there. 

God is not always as clear in His call as He was to Moses. Do not expect 

Him to appear in a burning bush and tell you exactly what to do with 

your life. But He is trying to communicate our calls to us by speaking to our 

hearts. It is our job to listen and take action. This listening is called discernment. 

Discernment is prayerfully walking with God, asking for His guidance to lead 

us to our vocation. It is not a task that is completed quickly; instead, it is the 

lifelong process of continuously seeking to do the Lord’s will. Your vocation will 

involve permanent commitments like Marriage, religious life, or the priesthood, 

and it will also include roles that can shift and change, such as your career, 

where you live, and how you serve your community. Like Moses, you may be 

tempted out of fear or reluctance to make excuses: “Not me Lord, that task is 

too big, or better suited to someone else.” But as God replied to Moses, He will 

be with you and accompany you always. 



131 

Chapter 7 


1 Why were the Israelites enslaved by the Egyptians? 

2 What is the meaning of the word exodus, and what is the Exodus? 

3 Why did God identify Himself to Moses as “the God of your father … the God of Abraham, the 

God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exod. 3:6)? 

4 What is God’s name? What is the meaning of God’s name? 

5 What is expressed by a person’s name? Why is it so significant that God revealed His name 

to Moses, and thereby all of us? 

6 What might the ten plagues have represented? Why did the Israelites offer sacrifices that 

were abhorrent to the Egyptians during the plagues? What was the ultimate meaning of both 

the plagues and the sacrifices? 

7 What were the instructions God gave to the Israelites for Passover in order that they would be 

spared from the tenth and final plague? 

8 What does it mean that Jesus is the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world”? 

9 How is the crossing of the Red Sea a type of Baptism? 

10 What did God provide for the Israelites during their journey in the desert? How is Jesus a 

fulfillment of these things? 

11 At Mt. Sinai, what did God announce His people to be? What did He give them to help fulfill 

this calling? 

12 Why were the Levites established as a tribe of priests? What was revealed by the Israelites’ 

idolatry? 

13 What was the purpose of the lower law God gave to the Israelites after their idolatry? 


132 


14 What was the Ark of the Covenant? 

15 Why were the Israelites not allowed to enter the Promised Land once they had arrived? What 

was the consequence of their unfaithfulness? 

16 How did Moses cure the people of an infestation of poisonous snakes? How does this moment 

foreshadow Jesus? 

17 Why was Moses not allowed to enter the Promised Land? 

18 How did Moses react when God gave Moses His name? How did God then respond to 

Moses? 



133 



Veritatis Splendor 12–14, An Encyclical Letter of Pope St. John Paul II, 

August 6, 1993 

“If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Mt 19:17) 

12. Only God can answer the question about the good, because he is the Good. But God has already 

given an answer to this question: he did so by creating man and ordering him with wisdom and love to 

his final end, through the law which is inscribed in his heart (cf. Rom 2:15), the “natural law.” The latter 

“is nothing other than the light of understanding infused in us by God, whereby we understand what must 

be done and what must be avoided. God gave this light and this law to man at creation.” He also did so 

in the history of Israel, particularly in the “ten words,” the commandments of Sinai, whereby he brought 

into existence the people of the Covenant (cf. Ex 24) and called them to be his “own possession among 

all peoples,” “a holy nation” (Ex 19:5–6), which would radiate his holiness to all peoples (cf. Wis 18:4; Ez 

20:41). The gift of the Decalogue was a promise and sign of the New Covenant, in which the law would 

be written in a new and definitive way upon the human heart (cf. Jer 31:31–34), replacing the law of sin 

which had disfigured that heart (cf. Jer 17:1). In those days, “a new heart” would be given, for in it would 

dwell “a new spirit,” the Spirit of God (cf. Ez 36:24–28). 

Consequently, after making the important clarification: “There is only one who is good,” Jesus tells the 

young man: “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Mt 19:17). In this way, a close connection 

is made between eternal life and obedience to God’s commandments: God’s commandments 

show man the path of life and they lead to it. From the very lips of Jesus, the new Moses, man is once 

again given the commandments of the Decalogue. Jesus himself definitively confirms them and proposes 

them to us as the way and condition of salvation. The commandments are linked to a promise. In the Old 

Covenant the object of the promise was the possession of a land where the people would be able to live 

in freedom and in accordance with righteousness (cf. Dt 6:20–25). In the New Covenant the object of the 

promise is the “Kingdom of Heaven,” as Jesus declares at the beginning of the “Sermon on the Mount” — 

a sermon which contains the fullest and most complete formulation of the New Law (cf. Mt 5–7), clearly 

linked to the Decalogue entrusted by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. This same reality of the Kingdom is 

referred to in the expression “eternal life,” which is a participation in the very life of God. It is attained in 

its perfection only after death, but in faith it is even now a light of truth, a source of meaning for life, an 

inchoate share in the full following of Christ. Indeed, Jesus says to his disciples after speaking to the rich 

young man: “Every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, 

for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life” (Mt 19:29). 

13. Jesus’ answer is not enough for the young man, who continues by asking the Teacher about the commandments 

which must be kept: “He said to him, ‘Which ones?’” (Mt 19:18). He asks what he must do in 

life in order to show that he acknowledges God’s holiness. After directing the young man’s gaze towards 

God, Jesus reminds him of the commandments of the Decalogue regarding one’s neighbour: “Jesus said: 


134 




‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not bear false witness; Honour your father 

and mother; also, You shall love your neighbour as yourself’” (Mt 19:18–19). 

From the context of the conversation, and especially from a comparison of Matthew’s text with the parallel 

passages in Mark and Luke, it is clear that Jesus does not intend to list each and every one of the 

commandments required in order to “enter into life,” but rather wishes to draw the young man’s attention 

to the ”centrality” of the Decalogue with regard to every other precept, inasmuch as it is the interpretation 

of what the words “I am the Lord your God” mean for man. Nevertheless we cannot fail to notice which 

commandments of the Law the Lord recalls to the young man. They are some of the commandments 

belonging to the so-called “second tablet” of the Decalogue, the summary (cf. Rom 13: 8–10) and foundation 

of which is the commandment of love of neighbour: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” 

(Mt 19:19; cf. Mk 12:31). In this commandment we find a precise expression of the singular dignity of the 

human person, “the only creature that God has wanted for its own sake.” The different commandments of 

the Decalogue are really only so many reflections of the one commandment about the good of the person, 

at the level of the many different goods which characterize his identity as a spiritual and bodily being in 

relationship with God, with his neighbour and with the material world. As we read in the Catechism of the 

Catholic Church, “the Ten Commandments are part of God’s Revelation. At the same time, they teach us 

man’s true humanity. They shed light on the essential duties, and so indirectly on the fundamental rights, 

inherent in the nature of the human person.” 

The commandments of which Jesus reminds the young man are meant to safeguard the good of the person, 

the image of God, by protecting his goods. “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You 

shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness” are moral rules formulated in terms of prohibitions. These 

negative precepts express with particular force the ever urgent need to protect human life, the communion 

of persons in marriage, private property, truthfulness and people’s good name. 

The commandments thus represent the basic condition for love of neighbour; at the same time they are 

the proof of that love. They are the first necessary step on the journey towards freedom, its starting-point. 

“The beginning of freedom,” Saint Augustine writes, “is to be free from crimes... such as murder, adultery, 

fornication, theft, fraud, sacrilege and so forth. When once one is without these crimes (and every 

Christian should be without them), one begins to lift up one’s head towards freedom. But this is only the 

beginning of freedom, not perfect freedom.” 

14. This certainly does not mean that Christ wishes to put the love of neighbour higher than, or even 

to set it apart from, the love of God. This is evident from his conversation with the teacher of the Law, 

who asked him a question very much like the one asked by the young man. Jesus refers him to the two 



135 



commandments of love of God and love of neighbour (cf. Lk 10:25–27), and reminds him that only by 

observing them will he have eternal life: “Do this, and you will live” (Lk 10:28). Nonetheless it is significant 

that it is precisely the second of these commandments which arouses the curiosity of the teacher of the 

Law, who asks him: “And who is my neighbour?” (Lk 10:29). The Teacher replies with the parable of the 

Good Samaritan, which is critical for fully understanding the commandment of love of neighbour (cf. Lk 

10:30–37). 

These two commandments, on which “depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Mt 22:40), are profoundly 

connected and mutually related. Their inseparable unity is attested to by Christ in his words and by his 

very life: his mission culminates in the Cross of our Redemption (cf. Jn 3:14–15), the sign of his indivisible 

love for the Father and for humanity (cf. Jn 13:1). 

Both the Old and the New Testaments explicitly affirm that without love of neighbour, made concrete in 

keeping the commandments, genuine love for God is not possible. Saint John makes the point with extraordinary 

forcefulness: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does 

not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (Jn 4:20). The Evangelist 

echoes the moral preaching of Christ, expressed in a wonderful and unambiguous way in the parable of 

the Good Samaritan (cf. Lk 10:30–37) and in his words about the final judgment (cf. Mt 25:31–46). 

1 What is the natural law, and how are the Ten Commandments a reflection of it? 

2 What does Jesus confirm about the Ten Commandments? 

3 To what promises are the Ten Commandments linked? 

4 How can the second tablet of the Decalogue be summarized? What do the different commandments 

of the Decalogue reflect? 

5 What does Jesus intend by emphasizing the Commandments He does to the rich young man? 

What, then, do the Commandments represent and are proof of? 

6 How are Jesus’ two great commandments to love God and to love neighbor connected and mutually 

related? 

7 Given what Pope St. John Paul II teaches in this excerpt from Veritatis Splendor about the Ten 

Commandments, how would you explain to someone the importance of the Commandments to 

our Catholic Faith? 


Chapter 8 

Joshua, Judges, 

and Ruth 


■ Joshua 

■ Judges 

■ Ruth

Unit 3, Chapter 8: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth 

137 


After 40 years of wandering the desert, Israel was finally ready to enter the Promised Land. 

Led by Joshua, Moses’ successor, they waged battles against the pagan occupants of 

the land of Canaan. Gradually the Israelites reclaimed and settled into much of the land 

promised to them through the covenant with Abraham. Before long, however, a cycle of sin 

set in among the people; the Israelites would repeatedly worship false gods and succumb 

to temptations, and God sent judges, or deliverers, to save them from their enemies, 

steadfastly remaining faithful to His wayward people. Through the tumultuous accounts of 

the Book of Judges, the true light of the Faith endured and was passed to a woman named 

Ruth, a woman who was to become an ancestor of Jesus. In the midst of the chaos of 

the world’s sin, God continued His work on His plan for salvation. 


■ Joshua is a type of Christ because he fulfilled all that Moses could not or did not fulfill, just as Jesus fulfilled 

all that was left to complete in the covenants, bringing about the salvation of the human race. 

■ Joshua led the Israelites to conquer the city of Jericho through their faithfulness to God. 

■ For a time in Israel’s history, God appointed temporary leaders called judges to govern the people and 

return them to right worship of God. 

■ Without faithful leadership and faith in God, the People of God continually fell into temptation, sin, and idol 

worship, and chaos reigned. 

■ The story of Ruth is a beautiful tale of how God chooses each one of us to play a part in His plan of salvation. 

Bible Basics 

“As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” 

JOSHUA 24:15 

“Wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge. 

Your people shall be my people and your God, my God. 

Where you die I will die, and there be buried. May the Lord do 

thus to me, and more, if even death separates me from you!” 

RUTH 1:16–17 


Joshua 1–2 

Joshua 5–7 

Joshua 24 

Judges 2 

Judges 4–5 

Judges 6–8 

Judges 13–16 

Ruth 1 

Ruth 3 

Ruth 4:13–17 



Entering the Promised Land 

The book of Joshua begins immediately following the death of Moses, with 

the Israelites positioned to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land 

under the leadership of Moses’ successor, Joshua. God assured Joshua of 

His faithful presence and assistance as Joshua led the Israelites to conquer 

the Promised Land, and He stressed the necessity of Joshua’s faithfulness 

to His commands. 

God miraculously 

stopped the river Jordan 

so that Joshua and the 

Israelites could pass into 

the Promised Land. 

Directed by God, the Israelites set their sights on Jericho as the first 

city to conquer in the Promised Land. Joshua sent two spies into Jericho, 

much as he and eleven others had been sent to scout the land 40 years 

earlier. These spies made their headquarters in the house of a prostitute 

named Rahab. When the king of Jericho heard that Israelite spies were 

hiding there, he commanded Rahab to turn them over to him. Rahab, however, 

refused because she had heard of the miracles God had done for 

the Israelites and knew the Israelites would defeat Jericho. She said to 

the Israelite spies, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that 

a dread of you has come upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the 

land tremble with fear because of you” (Josh. 2:9). Rahab, it seems, 

was not the only one who had heard what God had done for Israel. 

Joshua Passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant by Benjamin West (1800). 



139 

She helped the spies escape in exchange for safety for her and her 

family when the Israelites attacked. The spies instructed her to place a scarlet 

cord in the window through which they escaped as a sign to spare her 

home, and then to hide in the house with her family during the attack. The 

spies returned to Joshua and reported, “The Lord has given all this land 

into our power; indeed, all the inhabitants of the land tremble with fear 

because of us” (Josh. 2:24). But rather than surrender or seek peaceful 

terms with Israel, the people of Jericho prepared themselves for battle. 

Joshua began moving the Israelites across the Jordan River into the 

Promised Land. He directed the priests to carry the Ark of the Covenant, 

the locus of God’s presence with Israel, into the Jordan River. When they 

stepped into the water, it miraculously stopped flowing, providing dry land 

for the Israelites to cross. The riverbed remained dry for as long as the 

priests stood in it with the Ark of the Covenant. Like at the crossing of the 

Red Sea, God made a path for His people. Just as passing through the waters 

of the Red Sea foreshadowed passing through the waters of Baptism, 

so too crossing the Jordan River prefigured Baptism as a Christian’s entry 

into the Promised Land of the Church (Heaven). 

Once the Israelites had crossed the Jordan River, Joshua performed 

a series of liturgical actions. He commanded that 12 stones be taken from 

the riverbed and used to construct a memorial altar on the bank of the river. 

This altar would remind future generations of Israelites — and announce to 

the other nations — that the Lord made it possible to cross the Jordan River 

into the Promised Land. 

Like at the 

crossing of the 

Red Sea, God 

made a path for 

His people. 

Then, the Lord commanded Joshua to circumcise all the Israelite 

men, since this was the covenant sign for these descendants of Abraham. 

Though it is not entirely clear from the text, apparently Moses had failed 

to enforce the Abrahamic covenant during their 40 years of desert wanderings. 

None of the men born during this time were circumcised. While 

Scripture scholars debate Moses’ reason for this failure, it seems clear that 

this serious matter reflected or even caused the Israelites’ repeated failures 

to keep the covenant. 

Finally, Joshua also proclaimed a celebration of the Passover, the 

sign of the covenant Moses mediated. Each of these liturgical actions observed 

as the Israelites entered the Promised Land — and the many to 

follow — seem unlikely preparations for battle or military tactics. But each 

one shows Joshua leading the Israelites, to an even greater degree than 

Moses, to renew their covenantal commitment to God, who had been and 

would continue to be faithful. He led them to trust in God’s promise to give 

them this land and to cooperate with God’s faithfulness by their loving 

obedience. 



Vocabulary 

Total Warfare (n.): The 

Israelite military practice 

of killing every solider of 

their defeated enemies, 

as well as completly 

destroying their cities and 

killing enemy civilians. 

Also called “the ban.” 

Conquering Jericho 

Joshua then commanded the Israelites to march in a liturgical procession 

around the city of Jericho. With the Ark of the Covenant leading the 

way, all of Israel was to march once around the city each day for six days 

in silence, with only the ram’s horns blowing. On the seventh day, they 

marched around the city seven times, and then all the Israelites shouted 

at once. The walls crumbled, allowing the Israelite soldiers to enter the city 

and conquer it, sparing only Rahab and her family. 

Like the other Canaanites, Rahab had heard of God’s power and goodness 

to His people, but unlike them, she chose to turn to God, change her 

life, and join His people. She demonstrated her sincere faith and conversion 

by acting on it when she helped the Israelite spies (James 2:24–26). 

She went on to marry an Israelite and is one of the four women named in 

the genealogy of Jesus, meaning that a prostitute and a foreigner outside 

the covenant became an ancestor of Jesus. God has mercy on all those 

who turn to Him in faith and change their ways. None of us should fear that 

God will reject us when we repent, no matter what we have done. 

Conquest of Canaan 

Many of 

these efforts 

succeeded, 

but there were 

some defeats 

that came after 

the Israelites 

disobeyed 

covenant 

ordinances. 

After conquering Jericho, Joshua led the Israelites to conquer other major 

strongholds throughout Canaan. Many of these efforts succeeded, but 

there were some defeats that came after the Israelites disobeyed covenant 

ordinances. For example, God had forbidden the Israelites from looting the 

city of Jericho after its destruction, but two Israelites disregarded the Lord’s 

commands and took items for themselves. This caused the whole Israelite 

army to struggle greatly later in its conquest of the city of Ai (Josh. 7). 

Reading about the conquest of Canaan from a modern perspective 

can be a challenging exercise. The Israelites engaged in some questionable 

warfare practices, especially by today’s standards, that scholars continue 

to debate the meaning and motivation of. Among the more difficult 

of these was the practice of total warfare (called a ban), or the complete 

annihilation of the inhabitants of a conquered city, including both warriors 

and civilians. Scripture records this practice as being commanded 

by God. One explanation can be found in God’s intention that Israel be a 

“light for the nations” (Isa. 42:6), “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation” 

(Exod. 19:6) and a witness that made the true God known to others. As 

evidenced from the story of Rahab, the Canaanites clearly knew of the 

amazing miracles God had worked for Israel. But instead of turning away 

from their powerless false gods, the Canaanites stubbornly held on to their 

ways. Those who died were the ones who refused to convert when they 

knew the truth. 



141 

The Israelites eventually 

conquered enough 

strongholds to be able to 

divide the land for each 

tribe to occupy. 

A map of the Land of Canaan or Holy Land, as divided among the twelve tribes 

which God promised to Abraham and his seed. Courtesy Library of Congress. 

We should not, however, interpret and apply these Israelite practices 

in a simplistic way to modern warfare. Instead, considering the spiritual 

sense of these stories shows us to look into our own hearts and ask if we 

are living according to the truth God has revealed. If there are things in our 

lives that cause us to sin and separate us from God, we should cut them 

out because, as Jesus said, “it is better for you to enter into life maimed 

than with two hands to go into … the unquenchable fire” (Mark 9:43). 

Ultimately, the Israelites’ fight for the Promised Land shows us we must 

fight against sin to receive God’s promise and trust Him to help us in every 

way we need. 

Division of the Land 

While the Israelites did not completely conquer the land of Canaan under 

Joshua, they eventually conquered enough strongholds to be able to divide 

the land (by drawing lots) for each tribe to occupy. The Levites, as priests, 

however, were not given a territory of their own. They were to occupy designated 

cities throughout the land. In doing so, they were to remind Israel 

that earthly goods pass away, and we are all destined for union with God 

in Heaven. Even today, priests and consecrated religious remind us of this 

fact by their own example of life so we remember to live accordingly. 



Vocabulary 

Shophet (n.): Hebrew 

for “judge.” A temporary 

military leader appointed 

by God to govern the 

Israelites and return them 

to right worship. They 

also won military victories 

against foreign invaders 

and settled disputes 

between tribes. 

Joshua led the 

Israelites to 

the Promised 

Land of Canaan, 

whereas Jesus 

leads us to the 

promised land 

of Heaven. 

Joshua, a Type of Christ 

The book of Joshua ends with Joshua pleading with the Israelites to remain 

faithful to the covenant, delivering a rousing speech recounting the history 

of God’s goodness to them, and famously saying as a challenge to the 

people, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 

24:15). Joshua warned them that God would bless those who were faithful 

to Him, but that death and destruction awaited those who turned away 

from Him. Finally, he asked the people who they wanted to serve, and they 

replied, “We will serve the Lord, our God, and will listen to his voice” 

(Josh. 24:24). Joshua renewed Israel’s covenant with God and then died 

(Josh. 24:25–29). 

Joshua prefigured Jesus in a number of significant ways. First, Joshua 

fulfilled the covenants before him by doing that which his predecessors 

could not or would not do (i.e. circumcising the people and leading them 

into the Promised Land). Jesus fulfills all of the covenants of the Old 

Testament, being obedient to all of the covenant terms in a way that mankind 

never could. Reflecting this truth, even the name Jesus is the Greek 

rendering of the name Joshua. Joshua led the Israelites to the Promised 

Land of Canaan, whereas Jesus leads us to the promised land of Heaven. 

Joshua had the Israelite men circumcised, whereas Jesus “circumcises” 

us in Baptism, not physically, but by cutting off sin: “In him you were 

also circumcised with a circumcision not administered by hand, by 

stripping off the carnal body, with the circumcision of Christ. You 

were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with 

him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead” 

(Col. 2:11–12). 

Judges Deliver Israel 

In spite of Joshua’s plea to remain faithful to God and His covenant, the 

Israelites fell into a cycle of sin that persisted for some 150 years after 

Joshua’s death. The book of Judges explains that when “a later generation 

arose that did not know the LORD or the work he had done for 

Israel, the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (Judg. 

2:10–11). The Israelites forgot about all the wondrous miracles God had 

worked for them to save them and began to follow the false gods of the 

native peoples living alongside them. 

The Israelites’ idolatry inevitably led to their defeat by the very people 

whose gods the Israelites’ worshipped. Once defeated, the Israelites would 

recognize their sin and repent of it, crying out for God to save them. In His 

mercy, God would raise up a judge to deliver them from their enemies (the 

Hebrew word for judge, shophet, means savior or deliverer). The judge 



143 

The Victory of Gideon against the Midianites by Nicolas Poussin (ca. 1625). 

would lead the Israelites to a military victory, bring them to freedom, prosperity, 

and peace, and remind them of God and right worship again — only 

to have them fall into idolatry and begin the cycle once more. 

Notably, most of the judges had a significant weakness, and from a 

worldly perspective appeared as unlikely candidates for their leadership 

positions. Nevertheless, God called them to lead. Some of the judges developed 

into strong moral and military leaders, while others did not. In fact, 

while the book of Judges is dramatic, exciting, adventurous and scandalous, 

it intends to warn us what not to do. The closing words of the book, 

“everyone did what was right in their own sight” (Judg. 21:25), cautions 

us that following our own ways without reference to God’s teaching leads 

to our doing horrific things. 

God brought forth judges 

from Israel to lead them 

out of Idolatry and to 

draw their minds back to 

Him. 

Similarly, the book of Judges warned Israel not to place their trust entirely 

in human leaders, who inevitably lead people astray. The rule of the 

judges should have taught Israel to trust in God as a perfectly just and 

providential king. Instead, the Israelites rejected God’s kingship and called 

for an earthly king. While these kings would likewise fail Israel, God used 

all these rulers, with their strengths and failings, to prepare His people for 

His perfect kingship in His Son, Jesus. 

We will examine the stories of three unlikely judges: the woman 

Deborah, the coward Gideon, and the cruel womanizer Samson. 




Joshua 

Joshua had very large shoes to fill; he was the 

successor to Moses, who was larger than life. 

Moses was barred from entering the Promised 

Land because of his own unfaithfulness, and, 

after he died, the Israelites, as they always had, 

desperately required leadership. Joshua was that 

person, one of only two people still alive who had 

left Egypt so many years ago. 

After the Exodus from Egypt, the people of 

Israel escaped their life of slavery and entered 

into the wilderness with nothing other than the 

promise that God had a home waiting for them in 

the Promised Land. Due to their sinfulness, the 

people were made to wander for 40 years as the 

old, faithless generation died off and a new, faithful 

generation arose. Their motivation during this 

time was that God would provide them with a land 

of their own. God had indeed brought them to the 

Promised Land, but it still had to be conquered. 

Joshua was the leader who would take them 

into their destiny. On the cusp of entering the 

Promised Land, God promised to be faithful to 

Joshua: “No one can withstand you as long as 

you live. As I was with Moses, I will be with 

you: I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be 

strong and steadfast, so that you may give 

this people possession of the land I swore to 

their ancestors that I would give them. Only 

be strong and steadfast, being careful to observe 

the entire law which Moses my servant 

enjoined on you” (Josh. 

1:5–7). The book of Joshua 

testifies to the people’s forgetfulness 

in keeping the 

Law, but God was faithful to 

His people and He was faithful 

to Joshua. 

Joshua led the military 

campaign into the land of 

Canaan. God made their entrance 

to the land of Canaan 

much like the Exodus, with 

the waters parting, allowing 

them safe passage (Josh. 3:14–17). It was under 

Joshua that the first Passover in the Promised 

Land was celebrated. It was under Joshua that 

the people no longer needed the manna that used 

to feed them in the wilderness because they could 

now eat from the bounty of the land. It was under 

Joshua that the people conquered Canaan 

through military victories. 

Joshua led 

the military 

campaign into 

the land of 

Canaan. 

At the end of his life, Joshua reminded the 

people that the victory was not his but God’s: “I 

am old and advanced in years. You have seen 

all that the LORD, your God, has done for you 

against all these nations; for it has been the 

LORD, your God, who fought for you” (Josh. 

23:2–3). The story of Joshua reminds us that 

even on our best days, victory belongs to God, 

who is faithful even those times that we are not. 



145 

Deborah: A Woman Gets the Glory 

As a prophetess, Deborah was one of the morally upstanding judges, but 

she was an unlikely judge because she was a woman; it was unusual for 

women to serve in military leadership in the ancient world. She communicated 

God’s command to the military leader Barak: “Go, march against 

Mount Tabor. … I will deliver [the enemy] into your power” (Judg. 4:6– 

7). Rather than trust God, Barak would obey only if Deborah came along. 

Deborah agreed to go with him but told him a woman would get the glory 

of victory instead of himself. 

Barak won the subsequent battle against the Canaanites, but the 

Canaanite general Sisera escaped and hid in the tent of Jael, the wife 

of a Canaanite ally, who initially welcomed him but, after he had fallen 

asleep, killed him with a tent peg driven through his head (Judg. 4:21). 

Deborah’s prophecy that a woman would get the glory came to pass in two 

Jael and Sisera by Jacopo Amigoni (ca. 1739). 

Jael killed the Canaanite 

general Sisera while he 

was sleeping. 



ways. First, Jael killed Sisera and was credited for Israel’s ultimate defeat 

of the Canaanites. In her song of praise and gratitude to God for granting 

victory to Israel, Deborah called Jael “most blessed of women” (Judg. 

5:24) and sang, “So perish all your enemies, O Lord” (Judg. 5:31). The 

Church sees in these words a foreshadowing of the Blessed Mother, Mary, 

“most blessed … among women” (Luke 1:42) and of the crushing of the 

head of the snake, Satan himself (Gen. 3:15, Rev. 12:9). In this foreshadowing 

is the second way Deborah’s prophecy was fulfilled: the woman 

Mary, through the wood of her son’s Cross, defeats Satan and all those 

who wage spiritual war on us. 

Samson’s moral 

weakness caused 

him to lose his hair 

and consequently his 

power from God. 

 

Samson and Delilah by Gerard van Honthorst (ca. 1615). 



147 

Gideon Asks for a Sign 

When Israel’s sinfulness led to their defeat by the Midianites, God sent a 

messenger to Gideon to command him to save Israel from the forces of 

Midian. Gideon protested, saying he was from the poorest family of which 

he was the most insignificant member. Despite the Lord reassuring him 

saying, “I will be with you” (Judg. 6:16), Gideon asked for multiple signs 

from God, which He provided (Judg. 6:19–40). Thus, unable to escape 

God’s call, Gideon led an army of some 32,000 soldiers to battle against 

the Midianites. But as they approached the battlefield, God commanded 

Gideon to send home everyone who was afraid, reducing the army to 

10,000 soldiers. Then, in a peculiar scene, God told Gideon to have the remaining 

soldiers drink from a spring of water. Those who drank by lapping 

up the water like dogs would stay, whereas those who brought the water to 

their mouths by hand were sent home. Doing so reduced the army to only 

300 men. This greatly reduced army won the battle against the Midianites 

by making loud noises in the darkness, surprising the Midianites out of 

their sleep and causing the Midianites to kill one another in their confusion 

(Judg. 7). 

Vocabulary 

Philistines (n.): Ancient 

inhabitants of the land 

of Canaan who were the 

sworn enemies of the 

Israelites. 

Nazirite (n.): An Israelite 

who was consecrated to 

God. They took certain 

vows, including growing 

their hair without cutting it 

and abstaining from wine. 

God’s unusual military strategy taught the Israelites that they won the 

battle only by His power, not theirs. By proving He could be trusted in battle, 

He proved they could trust His other commands as well. But God was not 

only concerned with Israel as a collective body; He was concerned with 

the individual members too. While the Midianites were Gideon’s enemies 

as an Israelite, cowardice was Gideon’s personal enemy, from which God 

wanted to save Gideon as well. Likewise, God wants to save us from our 

real enemies — pride, fear, selfishness: our sin and those things that cause 

us to sin. Like Gideon and the Israelites, we will only win our battles if we 

obey God’s commands. 

Samson: Power without Obedience 

Perhaps the most well-known of the judges, Samson exemplifies a natural 

leader gone wrong. His birth was announced by an angel to a previously 

infertile mother (Judg. 13). He exhibited extraordinary strength from early 

on, tearing a “lion apart barehanded” (Judg. 14:6) as the first of many 

displays of physical strength. He frequently wielded his strength against 

the Philistines, sworn enemies of Israel. Unfortunately, he did not display 

a corresponding moral strength. As a Nazirite dedicated to the Lord, 

Samson broke his vows to not drink alcohol, touch a dead body, and avoid 

cutting his hair. His excess of violence also escalated the Philistines’ hatred 

of him. They seized the opportunity to defeat him when they bribed 

his mistress, Delilah, to figure out the cause of his strength. On her fourth 



attempt to discover the truth, Samson finally revealed his secret: he would 

be weakened if his hair was cut (Judg. 16:17). When Delilah cut his hair 

in his sleep, his strength left him and the Philistines were able to capture 

him, gouge out his eyes, and imprison him (Judg. 16:21). The cutting of 

Samson’s hair symbolized the cutting of his relationship with God. His 

example warns us that we will fall prey to our spiritual enemies when we 

cut ourselves off from God through sin, which blinds us to what is good 

and true. 

The Philistines enjoyed mocking the fallen hero, parading him publicly 

in the temple of their god in praise for Samson’s defeat. But as Samson’s 

hair grew again, so did his physical strength. Then one day, within reach 

of the temple’s supporting columns, he asked God for help, and with his 

strength returned, he pulled down the columns and caused the temple to 

collapse, killing himself and all the Philistines inside (Judg. 16:23–30). 

Some have seen 

in Samson’s 

death a foreshadowing 

of 

Jesus’ Death. 

Some have seen in Samson’s death a foreshadowing of Jesus’ Death. 

Jesus was mocked much as Samson was. Jesus’ Death, however, more 

completely and perfectly than Samson’s, defeated our true enemies, sin 

and Satan. While Samson was no role model as a leader or as a faithful 

Israelite, he nevertheless pointed to One who would be a perfect Leader 

and would remain perfectly faithful to God. 

The Book of Ruth 

In contrast to the cautionary tales that comprise the book of Judges, Ruth’s 

story shows us God’s welcome and blessing on anyone who faithfully follows 

God. While a person’s faithfulness does not mean they are insulated 

from suffering (as the book of Job and Jesus’ own example demonstrates), 

loving obedience to God is certainly rewarded by Him — in Heaven if not 

on earth. 

Ruth is, once again, an unlikely candidate through whom God will 

work: she was a Moabite, a foreigner and therefore a pagan by birth. Ruth 

married an Israelite man from Bethlehem who fled to Moab to escape 

famine. After Ruth’s husband died, along with his brother and father, Ruth 

accompanied her widowed mother-in-law, Naomi, back to Bethlehem. In 

spite of Naomi’s insistence that Ruth go back to her people, Ruth pledged 

loyalty to Naomi, to Israel, and most importantly, to God: “Wherever you 

go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my 

people and your God, my God. Where you die I will die, and there 

be buried. May the Lord do thus to me, and more, if even death separates 

me from you” (Ruth 1:16–17). This pledge is seen by scholars 

as Ruth’s confession of faith, an oath with covenantal characteristics in 



149 

which Ruth rejected her pagan beliefs and practices and embraced the 

God of Israel. God intended for Israel to be a “light for the nations” bringing 

other nations to Him, and Ruth was one of the fruits of Israel’s witness. 

Ruth found work in the fields of a good man and distant relative named 

Boaz. Boaz had heard about Ruth’s pledge to Naomi and to Israel, and he 

praised her, asking God to reward her for taking refuge under His wings 

(Ruth 2:11–12). Boaz gave her additional grain and placed her in his field 

near those who would protect her from harm. 

When Naomi learned about Boaz’s kind treatment of Ruth, she called 

Boaz “one of our redeemers” (Ruth 2:20). The term redeemer refers to 

an Israelite law that if a man died without children, his nearest male relative 

was to marry the widow, and their first child would be considered the dead 

man’s child and carry on the dead man’s name (Deut. 25:5–10). Naomi 

recognized that Boaz could fulfill this role for her dead son, Ruth’s husband. 

She told Ruth to beautify herself, then slip into Boaz’s tent at night 

Vocabulary 

Redeemer (n.): A 

person who saves or 

frees others from slavery 

or oppression. Jesus is 

our Redeemer because 

He saved us from the 

slavery and oppression of 

sin and death. 

Ruth was obedient and 

trusted in God, seeking 

protection with Boaz. 

Ruth in Boaz’s Field by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1828). 



while he was sleeping and “uncover a place at his feet and ... lie down” 

(Ruth 3:4). Ruth obeyed, and, when Boaz woke up and found her there, 

she asked him to “spread the wing of your cloak over your servant, for 

you are a redeemer” (Ruth 3:9). 

[Ruth] asked 

Boaz to “spread 

his wing” over 

her, inviting 

him to be the 

instrument 

of God’s 

protection and 

provision for 

her. 

While it may seem scandalous that a righteous older woman would 

direct a younger woman to go to a sleeping man at night, there is no indication 

there was any sexual activity between Ruth and Boaz that night. 

But per Naomi’s instructions, Ruth asked Boaz to “spread the wing of your 

cloak,” referring to a betrothal ritual common in Israel. In this way Ruth 

proposed Marriage to Boaz, according to the laws of Israel. Moreover, she 

echoed Boaz’s prayer for God to reward her, drawing a parallel between 

Boaz and God. Ruth took refuge under God’s wings; she asked Boaz to 

“spread his wing” over her, inviting him to be the instrument of God’s protection 

and provision for her. 

Eventually, Boaz declared in front of the elders that he would marry 

her. The elders prayed for God’s blessing on Ruth, that He would make 

her fruitful “like Rachel and Leah” (Ruth 4:11). This prayer showed they 

had fully welcomed this foreign woman as one of their own, a daughter of 

Israel as much as if she had been born one. 

Boaz married Ruth, and their first son was named Obed. Obed became 

the father of Jesse, who became the father of King David. Boaz, then, is 

a type of Jesus. Both Boaz and Jesus were in the line of David. Boaz 

“redeemed” Ruth (and Naomi) from the poverty and vulnerability of widowhood; 

Jesus redeemed us from sin and Satan. Boaz “spread his wing” over 

Ruth; Jesus said He “yearned to gather [us] together, as a hen gathers 

her young under her wings” (Matt. 23:37). Boaz gave Ruth grain for 

bread; Jesus gives us, His Bride the Church, His Body in the appearance 

of bread. 

The book of Ruth closes by connecting Ruth with David. But in his 

genealogy of Jesus, Matthew shows that Ruth is an ancestor of Jesus 

(Matt. 1:5). Ruth shows us that no matter how unlikely it may seem to us 

or anyone else, God chooses each one of us to carry out a part in His plan. 

Our faithful yes brings it about. 



151 


We often expect instant gratification. Whether in expecting God to answer our 

prayers immediately, or in how quickly we expect a new package to ship, waiting 

is not something we do well. As a society we seem to have lost the ability 

to wait patiently. The patience of the Israelites waiting 40 years to enter the 

Promised Land is incomprehensible to someone used to two-day shipping! 

Similarly, Joshua leading his army around the walls of Jericho for seven days 

might seem absurd in light of our aggravation waiting in line at the grocery 

store for more than a few minutes. Yet it is the things that take the most time 

in life that tend to be most valuable. In architecture, a building or church that 

took many years to construct is often infinitely more beautiful than the strip mall 

built in a month’s time. The paintings in the Sistine Chapel took Michelangelo 

four years of detailed work to complete, and every moment was worth it for the 

unsurpassable beauty of the final work. 

God’s timing does not always make sense to us. Resisting the temptation 

to despair that God is not listening or does not love us can be a frequent struggle. 

The stories of Scripture illustrate that God’s timing is superior to our own 

notions of how things should work out. God often works slowly in the lives of 

the faithful. He knows the best timeline for the petitions we place before Him, 

and He always works for our good, even if, to us, it might not seem like it in 

the moment. As St. Augustine stated, “If God seems slow in responding, it is 

because He is preparing a better gift. He will not deny us.” There is no way to 

speed up the answers to our prayers — prayer is an activity that intrinsically 

requires us to slow down, to put aside our distractions, and spend time in 

silence with the Lord, trusting that He will provide for us better than we could 

ever provide for ourselves. 


152 


Chapter 8 


1 Who was Rahab and what did she confess about the Israelites? What did she do that others 

did not? Who did she become in relationship to Jesus? 

2 What miracle preceded the Israelites crossing the borders of the Promised Land? What 

previous miracle did this echo? 

3 Why did Joshua have to circumcise all the Israelite men before invading Jericho? 

4 What is one possible explanation for the Israelite practice of total warfare? 

5 With what famous words did Joshua challenge the Israelites before his death? What did he 

warn the people about as he renewed the covenant with God? 

6 How is Joshua a type of Christ? 

7 What was the cycle of sin that affected the Israelites for the next 150 years after Joshua? 

8 What is the intention of the book of Judges? What do the closing words of the book caution 

us against? 

9 How does the story of Deborah foreshadow Mary? 

10 What lesson can we learn from the story of Gideon? 

11 What does the cutting of Samson’s hair symbolize? Of what does his example warn us? 

12 How is Boaz a type of Jesus? 

13 What does the story of Joshua remind us about our own victories? 



153 



The City of God, Book 16, Ch. 43, St. Augustine, AD 426 

On the death of Moses, Joshua the Son of Nun ruled the people, and led them into the land of promise, 

and divided it among them. By these two wonderful leaders wars were also carried on most prosperously 

and wonderfully, God calling to witness that they had got these victories not so much on account of the 

merit of the Hebrew people as on account of the sins of the nations they subdued. After these leaders 

there were judges, when the people were settled in the land of promise, so that, in the meantime, the first 

promise made to Abraham began to be fulfilled about the one nation, that is, the Hebrew, and about the 

land of Canaan; but not as yet the promise about all nations, and the whole wide world, for that was to 

be fulfilled, not by the observances of the old law, but by the advent of Christ in the flesh, and by the faith 

of the gospel. And it was to prefigure this that it was not Moses, who received the law for the people on 

Mount Sinai, that led the people into the land of promise, but Joshua, whose name also was changed at 

God’s command, so that he was called Jesus. But in the times of the judges prosperity alternated with 

adversity in war, according as the sins of the people and the mercy of God were displayed. 

1 What does St. Augustine suggest was the reason for Israelite victories in war? 

2 What does St. Augustine suggest caused the prosperity and adversity of the Hebrew people during 

the time of the judges? 

3 What conclusions can be drawn about God’s mercy during the periods of Joshua and the conquest 

of Canaan and the time of the judges? 


154 




Ascent of Mount Carmel, Ch. 11.8, St. John of the Cross, 1618 

8. In the Book of Josue, again, we have a figure of what has just been said — where we read that God 

commanded Josue, at the time that he had to enter into possession of the Promised Land, to destroy all 

things that were in the city of Jericho, in such wise as to leave therein nothing alive, man or woman, young 

or old, and to slay all the beasts, and to take naught, neither to covet aught, of all the spoils. This He said 

that we may understand how, if a man is to enter this Divine union, all that lives in his soul must die, both 

little and much, small and great, and that the soul must be without desire for all this, and detached from it, 

even as though it existed not for the soul, neither the soul for it. This Saint Paul teaches us clearly in his 

epistle ad Corinthios, saying: “This I say to you, brethren, that the time is short; it remains, and it behoves 

you, that they that have wives should be as if they had none; and they that weep for the things of this 

world, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though 

they possessed not; and they that use this world, as if they used it not.” This the Apostle says to us in order 

to teach us how complete must be the detachment of our soul from all things if it is to journey to God. 

1 What lesson does St. John of the Cross suggest we should take from the Hebrew practice of total 

warfare during the Book of Joshua (Josue)? 

2 In our materialistic culture, it is difficult to think about becoming detached from the things of this 

world. Why do you think God wants us to be free of our things and desires and focus entirely on 

Him? If God asked you today to give up all you had and come follow Him, what would be the most 

challenging thing/s for you to sacrifice? Why? 



155 



Concerning Widows, Ch. 8.47–50, St. Ambrose, ca. AD 377 

47. So, then, Deborah foretold the event of the battle. Barak, as he was bidden, led forth the army; Jael 

carried off the triumph, for the prophecy of Deborah fought for her, who in a mystery revealed to us the 

rising of the Church from among the Gentiles, for whom should be found a triumph over Sisera, that is, 

over the powers opposed to her. For us, then, the oracles of the prophets fought, for us those judgments 

and arms of the prophets won the victory. And for this reason it was not the people of the Jews but Jael 

who gained the victory over the enemy. Unhappy, then, was that people which could not follow up by the 

virtue of faith the enemy, whom it had put to flight. And so by their fault salvation came to the Gentiles, by 

their sluggishness the victory was reserved for us. 

48. Jael then destroyed Sisera, whom however the band of Jewish veterans had put to flight under their 

brilliant leader, for this is the interpretation of the name Barak; for often, as we read, the sayings and merits 

of the prophets procured heavenly aid for the fathers. But even at that time was victory being prepared 

over spiritual wickedness for those to whom it is said in the Gospel: Come, you blessed of My Father, 

take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34). So 

the commencement of the victory was from the Fathers, its conclusion is in the Church. 

49. But the Church does not overcome the powers of the enemy with weapons of this world, but with spiritual 

arms, which are mighty through God to the destruction of strongholds and the high places of spiritual 

wickedness (2 Corinthians 10:4). And Sisera’s thirst was quenched with a bowl of milk, because he was 

overcome by wisdom, for what is healthful for us as food is deadly and weakening to the power of the 

enemy. The weapons of the Church are faith, the weapons of the Church are prayer, which overcomes 

the enemy. 

50. And so according to this history a woman, that the minds of women might be stirred up, became a 

judge, a woman set all in order, a woman prophesied, a woman triumphed, and joining in the battle array 

taught men to war under a woman’s lead. But in a mystery it is the battle of faith and the victory of the 

Church. 

1 What does St. Ambrose suggest that story of the killing of Sisera by Jael during the time of Deborah 

the judge represents? 

2 Have you ever thought about the Church as feminine? Why do you think it is fitting for the Church 

to be understood in this way? 


UNIT 4 

Rise and Fall of 

the Kingdoms

Unit 4 

157 

t the very beginning of Israel’s history, God had promised 

A Abraham that kings would be numbered among his descendants. 

As the historical books continue, they show us how 

the Lord honored His promise, recounting the rise and fall of 

the Davidic kingdom, as well as several successive attempts at 

restoring that kingdom. 

Altogether, the historical books span a period of more than 

800 years and include 13 books. Unlike the Pentateuch, which 

progresses in strictly chronological terms from Adam to Moses, 

much of the material in the historical books overlap. In their pages 

we find the story of the rise of the royal Kingdom of Israel, its 

split into two separate kingdoms after the death of King Solomon, 

the many kings in these two kingdoms, and, ultimately their fall 

and the exile of their people. 

The writers of the different books wrote about the same people, 

places, and events but looked at them from different angles. 

For example, 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles both tell the story of 

King David’s rule. 2 Samuel, however, focuses on how David 

made Israel into a mighty kingdom, while 1 Chronicles focuses 

on how David revitalized the liturgical life of Israel. In some 

ways, it is like reading two different books about the American 

Revolution, one that focuses on the military battles and another 

that focuses on the political battles. Both perspectives are important 

and accurate, but they are still different. 

Three of the historical books, Esther, Tobit, and Judith, are 

considered by some scholars to be a sub-genre of the historical 

books — historical novella — that tell imaginary stories of real 

historical events and people. These books form a literary bridge 

from the historical books to the wisdom literature of Scripture. 

In This Unit 

■ Chapter 9: Samuel, Saul, and David 

■ Chapter 10: Solomon and the Kingdoms of Israel 

and Judah 

■ Chapter 11: Exile, Return, and Revolt

Chapter 9 


■ 1 and 2 Samuel 

Samuel, Saul, 

and David

Unit 4, Chapter 9: Samuel, Saul, and David 

159 


The dark history of Israel’s sin made it clear that the people needed a sound leader to help 

them maintain a relationship with God. Israel’s first king, Saul, proved unfit for the task, 

yielding to the temptations of pride and power, and his descendants were disinherited 

from the royal line. God hand-picked another king in surprising circumstances that 

foreshadowed Christ’s humble entrance into the world. David, the youngest son of Jesse, 

was a shepherd boy. From this humble origin, God raised up a wise ruler who would 

exercise both a kingly and priestly role for the people of Israel. Through King David, God 

instituted a new and more personal covenant with Israel, revealing His desire to 

enter into an intimate relationship with His people. 


■ Samuel, the last Israelite judge, anointed Saul the first king of Israel, despite his warnings to the people 

against having a king. 

■ Saul made two great sins as king and, as a consequence, God removed his dynasty and blessing from him. 

■ David was “a man after God’s own heart,” chosen to be the king of Israel after Saul. 

■ David defeated the Philistine warrior Goliath because of his faith in God. 

■ God entered into a covenant with David that would be fulfilled by Jesus in the New Covenant. 

Bible Basics 

“Speak, Lord, for your servant 

is listening.” 

1 SAMUEL 3:9 

“I have made a covenant 

with my chosen one; I have 

sworn to David my servant: I 

will make your dynasty stand 

forever and establish your 

throne through all ages.” 

PSALM 89:4–5 


1 Samuel 3 

1 Samuel 8 

1 Samuel 10:1–8, 17–25 

1 Samuel 13:1–14 

1 Samuel 15:10–23 

1 Samuel 16–18 

2 Samuel 2:1–7 

2 Samuel 7:1–29 

2 Samuel 11–12:25 


Catechism 

CCC 1241 (pg. 164) 

CCC 1459 (pg. 172) 

CCC 2116 (pg. 167) 

CCC 2281 (pg. 167) 

CCC 2283 (pg. 167) 

CCC 2579 (pg. 172) 



Samuel, the Last Israelite Judge 

The Book of Judges concluded on a dark note, acknowledging that the 

Israelites’ sin problem permeated every person and every dimension of 

their society. They needed a leader who would help them remain faithful 

to the covenant. Samuel, Israel’s last judge, would transition the Israelites 

into a new phase of their covenantal history by anointing the first two kings 

of Israel. 

After his mother begged the Lord for a child after years of being unable 

to conceive, Samuel was born to a woman named Hannah and her husband. 

She had Samuel “dedicated to the Lord” (1 Sam. 1:28) at the age 

of three. Hannah offered a prayer of praise to God in thanksgiving for the 

gift of her son (1 Sam. 2:1–10), paralleling Mary’s Magnificat, which she 

prayed when she visited Elizabeth (Luke 1:46–55). In fact, Hannah is a type 

of Mary, just as are all the women of the Old Testament to whom a child is 

conceived under miraculous circumstances. Like them, Mary bore Jesus 

through miraculous circumstances. Even more, Hannah’s name means 

“grace,” and the Angel Gabriel greeted Mary with the words “full of grace.” 

So often we 

are like Samuel, 

unable — or 

unwilling — to 

recognize the 

Lord calling and 

speaking to us. 

Raised by the high priest Eli in the tabernacle, Samuel was prepared 

for a life of service to God. But while still young, Samuel heard God call 

him by name. Waking up one night at the sound of his name, Samuel went 

to Eli, thinking Eli had called him. Eli sent him back to bed, since he had 

not called. But the call came again, and then again. The third time Samuel 

came to Eli, Eli realized it was God calling Samuel. He instructed Samuel 

to answer the Lord, saying, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” 

(1 Sam. 3:9). So often we are like Samuel, unable — or unwilling — to recognize 

the Lord calling and speaking to us. It is only when we stop and truly 

listen, and make ourselves the Lord’s “servant,” like Samuel, that we begin 

to follow God’s will in our lives. 

Eventually, Samuel was recognized by the Israelites as a prophet and 

a judge, and he led the Israelites for many years. But his sons, who should 

have taken his place upon his death, showed they were unworthy of the 

job. And the Israelites had grown tired of their judges, who, though they led 

them to military victories, often manifested tragic flaws. Seeing the kings 

of the pagan people near them, the Israelites desired to be like them and 

have a king of their own. They began to demand that Samuel, now in his 

old age, choose a king to rule over them: “We too must be like all the 

nations, with a king to rule us, lead us in warfare, and fight our battles” 

(1 Sam. 8:20). Samuel warned them that they were rejecting God’s 

kingship over them and that an earthly king would exercise an unjust harshness 

over them by taxing them, taking their land, and enslaving them by 

forcing them into military service and serving him (1 Sam. 9:10–18). But 

the Israelites insisted on having a king. 



161 

God called Samuel at 

a young age and the 

Israelites hailed him 

as another judge and 

prophet. 

Samuel Relating to Eli the Judgments of God upon Eli’s House 

by John Singleton Copley (1780). 

When Samuel brought the Israelites’ demand to God, the Lord answered, 

“Listen to them! Appoint a king to rule over them” (1 Sam. 

8:22). But rather than stand back and just let the Israelites deal with the 

fallout from their choice, God transformed the kingship of Israel into a foreshadowing 

of the restoration of His own kingship in Jesus Christ the King. 

By doing so, God once again proved to His people that He is faithful to His 

promises. 

Samuel Anoints the First King of Israel 

God led Samuel to anoint Saul of the tribe of Benjamin as the first king of 

Israel. Saul appeared well-fit for the role, at least in looks, with the Bible describing 

him as a “handsome young man. There was no other Israelite 

more handsome than Saul; he stood head and shoulders above the 

people” (1 Sam. 9:2). Initially, Saul seemed to be a good king. He won 



battles and prophesied by the Spirit of God. But Saul quickly fell from grace 

by making two fateful mistakes. 

First, after a victory in battle against the Philistines, Saul failed to trust 

in the Lord and, without waiting for Samuel to arrive, offered a burnt sacrifice 

(a priestly task not given to him) on his own to manipulate his army 

from deserting him. Samuel rebuked Saul, saying: 

“You have acted foolishly! Had you kept the command the Lord 

your God gave you, the Lord would now establish your kingship 

in Israel forever; but now your kingship shall not endure. 

The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart to appoint 

as ruler over his people because you did not observe what the 

Lord commanded you.” (1 Sam. 13:13–14) 

Though the first king 

of Israel, Saul was 

disobedient and lost 

favor with God. 

While Saul would remain king for now, his descendants would not inherit 

his kingship, nor would they be the heirs to God’s promises. Here, 

also, we see the first hint of David, “a man after [God’s] own heart,” the king 

of Israel whose descendant would sit on an everlasting throne and fulfill all 

that God had promised. 

David Playing the Harp to Saul by Nikolai Mikhailovich Plyusnin (1873). 



163 

Saul’s second mistake came soon after the first. Before a battle 

against the Amalekites, Samuel delivered to Saul the Lord’s command 

not to spare the lives of any of their enemies, warriors and civilians alike 

(similar to the ban God established during the time of Joshua). After the 

battle, Saul instead allowed the Amalekite king to live, set up a monument 

in his own honor (1 Sam. 15:12), and kept their best livestock for 

himself as a spoil of war (1 Sam. 15:9). Later, Saul lied to Samuel about 

the livestock, telling him they were kept to offer as sacrifice to God (1 

Sam. 15:13–15). But Samuel rebuked Saul again, saying, “Obedience 

is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22). Far from God wanting the sacrificed 

animals themselves, their sacrifice was meant as a sign that Saul 

recognized God as God and trusted in His commands, and that he would 

be obedient to Him out of love. 

Vocabulary 

Messiah (n.): The 

Hebrew word for 

“anointed one” and the 

title given to the Savior 

God promised to the 

people of Israel. 

Further, Saul’s disobedience prompted Samuel to announce that “because 

you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord in turn has 

rejected you as king” (1 Sam. 15:23). Saul immediately confessed his sin 

but shallowly demanded forgiveness. Samuel recognized Saul’s insincerity 

and refused. When Samuel turned to leave, Saul grabbed Samuel, tearing 

off part of Samuel’s garment. Samuel responded, “The Lord has torn the 

kingdom of Israel from you this day, and has given it to a neighbor of 

yours, who is better than you” (1 Sam. 15:28). Though Saul would not 

relinquish his kingship immediately, as a consequence for his lack of faith 

he was no longer God’s chosen king and had lost the Lord’s favor. 

David 

God, in His faithfulness to Israel, had a plan for a new king. He sent Samuel 

to Bethlehem to anoint as Saul’s successor one of the sons of a man 

named Jesse. When Samuel met Jesse’s oldest son, he noticed that he 

had many qualities that would make him an excellent king, much like Saul. 

But the Lord said to Samuel, “God does not see as a mortal, who sees 

the appearance. The Lord looks into the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). God 

wanted a king “after His own heart” who would submit to His will. One after 

another, each son of Jesse met Samuel and heard he was not chosen for 

the kingship. Finally, Samuel met Jesse’s youngest son David. Though not 

yet full grown, the Lord said to Samuel, “There — anoint him, for this is 

the one” (1 Sam. 16:12). Samuel anointed David as king of Israel, and 

“the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David” (1 Sam. 16:13). 

God, in His 

faithfulness to 

Israel, had a 

plan for a new 

king. 

With this anointing, David became a messiah, an anointed one, foreshadowing 

the true Messiah, Jesus. In the Gospels, John the Baptist saw 

the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus at His Baptism, much as the Spirit of the 

Lord rushed upon David. At our own Baptism, we are anointed with the oil of 



chrism, which “signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit to the newly baptized, 

who has become a Christian, that is, one ‘anointed’ by the Holy Spirit, 

incorporated into Christ who is anointed priest, prophet, and king” 

(CCC 1241). When we are baptized, like David and through Jesus, we are 

anointed as kings and given the Holy Spirit to exercise that kingship. 

“You come 

against me with 

sword and spear 

and scimitar, 

but I come at 

you in the name 

of the Lord of 

hosts, the God 

of the armies of 

Israel whom you 

have insulted.” 

1 SAM. 17:45 

David’s anointing as king was kept private to protect David from Saul, 

who still occupied the throne. The Spirit of God departed from Saul, and an 

evil spirit replaced it to torment him (1 Sam. 16:14). Saul summoned David, 

whom Saul did not yet know had been anointed as God’s new chosen king, 

to play the harp for him, as David was well-known for his musical abilities. 

Affection grew between David and Saul, and between David and Saul’s 

son Jonathan. 

David and Goliath 

Meanwhile, the Israelites and Philistines continued to engage in battle. The 

Philistine giant Goliath, estimated at a minimum of six feet, nine inches 

tall (which would have towered over the far shorter men of his time), challenged 

the strongest Israelite warrior to defeat him. While Saul and all the 

Israelite army cowered in fear, David scoffed, “Who is this uncircumcised 

Philistine that he should insult the armies of the living God” (1 

Sam. 17:26). He proposed to Saul that he fight Goliath. Saul objected, due 

to David’s youth and inexperience, but David convinced him otherwise. 

Saul gave David his own battle gear, but it did not fit, and David was not 

used to fighting in armor. Instead, he chose to face Goliath armed only with 

his slingshot and five smooth stones. 

When Goliath mocked him, David replied, “You come against me 

with sword and spear and scimitar, but I come at you in the name 

of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have 

insulted” (1 Sam. 17:45). With that, David hurled his stone at Goliath’s 

forehead, knocking Goliath to the ground. He then took Goliath’s sword 

and cut off Goliath’s head. David trusted in God’s power over Goliath’s, 

and he wanted Goliath’s defeat to show the Israelites and Philistines that 

God is God. In this victory, David was like Jesus, who battled Satan, the 

enemy no human being could defeat. Just as David won the victory without 

conventional armor or weapons, so did Jesus, who won the victory by 

surrendering Himself to sin and death and then rising to life. David’s victory 

over Goliath was an example of trust in God for the Israelites, and it foreshadowed 

Jesus’ trust in His Father as an example to us. 

After David killed Goliath, Saul began sending David out on military 

missions. David won battle after battle, trusting in God’s faithfulness to 

Israel to give him victory over Israel’s enemies. 



165 

Saul and David 

Saul soon became jealous of David’s military success and suspected that 

David would take the kingship away from him. He began to plot ways to 

put David in harm’s way so David would die in battle (1 Sam. 18:17–30; 

19:1–24). But God protected David from harm, alerting him in various ways 

to danger so he could escape each time. Saul’s ruthless and unrelenting 

pursuit of David put David on the run, a fugitive fleeing Saul’s murderous 

intent. 

Several Psalms provide insight into David’s interior experiences at this 

time, always trusting in the Lord’s protection even when he felt the lowest. 

For example, he wrote: “I shall sing of your strength, extol your mercy 

at dawn, for you are my fortress, my refuge in time of trouble. My 

strength, your praise I will sing; you, God, are my fortress, my loving 

God” (Ps. 59:17–18). David knew the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness, 

and so he opened his heart to God in every situation, even sparing Saul’s 

life in one encounter between the two, when David could easily have killed 

Saul and put an end to Saul’s persecution of him (1 Sam. 24). 

David Killing Goliath by Pietro da Cortona (17th century). 

David trusted in the 

Lord’s strength to defeat 

the mighty Goliath. 




Nathan 

A great anger swelled in the heart of King David; 

the prophet Nathan had told him a story that was 

truly unbelievable. 

“Tell me how you judge this case: In a certain 

town there were two men, one rich, the 

other poor,” Nathan had begun (2 Sam. 12:1). 

Already a sour feeling surged in the heart of David. 

He knew the plight of the poor in his kingdom. 

“The rich man had flocks and herds in 

great numbers. But the poor man had nothing 

at all except one little ewe lamb that he had 

bought. He nourished her, and she grew up 

with him and his children. Of what little he had 

she ate; from his own cup she drank; in his 

bosom she slept; she was like a daughter to 

him” (2 Sam. 12:2–3). David related to the feeling 

that the poor man must have had for this lamb. 

He himself had been a shepherd before he was a 

king. He knew what it was like to have a special 

lamb that became a friend and companion to him. 

“Now, a visitor came to the rich man, but 

he spared his own flocks and herds to prepare 

a meal for the traveler who had come to 

him: he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and 

prepared it for the one who had come to him” 

(2 Sam. 12:4). 

Outrage! David could not contain his anger 

at the rich man. How could this rich man in all 

his abundance dare take this lamb from the poor 

man? He stood and let the prophet Nathan know 

his fury: “As the LORD lives, the man who has 

done this deserves death! He shall make fourfold 

restitution for the lamb because he has 

done this and was unsparing” (2 Sam. 12:5–6). 

Who was this calloused, selfish man? 

“YOU ARE THE MAN!”, 

Nathan told his king (2 Sam. 

12:7). 

The words echoed in 

David’s hall. Immediately 

David knew of what Nathan 

spoke. This parable was 

about Uriah, one of his most 

trusted generals, and whose 

wife, Bathsheba, David had 

seduced. She was now pregnant 

with his child. After failed attempts to hide his 

sin, David had Uriah sent to the frontline of battle 

and ordered that the men surrounding Uriah 

pull back. As a result, Uriah was killed. David took 

Bathsheba as his wife. Indeed, as Nathan had 

said, David was the wicked rich man who robbed 

the poor man of what he treasured most. 

Nathan proclaimed God’s judgment on David: 

“Thus says the LORD God of Israel … the 

sword shall never depart from your house, because 

you have despised me and have taken 

the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife” (2 

Sam. 12:7–10). 

Nathan continued to proclaim God’s judgment 

on David, and this moment would be the turning 

point in David’s life. As prophet, his task was to 

tell David the truth and in his parable he made 

David see what he refused to see in himself. For 

all of the wickedness of David’s actions, Nathan 

saved David’s soul in telling him the truth. From 

that moment on, David lived a life of repentance 

and accepted the consequences for his actions. 

As a prophet of God, Nathan fulfilled the will of 

God. 

Nathan saved 

David’s soul in 

telling him the 

truth. 



167 

The Death of Saul 

Saul continued this moral decline until he faced the Philistines in battle. 

Unable to discern any guidance from God about how to defeat them, he 

sought out a medium to conjure Samuel from the dead. When Samuel’s 

spirit did appear to Saul, he rebuked Saul for consulting the medium and 

predicted, “The Lord will deliver Israel, and you as well, into the hands 

of the Philistines. By tomorrow you and your sons will be with me” (1 

Sam. 28:19). As Samuel had said, the following day Saul’s sons were killed 

by the Philistines, and when Saul was mortally wounded and surrounded 

by enemies, he “took his own sword and fell upon it” (1 Sam. 31:4), 

ending his own life. 

Vocabulary 

Medium (n.): A person 

who practices the occult 

and magic and can 

summon the dead. 

Saul’s life, like so many in Scripture, serves as “an example, and … a 

warning to us” (1 Cor. 10:11). When we first met Saul, he essentially 

followed the Lord faithfully, even though he showed human weakness. But 

he repeatedly disobeyed the Lord in matters both small and large. His repentance 

was selfish, aimed at restoring his military victories or preserving 

his power and status rather than reforming his heart and life. His consultation 

of the medium and conjuring up Samuel from the dead betrayed “a 

desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other 

human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers” (CCC 

2116). He ended his life by suicide, and while “we should not despair 

of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives” 

(CCC 2283), his last known earthly act was “contrary to love for the 

living God” (CCC 2281) and a culmination of his pattern of behavior over 

the course of many years. 

David Takes the Throne of Israel 

For many years, only a very few had known that Samuel had anointed 

David as King of Israel. David himself trusted God to bring him to the 

throne at the right time. He did nothing to threaten, endanger, or overthrow 

Saul, whom he saw as God’s chosen king. David’s restraint is even more 

remarkable when considering he lived for years under the threat of Saul’s 

clear intention to kill him. 

After Saul’s death, the men of Judah anointed David as their king. For 

seven years, David fought against the remaining members of the house of 

Saul who tried to keep the throne in Saul’s family. Once these leaders died 

through their various political intrigues, David was finally anointed king over 

all of Israel (2 Sam. 5:3). King David then captured the city of Jerusalem 

and made it the capital city of Israel. 



David honored God 

and wanted Israel 

to properly love and 

worship their true 

King and Lord. 

 

King David in Prayer by Pieter de Grebber (ca. 1635–1640). 

The Holy City and the Ark of the Covenant 

Once Jerusalem was established as the capital city, David brought the Ark 

of the Covenant, the focal point of God’s presence with His people, to permanently 

reside there. After the Israelites entered the Promised Land, the 

Ark was kept in Shiloh, but it accompanied the Israelites in battle against 

their enemies. This practice reminded the Israelites that God, not their own 

military power, gave them victory. Because of its importance to the life of 

Israel as God’s chosen people, the Ark deserved a permanent place of 

honor where the Israelites could worship God according to the Mosaic Law. 

David therefore commanded that the Ark come to Jerusalem in a liturgical 

procession, with himself offering sacrifices (a priestly action, but, unlike 

Saul, done to honor God and not himself) and dancing in that procession. 

The Fathers of the Church understood that the Ark of the Covenant 

foreshadowed Mary, who is the Ark of the New Covenant. When Mary 

conceived and carried Jesus, she carried within her womb God incarnate, 

making it possible when He was born for human beings to see Him, hear 

Him, and touch Him, to know that He is with us, and to direct our devotion 

and worship to Him. And much as David danced with joy before the Ark, 

John the Baptist “leaped for joy” in his mother’s womb when Mary arrived 

at Elizabeth’s home (Luke 1:44). 



169 

Moreover, some Scripture scholars argue that Jerusalem was the contemporary 

city of Salem over which Melchizedek reigned (Gen. 14:18, see 

also Ps. 76:1). David seemed to act as a priest by offering sacrifices before 

the Ark of the Covenant (2 Sam. 6:13), by dressing in a linen ephod 

(a priestly vestment) (2 Sam. 6:14), and by offering the people bread and 

wine. David regarded himself as the rightful king, since he was a descendant 

of Judah and heir to Jacob’s prophetic blessing that “the scepter 

would never depart from Judah” (Gen. 49:10). By acting as priest-king, 

he may have been re-establishing the priestly kingship of Melchizedek, as 

he later proclaimed to his son and successor: “You are a priest forever 

in the manner of Melchizedek” (Ps. 110:4). 

David’s actions after conquering the city of Jerusalem demonstrated 

his desire that worship of God take center stage in the Kingdom of Israel, 

that God’s liturgical laws be more faithfully and universally followed, and 

that under David’s kingship, God Himself would be the true King and David 

would be His servant. 

God’s Covenant with the House of David 

Once the Ark of the Covenant was safely in Jerusalem, David wanted to 

build a permanent residence for the Ark, a beautiful temple that would be 

a fitting place for God to dwell and be worshipped (2 Sam. 7:1–17). He 

shared his desire with Nathan the prophet, who initially responded that 

David should proceed. But then Nathan reported to David that God had 

spoken to him in a dream, declaring a series of promises that surpassed 

anything He had promised to that point. 

1. First, God promised David a dynasty. He said that while David wanted 

to build a house (i.e., a temple) for God, God would “make a house for” 

David (2 Sam. 7:11). By house, God meant not a physical house (David 

already had a palace), but the “House of David” or David’s dynasty. 

2. Second, God promised David his descendants would be kings, saying: 

“I will raise up your offspring after you, sprung from your loins, 

and I will establish his kingdom” (2 Sam. 7:12). 

3. Third, God promised that David’s descendants would be like sons to 

Him and He a Father to them: “I will be a father to him, and he shall 

be a son to me” (2 Sam. 7:14). 

4. Fourth, God promised that, while David himself would not build a temple 

for God, one of his descendants would: “He it is who shall build a 

house for my name” (2 Sam. 7:13). Throughout this story, the sacred 

author intentionally used clever word play with the Hebrew word for 

house to alternately mean a physical building to live in, a dynasty, and 

a temple for God. 

Nathan reported 

to David that 

God had 

spoken to him 

in a dream, 

declaring 

a series of 

promises that 

surpassed 

anything He had 

promised to that 

point. 



Despite being favored 

by God, David sinned by 

committing adultery and 

murder. 

King David Handing the Letter to Uriah by Pieter Lastman (1611). 

5. Fifth, God promised He would never withdraw His favor from David: 

“I will not withdraw my favor from him as I withdrew it from Saul 

who was before you” (2 Sam. 7:15). 

6. Sixth and finally, God promised David that his kingdom and dynasty 

would never end: “your house and your kingdom are firm forever 

before me; your throne shall be firmly established forever” (2 Sam. 

7:16). In other words, God promised that a descendant of David would 

sit on the throne of Israel forever. 

These were remarkable promises that at once showed forth the intimacy 

God desired to have with His people and at the same time the 

grand scope of God’s plan. Parts of God’s promises were initially fulfilled 

by David’s son, grandson, and great-grandsons that succeeded him as 

king for many generations. But the ultimate fulfillment came when Jesus, 

a descendant of David (Matt. 1:6), was recognized as the true King over 

Heaven and earth (Rev. 12:5, Gal. 6:16). In the most literal sense, His reign 

lasts “forever.” Likewise, while God has said that all of Israel was His firstborn 

son (Exod. 4:22), when God referred to David’s son as His own son, 

it was the first time God had said a specific person would be His son. This 

promise certainly placed David and his descendants in a privileged position 



171 

before God, but it was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, who is both the “son of 

David” (Matt. 21:9) and the Son of God. 

Finally, God fulfilled, established, and foretold a covenant with these 

promises. He fulfilled, in an earthly sense, the promises He had made 

to Abraham to make his “name great” (Gen. 12:2) and that “kings will 

stem from you” (Gen. 17:6). He established a covenant with David: “I 

have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David 

my servant: I will make your dynasty stand forever and establish your 

throne through all ages” (Ps. 89:4–5). And He foretold and prepared the 

way for the New Covenant that Jesus would establish definitively and permanently. 

That New Covenant would fulfill God’s earlier promises in ways 

far surpassing anyone’s expectations. 

David Sins and Repents 

Unfortunately, after receiving all these wonderful promises from God, David 

became complacent. Rather than go out with his army to fight his enemies, 

he stayed home, apparently confident that God would give them victory 

since He had promised the throne was securely David’s. One evening 

he saw his beautiful neighbor, Bathsheba, bathing on a rooftop nearby, 

and even though she was married to one of his men away fighting his 

war, David had her brought to him and “took her to bed” (2 Sam. 11:4). 

Bathsheba became pregnant, which would make their adultery public since 

her husband was away at war. 

David acted quickly to cover up his sin. He twice summoned 

Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, from the battlefield, sending him home to his 

wife, expecting that their reunion would lead to an appearance that Uriah 

was the father of the expected child. But both times Uriah stayed with his 

fellow officers instead of going home to his wife. Finally, David sent Uriah 

back to the battlefield, carrying orders from David to the general to put 

Uriah in the front of the battle and then pull back from him so he would be 

killed. Uriah subsequently died in battle, and David married Bathsheba 

soon afterward. In this way, David believed his sin with Bathsheba would 

remain their secret. 

David sent 

Uriah back to 

the battlefield, 

carrying 

orders … to 

put Uriah in 

the front of the 

battle and then 

pull back from 

him so he would 

be killed. 

God, however, knew exactly what had happened: that David had committed 

adultery and had essentially murdered Uriah. God sent Nathan the 

prophet to confront David about his sins. Nathan also announced the consequences 

David would experience from his sin: “the sword shall never 

depart from your house … I will take your wives before your very 

eyes, and will give them to your neighbor: he shall lie with your wives 

in broad daylight” (2 Sam. 12:10–11). David immediately repented. He 

did not blame anyone or try to excuse himself. Instead, he composed a 



Vocabulary 

Act of Contrition (n.): 

Prayer in which we 

express sorrow for our 

sins out of love for God, as 

well as our committment 

not to sin again. 

Contrition (n.): Sorrow of 

the soul and detestation 

of sin, together with the 

resolution not to sin again. 

Contrition motivated by 

love for God is called 

perfect contrition. When 

it is motivated by fear of 

punishment, it is called 

imperfect contrition. 

Repentance 

and forgiveness 

heal the 

relationships, 

but they do not 

always repair 

all the harm 

caused by the 

sin. 

heartfelt act of contrition, recorded for us in Psalm 51. Although David 

suffered for his sins, his sincere repentance models for us true contrition. 

While God never approves of sin, He does know we are weakened by 

Original Sin. We must have God’s grace to help us avoid sin, and He 

pours His grace out upon us whenever we ask Him for it. He quickly forgives 

us when we repent and show contrition, especially by receiving the 

Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. 

It is not clear when David’s sin became public knowledge. Perhaps 

seeing their father’s sins, David’s sons began committing sins much like 

his, with consequences that fulfilled Nathan’s prophecy. One of his sons, 

Absalom, even tried to overthrow his father’s rule and take the throne for 

himself, forcing David to flee Jerusalem for a time. 

No matter how hard we try, sin is never just a private matter. It never 

affects only us. It changes us for the worse, and that negatively impacts our 

relationships with others, hurting them as well: “sin injures and weakens 

the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbor” 

(CCC 1459). David’s sin and his family’s subsequent breaking apart 

demonstrates this reality. Repentance and forgiveness heal the relationships, 

but they do not always repair all the harm caused by the sin. David 

suffered as he saw the consequences of his sin reverberate throughout his 

family and his kingdom. 

David, a Type of Christ 

David foreshadows his descendant Jesus in important ways. David was 

born in Bethlehem; Jesus, a descendant of David, was born in Bethlehem 

(Luke 2:4–7). Young David was a shepherd; Jesus referred to Himself as 

the “good shepherd [who] lays down his life for the sheep” (John 

10:11). David was a messiah, Hebrew for “anointed one,” referring to his 

anointing by Samuel as king; Jesus is the true Messiah, anointed when 

the Holy Spirit descended on Him at His baptism. David was king of Israel; 

Jesus is the eternal King. The Catechism says, “David is par excellence 

the king ‘after God’s own heart’” (2579), who with all his failings nevertheless 

brings Israel to an earthly zenith. But Jesus, Son of David in His 

humanity and Son of God in His divinity, has established the Kingdom 

of Heaven on earth in the Church. Jesus’ Kingdom fulfills and surpasses 

David’s, continuing without end. 

David’s sins and shortcomings remind us that this world will ultimately 

fail us, because we were not made for this world. God created us to spend 

eternity with Him, and He put us on earth to choose Him repeatedly. He is 

the One who can be trusted, the One who saves us. He always fulfills His 

promises, in greater ways than we can imagine. 



173 


No sin is too big for God’s forgiveness. Throughout Salvation History, we have 

seen God’s people sin and hide from Him and His offers of mercy. David continues 

this pattern and falls just as hard — after God instituted a new covenant 

with him and made numerous promises for his good, David too was blinded 

by sin. He commited adultery with Bathsheba and then strategically had her 

husband killed in battle. Instead of running away from God, however, or trying 

to hide his sin and shame, David immediately turned to God for forgiveness. 

He admited his guilt and repented of his wrongdoing with a contrite heart. His 

relationship with God was restored, and although it did not excuse his actions, 

repentance allowed David to move forward in pursuit of holiness rather than 

spiral deeper into sin. 

God does not need us to repent of our sin for His benefit. He wants us to 

confess our sins and accept His forgiveness for our welfare. It is for this reason 

God gave us the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. Through the grace 

of this Sacrament, we have the opportunity to be reunited with God. Hiding our 

sins from God is pointless — He knows our hearts more intimately than we do. 

If we ask for forgiveness, we can reverse the cycle of sin and grow in holiness 

instead of sinking further into the depths of treachery. In the confessional, the 

priest acts as a mediator between us and God; it is not the priest that forgives 

our sins, but God who works through the priest to restore us and make us 

whole again. The gift of free will given to us by God opens our hearts to the ability 

to sin, but it also allows us the great grace of reunion with God, continuously 

building the personal relationship promised through His Son, Jesus Christ. 


174 


Chapter 9 


1 How are Hannah and other women like her in Scripture types of Mary? 

2 What can we learn for our own spiritual lives from the story of God’s calling of Samuel? 

3 What did the Israelites demand of Samuel? Why? What did he warn them? 

4 What was Saul’s main qualification to be king? 

5 What were Saul’s two fateful mistakes that caused him to lose God’s anointing? What were 

the consequences of his sins? 

6 What does it mean that David was a messiah? How does this fact foreshadow Jesus and our 

own Baptism? 

7 How was David’s defeat of the Philistine warrior Goliath a type of Jesus? 

8 How is Saul’s life an example and warning to us? 

9 What was the significance of David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem? How did 

David act in a priestly role in doing so, and what might this action have represented? 

10 How is the Ark of the Covenant a type of Mary? 

11 What six things did God promise to David in His covenant with him? 

12 How does Jesus ultimately fulfill God’s promises to David? 

13 Why was David’s sin and its aftermath different from the sins of Saul? 

14 What was Nathan’s task as a prophet? 



175 



Christus Vivit 283–286, Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, 

March 25, 2019 

Discerning your vocation 

283. A particular form of discernment involves the effort to discover our own vocation. Since this is a very 

personal decision that others cannot make for us, it requires a certain degree of solitude and silence. “The 

Lord speaks to us in a variety of ways, at work, through others and at every moment. Yet we simply cannot 

do without the silence of prolonged prayer, which enables us better to perceive God’s language, to interpret 

the real meaning of the inspirations we believe we have received, to calm our anxieties and to see the whole 

of our existence afresh in his own light.” 

284. Yet this silence does not make us close in on ourselves. “We must remember that prayerful discernment 

has to be born of an openness to listening — to the Lord and to others, and to reality itself, which always 

challenges us in new ways. Only if we are prepared to listen, do we have the freedom to set aside our own 

partial or insufficient ideas. … In this way, we become truly open to accepting a call that can shatter our security, 

but lead us to a better life. It is not enough that everything be calm and peaceful. God may be offering 

us something more, but in our comfortable inadvertence, we do not recognize it.” 

285. When seeking to discern our own vocation, there are certain questions we ought to ask. We should not 

start with wondering where we could make more money, or achieve greater recognition and social status. Nor 

even by asking what kind of work would be most pleasing to us. If we are not to go astray, we need a different 

starting point. We need to ask: Do I know myself, quite apart from my illusions and emotions? Do I know what 

brings joy or sorrow to my heart? What are my strengths and weaknesses? These questions immediately give 

rise to others: How can I serve people better and prove most helpful to our world and to the Church? What is 

my real place in this world? What can I offer to society? Even more realistic questions then follow: Do I have 

the abilities needed to offer this kind of service? Could I develop those abilities? 

286. These questions should be centred less on ourselves and our own inclinations, but on others, so that 

our discernment leads us to see our life in relation to their lives. That is why I would remind you of the most 

important question of all. “So often in life, we waste time asking ourselves: ‘Who am I?’ You can keep asking, 

‘Who am I?’ for the rest of your lives. But the real question is: ‘For whom am I?’.” Of course, you are for God. 

But he has decided that you should also be for others, and he has given you many qualities, inclinations, 

gifts and charisms that are not for you, but to share with those around you. 

1 What particular form of discernment is Pope Francis speaking of in this excerpt from Christus Vivit? 

What does it require? 

2 Why is it important to listen while discerning one’s vocation? 

3 What are some of the most important questions we can ask ourselves when discerning our vocation? 

What is the most important question of all to ask, and what is its answer? 

4 How is God’s calling of Samuel as a young man similar to Pope Francis’s reflection on the discernment 

of vocation? 


176 




Quas Primas 7–11, An Encyclical Letter of Pope Pius XI, December 11, 1925 

7. It has long been a common custom to give to Christ the metaphorical title of “King,” because of the high 

degree of perfection whereby he excels all creatures. So he is said to reign “in the hearts of men,” both 

by reason of the keenness of his intellect and the extent of his knowledge, and also because he is very 

truth, and it is from him that truth must be obediently received by all mankind. He reigns, too, in the wills 

of men, for in him the human will was perfectly and entirely obedient to the Holy Will of God, and further 

by his grace and inspiration he so subjects our free-will as to incite us to the most noble endeavors. He is 

King of hearts, too, by reason of his “charity which exceedeth all knowledge.” And his mercy and kindness 

which draw all men to him, for never has it been known, nor will it ever be, that man be loved so much and 

so universally as Jesus Christ. But if we ponder this matter more deeply, we cannot but see that the title 

and the power of King belongs to Christ as man in the strict and proper sense too. For it is only as man 

that he may be said to have received from the Father “power and glory and a kingdom,” since the Word of 

God, as consubstantial with the Father, has all things in common with him, and therefore has necessarily 

supreme and absolute dominion over all things created. 

8. Do we not read throughout the Scriptures that Christ is the King? He it is that shall come out of Jacob 

to rule, who has been set by the Father as king over Sion, his holy mount, and shall have the Gentiles for 

his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession. In the nuptial hymn, where the future 

King of Israel is hailed as a most rich and powerful monarch, we read: “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and 

ever; the scepter of thy kingdom is a scepter of righteousness.” There are many similar passages, but 

there is one in which Christ is even more clearly indicated. Here it is foretold that his kingdom will have no 

limits, and will be enriched with justice and peace: “in his days shall justice spring up, and abundance of 

peace...And he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” 

9. The testimony of the Prophets is even more abundant. That of Isaias is well known: “For a child is 

born to us and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder, and his name shall be 

called Wonderful, Counselor, God the mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace. His 

empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of peace. He shall sit upon the throne of David and 

upon his kingdom; to establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and 

for ever.” With Isaias the other Prophets are in agreement. So Jeremias foretells the “just seed” that shall 

rest from the house of David — the Son of David that shall reign as king, “and shall be wise, and shall 



177 



execute judgment and justice in the earth.” So, too, Daniel, who announces the kingdom that the God of 

heaven shall found, “that shall never be destroyed, and shall stand for ever.” And again he says: “I beheld, 

therefore, in the vision of the night, and, lo! one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven. And 

he came even to the Ancient of days: and they presented him before him. And he gave him power and 

glory and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him. His power is an everlasting 

power that shall not be taken away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed.” The prophecy of Zachary 

concerning the merciful King “riding upon an ass and upon a colt the foal of an ass” entering Jerusalem 

as “the just and savior,” amid the acclamations of the multitude, was recognized as fulfilled by the holy 

evangelists themselves. 

10. This same doctrine of the Kingship of Christ which we have found in the Old Testament is even more 

clearly taught and confirmed in the New. The Archangel, announcing to the Virgin that she should bear a 

Son, says that “the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign in the 

house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” 

11. Moreover, Christ himself speaks of his own kingly authority: in his last discourse, speaking of the rewards 

and punishments that will be the eternal lot of the just and the damned; in his reply to the Roman 

magistrate, who asked him publicly whether he were a king or not; after his resurrection, when giving 

to his Apostles the mission of teaching and baptizing all nations, he took the opportunity to call himself 

king, confirming the title publicly, and solemnly proclaimed that all power was given him in heaven and 

on earth. These words can only be taken to indicate the greatness of his power, the infinite extent of his 

kingdom. What wonder, then, that he whom St. John calls the “prince of the kings of the earth” appears 

in the Apostle’s vision of the future as he who “hath on his garment and on his thigh written ‘King of kings 

and Lord of lords!’.” It is Christ whom the Father “hath appointed heir of all things”; “for he must reign until 

at the end of the world he hath put all his enemies under the feet of God and the Father.” 

1 How does Pope Pius XI make the case for the kingship of Christ in this excerpt from Quas Primas? 

2 We are not accustomed in our modern world to the notion of being ruled by a king. Why is it 

appropriate for Jesus to be king rather than some other form of ruler? What does the fact that 

Jesus is king mean for us? 


Chapter 10 

Solomon and 

the Kingdoms of 

Israel and Judah 


■ 1 and 2 Kings 

■ 1 and 2 Chronicles

Unit 4, Chapter 10: Solomon and the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah 

179 


King David’s heir, Solomon, was granted a unique ability from God — the gift of wisdom. 

Under Solomon’s reign the first Temple of Jerusalem was built, a sanctuary for the Ark 

of the Covenant to reside in and for God’s people to gather in worship. Ambition soon 

overtook the heart of Solomon, however, and he began to build up the earthly kingdom 

for his own glory rather than for God’s. As a result of Solomon’s weak leadership, the 

kingdom divided in two after his death. Both the north and the south were ruled by a series 

of wicked and unfit kings, but God pitied His people and their plight. He sent the prophets 

Elijah and Elisha to preach and perform miracles to reveal God’s saving power and 

convert hearts to the Lord. 


■ David’s son, Solomon, ruled after him and was granted the gift of great wisdom from God. 

■ Solomon built the first Temple of Jerusalem, a re-presentation of the Garden of Eden and a house for 

worship of God for all the nations. 

■ The Queen Mother played an important role in the Davidic kingdom. 

■ The Todah was the greatest sacrificial offering in the Temple and foreshadowed the Eucharist. 

■ After Solomon’s death, the kingdom split into two kingdoms: a northern kingdom called Israel and a southern 

kingdom called Judah. The kingdoms were ruled by wicked kings who led the people away from God and 

into idolatry. 

■ God sent the prophets Elijah and Elisha to preach repentance and perform miracles to bring the people 

back into right relationship with Him. 

Bible Basics 

“Give your servant, therefore, a listening heart to judge 

your people and to distinguish between good and evil.” 

1 KINGS 3:9 

“Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you.” 

1 KINGS 2:20 


1 Kings 1:11–40 

1 Kings 3 

1 Kings 8 

1 Kings 11 

1 Kings 17–18, 19:9–8 

2 Kings 2 

2 Kings 18–19 

2 Kings 22–23:30 



The Son of David 

At first, God’s promise to David that his kingdom would last forever seemed 

perfectly straightforward. David, and his son after him, Solomon, ruled over 

a united Kingdom of Israel. At the time of David’s death, the kingdom was 

great and, after Solomon ascended to the throne, it became even greater. 

The growing strength of Israel was made possible in large part by a gift 

God gave to Solomon early in his reign. After David’s death, the Lord spoke 

to Solomon and said, “Whatever you ask I shall give you” (1 Kings 3:5). 

Solomon responded, “Give your servant, therefore, a listening heart 

to judge your people and to distinguish between good and evil” (1 

Kings 3:9). God answered Solomon’s request, giving him a wisdom that 

surpassed that of any other human being. People came from far and wide 

to learn from Solomon, and Israel’s reputation as a great kingdom spread. 

Solomon continued the 

line of David and 

ruled Israel with 

unsurpassed wisdom 

that God granted him. 

 

King Solomon by Simeon Solomon (ca. 1872–1874). 



181 

Solomon used his wisdom to teach his people using parables and was 

challenged in his wisdom. Perhaps the most well-known story demonstrating 

Solomon’s wisdom is that of the two women who each claimed to be 

the mother of the same infant son (1 Kings 3:16–28). Solomon pretended 

to decide that it would be best to cut the child in two so each woman could 

have half. In response, the real mother begged Solomon to give the child 

to the other woman to spare his life, and from this, Solomon determined 

who the real mother was. 

In his wisdom, Solomon is a type of Christ, who likewise possessed 

divine wisdom. The prophet Isaiah would prophesy that the Messiah to 

come (who would be Jesus) would possess a “spirit of wisdom” (Isa. 

11:2). And the Gospels tell us that Jesus “advanced [in] wisdom” (Luke 

2:52) and that the crowds marveled at His wisdom, asking “Where did this 

man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?” (Matt. 13:54). Jesus taught 

in parables and was continually challenged by the priests and scribes. But 

Solomon’s wisdom was not the only way he prefigured Christ. 

Queen Mother 

Scripture tells us Solomon greatly honored his mother, Bathsheba: “Then 

Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, and 

the king stood up to meet her and paid her homage. Then he sat down 

upon his throne, and a throne was provided for the king’s mother, who 

sat at his right” (1 Kings 2:19). Seated at her son’s right hand, Bathsheba 

was the Queen Mother, advisor to the king like no other, and the only person 

the king himself would bow to. Solomon and the kings after him had 

numerous wives, making it difficult if not impossible for any one of them to 

be queen. Thus, the role and authority of queen fell to the king’s mother, 

who reigned by his side. Even more, the requests of the Queen Mother held 

special importance to the king. When Bathsheba asked her son for a favor, 

he replied, “Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you” (1 Kings 2:20). 

Solomon’s honor for and obedience to his mother foreshadow the 

honor and obedience of Jesus to His mother, Mary. Likewise, Bathsheba 

and the role of Queen Mother itself foreshadow the Blessed Mother. It 

was at Mary’s request that Jesus began His public ministry with His first 

miracle, turning water to wine at a wedding at Cana (John 2:1–11). Just as 

Solomon did as his mother requested, so too did Jesus — and He still does 

so today from Heaven. According to Sacred Tradition, Mary was assumed 

into Heaven at the end of her earthly life, where she is seated at the right 

hand of her Son, the King of the Universe, as Queen of Heaven. There, 

she intercedes on our behalf, taking our requests to her Son and imploring 

His response. It is for this reason we as Catholics honor Mary (in imitation 

of Jesus) and believe her intercession to be so powerful. 

Vocabulary 

Queen Mother (n.): The 

title given to the mothers 

of kings in the line of 

David who reigned as 

queen alongside their 

sons. 

Queen of Heaven (n.): 

A title given to Jesus’ 

mother, the Virgin Mary, 

who, after her Assumption 

into Heaven, sits at the 

right hand of her Son, who 

is King of the Universe 

and who fulfills all God’s 

promises to David. 

Intercession (n.): Prayer 

for the needs of others. 

Bathsheba 

was the Queen 

Mother, advisor 

to the king like 

no other, and 

the only person 

the king himself 

would bow to. 




Bathsheba 

Solomon had not been king for long and yet they 

came to him as though he was his father, David. 

Surely David had not intended the mess that the 

succession caused. David had sons from various 

women, and it was only natural that they too 

would desire the throne. Adonijah, son of David 

and Haggith, was the boldest of them. Surely, he 

whose name meant “My Lord is Yahweh” would be 

the favored son and king over all of Israel and welcome 

the accolades that came with divine favor. 

But both God and David’s plan was different. 

Of all the women who bore David sons, his wife 

Bathsheba had his heart, and Solomon was their 

son. As Adonijah went through the pageantry of 

declaring himself king and playing the part, David 

promised Bathsheba: “As the LORD lives, who 

has redeemed my life from all distress, this 

very day I will fulfill the oath I swore to you 

by the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Your son 

Solomon shall be king after me and shall sit 

upon my throne in my place’” (1 Kings 1:29– 

30). David followed through on his promise and 

Solomon was made king over all of Israel. 

The ego of Adonijah had been bruised by the 

succession, but he had a plan. A woman named 

Abishag had been the attendant of David in his 

final years. Perhaps if he made her his wife, 

Adonijah could claim special favor in Solomon’s 

court, helping him lay claim to the throne in the 

future. 

Adonijah knew all too well the realities of state 

power. The king might not listen to him, but his 

queen surely would. The queen was not one of 

the many wives kings in those days would take. 

Rather, to ensure a proper dynastic succession, 

the king’s mother was his 

queen. Solomon’s mother, 

Bathsheba, exuded tenderness 

and care. Though she 

was not his own mother, 

Adonijah thought he could 

appeal to her motherly heart; 

surely, she could speak to 

the king on his behalf. In the 

kingdom of David, the mother 

could always intercede to her 

son; the King would always 

give her his ear. 

“Please ask King Solomon, who will not 

refuse you, to give me Abishag the Shunamite 

to be my wife” (1 Kings 2:17), said Adonijah. 

Bathsheba listened patiently to Adonijah’s request. 

She had the ear of both petitioner and king, 

able to speak tenderly to both. “Very well, I will 

speak to the king for you” (1 Kings 2:18). She 

committed to bring Adonijah’s request to the king. 

Bathsheba approached Solomon as both his 

queen and mother. “There is one small favor I 

would ask of you. Do not refuse me,” she said 

to her son. The king beheld his queen and replied, 

“ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you” 

(1 Kings 2:20). From there she would make the 

request and Adonijah’s fate would be in the king’s 

hands. 

Bathsheba 

listened 

patiently to 

Adonijah’s 

request. 

So it was with the queens in the courts of the 

sons of David and so it is today. The Messiah, the 

Christ, is the Son of David, Jesus the Lord. His 

mother is His queen. The requests we place in 

her care are delivered to her Son and He hears 

our requests in the voice of His beloved mother. 



183 

The Temple of Solomon 

God’s promise to David that his son would build God a temple also came to 

pass during Solomon’s reign. Solomon’s Temple took seven years to build 

and was built to precise specifications detailed in three three chapters of 1 

Kings (6–8). Just as people came from around the world to hear Solomon’s 

wisdom, so too did they come to help with its construction, making it, even 

from its building, a center of worship for the whole world. When completed, 

the Temple was a sight to be behold; it was crafted from the finest materials 

and, especially in the innermost sanctuary — the holy of holies — it 

was ornately decorated with flowing water, gold, jewels, and statues and 

carvings of angels and palm trees. 

The description of the Temple from 1 Kings 6–8 should sound familiar 

to anyone who has studied Salvation History and would have been even 

more familiar to people of Israel who were fortunate enough to see it and 

worship in it. The Temple was built to similar specifications as the tabernacle 

of Moses where God dwelled with the Israelites during their desert 

wanderings (as we learned in chapter 7). The Temple, however, exceeded 

the tabernacle in every way. Further, recall how we learned in our study of 

creation in chapter 4 that creation itself can be understood to be a sort of 

temple or house of worship for God, with the Garden of Eden as its tabernacle. 

The way Solomon’s Temple was built and decorated was meant 

to be a microcosm of creation, or re-presentation of creation in miniature. 

The tabernacle of the Temple was meant to be a new Eden, a new dwelling 

place for God and place of worship for His people. Solomon even had 

the Ark of the Covenant brought inside the tabernacle and placed within 

the holy of holies, and the presence of the Lord was among them (1 Kings 

8:10–11). Cementing the fact that the Temple was intended to be a new 

Eden and a sort of new creation, it took seven years to build the Temple, 

and Solomon had it dedicated on the seventh month of the year during a 

ceremony that lasted seven days, concluding with a seven-part prayer, just 

like the seven days of creation that culminated with God’s oath-swearing 

on the Sabbath. 

Thanksgiving Sacrifice 

Perhaps the greatest form of worship in the Temple was the Todah, or 

Thanksgiving Sacrifice, the basic instructions for which were outlined in the 

book of Leviticus. Different from other burnt offerings for sin, the Todah was 

a freely offered sacrifice made by a person that expressed thanksgiving 

to God for some good thing. It consisted of a sacred meal of unleavened 

bread, wine, and a sacrificed animal whose flesh had to be eaten within the 

same day of its offering. For this reason, a Todah celebration was often a 

Vocabulary 

Temple of Jerusalem 

(n.): God’s dwelling place 

on earth during the time 

of the Davidic kingdom. 

It was the primary 

Jewish house of worship 

destroyed and rebuilt two 

times between 1000–20 

B.C. All that remains of 

the second Temple is the 

Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. 

The Holy of Holies (n.): 

The inner-most sanctuary 

of the tabernacle in the 

Temple of Jerusalem. 

It housed the Ark of 

the Covenant and was 

separate from the outer 

sanctuary by an ornate 

veil or curtain. 

Todah (n.): Hebrew for 

“thanksgiving.” It was 

the greatest form of 

worship in the Temple of 

Jerusalem, consisting of 

a sacred meal of bread 

and wine freely offered in 

sacrifice by a person to 

express thanksgiving to 

God for some good thing. 

The Todah foreshadows 

the sacred meal of bread 

and wine Jesus changed 

into His Body and Blood, 

Soul and Divinity at the 

Last Supper and that 

we still receive today in 

the Eucharist (Greek for 

“thanksgiving”) at every 

Mass. 



Solomon used his 

wisdom to build a 

kingdom for God but 

eventually sought 

his own gain and 

promoted idolatry. 

King Solomon Sacrificing to the Idols by Sébastìen Bourdon (17th century). 

feast for family and friends, and even the poor were invited to participate. 

The sacred meal was accompanied by the singing of hymns of thanksgiving, 

some of which we find collected in the book of Psalms. The Passover 

meal God had commanded the people to memorialize every year was a 

type of Todah, the ultimate offering of thanksgiving for God’s saving actions. 

The Apostles and the earliest Christians (who were all Jewish) would 

have instantly recognized that the Eucharist, the sacrificial offering of Jesus’ 

Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity that Jesus instituted at the Last Supper 

(itself a Passover meal Jesus would transform into the Passover of the 

New Covenant) was like the Todah. In fact, the word Eucharist comes 

from the Greek word eucharistia which means “thanksgiving.” Jesus transformed 

the greatest form of worship in the Temple of the Old Covenant into 

the greatest form of worship in the Church in the New Covenant. 

A House of Worship for All the Nations and Solomon’s 

Unfaithfulness 

When Solomon prayed to dedicate the Temple, he asked God to be with 

his people even if they should disobey, and he prayed that “all the peoples 

of the earth may know your name, may revere you as do your 

people Israel, and may know that your name has been invoked upon 

this house that I have built” (1 Kings 8:43). By this prayer, Solomon 



185 

showed that the Temple was not only for Israel, but for all people. Though 

Israel was God’s Chosen People, they were to bring Him to the world so 

everyone could know of the free gift of salvation He would bring about. 

This moment marked a sea change in how Israel related with other nations. 

On Mount Sinai, God had told His people He wanted them to be a light to 

other nations and to help all the people of the earth walk in God’s ways. 

But then the Israelites showed themselves incapable of answering that call. 

From that point forward, God commanded Israel to remain separate from 

other nations so He could better form them as His own. Solomon’s prayer 

signified that at long last, Israel was ready to be the witness to the world 

God had always meant them to be. 

Solomon, however, like many of his ancestors before him, failed to 

remain faithful to the Lord. In order to strengthen his kingdom, he took as 

wives “seven hundred princesses and three hundred concubines” (1 

Kings 11:3). His wives were the daughters of foreign kings, from nations 

“the Lord had said to the Israelites: ‘You shall not join with them and 

they shall not join with you, lest they turn your hearts to their gods’” 

(1 Kings 11:2). God’s warning soon came true, and Solomon built temples 

to his wives’ gods too. Even more, he taxed his people heavily in order to 

undertake his vast building projects, and he failed to teach his son and 

heir, Rehoboam, how to rule wisely and faithfully. All the great wisdom God 

had given Solomon was given so he could build a kingdom for God, which 

Solomon did at first, but later in his reign, he ended up building a kingdom 

for himself. And like all things of this world, it did not last. 

Vocabulary 

Kingdom of Israel (n.): 

The name of the Northern 

Kingdom, with its capital 

in Samaria, after the 

original Kingdom of David 

split into two. 

Kingdom of Judah (n.): 

The name of the Southern 

Kingdom, with its capital 

in Jerusalem, after the 

original Kingdom of David 

split into two. 

Samaria (n.): The capital 

city of the Northern 

Kingdom of Israel. 

Jerusalem (n.): The 

captial city of the united 

Kingdom of Israel under 

kings David and Solomon, 

and later the capital city of 

the Southern Kingdom of 

Judah. 

Collapse 

After Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam also taxed the people heavily 

to subsidize his lavish lifestyle, and in protest, ten of Israel’s Twelve Tribes 

rebelled. They separated from him, named another man, Jeroboam, their 

king, and formed a new kingdom, which they continued to call Israel. Only 

two tribes remained with the house of David in the south: the small tribe 

of Benjamin and the large tribe of Judah. The Southern Kingdom took the 

larger tribe’s name and became known as Judah. The new Kingdom of 

Israel would eventually settle on Samaria as their capital city, while the 

Southern Kingdom of Judah maintained their capital in Jerusalem. 

The leader of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam, proved no 

better than Rehoboam in the south. Cruel and godless, he offered sacrifices 

to two golden calves (1 Kings 12:32), just as his ancestors did during 

the Exodus at Mount Sinai. In fact, the Northern Kingdom never had one 

righteous king throughout their history. At the same time, just as the people 

increasingly turned their backs on God in the north, the people of the 



Vocabulary 

Prophet (n.): A person 

who spoke for God and 

made known God’s 

message to His people. 

They proclaimed hope 

and salvation if the 

people would repent 

and worship God and 

foretold destruction and 

exile if they did not. From 

the Greek prophetes, 

meaning “one who speaks 

for another.” 

Baal (n.): A Canaanite 

fertility god whom the 

people of Israel and 

Judah frequently turned to 

in idolatrous worship. 

The people of 

Israel followed 

[Ahab’s] lead 

and began to 

worship Baal 

and forget the 

Lord. 

Kingdom of Judah in the south began to forget God’s ways and worship 

false gods. Eventually, a series of kings from both the north and the south 

went to war against each other (1 Kings 15–16). 

Throughout this upheaval, however, God was patient with His people. 

Over the course of two hundred years, He sent many prophets to them. The 

prophets (whom we learn more about in chapter 13) called the Israelites to 

repentance and to return to the Lord; yet, in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, 

no one listened. (Note that when you read from the books of the prophets 

in the Old Testament, when a prophet addressed “Israel,” or “Samaria,” it 

is a clue to us that he was living in and preaching to the Northern Kingdom. 

Similarly, if a prophet addressed “Judah” or “Jerusalem,” it tells us he was 

living in and preaching to the Southern Kingdom.) 

Elijah and Elisha 

In the middle of this strife, God sent a prophet named Elijah and then He 

sent Elijah’s disciple, Elisha. Elijah is revered as the greatest of the Old 

Testament prophets. Due in part to the influence of his foreign wife, Jezebel, 

the king of Israel at the time, Ahab, had fallen into worship of the pagan 

god Baal. He built a temple dedicated to Baal in Samaria along with places 

of worship for other pagan fertility gods. The people of Israel followed his 

lead and began to worship Baal and forget the Lord. Jezebel even hunted 

down, persecuted, and imprisoned those who worshiped God, including 

His prophets. The sacred author of 1 Kings described Ahab: “Ahab did 

more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than any of the 

kings of Israel before him” (1 Kings 16:33). 

Elijah the Miracle Worker 

Elijah — which in Hebrew means “My God is Yahweh” — came to remind 

the People of God, call them to repentance, and return them to right worship. 

Much like Moses sending the plagues in Egypt, Elijah performed wonderous 

miracles as proof of God’s existence and power to the people. This 

ability to perform miracles was made evident from the first moment we 

meet him in Scripture when he caused a draught for three years by preventing 

the dew and rain from falling “except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). 

Elijah, hiding from King Ahab’s wrath during this time, met a widow and her 

son in the desert. There, he multiplied her meager supplies of a “handful 

of flour” and “a little oil” (1 Kings 17:12) to feed the three of them until 

the draught had ended. He even raised the widow’s son from the dead after 

he fell ill (1 Kings 17:17–24), leading the widow to proclaim, “Now indeed 

I know that you are a man of God, and it is truly the word of the LORD 

that you speak” (1 Kings 17:24). 



187 

Elijah and the Priests of Baal 

In one of the most well-known stories of Elijah’s ministry, in which he 

brought the draught to an end, Elijah challenged 450 priests of Baal to 

prove their god was real in front of the assembled people by calling upon 

Baal to send fire to consume a sacrificed bull upon an altar. After the priests 

prayed to Baal for an entire day, no fire came from the false god. Then 

Elijah built an altar out of 12 stones (one for each of the Twelve Tribes 

of Israel), sacrificed a bull, and had four large jars of water poured over 

it three times. Then he prayed to God that “this people may know that 

you, Lord, are God and that you have turned their hearts back to you” 

(1 Kings 18:37). Fire came down from the sky and consumed the soaking 

wet bull and the entire altar so that nothing remained. Everyone was astonished 

and the people immediately fell to the ground and proclaimed “The 

Lord is God! The Lord is God!” (1 Kings 18:39). Finally, after having the 

priests of Baal killed for their idolatry, Elijah brought rain back to the land. 

The Prophet Elijah Receiving Bread and Water from an Angel 

by Peter Paul Rubens (ca. 1625–1628). 

God sent the prophet 

Elijah to work wondrous 

miracles for the Israelites 

during their strife. 



The Still Small Voice 

It is often easy 

to overlook 

God’s presence 

in the small 

things and the 

un-extraordinary 

moments of our 

day-to-day lives. 

Ahab and his wife sought to kill Elijah, and Elijah fled again into the wilderness, 

where he was fed by an angel and was given strength to journey 

for 40 days and nights. He finally arrived at Mt. Horeb (also known as 

Mt. Sinai), the same place Moses had received the Ten Commandments 

from God, and he took shelter in a cave. There the “word of the Lord 

came” to Elijah and asked him, “Why are you here?” (1 Kings 19:9). 

Elijah expressed his sadness to the Lord that, despite his dedication and 

faithfulness, the people still sought to kill him. In comforting reply, God 

told Elijah he would “pass by” (1 Kings 19:11), much as He has passed 

by Moses and allowed Moses to look upon Him. As Elijah looked for the 

Lord, a “strong and violent wind” came, then an earthquake, and then 

fire — but the Lord was not in these things (1 Kings 19:11). Finally, the Lord 

was found in a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12, Revised Standard 

Version). God spoke to Elijah again and commanded him to go back and 

continue his ministry, this time, with the help of a man named Elisha, whom 

he would anoint as his successor. 

This story holds much importance for our own spiritual lives. Of course, 

God, who is all-powerful, can and does choose to show forth His presence 

in displays of power and might. In many ways it is in these sorts of things 

that, like Elijah, we expect to find God (even today we frequently refer to 

earthquakes, storms, fires, and other sorts of natural disasters as “acts of 

God”). But it is often easy to overlook God’s presence in the small things 

and the un-extraordinary moments of our day-to-day lives. While we may 

personally only experience a handful of theophany moments (if any) during 

our lifetimes, we do encounter God daily in everything we do and in everyone 

we meet. These encounters are no less experiences of God than 

if fire had fallen from the sky before us. We just need to train ourselves to 

see them. 

The End of Elijah’s Earthly Life 

Eventually, the end of Elijah’s ministry came. Elijah had indeed taken Elisha 

as his disciple and trained him to be a prophet after him. At the end of 

Elijah’s life, Elisha requested of Elijah, “May I receive a double portion of 

your spirit” (2 Kings 2:9). Then, a “fiery chariot and fiery horses came” 

and “Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind” (2 Kings 2:11). A proper 

understanding of the ending of Elijah’s earthly life has been much debated 

by biblical scholars. Did he die a physical death? Was he assumed into 

Heaven like Mary? While we do not know with certainty what happened 

exactly, we can definitively interpret this moment as a foreshadowing of 

Jesus’ own Ascension into Heaven. 



189 

Typology of Elijah 

In some ways, Elijah was a type of Jesus — in his lifting up to Heaven, as a 

prophet like Moses who had to deal with His people’s continual idolatry and 

unfaithfulness, as a miracle worker, and by his journey in the desert to Mt. 

Horeb (Mt. Sinai), where he encountered God. Jesus is a New Moses — He 

is a miracle worker and He would lead God’s people on a new Exodus from 

the slavery of sin and deliver a New Law — and, after His Resurrection, He 

ascended into Heaven. 

But the New Testament figure most closely associated with Elijah is 

John the Baptist. John is described as looking nearly identical to Elijah in 

appearance (see 2 Kings 1:8, Mark 1:6–7, and Matt. 3:4). Because of the 

prophecies of the later prophet Malachi (Mal. 3), the Jews believed that 

Elijah would one day return to usher in the age of the Messiah. When John 

the Baptist did just that, many of the people wondered aloud if John was 

indeed Elijah himself returned. Jesus’ Apostles asked Him about Elijah, to 

which Jesus responded, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; 

but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize 

him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man 

suffer at their hands” (Matt. 17: 11–12). In other words, Jesus confirmed 

that John the Baptist, while not Elijah himself, fulfilled the role of Elijah in 

preparing the way for the Messiah. 

Elijah was swept up 

to heaven in a fiery 

chariot and horses, 

both prophesying and 

prefiguring Christ in his 

life. 

Elijah Taken Up in a Chariot of Fire by Giuseppe Angeli (ca. 1740–1755). 



Elisha succeeded 

Elijah and was known 

for being a greater 

miracle worker, 

even raising men 

from the dead. 

 

The Dead Man Restored to Life by Touching 

the Bones of the Prophet Elisha (1811–1813). 

Elisha 

After witnessing Elijah being taken into Heaven, Elisha “picked up the 

mantle which had fallen from Elijah” (2 Kings 2:13) and immediately 

used it to part the waters of the Jordan River to cross to the other side on 

dry land (just as Elijah had previously done). This moment not-so-subtly 

symbolized Elisha picking up where Elijah had left off. In fact, Elisha became 

known as an even greater miracle worker than Elijah and the greatest 

of all the prophets of the Old Testament. Elisha’s miracles included 

twice raising someone from the dead (2 Kings 4:18–37; 13:20–21), filling a 

dry well with water (2 Kings 3:16–18), multiplying bread to feed a crowd (2 

Kings 4:42–44), and blinding an entire enemy army (2 Kings 6:8–23). The 

political situation during Elisha’s time as a prophet was even more complicated 

than during the time of Elijah before him, with many kings coming 

into and falling out of power. Elisha’s miracles and preaching managed to 

maintain some semblance of faith among the people, but, after his death, 

Israel soon fell back into their idolatrous ways and continued to be ruled by 

a succession of bad kings. 



191 


Mary is incredibly misunderstood by most people outside the Catholic Church 

and even by many within the Church. Most notable is the misconception that 

Catholics worship the Virgin Mary, detracting from the true worship that should 

go to God alone. The story of Solomon and his mother helps to set the record 

straight by providing an important key to understanding the role of Queen 

Mother, a role also possessed by Mary. Bathsheba, as the mother of the king, 

ruled beside her son. The king bowed to her alone and turned to her for guidance. 

In the same way, Mary’s role in our salvation is intimately connected to 

Christ the King. Catholic Tradition holds that Mary, after her Assumption, was 

crowned Queen of Heaven and earth beside her victorious Son. Because of 

this queenly role, Mary intercedes for us, bringing our petitions to Jesus. 

But Mary is far more than just our queen. In His tender compassion for 

the world, Jesus gave His mother to us all. While He hung in agony on the 

Cross, Jesus’ focus was on us. Reading the account of the Crucifixion in John’s 

Gospel reveals that when Jesus said to John “Behold your mother,” He was 

speaking to each one of us as well. As God’s spotless creation, free from 

Original Sin, Mary is our perfect mother. As we grow in a relationship with her, 

she continually brings us to her Son, Jesus Christ. There is no need to fear 

loving Mary too much, for we could never possibly love her as much as Jesus 

Himself loves her. Through her, we can approach the throne of the King of 

Kings and gain eternal life with the Trinity and all the saints. 


192 


Chapter 10 


1 Who was Solomon? What gift did God grant him? How did Solomon use this gift? 

2 What special privileges were granted to the Queen Mother? How is the role of Queen Mother 

a foreshadowing of Mary? 

3 How was Solomon’s Temple a microcosm of creation? 

4 What was the Todah? How is it connected to both the Passover and the Eucharist? 

5 How was the Temple a house of prayer for all the nations? What was God’s intention for the 

people of Israel? 

6 What led to Solomon’s unfaithfulness? 

7 Why did the Kingdom of Israel split into two? What did the Northern Kingdom become known 

as, and where was its capital city? What did the Southern Kingdom become known as, and 

where was its capital city? 

8 Why did God send the prophet Elijah to the Northern Kingdom? 

9 Why did Elijah perform miracles? What were some of the major miracles he performed? 

10 While searching for God from a mountain, how did Elijah encounter God? What does this fact 

reveal for our own spiritual lives? 

11 How did the end of Elijah’s earthly life foreshadow Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven? 

12 How is Elijah a type of John the Baptist? 

13 What was Elisha most known for? 

14 Why did Adonijah go to Bathsheba with his request? 



193 



Excerpt from the General Audience of Pope St. John Paul II, July 23, 1997 

3. The title of Queen does not of course replace that of Mother: her queenship remains a corollary of her 

particular maternal mission and simply expresses the power conferred on her to carry out that mission. 

Citing Pius IX’s Bull Ineffabilis Deus, the Supreme Pontiff highlights this maternal dimension of the Blessed 

Virgin’s queenship: “Having a motherly affection for us and being concerned for our salvation, she extends 

her care to the whole human race. Appointed by the Lord as Queen of heaven and earth, raised above all 

the choirs of angels and the whole celestial hierarchy of saints, sitting at the right hand of her only Son, our 

Lord Jesus Christ, she obtains with great certainty what she asks with her motherly prayers; she obtains 

what she seeks and it cannot be denied her” (cf. AAS 46 [1954] 636–637). 

4. Therefore Christians look with trust to Mary Queen and this not only does not diminish but indeed exalts 

their filial abandonment to her, who is mother in the order of grace. 

Indeed, the concern Mary Queen has for mankind can be fully effective precisely by virtue of her glorious 

state which derives from the Assumption. St Germanus I of Constantinople highlights this very well. He 

holds that this state guarantees Mary’s intimate relationship with her Son and enables her to intercede in 

our favour. Addressing Mary he says: Christ wanted “to have, so to speak, the closeness of your lips and 

your heart; thus he assents to all the desires you express to him, when you suffer for your children, with 

his divine power he does all that you ask of him” (Hom. 1 PG 98, 348). 

1 According to Pope St. John Paul II, which of Mary’s roles is of greater importance? Which one 

serves the other? Why do you think it is important to view her roles in this order? 

2 St. Germanus I of Constantinople, whom the pope quotes at the end of the excerpt, lived 1300 

years ago. How does his quote demonstrate the veneration the Catholic Church has long given 

to Mary? 

3 How is the teaching of the pope here a reflection of what you have learned from this chapter about 

the role of the Queen Mother in the Davidic kingdom? 


194 




Excerpt from the General Audience of Pope Benedict XVI, June 15, 2011 

The people for which Elijah prayed was faced with its own truth, and the prophet asked that the truth of 

the Lord might also be shown and that he intervene to convert Israel, detaching it from the deception 

of idolatry and thereby bringing it to salvation. His request was that the people might finally realize and 

know in fullness, who truly is its God, and make a decisive choice to follow him alone, the true God. For 

only in this way is God recognized for what he is, Absolute and Transcendent, ruling out the possibility of 

setting him beside other gods, which would deny that he was absolute and relativize him. This is the faith 

that makes Israel the People of God; it is the faith proclaimed by the well known text of the Shema‘ Israel: 

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love, the Lord your God with all your heart, 

and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Dt 6:4–5). The believer must respond to the Absolute of 

God with an absolute, total love that binds his whole life, his strength, his heart. And it was for the very 

heart of his people that the prophet, with his prayers, was imploring conversion: “that this people may 

know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back” (1 Kings 18:37). Elijah, with 

his intercession, asked of God what God himself wanted to do, to show himself in all his mercy, faithful to 

his reality as the Lord of life who forgives, converts and transforms. 

1 In this excerpt from a General Audience, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was reflecting on Elijah’s 

challenge to the priests of Baal. What does the pope emeritus suggest was the primary concern 

of Elijah during this event? 

2 The Shema is a central Jewish prayer that expresses a core Jewish belief. What is this belief? In 

what ways do we as Catholics also express this belief? 



195 



Gaudium et Spes 58, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern 

World, December 7, 1965 

58. There are many ties between the message of salvation and human culture. For God, revealing Himself 

to His people to the extent of a full manifestation of Himself in His Incarnate Son, has spoken according 

to the culture proper to each epoch. 

Likewise the Church, living in various circumstances in the course of time, has used the discoveries of 

different cultures so that in her preaching she might spread and explain the message of Christ to all nations, 

that she might examine it and more deeply understand it, that she might give it better expression in 

liturgical celebration and in the varied life of the community of the faithful. 

But at the same time, the Church, sent to all peoples of every time and place, is not bound exclusively and 

indissolubly to any race or nation, any particular way of life or any customary way of life recent or ancient. 

Faithful to her own tradition and at the same time conscious of her universal mission, she can enter into 

communion with the various civilizations, to their enrichment and the enrichment of the Church herself. 

The Gospel of Christ constantly renews the life and culture of fallen man, it combats and removes the 

errors and evils resulting from the permanent allurement of sin. It never ceases to purify and elevate the 

morality of peoples. By riches coming from above, it makes fruitful, as it were from within, the spiritual 

qualities and traditions of every people of every age. It strengthens, perfects and restores them in Christ. 

Thus the Church, in the very fulfillment of her own function, stimulates and advances human and civic 

culture; by her action, also by her liturgy, she leads them toward interior liberty. 

1 How does this excerpt from Gaudium et Spes argue that the Church has taken up the mission God 

gave to His Chosen People to be a light to nations and help all the people of the earth to walk in 

His way? 

2 What are some practical ways the Gospel of Christ has renewed and continues to renew the life 

and culture of man? 


Chapter 11 

Exile, Return, 

and Revolt 


■ 2 Chronicles 

■ Ezra 

■ Nehemiah 

■ Tobit 

■ Judith 

■ Esther 

■ 1 and 2 

Maccabees

Unit 4, Chapter 11: Exile, Return, and Revolt 

197 


The final historical books of the Old Testament chronicle how, despite having only two 

righteous kings during that time, the Southern Kingdom of Judah survived for over a 

century after the fall of the north. Eventually, however, Judah fell to the Babylonians and 

the Jews went into exile. Stripped of everything but their faith while in exile, the people 

turned back to God. When Persia conquered Babylon, some Jews chose to return to 

Jerusalem with the king’s permission to rebuild the city and the Temple. When Persia fell 

to the Macedonians, however, the Jews were forced to adopt Greek religion and customs 

until a group of rebels managed to liberate Judea and rededicate the Temple. They would 

remain free until the country fell to the Romans in 63 BC. 


■ The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC and many of the people were deported, 

never to be heard from again; the Southern Kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians in 586 BC and the 

people were exiled in Babylon for more than 50 years. 

■ Before the Babylonian Exile, two good kings ruled Judah who returned the people to right worship of God. 

■ The Babylonian Exile represented a renewal of Jewish faith and culture as the people, stripped of their 

influence and wealth, rediscovered the faith of their ancestors. 

■ The Persian king Cyrus the Great allowed the Jews to return to their homeland in 539 BC and even 

provided assistance in rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple. 

■ Ezra and Nehemiah helped to restore not only the physical walls and Temple of Jerusalem, but also the 

faith of the people. 

■ The Books of Tobit, Judith, and Esther represent a sub-genre of historical writing, historical novella, that 

tells imaginative stories of historical people and events. 

■ The Maccabean Revolt successfully overthrew the Greek rule of Jerusalem and eventually reclaimed much 

of Judah, and it established an independent Jewish kingdom once again under the Hasmonean Dynasty 

until they were conquered by the Romans in 63 BC. 

Bible Basics 


Therefore, LORD, our God, save us from this man’s power, 

that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, 

LORD, are God. 

2 KINGS 19:19 

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all 

your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” 

MARK 12:30 

Ezra 1 

Ezra 3 

Ezra 7 

Ezra 9–10 

Nehemiah 1–2 

Nehemiah 8–9 

Nehemiah 13 

Tobit 8 

Judith 16:1–20 

1 Maccabees 2:1–48 



2 Maccabees 12:38-46 



Vocabulary 

Assyrians (n.): A 

Mesopotamian people 

who, at various times 

between 2025 BC–609 

BC, ruled an empire 

consisting of parts of 

the ancient Near East, 

including Egypt for a time. 

The Assyrians conquered 

the Northern Kingdom of 

Israel in 722 BC, sending 

many of the people of the 

ten northern tribes into 

exile, never to be heard 

from again. 

[Hezekiah] had 

the Temple 

cleansed of 

pagan influence, 

repaired and 

re-consecrated 

to the Lord, 

and had the 

various sites of 

pagan worship 

removed from 

around Judah. 

The Fall of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms 

In 722 BC, the Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians. 

Many of the land’s inhabitants were sent into exile, never to be heard from 

again. Others were killed, while only a few remained in Israel, intermarrying 

with foreigners brought in by Assyria. These people became known as the 

Samaritans, and by Jesus’ time were considered outcasts in Jewish society. 

The people of the Southern Kingdom of Judah fared somewhat better 

for a time. Although many kings as cruel and godless as Jeroboam came 

to rule over them, two kings, Hezekiah and then Josiah, both descendants 

of King David, at least tried to bring their people back to the Lord. 

Hezekiah 

King Hezekiah worked to reform the faith of Judah and resisted the 

Assyrian empire (though he was only partially successful). He had the 

Temple cleansed of pagan influence, repaired and re-consecrated to the 

Lord, and had the various sites of pagan worship removed from around 

Judah. He celebrated a proper Passover for the first time in many years, 

inviting people from all of Judah and Israel to the memorial. He rebuffed 

the military advances of the Assyrians after they invaded Judah, surviving 

a siege on Jerusalem due to his foresight to fortify the walls of the 

city and build a tunnel to deliver water (known as Hezekiah’s Tunnel), 

which still exists today. As the siege dragged on, Hezekiah turned to the 

prophet Isaiah (whom we will learn more about in chapter 13) for help. 

Isaiah prophesied that the Assyrians would “fall by the sword in this 

land” (2 Kings 19:7) and Hezekiah prayed for their deliverance so “all 

the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God” 

(2 Kings 19:19). That night, an angel of the Lord came and struck dead 

185,000 Assyrian soldiers, causing the Assyrian army to give up the siege 

and depart. It was also to Hezekiah that Isaiah prophesied of the coming 

exile into Babylon of the inhabitants of Judah. Unfortunately, Hezekiah’s 

reforms were short lived. After his death, his son Manasseh, one of the 

most wicked kings in the history of Judah, undid all his father had done 

and then some. 

Josiah 

Nearly 60 years after Hezekiah’s death, another king — Josiah — was perhaps 

the most successful at restoring right worship to Judah, primarily 

because he found the lost book of Deuteronomy (called the Book of the 

Law) while making repairs on the Temple. After making inquiries about the 

book, Josiah concluded it was the true word of God and called the people 

to obey it. 



199 

After Josiah’s death, 

the Israelites yet again 

lapsed into evildoing and 

idolatry. 

Vocabulary 

Babylonians (n.): A 

Mesopotamian people 

originating from the 

ancient city of Babylon 

who ruled an empire 

consisting in part of the 

remains of the defeated 

Assyrian empire from 

626–539 BC. They 

conquered the Southern 

Kingdom of Judah in 586 

BC and exiled the people 

to Babylon for more than 

50 years. 

The Death of King Josiah by Antonio Zanchi (date unknown). 

After Josiah read the Book of the Law to them, all the people in Judah 

swore to obey its commands. At the king’s orders, all the altars to pagan 

gods were burned, foreign cults expelled, and all foreign religious practices 

banned. Josiah even reintroduced the celebration of Passover. Of him, 

the Bible says, “Before him there had been no king who turned to the 

LORD as he did, with his whole heart, his whole being, and his whole 

strength, in accord with the entire law of Moses; nor did any king like 

him arise after him” (2 Kings 23:25). These words are reminiscent of the 

first great commandment Jesus taught centuries later: “You shall love 

the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your 

mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). 

But the reform lasted only as long as Josiah’s reign. As soon as he 

died, yet another bad king took his place and the people lapsed back into 

their old ways. So, in 586 BC, God gave Judah over to the Babylonians, 

who conquered the Southern Kingdom. The Babylonians killed the reigning 

Davidic king, destroyed the Temple, and deported the people. 



Vocabulary 

Babylon (n.): The 

ancient captial city of 

the Babylonian Empire 

founded in 2300 BC and 

located on the shores of 

the Euphrates River in 

modern-day Iraq. 

Babylonian Captivity 

(n.): The name for the 

period of exile and 

captivity of the people of 

Judah in Babylon after 

they were conquered by 

the Babylonians in 586 

BC. It became a time of 

great renewal of Jewish 

faith and culture as the 

people rediscovered the 

faith of their ancestors, 

resurrected ancient feasts 

and prayers, and devoted 

themselves to the study of 

Scripture. 

Persians (n.): A people 

originating from modernday 

Iran who ruled a 

vast empire, founded by 

Cyrus the Great, from 550 

BC–330 BC, consisting 

in part of the remnants of 

the defeated Babylonian 

Empire and many other 

kingdoms and city-states 

stretching from eastern 

Europe to western Asia. 

In 538 BC, the Persians, 

under the rule of Cyrus, 

allowed the Jews to return 

to Judah and rebuild the 

Temple of Jerusalem, 

ending the Babylonian 

Captivity. 

The Davidic Dynasty had lasted more than 500 years, one of the longest 

unbroken dynasties in history. But 500 years is not forever, and to the 

people of Judah, in 586 BC, it seemed as if God had gone back on His 

promise to David. 

Ezra and Nehemiah 

After the fall of Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, tens of thousands 

of Jews — the name given to those from the tribe of Judah — were 

deported and forced to make their home in Babylon where they had no 

money, influence, or power. They did, however, have God. Stripped of all 

the worldly things they had once considered important, those Jews living 

in exile rediscovered the faith of their ancestors. They began studying the 

holy books, resurrecting ancient prayers and feasts, and translating works 

of Scripture. 

In many ways, the Babylonian captivity was a time of great renewal 

for the Jewish people. At the same time, as the decades passed, they also 

grew comfortable in Babylon. They married foreigners, started businesses, 

and built a community there. Because of this, when the Babylonian Empire 

fell to the Persians, led by Cyrus the Great, in 539 BC, and Cyrus granted 

them permission to return to Jerusalem, many chose not to take him up on 

the offer. They knew no other home but Babylon and did not want to leave 

it for the ruins of Jerusalem. 

Those who did decide to return, though, had the promise of Cyrus’s 

help, even to rebuild the Temple. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah begin 

with Cyrus’s proclamation that all the Jews could return to their homeland. 

The books then recount what transpired as the Jews attempted to 

rebuild their holy city. The task was not an easy one, even with Cyrus’s 

help. Many of the neighboring peoples did not want the Jewish people 

back in Jerusalem. Moreover, the Ark of the Covenant was gone, lost in 

the chaos of the Babylonian conquest. The few people who returned had 

neither the money to restore the beauty of the Temple nor the Ark to restore 

its spiritual importance. 

Many years passed, and once again, the Jews living in Jerusalem began 

committing the same sins as their ancestors. Finally, as the Book of 

Ezra tells us, the Persian King Artaxerxes sent Ezra, a priest and scribe, to 

Jerusalem to teach the people the Law. When Ezra arrived, he immediately 

began instructing the people in the Scriptures, reading the Law in the assembly 

and persuading them to give up their foreign wives and ways. Along 

with teaching the Law, Ezra took on the task of translating the Scriptures. 

(By then, few Jews spoke Hebrew. Aramaic had replaced it as the common 

language.) Ezra also edited the Scriptures, and his version would become 

the standard one in use for many years. 



201 

At the Waters of Babylon by Gebhard Fugel (ca. 1920). 

With Ezra’s help, the Jewish people made progress rebuilding their 

temple and, with the support of the Persian king, finally rededicated it and 

celebrated the Passover feast. 

The exile forced the 

Israelites to give up 

worldly distractions and 

to remember God. 

The book of Nehemiah begins with Nehemiah, cupbearer to King 

Artaxerxes, receiving a report that those who returned to Jerusalem from 

exile were in trouble and that Jerusalem’s wall had been breached. After 

praying and fasting for his people, Nehemiah asked the king if he could go 

to Jerusalem to help the Jews. Artaxerxes not only granted his permission, 

but also named Nehemiah governor of Judah. 

When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he discovered that surrounding 

rulers and nations (e.g. Arabs, Ammonites, Ashdodites) were trying to 

curtail the restoration of the city. Despite their attempts to thwart his efforts, 

Nehemiah rebuilt the wall, and, at his request, Ezra read from the Book of 

the Law to all the people gathered. After hearing Ezra, the Jewish people 

cried out to God in sorrow for their sins. They fasted, put on sackcloth (Neh. 

9:1), and made a covenant in which they promised not to disregard worship 

for the Lord or marry off their children to foreigners. 



Vocabulary 

Historical Novella (n.): 

A sub-genre of historical 

literature in the Bible that 

straddles the line between 

historical and wisdom 

literature, portraying 

historical geography, 

situations, and people 

in an imaginative way 

to illustrate truths that 

transcend history. 

The Chronicler 

sought to 

inspire the 

people in their 

efforts to rebuild 

by teaching 

them about their 

past in order to 

learn from it and 

take hope in the 

future. 

1 and 2 Chronicles 

Written in the period after the Jews returned from exile, the books of 

Chronicles, written by an anonymous author typically referred to as “the 

Chronicler,” set about retelling the entire history of God’s people from Adam 

to the end of the Babylonian Exile. Much of the history prior to the royal kingdom 

is retold through extensive genealogies, from Adam to Saul (1 Chron. 

1–9). From this point, the Books of Chronicles focus in greater detail on the 

reigns of Saul, King David (1 Chron. 10–29), King Solomon (2 Chron. 1–9), 

and the various kings of the Southern Kingdom, Judah (2 Chron. 10–36). 

The focus on the Kingdom of Judah was intentional and significant: 

most of the Hebrew people who returned from the Exile were members 

of the two tribes belonging to the Kingdom of Judah. Thus, the Chronicler 

sought to inspire the people in their efforts to rebuild by teaching them 

about their past in order to learn from it and take hope in the future. In this 

retelling of the history of God’s people, many of the same events and stories 

are re-presented from earlier historical books, often with new details 

and interpretations that came with the hindsight of history. Specifically, the 

Chronicler wove into his retelling a greater emphasis on how key moments 

and figures pointed forward to something greater. 

Tobit, Judith, and Esther 

The books of Tobit, Judith, and Esther are set during various times after 

the fall of the kingdoms (Tobit after the Assyrian deportation of the people 

of Israel; Judith during the Assyrian invasion of Israel; and Esther after the 

Babylonian Exile but before Ezra had returned to Jerusalem). These three 

books form a sort of sub-genre of the historical books: historical novella. 

While there is some tradition that some of the events and people portrayed 

in their stories were historically true, they most likely reflect a form of writing 

contemporary to their time that portrayed historical geography, situations, 

and people in an imaginative way (much like novels today). They straddle 

the line between historical and wisdom literature. An introduction to these 

books in the New American Bible revised edition, titled “Biblical Novellas,” 

says, “They are stories told to instruct the people concerning the ways of 

God, to encourage them in critical times, and to entertain. They are aids 

to the imagination. While they may contain kernels of historical fact, these 

stories are told primarily to illustrate truths that transcend history.” 

Tobit 

The book of Tobit tells the story of Tobit, who is penniless and blind, and 

his son, Tobiah, whom Tobit sent to retrieve a deposit of money from the 

region of Media far away. There, Tobiah fell in love with a woman named 



203 

The Jews were tested by 

the rule of Antiochus and 

eventually rebelled, lead 

by Judas Maccabeus. 

Vision of the Inhabitants of Jerusalem before the Conquest 

of the City by Antiochus IV by Joseph von Führich (1844). 

Sarah, who previously had seven husbands, each killed by a demon that 

tormented her. The Archangel Raphael appeared in human form to help 

Sarah and Tobiah, who married (in some beautifully poetic passages 

[Tob. 8] that are often read during Catholic wedding Masses today). With 

Raphael’s help, they were successful in vanquishing the demon. Tobiah 

and Sarah returned to Tobit and healed him of his blindness with the gall 

from a fish. The book of Tobit conveys to its reader that God rewards those 

who are faithful to Him, especially when surrounded by a faithless culture. 



Judith 

The book of Judith tells the story of a heroine named Judith, who is modeled 

on heroic female figures of the past, like the judge Deborah, Jael (who drove 

a tent peg through the head of a Canaanite general), and Sarah, the wife 

of Abraham (who was known for her beauty). Likewise, Judith is portrayed 

as a woman reminiscent of the male heroes Moses and Judas Maccabeus. 

Judith, a faithful Jewish widow, used her beauty to deceive the leader of the 

Babylonian army that had besieged her town. She beheaded him and saved 

her people from destruction. The book of Judith teaches that even in the 

darkest of times, if one has faith in God, He will deliver them. 

Esther 

Finally, the book of Esther gives another story of God’s deliverance of the 

Jews from their enemies, this time, the Persians. Esther, a faithful Jew living 

in exile, rose from being a member of the Persian king’s harem to be his 

Judith is portrayed as 

a woman reminiscent 

of the male heroes 

Moses and Judas 

Maccabeus. 

Judith with the Head of Holophernes by Cristofano Allori (1613). 



205 

queen. As queen, and with the help of her uncle, she worked to undermine 

a plot by the king’s advisor to kill all the Jews in Persia in a single day. The 

plot was foiled, the wicked advisor killed, and the Jews prevailed over their 

enemies. The Jewish feast of Purim commemorates this victory (and it is 

perhaps this very feast the book of Esther was written to provide a basis for). 

The Maccabean Revolt 

Just as the Babylonian Empire fell to the Persian Empire, so did the Persian 

Empire fall to the Macedonian Empire under Alexander the Great. Judea 

became part of Alexander’s empire, and then, after his death, fell under the 

rule of the Greek King Antiochus Epiphanes, whom even his most loyal of 

subjects considered to be not of right mind. 

Antiochus had no interest in helping the Jewish people and had no tolerance 

for their religious practices. In fact, Antiochus forcibly made everyone 

in his empire adopt Greek customs, language, manners of dress, and 

the worship of Greek gods. This forced adoption of Greek ways is called 

Hellenization. Thus, Antiochus had the Temple of Jerusalem rededicated 

to Zeus and erected a statue of Zeus within it. All the Jewish people, under 

pain of death, were ordered to offer sacrifices to the Greek gods, sacrifices 

forbidden by the Law of Moses. Many Jews complied, adopting Greek 

religious and cultural practices in order to maintain or gain influence and 

wealth, but many refused. 

Around 125 BC, a man named Mattathias formed a rebellion in the 

countryside with his five sons and pushed back against their Greek rulers. 

After his death only a few years into the revolt, his son, Judas assumed 

leadership of the rebellion and became known as Maccabeus, Hebrew for 

“the hammer.” Eventually, the Maccabeans (as the rebels became known) 

succeeded in their rebellion, and for the first time in nearly 500 years, established 

their people as an independent nation once again, ruled by no 

one but the Jews. 

Vocabulary 

Hellenization (n.): The 

spread, often by force, of 

Greek culture — customs, 

language, manners of 

dress, and worship of 

Greek gods — across 

conquered lands. 

Maccabeus (n.): Hebrew 

word for “the hammer.” A 

name given to the leader 

of the Maccabean Revolt, 

Judas Maccabeus. 

Maccabeans (n.): 

The name given to 

the Jewish rebels who 

revolted against the 

Greeks, eventually 

retaking Jerusalem and 

the Temple. 

Hanukkah (n.): Jewish 

holiday that celebrates the 

purification of the Temple 

of Jerusalem at the end 

of the Maccabean Revolt, 

around 150 years before 

the birth of Christ. 

Eventually they rededicated the Temple to God. During the rededication, 

they ran out of the special oil needed for the ceremony and, miraculously, 

the Temple lamp remained lit for eight days with only one day’s 

worth of oil. This rededication of the Temple is commemorated by Jews 

even today by the celebration of Hanukkah. 

Purgatory 

Significantly, we find in the stories of the Maccabees evidence for the 

growing belief in the afterlife and the resurrection of the dead, beliefs that 

would have significance to Jesus’ mission and public ministry. We also 



Vocabulary 

Purgatory (n.): The 

state of being after 

death in which those 

who “die in God’s grace 

and friendship, but [are] 

still imperfectly purified, 

are indeed assured of 

their eternal salvation; 

but after death they 

undergo purification, so 

as to achieve the holiness 

necessary to enter the joy 

of Heaven” (CCC 1030). 

Hasmonean Dynasty 

(n.): A line of Jewish kings 

established to rule Israel 

after the Maccabean 

revolt. The Hasmonean 

kings were not descended 

from David and thus were 

not the heirs to God’s Old 

Testament promises. The 

Hasmoneans ruled Israel 

until 63 BC, when the 

Romans conquered the 

kingdom. 

find in 2 Maccabees some of the strongest biblical support for the doctrine 

of Purgatory. At one point in the story, Judas Maccabeus prays for 

his dead soldiers, making “atonement for the dead that they might be 

absolved from their sin” (2 Macc. 12:46). This passage indicates that 

there must be some third state after death that is neither Heaven (where 

souls do not need assistance) nor Hell (where assistance would be fruitless) 

where prayers for the dead would have some effect and where the 

sins of the dead could be purified. That place, or state of being after death, 

is Purgatory. 

The governing of Judea was handed on to the descendants of the 

Maccabees, who continued to rule as the Hasmonean Dynasty until the 

Romans conquered them in 63 BC. Importantly, the Hasmonean kings 

were not of the line of David. Even though it seemed that the Kingdom of 

David had been restored, it had not. They had no claim by divine right to 

the throne; that belonged to someone still to come. 

We find in 2 Maccabees 

some of the strongest 

biblical support for the 

doctrine of Purgatory. 

An Angel Frees the Souls of Purgatory by Ludovico Carracci (ca. 1610). 



207 


Have you ever felt completely sure of something, only to be disappointed? 

Maybe you met someone you thought would be your best friend, only for the 

relationship to end or fall apart. Maybe you were very skilled at a sport, but 

you suffered an injury that kept you from competing. Maybe a big move took 

you away from your home and friends, or a death or division within your family 

permanently altered your vision of the future. When you experienced one 

of these disappointments, you may remember feeling depressed, foolish, or 

angry — even angry at God. 

Imagine how the Jews must have felt when Judah fell and Jerusalem and 

the Temple were destroyed. God had promised them an everlasting Kingdom, 

but now their kingdom was no more, and their people were in exile. Had God 

forgotten His promises and abandoned His people? Even after they were allowed 

to return home, they remained a subjugated people. After the successful 

Maccabean revolt, some of the Jews thought that God’s promises had finally 

been fulfilled and the Kingdom of David had been restored, only to have those 

hopes crushed by Roman conquerors. Sometimes we think we know God’s 

plan for us, or we assume God’s plan will line up with our own ideas about 

our lives. Very often, however, our plans seem to come to nothing, and we 

may wonder why God allows that to happen. Salvation History teaches us that 

God always has a plan for our good, and when He allows our own plans to fall 

through, it is not out of anger or vengeance, but out of love. What happens to 

us may not be what we planned or wanted, but it is what God has in mind to 

draw us, His beloved, closer to Him. 


208 


Chapter 11 


1 Who conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel? What happened to the people? 

2 What did Hezekiah do to reform the faith of the people of the Southern Kingdom of Judah? 

How did he resist the Assyrian Empire? 

3 How was Josiah successful in restoring Judah to right worship? 

4 Who conquered the Southern Kingdom of Judah? What happened to the people? 

5 Why was the Babylonian captivity a time of great renewal for the Jewish people? 

6 What did the Persian king Cyrus allow the Jews to do? How did they respond and why? 

7 What role did Ezra play in rebuilding Jerusalem and reforming the people? What role did 

Nehemiah play? 

8 How should we understand the sub-genre of the historical books known as historical novella 

that Tobit, Judith, and Esther belong to? 

9 What similar message do the Books of Tobit and Judith deliver? 

10 What Jewish feast was the Book of Esther likely written as a basis for? 

11 What was the practice of Hellenization? 

12 What was the Maccabean Revolt? How was it successful? 

13 What does the Jewish feast of Hanukkah celebrate? 

14 How do the stories of the Maccabees support the doctrine of Purgatory? 



209 



The City of God, Book 17, Ch. 23, St. Augustine, AD 426 

So also in the kingdom of Judah pertaining to Jerusalem prophets were not lacking even in the times of 

succeeding kings, just as it pleased God to send them, either for the prediction of what was needful, or 

for correction of sin and instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16); for there, too, although far less than 

in Israel, kings arose who grievously offended God by their impieties, and, along with their people, who 

were like them, were smitten with moderate scourges. The no small merits of the pious kings there are 

praised indeed. But we read that in Israel the kings were, some more, others less, yet all wicked. Each 

part, therefore, as the divine providence either ordered or permitted, was both lifted up by prosperity and 

weighed down by adversity of various kinds; and it was afflicted not only by foreign, but also by civil wars 

with each other, in order that by certain existing causes the mercy or anger of God might be manifested; 

until, by His growing indignation, that whole nation was by the conquering Chaldeans not only overthrown 

in its abode, but also for the most part transported to the lands of the Assyrians — first, that part of the 

thirteen tribes called Israel, but afterwards Judah also, when Jerusalem and that most noble temple was 

cast down — in which lands it rested seventy years in captivity. Being after that time sent forth thence, 

they rebuilt the overthrown temple. And although very many stayed in the lands of the strangers, yet the 

kingdom no longer had two separate parts, with different kings over each, but in Jerusalem there was 

one prince over them; and at certain times, from every direction wherever they were, and from whatever 

place they could, they all came to the temple of God which was there. Yet not even then were they without 

foreign enemies and conquerors; yea, Christ found them tributaries of the Romans. 

1 What was St. Augustine’s assessment of the holiness of both the northern and southern kingdoms? 

Why did God send prophets to both? 

2 In what ways do you think the situation of our culture today is similar to the situation of the southern 

and northern kingdoms? How does God call us to holiness? 


210 




General Audience of Pope St. John Paul II, July 25, 2001 

Canticle of Tobit (Tb 13,1 –8) 

Lauds on Tuesday of the first week 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

1. “I exalt my God and my spirit rejoices in the King of heaven” (Tb 13,7). The one who speaks these 

words in the Canticle just recited, is the elderly Tobit of whom the OT gives a brief and edifying story, in 

the book that is named {in the Latin Vulgate} after his son Tobias {Tobit in the RSV and NAB}. In order to 

understand fully the meaning of this hymn, we must keep in mind the pages of the story that precede it. 

The story is set among the exiled Israelites of Niniveh. The sacred author, writing centuries later, looks to 

them as an example of brothers and sisters in the faith dispersed among a foreign people and tempted 

to abandon the traditions of their fathers. The portrait of Tobit and of his family is offered as a programme 

of life. Here is the man who, despite everything that happens to him, remains faithful to the norms of the 

law, and in particular, to the practice of giving alms. He is stricken by misfortune with the onset of poverty 

and blindness, but his faith never fails. 

God’s response was not slow in coming, through the Archangel Raphael, who leads the young Tobias 

on a risky journey, guiding him into a happy marriage and, in the end, healing his father Tobit from his 

blindness. 

The message is clear: Those who do good, above all, by opening their hearts to the needs of their neighbours, 

are pleasing to the Lord, even if they are tried; in the end, they will experience his goodness. 

2. With this premise, the words of our hymn can make a strong point. They invite us to lift up our eyes 

on high to “God who lives forever,” to his kingdom which “lasts for all ages.” From this contemplation of 

God, the sacred author can offer a short sketch of a theology of history in which he tries to respond to the 

question which the dispersed and tried People of God are raising: why does God treat us like this? The 

response turns both to divine justice and mercy: “He chastises you for your injustices, but he will show 

mercy towards all of you” (v. 5). The chastisement appears thus to be a kind of divine pedagogy, in which 

the last word is reserved to mercy: “He scourges and then shows mercy, casts down to the depths of the 

nether world, and he brings up from the great abyss” (v. 2). 

Suffering, even the Cross, has a positive meaning if lived in accord with God’s plan. 

One can have absolute confidence in God who never abandons his creature. Moreover, the words of the 

hymn lead to another perspective, which attributes a salvific meaning to the situation of suffering, turning 

the exile into an occasion to praise the works of God: “Praise him, you Israelites, before the Gentiles for 

though he has scattered you among them, he has shown his greatness even there” (vv. 3–4). 

3. From this invitation to read the exile in a providential way, our meditation can be extended to consider 

the mysteriously positive meaning which suffering assumes when it is lived in abandonment to God’s plan. 



211 



Already in the OT several passages delineate such a theme. Think of the story of Joseph in the book of 

Genesis (cf. Gn 37,2–36) who was sold by his brothers and destined to be their future saviour. How can 

we forget the book of Job? Here the innocent man suffers, and doesn’t know how to explain his drama in 

any way except by surrendering to the greatness and wisdom of God (cf. Jb 42,1–16). 

For us who read these OT passages from a Christian perspective, the point of reference can only be the 

Cross of Christ which offers a profound response to the mystery of suffering in the world. 

4. To sinners who are chastised for their injustices (cf. v. 5), Tobit’s hymn directs a call for conversion that 

opens the wonderful prospect of a “reciprocal” conversion of God and man: “When you turn back to him 

with all your heart, to do what is right before him, then he will turn back to you, and no longer hide his face 

from you” (v. 6). The use of the word “conversion” for the creature and for God speaks volumes, even 

though it is with different meanings. 

If the author of the Canticle thinks of the benefits which accompany the “return” of God, his renewed 

favour towards his people, in the light of the mystery of Christ, we must think above all of the gift which 

consists of God himself. The human person has need of him more than of all of his gifts. Sin is a tragedy 

not just because it draws God’s punishments upon us, but because it banishes Him from our hearts. 

5. The Canticle raises our eyes to the face of God as Father, inviting us to bless and praise him: “He is the 

Lord, our God, our Father.” One feels the sense of being special children which Israel experienced with 

the gift of the covenant and which prepared for the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. Then, in 

Jesus, the face of the Father will shine forth and his mercy without limits will be revealed. 

Here we can think of the parable of the merciful Father as told by the Evangelist Luke. Not only does the 

Father respond to the conversion of the prodigal son with pardon, but with an embrace of infinite tenderness, 

coupled with joy and feasting. “When he was still a long way off, the father saw him and was filled 

with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him” (Lk 15,20). 

The expressions of our Canticle are in line with the touching image of the Gospel. The need to praise and 

thank God springs forth: “So now consider what he has done for you and praise him with full voice. Bless 

the Lord of justice and exalt the King of the ages” (v. 7). 

1 What does Pope St. John Paul II say is the message of the Book of Tobit? 

2 To what question does the pope suggest the Book of Tobit offers a response? What is the answer 

to this question? 

3 Why is sin such a tragedy? How can God’s allowance of suffering be understood as a loving and 

merciful response to sin? 


UNIT 5 

Wisdom and 

Prophecy

Unit 5 

213 

The Old Covenant and the New Covenant are like two sides 

of a coin; they are distinct, but one. Each belongs to God’s 

plan for our salvation, and although they can seem radically different 

at first glance, closer examination shows us how interconnected 

they are. The study of typology helps us understand 

how the people, places, events, and things of the Old Testament 

point forward to the New Covenant, illuminating Jesus Christ 

and His mission. 

The books of wisdom and the prophetic books connect the 

Old and New Covenants in a unique way, forming a bridge between 

the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. 

The books of wisdom (or wisdom literature) are the literary 

expression of the Davidic Covenant. Although not all of them 

were written during the reign of David and Solomon, many were. 

Moreover, the books reflect Israel’s mission, which flowered under 

David and Solomon, to lead other nations to God. The wisdom 

they contain is universal — helpful for all people in all times. In this 

sense, the wisdom books point forward to the New Covenant and 

the Gospel message, which also is not only for the Jews and the 

descendants of Moses, but for all people, in all times. 

The prophetic books tell the stories of men and women 

called by God to proclaim truth to the Israelites. Sometimes the 

truth they proclaimed was repentance, calling the people to give 

up their sinful ways and come back to the God who loved them. 

Other times, the truth they proclaimed was a warning, predicting 

harsh punishments being visited upon the people if they did not 

repent. The prophets also talked about God’s love, His mission 

for Israel, and His faithfulness in the face of their sin. 

Above all, the prophets proclaimed a coming Messiah and a 

New Covenant. In the darkest moments of Israel’s history — moments 

of war, destruction, and exile — the prophets gave people 

hope. They assured the people that God had not forgotten 

them. There would be a Savior, and God would gather His people 

into one family once more. In later years, both Jesus and the 

Apostles would point back to the prophets, showing how their 

words were fulfilled in Christ and the Church. 

In This Unit 

■ Chapter 12: The Wisdom Books 

■ Chapter 13: The Prophets

Chapter 12 

The Wisdom 

Books 


■ Job 

■ Psalms 

■ Proverbs 

■ Ecclesiastes 

■ Song of 

Songs 

■ Wisdom 

■ Sirach (Ben 

Sirah)

Unit 5, Chapter 12: The Wisdom Books 

215 


Unlike the books we have studied until now, the eight wisdom books discussed in this 

chapter do not focus on history, but rather on more transcendental truths about holiness 

and the human condition. The Book of Job seeks to answer the question of why God 

allows suffering. The universality of the human emotions and the types of worship 

expressed in the Psalms make them a pillar of Christian prayer and liturgy up to the 

present day. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs discuss how to live righteously, 

the meaning of human life, and the love of God for humanity. The Book of Wisdom 

emphasizes the importance of true wisdom to the life of the soul and develops an 

understanding of the Holy Spirit. Finally, all the wisdom of these and the other books 

of the Old Testament are summed up and reflected in the book of Sirach. 


■ The wisdom books offer commentary on the human condition, what it means to live the drama of human life 

in all of its joys and sorrows, and how to relate to and worship God. 

■ The Book of Job is a dramatization of the age-old question of the problem of evil in which God blesses those 

who keep faithful despite suffering and hardship. 

■ The psalms are a poetic summary of the entirety of the Old Testament and are the prayer of the People of 

God. 

■ The Book of Ecclesiastes treats the deeper questions of life, specifically vanity and the passing nature of 

the world. 

Bible Basics 

“Naked I came forth from my mother’s 

womb, and naked shall I go back 

there. The Lord gave and the Lord 

has taken away; blessed be the name 

of the Lord.” 

JOB 1:21 

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, 

vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! 

ECCLESIASTES 1:2 


Job 1–3 

Job 38 

Job 42 

Psalms 1, 22–23, 42, 51, 89, 

110, 136, 150 

Proverbs 3, 8, 24, 31 

Ecclesiastes 1, 3, 12 

Song of Songs 1 

Wisdom 3, 7–9, 13, 24 

Sirach 1, 3, 6, 30 

Connections to 

the Catechism 

CCC 2585 (pg. 219) 



Vocabulary 

Books of Wisdom (n.): 

A genre of writing in the 

Bible that is a broad 

collection of instruction for 

living a just, moral, and 

holy life through poetry, 

song, parables, or short 

pithy statements. 

Problem of Evil (n.): 

A question stemming 

from universal human 

experience: If God, who 

is all-powerful, all-good, 

and all-loving, created 

a world that is good 

and cares for all His 

creatures, why do evil and 

suffering exist? Only the 

Christian Faith as a whole 

provides an answer to this 

question, specifically in 

the redemptive suffering, 

Death, Resurrection, 

and Ascension of Jesus 

Christ. 

The books of wisdom (also known as the poetic books) mark a decidedly 

different type of genre of writing than we have seen up to this point in the 

canon of Scripture. Everything prior to these books has been part of the 

historical books, or historical literature, a genre of writing that seeks to 

recount in a more-or-less straight forward way the history of the People of 

God. The books of wisdom (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Wisdom, Ecclesiastes, 

Song of Songs [sometimes called Song of Solomon], Wisdom, and Sirach 

[also called Ecclesiasticus and Ben Sira]) are, however, a broad collection 

of instruction for living a just, moral, and holy life. This wisdom is imparted 

in different ways depending on the book; sometimes in poetry or 

song, sometimes in parable, or sometimes in short pithy statements. And 

all of the wisdom books offer commentary on the human condition, what 

it means to live the drama of human life in all of its joys and sorrows, and 

how to relate to and worship God. It is also the books of wisdom to which 

all Jews and all Christians have turned for millennia as a primary source 

of spiritual reading and prayer. In a sense, the wisdom literature has been 

and continues to be the voice of the faithful praying as one People of God. 

Job and the Problem of Suffering 

Why do we suffer? Why does a good God allow suffering? And how are 

we to respond? These are the questions addressed by the Book of Job. 

While there is no agreement from the tradition of the Jews or Christians 

regarding the authorship of Job, and thus its author remains anonymous, 

it is generally agreed that the setting of the book is during the time of the 

Hebrew Patriarchs (which is why it appears as the first wisdom book in the 

canon). Modern scholars generally consider the book of Job to be a parable, 

a poetic tale that comments on the human condition by its story. There 

is some tradition among Jews and Christians, however, that Job himself 

was a real historical person (though who exactly has long been debated). 

We can therefore interpret the story of Job as a dramatized account of the 

life of a real person, told in such a way that it conveys certain universal 

truths about being human, specifically the problem of evil. 

The story centers on the plight of Job and begins by establishing that 

he was a wealthy and powerful man from Edom who had a large family 

and many possessions and was faithful and God-fearing. Significantly, as 

an Edomite, Job was not an Israelite; he was a Gentile. Then, the story’s 

perspective shifts to a conversation between God and Satan. God pointed 

out Job and his faithfulness, but Satan implied that Job’s faith was due, at 

least in part, to the fact that God had blessed him abundantly. God then 

allowed Satan to test Job’s faith. 

Satan then took from Job everything he had: his possessions, wealth 

and servants, the lives of his children, and even his own health. While 



217 

mourning these losses, Job replied in a well-known passage, “Naked I 

came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I go back there. 

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of 

the Lord” (Job 1:21). But he refused to curse God and committed himself 

to God’s care once again. 

Then, three old friends came to visit him and offered various answers 

to the problem of evil and suffering. They believed Job’s suffering must 

have been his own fault, a punishment for his sins. They encouraged him 

to admit of his sinfulness, but Job knew he was a good man and had done 

nothing to merit the degree of suffering inflicted upon him. 

Finally, God spoke directly to Job and asked a series of questions to 

remind Job of God’s wisdom and power, of all the mysteries on Heaven 

and earth that Job could not understand, and of man’s littleness in the 

sweep of the universe: 

“Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me, if you have 

understanding. Who determined its size? Surely you know? 

Who stretched out the measuring line for it? Into what were its 

pedestals sunk, and who laid its cornerstone While the morning 

stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for 

joy?” (Job 38:4–7) 

The Lord gave 

and the Lord 

has taken away; 

blessed be the 

name of the 

Lord. 

JOB 1:21 

Despite sickness, 

poverty, or misfortune, 

we should have faith and 

trust in God. 

Job and His Friends by Ilya Repin (1869). 



Essentially, God was making clear to Job that he (and all of us) was 

neither capable of understanding God’s ways and His justice, nor did he 

have the power to create and control the universe and the things in it. 

Job bowed before the mystery of suffering, acknowledging his lack of 

understanding and power, and chose to trust God rather than curse Him. 

In return, God blessed Job abundantly, returning to him all he had lost and 

more. 

As a dramatization of the age-old question of the problem of evil, the 

book of Job offers powerful answers. First, and perhaps most obvious 

from the story, while evil and suffering are not directly caused by God, He 

does allow them to occur at times. We must not presume to know and 

understand God’s purposes in doing so. We are limited and finite beings 

and therefore we must trust in the wisdom, power, and justice of the Lord. 

Further, even from the greatest of evils God can and does bring about the 

greatest of good. Our sufferings can be seen as a test of faith. Suffering 

Scripture provides 

us with countless 

examples of how to 

respond to suffering. 

 

The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane by Francesco Trevisani (1740). 



219 

can be like a purifying fire that strengthens our faith and holiness, frees 

us from worldly attachments, and helps us depend on God for all things. 

Finally, suffering is not always a punishment for our sins. Sometimes other 

forces are at work influencing our lives, namely, Satan and his demons. 

We must, therefore, always pray for the strength and protection of God to 

deliver us from evil, as Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer. 

The Psalms: The Prayer of God’s People 

The Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 psalms, or hymns written for 

the liturgical worship of the Israelites. The Catechism calls the book of 

Psalms “the masterwork of prayer in the Old Testament” (2585). As 

such, Psalms is quoted in the New Testament more frequently than any 

other book, and it is considered to be a poetic summary of the entirety of 

the Old Testament that reflects in song and verse the complete expression 

of human emotion and experience of worship of God. The tradition of the 

integration of the psalms into public worship and prayer was carried over 

into the life of the Church from apostolic times. The praying or singing of 

the psalms continues in the Church’s worship today, especially at Mass in 

the Liturgy of the Word and in the daily prayer of the Church, the Liturgy 

of the Hours. 

Vocabulary 

Psalms (n.): 150 poetic 

hymns and prayers found 

in the Book of Psalms 

in the Old Testament. 

They have been used 

in prayer since the time 

of the ancient Jews and 

continue to be prayed at 

Mass, in the Liturgy of the 

Hours, and in other forms 

of prayer. King David is 

believed to have written 

around half of them. They 

constitute the complete 

expression of human 

emotion and experience 

of worship of God. 

King David authored as many as 73 of the psalms himself. When we 

first met David in 1 Samuel, he was a shepherd known for his ability to play 

the psalter, a harp-like instrument, and he eventually became a favored 

musician in King Saul’s court. Later, Scripture tells us of David as king 

singing to and producing music for God. And many of these 73 psalms 

attributed to David directly claim his authorship in the text. The remaining 

psalms were written by others, many of whom are credited in Scripture for 

their compositions. 

Types of Psalms 

There are a wide variety of psalms that can be organized into basic 

categories: 

■ Psalms of Lament: The most frequent type of psalm, a psalm of 

lament is a cry for help to God. It typically includes some description 

of the suffering of the sacred author. Some include confession of 

and sorrow for sins, or a declaration of innocence, and then an 

appeal to God for judgment. Many psalms of lament conclude by 

praising God, often in advance, for His divine providence, expressing 

the psalmist’s certainty of God’s help and ultimate victory. These 

psalms may express the feeling of just one person or of the whole 

community. Examples include Psalm 22 and Psalm 44. 



■ Psalms of Thanksgiving: Also called “Todah” psalms, psalms of 

thanksgiving are those expressing the psalmist’s gratitude to God 

for deliverance or for some good thing. They were likely sung during 

the Todah sacrifice (see chapter 10), the greatest form of worship 

in the Jerusalem Temple. Thanksgiving psalms often include a 

description of the psalmist’s prior distress or suffering, for which he 

is now thankful to God for being delivered from, and often conclude 

with an invitation to others to praise God with the psalmist. Like the 

psalms of lament, these psalms may express one person’s gratitude 

or the gratitude of the whole community. Examples include Psalm 

30, Psalm 66, and Psalm 107. 

■ Hymns: Related to the psalms of thanksgiving, hymns are less 

about praising God in gratitude for specific things and more about 

praising God for simply being God, for His goodness, or for His other 

attributes. The hymns are joyful songs that encourage the whole 

community to join in praising the Lord. Examples include the final 

five psalms, Psalms 146–150. 

■ Royal Psalms: Royal psalms are those that pertain to the 

currently reigning king and may in themselves be songs of lament, 

thanksgiving, or praise (hymns). They are categorized by the 

fact that the king is their subject. These psalms have long been 

interpreted to be typological as well, foreshadowing the Messiah, 

Jesus Christ, who is the King of Kings. Examples include Psalm 2 

and Psalm 132. 

The wisdom 

psalms offer 

reflection and 

commentary on 

everyday life 

and the human 

condition. 

■ Psalms of Mt. Zion: These psalms focus on the qualities of Mt. 

Zion, which is another name for Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the 

capital city of David’s kingdom and where his son, Solomon, would 

build the Temple. Jerusalem became the dwelling place of God 

among His people and thus a holy city and beacon to all the nations 

to come and worship the Lord. The psalms of Mt. Zion reflect the 

importance of Jerusalem within not only the hearts and minds 

of Israel but also their worship. Examples include Psalm 46 and 

Psalm 137. 

■ Wisdom Psalms: The wisdom psalms offer reflection and 

commentary on everyday life and the human condition. They can 

be further organized into two sub-categories: psalms of instruction 

(or Torah psalms), which sing the glory of God’s law and instruct in 

the way of righteousness; and historical psalms, which sing of the 

history of Israel, often to bring out some lesson for living justly before 

God. Examples include Psalm 1 and Psalm 119 (Torah psalms), and 

Psalm 78 (a Historical psalm). 



221 


King David 

David is called a man after God’s own heart (1 

Sam. 13:14), and we shall see why when we follow 

the story of his life. Saul had been king over 

Israel but, unlike David, he was not after God’s 

own heart but his own selfish interests. So the 

prophet Samuel anointed David as king while 

Saul still sat on the throne. 

David found himself in the court of the king 

and became a close companion of Saul’s son 

Jonathan. Saul kept David near for his skill in 

playing the lyre, a stringed instrument that contributed 

to the tradition that David was a composer 

of Psalms. But Saul was jealous of David’s 

victory of the giant Goliath and threatened to 

take his life. David, however, did not view himself 

as Saul’s enemy but as his faithful servant. 

Twice Saul was delivered in David’s hands, but 

David refused to kill the man who was bent on 

destroying him. Even after Saul’s death at the 

hands of the Philistines, David refused to speak 

ill of Saul and avenged his death as the “LORD’s 

anointed” (2 Sam. 1:14). 

Then David was proclaimed the king of the 

territory of Judah. One of his greatest accomplishments 

was uniting the twelve tribes of Israel in the 

united kingdoms of Israel and Judah. He made 

Jerusalem the political and spiritual capital of the 

kingdom and brought the Ark of the Covenant and 

the tabernacle to the holy city. God established 

His covenant with David and 

promised: “when your days 

have been completed and 

you rest with your ancestors, 

I will raise up your offspring 

after you, sprung from your 

loins, and I will establish his 

kingdom. He it is who shall 

build a house for my name, 

and I will establish his royal 

throne forever. I will be a father 

to him, and he shall be a 

son to me” (2 Sam. 7:12 –14). 

That promise remains fulfilled 

in David’s descendent, Jesus 

Christ. 

David fell into great sin when he caused the 

death of Uriah the Hittite because he desired 

Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. Yet he faced the evil of 

his actions and repented. King Solomon, traditionally 

the author of many of the wisdom books, 

is the son of David and Bathsheba. But the sin 

David had committed had far-reaching consequences, 

and David’s son, Absalom, usurped the 

throne and sought his father’s life. When David’s 

commander killed Absalom against David’s explicit 

orders, David mourned bitterly and returned 

to the throne, a humbled man still desiring God’s 

own heart. 

David is 

called a man 

after God’s 

own heart. 

(1 Samuel 

13:14) 



Vocabulary 

Parallelism (n.): A literary 

device frequently used in 

Hebrew poetry that pairs 

two corresponding lines 

together in some way. 

Synonymous 

Parallelism (n.): A form 

of parallelism in which 

two lines repeat the same 

thought in different ways. 

Parallelism 

Hebrew poetry does not rhyme like much of the poetry we are familiar with 

today, but it also is not written as plain prose. Hebrew poetry, like that found 

in the Psalms (as well as much of the rest of the wisdom literature), used a 

literary device known as parallelism. Parallelism pairs two lines together 

that parallel one another in some way. Two common forms of parallelism 

are synonymous parallelism and antithetical parallelism. In synonymous 

parallelism, the two lines repeat the same thought in different ways: 

Antithetical Parallelism 

(n.): A form of parallelism 

in which two lines contrast 

with one another, with the 

second inverting or stating 

the opposite of the first. 

Solomon’s wisdom 

can be found in 

various books of 

Scripture: “All 

things are vanity!” 

(Eccles. 1:2). 

 

King Solomon Receiving the Queen of Sheba 

by Frans Francken the Younger (ca. 1620–1629). 



223 

Do not reprove me in your anger, Lord, 

nor punish me in your wrath. (Ps. 6:2) 

In antithetical parallelism, the two lines contrast with one another, with 

the second inverting or stating the opposite of the first: 

Because the Lord knows the way of the just, 

but the way of the wicked leads to ruin. (Ps. 1:6) 

Other forms of parallelism are found in passages where the second 

line completes or expands upon the thought of the first line 

(synthetic parallelism; Ps. 95:6), in passages where ensuing lines build 

upon the thoughts of the previous ones (staircase parallelism; Ps. 93:3), 

and in passages that use a symbol or metaphor in the second line to communicate 

the thought stated in the first line (emblematic parallelism; Ps. 

18:15). 

The Book of Psalms was written on the hearts of the people of Israel. 

Many knew the psalms by heart and quoted them often. When Jesus 

quoted the first line of Psalm 22 on the Cross, for example, the people who 

heard Him automatically knew what He was saying and called to mind not 

just that one line, but the entire Psalm. Even today, the psalms are part of 

the very fabric of our Christian identity and worship. The psalms are recited 

or sung at every Mass and are the backbone of the Liturgy of the Hours. 

Thus, the psalms remain one of the most important prayers of the Church. 

Vocabulary 

Synthetic Parallelism 


in which the second line 

completes or expands 

upon the thought of the 

first. 

Staircase Parallelism 


in which ensuing lines 

build upon the thought of 

the previous ones. 

Emblematic Parallelism 


in which the second 

line uses a symbol or 

metaphor to communicate 

the thought expressed in 

the first. 

Qoheleth (n.): Hebrew 

for “one who brings 

together an assembly.” An 

alternate title for the Book 

of Ecclesiastes. 

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, Sirach 

Proverbs 

Proverbs is a collection of wisdom sayings, many of which are attributed 

to King Solomon. Some of these sayings are practical, offering quotable 

advice for daily living and growing in human maturity. Others seek to illuminate 

the nature of wisdom. All of them seek to provide a framework 

for living righteously before God, instructing one in recognizing right from 

wrong and growing in virtue. Similar to the psalms, most proverbs are two 

lines written in an intentionally artistic or poetic way and employ the literary 

device of parallelism. 

Ecclesiastes 

The Book of Ecclesiastes, also known as Qoheleth or “one who brings 

together an assembly,” is also attributed to Solomon, although it may 

have been written by another king in the Davidic lineage or someone else 

writing in the tradition of Solomon. This book treats deeper questions of 

life, specifically vanity and the passing nature of the world. In a sense, it 



is the Bible’s only book of philosophy, reflecting man’s search for meaning. 

While it contains short sayings and poetry like the books of Psalms 

and Wisdom before it, it also contains autobiographical prose, all meant 

to present the author’s lament at his sense of the pointlessness of the 

things of this world. A well-known passage from this book is repeated 

throughout, commenting on the fleeting nature of worldly things (the original 

Hebrew word, hebel, which is translated as vanity, perhaps more 

closely means “vapor”): 

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, 

vanity of vanities! All things are 

vanity! (Eccles. 1:2) 

“The last word, 

when all is 

heard: Fear God 

and keep his 

commandments, 

for this 

concerns all 

humankind; 

because God 

will bring to 

judgment every 

work.” 

ECCLES. 12:13–14 

Despite the seemingly bleak outlook of the book of Ecclesiastes, the ultimate 

point comes in the end and puts everything else in perspective: “The 

last word, when all is heard: Fear God and keep his commandments, 

for this concerns all humankind; because God will bring to judgment 

every work, with all its hidden qualities, whether good or bad” (Eccles. 

12:13–14). What matters most in this life are indeed not the things of this 

world, which are truly empty, but rather keeping the Commandments of the 

Lord and being righteous in His eyes. 

Song of Songs 

The next wisdom book, the Song of Songs (also known as the Song of 

Solomon or Canticle of Canticles) is a collection of love poems and songs 

from a lover (traditionally thought to be a young King Solomon) to his beloved 

bride. On one level the book can be read as a beautiful expression of 

human love and the glories of marriage. It can also be read as a love song 

from God to His beloved Chosen People, Israel, which points forward to 

the love between Christ, the Bridegroom, and His bride, the Church. And 

it can be read as a love song from God to each one of us that hints at the 

desire God has for each and every soul. 

Wisdom 

Even though the Book of Wisdom (also called the Wisdom of Solomon) is 

written from the perspective of King Solomon, it is likely the last book written 

out of the entire Old Testament, probably composed 50 to 200 years 

before the birth of Jesus. It has virtually never been regarded as having 

actually been written by Solomon himself. Even so, taken together with 

Proverbs (in which Solomon gains wisdom and success), Ecclesiastes (in 

which Solomon despairs over the pointlessness of success in this earthly 

life), and Song of Songs (in which Solomon learns that love is what is most 



225 

important), the Book of Wisdom (in which Solomon falls in love with wisdom, 

which leads to the immortality of the soul in the next life) concludes 

the Old Testament’s “story” of Solomon’s wisdom. 

We also find in the Book of Wisdom significant development of the Old 

Testament understanding of the Spirit of God — the Holy Spirit. The sacred 

author in multiple places personifies wisdom (who is presented using feminine 

language) and identifies it with God’s Spirit: 

Whatever is hidden or plain I learned, 

for Wisdom, the artisan of all, taught me. 

For in her is a spirit 

intelligent, holy, unique. (Wisd. 7:21–22) 

The love of a 

bridegroom and bride is 

an image of Christ’s love 

for us, the Church. 

Offering to the Virgin the Day After the Wedding by Jean-Eugène Buland (1885). 



Sirach 

The book of Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Ben 

Sira) is one of the last books written in the Old Testament, during the 

second century BC. It was originally written in Hebrew by “Yeshua Ben 

Eleazar Ben Sira” (Sir. 50:27) but was translated into Greek by the author’s 

grandson, as indicated in the foreword to the book (note that Yeshua 

is the Hebrew form of the name “Jesus”). The book itself is a summary of 

the entire wisdom tradition of Israel, employing in a mature and polished 

way the parallelism of Hebrew poetry seen in previous wisdom books. It 

reflects on wisdom itself and gives poetic advice about different aspects of 

life, such as friendship, raising children, marriage, staying healthy, avoiding 

sin, and relating to God and other people. It even reflects upon the journey 

of Israel and her heroes throughout Salvation History. 

Sirach is a summary 

of the entire wisdom 

tradition of Israel, 

employing in a 

mature and polished 

way the parallelism 

of Hebrew poetry. 

Woodcut for “Die Bibel in Bildern” by Julius 

Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1851–1860). 



227 


What do you think about the relationship between Christianity and emotions? 

Some people may think Christianity looks down on emotions, or it thinks of 

feelings and passions as bad. After all, are not wrath, gluttony, and lust sins? 

Does that not make feelings like anger and desire bad, or at least dangerous? 

This perception can make it difficult for people to embrace Christianity, because 

they feel it is asking them to deny a fundamental part of who they are as human 

beings, even to live life without enjoyment or pleasure. Maybe you yourself 

have felt this way at some point. 

The wisdom books have an important place in answering these doubts 

and questions about the role of emotion in human life. The Psalms, the most 

well-known book of wisdom literature, portray the full range of human emotion, 

and we pray them at every Mass, as well as any time we participate in prayer 

like the Liturgy of the Hours. The Song of Songs, attributed to King Solomon, 

is a love letter that does not shy away from expressing physical love and desire. 

The picture we get from the wisdom books, therefore, is not of humanity 

divorced from emotions and desires, but of humanity with all the parts of the 

soul and body harmoniously integrated. Emotions are not, however, the most 

important part of being human; the Book of Ecclesiastes is not joking when it 

says, “All things are vanity” (Eccles. 1:2). While Ecclesiastes does not mean 

every part of the human experience is useless and meaningless, it does mean 

emotions and the other parts of temporal life are passing and must always be 

understood in the light of eternal things. Every expression of emotion and desire 

in the wisdom literature is directed toward God, and that is how we should 

be living our lives. 


228 


Chapter 12 


1 How are the books of wisdom different from the historical books? 

2 How should we interpret the historicity of the story of Job? 

3 Though Job refused to curse God, he did lament his situation and all he had lost because he 

knew he was a good man. How did God respond to Job? 

4 What answers to the problem of evil do we find in the book of Job? 

5 What is summarized in the Book of Psalms, and what do the psalms express? Where are 

they encountered in the life of the Church? 

6 What are the different types of psalms? 

7 What is parallelism? What are the two common forms of parallelism and how are they 

defined? 

8 What is found in the Book of Proverbs and to whom is it attributed? 

9 What is the main theme of the Book of Ecclesiastes and to whom is it attributed? 

10 In what three ways can we interpret the Song of Songs? 

11 What does the Book of Wisdom tell us that wisdom leads to? Whom does wisdom personify? 

12 Of what is the Book of Sirach a summary? What does the book reflect on? 

13 What was one of King David’s greatest accomplishments? 



229 



Excerpt from Explanation of the Psalms, St. Ambrose, ca. AD 374–397 (Taken 

from the Office of Readings for Saturday in the 10th week in ordinary time) * 

What is more pleasing than a psalm? 

David expresses it well: Praise the Lord, for a song of praise is good: let there be praise of our God with 

gladness and grace. Yes, a psalm is a blessing on the lips of the people, a hymn in praise of God, the 

assembly’s homage, a general acclamation, a word that speaks for all, the voice of the Church, a confession 

of faith in song. It is the voice of complete assent, the joy of freedom, a cry of happiness, the echo of 

gladness. It soothes the temper, distracts from care, lightens the burden of sorrow. It is a source of security 

at night, a lesson in wisdom by day. It is a shield when we are afraid, a celebration of holiness, a vision of 

serenity, a promise of peace and harmony. It is like a lyre, evoking harmony from a blend of notes. Day 

begins to the music of a psalm. Day closes to the echo of a psalm. 

In a psalm, instruction vies with beauty. We sing for pleasure. We learn for our profit. What experience is 

not covered by a reading of the psalms? I come across the words: A song for the beloved, and I am aflame 

with desire for God’s love. I go through God’s revelation in all its beauty, the intimations of resurrection, the 

gifts of his promise. I learn to avoid sin. I see my mistake in feeling ashamed of repentance for my sins. 

What is a psalm but a musical instrument to give expression to all the virtues? The psalmist of old used it, 

with the aid of the Holy Spirit, to make earth re-echo the music of heaven. He used the dead gut of strings 

to create harmony from a variety of notes, in order to send up to heaven the song of God’s praise. In doing 

so he taught us that we must first die to sin, and then create in our lives on earth a harmony through 

virtuous deeds, if the grace of our devotion is to reach up to the Lord. 

David thus taught us that we must sing an interior song of praise, like Saint Paul, who tells us: I shall pray 

in spirit, and also with understanding; I shall sing in spirit, and also with understanding. We must fashion 

our lives and shape our actions in the light of the things that are above. We must not allow pleasure to 

awaken bodily passions, which weigh our soul down instead of freeing it. The holy prophet told us that his 

songs of praise were to celebrate the freeing of his soul, when he said: I shall sing to you, God, on the 

Lyre, holy one of Israel; my lips will rejoice when I have sung to you, and my soul also, which you have 

set free. 

* United States Catholic Conference. 1981. The Liturgy of the hours. Washington, D.C. (1312 Massachusetts Ave., 

N.W., Washington 20005): Office of Pub. Services, U.S. Catholic Conference. 

1 Why does St. Ambrose say nothing is “more pleasing than a psalm”? 

2 The psalms were all originally meant to be sung, though, for most of them, the original melodies 

have been lost to time. How does this fact change the way you understand the psalms and their 

importance to the worship of the Church and to our lives? 


230 




Salvifici Doloris 9, 10–11, An Apostolic Letter of Pope St. John Paul II, 

February 11, 1984 

9. Within each form of suffering endured by man, and at the same time at the basis of the whole world 

of suffering, there inevitably arises the question: why? It is a question about the cause, the reason, and 

equally, about the purpose of suffering, and, in brief, a question about its meaning. Not only does it accompany 

human suffering, but it seems even to determine its human content, what makes suffering precisely 

human suffering … 

10. Man can put this question to God with all the emotion of his heart and with his mind full of dismay and 

anxiety; and God expects the question and listens to it, as we see in the Revelation of the Old Testament. 

In the Book of Job the question has found its most vivid expression. 

The story of this just man, who without any fault of his own is tried by innumerable sufferings, is well 

known. He loses his possessions, his sons and daughters, and finally he himself is afflicted by a grave 

sickness. In this horrible situation three old acquaintances come to his house, and each one in his own 

way tries to convince him that since he has been struck down by such varied and terrible sufferings, he 

must have done something seriously wrong. For suffering—they say—always strikes a man as punishment 

for a crime; it is sent by the absolutely just God and finds its reason in the order of justice. It can be 

said that Job’s old friends wish not only to convince him of the moral justice of the evil, but in a certain 

sense they attempt to justify to themselves the moral meaning of suffering. In their eyes suffering can 

have a meaning only as a punishment for sin, therefore only on the level of God’s justice, who repays 

good with good and evil with evil. 

The point of reference in this case is the doctrine expressed in other Old Testament writings which show 

us suffering as punishment inflicted by God for human sins. The God of Revelation is the Lawgiver and 

Judge to a degree that no temporal authority can see. For the God of Revelation is first of all the Creator, 

from whom comes, together with existence, the essential good of creation. Therefore, the conscious and 

free violation of this good by man is not only a transgression of the law but at the same time an offence 

against the Creator, who is the first Lawgiver. Such a transgression has the character of sin, according 

to the exact meaning of this word, namely the biblical and theological one. Corresponding to the moral 

evil of sin is punishment, which guarantees the moral order in the same transcendent sense in which this 

order is laid down by the will of the Creator and Supreme Lawgiver. From this there also derives one of 

the fundamental truths of religious faith, equally based upon Revelation, namely that God is a just judge, 

who rewards good and punishes evil: “For thou art just in all that thou hast done to us, and all thy works 

are true and thy ways right, and all thy judgments are truth. Thou hast executed true judgments in all that 

thou hast brought upon us... for in truth and justice thou hast brought all this upon us because of our sins.” 

The opinion expressed by Job’s friends manifests a conviction also found in the moral conscience of humanity: 

the objective moral order demands punishment for transgression, sin and crime. From this point of 



231 



view, suffering appears as a “justified evil.” The conviction of those who explain suffering as a punishment 

for sin finds support in the order of justice, and this corresponds to the conviction expressed by one of 

Job’s friends: “As I have seen, those who plough iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.” 

11. Job however challenges the truth of the principle that identifies suffering with punishment for sin. And 

he does this on the basis of his own opinion. For he is aware that he has not deserved such punishment, 

and in fact he speaks of the good that he has done during his life. In the end, God himself reproves Job’s 

friends for their accusations and recognizes that Job is not guilty. His suffering is the suffering of someone 

who is innocent and it must be accepted as a mystery, which the individual is unable to penetrate 

completely by his own intelligence. 

The Book of Job does not violate the foundations of the transcendent moral order, based upon justice, as 

they are set forth by the whole of Revelation, in both the Old and the New Covenants. At the same time, 

however, this Book shows with all firmness that the principles of this order cannot be applied in an exclusive 

and superficial way. While it is true that suffering has a meaning as punishment, when it is connected 

with a fault, it is not true that all suffering is a consequence of a fault and has the nature of a punishment. 

The figure of the just man Job is a special proof of this in the Old Testament. Revelation, which is the 

word of God himself, with complete frankness presents the problem of the suffering of an innocent man: 

suffering without guilt. Job has not been punished, there was no reason for inflicting a punishment on him, 

even if he has been subjected to a grievous trial. From the introduction of the Book it is apparent that God 

permitted this testing as a result of Satan’s provocation. For Satan had challenged before the Lord the 

righteousness of Job: “Does Job fear God for nought? ... Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and 

his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he has, and he 

will curse thee to thy face.” And if the Lord consents to test Job with suffering, he does it to demonstrate 

the latter’s righteousness. The suffering has the nature of a test. 

The Book of Job is not the last word on this subject in Revelation. In a certain way it is a foretelling of the 

Passion of Christ. But already in itself it is sufficient argument why the answer to the question about the 

meaning of suffering is not to be unreservedly linked to the moral order, based on justice alone. While 

such an answer has a fundamental and transcendent reason and validity, at the same time it is seen to be 

not only unsatisfactory in cases similar to the suffering of the just man Job, but it even seems to trivialize 

and impoverish the concept of justice which we encounter in Revelation. 

1 What question of human experience does the Book of Job respond to? 

2 What do Job’s friends try to convince him is the reason for his suffering? Do you think this argument 

is one still used today to try to explain suffering? Why or why not? 

3 Why is Job’s suffering not an example of moral justice? What does this tell us about some kinds 

of suffering we endure? 


Chapter 13 

The Prophets 


■ Isaiah 

■ Jeremiah 

■ Lamentations 

■ Baruch 

■ Ezekiel 

■ Daniel 

■ Hosea 

■ Joel 

■ Amos 

■ Obadiah 

■ Jonah 

■ Micah 

■ Nahum 

■ Habakkuk 

■ Zephaniah 

■ Haggai 

■ Zechariah 

■ Malachi

Unit 5, Chapter 13: The Prophets 

233 


Over the time of the divided kingdoms, the exile, and the return of the Hebrew people, God 

sent 16 prophets to call them to conversion and remind them of His promises. Four of 

them — Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel — are known as the “major” prophets, since 

theirs are the longest prophetic books. Isaiah and Jeremiah both warned of the destruction 

coming for the divided kingdoms and foretold the coming Messiah and an everlasting 

covenant of love between God and His people. Ezekiel called the people to repent and 

prepare their hearts for that covenant, and Daniel spoke of the eternal kingdom that the 

Messiah would bring. The remaining “minor” prophets — so called because their 

books are shorter — brought similar messages, condemning sin and reminding the 

people that the fulfillment of God’s promises was drawing near. 


■ The prophets were called by God to be His spokespersons: making known His message to His people. 

■ The prophets delivered a message that was sometimes of doom and condemnation and other times of hope 

and peace. They served as the conscience of the People of God, calling them to conversion and back to 

right worship of Him. 

■ The prophet Isaiah foretold of the coming of the Messiah and of the suffering He would endure for our salvation. 

■ The prophet Jeremiah foresaw a new covenant in which the Law would be written on the hearts of the people 

rather than on stone tablets. 

■ The prophets Ezekiel and Daniel experienced apocalyptic visions concerning the future new covenant and 

the coming of the Messiah and the Kingdom of God. 

■ The 12 minor prophets proclaimed a message of repentance and hope, urging people to faithfulness now 

and promising a time of healing and peace in the future. 

Bible Basics 


The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of 

wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and 

of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the 

LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. 

ISAIAH 11:2 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before 

you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the 

nations I appointed you.” 

JEREMIAH 1:5 

Isaiah 6–7 

Isaiah 9–11 

Isaiah 42 

Isaiah 49 

Isaiah 52:13–53 

Isaiah 55 

Jeremiah 1 

Jeremiah 29:11 

Jeremiah 30–33 

Ezekiel 1 

Ezekiel 11 

Ezekiel 18 

Ezekiel 34 

Ezekiel 37 

Ezekiel 40:1–5 

Ezekiel 43:1–12 

Daniel 1–3:23, 

91–100 

Daniel 5–7 

Daniel 9 

Daniel 11 

Micah 5 

Jonah 1–2 



“He has spoken 

through the prophets” 

(Nicene Creed). 

 

Prophets and Sibyls by Pietro Perugino (ca. 1497–1500). 

The prophets were men and women called by God to experience deeply 

God’s saving presence in the historical situation of their times. They 

were given a mission to renew and reform the people of Israel, converting 

their listeners to God. The prophets were God’s spokespersons — making 

known God’s message to His people. The word prophet comes from the 

Greek prophetes, meaning “one who speaks for another.” 

The prophets interpreted signs of the times in light of the covenant and 

announced the natural consequences of the people’s actions and unfaithfulness. 

Sometimes, their message was one of doom and condemnation, 

and other times it was one of hope and peace. They afflicted the comfortable 

and comforted the afflicted. The prophets served as the conscience 

of the People of God, calling them to conversion and back to right worship 

of Him. In times when faith was often lacking and hope seemed all but 

gone, they kept alive the faith in God and the hope in His promise to send 

a Savior. 

The prophets responded to God’s commission and became His spokespersons 

without worrying about money or personal gain. They were not 

motivated by success or failure but by fidelity to God and His truth and 

often suffered both physically and spiritually because of their proclamation 

of His Word. The prophets interacted both with kings and directly with the 

people of Israel. 



235 

The majority of those we typically think of as the prophets of the Old 

Testament appeared throughout the time of the royal kingdoms of Israel 

and Judah and throughout the conquering, deportation, exile, and return 

of the Hebrew people. The Bible tells us of four major prophets and 12 

minor prophets, for a total of 16. The terms “major” and “minor” do not 

necessarily imply that one prophet was more or less important than another, 

however, only that some prophetic books are longer than others. 

First, let us look at the four major prophets. 

The Prophet Isaiah 

In the eighth century BC, before the fall of the Northern Kingdom, a man 

named Isaiah was called by God to warn Israel and Judah of their coming 

destruction and urge them to change their ways. Although the Book of 

Isaiah is full of words of warning for a wayward people, it is most wellknown 

for its words of hope focused on the holiness of God and the promised 

Messiah, who would suffer in the people’s stead. 

Long before Jesus’ birth, Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would be born 

of a virgin as a sign: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. 

Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be 

called Emmanuel” (Isa. 7:14; Douay-Rheims translation). Significantly, 

the Hebrew word Emmanuel means “with us is God,” revealing, some 800 

years before the birth of Christ, that the Messiah would be God Himself. 

Later, Isaiah further established the identity of the Messiah, the promised 

Savior, writing: 

The people who walked in darkness 

have seen a great light; 

Upon those who lived in a land of gloom 

a light has shone. (Isa. 9:1) 

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; 

upon his shoulder dominion rests. 

They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, 

Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. (Isa. 9:5) 

Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would reign over an everlasting kingdom, 

fulfilling God’s covenantal promises to David (Isa. 9:6). And he described 

the qualities of the Messiah, seven spirits of the Lord that will rest 

upon Him: 

Vocabulary 

Major Prophets (n.): The 

four prophets of the Old 

Testament whose books 

are the longest: Isaiah, 

Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and 

Daniel. 

Minor Prophets (n.): The 

12 prophets of the Old 

Testament whose books 

are shorter in length. 

[T]he Hebrew 

word Emmanuel 

means “with 

us is God,” 

revealing, some 

800 years before 

the birth of 

Christ, that the 

Messiah would 

be God Himself. 

The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: 

a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, 

A spirit of counsel and of strength, 

a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, 

and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. (Isa. 11:2) 



Vocabulary 

Songs of the Suffering 

Servant (n.): Prophecies 

from the Book of Isaiah 

concerning a person who 

would come to suffer 

voluntarily in atonement 

for the sins of the people. 

His suffering would save 

the people from just 

punishment at the hands 

of God. Jesus perfectly 

fulfills this prophecy by 

His suffering and Death 

on the Cross. 

These are the Gifts of the Holy Spirit that we first receive at Baptism 

and then, in a greater outpouring, in the Sacrament of Confirmation. These 

gifts dispose us to be like Christ by the working of the Holy Spirit. 

Later, in Isaiah 40–55, which contain seven prophecies known as the 

“songs of the suffering servant,” Isaiah continued to prophecy about the 

Messiah to come, though in a different way than the people expected. He 

described the Messiah as a servant whose suffering and sacrifices would 

bring about God’s plan of salvation “to the ends of the earth” (Isa. 49:6) 

and restore Israel. 

Speaking of the future Messiah, Isaiah wrote of all he would suffer to 

redeem God’s people. Isaiah even told us why the Messiah would have to 

suffer so: 

Yet it was our pain that he bore, 

our sufferings he endured. 

We thought of him as stricken, 

struck down by God and afflicted, 

But he was pierced for our sins, 

crushed for our iniquity. 

He bore the punishment that makes us whole, 

by his wounds we were healed. 

We had all gone astray like sheep, 

all following our own way; 

But the LORD laid upon him 

the guilt of us all. (Isa. 53:4–6) 

“Like a lamb led to slaughter” (Isa. 53:7), the Suffering Servant is 

innocent, yet He humbly submits to the judgment of His oppressors for 

the sake of His people, taking their sins upon Himself for their redemption. 

When Jesus finally came, many struggled to see He was the promised 

Messiah because he was not a powerful political ruler. Jesus did not 

attempt to restore the earthly kingdom of David. He neither organized an 

army nor led revolts. The people of His day were so focused on Isaiah’s 

words about an everlasting kingdom that they missed much of what Isaiah 

had to say about the Messiah’s suffering. Yet Isaiah predicted in detail all 

that Jesus would suffer on Good Friday. 

Beyond foretelling of the coming Messiah and His qualities, Isaiah 

also prophesied of eschatological realities, or of things having to do with 

the end of time and the final destiny of man and creation. He wrote of a 

day when there would be a new Temple in which Jews and Gentiles would 

come together to worship God (Isa. 56:1–8). He wrote of a day when there 

would be a new Jerusalem, a restoration of the city of Zion in glory, similarly 



237 

where all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, would dwell together and enjoy 

the Lord’s favor (Isa. 60–66). Finally, he wrote of a new creation, a “new 

heavens and a new earth” in which “the former things shall not be remembered 

nor come to mind” (Isa. 65:17). This new creation would be 

a restoration of the paradise of Eden before the Fall, but one that exceeds 

the blessings of that primordial time. 

Isaiah is quoted in the New Testament more than any other prophet. 

But in Isaiah’s times, the people refused to listen to him. Israel fell in 

Isaiah’s lifetime, and before he died, he warned that Judah would be next. 

God speaks to His 

people, but like Israel, 

we often refuse to listen. 

The Prophet Isaiah by Michelangelo (ca. 1508–1512). 




Jonah 

Prophets come in all sizes and shapes, but none 

were quite like Jonah. His story takes up four 

short chapters of the Old Testament in a book 

that bears his name. The book begins with a command 

from God to Jonah: “Set out for the great 

city of Nineveh, and preach against it; for their 

wickedness has come before me” (Jon. 1:2). 

Ninevah was the capital city of Israel’s enemy, 

Assyria. 

Jonah had other plans, however, and instead 

went west on a boat to Tarshish, “away from the 

Lord” (Jon. 1:3). As he fled the Lord, a great 

storm overwhelmed the boat, almost sinking it. In 

fear, the sailors on the boat tried to lighten the 

load, hoping to save their lives. These sailors were 

pagans and they cried out to their gods for help. 

Figuring that the deadly storm was of a divine origin, 

they drew lots to determine whose fault it was 

that this storm was upon them. The blame fell on 

Jonah, who declared, “I am a Hebrew…I fear the 

LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea 

and the dry land” (Jon. 1:9). 

At Jonah’s suggestion they cast Jonah from 

the boat to calm the storm, and he was swallowed 

up by a large fish. He sat in the belly of this fish for 

three days, praying to God and reflecting on his 

fate, his closeness to death, and God’s continued 

providence. At the end of his prayer he was vomited 

up by the fish onto dry land. 

The story of Jonah continued as it should 

have begun. He went to the people of Nineveh 

and proclaimed a message of woe: “Forty days 

more and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jon. 

3:4). Then a funny thing 

happened, which almost 

never happened to the Old 

Testament prophets: the 

people believed him. Even 

though Jonah’s message 

was one of woe without any 

mention of God changing his 

mind, the entire city repented 

to the Lord and were spared 

the prophesied destruction. 

Jonah was angry, however, 

that God had spared his 

enemies: “O LORD, is this 

not what I said while I was 

still in my own country? 

This is why I fled at first 

toward Tarshish. I knew 

that you are a gracious 

and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding 

in kindness, repenting of punishment” (Jon. 

4:2). Jonah’s story ends with God teaching Jonah 

that despite their grave errors, Assyria was filled 

with people who still had great value to Him. 

God’s plans are greater than our own. God 

calls each of us for a purpose, and He will find 

ways to accomplish that purpose even when we 

are at our most stubborn. God also has abundant 

care and concern for people, even at their 

most wayward and ignorant. He cares about 

those who reject Him or may not know Him just 

as much as He cares for those who walk with 

Him faithfully. 

Jonah’s story 

ends with 

God teaching 

Jonah that 

Assyria was 

filled with 

people who 

still had great 

value to Him. 



239 

The Prophet Jeremiah 

In the second half of the seventh century BC, years after Isaiah’s death, 

God chose Jeremiah, while he was still in the womb, to be His prophet, 

and tasked him with calling the people of Judah to repentance: “Before I 

formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated 

you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you” (Jer. 1:5). Born to an 

unnamed Levitical priest, Jeremiah served as a priest himself, and, like 

most of the other prophets, was reluctant to accept God’s calling to be a 

prophet (though his introspective personality especially made him want to 

escape his tough calling). He knew the people would not listen to him and 

would despise and reject him for what he would say to them. He was also 

a young man — perhaps in his teens — when God first called him, and he 

tried to use his youth as an excuse not to do as God asked. But God reassured 

Jeremiah, telling him, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ To whomever 

I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. 

Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you” (Jer. 1:7–8), 

and then He blessed him. 

Like Isaiah before him, Jeremiah warned the people of Judah that if 

they did not change their ways, God would give them over to their enemies 

and they would be exiled from their land. Jeremiah, however, used 

a striking analogy to convey his message. He compared Jerusalem to an 

adulterous bride who was divorced from her bridegroom, God, who waited 

for her to return to Him, though she did not come. Using this analogy, 

Jeremiah vividly drew to mind the intimacy of God’s covenant relationship 

with His people and the pain and gravity of their unfaithfulness to Him. It is 

even likely the people of Judah and Jerusalem had turned away from God 

by worshipping pagan gods through ritualistic prostitution — literally acting 

out Jeremiah’s analogy of adultery. 

He then watched what happened when that warning was not heeded, 

witnessing the destruction of Jerusalem at the hand of the Babylonians 

(as Isaiah had prophesied) and the deportation and exile of the middle and 

upper classes of people into captivity in Babylon. Also like Isaiah, Jeremiah 

told the people that exile would not be the end. Despite the fact that the ten 

Northern Tribes had long since disappeared among the nations, Jeremiah 

prophesied that the Lord would bring them back to Israel, along with all 

those from the Southern Kingdom of Judah who were captives in Babylon, 

and restore the Kingdom of David (Jer. 30:8–10). 

[Jeremiah] 

compared 

Jerusalem to 

an adulterous 

bride who was 

divorced from 

her bridegroom. 

In one of the most important passages from Jeremiah, the prophet 

foresaw a “new covenant,” in which the Law would no longer be written on 

tablets of stone, but rather on the hearts of men. In other words, Jeremiah 

saw a time coming when people would obey the Lord as they were always 

meant to obey Him — out of love: 



See, days are coming — oracle of the LORD — when I will 

make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house 

of Judah. 

It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors 

the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land 

of Egypt. They broke my covenant, though I was their master 

— oracle of the LORD. 

But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after 

those days — oracle of the LORD. I will place my law within 

them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and 

they shall be my people. (Jer. 31:31–33) 

The meaning of 

Jesus’ words 

would not have 

been lost on the 

Twelve Apostles 

gathered with 

Him in the 

Upper Room. 

The Church has long understood Jeremiah’s prophecy of a new covenant 

to be referring to the New Covenant established by Jesus Christ. In 

fact, at the Last Supper, Jesus took the chalice and said: “This cup is the 

new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you” (Luke 22:20, 

emphasis added). The meaning of Jesus’ words would not have been 

lost on the Twelve Apostles gathered with Him in the Upper Room. He 

was clearly connecting the institution of the Eucharist, the sign of the New 

Covenant, to Jeremiah’s prophesied new covenant. Even more, the Twelve 

Apostles were mystical representations of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, gathered 

as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church in this New Covenant, just 

as Jeremiah had foretold would occur. 

The Book of Jeremiah is also intimately connected to other biblical 

writings: the Book of Lamentations and the Book of Baruch, both of which 

were considered part of the Book of Jeremiah in the Greek Septuagint. 

Traditionally Lamentations has been attributed to Jeremiah himself and 

is a poetic expression of lament over the destruction of Jerusalem by the 

Babylonians. It was likely written shortly after the events it is about. Baruch 

is a short book that collects four documents of different genres that serve 

as a sort of summary of the themes of the prophets. Traditionally the first 

part of Baruch has been attributed to the scribe of Jeremiah named Baruch, 

while the rest of the book may have been written by him or by other anonymous 

authors. 

The Prophet Ezekiel 

Ezekiel was born into a priestly family before the destruction of Jerusalem. 

He was deported and exiled at a young age and spent most of his life in 

Babylon, where he helped bring about a religious renewal that took place 

among the Jewish people. He gathered people together to pray (probably 

even starting synagogues — places for teaching and prayer — that would 



241 

flourish in Jesus’ day), spoke about the coming New Covenant, and called 

people not just to worship God, but to love Him. 

Ezekiel focused on softening the hearts of the Jewish people so God 

could “write” His law there rather than on tablets of stone. 

Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, I will gather you from the 

nations and collect you from the lands through which you 

were scattered, so I can give you the land of Israel. 

They will enter it and remove all its atrocities and abominations. 

And I will give them another heart and a new spirit I will put 

within them. From their bodies I will remove the hearts of 

stone, and give them hearts of flesh, 

so that they walk according to my statutes, taking care to keep 

my ordinances. Thus they will be my people, and I will be their 

God. (Ezek. 11:17–20) 

The Book of Ezekiel recounts numerous, sometimes peculiar, prophetic 

visions steeped in heavy symbolism. The nature of these visions greatly 

influenced the writing style of John’s Gospel as well as the Book of 

Revelation. As the Book of Ezekiel opens (Ezek. 1), in an especially fantastical 

vision, Ezekiel saw a fiery chariot descend from Heaven that carried 

four winged angelic creatures each with four faces (a human, an eagle, an 

ox, and a lion). Above the chariot appeared a throne with the Lord seated 

One of Ezekiel’s visions 

even foretold of the 

resurrection of the dead. 

The Vision of Ezekiel by Francisco Collantes (1630). 



The symbolic 

representations of 

the Gospel writers 

are taken from one 

of Ezekiel’s visions. 

 

Ezekiel’s Vision by Raphael (1518). 

upon it in glory in human form. The Lord spoke to Ezekiel and gave him 

his prophetic mission to the people of Israel. Traditionally, the Church has 

interpreted the four faces of the creatures to be representations of the four 

Gospel writers, who are often depicted in art by these creatures (Matthew 

as the man, Mark as the lion, Luke as the ox, and John as the eagle). 

Like the prophets that came before him, Ezekiel saw God gathering 

His people out of all the nations. He described the people as sheep with 

God as their shepherd as they embarked on a new exodus back to the 

Promised Land (Ezek. 34). In another vision, Ezekiel saw a valley filled 

with dry bones, which God vividly brought back to life by causing sinews, 

flesh, and skin to regrow upon them, and by giving them the breath of life. 

Then God said, “You shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your 

graves and make you come up out of them, my people! I will put my 

spirit in you that you may come to life, and I will settle you in your 

land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD” (Ezek. 37:13–14). In 

this vision, the Church sees a foretelling of the resurrection of the dead at 

the end of time, in which we profess our faith in the Creed at Mass. 



243 

Ezekiel also had a vision of a new temple (Ezek. 40–43), much like that 

later seen in the Book of Revelation, in which God will reside, dwelling in 

His people’s midst: “My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, 

and they will be my people. Then the nations shall know that I, the 

LORD, make Israel holy, by putting my sanctuary among them forever” 

(Ezek. 37:27–28). 

By these prophetic visions, Ezekiel encouraged the exiles and reminded 

them of God’s promises, delivering a message of hope not only for their 

return from exile, but also of the salvation that would come through God’s 

promised Messiah. 

Vocabulary 

Apocalyptic Literature 

(n.): A writing style 

of Scripture that 

communicates truths 

about God and our 

salvation through visions, 

strange imagery, and 

symbolism. 

Daniel 

The events of the Book of Daniel unfold in the sixth century, during the 

exile and during the reigns of both the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar 

and Cyrus of Persia. Unlike the other prophets, the Book of Daniel 

contains longer narrative accounts and is sometimes classified as 

apocalyptic literature for its visions of international conflict and great 

trouble. The apocalyptic visions of Daniel, like the visions of Ezekiel, also 

greatly influenced the writing of the Book of Revelation. 

Daniel became a favorite of King Nebuchadnezzar due to his ability 

to interpret dreams. The king dreamt of a large statue with various parts 

made of gold, silver, bronze, and iron and clay, each of which crumbled and 

broke after being struck by a stone. The stone then grew into a mountain 

that filled the whole world (Dan. 2:31–35). Daniel interpreted this dream 

to be a vision of five kingdoms, the first four of which would rule and then 

collapse before the fifth kingdom, the Kingdom of God (represented by the 

stone) would come and last forever (Dan. 2:36–45). Daniel also prophesied 

of the coming of the Messiah. In fact, the Book of Daniel is the only Old 

Testament book to refer specifically to the future Savior and king as the 

“anointed one” (Dan. 9:26) or “messiah.” 

Daniel also foresaw the coming of the Messiah, one “like a son of 

man,” a title Jesus would later claim for Himself: 

Daniel also 

prophesied of 

the coming of 

the Messiah. 

I saw coming with the clouds of heaven 

One like a son of man. 

When he reached the Ancient of Days 

and was presented before him, 

He received dominion, splendor, and kingship; 

all nations, peoples and tongues will serve him. 

His dominion is an everlasting dominion 

that shall not pass away, 

his kingship, one that shall not be destroyed. (Dan. 7:13–14) 



Other stories from the Book of Daniel portray the prophet as a young 

Jewish hero living during the exile, championing purity of worship of the one 

true God and not giving in to forced idolatry. One well-known story involves 

three of Daniel’s companions who, after refusing to worship a golden idol, 

were thrown into a furnace to be burned to death as punishment from the 

king. Miraculously, the men survived after praying to God for repentance 

and deliverance, and an angel of the Lord came to protect them (Dan. 3). 

Later, when a new king, Darius, passed a law prohibiting prayer to other 

gods but himself, Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den for his refusal to 

submit. Again, an angel of the Lord appeared to calm the lions and protect 

Daniel, and he survived unharmed. Witnessing Daniel’s deliverance, the 

king decreed that all in his kingdom must show reverence to the God of 

Daniel (Dan. 6). 

The Minor Prophets 

Like the four 

major prophets 

(Isaiah, 

Jeremiah, 

Ezekiel, and 

Daniel), the 

minor prophets 

proclaimed a 

message of 

repentance and 

hope. 

The shorter prophetic books, referred to as the minor prophets, span several 

hundred years, from Amos and Hosea (eighth century BC) to Malachi, 

Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah (fifth to fourth centuries BC). Like the four major 

prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel), the minor prophets proclaimed 

a message of repentance and hope, urging people to faithfulness 

now and promising a time of healing and peace in the future. The twelve 

minor prophets are: 

■ Hosea: During the eighth century BC, Hosea preached against the 

rampant idolatry of his time, comparing Israel to an adulterous wife 

and God to the faithful husband who waits for her return and restores 

her to a place of honor. 

■ Joel: A post-exilic prophet who lived during the fourth century BC, Joel 

wrote about a Messianic age when the Spirit would be poured out on 

God’s people, anticipating Pentecost and the work of the Holy Spirit in 

the Church. 

■ Amos: Before the fall of the Northern Kingdom, Amos, a shepherd 

of Judah, warned of the coming destruction of the kingdom and 

condemned those who lived in wealth and luxury but ignored the less 

fortunate. 

■ Obadiah: Although scholars remain uncertain about the century in 

which Obadiah lived, his prophecies were directed at the people of 

Edom, who occupied Judah both during and after the Babylonian exile 

and whom he warned against celebrating the destruction of Jerusalem. 

■ Jonah: Although it is believed Jonah was a well-known prophet who 

lived in the eighth century BC, the Book of Jonah was likely written 

much later, not so much as a historical book, but as a divinely inspired 



245 

Jonah and the Whale by Pieter Lastman (1621). 

story to help the Jewish people understand the depths of God’s mercy. 

Filled with dramatic events — such as Jonah spending three days in 

the belly of the whale, foreshadowing Christ’s Resurrection from the 

dead on the Third Day — it illustrates that God will extend His mercy to 

anyone who seeks it. 

Jonah’s three days in the 

whale is a foreshadowing of 

Christ’s time in the Tomb. 

■ Micah: A contemporary of Isaiah, Micah strove to help the people of 

Judah understand that burnt offerings and sacrifices were not what 

God ultimately wanted from His people. Rather, He wanted them “to 

do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly” with God 

(Mic. 6:8). 

■ Nahum: In the early seventh century BC, after the fall of the Northern 

Kingdom, Nahum prophesied that Judah’s great oppressor and enemy, 

Assyria, would soon be destroyed. Assyria was conquered by the 

Babylonians in 612 BC. 

■ Habakkuk: A prophet of Judah before the fall of the Southern Kingdom, 

Habakkuk was not afraid to put tough questions to God. His book of 

prophecy, which is largely a dialogue between him and God, centers on 

him asking God why evil seems to triumph and why God would allow 

nations that are more wicked than Israel to destroy it. 

■ Zephaniah: Prophesying shortly before the religious reforms of King 

Josiah in Judah, this mid-seventh century prophet painted a dark 

picture of what was in store for Judah and all the nations who refused 

to acknowledge the sovereignty of God and walk in His ways. 



■ Haggai: Written after the exile to Babylon, Haggai’s focus was not on 

judgment for sins, but rather on how to rebuild what was lost in the past, 

particularly the Temple. Haggai assured the people the rebuilt Temple 

would be filled with the Spirit of the Lord and would be greater than the 

Temple of Solomon, despite its humble appearance. 

■ Zechariah: A contemporary of Haggai, Zechariah echoed Haggai’s 

instructions to rebuild the Temple but focused more on the program for 

national restoration and the coming Messianic age. 

■ Malachi: Written most likely after the return of the Jewish people 

to Jerusalem during the period of Ezra and Nehemiah, Malachi 

proclaimed God’s faithful love for His people, condemned the wrong 

practices of the people (unclean sacrifices, divorce, and marriage with 

Gentiles), and spoke of a universal sacrifice yet to be fulfilled, likely in 

the Messianic age. 

Throughout the stories of all the prophets, there is an increasing intensity 

to their expectation of a coming Messiah. Israel had staked its hope on 

a new covenant, in which all they had lost would be restored, and in which 

God would honor His covenant with David and make Israel an everlasting 

kingdom, ruled forever by a Son of David. That New Covenant would come 

soon enough and God would honor His covenant with David, only not in the 

way the Jewish people were expecting. 

The prophets all 

foretold of the coming 

Messiah and the 

New Covenant. 

 

Prophet Isaiah by Antonio Balestra (18th century). 



247 


To our modern ears, the word prophet may conjure images of crazy old men 

with doomsday predictions, or even of charismatic cult leaders who are out to 

manipulate people. These notions are obviously a far cry from the prophets 

God called to spread His Word of repentance, hope, and love to the Israelites. 

Even so, you may still think the Old Testament prophets were sent only to 

rebuke the people and warn them about God’s punishments if they did not do 

what He wanted. It may even seem like the prophets were sent to promise bad 

things, not to help the people avoid them. 

It is always important to remember the broader context of Salvation History 

and look for the things that point toward the overall goal of communion between 

God and His people. Yes, the prophets warned of dire consequences if 

the people did not turn away from sin, and they often rebuked them for being 

faithless and disobedient, but their messages were never ones merely of condemnation. 

The prophets were not just harbingers of doom—quite the opposite! 

Every time a prophet was sent to warn the Israelites, the consequences 

they forewarned were not inevitable, but an opportunity to return to God, renew 

their faith, and live in His Love. Think for a moment of a time when you felt like 

God was punishing or had abandoned you. Then think of the prophets and 

remember that even if it feels like God has left you in that moment, in reality 

He has not. He is always there extending love and offering you an opportunity 

to grow closer to Him. 


248 


Chapter 13 


1 Who were the prophets and what mission did God give them? How did they carry out this 

mission? 

2 What do the terms “major” and “minor” prophets refer to? How many of each were there? 

3 What sign of the Messiah did Isaiah foretell? What qualities of the Messiah did Isaiah 

describe? 

4 What did Isaiah prophesy in the songs of the suffering servant? 

5 What did Isaiah prophesy about the end of time? 

6 What analogy did Jeremiah use to warn the people that they would be given over to their enemies 

if they did not change their ways? 

7 What did Jeremiah prophesy about a new covenant? How has the Church always understood 

this prophecy? 

8 What did Ezekiel focus his prophecies on? 

9 What has the Church long interpreted Ezekiel’s vision of four strange angelic creatures each 

with four faces to represent? 

10 What did Ezekiel prophesy about the end of time? 

11 What unique contributions does the Book of Daniel make to the Old Testament prophecies 

regarding the coming of the Messiah? 

12 To what did Hosea compare Israel and God? 

13 Whom did Amos condemn? 

14 What dramatic event from the story of Jonah foreshadowed Jesus’ Resurrection? 

15 What did Micah condemn and what did he foretell? 



249 



Excerpt from the General Audience of Pope Francis, October 22, 2014 

In the Book of Ezekiel a vision is described, a bit particular, impressive, but capable of instilling trust and 

hope in our hearts. God shows the prophet an expanse of bones, separated from each other and dry. A 

desolate scene.... Imagine an entire valley full of bones. God asks him, then, to invoke the Spirit upon 

them. At that point, the bones move, they begin to come together, to join themselves. First nerves and 

then flesh grew on them and in this way they form a complete body, full of life (cf. Ez 37:1–14). … This 

is the Church, she is a masterpiece, the masterpiece of the Spirit who instills in each one the new life of 

the Risen One and places us, beside one another, each at the service and support of the other, thereby 

making of all of us one single body, edified in communion and in love. 

The Church, however, is not only a body built in the Spirit: the Church is the Body of Christ! And this is not 

simply a catchphrase: indeed, we truly are! It is the great gift that we receive on the day of our Baptism! 

In the sacrament of Baptism, indeed, Christ makes us his, welcoming us into the heart of the mystery 

of the Cross, the supreme mystery of his love for us, in order to cause us to then be raised with him, as 

new beings. See: in this way the Church is born, and in this way the Church is recognized as the Body of 

Christ! Baptism constitutes a true rebirth, which regenerates us in Christ, renders us a part of Him, and 

unites us intimately among ourselves, as limbs of the same body, of which He is the Head (cf. Rm 12:5; 

1 Cor 12:12–13). 

1 What comparison does Pope Francis make between Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of bones and 

the Church? 

2 In what ways have you experienced the Church as the Body of Christ? 


250 




Dominum et Vivificantem 16–18, An Encyclical Letter of Pope St. John Paul II, 

May 18, 1986 

16. In the Old Covenant, anointing had become the external symbol of the gift of the Spirit. The Messiah 

(more than any other anointed personage in the Old Covenant) is that single great personage anointed by 

God himself. He is the Anointed One in the sense that he possesses the fullness of the Spirit of God. He 

himself will also be the mediator in granting this Spirit to the whole People. Here in fact are other words 

of the Prophet: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good 

tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to the captives, and 

the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 

The Anointed One is also sent “with the Spirit of the Lord”: “Now the Lord God has sent me and his Spirit.” 

According to the Book of Isaiah, the Anointed One and the One sent together with the Spirit of the Lord 

is also the chosen Servant of the Lord upon whom the Spirit of God comes down: “Behold my servant, 

whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him.” 

We know that the Servant of the Lord is revealed in the Book of Isaiah as the true Man of Sorrows: the 

Messiah who suffers for the sins of the world. And at the same time it is precisely he whose mission will 

bear for all humanity the true fruits of salvation: 

“He will bring forth justice to the nations...”; and he will become “a covenant to the people, a light to the 

nations...”; “that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” 

For: “My spirit which is upon you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of 

your mouth, or out of the mouth of your children’s children, says the Lord, from this time forth and for 

evermore.” 

The prophetic texts quoted here are to be read in the light of the Gospel — just as, in its turn, the New 

Testament draws a particular clarification from the marvelous light contained in these Old Testament texts. 

The Prophet presents the Messiah as the one who comes in the Holy Spirit, the one who possesses 

the fullness of this Spirit in himself and at the same time for others, for Israel, for all the nations, for all 

humanity. The fullness of the Spirit of God is accompanied by many different gifts, the treasures of salvation, 

destined in a particular way for the poor and suffering, for all those who open their hearts to these 

gifts-sometimes through the painful experience of their own existence — but first of all through that interior 

availability which comes from faith. The aged Simeon, the “righteous and devout man” upon whom “rested 



251 



the Holy Spirit,” sensed this at the moment of Jesus’ presentation in the Temple, when he perceived 

in him the “salvation...prepared in the presence of all peoples” at the price of the great suffering — the 

Cross — which he would have to embrace together with his Mother. The Virgin Mary, who “had conceived 

by the Holy Spirit,” sensed this even more clearly, when she pondered in her heart the “mysteries” of the 

Messiah, with whom she was associated. 

17. Here it must be emphasized that clearly the “spirit of the Lord” who rests upon the future Messiah is 

above all a gift of God for the person of that Servant of the Lord. But the latter is not an isolated and independent 

person, because he acts in accordance with the will of the Lord, by virtue of the Lord’s decision 

or choice. Even though in the light of the texts of Isaiah the salvific work of the Messiah, the Servant of 

the Lord, includes the action of the Spirit which is carried out through himself, nevertheless in the Old 

Testament context there is no suggestion of a distinction of subjects, or of the Divine Persons as they subsist 

in the mystery of the Trinity, and as they are later revealed in the New Testament. Both in Isaiah and 

in the whole of the Old Testament the personality of the Holy Spirit is completely hidden: in the revelation 

of the one God, as also in the foretelling of the future Messiah. 

18. Jesus Christ will make reference to this prediction contained in the words of Isaiah at the beginning 

of his messianic activity. This will happen in the same Nazareth where he had lived for thirty years in 

the house of Joseph the carpenter, with Mary, his Virgin Mother. When he had occasion to speak in the 

Synagogue, he opened the Book of Isaiah and found the passage where it was written: “The Spirit of the 

Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me”; and having read this passage he said to those present: 

“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” In this way he confessed and proclaimed that 

he was the Messiah, the one in whom the Holy Spirit dwells as the gift of God himself, the one who possesses 

the fullness of this Spirit, the one who marks the “new beginning” of the gift which God makes to 

humanity in the Spirit. 

1 What did the prophet Isaiah foretell about the relationship of the Messiah and the Spirit of God? 

2 What was hidden in Isaiah’s prophecies of the Spirit of the Lord and the Messiah that was only 

made clear by Christ Himself? How did Jesus make known what was hidden? 

3 Why do you think God only made the mystery of the Trinity known partially and in prophecy and 

signs in the Old Testament? 


UNIT 6 

The Gospels and 

the Life of Christ

Unit 6 

253 

The New Testament is the story of the New Covenant told in 

27 books. Four of these books are the Gospels of Matthew, 

Mark, Luke, and John. But the Gospel is much more than a book. 

The word itself means “good news” (it is the English translation 

of the Latin word evangelium), and that is what the Gospel is: 

the Good News of our salvation. It is the entirety of God’s saving 

message for us: that He loves us so much that He assumed 

a human nature and became man, died on a cross, and rose 

again so that we could have eternal life. The Church is also part 

of that Good News. When Jesus ascended into Heaven, He did 

not leave us on our own to figure things out as best as we could. 

Rather, He sent the Holy Spirit to guide a Church who could 

teach and interpret the Scriptures authoritatively and administer 

Sacraments that were truly efficacious — Sacraments that truly 

did what they claimed to do. 

For these reasons, the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and 

John, which recount the story of the life, Death, and Resurrection 

of Jesus, are called “Gospels.” If we were to describe the Gospel 

in one word, however, it would simply be Jesus. Jesus is the 

Gospel. He is the Good News. Therefore, it makes sense that 

the books that tell us who He is, how He lived during His earthly 

life, and what he taught and did are specifically known as the 

Gospels. 

This unit will not only study the literary aspects of each of 

the Gospels but will also explore the life of Christ. Much like the 

Gospels themselves claim, however, there is far more to learn 

about Jesus than could be contained in one book. Thus, this unit 

is a survey of the key moments of Christ’s life and specifically explores 

their connections to God’s promises in the Old Testament 

and the prophecies of His coming as the Messiah. 

In This Unit 

■ Chapter 14: The Gospels 

■ Chapter 15: The Early Life of Christ 

■ Chapter 16: Jesus’ Public Ministry 

■ Chapter 17: The Paschal Mystery

Chapter 14 

The Gospels 

Where We Are in 

Scripture 

■ Matthew 

■ Mark 

■ Luke 

■ John

Unit 6, Chapter 14: The Gospels 

255 


The Gospels are at the very heart of Christian Faith and life since they are the account 

of Christ’s own life and ministry. The four Gospel writers all wrote to communicate that 

life and ministry to various audiences throughout the early Church. Mark and Luke both 

wrote for Gentile Christians, with Mark writing primarily to encourage Roman Christians 

enduring persecution, and Luke emphasizing how Christ’s mission of love and mercy was 

meant for all nations. Matthew and John both wrote for Jewish converts to Christianity, 

although John’s Gospel was written decades later. Matthew focused on showing 

how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament, while John displayed a more mature — and 

poetic — theology of Christ’s identity as God made man based on His miracles and 

His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. 


■ The four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — are the “heart of all the Scriptures ‘because they are 

our principal source for the life and teaching of the Incarnate Word, our Savior’” (CCC 125). 

■ Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the synoptic Gospels because these three Gospels present the 

story of Christ in a similar way, even retelling certain parts of His story using nearly identical language. 

■ The intended audience of Matthew’s Gospel was Jewish Christians, so he assumed his readers were 

familiar with the Old Testament and Jewish traditions. 

■ Both Mark and Luke’s intended audience were Gentile Christians, with Mark specifically focusing on the 

Gentile Christians in Rome. 

■ John’s Gospel presents Jesus’ full humanity and full divinity and develops a more complete Christology, or 

theology of Christ. 

Bible Basics 

“All power in heaven and on earth has 

been given to me. Go, therefore, and make 

disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the 

name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 

the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all 

that I have commanded you. And behold, I 

am with you always, until the end of the age.” 


“Truly this man was the Son of God.” 

MARK 15:39 


Matthew 1–7 

Matthew 10:1–25 

Matthew 17 

Matthew 19 

Matthew 20 

Matthew 

25:14–46 

Matthew 26–28 

Mark 1 

Mark 4 

Mark 11 

Mark 14–16 

John 1–4 

John 6–8:20 

John 9–10:19 

John 11:1–19 

John 13–21 


the Catechism 

CCC 125 (pg. 256) 

CCC 126 (pg. 257) 



The four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — are the “heart of 

all the Scriptures ‘because they are our principal source for the life 

and teaching of the Incarnate Word, our Savior’” (CCC 125). As such, 

they hold a special place in the life of the Church, evidenced especially 

by their veneration in the Church’s liturgy. The word gospel is the English 

translation of the Latin word evangelium, which means “good news.” The 

four-fold Gospel is the Good News of our salvation! In the Gospels we find 

God’s saving message for us: that He loves us so much that He assumed a 

human nature and became man, died on a Cross, and rose from the dead 

to save us from our sins so we could have eternal life. 

The Formation of the Gospels 

Although the Gospels are placed first at the beginning of the New Testament, 

they were written after many of the other books of the New Testament, specifically 

the letters of St. Paul. They are placed first because they show us 

how Jesus’ life and Death both fulfill the promises God made in the Old 

Covenant and establish the New Covenant. 

The Gospels begin the 

New Testament 

since they provide 

accounts of Jesus’ 

life and ministry. 

Sermon on the Mount by Carl Bloch (1877). 



257 

The Gospels were formed in three stages. The first stage is the life and 

teaching of Jesus. This includes all He taught up until He ascended into 

Heaven. The second stage is the oral tradition, which is what the Apostles 

preached after the Ascension. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they were able to 

experience a greater understanding of what Jesus said and did, and they 

were empowered to communicate that message (the Good News) to people 

through their preaching. The third stage is the written Gospels, which, 

the Catechism explains, took place in the following manner: 

The sacred authors, in writing the fours Gospels, selected certain 

of the many elements which had been handed on, either 

orally or already in written form; others they synthesized or 

explained with an eye to the situation of the Churches, while 

sustaining the form of preaching, but always in such a fashion 

that they have told us the honest truth about Jesus. (126) 

Vocabulary 

Synoptic Gospels (n.): 

The Gospels of Matthew, 

Mark, and Luke, which 

present the story of 

Christ’s life in a similar 

way and even borrow 

stories and the structure 

of their Gospels from each 

other. The word synoptic 

comes from the Greek for 

“view together.” 

As our primary source of knowledge about Jesus Christ, the Gospels 

paint a true and living portrait of Him. 

The Synoptic Gospels and John’s Gospel 

Among the four canonical Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the most 

similar. Together, they are known as the synoptic Gospels. The word 

synoptic comes from a Greek word meaning “view together.” Thus, these 

three Gospels present the story of Christ in a similar way, even retelling 

certain parts of His story using nearly identical language. One common 

theory among biblical scholars is that the Gospel of Mark was written first 

and the sacred authors of Matthew and Luke used Mark’s Gospel as a 

primary source or outline for the composition of their own Gospels. This 

theory also suggests the existence of an ancient hypothetical document 

known as the “Q source” that collected the sayings of Jesus and was used 

by all three synoptic authors. There is, however, no definitive evidence for 

the existence of this document, and so it remains hypothetical. 

The Gospel of John differs in content and approach from the synoptic 

Gospels. It is likely John’s Gospel was the last to be written; its sacred author 

would have read the other Gospels, perhaps feeling it less necessary 

to include details in his Gospel that were already in the others. Tradition 

has long held the author of John’s Gospel to be John the beloved disciple, 

whom Tradition tells us took Mary into his home after Jesus’ Ascension. As 

such, John would have had unique insights into Jesus’ life and work. 

Thus, these 

three Gospels 

present the 

story of Christ 

in a similar way, 

even retelling 

certain parts of 

His story using 

nearly identical 

language. 

All four accounts contain differences, as each was written for a different 

audience and so contain different details or organization of information 

for their intended audience. We also must keep in mind that while God is 

the primary author of Scripture, the human authors are just as much true 



Vocabulary 

Heresy (n.): The 

obstinate denial after 

Baptism of a truth which 

must be believed with 

divine and Catholic faith. 

Gnostic Gospels (n.): 

Ancient books about 

the life of Christ that are 

infused with theology that 

reflects the Gnostic heresy 

rampant at the time. Two 

are falsely attributed to St. 

Thomas the Apostle and 

St. Mary Magdalene. 

Gnosticism (n.): The 

name given to a heresy 

of the early Church that 

taught, among other 

things, that Jesus was not 

fully human, the material 

world was evil, and 

salvation was achieved 

through secret knowledge, 

or gnosis. 

Apocryphal Gospels 

(n.): The name given to 

heretical non-canonical 

writings that purported to 

be additional accounts 

of the life of Christ, but 

were written by members 

of heretical groups, such 

as the Gnostics. They 

denied fundamental truths 

about Jesus, such as the 

reality of the Incarnation 

and the Pashcal Mystery, 

contradicted in sometimes 

odd ways stories of the 

life of Christ from the four 

inspired Gospels, and 

claimed to contain secret 

knowledge and magic 

spells for the Gnostic 

sects who might read 

them. 

authors who wrote from their own perspective of the events of Christ’s 

life (either as eye-witnesses themselves or from what was told to them by 

eye-witnesses). Thus, it makes sense why certain details may differ. God 

worked through these human authors and inspired them to shine a unique 

light on the life and teaching of Jesus. Taken together, the four Gospels 

enable us to see a much more complete picture of the life of Christ than if 

we had only one account. 

The “Other Gospels” 

Outside of the four canonical Gospels, there exist other accounts of Jesus’ 

life that the Church does not hold to be inspired by God and have never 

been considered part of the Scripture canon. These so-called “gospels” did 

not fit the criteria used by the early Church to determine which books were 

inspired by the Holy Spirit — their language was different, their teachings 

were not consistent with the known teachings of the Apostles, and they 

were written after all the canonical books (after the first century in most 

cases). 

Some of these non-canonical “gospels” sought to undermine the 

Christian Faith and are considered heretical. Among these are the 

gnostic gospels, written by followers of the heresy of Gnosticism, which 

flourished between the second and fourth centuries. Often referred to as 

the apocryphal gospels, in reality they are not gospels at all because 

they do not teach the Good News. These books deny both the reality of the 

Incarnation and the Paschal Mystery, purport to contain secret information 

and magic spells for gnostic sects who might read them, and tell odd stories 

from the life of Christ that are blatant contradictions to what we know 

of His life from the inspired Gospels. 

The Four Gospels 

The Gospel of Matthew 

■ Traditional Author: St. Matthew (also called Levi) the Apostle. 

■ Date: AD 50–100 

■ Intended Audience: Jewish Christian converts to Christianity in 

Palestine and neighboring regions 

The Gospel of Matthew is the first of the four Gospels in the New Testament. 

The tradition of the Church has long attributed the authorship of the Gospel 

to St. Matthew, the tax collector who became an Apostle. And it is also the 

tradition of the Church that Matthew’s Gospel was the first to be written, 



259 

The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio (ca. 1599–1600). 

in light of references in the text itself to the destruction of the Temple and 

the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans, both of which took place in AD 70. 

Many modern scholars suggest, however, that Mark’s Gospel was the first 

to be written. These competing theories make it difficult to definitively date 

the authorship of the text, giving us a broad range of AD 50–100. 

The first Gospel within 

Scripture is attributed 

to St. Matthew, the tax 

collector whom Christ 

called to discipleship. 

The intended audience of Matthew’s Gospel was Jewish Christians, 

converts to Christianity from Judaism, specifically in Palestine and neighboring 

areas. Matthew assumed his readers were familiar with the Old 

Testament and Jewish traditions and did not waste space on explaining 

these things. Instead, he chose to show his audience how Jesus is the 

promised Savior and Messiah foretold in the Old Testament, making more 

than 100 references to the Old Testament in his Gospel that his Jewish 

audience would have recognized. The Gospel opens with a detailed genealogy 

of Jesus’ ancestry that introduces a major theme of this Gospel: that 

Jesus is a direct descendent of Abraham and David, inheritor of God’s covenantal 

promises to them, and the long-awaited son of David who would 

usher in the everlasting kingdom God had promised centuries before. 

St. Matthew organized his Gospel in an orderly way so details about 

Christ’s life and teaching would be easier to remember. It can be divided 

into seven sections, or “books.” The first section of Matthew’s Gospel, 

comprised of the first two chapters, is focused on Jesus’ birth and infancy 



Vocabulary 

Kingdom of Heaven 

(Kingdom of God) (n.): 

God’s reign, or rule, over 

all things. During His 

public ministry, Jesus 

proclaimed that the 

Kingdom of God was at 

hand. The Church is the 

seed, or beginning, of the 

Kingdom here on earth. 

The Kingdom will be 

fulfilled in Heaven. 

narrative. Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth recounts the events mainly 

from Joseph’s perspective. From Matthew we also learn of the plot of King 

Herod to find and kill the newborn Jesus, and of the Magi. Matthew also 

tells us of the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt and their eventual return to 

settle in Nazareth. 

The five middle sections of the Gospel focus on another major theme: 

the proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven. These middle “books” of 

the Gospel parallel the structure of the Pentateuch (the first five books of 

the Bible). Each section follows a pattern of first telling of the events of 

Jesus’ life and then concludes with a sermon or teaching of Jesus. Matthew 

makes the case that the Kingdom of Heaven is the kingdom the Jews had 

been waiting for, which Jesus, the Son of David, will rule forever. But it is 

not the kingdom they expected. It is a divine kingdom, a heavenly kingdom, 

which will be open not just to the Jews but to all the people of the world. 

The requirement for entrance into the Kingdom is repentance of sin and 

belief in the Gospel. Matthew makes clear that the Church is the beginning 

“And so I say to you, 

you are Peter, and 

upon this rock 

I will build my 

church...I will give 

you the keys to the 

kingdom of heaven.” 

(Matt. 16:18–19) 

Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter by Bernardo Castello (1598). 



261 

of this Kingdom on earth. Matthew also recounts a series of Jesus’ parables 

about the Kingdom, such as the parable of the sower (Matt. 13:1–9) 

and the parable of the mustard seed (Matt. 13:31–32), which revealed the 

spiritual nature of the Kingdom and that it would grow from humble origins. 

Another important part of Matthew’s Gospel is the commissioning of 

the Apostles and St. Peter. Jesus sent the Apostles out as His emissaries 

to preach the Good News and gave them His authority (Matt. 10:5–15). 

And He told St. Peter that he would be the “rock” on which He would build 

His Church, assuring Peter that the gates of Hell would not prevail against 

the Church (Matt. 16:18). He gave St. Peter the “keys to the kingdom of 

heaven” and the power to “bind” and “loose” on earth, which would be 

upheld in Heaven (Matt. 16:19). 

Vocabulary 

Evangelization (n.): 

The act of sharing the 

Good News of the Gospel 

message of salvation. At 

the command of Jesus, 

the Church’s mission is 

to evangelize the whole 

world. 

The final section of Matthew’s Gospel presents the narratives of Jesus’ 

Passion, Death, and Resurrection — majestic accounts of our salvation. 

Matthew presents these events as the moment of the fulfillment of God’s 

promises of salvation made in the Old Testament, and as the moment of 

the establishment of the promised New Covenant made in Christ’s Blood. 

Matthew concludes his Gospel with Jesus’ final words to His Apostles, 

who had gathered to see Him ascend into Heaven. The Church calls this 

moment the Great Commission. Jesus said, “All power in heaven and on 

earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all 

nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 

of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded 

you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matt. 

28:18–20). In these words, Jesus gave His Apostles, and thereby the 

Church, their mission: to make disciples of all people, baptize, and teach 

all He had taught them. In word, Jesus gave His Church, the Kingdom of 

Heaven made manifest on earth, the mission of evangelization. 

The Gospel of Mark 

■ Traditional Author: John Mark; a missionary companion to Sts. 

Paul and Barnabas and St. Peter 

■ Date: AD 65–70 

■ Intended Audience: Gentile Christians in Rome unfamiliar with 

Jewish traditions 

The Gospel of Mark is the shortest and most action-oriented of the four 

Gospels, presenting Jesus as always on the go, urgently acting, preaching, 

and healing. Despite its short length and brisk pace, however, Mark’s 

Gospel often contains more detail than its fellow synoptics. 



The Arrest of Jesus by Gerard Seghers or Adam de Coster (17th century). 

St. Mark may have been 

the disciple who fled 

upon the arrival of Jesus’ 

captors. 

As noted previously, most scholars today consider Mark’s Gospel to 

be the earliest written of the four Gospels and believe that the authors of 

the Gospels of Matthew and Luke used Mark’s Gospel as a source for their 

own Gospels. While there is some evidence to support this theory from 

within the texts, the tradition of the Church places Matthew’s Gospel as the 

first to be written. Taking this theory into account, then, the Gospel of Mark 

could have been written as early as AD 65, but definitely before AD 70. 

The author of Mark’s Gospel is believed to be a man named John Mark, 

whose mother’s home in Jerusalem is mentioned in Acts 12:12 as one of 

the places where the first Christians gathered. John Mark himself is also 

mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament as a missionary companion 

to Sts. Paul and Barnabas and as having traveled with St. Peter as well, 

possibly as an interpreter. His time with Peter and the other Apostles would 

have given him access to a variety of accounts about Jesus’ life and works, 

and he would have been intimately familiar with the oral preaching of the 

Gospel. There is also a tradition that John Mark was the unnamed disciple 

who ran off into the night when the Roman soldiers arrived during Jesus’ 

agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, a sort of autobiographical detail added 

by the evangelist (Mark 14:51–52). 

Mark’s intended audience was Gentile Christians in Rome who would 

have been unfamiliar with Jewish traditions. Therefore, his Gospel explains 

Jewish customs and translates Aramaic phrases and words. At the climax 

of his Gospel, immediately after Jesus had died on the Cross, Mark’s 



263 

Gospel tells of a Roman soldier, a Gentile, exclaiming, “Truly this man 

was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39), showing the Good News was for all 

people, Jew and Gentile alike. 

The urgency of becoming a disciple of Christ is a major theme of Mark’s 

Gospel. To that end, St. Mark wanted to help persecuted people understand 

Jesus better and strengthen them for the challenges of suffering and 

persecution that come with being a disciple of Jesus. Mark created a sense 

of urgency for accepting Jesus’ invitation to discipleship and stressed the 

need for immediate repentance and action. 

Another theme of Mark’s Gospel is the mystery of Jesus. Mark’s Gospel 

presents Jesus revealing the mystery of His divinity gradually and in stages 

and through the working of miracles and His teachings. From the responses 

of awe and astonishment in both the crowds that witness His miracles 

and the people whom Jesus heals, to the Roman centurion’s response to 

Jesus’ Death on the Cross, Mark calls the people of Rome to react with 

similar astonishment. The full revelation of the mystery of Christ’s divinity 

is made clear in His sacrifice on the Cross, His Resurrection, and His 

Ascension, the accounts of which are prominent in Mark’s Gospel. Christ’s 

Passion, too, makes clear the meaning of the titles attributed to Christ in 

this Gospel, such as “Christ” (Mark 1:1), “Messiah” (Mark 8:29), “Son 

of Man” (Mark 2:10–11), “Lord” (Mark 2:28), and “Son of David” (Mark 

10:47). 

The Gospel of Luke 

Mark’s Gospel 

presents Jesus 

revealing the 

mystery of 

his divinity 

gradually and 

in stages and 

through the 

working of 

miracles and 

His teachings. 

■ Traditional Author: St. Luke; a Gentile physician and missionary 

companion to St. Paul; Luke is also the author of Acts of the 

Apostles 

■ Date: AD 60–90 

■ Intended Audience: Gentile Christians 

The Gospel of Luke tells perhaps the most complete version of the story of 

Christ’s life. As St. Luke claims in the beginning of His Gospel (Luke 1:1–4), 

he wrote specifically to an unknown man named Theophilus, and set out 

to write an orderly and detailed account of Christ’s life based on his own 

extensive research and investigation of the events. Luke’s is also the only 

Gospel that claims to be written chronologically. 

Luke’s Gospel reflects his own Gentile upbringing. St. Luke was a 

well-educated physician from the city of Antioch in Syria who accompanied 

St. Paul in his later missionary travels and is mentioned by Paul directly in 

his letters. His Gospel reflects extensive knowledge of both Greek writings 



and the Greek versions of the Old Testament. He was not, however, part 

of the first generation of Christians and thus relied on the testimony and 

eyewitness accounts of others. Luke was also the author of the Book of 

Acts, which he also addressed to Theophilus. 

Most scholars today suggest the Gospel of Luke was written after the 

destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in AD 70, but the fact that the Book 

of Acts ends with Paul in prison for the first time rather than dead may 

suggest the Gospel was written closer to AD 62. Thus, a range of between 

AD 60–AD 90 is possible for Luke’s authorship. His primary audience was 

Gentile Christians living throughout the Mediterranean region. This audience 

is evident from Luke’s substitution of Greek names for the Aramaic 

or Hebrew names, his lack of attention to specifically Jewish concerns like 

the eating of unclean meat, and his specific mentioning of Gentiles in both 

his references and stories. It seems Luke is intent on showing Gentiles that 

they, too, have a place in the New Covenant. 

Therefore, it is 

likely Luke knew 

Mary personally 

and used her 

as a source 

for writing his 

Gospel. 

More than any other Gospel, Luke’s account shows a particular interest 

in the Virgin Mary. It is because of Luke we have many of the most 

well-known stories surrounding Jesus’ birth, intimate details only His mother 

would have known. Therefore, it is likely Luke knew Mary personally and 

used her as a source for writing his Gospel. These events include the 

Annunciation and Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth, the birth of John the 

Baptist, and much of the Nativity story. Luke is the one who tells us why 

Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem when Jesus was born, that there was 

no room for them at an inn, that the infant Jesus lay in a manger, and that 

angels brought news of His birth to shepherds, who came to pay homage 

to Him. Luke is also the one who relays the stories of the presentation of 

Jesus in the Temple, as well as the finding of Jesus in the Temple at age 12. 

In addition to Luke’s exacting concern for the historical facts of Jesus’ 

birth and family (and tracing Jesus’ lineage to Adam through a genealogy), 

Luke also focuses on a few different themes. In one theme, Luke focuses 

on Jesus’ role as Savior of all people. As Luke was not Jewish himself, 

he focused his Gospel on Jesus’ ministry to all nations, emphasizing that 

the Gentiles did not first have to become Jewish in order to believe in 

Christ. In another theme, Luke shows us Jesus’ mercy and compassion by 

including accounts of Jesus embracing sinners, the parable of the Good 

Samaritan, and of his concern for women. In fact, Luke’s Gospel is known 

as the Gospel of Mercy because of this focus. Another theme of Luke’s 

Gospel shows us the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian 

through repeated references to Him. Luke also emphasized the importance 

of prayer through frequently recounting how Jesus Himself prayed, His 

retreat to quiet places to pray, and how He urged His disciples to be persistent 

in their prayers. 



265 

St. Luke recounts how 

Christ made Himself 

known to the disciples 

through the “breaking of 

the bread” (Luke 24:35). 

Supper at Emmaus by Pieter Jozef Verhaghen (1780). 

Luke’s account of the Passion and Death of Christ focuses on emphasizing 

that God’s will is accomplished by Christ’s sacrifice. Luke also 

highlights the centrality of the Eucharist to the New Covenant. After the 

Resurrection, Luke recounts how a group of disciples who had encountered 

the Risen Jesus while traveling on the road to Emmaus (a town outside 

of Jerusalem) did not recognize Him until later when “he took bread, 

said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.” Then, Luke continues, 

“their eyes were opened and they recognized him” (24:30–31). Jesus, 

“was made known to them in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:35), 

and they later tell the other disciples, showing us that Jesus is truly present 

to us in the Eucharist, the sign of the New Covenant and a constant 

reminder of Christ’s faithfulness. 




St. Philip Neri 

There are times when we take our faith for granted. 

Sometimes, we need an outside person to remind 

us just what is so special about our Catholic 

Faith. 

Philip Neri was just such a person. 

He was born in 1515 and had a deep conversion 

experience when he was 18 years old. Living 

in Rome, his life began to turn toward the needs 

of others, and he was well known for serving 

people whether they were ill or in poverty. Even 

prostitutes were ministered to by Philip. He studied 

philosophy and theology for three years, but 

eventually sold all his books and gave the money 

to the poor. 

At that time, the people in Rome had grown 

complacent on spiritual matters. Philip saw it as 

his mission to reawaken people to the goodness 

of God and His transformative love. Philip took to 

the streets and would strike up conversations with 

people, working to turn the conversation to spiritual 

matters. He would begin a line of questioning 

with, “Well, brothers, when shall we begin to do 

good?” We spend our lives talking about so many 

trivial things that we might miss the impact of simple 

conversation about spiritual matters. Philip is 

a reminder to make our exchanges with people 

matter and not to be afraid to talk about God. 

When he was 34 years old, Philip was encouraged 

to become a priest and he was ordained in 

1551. In the confessional, he continued in his tradition 

of making impactful spiritual conversation 

with people. He was known to have the ability to 

read the state of souls and would tell people their 

sins before they confessed 

them. Philip’s life was set on 

bringing souls back to Jesus. 

Philip is remembered for 

founding the Congregation 

of Priests of the Oratory, 

a gathering of priests who 

shared meals and prayed together. 

They took no vows, 

united only by love for one 

another. They would listen 

to readings from the Bible, 

the Church Fathers, and the 

lives of the martyrs and have 

discussions on spiritual matters. 

There was something 

about the Oratory that really 

struck a chord with people, 

and soon there was need 

to relocate and build a new 

church to accommodate the 

growing numbers. Philip died 

in May of 1595 after briefly recovering from a period 

of illness. He spent his last days in relatively 

good health continuing his service to others. 

St. Philip Neri reminds us of two things. The 

first is to be so consumed by love of God that it 

animates all of our actions. The other is to have 

such a concern for others that we are willing to 

bring God to them in any way possible. This evangelization 

might be through service, but it might 

also happen through conversations. Philip transformed 

lives one relationship at a time, and God 

wants to do the same thing through you! 

[Philip] was 

known to have 

the ability 

to read the 

state of souls 

and would 

tell people 

their sins 

before they 

confessed 

them. 



267 

The Gospel of John 

■ Traditional Author: St. John the Beloved Apostle; John is also the 

author of the Book of Revelation 

■ Date: AD 90–100 

■ Intended Audience: Christians of Jewish descent, but decades 

later than Matthew’s intended audience 

The traditional author of John’s Gospel is St. John the Beloved Disciple, 

one of the Twelve Apostles and the Apostle to whom Jesus was closest. 

This fact is evidenced by the Gospel itself and unanimous agreement of 

the earliest Church Fathers. Some scholars today believe the Gospel may 

have been written by disciples of John, rather than John himself, though 

even if this were true, the stories the Gospel contains would still be directly 

linked to John himself. It is likely John’s Gospel was the last Gospel written, 

sometime between AD 90 and 100. Therefore, because of its later 

Saint John the Evangelist by Domenichino (1624–1629). 

There were many false 

ideas being taught about 

who Jesus was, and 

John’s Gospel helped 

to combat those ideas 

to present Jesus’ full 

humanity and full divinity. 



Vocabulary 

Christology (n.): A 

branch of theology that 

seeks to understand the 

nature and mystery of 

Jesus Christ. 

One of the signs that St. 

Luke writes of is Christ 

turning water into wine 

during the wedding feast 

at Cana. 

authorship, the Gospel not only presents the story of Jesus from the point 

of view of an eyewitness, but it also reflects a much more developed theological 

understanding of Christ. 

The Gospel was written for an audience of Christians of Jewish descent 

living in the Mediterranean around the turn of the first century AD. The Jews 

who would read John’s Gospel had already experienced the destruction of 

Jerusalem and the Temple and were being persecuted (just as Christians 

were). There were many false ideas being taught about who Jesus was, 

and John’s Gospel helped to combat those ideas to present Jesus’ full 

humanity and full divinity and develop a more complete Christology, or 

theology of Christ. 

Unlike the synoptic Gospels, John did not set out to present a chronological 

retelling of the story of Christ’s life. The purpose of John’s Gospel 

is to reveal the deeper truths of Christ’s life so his readers might believe 

that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God and that through this belief, 

they might have eternal life. This is not to say John’s Gospel is not 

Marriage at Cana by Frans Francken the Younger (ca. 1600–1610). 



269 

historical — it is — but in stark contrast to the other Gospels, it is very 

poetic, symbolic, and literary. It reveals the theological and spiritual truths 

of Christ’s life, specifically that Jesus is the Incarnate Word of God who 

has always existed with God from the beginning, and who became flesh 

and dwelled among us: 

In the beginning was the Word, 

and the Word was with God, 

and the Word was God. 

He was in the beginning with God. 

All things came to be through him, 

and without him nothing came to be. (John 1:1–3) 

Vocabulary 

The Book of Signs (n.): 

The first half of the Gospel 

of John that is focused on 

seven signs, or miracles, 

of Christ that each attest 

to His divinity. 

John continued: 

And the Word became flesh 

and made his dwelling among us, 

and we saw his glory, 

the glory as of the Father’s only Son, 

full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) 

John also makes it clear to us that Jesus knew His divine identity when 

He came to earth, told others who He was, and suffered for it. Remember 

in Exodus 3 God revealed to Moses His name: YHWH, or I AM. The Jews 

revered the name of God as sacred and would not say it out loud or even 

write it as a sign of their reverence. Throughout John’s Gospel, however, 

Jesus repeatedly invoked God’s name and claimed it for Himself in a series 

of “I AM” statements. He declared, “I am” the “bread of life” (John 6:35), 

the “light of the world” (John 8:12), the “gate for the sheep” (John 

10:7), the “Good Shepherd” (John 10:11), the “resurrection and the 

life” (John 11:25), “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), 

and the “true vine” (John 15:1). Then, in John 8:58, Jesus says to them, 

“Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I am.” To 

first-century Jews, Jesus’ words were blasphemy. It sounded like Jesus 

saying, “I am God,” which is exactly what He was saying. 

Traditionally, scholars have divided the Gospel of John into two sections, 

or “books”: the Book of Signs and the Book of Glory. The Book of Signs 

is comprised of much of the first half of John’s Gospel (John 2–11) and focuses 

on Jesus’ public ministry. It contains seven explicitly named “signs,” 

or miracles, each of which, in some way, attests to Jesus’ divinity. They are: 

1. The miracle at Cana (John 2:1–11) 

2. The healing of the official’s son (John 4:46–54) 

3. The healing of the paralytic (John 5:1–9) 

4. The multiplication of the loaves (John 6:1–14) 



Vocabulary 

The Book of Glory 

(n.): The second half 

of the Gospel of John 

that is focused on 

the events of Christ’s 

Passion, Death, and 

Resurrection beginning 

with Holy Thursday 

through Easter Sunday 

and the Resurrection 

appearances. 

John’s account 

of the Last 

Supper also 

records the 

longest prayer 

of Jesus in all 

four Gospels, 

known as the 

high priestly 

prayer. 

5. The restoration of the blind man (John 9:1–41) 

6. The raising of Lazarus (John 11:17–44) 

7. The Resurrection of Jesus (first predicted in John 2:19–22, but 

fulfilled in John 20:1–10) 

After each sign, Jesus engaged in a dialogue with the disciples or 

crowds that turned into a monologue. 

The Book of Glory is comprised of much of the second half of John’s 

Gospel (John 13:1–20:31) and focuses on the events of Holy Thursday 

through Easter Sunday. It presents the lifting up of Jesus on the Cross 

and His lifting up from the tomb to everlasting glory. It begins with the Last 

Supper, during which Jesus washed the feet of the Apostles as an example 

for them to follow (John 13) and promised them the Holy Spirit (John 14). 

John’s account of the Last Supper also records the longest prayer of Jesus 

in all four Gospels, known as the high priestly prayer. In it, Jesus prayed 

for the restoration of God’s glory, for His Apostles, and for their ministry as 

priests, and He prayed that His Church might be one (John 17). The Book 

of Glory then continues with the account of Jesus’ Passion (John 18–19) 

and concludes with the Resurrection and accounts of Jesus’ appearances 

to the Apostles. 

Despite the beauty and depth of John’s Gospel, some people over 

the centuries have misused certain passages from it to attack our Jewish 

brothers and sisters, blaming them for Christ’s Death. This is both contrary 

to the teaching of the Church today and to the proper understanding of 

Jesus’ atoning Death. The Church addressed this error in a document from 

the Second Vatican Council titled Nostra Aetate. In short, the document 

explains that while some of the Jews of Jesus’ day persecuted Him, others 

were His closest followers and the first Christians. Jesus Himself was a 

Jew, as was His family. Therefore, the Church condemns any acts of anti-Semitism, 

or hatred directed toward Jews. Jesus died for the sins of all 

people. Our sins are as much responsible for Jesus’ redeeming Death as 

those who condemned Him and nailed Him to the Cross 2,000 years ago. 

Jesus laid down His life for everyone, a free gift offered for the salvation 

of the world. 



271 


If someone asked you to describe your relationship with Jesus Christ, what 

would you say? Do you think of Him as a friend? A Savior? An authority-figure? 

Or would you say you do not really think of Him as someone with whom you 

can have a personal relationship? Maybe you are not sure. Maybe you have 

never really thought about it. It can be very difficult to figure out how to have a 

relationship with someone you have never met or even seen; it is much easier 

to keep Jesus at a distance, where He might seem to be anyway. 

On the other hand, can you remember a time when you read a book or 

watched a movie where a certain character was so compelling, so attractive, 

that you felt a certain fondness for them, almost like you knew them? As if 

they were your friend? When you read the Gospels, the authors are trying to 

accomplish something similar. If a piece of fiction can evoke those feelings in 

you, think about the fact that Jesus Christ is a real person, and that the words 

of the Gospels were inspired by the Holy Spirit Himself! We speak of Jesus as 

the Word of the Father; in a very real sense, when we read the Gospels, we 

are in the presence of Christ. When Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote their 

Gospels, they were not only keeping a record of historical facts, but creating a 

way for those who never met Jesus during His time on earth to know who He 

was, believe in Him, and have a relationship with Him. Keep this in mind over 

the course of this unit. Jesus is offering you a chance to get to know Him, as 

God, Savior, friend, and brother. 


272 


Chapter 14 


1 What does the word gospel mean? Why are the four Gospels called gospels? 

2 What are the three stages in which the Gospels were formed? 

3 What does it mean to call the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke the synoptic Gospels? 

How is John’s Gospel different? 

4 Why does it make sense that certain details may differ between the four Gospels? 

5 Why were other so-called “gospels” excluded from the New Testament canon? 

6 Who is the traditional author of Matthew’s Gospel? What audience was he writing to? How did 

his intended audience impact what he wrote? 

7 What are two major themes in Matthew’s Gospel? 

8 How does Matthew’s Gospel focus on the commissioning of the Apostles and St. Peter? What 

mission did Jesus give the Apostles at the Great Commission? 

9 Who is the traditional author of Mark’s Gospel? What audience was he writing to? How did his 

intended audience impact what he wrote? 

10 What are two major themes of Mark’s Gospel? 

11 Who is the traditional author of Luke’s Gospel? What audience was he writing to? How did his 


12 More than any other Gospel, what does Luke’s Gospel show a particular interest in? Why? 

13 What are four major themes of Luke’s Gospel? 

14 Who is the traditional author of John’s Gospel? What audience was he writing to? How did his 




273 

15 What is the purpose of John’s Gospel? 

16 How does John’s Gospel make it clear that Jesus knew His divine identity? 

17 What are the two sections of John’s Gospel and what do each focus on? 

18 Why does the Church condemn any act of anti-Semitism? 

19 How did St. Philip Neri share the “good news” of Jesus Christ to others? 


274 







Dei Verbum 17–20, The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, 


17. The word of God, which is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe (see Rom. 1:16), is 

set forth and shows its power in a most excellent way in the writings of the New Testament. For when 

the fullness of time arrived (see Gal. 4:4), the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us in His fullness 

of graces and truth (see John 1:14). Christ established the kingdom of God on earth, manifested His 

Father and Himself by deeds and words, and completed His work by His death, resurrection and glorious 

Ascension and by the sending of the Holy Spirit. Having been lifted up from the earth, He draws all men 

to Himself (see John 12:32, Greek text), He who alone has the words of eternal life (see John 6:68). This 

mystery had not been manifested to other generations as it was now revealed to His holy Apostles and 

prophets in the Holy Spirit (see Eph. 3:4–6, Greek text), so that they might preach the Gospel, stir up faith 

in Jesus, Christ and Lord, and gather together the Church. Now the writings of the New Testament stand 

as a perpetual and divine witness to these realities. 

18. It is common knowledge that among all the Scriptures, even those of the New Testament, the Gospels 

have a special preeminence, and rightly so, for they are the principal witness for the life and teaching of 

the incarnate Word, our savior. 

The Church has always and everywhere held and continues to hold that the four Gospels are of apostolic 

origin. For what the Apostles preached in fulfillment of the commission of Christ, afterwards they 

themselves and apostolic men, under the inspiration of the divine Spirit, handed on to us in writing: the 

foundation of faith, namely, the fourfold Gospel, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 

19. Holy Mother Church has firmly and with absolute constancy held, and continues to hold, that the four 

Gospels just named, whose historical character the Church unhesitatingly asserts, faithfully hand on what 

Jesus Christ, while living among men, really did and taught for their eternal salvation until the day He was 

taken up into heaven (see Acts 1:1). Indeed, after the Ascension of the Lord the Apostles handed on to 

their hearers what He had said and done. This they did with that clearer understanding which they enjoyed 

after they had been instructed by the glorious events of Christ’s life and taught by the light of the Spirit of 



275 



truth. The sacred authors wrote the four Gospels, selecting some things from the many which had been 

handed on by word of mouth or in writing, reducing some of them to a synthesis, explaining some things 

in view of the situation of their churches and preserving the form of proclamation but always in such fashion 

that they told us the honest truth about Jesus. For their intention in writing was that either from their 

own memory and recollections, or from the witness of those who “themselves from the beginning were 

eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word” we might know “the truth” concerning those matters about which 

we have been instructed (see Luke 1:2–4). 

20. Besides the four Gospels, the canon of the New Testament also contains the epistles of St. Paul and 

other apostolic writings, composed under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, by which, according to the 

wise plan of God, those matters which concern Christ the Lord are confirmed, His true teaching is more 

and more fully stated, the saving power of the divine work of Christ is preached, the story is told of the 

beginnings of the Church and its marvelous growth, and its glorious fulfillment is foretold. 

For the Lord Jesus was with His apostles as He had promised (see Matt. 28:20) and sent them the advocate 

Spirit who would lead them into the fullness of truth (see John 16:13). 


1 What is set forth in a most powerful way in the New Testament? 

2 What does the New Testament stand as? 

3 What books of the Bible have a special preeminence? Why? 

4 What does the Church affirm about the Gospels? 

5 What did the Gospel writers select to include in the Gospels? 

6 Besides the Gospels, what other kinds of books does the New Testament contain and what 

are they about? 


Chapter 15 

Where We Are in 

Scripture 

■ Matthew 

■ Mark 

■ Luke 

■ John 

The Early Life of Christ

Unit 6, Chapter 15: The Early Life of Christ 

277 


Oppressed under Roman rule, and culturally divided between the leadership of the 

Pharisees and Sadducees, the Jews at the time of Jesus’ birth were painfully aware 

that the Messiah had not yet come. From the moment the Archangel Gabriel appeared 

to Mary, however, the fulfillment of all God’s promises had begun. Jesus’ birth in 

Bethlehem — the city of David — His exile in Egypt, His childhood in Nazareth, His 

Baptism in the Jordan River, and His temptation in the desert not only fulfilled the 

Scriptures but modeled the Christian way of life and foreshadowed His coming 

victory over Satan through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. 


■ At the time of Jesus, Jewish society and culture was heavily divided among numerous groups and Jewish 

sects, the most prominent of these being the Pharisees and the Sadducees. 

■ The angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced to her she would be the mother of God’s 

Son, who would be the promised and waited for Messiah. 

■ Jesus is the Word who became flesh, the Son of God, who was with God from all eternity and is fully God 

and fully man. 

■ Through the mystery of the Incarnation, God accomplished all He had promised He would do to bring about 

our salvation, including His first promise of salvation to Adam and Eve. 

■ Beginning His public ministry by being baptized, Jesus modeled how we are to begin our Christian lives. 

■ Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, who came to redeem God’s people. Not just an earthly 

king, priest, or prophet, He is God Himself, King of the Universe, the High Priest, who offered Himself as 

sacrifice for the sins of all, and He is the Prophet who does not just speak for God but speaks as God 

because He is God. 

Bible Basics 

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, 

and the power of the Most High will 

overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be 

born will be called holy, the Son of God.” 

LUKE 1:35 

“You are the Messiah, the Son of the 

living God.” 

MATTHEW 16:16 

Reading Assignment 

Luke 1–8 


Catechism 

CCC 461 (pg. 281) 

CCC 537 (pg. 283) 



Vocabulary 

Pharisees (n.): A Jewish 

sect that strictly observed 

the Mosaic Law in its 

ceremonies, practices, 

and oral tradition. They 

believed in the immortality 

of the soul and the 

resurrection of the body at 

the end of time. 

Gentiles (n.): Persons of 

non-Jewish descent. 

Sadducees (n.): A 

powerful group of leaders 

in Jewish society who 

believed the only way 

for the Jewish faith to 

survive was for the people 

to cooperate with the 

Gentiles. They believed 

that only the Pentateuch 

was canonical Scripture 

and rejected traditional 

interpretations and later 

additions to the Law and 

covenants contained in 

Scripture (specifically the 

covenant with David). 

They did not believe 

in the afterlife, the 

resurrection of the body, 

or supernatural beings 

such as angels. 

Jewish Society at the Time of Jesus’ Birth 

In the century before Jesus was born, it seemed to many of the people of 

Judea that God had finally honored His promise and restored the Kingdom 

of David. The Jewish people were once again an independent kingdom. 

A Jewish king, who was also a high priest, sat upon the throne. And the 

Temple had been rebuilt and was a flourishing center for both worship and 

trade. But all was not as it seemed. 

The king who sat upon the throne was a Levite, not a descendant of 

David (who was of the Tribe of Judah), and the ten lost tribes had not been 

brought back into Israel. The Kingdom of Judea at this time was a manmade 

kingdom that did not last. In 63 BC, the Roman army conquered 

Judea, making it a Roman province. In 40 BC, they installed a puppet-king, 

Herod, who was designated “King of the Jews” by the Roman senate. 

Herod the Great (as he would come to be known) was a strong ruler 

and taxed the Jewish people heavily to send tribute back to Rome. He also 

renovated the Temple on a grand scale and tried to cultivate the idea that 

the Davidic kingdom had been restored under him, but most Jews recognized 

that it had not. After Herod’s death, Judea came under direct Roman 

rule, while Galilea, a region north of Jerusalem where Jesus would grow 

up, was ruled by Herod’s son, Herod Antipas. 

Jewish society and culture at this time was heavily divided among numerous 

groups and Jewish sects, but none held more influence than the 

Pharisees and the Sadducees. Jesus encountered both during His public 

ministry. 

The Pharisees were members of a sect of Judaism who believed that 

for Israel to remain faithful to God, the people must remain pure and hold 

strictly to the Law of Moses. They followed exaggerated interpretations of 

the Jewish laws to the point they became burdens. They refused to associate 

in any way with Gentiles, and they rejected the belief that Jerusalem 

would be an everlasting kingdom and the center of worship for ALL the 

nations. The Pharisees also believed in the afterlife and resurrection of the 

body — as did Jesus. These beliefs, however, were not universally held in 

Jewish society. 

The Sadducees were largely wealthy landowners and priests who 

believed the only way for Judaism to survive was to cooperate with the 

Gentiles. The Sadducees believed, however, that only the Pentateuch (the 

first five books of Scripture) was canonical and rejected traditional interpretations 

and additions to the Law and covenants found later in Scripture, including 

anything pertaining to God’s covenant with David. The Sadducees 

did not believe in the afterlife, resurrection of the body, angels, or spirits. 



279 

Gabriel announced to 

Mary that she would be 

the mother of Jesus, the 

Messiah. 

The Annunciation 

The Annunciation by Luca Giordano (1672). 

Vocabulary 

Annunciation (n.): The 

visit of the angel Gabriel 

to Mary to inform her that 

she was to be the mother 

of the Savior. After giving 

her consent to God’s 

Word, Mary became the 

mother of Jesus by the 

power of the Holy Spirit. 

Immaculate Conception 

(n.): The dogma that 

professes that from the 

beginning of her life, the 

Virgin Mary was saved 

from Original Sin so that 

she could bear the Son 

of God within her. Mary 

was prepared by God to 

be a holy vessel for our 

salvation. 

Around the fortieth year of the reign of Herod the Great, the angel Gabriel 

appeared to the Virgin Mary (who was likely around 14 years old) and 

announced to her she would be the mother of God’s Son, who would 

be the promised and waited for Messiah. This moment is known as the 

Annunciation. Gabriel greeted her saying: “Hail, full of grace” (Luke 

1:28, Douay-Rheims translation). These words form the foundation of the 

Church’s dogma of the Immaculate Conception, that Mary, the Blessed 

Mother, was preserved from the stain of Original Sin from the moment of 

her conception. 

The angel Gabriel announced how the Virgin Mary would conceive the 

Savior, saying: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of 

the most high will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born 

will be called holy, the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). The virgin conception 

and birth of Jesus is a direct fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, that the sign 

of the Messiah would be a virgin with child (Isa. 7:14). The angel’s words 

also directly parallel the way in which God came to dwell in the Ark of the 



Vocabulary 

Fiat (n.): Mary’s “yes,” or 

consent to God’s will for 

her at the Annunciation 

and all throughout her life. 

Latin for “let it be done.” 

Covenant during the Exodus: “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, 

and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” (Exod. 40:34). In 

fact, the Greek word for “filled” used in the Septuagint translation of Exodus 

is the same word used for “overshadow” in Luke and is the only other time 

in the Bible it is used in this way. Just as the Ark of the Covenant in the Old 

Testament, made of the finest and purest materials, contained within it the 

presence of the Lord, so too did Mary, the purest of human vessels, and 

whom the Church rightly calls the Ark of the New Covenant, contain within 

her womb God Himself. 

Mary is a model of faith and Jesus’ first disciple. She responded to 

Gabriel with her fiat, saying, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. 

May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Mary is rightly 

honored for her faith because she heard the Word of God and acted with 

haste, giving herself entirely over to God’s will (see Luke 1:39, 45; cf. 8:21). 

The angel Gabriel went on to connect the Savior’s birth with the promises 

made to David: “He will be great, and will be called the Son of 

the Most High; and the Lord will give to him the throne of his father 

David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob [Israel] forever; and 

of his kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1:32–33; cf. 2 Sam. 7:14, 16; 

Dan. 2:44). Joseph, who was Mary’s betrothed husband at this point, was 

An angel of the Lord 

appeared to St. 

Joseph in a dream 

and told him, “[Mary] 

will bear a son and 

you are to name 

him Jesus, because 

he will save his 

people from their 

sins” (Matt. 1:21). 

The Dream of St. Joseph by Luca Giordano (17th century). 



281 

a direct descendant of David. When he, through the guidance of an angel, 

took Mary into his home and embraced this miraculous child as his own 

(Matt. 1:20–21), he passed his legal patrimony on to Jesus. God would 

fulfill His promise to David of an everlasting kingdom through Jesus, who 

would usher in the Kingdom of God. 

Vocabulary 

Magi (n.): The wise men 

who came from the East 

to pay homage to the 

newborn Savior. 

The Incarnation 

Mary’s child, Jesus, is the Word who became flesh (John 1:1–5; 14), the 

Son of God, who was with God from all eternity. He is God Himself, and 

the one through whom all things were made. We call this enfleshing of 

God the Incarnation, “the fact that the Son of God assumed a human 

nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it” (CCC 461). Jesus is 

100 percent fully God and 100 percent fully man. He lived and breathed on 

this earth, experiencing the things all human beings do, with the exception 

of sin, and yet remained fully God through it all. Through the mystery of the 

Incarnation, God accomplished all that He had promised He would do to 

bring about our salvation, including His first promise of salvation to Adam 

and Eve (Gen. 3:15). God had foretold that a descendant of the woman 

would come to crush the head of the snake, defeating sin and death in the 

process. Mary is the woman, and Jesus her descendant, who indeed defeated 

the power of Satan, sin, and death by His Death and Resurrection. 

Jesus’ Infancy and Childhood 

Mary give birth to Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem, the birthplace of David, 

where she and Joseph had traveled to be counted in the census. The angels 

rejoiced and announced the news to the least of the kingdom: poor 

shepherds working in a field. Wise men, or Magi, from the East, by the 

grace of God, interpreted both the signs of the time and the Scriptures to 

determine that a child who would become a great king had been born. They 

traveled to find Him, bringing gifts of gold (a gift fit for a king), incense (a 

gift fit for a priest), and myrrh (an oil used to anoint the dead before burial). 

However, their travels brought them in contact with Herod, who believed 

the child would threaten his dynasty. Not being able to find Him, Herod 

ordered the execution of all Jewish males under the age of two. 

To save their child, Joseph and Mary fled with Jesus to Egypt, recalling 

the flight Jacob and his descendants made to save themselves from 

famine. After Herod’s death, the Holy Family too came out of Egypt and 

returned to the Promised Land. In Nazareth, a small town in Galilee, north 

of Jerusalem, they made their home, with Joseph working as a carpenter 

and Jesus working by his side. 

The angels 

rejoiced and 

announced 

the news to 

the least of the 

kingdom: poor 

shepherds 

working in a 

field. 



Vocabulary 

Hidden Years (n.): The 

name given to the 17 

years between the last 

Gospel story of Jesus’ 

childhood and when He 

began His public ministry 

around the age of 30. 

It can be assumed that 

during these years Jesus 

led a normal human 

life doing the things all 

humans do with the 

exception of sin. 

These were the hidden years of Jesus, with little known about His life 

other than a story from when He was 12 years old and His parents lost him 

during their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. After three days, they found 

Him teaching the elders in the Temple. Jesus, aware of His divinity even as 

a child, said to them: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know 

that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). But Scripture tells 

us that after this incident, as He continued to grow into adulthood, Jesus 

“was obedient” to His earthly parents (Luke 2:51). 

The fact that the Gospels are silent on the next 17 years or so of Jesus’ 

life before His public ministry is not necessarily mysterious. Rather, we can 

assume Jesus led a normal human life. He did the things all human beings 

do, with the exception of sin. Jesus, our Lord and Savior, truly knows what 

it means to be one of us. 

Jesus’ Baptism 

Before Jesus began His public ministry, He was baptized in the River 

Jordan by John the Baptist. Each of the Gospels tells us about the ministry 

of John the Baptist, who symbolically fulfilled the role of Elijah the prophet 

(see chapter 10) and who was foretold in the Old Testament as the one who 

would prepare the way for the Messiah: 

“Behold, I am 

sending my 

messenger 

ahead of you; 

he will prepare 

your way.” 

MARK 1:2, 

PARAPHRASING 

MALACHI 

“Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; 

he will prepare your way. 

A voice of one crying out in the desert: 

‘Prepare the way of the Lord, 

make straight his paths.’” 

(Mark 1:2–3, paraphrasing Isaiah and Malachi) 

John accomplished this task by preaching repentance to the people 

and baptizing for the forgiveness of sins. John also preached, however, 

that the Messiah would soon come after him, saying, “I have baptized you 

with water; he will baptize you with the holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8). 

When the time for fulfillment arrived, Jesus came to John to be baptized. 

Upon seeing Jesus approach, John declared to his followers, “Behold, the 

Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). By this 

proclamation, John announced the Passover of the New Covenant, which 

would be accomplished by Jesus Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God, who 

would shed His Blood for all. After John Baptized Him, Jesus came up from 

the water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove, and a voice was 

heard from the heavens declaring, “This is my beloved Son, with whom 

I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). 



283 

But why was Jesus baptized in the first place? He is, after all, God 

Himself and was sinless from the moment of His conception and remained 

sinless throughout His life. The answer to this question is found in Jesus’ 

own words: because it was “fitting … to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 

3:15). Beginning His public ministry by being baptized, He modeled for 

us how we are to begin our Christian lives. Further, by the descent of 

the Holy Spirit upon Him, we are shown what happens to us at our own 

Baptism when we are filled with the Holy Spirit and become adopted sons 

and daughters of God. Jesus’ Baptism also foreshadows His Death and 

Resurrection, which we are all baptized into: “The Christian must … go 

down into the water with Jesus in order to rise with him, be reborn of 

water and the Spirit so as to become the Father’s beloved son in the 

Son and ‘walk in newness of life’” (CCC 537). 

Temptation in the Desert 

Immediately following His Baptism, Jesus retreated to the desert, where 

He fasted and prayed for 40 days and was ministered to by angels. At the 

end of His time in the desert, Satan tempted Him three times with physical 

desires, earthly pride and power, and to put God to the test. Jesus resisted 

these temptations, quoting Scripture each time to rebuke the Devil. 

Christ countered each 

temptation of the devil 

with a passage from 

Sacred Scripture. 

Christ Tempted by the Devil by John Ritto Penniman (1818). 




The Holy Innocents 

An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Rise,” 

the angel commanded. “Take the child and his 

mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell 

you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy 

him.” 

Joseph startled awake — the angel’s urgent 

command still clear in his mind. He went to where 

Mary was sleeping with the baby Jesus, gently 

shook her awake, and explained all the angel had 

told him. With haste, they prepared for their departure 

and loaded their faithful donkey with their few 

possessions. Anxious questions troubled Joseph. 

Would Jesus be safe? Where would they live in 

Egypt? Then, Mary’s gentle hand rested on his 

arm, and her trusting gaze filled him with peace. 

The Father in Heaven would look after them, and 

He would protect His Son, Jesus. 

And so the Holy Family fled into the night for 

Egypt. 

In Jerusalem, King Herod was awaiting news 

from the three Wise Men. Earlier, they had come 

to Jerusalem seeking the newborn king of the 

Jews. Herod had pretended to be their friend and 

had sent them to Bethlehem, where the Messiah 

was prophesied to be born. The Wise Men were 

supposed to report back to Herod when they 

found the baby. 

Herod imagined the Messiah to be a great 

earthly king, and he feared that another king 

would oust him from his throne. And so Herod 

plotted to kill the baby Jesus when he discovered 

His identity. But after the three Wise Men had 

found Jesus in Bethlehem, 

an angel warned them, too, 

about Herod’s plan, and so 

they went home by a hidden 

way. 

When the Wise Men 

never returned to Jerusalem, 

Herod was furious. And so 

in his dark heart, he decided 

that he did not need to 

know the identity of the newborn 

Messiah to kill him. He 

would instead kill all the baby 

boys under two years old in 

Bethlehem. He ordered his 

soldiers to carry out his vile 

command. In Bethlehem, 

his soldiers committed the 

unspeakable evil that Herod 

had ordered. 

All the innocent babies that died are called the 

Holy Innocents because they had done no wrong 

and had died for Jesus. Because of the angel’s 

warning, the Holy Family escaped and lived in 

Egypt until Herod died and the angel told Joseph 

they could return home. 

The Holy Innocents’ pure souls rested in the 

bosom of Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, 

until Jesus opened the gates of Heaven after 

His death and Resurrection. Now they are honored 

as saints in Heaven because their innocent 

blood was shed for the Savior of the world. 

[They] 

are called 

the Holy 

Innocents 

because they 

had done no 

wrong and 

had died for 

Jesus. 



285 

We can understand these temptations as the same temptations presented 

to Adam and Eve by Satan in the Garden and that were faced by 

Israel throughout its history. By His obedience, Jesus remained faithful to 

the Father whereas Adam and Eve and Israel did not. As the New Adam, 

Jesus shows us we do not have to give in to temptation; sin is not an inevitability. 

We can remain faithful and obedient, even if it seems difficult to 

do so. Further, Jesus’ victory over the Devil in the desert foreshadows His 

ultimate victory over sin and death by His own Death and Resurrection. 

Vocabulary 

Christ (n.): Anointed one. 

Derived from the Greek 

christos. It is the title 

given to the Savior God 

promised to the people of 

Israel. See Messiah. 

Jesus the Messiah 

The Hebrew word messiah and its Greek form, christos, from which we derive 

the word Christ, means “anointed one.” As we have learned, in the Old 

Testament, Levitical priests, some of the prophets, and kings descended 

from David were anointed with holy oil as a sign of their status as a priest, 

Jesus is the Messiah, the 

Christ, the Anointed one, 

who came to redeem 

God’s people. 

The Baptism of Christ by Antoine Coypel (ca. 1690). 



prophet, or king and of the task given to them according to their position. All 

those who were anointed were messiahs. This anointing gave the person 

an outpouring of God’s Spirit to empower them for the tasks given to them 

by God. 

Throughout the Old Testament, the Jewish people waited in anticipation 

for the promised Messiah who would come to fulfill God’s promises to 

Abraham and to David. The Messiah would be not just a king or priest, but 

the king and priest who would save God’s people and restore them, and 

the prophet who would speak definitively God’s Word. 

Jesus is not 

just an earthly 

king, priest, or 

prophet. He is 

God Himself, 

King of the 

Universe, who 

assumed a 

human nature. 

Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, who came to redeem 

God’s people, although perhaps in a way different from what people 

expected. Jesus is not just an earthly king, priest, or prophet. He is God 

Himself, King of the Universe, who assumed a human nature. He is the 

High Priest, who offered Himself as sacrifice for the sins of all. And He 

is the Prophet who does not just speak for God but speaks as God because 

He is God. Likewise, to call Jesus “Christ” or “Messiah” is to refer 

to Him not only as the Son of God and the fulfillment of God’s promises 

to Abraham, but also the Son of David, the rightful heir to the everlasting 

throne of David promised in the Davidic covenant. All the characteristics of 

the Davidic covenant find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ in the everlasting 

New Covenant. 

Jesus freely accepted the title of Messiah, and, at the beginning of His 

public ministry, even announced in the synagogue in Nazareth that He 

was the Messiah (Luke 4:16–21). Later in His ministry, Jesus asked His 

Apostles, “who do you say that I am?” to which Simon Peter responded, 

“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:15–16). 

Jesus’ closest followers recognized Him as the Messiah. As His public 

ministry continued and as He accomplished all that Isaiah prophesied the 

Messiah would do, the people too came to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, 

as professed by St. Peter. 



287 


A lot of this chapter focused on how so many elements of Jesus’ conception, 

birth, and early life were direct fulfillments of Old Testament signs and prophecies. 

You might ask yourself why, then, was it so hard for people to accept Him 

as the Messiah? There are a couple reasons for this difficulty. Although most 

Jews realized that the Davidic Kingdom had not yet been restored, King Herod 

tried very hard to project the opposite, restoring the Temple and emphasizing 

His own power and glory. Many were not fooled, but for some, it could have 

been enough to stop them from accepting another as the Messiah, if only to 

keep from disrupting the status quo. Furthermore, Jesus was not born into 

wealth or status, and He grew up removed from Jerusalem and the centers of 

Jewish religion and culture. In light of that, it seems understandable for people 

to be skeptical of His role and identity. 

On the other hand, think of the Magi. They came from far away and were 

not even Jews, but they were men of learning, inclined toward wonder at the 

natural and the divine. They saw the star of Bethlehem and understood that it 

was a sign of the birth of a great king. Using their God-given natural intellects 

to interpret their own science as well as Scripture and inspired by God’s grace, 

they chose to follow that sign and seek out the Christ. Their faith and persistence 

can perhaps give us another reason why God might have chosen to 

call His Son out of obscurity, rather than set Him up with privilege and acclaim. 

God wants us to seek Him. He gives us all the tools we need to recognize 

Jesus Christ: our intellects, Scripture, and His Grace. We need only use them 

and seek Him with a sincere heart. 


288 


Chapter 15 


1 In the century before Jesus’ birth, why did it seem to the Jews that God had finally honored 

His promises? Why was it not the case that God’s promises had been fulfilled? 

2 How were the Pharisees and Sadducees different from one another? 

3 How did the angel Gabriel greet Mary? For what dogma do his words form the Scriptural 

basis? 

4 How is the Ark of the Covenant a type of Mary? 

5 Why is Mary a model of faith? 

6 What is the Incarnation? How do we understand Jesus’ humanity and divinity? What did God 

accomplish through the Incarnation? 

7 What can we assume about Jesus’ hidden years? Why are they significant? 

8 How did John the Baptist prepare the way for the Lord? What did he declare Jesus to be? 

9 Why was Jesus baptized? 

10 With what three things did Satan tempt Jesus in the desert? 

11 What does Jesus’ obedience to God and resistance to temptation show us for our own spiritual 

lives? 

12 What does it mean to call Jesus the Messiah? 

13 Why did Herod massacre the Holy Innocents? 



289 



Excerpts from Ineffabilis Deus, An Apostolic Constitution on the Immaculate 

Conception, Pope Pius IX, December 8, 1854 

God Ineffable — whose ways are mercy and truth, whose will is omnipotence itself, and whose wisdom 

“reaches from end to end mightily, and orders all things sweetly” — having foreseen from all eternity the 

lamentable wretchedness of the entire human race which would result from the sin of Adam, decreed, by 

a plan hidden from the centuries, to complete the first work of his goodness by a mystery yet more wondrously 

sublime through the Incarnation of the Word. This he decreed in order that man who, contrary to 

the plan of Divine Mercy had been led into sin by the cunning malice of Satan, should not perish; and in 

order that what had been lost in the first Adam would be gloriously restored in the Second Adam. From the 

very beginning, and before time began, the eternal Father chose and prepared for his only-begotten Son a 

Mother in whom the Son of God would become incarnate and from whom, in the blessed fullness of time, 

he would be born into this world. Above all creatures did God so loved her that truly in her was the Father 

well pleased with singular delight. Therefore, far above all the angels and all the saints so wondrously 

did God endow her with the abundance of all heavenly gifts poured from the treasury of his divinity that 

this mother, ever absolutely free of all stain of sin, all fair and perfect, would possess that fullness of holy 

innocence and sanctity than which, under God, one cannot even imagine anything greater, and which, 

outside of God, no mind can succeed in comprehending fully. 

Annunciation 

When the Fathers and writers of the Church meditated on the fact that the most Blessed Virgin was, in 

the name and by order of God himself, proclaimed full of grace by the Angel Gabriel when he announced 

her most sublime dignity of Mother of God, they thought that this singular and solemn salutation, never 

heard before, showed that the Mother of God is the seat of all divine graces and is adorned with all gifts 

of the Holy Spirit. To them Mary is an almost infinite treasury, an inexhaustible abyss of these gifts, to 

such an extent that she was never subject to the curse and was, together with her Son, the only partaker 

of perpetual benediction. Hence she was worthy to hear Elizabeth, inspired by the Holy Spirit, exclaim: 

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” 

1 What rationale does Pope Pius IX give for Mary being preserved from the stain of sin (both Original 

Sin and sins of guilt)? 

2 What Scripture is the dogma of the Immaculate Conception rooted in? What did the Church Fathers 

understand with this proclamation? 


290 




Excerpt from the General Audience of Pope Benedict XVI, February 13, 2013 

Reflecting on the temptations to which Jesus was subjected in the wilderness invites each one of us to 

answer a fundamental question: What really counts in my life? In the first temptation the devil proposes 

to Jesus that he turn a stone into bread to appease his hunger. Jesus retorts that man lives on bread as 

well, but that he does not live on bread alone. Without a response to his hunger for truth, to his hunger 

for God, man cannot be saved (cf. vv. 3–4). 

In the second temptation the devil proposes the way of power to Jesus. He takes him up and offers him 

dominion over the whole world; but this is not God’s way. Jesus is very clear that it is not worldly power 

that saves the world, but the power of the Cross, of humility and of love (cf. vv. 5–8). 

In the third temptation the devil suggests to Jesus that he throw himself down from the pinnacle of the 

Temple of Jerusalem and have himself saved by God through his angels, that is, that he do something 

sensational to put God himself to the test; but the answer is that God is not an object on which to impose 

conditions of our own making; he is the Lord of all (cf. vv. 9–12). 

What is the essence of the three temptations to which Jesus is subjected? It is the proposal to exploit 

God, to use him for one’s own interests, for one’s own glory and for one’s own success. And therefore, 

essentially to put oneself in God’s place, removing him from one’s own existence and making him seem 

superfluous. Each one of us must therefore ask him- or herself: what place does God have in my life? Is 

he the Lord or am I? 

Overcoming the temptation to subject God to oneself and one’s own interests, or to put him in a corner 

and be converted to the correct order of priorities, giving God first place, is a journey that each and every 

Christian must make over and over again. “Repent” is an invitation we shall often hear in Lent, it means 

following Jesus in such a way that his Gospel is a practical guide for life; it means letting God transform 

us, in order to stop thinking that we are the only ones to build our existence. It means recognizing that we 

are creatures, that we depend on God, on his love, and that only by “losing” our life in him can we gain it. 

1 How does Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI describe each of the three temptations the Devil presented 

to Christ? 

2 What does the pope say is the essence of the three temptations? 

3 What is the meaning of Jesus’ invitation to repent? 

4 Why do you think it is so difficult for most human beings to put God first in our lives? 



291 



On the Incarnation of the Word, Ch. 8, St. Athanasius, AD 318 

For this purpose, then, the incorporeal and incorruptible and immaterial Word of God comes to our realm, 

howbeit he was not far from us (Acts 17:27) before. For no part of Creation is left void of Him: He has filled 

all things everywhere, remaining present with His own Father. But He comes in condescension to show 

loving-kindness upon us, and to visit us. And seeing the race of rational creatures in the way to perish, and 

death reigning over them by corruption; seeing, too, that the threat against transgression gave a firm hold 

to the corruption which was upon us, and that it was monstrous that before the law was fulfilled it should 

fall through: seeing, once more, the unseemliness of what had come to pass: that the things whereof He 

Himself was Artificer were passing away: seeing, further, the exceeding wickedness of men, and how little 

by little they had increased it to an intolerable pitch against themselves: and seeing, lastly, how all men 

were under penalty of death: He took pity on our race, and had mercy on our infirmity, and condescended 

to our corruption, and, unable to bear that death should have the mastery — lest the creature should perish, 

and His Father’s handiwork in men be spent for nought — He takes unto Himself a body, and that of 

no different sort from ours. For He did not simply will to become embodied, or will merely to appear. For if 

He willed merely to appear, He was able to effect His divine appearance by some other and higher means 

as well. But He takes a body of our kind, and not merely so, but from a spotless and stainless virgin, 

knowing not a man, a body clean and in very truth pure from intercourse of men. For being Himself mighty, 

and Artificer of everything, He prepares the body in the Virgin as a temple unto Himself, and makes it His 

very own as an instrument, in it manifested, and in it dwelling. And thus taking from our bodies one of like 

nature, because all were under penalty of the corruption of death He gave it over to death in the stead of 

all, and offered it to the Father — doing this, moreover, of His loving-kindness, to the end that, firstly, all 

being held to have died in Him, the law involving the ruin of men might be undone (inasmuch as its power 

was fully spent in the Lord’s body, and had no longer holding-ground against men, his peers), and that, 

secondly, whereas men had turned toward corruption, He might turn them again toward incorruption, and 

quicken them from death by the appropriation of His body and by the grace of the Resurrection, banishing 

death from them like straw from the fire. 

1 According to St. Athanasius, for what reasons did the Word of God become incarnate? 

2 Why is it significant that Jesus took on a human nature, like us in all things but sin? 


Chapter 16 

Jesus’ Public Ministry 


■ Matthew 

■ Mark 

■ Luke 

■ John

Unit 6, Chapter 16: Jesus’ Public Ministry 

293 


When Jesus turned water to wine at the wedding at Cana, it signaled the beginning of His 

public ministry and the healing of the relationship between God and His people. He spent 

three years calling everyone who heard Him to repent and enter into that relationship and 

into God’s Kingdom. He chose 12 men to carry on that same mission with His authority, 

so others could be led to God through His Word and the Sacraments. He demonstrated 

His divinity many times through miracles over illness, demons, and nature, and He taught 

the way to live in love for God and neighbor. Finally, shortly before His Passion and 

Death, He gave His closest friends a glimpse of the glory of Heaven that is the 

consummation of God’s love for us. 


■ The proclamation of the Kingdom of God (or the Kingdom of Heaven) was the central message of Christ’s 

public ministry. 

■ Christ knew He would die on the Cross to save mankind, and so He established a Church to carry on His 

work until the end of time. He gathered the Twelve Apostles to be the foundation of His Church on earth, 

and established Peter as the leader of the Twelve. 

■ Jesus performed miracles to demonstrate His divinity, that He had power over all things, material and spiritual. 

■ The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete and comprehensive example of Jesus’ preaching in all the 

Gospels. 

■ In the Bread of Life Discourse, Jesus declared He is the Bread of Life, and He made it clear we must eat 

His Flesh to receive eternal life. 

■ Jesus reveals His divine glory during the Transfiguration. 

Bible Basics 

“Do whatever he tells you.” 

JOHN 2:5 

“This is the time of fulfillment. The 

kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, 

and believe in the gospel.” 

MARK 1:15 


Luke 9–16 


Catechism 

CCC 516 (pg. 294) 

CCC 2774 (pg. 298) 



Vocabulary 

Wedding at Cana (n.): 

The event detailed in 

John 2:1–11 during which 

Jesus performed His first 

miracle, changing water to 

wine, at the request of His 

mother, the Virgin Mary, 

and began His public 

ministry. 

Christ personally called 

His Twelve Apostles 

to follow Him; He 

intended to make them 

the foundation of His 

Church. 

While we can truly say, “Christ’s whole earthly life — his words and 

deeds, his silences and sufferings, indeed his manner of being and 

speaking — is Revelation of the Father” (CCC 516), Jesus began His 

public ministry at the age of 30 to complete the work the Father had sent 

Him to do. 

The Wedding at Cana 

The Bible is bookended by the wedding of our original parents, Adam and 

Eve, in Genesis and the wedding feast of the victorious Lamb of God in the 

book of Revelation. In between, Jesus began His public ministry with a miracle 

at a wedding in the town of Cana. By doing so, Jesus announced that 

the time had come for God’s relationship with His people to be restored, 

like the communion of a man and woman in marriage. 

Jesus was with His mother, Mary, and His Apostles at the 

wedding at Cana. When the wine ran out, Mary told her Son, who replied, 

“Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not 

yet come” (John 2:4). By these words, Jesus announced she is the woman 

foretold by God in the Protoevangelium, the first proclamation of the 

Gospel, and He is her offspring, the promised Savior. Then, His mother 

told the servers to “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). It was at the 

The Calling of the Apostles by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1481). 



295 

Blessed Mother’s urging that Jesus was revealed and His public work of 

salvation began with His first miracle. The servers brought Jesus large jars 

of water that He turned into “good wine” (John 2:10), which is normally 

served first. John’s Gospel tells us, “Jesus did this as the beginning of 

his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples 

began to believe in him” (John 2:11). 

Jesus’ first miracle was the continuation of a series of mysterious 

and miraculous events in Salvation History that would be fulfilled at the 

Last Supper in the Eucharist. From Melchizedek’s offering to Abram of 

bread and wine, to Moses changing the water of the Nile to blood, to the 

todah offering in the Temple of bread and wine (imitating the offering of 

Melchizedek), and culminating in Jesus’ transformation of the bread and 

wine at the Last Supper into His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, the 

miracle at Cana connects Jesus’ ministry to the events that foreshadow the 

memorial meal of our salvation. 

Proclamation of the Kingdom 

The proclamation of the Kingdom of God (or the Kingdom of Heaven) was 

the central message of Christ’s public ministry. Mark’s Gospel begins its 

account of Jesus’ public preaching with Jesus declaring, “This is the time 

of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe 

in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Jesus proclaimed that the Kingdom — God’s 

reign and presence among His people — was here and was intended for 

everyone, not just the Jews. In response to the coming of the Kingdom, all 

people must repent of their sins and believe in the Good News of salvation. 

This moment was precisely what God had promised throughout the Old 

Testament. Jesus fulfilled these promises by ushering in the Kingdom. 

Vocabulary 

Disciples (n.): Students. 

The disciples were the 

followers, or students, 

of Jesus. Jesus had 

thousands of disciples. 

All Christians today are 

His disciples. Sometimes 

used interchangeably in 

the Gospels to refer to the 

Twelve Apostles. 

Twelve Apostles (n.): 

The 12 men Jesus chose 

and called to be His 

representatives. Jesus 

sent them to preach the 

Good News of salvation 

and work miracles in His 

name. Jesus gave the 

Apostles special authority 

and made them the first 

leaders (bishops) of the 

Church. The word apostle 

means “one who is sent.” 

The Church Jesus founded during His earthly life is the beginning, or 

seed, of the Kingdom of God on Earth. The Church seeks to gather all 

persons together for the sake of their salvation and to be part of God’s 

Kingdom as one people, one Body of Christ, the very presence of God and 

the union of man with God in His Son, Jesus Christ. 

The Twelve Apostles 

From His many disciples, Jesus chose and personally called 12 men, the 

Twelve Apostles, whom He taught and prepared in a special way to carry 

on His mission after He had returned to the Father. The word apostle 

means “one who is sent,” and so the Twelve Apostles were sent out to 

preach the Kingdom with Christ’s own authority. These 12 men would become 

the foundation upon which Jesus would build His Church. 



Whatever you 

bind on earth 

shall be bound 

in heaven; and 

whatever you 

loose on earth 

shall be loosed 

in heaven. 

MATT. 16:19 

Christ knew He would die on the Cross to save mankind and He would 

establish a Church to carry on His work until the end of time. He made Peter 

first among the Apostles, saying, “you are Peter, and upon this rock I will 

build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail 

against it” (Matt. 16:18), and He gave Peter the Keys of the Kingdom, or 

a special authority to lead His Church on earth: “I will give you the keys 

to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound 

in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” 

(Matt. 16:19). St. Peter would later become the first pope. 

With Christ’s own authority to bind and loose, to forgive sins, to preach 

and teach in His name, and the power to administer the Sacraments, Peter 

and the Apostles would proclaim the Good News of the Gospel to the ends 

of the earth, building up the Kingdom of God in and through the Church. 

Today, the pope and the bishops of the Church are the direct successors 

of the Apostles, continuing the same mission of Christ until the end of time. 

The Twelve Apostles were also mystical representations of the Twelve 

Tribes of Israel. By calling together the Twelve, Jesus symbolically gathered 

again the scattered tribes of Israel into one kingdom — the Kingdom of God. 

This gathering was foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament as a sign 

of the coming Messiah, a sign which was fulfilled by Christ. 

Mantled with the 

authority given to him 

by Christ Himself, St. 

Peter would become 

the first pope. 

Christ Hands the Keys over to St. Peter by a pupil of Wolf Huber (16th century). 



297 

Jesus Performed Miracles 

A miracle is a supernatural act of God that shows forth His power. Jesus 

performed miracles to demonstrate His divinity, that He had power over all 

things, material and spiritual. The miracles of Jesus can be organized into 

four main categories. 

■ Miracles of healing: Jesus healed people of their diseases or ills 

and even raised the dead. Examples include the paralyzed being 

able to walk, lepers being cured, and the raising of Jairus’s daughter 

from the dead. 

■ Miracles of the supernatural: Jesus cast out demons that had 

possessed people; such people were then able to regain control and 

rejoin their community. 

■ Miracles of nature: Jesus showed His power over nature. Examples 

include His walking on water and calming a storm. 

■ Miracles of supply: Jesus created something out of little or nothing 

or made one thing become something else. Examples include the 

miracle at the wedding at Cana and the multiplication of the loaves 

and fishes to feed the crowd of 5,000. 

We see many of these types of miracles in the Old Testament and in 

the Acts of the Apostles, but the Gospels focus on Jesus performing miracles 

to show that He is the Messiah and the Son of God. 

Jesus Taught 

Vocabulary 

Miracle (n.): A 

supernatural act of God 

that shows forth His 

power. There are four 

type of miracles: healing, 

supernatural, nature, and 

supply. 

Rabbi (n.): Hebrew for 

“teacher.” One of the most 

frequent titles given to 

Jesus in the Gospels. 

Sermon on the Mount 

(n.): Jesus’ most 

important moral teaching, 

found in Matthew 5, in 

which He explains the 

divine principles of justice 

guiding us to the narrow 

path that leads to Heaven. 

Beatitudes (n.): The 

teachings of Jesus in the 


on the meaning and 

way to true happiness or 

fulfillment. 

Jesus was a teacher. In fact, the most frequent title given to Jesus in the 

Gospels is Rabbi, which is Hebrew for “teacher.” He taught in formal sermons, 

in conversations with the priests and scribes, and during encounters 

with individual people. He taught by telling stories, or parables, and He 

taught by His example. All His followers were His students, or disciples, 

and we too are called to be His disciples today. 


The Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7) has long been revered as the 

greatest sermon ever preached, and rightly so. It is the most complete 

and comprehensive example of Jesus’ preaching in all the Gospels. In it, 

Jesus delivered the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3–12), teachings about how to be 

blessed (happy or fulfilled) in the Kingdom of Heaven. These blessings 

are often contrary to what the world understands as a blessing, or how to 

achieve happiness. The eight Beatitudes are the law of the New Covenant 

and a perfection of the Ten Commandments. 



Vocabulary 

Parables (n.): Short 

stories that convey 

unfamiliar or complex 

truths in a simple and 

easy to understand way 

by using characters 

and situations that 

are familiar, or in a 

mysterious way hidden in 

layers of metaphor and 

symbolism. 

The Beatitudes 

■ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

■ Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. 

■ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. 

■ Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for 

they will be satisfied. 

■ Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 

■ Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. 

■ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children 

of God. 

■ Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, 

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus also taught about the New Law of 

the Kingdom deepening the heart of the Old Law or restoring its original 

purpose (Matt. 5:17–48). Jesus emphasized, however, that the Old Law 

still remains in effect: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law 

or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say 

to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or 

the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have 

taken place” (Matt. 5:17–18). He taught about holiness and how to pray, 

giving us the Lord’s Prayer, which the Church calls “the summary of the 

whole Gospel” and the “most perfect of prayers” (CCC 2774). And He 

taught practical ways to live as members of the Kingdom, such as how to 

fast, what our attitude should be toward money, and how to treat others 

(the golden rule: “do to others whatever you would have them do to 

you” [Matt. 7:12]). 

Jesus Taught in Parables 

Parables are short stories that communicate layers of truth. Some layers 

of meaning are plain and obvious, while others go much deeper and require 

faith to fully understand. Jesus often used parables to teach about the 

Kingdom of God (such as the parable of the sower [Matt. 13:1–13] and the 

parable of the mustard seed [Matt. 13:31–34]), to explain how we should 

treat one another (the parable of the good Samaritan [Luke 10:29–37]), and 

to illustrate more vividly God’s love for us (the parable of the prodigal son 

[Luke 15:11–32]). Jesus’ parables can be a test of our hearts and minds, 

challenging us to act and become true disciples who see and hear with faith. 



299 

The Great Commandments 

Jesus was approached by a scribe who asked Him, “Which is the first of 

all the commandments?” (Mark 12:28). The scribe had hoped to catch 

Jesus saying something blasphemous, emphasizing one part of the Law 

over another. Instead, Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! 

The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with 

all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your 

strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29– 

31). We call this teaching the great commandments because in them 

Jesus summarizes the entirety of the Law — all Ten Commandments — and 

the meaning of holiness. The first great commandment summarizes the 

first three of the Ten Commandments, teaching us how to love God. The 

second great commandment summarizes the remaining seven of the Ten 

Commandments, teaching us how to love others. Jesus reminds us that 

the Law exists to help us know how to love God and our neighbors and that 

love is the purpose of our life. 

Vocabulary 

Great Commandments 

(n.): Jesus’ summary of 

the Law and the prophets: 

Love God with all your 

heart, soul, and mind 

and love your neighbor 

as yourself (cf. Matt. 

22:37–40). 

Christ taught and revealed 

that the essence of the 

divine Law is love of God 

and love of neighbor. 

Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee by Peter Paul Rubens (ca. 1620). 



Vocabulary 

Corporal Works of 

Mercy (n.): Loving actions 

taught to us by Christ that 

help us meet a person’s 

physical needs. Corporal 

means “of the body.” The 

Corporal Works of Mercy 

are: feed the hungry, give 

drink to the thirsty, clothe 

the naked, shelter the 

homeless, visit the sick, 

visit the imprisoned, and 

bury the dead. 

Spiritual Works of Mercy 

(n.): Loving actions taught 

to us by Christ that help 

us meet the needs of a 

person’s soul. They are: 

instruct the ignorant, 

counsel the doubtful, 

admonish sinners, bear 

wrongs patiently, forgive 

offenses willingly, comfort 

the afflicted, and pray for 

the living and the dead. 

The Works of Mercy 

Jesus proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God and taught us the 

law of the Kingdom. He also taught us to treat one another with love in 

accordance with the second great commandment. And He gave us the 

Corporal Works of Mercy (Matt. 25:31–40) as ways to live the law of God 

in His Kingdom, specifically by loving others, especially the poor, the sick, 

and the suffering, in a practical way. 

Corporal Works of Mercy 

■ Feed the hungry. 

■ Give drink to the thirsty. 

■ Clothe the naked. 

■ Shelter the homeless. 

■ Visit the sick. 

■ Visit the imprisoned. 

■ Bury the dead. 

Corporal is a word that means “of or relating to the body”. The Corporal 

Works of Mercy, then, are actions we take to care for the bodily needs of 

others. 

Jesus also attended to the spiritual needs of the people and taught 

us to do the same. We can identify from Jesus’ public ministry seven 

Spiritual Works of Mercy, though they are not taught in one place or 

sermon in the Gospels. Examples of where Jesus performs each Spiritual 

Work of Mercy are found in the chart below. 

Spiritual Works of Mercy 

■ Instruct the ignorant. 

(Mark 16:14–18) 

■ Console the doubtful. 

(John 14:27) 

■ Admonish sinners. 

(Luke 15:7) 

■ Bear wrongs patiently. 

(Luke 6:27–28) 

■ Forgive offenses willingly. 

(Matthew 6:12) 

■ Comfort the afflicted. 

(Matthew 11:28) 

■ Pray for the living and the 

dead. (John 17:24) 

Throughout His public ministry, and here in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus 

identified Himself as one of the least, the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, 

the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned. Jesus taught that when we love 

others in the way He taught us, we are actually loving Him: “Amen, I say 

to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you 

did for me” (Matt. 25:40). Even more, Jesus not only taught us to do these 



301 

The episode in Exodus 

in which Moses lifted up 

a bronze serpent was a 

prefigurement of Jesus’ 

Crucifixion. 

Moses and the Brazen Serpent by Sébastien Bourdon (ca. 1654). 

things, He also exemplified each of them through His earthly life. Further, 

Jesus taught that at the end of time we will all be judged according to 

whether and how we performed these actions. 

He Had to Die and Rise from the Dead 

Jesus predicted His Death and the manner in which He would die, connecting 

both to an event from the Exodus: 

Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the 

Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him 

may have eternal life.” For God so loved the world that he 

gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might 

not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his 

Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world 

might be saved through him. (John 3:14–17) 

Remember how during the desert wanderings of the Israelites a swarm 

of venomous snakes bit the people, killing many of them (reminiscent of 

God’s punishment of the snake in Genesis, whose descendants God condemned 

to striking at the heal of the human race). In order to be spared 



from the snakes, God instructed Moses to make a bronze snake and mount 

it on a pole. Anyone who had been bitten and then looked upon the snake 

would recover (Num. 21:4–9). 

When Jesus said that He, the Son of Man, must be “lifted up” in the 

same manner as the snake on the pole during the Exodus, He predicted 

His own Death by crucifixion. Like the snake, the cause of the people’s pain 

and suffering, Jesus took upon Himself our sins, the cause of our pain and 

suffering, and was lifted up on the Cross for our sake, saving us definitively 

from sin and death. 

Jesus predicted His Passion, Death, and Resurrection other times as 

well. These predictions took on greater urgency as the time for His sacrifice 

grew closer. Mark’s Gospel, for example, records three of them in three 

successive chapters (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33–4), each with additional detail 

that he would “suffer greatly,” “be rejected,” and “be killed, and rise 

after three days” (Mark 8:31). 

The Apostles struggled to understand Jesus’ predictions. Even after 

everything they had experienced with Him, they still lacked the faith to see 

what must occur and why. 

In the Gospels, Jesus 

prophesied His own 

Crucifixion, Death, 

and Resurrection. 

 

The Crucifixion, Anonymous (16th century). 



303 


St. Martha 

Jesus was friends with a family in Bethany: two 

sisters, named Martha and Mary, and their brother, 

Lazarus. Jesus would come to their home to 

rest and eat. One of these times, Martha busily 

prepared dinner for Jesus. She bustled about, 

checking and rechecking that the house was tidy 

and the food keeping warm. She wanted to impress 

all the guests! 

Jesus arrived and she still was not ready. But 

where was her sister, Mary? Surely, she should 

be helping her serve Jesus? Martha peeked into 

the room where Jesus was — and there was Mary, 

sitting at Jesus’ feet! Martha was indignant. Why 

should she be doing all the work? Martha complained 

to Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that 

my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? 

Tell her to help me” (Luke 10:40). 

Jesus raised His eyes toward Martha and 

said in a gentle voice, “Martha, Martha, you are 

anxious and worried about many things. There 

is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the 

better part, and it will not be taken from her” 

(Luke 10:41–42). Jesus’ kind but firm words reminded 

Martha that nothing, not even a fine dinner 

meant to impress, was more important than 

listening to Jesus Himself. 

Sometime later, her dear brother Lazarus fell 

ill. Martha and Mary sent news to Jesus, asking 

Him to come. They were confident Jesus would 

heal their brother, just as He had healed others. 

But Jesus did not come. And Lazarus died. 

Martha wept and wept. She did not understand 

why Jesus had not come to save Lazarus! 

Four days later, Martha heard that Jesus was on 

the road to visit them. She 

rushed out to meet Jesus 

and begged Him to explain 

why He had not come. 

Jesus told Martha, “Your 

brother will rise” (John 

11:23). Then He asked her 

if she believed that whoever 

had faith in Him would live. 

Martha said from her 

heart, “Yes, Lord. I have 

come to believe that you 

are the Messiah, the Son 

of God, the one who is 

coming into the world” 

(John 11:27). 

Martha and her sister took Jesus to Lazarus’s 

tomb. But when Jesus commanded they take 

away the stone covering the entrance, Martha 

protested. Lazarus had been dead for so long that 

his body would now smell. Still she did not understand 

what Jesus was about to do. 

Jesus spoke again in His kind but firm voice, 

“Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will 

see the glory of God?” (John 11:40). Trusting 

Him, they opened the tomb. Then Jesus called 

out, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43). And 

Lazarus walked out alive from his tomb. Martha 

rejoiced to witness so great a miracle and knew 

that her faith in Jesus would always keep Him first 

in her heart. We, like Martha, should remember to 

place Jesus above all other things, and trust that 

because we keep His Gospel in our heart, we too 

will see the glory of God! 

We, like 

Martha, should 

remember to 

place Jesus 

above all other 

things. 



Communion of the Apostles by Luca Giordano (17th century). 

“Whoever eats my 

flesh and drinks my 

blood remains in me 

and I in him” (John 

6:56). 

We Must Eat His Body and Drink His Blood in Order to Have 

Eternal Life 

Throughout His public ministry, Jesus frequently alluded to how He would 

remain with us after His Paschal Mystery, namely in the Eucharist. The 

Eucharist was prefigured by many signs and miracles involving bread and 

wine and sacred meals in the Old Testament. Jesus gave these signs and 

miracles definitive meaning, explicitly teaching that we must eat His Body 

and drink His Blood in order to have eternal life. 

As discussed previously, Jesus began His public ministry with the sign 

of changing water into wine, announcing the hour of His glorification. Later, 

Jesus multiplied a small amount of bread and fish to feed a crowd of 5,000, 

first within Jewish territory (Matt. 14:13–21), and again later to feed a crowd 

of 4,000 outside of Jewish territory (Matt. 15:32–38). These miracles symbolize 

that the Kingdom of God is not just for the Jews, but for all people. 

In both stories, Jesus “took” the loaves (Matt. 15:36), “said the 

blessing,” “broke” them, “gave thanks,” and “gave them” to His disciples, 

who in turn distributed them to the crowd (Matt. 14:19). This pattern 

is the same sequence of events Jesus performed at the Last Supper when 

He consecrated the Eucharist for the first time. There, gathered with His 

Twelve Apostles to celebrate the Passover meal, Jesus “took bread, said 

the blessing, broke it” and gave it to His disciples (Matt. 26:26). Jesus 

gave the previous sign its real meaning, however, saying, “This is my 



305 

body which will be given for you; do this in memory of me,” and likewise, 

with the cup “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which 

will be shed for you” (Luke 22:19–20). Jesus had changed the bread and 

wine of the Passover Meal into the Bread of Life, His true Body and Blood, 

Soul and Divinity, which would nourish not just our bodies, but our souls. 

Jesus had made it clear that He intended to transform the elements of 

the Passover meal, the bread and wine, during one of His most important 

sermons, the Bread of Life Discourse (John 6:22–71). According to John’s 

Gospel, this teaching took place the day after the miracle of the loaves and 

fish, and after Jesus had walked on water that same evening. The next 

day, the crowds came to Jesus asking Him for another sign. Instead, Jesus 

taught them saying, 

“I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the 

desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from 

heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread 

that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live 

forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of 

the world.” (John 6:48–51) 

This teaching was not easy for the people to hear, and they openly argued, 

“how can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?” (John 6:52). 

Rather than change His teaching, or clarify using different language, 

Jesus repeated Himself four times during His sermon, emphasizing further 

the literal meaning of His words: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my 

blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh 

is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and 

drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (John 6:54–56). At the 

end of His teaching, many of the people in the crowd said, “This saying is 

hard; who can accept it?” (John 6:60), and many left and stopped being 

disciples of Jesus. John’s Gospel makes it clear here that the people were 

not confused and did not misunderstand Jesus. Rather, they heard Him 

plainly and chose to leave because the teaching was too difficult. 

At the Last Supper, Jesus showed that He is the Bread of Life, true 

food for our souls. He revealed to us that His flesh and blood would be 

truly present under the appearance of the bread and wine at Mass and 

that we must eat His Body and drink His Blood to have eternal life. He fulfilled 

all the previous signs and teachings by instituting the Eucharist and 

commanding His Apostles to “do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). 

The Apostles and their successors, the bishops, have faithfully carried out 

His command in the centuries that followed to today, making His Body 

and Blood available to the Church at every Mass and in every tabernacle 

throughout the world. 

“Whoever eats 

my flesh and 

drinks my blood 

has eternal life, 

and I will raise 

him on the last 

day. For my 

flesh is true 

food, and my 

blood is true 

drink.” 

JOHN 6:54–55 



Vocabulary 

Transfiguration (n.): 

The event described 

in the three synoptic 

Gospels when Jesus 

took Peter, James, and 

John up a mountain to 

see Him transformed in 

radiant divine glory. They 

also saw the prophets 

Moses and Elijah and 

heard the voice of the 

Father telling them Jesus 

was His beloved Son 

and to listen to Him. The 

Transfiguration is one of 

the Luminous Mysteries of 

the Rosary. 

The Transfiguration 

As the time for His sacrifice drew near, Jesus took Peter, James, and John 

up a mountain and was transfigured before them. At the Transfiguration, 

Jesus was revealed in the fullness of His divine glory: “His face shone 

like the sun and His clothes became white as light” (Matt. 17:2). Then, 

Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the mountaintop and they 

spoke together. When they had finished, a bright cloud cast a shadow 

over them and the voice of God the Father spoke from the heavens, like at 

Jesus’ Baptism, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well 

pleased; listen to Him” (Matt. 17:5). This scene frightened the disciples, 

who fell prostrate in worship. But Jesus touched them, and told them, “do 

not be afraid” (Matt. 17:7). 

In this moment, in which Jesus was revealed in His divine glory, Jesus 

confirmed Peter’s confession that He is “the Messiah, the Son of the 

living God” (Matt. 16:15–17). Further, by His Transfiguration and appearance 

with Moses and Elijah, who represent the Old Testament Law and 

the Prophets, Jesus announced that the time had come for the fulfillment 

of God’s promises. Just as on the threshold of His public ministry He was 

baptized, the Holy Spirit came upon Him like a dove, and the Father spoke 

from the heavens, the Holy Spirit (the bright cloud) and the Father appeared 

with Him again. In both instances, the entire Holy Trinity appeared. 

Finally, in the Transfiguration we see not only a revelation of Christ’s 

divinity, but also a foretaste of what awaits us in the Kingdom. Christ’s 

Transfiguration previewed for us His Resurrection and glorified body. It is 

precisely this glorification we too will enjoy at the end of time when “He will 

change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body” (Phil. 3:21). 

We believe that in the Resurrection of the Body at the end of time, we will 

be raised like Christ and glorified with Him. 



307 


If you knew when, how, and why you were going to die, what would you do 

with your life? Most of us would probably like to think we would do something 

to make every moment meaningful: make a plan to serve our communities 

and spend time with our families and friends. We might try to be more mindful 

of spiritual things or think about Heaven and how to reach it after we die. In 

short, most of us probably think we would try to live a good life, given what we 

knew. But what if you knew that the good you did would be the very reason 

you would die? 

This is the very way Jesus Christ lived His life and carried out His public 

ministry. He became man and lived among us with the knowledge that, after 

only three years of good works and proclaiming the Kingdom of God, the very 

people He had come to serve would execute Him in one of the most brutal 

ways possible. Can you imagine knowing that would happen to you and not altering 

your behavior? Every time Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath, cast 

out demons, rebuked the religious leaders of the day, or testified to His identity 

as the Messiah, He was stoking the anger of the Pharisees and Sadducees, 

giving them the ammunition they would eventually use to accuse Him and put 

Him to death. Everything He did was not only done to teach us things like the 

Beatitudes, the Works of Mercy, the necessity of the Sacraments, and the truth 

about His identity, but also to give us an example of what perfect trust in and 

obedience to the will of God look like. 


308 


Chapter 16 


1 How is the Bible bookended? With what does Jesus begin His public ministry and why is it 

fitting? 

2 Of what are Jesus’ words to His mother at the wedding at Cana an annunciation? 

3 With what other events from Salvation History does Jesus’ miracle at Cana connect His public 

ministry? 

4 What was the central message of Jesus’ public ministry? What did Jesus teach about this 

message? 

5 Who were the Twelve Apostles? What did Jesus give to them? What did they mystically 

represent? 

6 What is a miracle and why did Jesus perform them? 

7 How can the Beatitudes be defined? 

8 What did Jesus teach about the Law? 

9 What is a parable? Why did Jesus teach in parables? 

10 What are the great commandments? What do they summarize? 

11 Why did Jesus teach us the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy? What are we really doing 

when we perform the works of mercy? 

12 What comparison did Jesus make between His own Death and an event from the Exodus? 



309 

13 During the miracles of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes, what sequence of 

events did Jesus foreshadow? 

14 What did Jesus teach the crowd during the Bread of Life Discourse? How do we know the 

crowd understood Jesus’ teaching and were not confused about His meaning? 

15 What did Jesus reveal during His Transfiguration? What did He announce? What do we see a 

foretaste of in the Transfiguration? 

16 What does Jesus show Martha is the “better part”? 


310 




Gaudete et Exsultate 19, 20, An Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, March 

19, 2018 

19. A Christian cannot think of his or her mission on earth without seeing it as a path of holiness, for “this 

is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess 4:3) … 

20. That mission has its fullest meaning in Christ, and can only be understood through him. At its core, 

holiness is experiencing, in union with Christ, the mysteries of his life. It consists in uniting ourselves to 

the Lord’s death and resurrection in a unique and personal way, constantly dying and rising anew with 

him. But it can also entail reproducing in our own lives various aspects of Jesus’ earthly life: his hidden 

life, his life in community, his closeness to the outcast, his poverty and other ways in which he showed his 

self-sacrificing love. The contemplation of these mysteries, as Saint Ignatius of Loyola pointed out, leads 

us to incarnate them in our choices and attitudes. Because “everything in Jesus’ life was a sign of his 

mystery,” “Christ’s whole life is a revelation of the Father,” “Christ’s whole life is a mystery of redemption,” 

“Christ’s whole life is a mystery of recapitulation.” “Christ enables us to live in him all that he himself lived, 

and he lives it in us.” 

1 What does Pope Francis say the mission of a Christian is? Where do we find the fullest meaning 

of this mission? 

2 What is holiness at its core and what does it consist of? 

3 What are three ways you can imitate Christ in your own life in pursuit of holiness? 



311 



Pastor Aeternus, The First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ, 

Ch. 1, July 18, 1870 

On the institution of the apostolic primacy in blessed Peter 

1. We teach and declare that, according to the gospel evidence, a primacy of jurisdiction over the whole 

Church of God was immediately and directly promised to the blessed apostle Peter and conferred on him 

by Christ the lord. 

2. It was to Simon alone, to whom he had already said You shall be called Cephas, that the Lord, after his 

confession, You are the Christ, the son of the living God, spoke these words: 

Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who 

is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the 

underworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever 

you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 

3. And it was to Peter alone that Jesus, after his resurrection, confided the jurisdiction of Supreme Pastor 

and ruler of his whole fold, saying: 

Feed my lambs, feed my sheep. 

4. To this absolutely manifest teaching of the Sacred Scriptures, as it has always been understood by the 

Catholic Church, are clearly opposed the distorted opinions of those who misrepresent the form of government 

which Christ the lord established in his Church and deny that Peter, in preference to the rest of the 

apostles, taken singly or collectively, was endowed by Christ with a true and proper primacy of jurisdiction. 

5. The same may be said of those who assert that this primacy was not conferred immediately and directly 

on blessed Peter himself, but rather on the Church, and that it was through the Church that it was 

transmitted to him in his capacity as her minister. 

6. Therefore, if anyone says that blessed Peter the apostle was not appointed by Christ the lord as prince 

of all the apostles and visible head of the whole Church militant; or that it was a primacy of honor only 

and not one of true and proper jurisdiction that he directly and immediately received from our lord Jesus 

Christ himself: let him be anathema. 

1 What did the First Vatican Council definitively declare about the primacy of St. Peter in this excerpt? 

2 Why is the authority of St. Peter, which is passed on to all his successors, the popes, so important 

to the life of the Church? 


312 




Evangelii Nuntiandi 8–12, An Apostolic Exhortation of Pope St. Paul VI, 

December 8, 1975 

8. As an evangelizer, Christ first of all proclaims a kingdom, the kingdom of God; and this is so important 

that, by comparison, everything else becomes “the rest,” which is “given in addition.” Only the kingdom 

therefore is absolute and it makes everything else relative. The Lord will delight in describing in many 

ways the happiness of belonging to this kingdom (a paradoxical happiness which is made up of things 

that the world rejects), the demands of the kingdom and its Magna Charta, the heralds of the kingdom, 

its mysteries, its children, the vigilance and fidelity demanded of whoever awaits its definitive coming. 

9. As the kernel and center of His Good News, Christ proclaims salvation, this great gift of God which is 

liberation from everything that oppresses man but which is above all liberation from sin and the Evil One, 

in the joy of knowing God and being known by Him, of seeing Him, and of being given over to Him. All of 

this is begun during the life of Christ and definitively accomplished by His death and resurrection. But it 

must be patiently carried on during the course of history, in order to be realized fully on the day of the final 

coming of Christ, whose date is known to no one except the Father. 

10. This kingdom and this salvation, which are the key words of Jesus Christ’s evangelization, are available 

to every human being as grace and mercy, and yet at the same time each individual must gain them 

by force — they belong to the violent, says the Lord, through toil and suffering, through a life lived according 

to the Gospel, through abnegation and the cross, through the spirit of the beatitudes. But above all 

each individual gains them through a total interior renewal which the Gospel calls metanoia; it is a radical 

conversion, a profound change of mind and heart. 

11. Christ accomplished this proclamation of the kingdom of God through the untiring preaching of a word 

which, it will be said, has no equal elsewhere: “Here is a teaching that is new, and with authority behind 

it.” “And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his 



313 



lips. There has never been anybody who has spoken like him.” His words reveal the secret of God, His 

plan and His promise, and thereby change the heart of man and his destiny. 

12. But Christ also carries out this proclamation by innumerable signs, which amaze the crowds and at the 

same time draw them to Him in order to see Him, listen to Him and allow themselves to be transformed by 

Him: the sick are cured, water is changed into wine, bread is multiplied, the dead come back to life. And 

among all these signs there is the one to which He attaches great importance: the humble and the poor 

are evangelized, become His disciples and gather together “in His name” in the great community of those 

who believe in Him. For this Jesus who declared, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God” 

is the same Jesus of whom John the Evangelist said that He had come and was to die “to gather together 

in unity the scattered children of God.” Thus He accomplishes His revelation, completing it and confirming 

it by the entire revelation that He makes of Himself, by words and deeds, by signs and miracles, and more 

especially by His death, by His resurrection and by the sending of the Spirit of Truth. 

1 How does Pope St. Paul VI describe the importance of the Kingdom of God? What does he say is 

at the center of the Good News of the Kingdom? 

2 How does the pope describe the way in which a person gains the Kingdom? What does he say is 

necessary above all? 

3 The proclamation of this message of salvation and the Kingdom — evangelization — was carried 

out by Christ through many signs and by His preaching. But Jesus also gives to His Church, and 

thereby all of us, the same mission of evangelization, of proclaiming the Good News. What are two 

ways you can evangelize others in your own life? 


Chapter 17 

The Paschal 

Mystery 


■ Matthew 

■ Mark 

■ Luke 

■ John

Unit 6, Chapter 17: The Paschal Mystery 

315 


The Paschal Mystery refers to the events of Christ’s Passion, Death, Resurrection, and 

Ascension. The Last Supper marked the beginning of a New Covenant between God and 

His people in which Christ Himself was the perfect and willing sacrifice to redeem us from 

our sins. In the face of His accusers, He bore witness to His role as the Messiah and ruler 

of the Kingdom of God. By His Death He healed the divide between God and humanity 

and by His Resurrection He gave all people access to eternal life. Finally, He ascended 

into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, send down His Spirit, and prepare 

a place for us in Heaven. All of these are real historical events, but they also 

transcend time and space, extending over all people for all time. 


■ The Paschal Mystery refers to Christ’s Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, which saved us from 

sin and death for new life as sons and daughters of God. 

■ At the Last Supper, Jesus transformed the elements of the Passover meal, the bread and the wine, into the 

Eucharist, His own Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. When we receive the Eucharist at Mass, Christ’s 

once and for all sacrifice on the Cross is made present to us again. 

■ Because of Jesus’ redemptive Death on the Cross, all of humanity has access to God; He dwells not in the 

Holy of Holies, but in our hearts, which are temples of the Holy Spirit. 

■ The Resurrection is both a historical and transcendent event; it proves that Jesus truly is the Son of God 

and God Himself, who came with divine authority. 

■ Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven completed the mission of His earthly life, which began with His Incarnation. 

As members of His Body, the Church, we hope to follow where Jesus, the Head of the Church, has gone. 

Bible Basics 

“Abba, Father, all things are possible 

to you. Take this cup away from me, 

but not what I will but what you will.” 

MARK 14:36 

If Christ has not been raised, then 

empty [too] is our preaching; empty, 

too, your faith. 

1 CORINTHIANS 15:14 


Luke 17–24 


Catechism 

CCC 632 (pg. 324) 

CCC 638 (pg. 324) 

CCC 963 (pg. 323) 

CCC 1324 (pg. 318) 

CCC 1340 (pg. 317) 



Vocabulary 

Paschal Mystery 

(n.): Christ’s work of 

redemption accomplished 

by His Passion, Death, 

Resurrection, and 

Ascension. 

The Paschal Mystery refers to Christ’s Passion, Death, Resurrection, and 

Ascension, which saved us from sin and death for new life as sons and 

daughters of God. The Paschal Mystery is the sacrament of our salvation, 

the visible sign of God’s grace and truth that brings about God’s divine life 

within us. 

The word paschal comes from the word passover and refers not only to 

the original Passover of the Israelites in Egypt, but also to Christ’s Passover 

of the New Covenant in which Jesus, the Lamb of God, offered Himself as 

sacrifice on the Cross. We participate in Christ’s saving sacrifice when 

we receive the Eucharist at Mass, the bread and wine transformed into 

the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. Our study of the Paschal 

Mystery will help you understand its greater meaning in the context of the 

whole of Jesus’ life and of Salvation History. 

Christ offered Himself 

as a sacrifice on our 

behalf and instituted 

the New Covenant. 

 

Crown of Thorns by Peter Paul Rubens (1612). 



317 

The Last Supper 

On the night before He died, Jesus gathered with His Apostles in the Upper 

Room. There He celebrated one final meal with them, a Passover meal, 

the memorial of God’s saving actions in Egypt during the Exodus when He 

saved the Israelites from slavery for new life in the Promised Land. 

Central to the original Passover was the sacrifice of the paschal lamb. 

Remember, God had given Moses specific instructions that each Israelite 

family was to slaughter a year-old unblemished male lamb at a specific 

time of day, roast it, and eat its flesh in a sacred meal of unleavened bread, 

wine, and bitter herbs. Then they were to spread the lamb’s blood over their 

doorposts that night as a sign to be passed over by the plague of death. God 

also commanded that the Israelites memorialize this original Passover event 

each year with a re-presentation of the sacred meal, making this original 

sacred event present again in the lives of God’s People. 

At the Last Supper, Jesus took the elements of the Passover meal and 

associated them with Himself. As John proclaimed at Jesus’ Baptism, Jesus 

is the “lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). 

He is the unblemished (sinless) sacrifice whose blood was shed for us all 

to save us from slavery to sin and death for new life in the Kingdom of God. 

Jesus transformed the bread and the wine into His own Body and Blood, Soul 

and Divinity: “Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and 

gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which will be given for you; do 

this in memory of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, 

‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you’ ” 

(Luke 22:19–20). And He commanded His Apostles to repeat this sacred 

meal always to make His sacrifice present to all who participate. 

At the Last 

Supper, Jesus 

took the 

elements of the 

Passover meal 

and associated 

them with 

Himself. 

When we receive the Eucharist at Mass, Christ’s once and for all sacrifice 

on the Cross is made present to us again. We “remember” Him in much 

the same way that God remembered Rachel in the Old Testament: she 

became one with Him again, as we become one with Jesus in the Eucharist, 

not just spiritually, but substantially. This sacred meal is the memorial of 

His sacrifice on the first Good Friday and His Resurrection on the third 

day. It is the Passover of the New Covenant. As the Catechism explains, 

“[by] celebrating the Last Supper with his apostles in the course of the 

Passover meal, Jesus gave the Jewish Passover its definitive meaning. 

Jesus’ passing over to his father by his death and Resurrection, 

the new Passover, is anticipated in the Supper and celebrated in the 

Eucharist, which fulfills the Jewish Passover and anticipates the final 

Passover of the Church in the glory of the kingdom” (1340). 

Even more, the Eucharist Jesus instituted at the Last Supper draws together 

numerous signs of bread and wine from throughout Salvation History 



(see chapter 16). The Eucharist is the culmination and fulfillment of what 

each signified and prepared for and gives them new and definitive meaning. 

It is no mistake, then, that the Catechism calls the Eucharist “the source 

and summit of the Christian life” (1324). In the Eucharist we find “the 

whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch” 

(CCC 1324). It brings together the signs and sacrifices of the past in one 

sacred meal, made present to us at every Mass, uniting us to the heavenly 

liturgy and anticipating the gift of eternal life offered to us all. 

The Agony in the Garden 

After celebrating the Last Supper with His disciples, Jesus went with them 

to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. There, He was greatly troubled and 

pleaded to God the Father, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. 

Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will” (Mark 

14:36). Remember, Jesus is fully human and fully divine. At Gethsemane, 

He faced the full weight of human suffering, sin, and death. “Troubled and 

distressed,” and His soul, “sorrowful even to death” (Mark 14:33, 34), 

Jesus prayed that, if it were possible, He might be delivered from His Cross. 

Nevertheless, He accepted the Father’s will, saying, “not what I will but 

what you will” (Mark 14:36). By His humble and perfect obedience to the 

Father, Jesus made His suffering and Death redemptive; Jesus freely bore 

our sins on the Cross, bringing salvation for all who would believe. 

The Arrest and Trial of Jesus 

While Jesus was still in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas the Apostle arrived 

with a band of soldiers to arrest Jesus. Judas had betrayed Jesus for 

30 pieces of silver. At first, Peter lashed out with violence, cutting off a soldier’s 

ear with a sword, but Jesus stopped Peter, miraculously reattached 

the soldier’s ear, and let Himself be taken. All His disciples fled. 

Jesus was first taken to the house of the high priest and put on trial 

before the whole council. False witnesses accused Him of blasphemy, but 

Jesus remained silent before His accusers. Finally, the high priest asked 

Him directly, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 

(Mark 14:61). Jesus, in turn, answered directly, “I am; and ‘you will see 

the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with 

the clouds of heaven’” (Mark 14:62). By these words, Jesus proclaimed, 

even in the face of death, that He is God. The chief priests did not believe 

Jesus, formally accused Him of blasphemy, and condemned Him to death 

in accordance with the law. The Jews, however, under Roman rule, did not 

have the authority to put anyone to death. A sentence of execution was a 

matter for the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to decide. 



319 

Ecce Homo by Antonio Ciseri (1862). 

Jesus before Pilate 

Pilate was a cruel governor who violently suppressed several uprisings 

against Rome. Pilate was more concerned about the threat Jesus posed 

to the political authority of the Roman Empire than with religious matters. 

Accordingly, he asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” to which 

Jesus replied, “You say so” (Mark 15:2). 

By law the Jews could 

not execute Jesus, so 

they persuaded Pilate 

that Jesus was a threat 

to Roman authority so 

that He would be put to 

death. 

As we have learned, Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of David and heir 

to his everlasting throne. Many Jews (even some of Jesus’ own disciples), 

however, expected the Messiah to be a political figure who would deliver 

them from foreign domination. As He had shown time and again, Jesus 

was not interested in assuming political power. He is a king, and He did 

not deny that before Pilate. But, as He explained to Pilate, His “kingdom 

does not belong to this world” (John 18:36). Rather than coming as 

a powerful worldly ruler, Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God by 

dying and rising from the dead. 



Christ was forced 

to carry the very 

instrument of His 

death to the place 

of execution. 

Christ Carrying His Cross, Anonymous (ca. 1650). 

Pilate recognized that Jesus did not seek an earthly throne and offered 

to release Jesus, but the chief priests stirred up the crowd to call for Jesus 

to be crucified and for Barabbas, a murderer, to be released instead. So, to 

satisfy the crowds and prevent a violent revolt, Pilate had Jesus scourged 

and gave Him to the soldiers to be crucified. 

The Crucifixion 

The Way of the Cross 

Jesus was made to carry His own Cross to the place of His Crucifixion, 

Golgotha (Hebrew for “skull”), also known as Calvary. A hill outside the 

walls of Jerusalem, Golgotha was the place criminals were sent to be crucified. 

But tradition has also long held that Golgotha is the same place 



321 

that Abraham brought Isaac to sacrifice him, known then as Mt. Moriah. 

Remember, God put Abraham to the test by telling Him to sacrifice His only 

beloved son, Isaac, to which Abraham was obedient and Isaac willingly 

submitted. During their journey, Isaac carried the wood for his sacrifice 

up the same mountain Jesus carried His Cross. Along the way, Abraham 

prophesied that “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering” 

(Gen. 22:8, Revised Standard Version), predicting how God would offer 

Himself as a sacrificial lamb to save us all. And then, after the angel of the 

Lord stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, God indeed provided a lamb, 

a ram caught in a thorn bush, foreshadowing centuries later how Jesus, the 

Lamb of God, was crowned with thorns. 

The Roman soldiers nailed Jesus to the Cross around 9 a.m. on that 

first Good Friday. As Jesus had foretold, He was lifted up for all to look 

upon, just as Moses had raised the bronze snake for the Israelites to look 

upon and be cured. We look upon Jesus’ Cross today in the Crucifixes 

hanging on the walls of our churches, homes, and schools, as a symbol not 

of torture and execution (though it was) but as a symbol of our salvation. In 

the moment, however, the chief priests and the crowd that had gathered to 

look upon Him mocked and taunted Him, saying, “save yourself, if you 

are the Son of God, [and] come down from the cross!” (Matt. 27:40). 

Nailed to the Cross was an inscription detailing the charge against Him, 

mockingly proclaiming, “Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews” in 

Hebrew, Latin, and Greek (John 19:19). This inscription is traditionally 

depicted on Crucifixes by the Latin initials I.N.R.I., which represent the first 

letter of the words in the Latin version of the inscription, Iesus Nazarenus 

Rex Iudaeorum. 

We look upon 

Jesus’ Cross 

today... as a 

symbol of our 

salvation. 

The Good Thief 

Jesus was crucified between two thieves. One thief demanded that Jesus 

prove He is God by taking them down from their crosses. The other reprimanded 

the first and recognized that because of their sins they deserved 

to be there, but Jesus had been condemned unjustly. This good thief asked 

Jesus to remember Him when He came into His Kingdom. Jesus assured 

him of his salvation, saying, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with 

me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). The story of the good thief is confirmation 

of the truth of the central message of Jesus’ public ministry, that “the 

kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 

1:15). By his repentance and belief in Jesus, the Good News itself, the 

good thief was saved and given entrance to the Kingdom of God by the 

King Himself. The same destiny awaits us if we accept Jesus’ invitation to 

repentance and faith. 




St. Veronica 

A woman stood on the path to Calvary. Jesus, her 

Lord, would soon come by carrying His Cross. 

The woman’s face streamed with silent tears as 

she thought about Jesus, whom she loved with all 

her heart, going to His Death. 

Now she could see Him. Slowly and patiently, 

Jesus dragged the heavy wooden beam that 

pressed heavy against His shoulder. He was as 

silent as a lamb being taken to the slaughter. 

He stumbled on a rock in His path and fell 

to the ground. The woman rushed to Jesus and 

sank on her knees before Him. His precious Blood 

streamed down from the wounds inflicted by the 

crown of thorns and sweat covered His brow. The 

woman took the cloth of her veil and, with great 

love and compassion, she wiped the Blood and 

sweat from Jesus’ face. 

The gratitude that glowed in Jesus’ eyes 

pierced the woman’s heart with sorrow and joy. 

She was sorrowful because of Jesus’ suffering, 

but joyful that by her one small act, she was able 

to show Jesus how much she loved Him and to 

give Him some small comfort in the midst of His 

suffering. 

Jesus struggled back to His feet, aided by a 

man named Simon of Cyrene, whom the soldiers 

had pulled from the crowd to help Jesus carry His 

Cross. 

The woman clutched 

the veil to her breast as she 

watched Jesus continue His 

painful walk to Calvary. The 

veil was precious to her, now 

stained as it was by Jesus’ 

drops of blood. She raised 

the veil to her lips and kissed 

it. Then she opened the veil 

and gasped. 

There, on her veil, was 

an image of Jesus’ face. 

Jesus had miraculously 

imprinted the image of His face on the woman’s 

veil to give her comfort and to thank her for 

her kindness and compassion. Later, the woman 

would rejoice when she heard the news of 

Jesus’ Resurrection. She kept Jesus’ image as a 

treasure, and many great miracles of healing occurred 

when people touched her veil and prayed 

to Jesus. 

We call the woman with the veil “Veronica,” 

which means “true image” in Latin, because Jesus 

gave her the gift of the true image of His face 

when she compassionately wiped His brow with 

her veil. Let us strive to show Jesus how much we 

love Him with small acts of love and compassion 

as did St. Veronica! 

There, on 

her veil, was 

an image of 

Jesus’ face. 



323 

Jesus Gives Us His Mother 

All but one of Jesus’ Apostles had abandoned Him. Only His mother, Mary, 

two other women, and John, the beloved Apostle, remained with Him as 

He hung on the Cross. When the hour of His Death drew near, Jesus said 

to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son,” and then to John, “Behold, 

your mother” (John 19:26). By these words, Jesus ensured that His mother 

would be cared for by John for the remainder of her earthly life. Even 

more, in a mystical way Jesus gave His mother to all of us as our mother. 

The members of the Church are members of the Body of Christ, which is 

the Church. Therefore, Mary is “‘clearly the mother of the members of 

Christ’ … since she has by her charity joined in bringing about the 

birth of believers in the Church, who are members of its head” (CCC 

963). Thus, it is appropriate that the Church honors Mary as the Mother 

of the Church, just as Jesus honored and obeyed His Mother. And Mary 

is Queen of Heaven and seated at the right hand of her Son, just as King 

Solomon’s mother (and all the mothers of the kings in the line of David) 

were the queens of their son’s kingdoms. From there she hears our prayers 

and takes them to her Son, interceding on our behalf and dispensing all 

graces upon us, her children. 

Jesus Dies on the Cross 

Darkness came over the land at noon, and then at three in the afternoon 

the hour had come for Jesus’ Death. In His Passion and Crucifixion, Jesus 

took upon Himself, Body and Soul, the sins of all who lived before and after 

His earthly life. Every wound in His holy Body and every shed drop of His 

precious Blood were the result of our sins freely taken upon His shoulders. 

In the moment before His Death, Jesus, who is God Himself, mysteriously 

experienced the separation from God that human beings experience as a 

result of sin, exclaiming the first line of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why 

have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). By these words, Jesus perfectly 

expressed the weight of sin He bore and, at the same time, proclaimed by 

evoking the final words of the Psalm, that through His suffering God would 

be praised and remembered and He would be victorious and deliver His 

servant. 

Mary is Queen 

of Heaven and 

seated at the 

right hand of her 

Son. 

Then, Jesus spoke one last time, saying “It is finished” (John 19:30), 

and then He died. At the moment of His death, the veil that covered the 

Holy of Holies — the inner most part of the tabernacle in the Temple where 

God dwelled among His people — tore in two, symbolizing both the end of 

the Old Testament worship and the end of the division between God and 

man. Now, because of Jesus’ redemptive Death, all of humanity has access 

to God; He dwells not in the Holy of Holies, but in our hearts, which 

are temples of the Holy Spirit. 



Vocabulary 

Sheol (n.): The Hebrew 

word for Hell, or the 

dwelling place of all the 

dead before Christ’s 

Resurrection. 

Easter Sunday (n.): 

The greatest and oldest 

Christian feast, which 

celebrates Jesus’ 

Resurrection from the 

dead on the third day after 

His Death on the Cross. 

The Resurrection (n.): 

The bodily rising of Jesus 

from the dead on the third 

day afrer His Death on the 

Cross and burial in the 

tomb. The Resurrection 

of Christ is the crowning 

truth of our faith in Christ. 

The Gospel 

accounts 

affirm that the 

Resurrection 

of Jesus was 

verified by 

witnesses of the 

Risen Christ. 

Jesus really and truly died, as we profess in the Creed at Mass. In 

death, He went to the place where all the dead before Him went, Sheol 

in Hebrew, or Hell. Before Jesus it was a place of separation from God 

because salvation had not yet come; it was not yet possible for anyone to 

go to Heaven. But Jesus, “descended there as Savior, proclaiming the 

Good News to the spirits imprisoned there” (CCC 632). When Jesus 

rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, He opened the gates of Heaven and 

freed all the just who had gone before Him. 

The Resurrection 

On the third day — the Sunday following the Friday on which He died; 

Easter Sunday — Jesus rose from the grave. The Resurrection of Jesus 

is “the crowning truth of our faith in Christ” (CCC 638). As St. Paul 

wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians, “if Christ has not been raised, 

then empty [too] is our preaching; empty, too, your faith” (1 Cor. 

15:14). The Resurrection is the central event of our Christian Faith that is 

at once a real and historical event; it is a transcendent event that surpasses 

historical realities and is at the very heart of the mystery of faith. 

A Historical and Transcendent Event 

The Gospel accounts affirm that the Resurrection of Jesus was verified by 

witnesses of the Risen Christ. The Risen Jesus appeared to His disciples. 

He appeared first to Mary Magdalene and the holy women who had come 

to anoint His Body but found His tomb empty. They were the first messengers 

of the Good News of the Resurrection — bringing word to the Apostles. 

Then Jesus appeared several times to the Apostles and other disciples. As 

the primary witnesses to Jesus’ Resurrection and Christ’s chosen, they are 

the foundation stones of the Church. Importantly, though, they were not the 

only witnesses; St. Paul wrote of Jesus’ appearance to a crowd of more 

than 500 people (1 Cor. 15:6). 

Jesus proved to the disciples that He was not a ghost. He touched them, 

ate with them, and showed them that His Risen Body was the same Body 

that was crucified (Luke 24:30, 39–40, 41–43; John 20:20, 27; 21:9, 13). 

At the same time, Jesus’ Risen Body is glorified and is no longer limited by 

space and time — He can be present wherever and however He wills. For 

instance, He was able to enter the room where the Apostles were hiding, 

even though the doors were closed. Jesus did not just return to earthly life 

like Lazarus and the other people He raised from the dead; they would die 

again someday. Jesus rose to another life, transcending time and space, 

and His body is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. 



325 

The Significance of the Resurrection 

The Resurrection confirms the truth of Jesus’ divinity. It proves that He 

truly is the Son of God and God Himself, who came with divine authority. 

It proves that, as the Son of God, Jesus has authority over death: “I have 

power to lay it [my life] down, and power to take it up again” (John 

10:18). It confirms everything He did and taught, justifies our belief in Him, 

and confirms all the truths of our Faith. Further, the Resurrection fulfills the 

promises made in the Old Testament and Jesus’ own predictions of His 

Death and Resurrection. 

Jesus’ Resurrection is part of His Paschal Mystery. By His suffering 

and Death, He freed us from sin, and by His Resurrection, He opened for 

us the way to grace and eternal life. Through our Baptism, we share in His 

victory over sin and death and are freed from fear of it, reinstated in the 

friendship and grace of God. It makes us adopted children of God, so we 

become brothers and sisters of Christ, sharing in His divine life (CCC 654). 

Finally, Jesus’ Resurrection is the source and promise of our own future 

resurrection. As anticipated by His Transfiguration, Jesus is “the firstfruits 

of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20). His victory over death 

confirms His promise that when He returns in glory, we shall be raised from 

the dead like He was and be reunited with our own glorified bodies, like His. 

Jesus defeated death 

once and for all, and 

His Resurrection is what 

gives us assurance 

about our own future 

resurrection. 

The Resurrection by Sebastiano Ricci (ca. 1715). 



Vocabulary 

The Ascension (n.): 

Jesus’ return to Heaven 

in His glorified body that 

occured 40 days after His 

Resurrection. There He is 

seated at the right hand of 

the Father in all His glory. 

The Ascension 

Forty days after Jesus’ Resurrection, the Apostles witnessed the entry 

of Jesus’ humanity into divine glory as He ascended into Heaven and 

disappeared into a cloud — a symbol of God’s presence and glory. The 

Ascension fulfilled Jesus’ words to the chief priests, “[Y]ou will see the 

Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the 

clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62), and Daniel’s vision of the Son of Man 

coming in the “clouds of heaven” (Dan. 7:13) and receiving “dominion, 

splendor, and kingship” (Dan. 7:14). Now, for all eternity, Jesus sits at 

the right hand of the Father, not only as our king, but also as our high priest. 

He leads the heavenly worship that honors the Father and He intercedes 

for us with the Father. 

Jesus, however, did not abandon us. He said to His Apostles at His 

Ascension, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matt. 

28:20). Jesus has kept His promise and remains with His Church even 

today. He is present whenever believers gather in His name, for He said, 

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I 

in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). He is present in the successors of the 

Apostles, who teach and exercise authority in His name. He is present in 

the Gospel handed on through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. And 

He is present and at work in the Sacraments, most especially the Eucharist. 

[A]t His 

Ascension, 

Jesus promised 

His Apostles 

that soon 

they would be 

“baptized with 

the holy spirit” 

(Acts 1:5). 

Further, at His Ascension, Jesus promised His Apostles that soon they 

would be “baptized with the holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5) and that they would 

“receive power when the Holy Spirit” came upon them to be His witnesses 

“to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This promise was fulfilled on 

the feast of Pentecost (Acts 2), when the Holy Spirit descended upon the 

Apostles and, as tradition holds, the Blessed Virgin Mary. On that day, the 

Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and emboldened to testify to the 

Good News of Jesus’ victory over sin and death throughout the known world. 

We Will Follow Where He Has Gone Before 

Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven completed the mission of His earthly life, 

which began with His Incarnation. As members of His Body, the Church, we 

hope to follow where Jesus, the Head of the Church, has gone. In Heaven, 

Jesus has prepared a place for us: “In my Father’s house there are 

many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I 

am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place 

for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I 

am you also may be” (John 14:2–3). If we die in friendship with Him, our 

souls will join Him in Heaven. When He returns in glory, our bodies will also 

be raised up and glorified like His risen Body, and we will share, body and 

soul, in the joy and glory of the New Heaven and the New Earth. 



327 


Have you ever lost someone important to you? Whether it was someone who 

died, someone who moved away, or a friendship with someone that ended, you 

probably remember and have thought about the last time you spent time or 

shared a meal with them. You might even go back to the same places or do the 

same things, because it helps you remember, or makes you feel close to them. 

Now imagine you are one of the Apostles at the Last Supper, and Jesus 

is essentially telling you this is the last time you will be with Him. He has tried 

to prepare you for His Passion and Death, but you have not really understood. 

What are you thinking when He says that the bread He is holding is His Body, 

and the wine He is holding is His Blood, and when He tells you, “Do this in 

memory of me” (Luke 22:19)? Would you really think this was the last gift He 

was giving you before He died? After He dies, you stay hidden in the very room 

you shared that last meal with Him, mourning not only your friend, but the loss 

of the man you thought was the Messiah. When He rises, you are overjoyed. 

When He ascends to Heaven, you feel lost. But you remember the gift He left 

you, and you celebrate that meal again and again. And it is not just a way of 

feeling close to Him and remembering Him. The wonderful, mysterious truth 

of the Eucharist is that it makes Him truly present to us and unites us to Him. 

Every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we are taken up out of our own 

time and place and inserted into the moment of Jesus’ sacrifice, which is for all 

time, all places, and all people. 


328 


Chapter 17 


1 What is the Paschal Mystery? From what does the term paschal originate? 

2 At the Last Supper, how did Jesus transform the elements of the Passover meal? 

3 What does it mean that the Eucharist is the memorial of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross and His 

Resurrection? 

4 Of what is the Eucharist the culmination and fulfillment? How does the Eucharist give these 

things their definitive meaning? 

5 How did Jesus make His suffering and Death redemptive? 

6 In what way was Jesus a different Messiah and king than the one the people had expected? 

7 How was Jesus’ Crucifixion a fulfillment of the sacrifice of Isaac? 

8 What does I.N.R.I. mean? 

9 What does the story of the good thief reveal to us about our own destiny? 

10 Why do we honor Mary as Mother of the Church? 

11 What did Jesus express by the words of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken 

me” (Mark 15:34)? 

12 What happened at the moment of Jesus’ Death? What did this event symbolize? 

13 What does it mean to say that Jesus died and descended to the dead? 

14 How do we know that Jesus’ Resurrection was a real historical event? 



329 

15 How was Jesus transformed by His Resurrection? What does this transformation mean for 

us? 

16 What is confirmed and fulfilled by Jesus’ Resurrection? 

17 What did Jesus accomplish by His Suffering, Death, and Resurrection? 

18 To where did Jesus ascend? What does He now do? How is He present to us today? 

19 What awaits us if we die in friendship with Christ, as foreshadowed by His own Resurrection 

and Ascension? 

20 What was St. Veronica’s act of compassion and how did Jesus reward her for that act? 


330 




Ecclesia de Eucharistia 11, An Encyclical Letter of Pope St. John Paul II, 

April 17, 2003 

“The Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed” (1 Cor 11:23) instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of his body 

and his blood. The words of the Apostle Paul bring us back to the dramatic setting in which the Eucharist 

was born. The Eucharist is indelibly marked by the event of the Lord’s passion and death, of which it is 

not only a reminder but the sacramental re-presentation. It is the sacrifice of the Cross perpetuated down 

the ages. This truth is well expressed by the words with which the assembly in the Latin rite responds to 

the priest’s proclamation of the “Mystery of Faith”: “We announce your death, O Lord.” 

The Church has received the Eucharist from Christ her Lord not as one gift — however precious — among 

so many others, but as the gift par excellence, for it is the gift of himself, of his person in his sacred humanity, 

as well as the gift of his saving work. Nor does it remain confined to the past, since “all that Christ 

is — all that he did and suffered for all men — participates in the divine eternity, and so transcends all times.” 

When the Church celebrates the Eucharist, the memorial of her Lord’s death and resurrection, this central 

event of salvation becomes really present and “the work of our redemption is carried out.” This sacrifice is so 

decisive for the salvation of the human race that Jesus Christ offered it and returned to the Father only after 

he had left us a means of sharing in it as if we had been present there. Each member of the faithful can thus 

take part in it and inexhaustibly gain its fruits. This is the faith from which generations of Christians down the 

ages have lived. The Church’s Magisterium has constantly reaffirmed this faith with joyful gratitude for its inestimable 

gift. I wish once more to recall this truth and to join you, my dear brothers and sisters, in adoration 

before this mystery: a great mystery, a mystery of mercy. What more could Jesus have done for us? Truly, 

in the Eucharist, he shows us a love which goes “to the end” (cf. Jn 13:1), a love which knows no measure. 

1 What does Pope St. John Paul II mean by describing the Eucharist as “the gift par excellence”? 

2 The pope explains in this excerpt that the Church has always, throughout the ages, believed and 

lived that the Eucharist really makes present to us our Lord’s Death and Resurrection, the work of 

our salvation. How does knowing that Catholics for 2,000 years have believed and worshiped in 

the same way affect the way you think about and understand the Eucharist? 

Sacrosanctum Concilium 5–7, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 


5. God who “wills that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4), “who in many 

and various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets” (Heb. 1:1), when the fullness of time 

had come sent His Son, the Word made flesh, anointed by the Holy Spirit, to preach the gospel to the poor, 

to heal the contrite of heart, to be a “bodily and spiritual medicine,” the Mediator between God and man. For 

His humanity, united with the person of the Word, was the instrument of our salvation. Therefore in Christ 

“the perfect achievement of our reconciliation came forth, and the fullness of divine worship was given to us.” 



331 



The wonderful works of God among the people of the Old Testament were but a prelude to the work of Christ 

the Lord in redeeming mankind and giving perfect glory to God. He achieved His task principally by the 

paschal mystery of His blessed passion, resurrection from the dead, and the glorious ascension, whereby 

“dying, he destroyed our death and, rising, he restored our life.” For it was from the side of Christ as He slept 

the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth “the wondrous sacrament of the whole Church.” 

6. Just as Christ was sent by the Father, so also He sent the apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit. This He did 

that, by preaching the gospel to every creature, they might proclaim that the Son of God, by His death and 

resurrection, had freed us from the power of Satan and from death, and brought us into the kingdom of His 

Father. His purpose also was that they might accomplish the work of salvation which they had proclaimed, 

by means of sacrifice and sacraments, around which the entire liturgical life revolves. Thus by baptism men 

are plunged into the paschal mystery of Christ: they die with Him, are buried with Him, and rise with Him; 

they receive the spirit of adoption as sons “in which we cry: Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:15), and thus become true 

adorers whom the Father seeks. In like manner, as often as they eat the supper of the Lord they proclaim the 

death of the Lord until He comes. For that reason, on the very day of Pentecost, when the Church appeared 

before the world, “those who received the word” of Peter “were baptized.” And “they continued steadfastly in 

the teaching of the apostles and in the communion of the breaking of bread and in prayers … praising God 

and being in favor with all the people” (Acts 2:41–47). From that time onwards the Church has never failed 

to come together to celebrate the paschal mystery: reading those things “which were in all the scriptures 

concerning him” (Luke 24:27), celebrating the eucharist in which “the victory and triumph of his death are 

again made present,” and at the same time giving thanks “to God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15) in 

Christ Jesus, “in praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:12), through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

7. To accomplish so great a work, Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. 

He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister, “the same now 

offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross,” but especially under the 

Eucharistic species. By His power He is present in the sacraments, so that when a man baptizes it is really 

Christ Himself who baptizes. He is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy 

scriptures are read in the Church. He is present, lastly, when the Church prays and sings, for He promised: 

“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). 

1 Sacrosanctum Concilium is a major document from the Second Vatican Council regarding the 

celebration of the Mass. Given this fact, how would you describe what the council fathers outlined 

in this excerpt? 

2 What is the connection of what the council fathers have described to the Mass? 

3 In what other ways, besides the first and foremost Eucharist, is Christ present to His Church? 

4 Given the understanding of the events of salvation described in this excerpt, why is the obligation 

to attend Mass on Sundays so important? 


UNIT 7 

The Early Church

Unit 7 

333 

After the Gospels, the remaining books of the New Testament 

paint a vivid picture of the life and rapid growth of the early 

Church. The Acts of the Apostles continues the story from 

Luke’s Gospel, picking up immediately after his Gospel ends, 

and tells us of Christ’s promise to send the Holy Spirit and His 

Ascension into Heaven. Then, when Christ fulfilled His promise 

and the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles at Pentecost, 

they were emboldened to go out to the ends of the earth to proclaim 

the Good News of the Gospel. 

Two major figures emerge in this portrait of the early Church: 

St. Peter and St. Paul, both of whose stories are told in Acts. It 

is clear the early Church understood St. Peter to be their leader 

and possessor of the authority of Christ. He spoke for the other 

Apostles, performed miracles in Christ’s name, and was the first 

to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. St. Paul would become 

the Apostle to the Gentiles, undertaking missionary journeys 

with various companions to spread the Gospel throughout the 

Roman Empire. 

Where the Acts of the Apostles presents us with a historical 

narrative much like the historical books found in the Old 

Testament, the epistles, or letters, provide an entirely different 

way of viewing the early Church. Written by St. Paul, St. Peter, 

and other Apostles, they give us a more intimate glimpse into 

the workings of the Church at this time, how the Church’s understanding 

of Christ’s teachings grew and how the theology 

surrounding it developed, and how the leaders of the Church 

communicated with the communities they founded and led and 

with each other. 

Finally, the Book of Revelation recounts a striking vision 

granted to St. John by Jesus of Heaven and the end of time. 

Like other examples of apocalyptic literature, Revelation contains 

challenging symbolism and heavily veiled metaphors to 

communicate important truths. We can be certain, however, that 

Revelation lets us know that the Mass we celebrate on earth is 

a participation in the heavenly worship of God. 

In This Unit 

■ Chapter 18: The Book of Acts 

■ Chapter 19: The Epistles 

■ Chapter 20: The Book of Revelation

Chapter 18 

The Book of Acts 


■ The Book of Acts

Unit 7, Chapter 18: The Book of Acts 

335 


The Acts of the Apostles gives us an account of the first 30 years of the early Church after 

Jesus commanded His Apostles to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations. 

Ten days after His Ascension, on Pentecost, He sent the Holy Spirit to enable them to 

go out and preach the Gospel. After St. Peter’s preaching that day, many people were 

baptized, and the Church began to grow. Soon, the Apostles ordained seven deacons to 

help them in their ministry, including St. Stephen, the first martyr. Acts can be divided 

into two parts: the first focuses on Peter’s leadership, miracles, and teaching in 

Jerusalem, and the second part tells the story of St. Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles 

throughout the Mediterranean. 


■ The Church began to witness to Jesus after His Ascension into Heaven. 

■ The Holy Spirit was revealed to the Church at Pentecost and inspired the Apostles to preach the Good 

News of Jesus Christ. 

■ From the beginning, the Eucharist was at the heart of the Church’s life and worship. 

■ From the beginning, St. Peter was understood to be the head of the Apostles and Christ’s own representative 

on earth. 

■ The early Church set the precedent for apostolic succession and ecumenical councils. 

■ St. Paul, despite his initial persecution of Christians and subsequent sufferings, founded many churches 

and led many to Christ after his miraculous conversion. 

Bible Basics 

“But you will receive power when the holy 

Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my 

witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea 

and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

ACTS 1:8 

They devoted themselves to the teaching of 

the apostles and to the communal life, to the 

breaking of the bread and to the prayers. 

ACTS 2:42 


Acts 1–2 

Acts 5:33–42 

Acts 6–8:8 

Acts 9:23–10 

Acts 13:1–3 

Acts 15:1–21 

Acts 16:16–40 

Acts 17:16–34 

Acts 27–28 


the Catechism 

CCC 737 (pg. 340) 



Authorship, Setting, and Primary Themes 

Acts of the Apostles is the second part of a two-volume work attributed 

to St. Luke, the first of which is Luke’s Gospel. St. Luke, the Gentile physician 

and traveling companion to St. Paul, addressed the Book of Acts 

to the same man to whom he addressed his Gospel, Theophilus, and 

even included himself in the narrative. Also like his Gospel, the Book of 

Acts may have been written sometime after the destruction of the Temple 

of Jerusalem in AD 70, but could have been written as early as AD 63, 

because it includes no mention of the persecution of Christians by Nero 

in AD 64, and the book ends abruptly before the martyrdom of Sts. Peter 

and Paul. 

The Book of Acts begins immediately where the Gospel of Luke left 

off, after Jesus’ Resurrection, at His Ascension into Heaven. The opening 

scene records Jesus’ last command to His Apostles: “But you will receive 

power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses 

in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends 

of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This command becomes the template for the entire 

Book of Acts, which traces the development of the early Church, starting 

with the Apostles giving witness to Jesus in Jerusalem (Acts 2–7), then 

throughout Judea and Samaria (Acts 8–12), and finally to the rest of the 

Roman Empire and beyond, or “the ends of the earth” (Acts 13 forward). 

In its entirety, 

Acts covers 

approximately 

the first 30 years 

of the Church’s 

existence. 

Acts can be organized into two parts. The first focuses on the development 

of the early Church in Jerusalem and the ministry of St. Peter. The 

second focuses on the expansion of the Church into Gentile territories and 

the ministry of St. Paul. In its entirety, Acts covers approximately the first 

30 years of the Church’s existence, revealing the working of the Holy Spirit, 

who manifests, teaches, and guides the Church. 

Selecting a New Twelfth Apostle 

The first order of business for the Apostles after Jesus’ Ascension was to 

select a replacement for Judas in the ranks of the Twelve Apostles. Since 

their numbers were down to 11 after the suicide of Judas, a twelfth was 

needed to maintain what Jesus had ordained (a mystical representation of 

the reunification of the Twelve Tribes of Israel). And so, from two worthy 

candidates, the Apostles cast lots and selected a man named Matthias to 

be the twelfth Apostle. 

This moment is significant because it shows us the Apostles understood 

the process of apostolic succession and their authority from the very 

beginning. First, the Apostles understood that the role or position of an 

Apostle did not end with their deaths, as is clear by the selection of a new 

Apostle to replace the first of them to die. The authority of the apostolic 



337 

After Judas betrayed 

Our Lord and then took 

his own life in despair, 

the Apostles found it 

necessary to find a man 

to take his place. 

The Last Supper by Peter Paul Rubens (ca. 1632). 

position was able and intended to be passed on to successors, as was 

done with Matthias. Second, the Apostles understood that they had the 

authority to make new members of their ranks. The Apostles chose him 

and by their authority made him one of the Twelve. Both points remain true 

today: all the world’s bishops were appointed to succeed a previous one 

and assume his authority, which originated with the Twelve. In fact, for all 

intents and purposes, though there are many more than twelve bishops 

today, all bishops are Apostles present in the Church today with their same 

authority and mission. 



Pentecost 

When Jesus ascended into Heaven, He promised He would send the Holy 

Spirit to guide and strengthen His followers. The Apostles then spent the 

next nine days waiting and praying for Jesus to fulfill that promise. Finally, 

on the Feast of Pentecost, 50 days after Easter, the Holy Spirit descended 

upon Jesus’ mother, Mary, and the remaining 11 Apostles, who had gathered 

in the same Upper Room where Jesus had instituted the Eucharist at 

the Last Supper. Of this moment, the Book of Acts tells us: 

Fifty days after Easter, the 

Holy Spirit descended 

upon Mary and the 

Apostles, just as 

Christ had promised. 

Pentecost by El Greco (ca. 1600). 



339 

[S]uddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving 

wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. 

Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted 

and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled 

with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as 

the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. (Acts 2:2–4) 

Now filled with the Holy Spirit, the Apostles fully understood who He 

was — the third Person of the Holy Trinity — and what His mission was on 

earth. 

The day of Pentecost was also the day of a Jewish feast of the harvest. 

On this day every year, Jews from all over the Roman Empire traveled to 

Jerusalem to take part in the celebration. Thus, there were large crowds of 

people gathered in the city, speaking many different languages. Filled with 

the Holy Spirit, and emboldened like never before, the Apostles went out to 

the crowds and proclaimed the Gospel message. Miraculously, when the 

Apostles preached at Pentecost, everyone in the crowd heard the Apostles 

speak in their own languages. 

St. Peter then spoke for all the Apostles and delivered a lengthy sermon, 

in which he preached that Jesus is the Messiah, the king in the line 

of David that the people had been waiting for. Unlike David, who died, as 

all people do, Jesus defeated death, the enemy of us all, and rose from 

the dead. Peter’s preaching that day was so powerful that the crowd was 

moved to ask what they should do in response. Peter echoed the words of 

Christ Himself, proclaiming, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, 

in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you 

will receive the gift of the holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). The Book of Acts 

goes on to tell us that “about three thousand persons” (2:41) were baptized 

and became Christian that very day. The Church rightly calls Feast of 

Pentecost the birthday of the Church. 

Miraculously, 

when the 

Apostles 

preached at 

Pentecost, 

everyone in the 

crowd heard the 

Apostles speak 

in their own 

language. 

Even more, the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost reversed the 

curse of the Tower of Babel. Remember, mankind had disobeyed God and 

settled in one place rather than filling the earth as He had commanded. 

There, they attempted to build a tower to Heaven to “make a name” for 

themselves and replace God (Gen. 11:4). As punishment, God confused 

the language of the human race and scattered them across the world. At 

Pentecost, as St. Luke tells us at the beginning of his account, “When the 

time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together” 

(Acts: 2:1), announcing that it was not only the time for the fulfillment of 

Christ’s promise to send the Holy Spirit, but also for the human race to be 

united again in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. The miraculous 

way by which the gathered Jews understood the Apostles in their own 

languages signified this reunification and undoing of the curse of Babel. 


340 


? 

Who is the Holy Spirit? 

The Holy Spirit was revealed to the 

Church at Pentecost and has been 

manifested in, taught, and guided the 

Church throughout the centuries, and 

He will continue to do so until the end of 

time. With the descent of the Holy Spirit, 

who, in the words of the Nicene Creed, 

“proceeds from the Father and the Son,” 

and, “with the Father and the Son is 

adored and glorified,” the whole Trinity 

has been fully revealed in Salvation 

History. And, as the Creed states, it is 

the Holy Spirit “who has spoken through 

the prophets” of the Old Testament. 

In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit 

brought to fulfillment the prophecies of 

the Old Testament in Christ, whom He 

reveals. The Holy Spirit filled John the 

Baptist and inspired him to “prepare 

the way of the Lord” (Luke 3:4). And, 

as John baptized Jesus, he witnessed 

the descent of the Holy Spirit like a dove 

upon Jesus. The Holy Spirit fulfilled in 

Mary the waiting for the coming of the 

Messiah. He filled her with the grace 

of God and conceived by His power 

the Son of God in Mary’s womb. Thus, 

by the working of the Holy Spirit, Mary 

became the mother of the Church, the 

Body of Christ. As we have learned, 

Mary was also present with the Apostles 

on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit 

descended upon them. 

Vocabulary 

Paraclete (n.): Advocate. A title for 

the Holy Spirit. 

The mission of Jesus and the mission 

of the Holy Spirit are inseparable, 

because while the Persons of the Holy 

Trinity are distinct, they are inseparable. 

Wherever the Father sends the Son, 

He also sends the Holy Spirit. And it 

is the Holy Spirit who reveals the Son 

to us when He acts in and through the 

Church. In fact, “the mission of Christ 

and the Holy Spirit is brought to completion 

in the Church, which is the 

Body of Christ and the Temple of the 

Holy Spirit” (CCC 737). This shared 

mission is to bring the faithful into communion 

with the Father, which the Holy 

Spirit accomplishes in the Church by 

preparing us to receive God’s grace, 

manifesting the Risen Jesus to us, and 

making the mystery of Christ present to 

us so we may “bear much fruit” (John 

15:8). In and through the Church, then, 

the Holy Spirit is communicated to the 

faithful by the Sacraments, which were 

instituted by Christ. The Holy Spirit is 

known by many titles (Paraclete and 

Spirit of Truth for example) and symbols 

(fire, anointing with oil, the imposition of 

hands, and the dove that descended on 

Christ at His Baptism). 



341 

Communio and Growing Pains 

The picture that Luke paints of what followed after Pentecost is of a 

community committed to loving God and their neighbors through prayer, 

works of mercy, and the Sacraments. More than just a community of believers, 

the Church experienced communion — communio — with one another 

as the Body of Christ and with God the Father through Christ in the 

Sacraments (especially the Eucharist) and by the movement of the Holy 

Spirit. Describing this experience of communio, St. Luke wrote: 

They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and 

to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the 

prayers. Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and 

signs were done through the apostles. All who believed were 

together and had all things in common; they would sell their 

property and possessions and divide them among all according 

to each one’s need. Every day they devoted themselves to 

meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in 

their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity 

of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. 

And every day the Lord added to their number those who were 

being saved. (Acts 2:42–47) 

Vocabulary 

Communio (n.): 

Communion experienced 

by the Christian faithful 

with one another as the 

Body of Christ and with 

God the Father through 

Christ in the Sacraments 

(especially the Eucharist) 

and by the movement of 


Through the love of the 

Holy Spirit and the grace 

of the Sacraments, all 

members of Christ’s 

Church share a profound 

communion with one 

another. 

The Outpouring of the Holy Ghost by Anthony van Dyck (ca. 1620). 



Vocabulary 

Breaking of the Bread 

(n.): A title for the 

Mass used in the New 

Testament. 

Notice here that of central importance to the early Church is the 

“breaking of the bread,” the phrase most often used by the New Testament 

to refer to the Mass. In other words, the Eucharist, the very Bread of Life 

that is Jesus’ true Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, was at the heart of the 

Church’s life and worship and what brought about their communion, just as 

it is today. It was as a Eucharistic people the Church had all things in common 

and were strengthened to remain faithful to all Jesus had commanded. 

Because of this faith, God blessed the early Church with many converts. 

As the small community of Christians continued to grow, several challenges 

arose. First, the early community of Christians had many widows, 

orphans, and poor who needed special assistance (and were not always 

getting it). Peter and the Apostles alone could not see to all the people’s 

needs on top of their duties of preaching and spreading the Faith. And so 

the Apostles ordained the first deacons by laying “hands on them” (Acts 

6:6). Even in the earliest days of the Church, the laying on of hands by 

the Apostles both signified and effected the ordination of these men and 

the transfer of authority. The same is done today in the Sacrament of Holy 

Orders when a bishop lays hands on the man being ordained a priest or 

deacon. These first deacons helped attend to the administrative and personal 

needs of the Church, preached the Gospel, and even baptized, all 

responsibilities of deacons today. 

The laying on of hands 

both signifies and 

effects the transfer 

of authority in 

the Sacrament of 

Holy Orders. 

St. Peter Consecrates Stephen as Deacon by Fra Angelico (ca. 1449). 



343 

The Martyrdom of St. Stephen 

Among the seven original deacons was a man named Stephen. As the 

Church continued to grow, she and her members became the object of 

persecution. Stephen, whom Luke describes as “filled with grace and 

power,” was “working great wonders and signs among the people” 

(Acts 6:8). These signs and wonders drew the attention of the authorities 

in Jerusalem, who falsely accused him of blasphemy and had him arrested. 

At trial, he boldly defended himself by preaching to the Sanhedrin and the 

gathered people about the right worship of God and of Salvation History. His 

preaching angered them and he was thrown out of the city and stoned to 

death. As he was being assaulted by stones he cried out, “Lord Jesus, receive 

my spirit,” echoing Christ’s own words from the Cross, and likewise, 

with his dying breath, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 

7:59–60). St. Stephen was the first martyr of the Church. Jesus warned us 

that we would be persecuted for being His followers (Matt. 10:22, 24:9; John 

15:21), and this warning has certainly been proven true over the centuries. 

But brave men like St. Stephen, the first of Jesus’ followers to die for the 

Faith, provide a model for how to remain steadfast in the face of the persecution 

we most certainly will face, even to the point of death. 

The Primacy and Ministry of St. Peter 

Vocabulary 

Sanhedrin (n.): The 

ancient Jewish court 

system that settled 

religious, poltitical, and 

judical matters. 

Jesus warned 

us that we 

would be 

persecuted 

for being His 

followers. 

The main protagonist of the first half of Acts is St. Peter. It was Peter who 

called for finding a successor to Judas, and it was Peter who preached the 

Gospel to the crowds at Pentecost. It is also clear from the Book of Acts 

that the other Apostles and the those who belonged to the early Christian 

community all looked to Peter for leadership and abided by his authority, as 

Jesus had intended when giving him the keys to the Kingdom. 

Emboldened by the power of the Holy Spirit, St. Peter, the first pope, 

had become confident in the authority given to Him by Christ. Luke tells 

us of St. Peter being the first of the Apostles to perform miracles, such as 

the healing of the crippled beggar (Acts 3:1–10), and of Peter’s powerful 

preaching of the Gospel (Acts 2) and of Christ as the fulfillment of God’s 

promises to Abraham (Acts 3:11–24). He spoke out in defense of the other 

Apostles and Christians to the Jewish authorities, saying it was “in the 

name of Jesus Christ” they were able to work miracles (Acts 4:10), and 

even more, boldly proclaiming the heart of the Gospel message that “there 

is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under 

heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved” 

(Acts 4:12). Peter’s proclamation here is the unchanging teaching of the 

Church that salvation comes from Christ alone and subsists in the Catholic 

Church. 



By Peter’s leadership, along with the other Apostles, the community of 

Christians cared for the needs of all its members by selling their houses 

and property and giving the earnings to the Apostles to distribute (Acts 

4:32–5:10). Even more, Peter further established himself as the vicar of 

Christ on earth by healing a paralytic (Acts 9:32–35) as Christ had (Luke 

5:17–26) and raising a girl from the dead (Acts 9:36–43). Even his shadow 

falling over people had the power to heal the sick (Acts 5:16), similar to 

how even touching the tassel of Jesus’ cloak could heal (Luke 8:40–44). It 

is clear by Luke’s account of Peter’s ministry, preaching, and the signs and 

wonders he could perform that he was understood by others to be the head 

of the Apostles and Christ’s representative on earth, possessing Christ’s 

own authority. 

Cornelius 

After the 

martyrdom of 

St. Stephen, the 

persecution of 

the Church in 

Jerusalem grew 

in severity. 

Perhaps most importantly, Peter went on to proclaim the Gospel to the 

Gentiles, fulfilling Jesus’ command to preach the Gospel to the ends of 

the earth. After the martyrdom of St. Stephen, the persecution of the 

Church in Jerusalem grew in severity, led by a Pharisee named Saul 

(whom we perhaps know better by his Roman name, Paul). This persecution 

forced all but the Apostles themselves to leave Jerusalem and 

scatter throughout Judea and Samaria. Luke then tells us a story of an 

encounter between St. Peter and a Roman centurion named Cornelius, 

who lived in Caesarea, a major port city in Judea along the Mediterranean 

coast (Acts 10). 

As a Roman, Cornelius was a Gentile, but he also believed in and 

prayed to God and gave alms to the Jews. Cornelius had a vision of an 

angel who told him to send for Peter (whom Cornelius did not know nor had 

ever met). He then sent two servants and a soldier to find Peter and bring 

him to Caesarea. The next day, Peter also had a vision, this time of all the 

four-legged animals of the earth lowered to the earth from Heaven. These 

included all the unclean animals Jews were forbidden by the Law of Moses 

to eat. And he heard a voice say to him, “Get up, Peter. Slaughter and 

eat” (Acts 10:13). As Peter struggled to decipher this vision, Cornelius’s 

men found Peter and brought him to Cornelius, who had gathered his 

friends and relatives. When Peter arrived, he preached the Gospel to them, 

and, while he was speaking, the Holy Spirit “fell upon all who were listening 

to the word” (Acts 10:44), and they all began to speak in tongues. 

Then, Peter ordered them all to be baptized. 

This amazing scene was a profound moment in the life of the early 

Church. Prior to this, the Gospel had been preached by the Apostles 

primarily in Jerusalem and to Jews. Here, not only did Peter preach to 



345 

Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives by Frederic Edwin Church (1870). 

Gentiles, but the Holy Spirit filled them like the Apostles had been filled at 

Pentecost. The Gospel of Jesus, the Good News of salvation which was 

intended for all people had finally arrived in the ends of the earth as Jesus 

had commanded. 

The Council of 

Jerusalem was the first 

ecumenical council of the 

Church. 

The Council of Jerusalem 

As the persecution of Christians continued to worsen in Jerusalem, leading 

even to the martyrdom of St. James the Greater and the arrest and 

imprisonment of St. Peter (from which he escaped with the miraculous 

help of an angel), two groups of converts began to form within the Church: 

those of Jewish descent and those who were Gentiles. Some of the Jewish 

Christians were uncomfortable with the growing number of Gentiles in the 

Church. They believed Gentile converts should have to observe all Jewish 

laws as a requirement of becoming Christian, especially the dietary laws 

and the law of circumcision. Some even suggested that the salvation of 

Gentiles depended on it. Others, including St. Peter, St. James, and St. 

Paul, believed Gentile converts did not need to first become Jewish before 

becoming Christian. 




St. Stephen 

Stephen’s story is short, but his life and death 

were a catalyst for the early Church, which was 

standing on the brink of persecution and facing a 

world that would often reject and scorn her. 

St. Stephen was a remarkable man. He was 

among the first seven men chosen and ordained 

by the Apostles to the ministry of the diaconate 

in the early Church. Though young, he was dedicated 

to caring for the most vulnerable members 

of the Christian community, especially widows and 

the poor. He was vocal in his faith and defended 

it with his whole being (Acts 6:10). He was falsely 

accused of speaking against the “holy place and 

the law” (Acts 6:13) and was brought before the 

Sanhedrin (the same governing body that handed 

Jesus over to Pontius Pilate). Like Jesus before 

Him, they questioned him. 

The Acts of the Apostles preserves Stephen’s 

impassioned defense of his faith, during which he 

recounted the story of salvation, beginning with 

Abraham. Over the course of his defense, he 

made the point that the history of God’s people 

is long and that God is faithful to them, but God’s 

people do not always readily follow in His ways. 

He told this story to make a point, saying to his 

accusers “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised 

in heart and ears, you always oppose 

the holy Spirit; you are 

just like your ancestors” 

(Acts 7:51). 

Because of his preaching, 

Stephen was stoned to 

death. Before he died, he 

saw a vision of Jesus and 

proclaimed “Behold, I see 

the heavens opened and 

the Son of Man standing 

at the right hand of 

God” (Acts 7:56). Like his 

Master, he asked God to 

receive his spirit, and he 

forgave his accusers before 

he died. 

Stephen is a great inspiration 

for our spiritual 

lives: first, in his service 

to those most in need, 

and, second, in his desire to share Jesus with his 

whole heart. Stephen remained brave and honest 

regardless of the consequences he faced, which 

ultimately led to his suffering and death and allowed 

him truly to follow the way of the Lord. St. 

Stephen was the first Christian martyr and he 

would not be the last. 

Like his 

Master, 

[Stephen] 

asked God to 

receive his 

spirit, and he 

forgave his 

accusers. 



347 

Eventually, this dispute was resolved at what would become known 

as the Council of Jerusalem, the first ecumenical council of the Church 

(Acts 15). The Apostles, led by St. Peter, gathered to settle this question. 

After much debate, St. Peter stood and spoke for them all, deciding that 

observances of the Old Law had no place in the New Covenant. He explained, 

“Why, then, are you now putting God to the test by placing on 

the shoulders of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor 

we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we are 

saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they” 

(Acts 15:10–11). Definitively, it was decided that the fundamental requirement 

of being a Christian was belief in Jesus Christ leading to Baptism. 

The Apostles drafted a letter stating their decision and distributed it to the 

various Christian communities. 

Vocabulary 

Council of Jerusalem 

(n.): The first ecumenical 

council of the Catholic 

Church. Convened in 

Jerusalem around AD 

48 and attended by 

the Apostles, St. Paul, 

and other leaders of 

the early Church, it 

settled the question of 

whether Gentile converts 

to Christianity had to 

first adhere to Jewish 

law, specifically dietary 

laws and the law of 

circumcision. After much 

deliberation, St. Peter 

exercised his role as the 

first pope and definitively 

declared that faith in 

Jesus Christ leading 

to Baptism was the 

fundamental requirement 

for becoming Christian. 

Tradition tells us that 

St. Luke is the author 

of both the Gospel of 

Luke and the Acts of the 

Apostles. 

St. Luke the Evangelist by Vladimir Borovikovsky (ca. 1804–1809). 



The Ministry of St. Paul 

Also present at the Council of Jerusalem, arguing against imposing the 

Jewish law upon Gentile converts, was St. Paul. Paul was originally a 

Pharisee and, as previously noted, one of the chief persecutors of the 

early Christians. During this time he went by his Jewish name, Saul. Then 

one day, as he was traveling to Damascus, he saw a bright light from the 

sky flash around him and he fell to the ground. He heard a voice speak 

to him, asking, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul fell to 

the ground and asked, “Who are you, sir?” The voice responded, “I am 

Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city 

and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:4–6). Saul, temporarily 

blinded, complied. He went to Damascus, where he met a Christian named 

In the decades 

that followed his 

conversion, Paul 

became the Apostle 

to the Gentiles. 

The Predication of Saint Paul by Joseph-Benoît Suvée (ca. 1779). 



349 

Ananias who had been told of Saul in a vision. He laid hands on Saul and 

the blindness fell from his eyes like scales (Acts 9:18). Saul was immediately 

baptized and soon began preaching the Gospel with the same fervor 

with which he had once persecuted the Church. Known from this point 

forward by his Roman name, Paul (he had dual citizenship as a Jew and a 

Roman), he quickly became the enemy of his former allies (Acts 9:23–25). 

While the Apostles at first did not accept Paul or believe he was a 

disciple, they soon grew to trust him and accepted him as one of them. 

Even though Paul was not one of the original Twelve Apostles and did not 

know or meet Jesus during His earthly life, in the decades that followed 

his conversion, Paul became the Apostle to the Gentiles. He undertook 

three missionary journeys throughout the Mediterranean world and a 

journey to Rome that led ultimately to his death (which some scholars 

refer to as a fourth missionary journey). His time abroad included a twoyear 

imprisonment in Caesarea, a long sea-voyage, and a more than 

two-year house arrest in Rome. Though he preached to the Jews in the 

places he went, he found greater success preaching the Gospel of Christ 

to the Gentiles. He founded Christian communities in the Gentile word and 

planted the seeds for Christianity to grow exponentially in the decades and 

centuries after him. 

As a highly educated Jew and Roman citizen fluent in both Latin and 

Greek, and knowledgeable of both Jewish and Greek traditions, Paul was 

especially suited to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles. He was uniquely 

able to help people see the connections between the God of Israel and the 

Gentile’s own desire for truth. Paul’s travels, however, were not without 

their problems: he was persecuted by believers and nonbelievers alike, 

beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, and eventually martyred in Rome. Paul 

travelled with missionary companions on his journeys, including Barnabas, 

John Mark (the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark), and Timothy, and 

wherever he went, he worked to pay his way. The Book of Acts also makes 

clear Paul’s respect for the Church of Jerusalem, which, in these earliest 

days of the Church, was the center of Christianity before its establishment 

in Rome. In fact, Luke tells us that after each of Paul’s missionary journeys, 

he returned to Jerusalem to confer with the other Apostles. Paul’s concern 

with the support and endorsement of the Apostles, and especially Peter, 

demonstrates further the importance of the Church’s Magisterium and the 

primacy of Peter even from the beginning. 

[Paul] was 

uniquely able to 

help people see 

the connections 

between 

the God of 

Israel and the 

Gentile’s own 

desire for truth. 




One of the most common criticisms of the Church that Catholics will hear is 

aimed at the hierarchy, especially the papacy. Even those who admit to the 

primacy of Peter himself will often say that the authority Jesus gave Peter 

could not be legitimately extended to anyone else after him. But the Acts of the 

Apostles provides the strongest argument not only for the authority of Peter 

and the Apostles, but for the doctrine of apostolic succession. In Acts, we see 

the Apostles, after prayer and reflection, ordaining men to fill their ranks and 

to help them serve the growing Christian community. They were able to do 

this because Jesus gave them His authority; when they forgave sins, celebrated 

the Eucharist, and laid hands on men to ordain them to the priesthood, 

it was Jesus Christ Himself acting through them. While the Gospels contain 

the divine words on which we base our understanding of apostolic succession, 

Acts shows us how those words are put into practice under the guidance of 


Although the fact that members of the Church hierarchy sometimes do truly 

evil things, nothing can overcome the power and authority of Jesus Christ, who 

will never allow His Church to fall. Even the most sinful priests and bishops 

do not undo the validity of apostolic succession and authority. One of the men 

Jesus handpicked to be an Apostle was the one who betrayed Him. Even Judas 

could not undo God’s plan for salvation. One of the first things the Apostles 

did after Pentecost was appoint Matthias to be the twelfth of their number as 

a replacement for Judas. This was not done out of fear or superstition, or any 

merely human impulse, but by the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the authority 

of Jesus within them. 



351 

Chapter 18 


1 Who is the traditional author of the Book of Acts? In what two parts can Acts be organized? 

2 Why is it significant that the Apostles chose a replacement twelfth Apostle? 

3 What happened to the Apostles at Pentecost? What did St. Peter do on Pentecost? What was 

the response of the crowd? 

4 How did the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost reverse the curse of the Tower of Babel? 

5 What is the relationship between the mission of Jesus Christ and the mission of the Holy 

Spirit? 

6 What is communio, and how was it manifested in the early Church? 

7 What is at the heart of the Church’s worship and brings about our communion even from the 

earliest days of the Church? 

8 Why did the Apostles ordain deacons? How did they do so? 

9 Who was the first martyr? What example does he give to us? 

10 What clues does the Book of Acts give us regarding the primacy and authority of St. Peter? 

11 Why was the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Cornelius and his family during the preaching of 

St. Peter significant? 

12 What was the main dispute at the Council of Jerusalem? What was decided? 

13 Who was St. Paul before his conversion to Christianity? What did he do after his conversion? 

14 How did St. Paul demonstrate the importance of the Magisterium and the authority of St. 

Peter? 

15 What can we learn about discipleship from the example of St. Stephen? 


352 




Dominum et Vivificantem 25, An Encyclical Letter of Pope St. John Paul II, 

May 18, 1986 

The era of the Church began with the “coming,” that is to say with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the 

Apostles gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, together with Mary, the Lord’s Mother. The time of 

the Church began at the moment when the promises and predictions that so explicitly referred to the 

Counselor, the Spirit of truth, began to be fulfilled in complete power and clarity upon the Apostles, thus 

determining the birth of the Church. The Acts of the Apostles speak of this at length and in many passages, 

which state that in the mind of the first community, whose convictions Luke expresses, the Holy 

Spirit assumed the invisible — but in a certain way “perceptible” — guidance of those who after the departure 

of the Lord Jesus felt profoundly that they had been left orphans. With the coming of the Spirit they 

felt capable of fulfilling the mission entrusted to them. They felt full of strength. It is precisely this that the 

Holy Spirit worked in them and this is continually at work in the Church, through their successors. For the 

grace of the Holy Spirit which the Apostles gave to their collaborators through the imposition of hands continues 

to be transmitted in Episcopal Ordination. The bishops in turn by the Sacrament of Orders render 

the sacred ministers sharers in this spiritual gift and, through the Sacrament of Confirmation, ensure that 

all who are reborn of water and the Holy Spirit are strengthened by this gift. And thus, in a certain way, 

the grace of Pentecost is perpetuated in the Church. 

1 In what way is the grace of Pentecost continued in the Church? 

2 Why is the Holy Spirit necessary in the Church? 

Redemptoris Missio 24–25, An Encyclical Letter of Pope St. John Paul II, 


The Spirit Directs the Church’s Mission 

24. The mission of the Church, like that of Jesus, is God’s work or, as Luke often puts it, the work of the 

Spirit. After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the apostles have a powerful experience which 

completely transforms them: the experience of Pentecost. The coming of the Holy Spirit makes them 

witnesses and prophets (cf. Acts 1:8; 2:17–18). It fills them with a serene courage which impels them to 

pass on to others their experience of Jesus and the hope which motivates them. The Spirit gives them 

the ability to bear witness to Jesus with “boldness.” When the first evangelizers go down from Jerusalem, 

the Spirit becomes even more of a “guide,” helping them to choose both those to whom they are to go 

and the places to which their missionary journey is to take them. The working of the Spirit is manifested 

particularly in the impetus given to the mission which, in accordance with Christ’s words, spreads out from 

Jerusalem to all of Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest ends of the earth. 



353 



The Acts of the Apostles records six summaries of the “missionary discourses” which were addressed to 

the Jews during the Church’s infancy (cf. Acts 2:22–39; 3:12–26; 4:9–12; 5:29–32; 10:34–43; 13:16–41). 

These model speeches, delivered by Peter and by Paul, proclaim Jesus and invite those listening to “be 

converted,” that is, to accept Jesus in faith and to let themselves be transformed in him by the Spirit. 

Paul and Barnabas are impelled by the Spirit to go to the Gentiles (cf. Acts 13:46–48), a development not 

without certain tensions and problems. How are these converted Gentiles to live their faith in Jesus? Are 

they bound by the traditions of Judaism and the law of circumcision? At the first Council, which gathers 

the members of the different churches together with the apostles in Jerusalem, a decision is taken which 

is acknowledged as coming from the Spirit: it is not necessary for a Gentile to submit to the Jewish Law 

in order to become a Christian (cf. Acts 15:5–11, 28). From now on the Church opens her doors and becomes 

the house which all may enter, and in which all can feel at home, while keeping their own culture 

and traditions, provided that these are not contrary to the Gospel. 

25. The missionaries continued along this path, taking into account people’s hopes and expectations, 

their anguish and sufferings, as well as their culture, in order to proclaim to them salvation in Christ. The 

speeches in Lystra and Athens (cf. Acts 14:15–17; 17:22–31) are acknowledged as models for the evangelization 

of the Gentiles. In these speeches Paul enters into “dialogue” with the cultural and religious 

values of different peoples. To the Lycaonians, who practiced a cosmic religion, he speaks of religious 

experiences related to the cosmos. With the Greeks he discusses philosophy and quotes their own poets 

(cf. Acts 17:18, 26–28). The God whom Paul wishes to reveal is already present in their lives; indeed, this 

God has created them and mysteriously guides nations and history. But if they are to recognize the true 

God, they must abandon the false gods which they themselves have made and open themselves to the 

One whom God has sent to remedy their ignorance and satisfy the longings of their hearts. These are 

speeches which offer an example of the inculturation of the Gospel. 

Under the impulse of the Spirit, the Christian faith is decisively opened to the “nations.” Witness to Christ 

spreads to the most important centers of the eastern Mediterranean and then to Rome and the far regions 

of the West. It is the Spirit who is the source of the drive to press on, not only geographically but also 

beyond the frontiers of race and religion, for a truly universal mission. 

1 What does Pope St. John Paul II state the Holy Spirit did in the Church with the Apostles and 

missionaries in her earliest days? 

2 How did the Apostles and other missionaries come to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles? What did 

they have to take into account? 

3 Do you think it is difficult to be a missionary today? Why or why not? Have you ever considered 

becoming a missionary? Why or why not? 


Chapter 19 

The Epistles 


■ Romans 

■ 1 and 2 

Corinthians 

■ Galatians 

■ Ephesians 

■ Philippians 

■ Colossians 

■ 1 and 2 

Thessalonians 

■ 1 and 2 Timothy 

■ Titus 

■ Philemon 

■ Hebrews 

■ James 

■ 1 and 2 Peter 

■ 1, 2, and 3 John 

■ Jude

Unit 7, Chapter 19: The Epistles 

355 


Throughout the early years of the Church, Sts. Paul and Peter, and other Church leaders, 

wrote letters to either specific Church communities or to the Church in general, addressing 

various liturgical, moral, and theological issues. St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans deals with 

the importance of faith in Christian life, reminding us that faith always comes from God, 

and we must hold fast to it in order to be saved. His first Letter to the Corinthians treats 

more practical questions about leadership, liturgy, and moral issues, as well as theological 

considerations about the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit, and the Resurrection. In addition to 

these and Paul’s other letters, the New Testament also contains messages from Sts. 

James, Peter, John, and Jude regarding faith and works, holiness in the midst of 

evil, Christ’s true nature, and the need for constant faith, hope, and prayer. 


■ There are 21 Epistles in the New Testament: 14 written by St. Paul and seven written by others. 

■ The Epistles were written to individuals, Church communities, and to the universal Church to communicate, 

affirm what was good and true, and admonish sinfulness and errors. 

■ St. Paul’s letters provide a glimpse into his ministry to the Gentiles, the theology he developed throughout 

his ministry, and into the working and development of the early Church. 

■ St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans contains a developed theology of justification and faith. 

■ St. Pauls’ First Letter to the Corinthians addresses numerous matters in the Church of Corinth, including 

liturgical abuses and leadership factions, and contains developed theologies of the Eucharist, the Church 

as the Body of Christ, and the resurrection of the dead. 

Bible Basics 

[O]ffer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, 

your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be 

transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what 

is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. 

ROMANS 12:1–2 

Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. 

1 JOHN 4:8 


Romans 1–3 

Romans 5–6:14 

Romans 8 

Romans 11 

Romans 15 

1 Corinthians 1–3 

1 Corinthians 5 

1 Corinthians 10–15 



Vocabulary 

Epistles (n.): The name 

given to the 22 letters 

in the New Testament 

written by Sts. Paul, Peter, 

James, John, and Jude. 

From the Greek epistole 

meaning “letter.” 

Catholic Epistles (n.): 

The seven letters written 

to the entire Church by 

Apostles. They are the 

epistles of James, 1 and 

2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, 

and Jude. 

St. Paul’s writings make 

up more than half of the 

Epistles. 

Much of what we know about the early Christian’s teaching, preaching, 

and sacramental life comes to us from the 21 New Testament epistles, or 

letters, written by Sts. Paul, Peter, John, Jude, and James. Many of these 

letters were written before the Gospels, and many are addressed to specific 

communities of Christians facing specific issues, all of which still resonate 

in the Church today. In them, we see believers much like ourselves, 

wanting to love God and honor the Commandments but also struggling 

with sin and human weakness. The Apostles wrote letters to communicate 

with their disciples, affirm what was good and true in their worship, and 

admonish them for their sinfulness and errors. 

The epistles can be divided into two main groups: the first 14 are the 

Pauline letters, or the those traditionally attributed to St. Paul. These include 

Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 

Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and 

Hebrews. They appear in the order they do in the New Testament based 

on their length rather than chronologically. 

The other seven letters are called the Catholic Epistles, named as 

such because they are “universal,” not addressed to any particular community, 

and as such speak to the whole Church. These epistles are James; 1 

and 2 Peter; 1, 2, and 3 John; and Jude. 

Saint Paul Writing His Epistles attributed to Valentin de Boulogne (ca. 1618–1620). 



357 

This chapter will first explore St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans and his 

First Letter to the Corinthians in greater depth because of their length and 

representation of Paul’s theology. Then, we will turn our attention to shorter 

summaries of the remaining epistles. 

The Letter to the Romans 

In the late AD 50s, St. Paul was getting ready to travel to Rome for the 

first time to meet the Christian community there and to prepare for further 

missionary journeys in the West. Prior to his departure, he wrote the 

community a letter that both addressed problems they were experiencing 

(particularly tensions between Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians) 

and outlined his approach to the Gospel. It is Paul’s longest and most 

systematic treatment of the Gospel of God’s righteousness that saves all 

people, that is, how God worked in time, through the Chosen People, to 

redeem the entire world. 

Paul focused on making sure the Romans understood that salvation 

is not only for the Jews, but is open to all people, Jew and Gentile alike. 

Further, Paul made the theological case that salvation comes from faith 

in Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and Savior, and not from observance 

of the Law or by our works alone. He wrote, “all have sinned and are 

deprived of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace 

through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, 

through faith, by his blood” (Rom. 3:23–25). It is Jesus’ Death 

and Resurrection that won for us the grace of justification, not anything we 

have done or could do on our own. 

Justification 

Paul focused 

on making sure 

the Romans 

understood 

that salvation 

is not only for 

the Jews, but 

is open for all 

people. 

Justification is “the most excellent work of God’s love. It is the freely-given 

act of God which takes away our sins and makes us just and holy in our 

whole being” (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church 422). 

It is the beginning of man’s free response to God, that is, faith, and Baptism 

is the first step in that new life of faith: “We were indeed buried with him 

through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from 

the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of 

life” (Rom. 6:4). 

The relationship of grace and works is more fully dealt with in Paul’s 

letter to the Romans than anywhere else in the Bible. Paul explained that 

every good thing we do, we do by God’s grace. His grace makes all our 

good works possible. Yet, at the same time, they are still our good works; 

we still do them. He gives us the grace to do good and the grace to love, 

but we must still exercise our freedom to put that grace into action. Our 



good works, however, do not merit the initial grace of justification; we cannot 

and do not save ourselves by our works. They can, however, through 

union with the love of Christ and in cooperation with God’s grace, merit 

the “graces needed for our sanctification and for attainment of eternal life” 

(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church 427). 

Because of this relationship between justification and faith, Paul affirmed 

the need for preaching the Gospel so people hear the call to faith, 

and pleaded with the Romans to hold fast to faith. In a similar way, Paul 

exhorted the people to, in faith, “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, 

holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform 

yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your 

mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and 

pleasing and perfect” (Rom. 12:1–2). Likewise, he called the people to 

rely on and confirm one another in faith because “as in one body we have 

many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, 

though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one 

another” (Rom. 12:4–5). As one Body of Christ, one People of God, one 

Church, we share one faith in the one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

The First Letter to the Corinthians 

St. Paul’s First 

Letter to the 

Corinthians, 

most likely 

written in AD 

56, is filled with 

information 

about the 

Church of the 

first generation 

of Christians. 

St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, most likely written in AD 56, is filled 

with information about the Church of the first generation of Christians and 

addresses many problems in the Church community of Corinth. Paul was 

the founder of this early Christian community, but, after he left to establish 

other communities, others led the Corinthian Church in day-to-day matters 

and preaching, including a man named Apollos. Eventually factions developed 

in the community loyal to Paul, Apollos, or others that eventually 

led to liturgical abuses and negatively impacted many other elements of 

Christian life and practice in Corinth. Thus, Paul wrote to address questions 

about his authority as an Apostle (1 Cor. 9), condemn the abuses taking 

place at house liturgies (1 Cor. 11), and discuss how to respond appropriately 

to charismatic gifts of tongues and prophecy (1 Cor. 14). He also 

tackled questions about whether or not a person should remarry after the 

death of a spouse (1 Cor. 7), whether or not eating meat sacrificed to idols 

is wrong in itself or only if it leads others to sin (1 Cor. 8), matters of sexual 

morality (1 Cor. 5–6), and how to handle dissension within the Church (1 

Cor. 3). 

In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul also developed his theology 

about the Eucharist, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and Christ’s Resurrection. 

First, he called the Corinthians to exercise greater reverence in their 

Eucharistic liturgies, explaining that the communion they experienced 



359 

when receiving the Eucharist was not merely a communion with one another 

but, more fundamentally, a communion with Jesus Himself in His 

Body and Blood. Then, calling them to be imitators of him as he imitated 

Christ, Paul reminded them how the Eucharist is to be celebrated: 

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, 

that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took 

bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This 

is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In 

the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is 

the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink 

it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread 

and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he 

comes. Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of 

the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood 

of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the 

bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without 

discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. 

(1 Cor. 11:23–29) 

St. Paul reminded the 

Corinthians that the 

Eucharist ought to be 

approached with great 

reverence, for it is the 

Body and Blood of Christ. 

Allegory of the Eucharist, Anonymous (17th–18th century). 



St. Paul emphasized 

that each member of the 

Church, as part of the 

Body of Christ, has a 

specific role to play for 

the glory of God. 

St. Paul Preaching by Raphael (1515). 

Paul demonstrated that the words of institution said in the Mass in even 

the earliest Church are the same as they are today. Further, Paul attested 

to the fact that the earliest Christians fully believed in the Real Presence of 

Christ’s Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist. Likewise, one 

must discern, or believe in, and be in a state of grace before receiving the 

Eucharist, or else call “judgment upon himself.” His words were a direct 

condemnation of the immorality of the Corinthians and their confused faith 

and have as much meaning to us today as they did to the Corinthians. 

Second, Paul focused on the relationship between Jesus, the Church, 

and the Holy Spirit, and, echoing his words to the Romans, referred to the 

Church as the Body of Christ: “As a body is one though it has many 

parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also 

Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether 

Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to 

drink of one Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:12–13). Just as each part of a body has its 

specific role to play in the body, so too does each member of the Body of 

Christ. The Body of Christ is given many gifts by the Holy Spirit which each 

member exercises in their own way: 

To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for 

some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression 

of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according 

to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; 

to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty 



361 

deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; 

to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of 

tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, 

distributing them individually to each person as he wishes. (1 

Cor. 12:8–11) 

Even greater than these gifts, Paul continued, are faith, hope, and love, 

with the greatest gift of all being love, or agape (1 Cor. 13:13). 

Lastly, St. Paul focused on the mystery of the resurrection of the dead, 

which he explained is central to the Christian Faith because “if there is no 

resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if 

Christ has not been raised, then empty [too] is our preaching; empty, 

too, your faith” (1 Cor. 15:13–14). Likewise, if Christ is not raised from the 

dead, then, “your faith is vain; you are still in your sins,” and “those 

who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (1 Cor. 15:17–18). 

Paul went on to call Jesus the New Adam, noting that, “For since death 

came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also 

through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ 

shall all be brought to life” (1 Cor. 15:21–22). By these words, Paul affirmed 

that Christ’s ultimate victory by His Death and Resurrection (1 Cor. 

15:57) has defeated death, which no longer has power over us, and has 

won for us resurrection at the end of time. 

Other New Testament Letters 

2 Corinthians 

Likely written in the fall of AD 56 (the same year as 1 Corinthians), Paul’s 

Second Letter to the Corinthians defends his calling to preach the Gospel 

and condemns false apostles who preach something other than the truth 

of Jesus Christ. Paul also called the Corinthians to be holy and to see their 

bodies as temples, because in the New Covenant the living presence of 

God resides in each of them. 

Vocabulary 

Agape (n.): The love of 

God for human beings 

and the love we are called 

to offer to God and one 

another. It is the highest 

form of sacrificial love, in 

which we will the good 

of another for their own 

sake. Greek for “good will” 

or “desire for the good of 

another.” 

For just as in 

Adam all die, so 

too in Christ 

shall all be 

brought to life. 

1 COR. 15:22 

Galatians 

One of Paul’s earliest known epistles, Galatians was written between 

AD 48–50 and is known as one of Paul’s most controversial letters. Rich 

with references to the Old Covenant, Paul sought to help the Christians 

of Galatia understand that Jesus Christ has fulfilled the terms of the Old 

Covenant and inaugurated a New Covenant in which all the peoples of the 

earth are called to participate. He also stressed that circumcision does not 

save and implored the Galatians to “live by the Spirit” and not the flesh 

(Gal. 5:16). 



Paul attested to the 

fact that the earliest 

Christians fully 

believed in the Real 

Presence of Christ’s 

Body and Blood, 

Soul and Divinity 

in the Eucharist. 

Apostle Paul by Rembrandt (ca. 1633). 

Ephesians 

Though some modern scholars dispute its authorship, the tradition of the 

Church is that Paul wrote this letter to confirm the faith of the Christian 

community in Ephesus, who were among the most mature and devout 

believers. This maturity is likely due in no small part to the fact that Jesus’ 

mother, Mary, lived there until her Assumption into Heaven, as is widely 

believed. Thus, Paul did not have to chide them or settle disputes. Rather, 

his teachings in this epistle centered on the profound relationship between 

Christ and His Church, with Paul comparing that relationship to that of 

husband and wife. 

Philippians 

Written most likely during one of his imprisonments in Rome in the early 

AD 60s, Paul’s letter to the Philippians is more concerned with encouraging 

and thanking the Christians of Philippi than it is with doctrine. Primarily, 

he wanted them to continue growing in Christian maturity, following the 



363 


St. Timothy 

It is important to have companions and mentors in 

our journey of faith. A friend can make all the difference. 

When we come to school every day, we 

might be thinking of our homework and classes, 

but we also look forward to encountering our 

friends to help us make it through the day. 

Along our way, we also encounter people with 

more experience than us who serve as guides 

and inspiration — mentors. They help point the 

way when we feel lost, offer advice when we are 

unsure, and give us something to aspire to when 

we journey on our path. 

St. Timothy had a similar relationship — friend 

and mentor — with St. Paul. We first meet Timothy 

in the Acts of the Apostles: “[Paul] reached 

(also) Derbe and Lystra where there was a 

disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish 

woman who was a believer, but his father was 

a Greek. The brothers in Lystra and Iconium 

spoke highly of him. … As they traveled from 

city to city, they handed on to the people for 

observance the decisions reached by the 

apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem” (Acts 

16:1–4). From there, Timothy is spoken of as a 

regular companion of Paul. He watched Paul proclaim 

the Good News of Jesus in many different 

circumstances and would have seen Paul be rejected 

at least as often as accepted. He would 

have learned from Paul that true success was 

not necessarily found in making many converts, 

but by being true to the Gospel and proclaiming it 

authentically. 

Paul was proud of Timothy, saying to the 

Corinthian community, “For this reason I am 

sending you Timothy, who is my beloved and 

faithful son in the Lord; 

he will remind you of my 

ways in Christ [Jesus], 

just as I teach them everywhere 

in every church” 

(1 Cor. 4:17). Elsewhere 

he wrote that Timothy “is 

doing the work of the 

Lord just as I am” (1 Cor. 

16:10), and called Timothy 

his “brother” (2 Cor. 1:1). 

He also wrote that the two 

of them were “slaves of 

Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:1) 

and that Timothy was “our 

brother and co-worker 

for God in the gospel of 

Christ” (1 Thess. 3:2). 

Later in the New 

Testament we find two 

letters addressed to Timothy as a young church 

leader tasked with looking after his own Church 

community. Paul offered Timothy practical advice 

on how to govern the community, advice that any 

young person should take to heart: “Let no one 

have contempt for your youth, but set an example 

for those who believe, in speech, conduct, 

love, faith, and purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). 

In our own spiritual lives, it is wise to have 

both friends and mentors in faith, people who can 

show us the way when we are unsure, and who 

can offer us advice. Our friends and mentors help 

us grow in the spiritual life and keep us company 

as we mature as Christians. What was true for 

Timothy is no less true for us today. 

Paul was proud 

of Timothy, 

saying, “... I am 

sending you 

Timothy, who is 

my beloved and 

faithful son in 

the Lord.” 



example of Jesus, who humbly sought to serve others by giving Himself 

entirely. In his exhortation to follow Jesus’ model, Paul wrote one of the 

most strikingly poetic and well-known summaries of the Gospel: 

Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours 

in Christ Jesus, 

Who, though he was in the form of God, 

did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. 

Rather, he emptied himself, 

taking the form of a slave, 

coming in human likeness; 

and found human in appearance, 

St. Paul likely wrote his 

Letter to the Colossians 

while he was imprisoned 

in Rome. 

he humbled himself, 

becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. 

Because of this, God greatly exalted him 

and bestowed on him the name 

that is above every name, 

St. Paul in Prison by Rembrandt van Rjin (1627). 



365 

that at the name of Jesus 

every knee should bend, 

of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 

and every tongue confess that 

Jesus Christ is Lord, 

to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:5–11) 

Throughout the letter, St. Paul often mentioned joy and humility, reminding 

his readers that “I can do all things in him who strengthens me” 

(Phil. 4:13, Douay-Rheims translation) and urging them to “Rejoice in 

the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4). 

Colossians 

Although the authorship of this letter is also disputed by modern scholars, 

the tradition of the Church is that it was written by St. Paul in the early AD 

60s while Paul was imprisoned in Rome. The community he addressed 

in Colossae was not one he founded, but rather one founded by someone 

Paul had converted. This person had come to Paul asking for help in 

strengthening his struggling community. Certain people in Colossae were 

sowing doubts among believers. Paul responded with this letter, rich in 

apologetics and seeking to clarify the truth of Christian doctrine. 

“I can do all 

things in him 

who strengthens 

me.” 

PHIL. 4:13, 

DOUAY-RHEIMS 

TRANSLATION 

The letter proclaims Jesus Christ as God and head of the Church (Col. 

1:15–23) and describes what Paul has undergone while serving Him. It 

then declares that we have a new life in Christ that should influence all our 

actions and enjoins the Colossians to put away their sinfulness and love 

one another as God’s chosen ones. 

1 and 2 Thessalonians 

1 Thessalonians is considered one of the earliest New Testament documents, 

written around AD 50. In the letter, Paul gave thanks for the good 

things he had heard about the Church in Thessalonica (1 Thess. 3:6) and 

encouraged the Christians there to live their lives in expectation of Christ’s 

Second Coming. 

In the beginning of 2 Thessalonians, which was written perhaps a 

year later, Paul acknowledged that the people were growing in love (2 

Thess. 1:3), but he found the need to write more about the coming of Christ. 

He told the people to not be overly concerned, because the day of the 

Lord’s coming had not yet arrived, but, even still, no one should be idle 

while awaiting His coming. In his assurances, Paul implored the people to 

“stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either 

by an oral statement or by a letter of ours” (2 Thess. 2:15). By these 

words, St. Paul affirmed the Church’s understanding of Sacred Tradition, 



which remains true today, calling the people to hold fast to what they had 

received through Tradition decades before all four Gospels were written 

and the canon of the New Testament was settled. 

1 and 2 Timothy 

Timothy was 

converted to 

Christianity 

personally 

by Paul... and 

eventually 

became the 

leader of the 

Christian 

community in 

Ephesus. 

1 and 2 Timothy were not addressed to fledgling communities, but to 

Timothy, an experienced pastor serving his flock. While some modern 

scholars question their Pauline authorship because of this fact, the tradition 

of the Church is that they were indeed written by Paul in the mid AD 

60s, shortly before his martyrdom. Timothy was converted to Christianity 

personally by Paul, accompanied him on missionary journeys, was frequently 

sent out by Paul to carry out special tasks, and eventually became 

the leader of the Christian community in Ephesus. 

1 Timothy provides insight into the hierarchy of the early Church, with 

Paul giving instructions to Timothy on how to select bishops and deacons 

(1 Tim. 3) and how prayer should transpire (1 Tim. 2). Encouraging Timothy 

in his leadership, Paul wrote the following: 

Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example 

for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and 

purity. Until I arrive, attend to the reading, exhortation, and 

teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was conferred 

on you through the prophetic word with the imposition 

of hands of the presbyterate. Be diligent in these matters, be 

absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to 

everyone. Attend to yourself and to your teaching; persevere 

in both tasks, for by doing so you will save both yourself and 

those who listen to you. (1 Tim. 4:12–16) 

Paul’s words here reflect again the consistent understanding of the 

early Church regarding apostolic authority, the transfer of that authority 

through the imposition of hands, and of Sacred Tradition, which all remain 

unchanged in the Church today. 

In the Second Letter to Timothy, Paul continued to encourage Timothy 

in his ministry, this time in a more personal way, giving him advice full of 

hope even amidst trials. 

Titus 

Similar to the letters to Timothy, and written around the same time, Paul 

instructed Titus, a Gentile convert, former missionary companion of Paul, 

and now the bishop of Crete, on selecting and ordaining priests, teaching 

the true Gospel (Titus 2), and helping people to lead holy lives (Titus 3). 



367 

Philemon 

Paul wrote this short letter while he was in prison in the early AD 60s. The 

letter is addressed to Philemon, a Christian and the owner of a runaway 

slave named Onesimus, whom Paul had converted to Christianity. Paul 

implored Philemon to view Onesimus “no longer as a slave but more 

than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so 

to you, as a man and in the Lord” (Philem. 1:16). Although Philemon 

had the right according to Roman law to punish Onesimus, Paul asked him 

to greet his former slave as a brother, not to punish him, and to consider 

releasing him out of mercy. 

Hebrews 

The authorship of the Letter to the Hebrews has long been the most disputed 

of all the Pauline epistles. While the letter itself makes no claim to 

Paul’s authorship, the Church in the East attributed it to Paul from the 

second century onwards, while the Church in the West did not do so until 

after the fourth century. Eventually, however, the Church in the West came 

In his writings, St. Peter, 

appointed by Christ as 

the head of the Church, 

encourages the Church to 

be ready to bear witness 

to the Faith and to resist 

temptations. 

St. Peter in Prayer by Matthias Stom (ca. 1633–1640). 



to agree with the East, at least until opinion shifted again in the sixteenth 

century that cast doubt on Paul as its author. Today, while most scholars 

do not believe Hebrews was written by Paul, they agree it may have been 

written by one of his disciples. 

The letter addresses the weariness of its readers in persevering in the 

challenges of the Christian life. Worried that some may leave the Faith and 

regress to old ways, Hebrews focuses on how Jesus is the fulfillment of 

Old Testament prophecies by being the high priest, similar to Melchizedek, 

and by offering Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for all (Heb. 3–5). This 

focus lends support to the notion that Hebrews was intended to be read 

by Jewish converts to Christianity who found the Christian life difficult and 

needed encouragement to keep the faith. 

James 

Tradition holds that the Letter of James was written by James of Jerusalem 

(not either of the two Apostles named James), who was a relative of Jesus 

(Mark 6:3) and the first bishop of Jerusalem. The dating of the letter is the 

early AD 60s and it is addressed to the “twelve tribes in the dispersion” 

St. Peter guided the 

Church and bore 

witness to the Faith 

even unto death. 

 

The Crucifixion of Saint Peter by Caravaggio (1600). 



369 

(James 1:1), which possibly means Christian Jews who lived outside of 

Jerusalem or had recently moved out due to persecution. 

In this epistle, James recommended that Christians “be doers of 

the word and not hearers only” (James 1:22), treat each other without 

partiality (James 2), and bear suffering with patience (James 5). He 

also stressed that if a person has faith, their faith will be made manifest 

through their works (James 2). Of related note, it was the letter of James 

that, during the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther wished to remove 

from the New Testament canon because it contradicted his teaching of sola 

fides, or that salvation was through “faith alone.” In a lengthy treatment of 

the matter, James wrote, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone 

says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? … 

faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. … For just as a body 

without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 

2:14, 17, 26). 

[James] 

stressed that 

if a person 

has faith, their 

faith will be 

made manifest 

through their 

works (James 2). 

1 and 2 Peter 

These epistles are attributed to St. Peter, though even some of the early 

Church Fathers doubted his authorship, particularly of 2 Peter. Today, it 

is thought that 1 Peter can be ascribed to St. Peter in around the mid AD 

60s, though it was likely directly written by his secretary, Silvanus, who is 

mentioned in the letter (1 Pet. 5:12). The authorship of 2 Peter is more 

challenging to pin down, and today it is largely thought to be the work of a 

later anonymous writer, and may be the latest work of the New Testament 

to be written. 

In 1 Peter, St. Peter emphasized the call for living out holiness even to 

the point of suffering for the sake of righteousness (1 Pet. 3:14). He also 

wrote about being ready to bear witness to the Faith (1 Pet. 3:15) and resisting 

the attacks of the Devil (1 Pet. 5:8–9). 

In 2 Peter, the sacred author emphasized that God gives us the ability 

to live out our faith (2 Pet. 1:3), especially among those who are doing 

wrong (2 Pet. 2). This letter also makes a powerful case for the Church’s 

understanding of the inspiration of Scripture and the authority of the 

Church’s Magisterium to interpret it: 

Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether 

reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a 

lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning 

star rises in your hearts. Know this first of all, that there is no 

prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, 

for no prophecy ever came through human will; but 

rather human beings moved by the holy Spirit spoke under the 

influence of God. (2 Pet. 1:19–21) 



1, 2, and 3 John 

These letters are traditionally attributed to the Apostle John and were likely 

written sometime between the late AD 60s and early AD 90s. In the First 

Letter of John, St. John sought to combat false teachings about Christ rampant 

at the time, specifically that Jesus was not fully human (1 John 4:2). 

He encouraged his reader that proper knowledge of God, who is love, leads 

to proper practice of Christianity, which is to love God and one another. To 

this end, he wrote one of the most well-known passages of Scripture that 

speaks to the heart of God’s identity: 

Beloved, if God 

so loved us, we 

also must love 

one another. 

1 JOHN 4:11 

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; 

everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. 

Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. 

In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his 

only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. 

In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved 

us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God 

so loved us, we also must love one another. (1 John 4:7–11) 

In the Second Letter of John, St. John continues to refer to those 

spreading false teaching about Christ, but instead of addressing it theologically, 

offers more practical advice for living the Christian Faith in love. 

In the Third Letter of John, the shortest letter in the New Testament, 

John addressed a man named Gaius to secure funding for missionary work 

in the face of challenges to his authority, specifically from a man named 

Diotrephes. 

Jude 

Traditionally, the Letter of St. Jude is attributed to Judas, a relative of Jesus 

(Matt. 13:55) and possibly the brother of James of Jerusalem, the author 

of the Letter of James. There is some uncertainty as to whether the author 

of the Letter of Jude is Jude the Apostle. Writing sometime in the AD 50s 

or 60s, Jude addressed his letter seemingly to all Christians, but perhaps 

to a specific community where false teachers “who pervert the grace of 

our God into licentiousness and who deny our only Master and Lord, 

Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4) had been contradicting the true Faith. Jude admonished 

these false teachers and reminded the Church to be faithful, 

prayerful, and hopeful in the Lord. 



371 


All too often we think of the Church as merely a human community that exists 

mainly for fellowship. Sunday Mass is perceived as an opportunity to gather 

and socialize so as to enjoy each other’s company and maybe to worship. Even 

when we do focus on worship, it can be about how that worship — singing and 

praying together — makes us feel good. Some people may try to argue that this 

one-sided view of the Church is solely a modern problem afflicting the Church 

in just the past few decades. But St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians reveals 

otherwise. In fact, this misunderstanding about the Church and the Mass 

has existed since the earliest days of Christianity. St. Paul reminds his flock 

that the Eucharist is not primarily about communion with one another, but communion 

with Jesus Christ Himself. The primary goal of the Mass is not to unite 

us with other people so we can feel good — we can do that at school, or at a 

party, or on a sports team. We go to Mass to unite with Christ in a supernatural 

way through the Real Presence of His Body and Blood. 

Misunderstanding or doubting the Real Presence is also not a modern 

problem; St. Paul addressed that as well, confirming in the same epistle to 

the Corinthians that the bread truly becomes Christ’s Body and the wine truly 

becomes His Blood, entirely and without division. While there may have always 

been a struggle with faith and understanding in the Church, and there may always 

be, the Church has professed the same truths about the path to eternal 

life and communion with God, and she always will. 


372 


Chapter 19 


1 What are the two main groups of epistles, and why are they organized in this way? 

2 What did St. Paul focus on in his Letter to the Romans? What theological case did he make? 

3 What is justification? 

4 What is the relationship between grace and good works? 

5 What was the root reason for St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians? 

6 Why did St. Paul tell the Corinthians to be imitators of him as he was an imitator of Christ? 

What do we learn about the early Church’s beliefs regarding the Eucharist from Paul’s 

teaching? 

7 What does it mean that the Church is the Body of Christ, according to St. Paul’s teaching? 

8 According to St. Paul, why is the Resurrection of Christ so important? 

9 What did St. Paul want the people of Galatia to know by his letter to them? 

10 In his Letter to the Ephesians, to what did St. Paul compare the relationship between Christ 

and His Church? 

11 How did St. Paul exhort the Philippians to follow Jesus’ model? 

12 What did St. Paul teach about Tradition in 2 Thessalonians? Why? 

13 What did St. Paul’s words to Timothy reflect? 

14 What does the Letter to the Hebrews address and focus on? 



373 

15 What teaching from the Epistle of James did Martin Luther disagree with? Why? 

16 What does 2 Peter make a powerful case for? 

17 What does 1 John tell us about the heart of God’s identity? 

18 How did St. Paul regard St. Timothy? 


374 




Excerpts from the General Audience of Pope Benedict XVI, November 5, 2008 

“If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain ... and you are still 

in your sins” (1 Cor 15:14–17). With these strong words from the First Letter to the Corinthians, St Paul 

makes clear the decisive importance he attributes to the Resurrection of Jesus. In this event, in fact, 

lies the solution to the problem posed by the drama of the Cross. The Cross alone could not explain the 

Christian faith, indeed it would remain a tragedy, an indication of the absurdity of being. The Paschal 

Mystery consists in the fact that the Crucified man “was raised on the third day, in accordance with the 

Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:4), as proto-Christian tradition attests. This is the keystone of Pauline Christology: 

everything rotates around this gravitational centre. The whole teaching of Paul the Apostle starts from, 

and arrives at, the mystery of him whom the Father raised from the dead. The Resurrection is a fundamental 

fact, almost a prior axiom (cf. 1 Cor 15:12), on the basis of which Paul can formulate his synthetic 

proclamation (kerygma). He who was crucified and who thus manifested God’s immense love for man, is 

risen again, and is alive among us … 

All this bears important consequences for our lives as believers: we are called upon to take part, in our 

inmost selves, in the whole story of the death and Resurrection of Christ. The Apostle says: we “have died 

with Christ” and we believe we shall “live with him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead, will 

never die again; death no longer has dominion over him” (Rm 6:8–9). This means sharing in the suffering 

of Christ, which is a prelude to that full unity with him through the resurrection that we hope for. This is also 

what happened to St Paul, whose personal experience is described in the Letters in tones as sorrowful as 

they are realistic: “that I may know him and the power of his Resurrection, and may share his sufferings 

becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Phil 3:10–11; 

cf. 2 Tm 2:8–12). The theology of the Cross is not a theory it is the reality of Christian life. To live in the 

belief in Jesus Christ, to live in truth and love implies daily sacrifice, implies suffering. Christianity is not 

the easy road, it is, rather, a difficult climb, but one illuminated by the light of Christ and by the great hope 

that is born of him. St Augustine says: Christians are not spared suffering, indeed they must suffer a little 

more, because to live the faith expresses the courage to face in greater depth the problems that life and 

history present. But only in this way, through the experience of suffering, can we know life in its profundity, 

in its beauty, in the great hope born from Christ crucified and risen again. The believer, however, finds 

himself between two poles: on the one hand, the Resurrection, which in a certain sense is already present 

and operating within us (cf. Col 3:1–4; Eph 2:6); on the other, the urgency to enter into the process which 

leads everyone and everything towards that fullness described in the Letter to the Romans with a bold 

image: as the whole of Creation groans and suffers almost as with the pangs of childbirth, so we groan 

in the expectation of the redemption of our bodies, of our redemption and resurrection (cf. Rm 8:18–23). 

1 What event is central to St. Paul’s teaching? Why? 

2 What meaning does Christ’s Death and Resurrection have for our own lives? How did St. Paul live 

his life as an example of this meaning? 



375 



On Grace and Free Will, Ch. 12, St. Augustine, ca. AD 426–427 

Now there was, no doubt, a decided merit in the Apostle Paul, but it was an evil one, while he persecuted 

the Church, and he says of it: I am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church 

of God (1 Corinthians 15:9). And it was while he had this evil merit that a good one was rendered to him 

instead of the evil; and, therefore, he went on at once to say, But by the grace of God I am what I am (1 

Corinthians 15:10). Then, in order to exhibit also his free will, he added in the next clause, And His grace 

within me was not in vain, but I have laboured more abundantly than they all. This free will of man he 

appeals to in the case of others also, as when he says to them, We beseech you that you receive not the 

grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1). Now, how could he so enjoin them, if they received God’s grace 

in such a manner as to lose their own will? Nevertheless, lest the will itself should be deemed capable 

of doing any good thing without the grace of God, after saying, His grace within me was not in vain, but I 

have laboured more abundantly than they all, he immediately added the qualifying clause, Yet not I, but 

the grace of God which was with me (1 Corinthians 15:10). In other words, Not I alone, but the grace of 

God with me. And thus, neither was it the grace of God alone, nor was it he himself alone, but it was the 

grace of God with him. For his call, however, from heaven and his conversion by that great and most 

effectual call, God’s grace was alone, because his merits, though great, were yet evil. Then, to quote one 

passage more, he says to Timothy: But be a co-labourer with the gospel, according to the power of God, 

who saves us and calls us with His holy calling — not according to our works but according to His own 

purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 1:8–9). Then, elsewhere, he enumerates 

his merits, and gives us this description of their evil character: For we ourselves also were formerly 

foolish, unbelieving, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, 

and hating one another (Titus 3:3). Nothing, to be sure, but punishment was due to such a course of evil 

desert! God, however, who returns good for evil by His grace, which is not given according to our merits, 

enabled the apostle to conclude his statement and say: But when the kindness and love of our Saviour 

God shone upon us — not of works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He 

saved us, by the laver of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Ghost, whom He shed upon us abundantly 

through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that, being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according 

to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:4–7). 

1 By whose power does St. Augustine argue that St. Paul came to be an Apostle? Why? 

2 St. Augustine reflects on St. Paul saying that he labored even more for the Gospel because of 

God’s grace. That is to say, St. Paul did not preach the Gospel in order to earn God’s grace, but 

because God had already given him His grace, St. Paul worked even more so that God’s grace 

was not given to him in vain. When was a time you were given a gift (either a literal gift or some 

authority or recognition) that caused you to work even more, like St. Paul? 


Chapter 20 

The Book of 

Revelation 


■ Revelation

Unit 7, Chapter 20: The Book of Revelation 

377 


The Book of Revelation is the culminating book of all of Scripture, revealing to us the 

ultimate goal of Salvation History. In it, St. John receives a vision of Jesus Christ, 

the high priest and King of Heaven, who takes him up to Heaven to show him how 

the saints and angels continually worship and praise God in an eternal liturgy that 

reminds us very much of the same Mass that we celebrate today. Then, John sees 

the fall of Babylon and the rise of the new and heavenly Jerusalem that symbolizes 

the restoration of the relationship between God and His bride, the Church, that far 

exceeds any blessings known previously. Finally, John sees a mysterious “new 

heaven and a new earth” that await us at the end of time. 


■ The Book of Revelation is the most well-known example of apocalyptic literature and communicates 

truths about Heaven and the end of time through visions filled with dense and sometimes strange 

symbolism that can be challenging to interpret. 

■ Jesus appeared to St. John and dictated to him a letter to be sent to the seven churches of Asia Minor 

to communicate His message to them. 

■ Jesus granted John a vision of heavenly worship, which our liturgies on earth mirror and which is a 

participation in the wedding feast of the Lamb. 

■ John also saw in his vision the fall of Babylon, which represents the powers of this world, and its 

replacement with a new Jerusalem, the holy city and God’s dwelling place among His people. 

■ The pregnant woman clothed with the sun is Mary, who fulfills the prophecy of the Protoevangelium 

from Genesis 3:15. 

■ At the end of time this world will pass away and there will be a mysterious New Heaven and a New 

Earth in which God’s reign will be extended over all things. 

Bible Basics 

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, 

who was, and who is, and who is to come.” 

REVELATION 4:8 

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, 

and there shall be no more death or 

mourning, wailing or pain [for] the old 

order has passed away.” 

REVELATION 21:4 


Revelation 1–5 

Revelation 12 

Revelation 19 

Revelation 21 


the Catechism 

CCC 1043 (pg. 388) 



Vocabulary 

Revelation (Apocalypse) 

(n.): The names given to 

the final book of the New 

Testament and the Bible 

that is a highly symbolic 

account of a vision of 

Heaven granted to St. 

John the Evangelist. From 

Latin and Greek words 

meaning “to reveal” or “to 

unveil.” 

Of all the books of the Bible, perhaps the most intriguing is the Book of 

Revelation (also called The Apocalypse and The Revelation of St. John). 

The Book of Revelation can be challenging to comprehend, however, without 

a proper understanding of all that came before it in Salvation History 

and, most importantly, of what Jesus established by the New Covenant. 

Over the past 2,000 years, scholars and ordinary people alike have wrestled 

with the book’s mysterious and deeply symbolic imagery, with some 

concluding that it provides a detailed (and seemingly bleak) roadmap to 

the end of time. While the Book of Revelation does indeed glimpse into the 

future (and peers into the past), it does so perhaps in an unexpected way. 

Despite the mystery and complexity of the book, a proper and coherent interpretation 

can be found within its pages. The words revelation and apocalypse 

derive from Latin and Greek words meaning “to reveal” or “to unveil,” 

which is what the Book of Revelation does: it pulls back the veil to show us 

the thrust of all Salvation History, which culminates in the heavenly worship 

of God in which we participate during the sacrifice of the Mass offered. 

Authorship, Audience, and Themes 

The author of the Book of Revelation is traditionally believed to be St. John 

the Apostle, the author of the Gospel of John and the three letters of John. 

He even identifies himself within the text. The book shares common themes 

with the Apostle’s other writings but is written differently and is less grammatically 

refined. This fact, along with specific references to the Temple of 

Jerusalem, has led scholars to believe John wrote the Book of Revelation 

before he wrote his Gospel, perhaps as early as AD 68 (the Temple was 

destroyed by the Romans in AD 70). 

The Book of Revelation is a work of apocalyptic literature, a type 

of Jewish religious writing that is a sub-genre of prophetic literature. 

Apocalyptic literature is filled with dense and sometimes strange symbolism, 

visions of Heaven and heavenly things, and scenes of judgment that 

all communicate truths about God and our salvation. While Revelation is 

the most well-known example of apocalyptic writing, it is not the only one in 

the Bible. Revelation shares language in common with the Old Testament 

apocalyptic books of Ezekiel (the description of the cherubim [Ezek. 1] and 

the prophetic vision of a new Temple [Ezek. 37:27–28]) and Daniel (the 

coming of the Son of Man [Dan. 7]). In fact, John’s book draws heavily from 

the Old Testament, with 278 allusions to the Old Testament in its 404 total 

lines, none of which were direct quotes. 

The book begins with a brief preface, identifying its author, John (Rev. 

1:1), his purpose (to share a message from Christ Himself given to John 

in a vision [Rev. 1:1–2]), and the author’s intention for the writing (to be 



379 

John’s Vision of Heaven by Matthias Gerung (ca. 1532). 

read aloud, listened to, and heeded [Rev. 1:3], all liturgical actions, just as 

the Scriptures are proclaimed at Mass by a lector for the congregation to 

hear). The body of the text takes the form of seven letters addressed to 

the seven churches of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey): Ephesus, Smyrna, 

Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. To all of these 

Churches, John first explained that while he was in exile on the island of 

Patmos, Jesus appeared to him and ordered him to write down everything 

he saw in a book and send it to them. 

The Book of Revelation 

relates the deeply 

symbolic visions of 

St. John and many 

apocalyptic scenes of 

heaven and earth. 

Jesus’ words in these seven letters speak to the specific situation of 

each church, offering them comfort and encouragement in the face of persecution 

from the Jewish and Roman authorities and addressing and correcting 

each church’s internal conflicts, which ranged from disorder and 

false teaching to spiritual apathy. While Jesus’ words were addressed to 

these churches in a specific time and place, in a very real way we can 

understand the contents of these letters as Jesus speaking to us today as 

we face much of the same challenges as a Church. Jesus’ answer to these 

challenges, evident from the rest of the Book of Revelation, was the same 

then as it is today: we must join in the heavenly worship of God the Father 

through the Mass and maintain hope in the coming of the New Heaven and 

the New Earth at the end of time, when God’s reign, the Kingdom of God, 

will be extended over all things for all eternity. 



Jesus the High Priest 

John begins by recounting his vision of Christ when He came to him on the 

Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10), that is, Sunday, the Christian Sabbath and day of 

worship. John described Jesus coming “like a son of man” and “wearing 

an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest” (Rev. 1:13). 

This description is a reference to Daniel’s portrayal of the Messiah (Dan. 

7:13) and describes liturgical imagery (Jesus’ dress was that of a priest, 

similar to the vestments a Catholic priest wears during Mass today). John 

also depicted the appearance of Jesus’ divine glory in similar language to 

His description during His Transfiguration in the Gospels (see Matt. 17:1–8 

and chapter 16 of this book): “The hair of his head was as white as wool 

or as snow” (Rev. 1:14), and “his face shone like the sun at its brightest” 

(Rev. 1:16). Further, Jesus stood between “seven gold lampstands” 

(Rev. 1:12) and held in His right hand “seven stars” (Rev. 1:16), which 

Jesus explained represented the seven churches He was addressing and 

“the angels of the seven churches” (Rev. 1:20). In this vision, John was 

describing Jesus as the Messiah and King, the high priest of Heaven who 

leads the heavenly worship of God the Father, much as the bishops and 

priests today lead our worship at every Mass. In fact, the heavenly worship, 

as we will see, is essentially an unending Mass in Heaven, which we take 

part in and is made present to us on the altar in the Eucharist. 

Holy Mass in this life 

is a glimpse of 

the unending and 

glorious divine 

liturgy in Heaven. 

 

Triumph of the Name of Jesus by Giovanni Battista Gaulli (1679). 



381 

The Heavenly Liturgy 

Later in his vision, John is taken up into Heaven, where he saw and described 

this worship in Heaven (Rev. 4–5): the Father seated upon a 

“throne” with a brilliant “halo” (Rev. 4:3), and surrounding the throne 

“twenty-four other thrones on which twenty-four elders sat, dressed 

in white garments and with gold crowns on their heads” (Rev. 4:4). 

These 24 thrones and elders likely symbolized the Twelve Tribes of Israel 

and the Twelve Apostles, the combined leadership of the Old and New 

Testaments, gathered in one place before the throne of the Father. 

John also saw “seven flaming torches” in front of the throne, “which 

are the seven spirits of God” (Rev. 4:5), referring to the seven Gifts of the 

Holy Spirit (Isa. 11:2–3), which are poured out upon us in the Sacrament 

of Baptism and again in the Sacrament of Confirmation. Further, the seven 

spirits of God recall how God rested from His work of creation on the seventh 

day and swore a covenant that established the order of creation, oriented 

toward worship and communion with Him. In this heavenly worship, 

God our loving Father is showing how He has kept and fulfilled His promises 

to us, even from the very beginning. 

Also seen around the Father’s throne were four “living creatures covered 

with eyes in front and in back. The first … resembled a lion, the 

second was like a calf, the third had a face like that of a human being, 

and the fourth looked like and eagle in flight” who exclaimed day and 

night “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who 

is, and who is to come” (Rev. 4:7, 8). These otherworldly creatures are 

reminiscent of the angelic creatures, or cherubim, described by Ezekiel in 

his vision of God seated upon His throne. Each of these creatures had four 

faces (a human, an eagle, an ox, and a lion), which the Church traditionally 

has interpreted to be representations of the four Gospel writers (Matthew 

as the man, Mark as the lion, Luke as the ox, and John as the eagle). The 

exclamation of the cherubim is the same liturgical response we sing or say 

at every Mass. And the four Gospels, which collectively tell the story of 

Jesus, indeed proclaim the holiness of the Lord. 

Vocabulary 

Cherubim (n.): A 

classification of angel 

seen in visions by the 

prophet Ezekiel and St. 

John the Evangelist who 

directly attend to God. 

In this heavenly 

worship, God 

our loving 

Father is 

showing how 

He has kept 

and fulfilled His 

promises to us, 

even from the 

very beginning. 

Then John saw a scroll (sealed seven times) in the right hand of the 

Father, and he heard a voice proclaim, “Who is worthy to open the scroll 

and break its seals?” (Rev. 5:2). One of the elders said to John, who 

was weeping, “Do not weep. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root 

of David, has triumphed, enabling him to open the scroll” (Rev. 5:5). 

Then appeared “a Lamb that seemed to have been slain,” with the 

seven spirits of God upon Him (Rev. 5:6). The Lamb took the scroll, and 

the cherubim and the twenty-four elders fell down in worship before Him, 

playing harps, burning incense, and singing hymns of praise. Then all the 

angels in Heaven, every creature on earth, and everything in the universe 



cried out at once: “To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb 

be blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever” to which the 

cherubim responded “Amen” (Rev. 5:13–14). 

Jesus Christ is the 

Lamb of God, who was 

sacrificed in atonement 

for our sins. 

Think for a moment about what you see and sense when you go to 

Mass, especially if you have ever been to Mass celebrated by a bishop. 

Like God the Father seated on His throne, the bishop is seated in a place of 

honor in the presider’s chair, with the other attending priests and deacons 

seated surrounding him. The Word of God is proclaimed, especially in the 

Gospels, in which Jesus Christ, the Word of God incarnate, is made present 

to us. (In the ancient Church, the letters from the Apostles sent to the 

Christian communities were read during Mass. These letters were sealed 

in order that communities could be sure they were authentic. At their proclamation, 

the breaking of the seal was done before the whole community 

as a sort of ritual practice.) Hymns are sung, and incense is burned. Many 

churches have beautiful art on their walls and ceilings depicting the angels 

and saints in Heaven worshipping the Lord. The altar is set with lit candles. 

And then, during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Lamb of God who was 

“slain,” Jesus Christ, is made present in His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity 

under the appearance of bread and wine, and the faithful kneel in worship 

and receive Him. 

All the parts of the Mass we know and practice today, nearly 2,000 

years later, are found within the text of the Book of Revelation. We even 

respond with many of the same words of prayer and praise, including the 

Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (Ghent Altarpiece) by Jan van Eyck (1432). 



383 

antiphonal chants in Revelation 4:8, 5:13, and 7:10; the Gloria in 15:3–4; 

the Alleluia in 19:1, 3, 4, 6; the Sanctus in 4:8; the Great Amen in 19:4 

and 22:20; the invitation to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in 19:9; and 

many others. From beginning to end, the Book of Revelation draws a clear 

parallel between the worship of Heaven and the worship of the Church in 

the Mass. Our worship in the Mass is our participation in the worship of 

Heaven. And the worship of Heaven is made present to us in our worship 

in the Mass. 

The Fall of Babylon 

What follows this vision of the heavenly worship (Rev. 6–19) is the most 

complex and controversial section of the Book of Revelation. Without getting 

lost in the interpretive details, we can be confident that Revelation 

makes known to us that the days leading up to the end times (which began 

with Christ’s inbreaking in to history) have been and will be fraught with 

conflict. And yet, as Revelation also makes clear to us, we can be fully confident 

that in the end, Christ and His Church will prevail over those forces 

seeking to destroy His Church. 

After the scene of heavenly worship, John saw one event depicted by 

three different visions: the Lamb that was slain, Jesus, opened each of the 

seven seals on the scroll (Rev. 6–8:15); seven angels blew seven trumpets 

(Rev. 8–11); and seven more angels poured out seven bowls (Rev. 16). 

As each of these events happened, cataclysmic things, or plagues, took 

place (including the appearance of the four horsemen of the apocalypse). 

After each of the three sequences, the inhabitants of Heaven worshipped 

the Lord and proclaimed the coming of God’s Kingdom. What exactly was 

John seeing? 

Christ and His 

Church will 

prevail over 

those forces 

seeking to 

destroy His 

Church. 

In Revelation 17–19 John had a vision of a “great harlot” (Rev. 17:1) 

whom he identified as “Babylon the great” (Rev. 17:5), and with whom 

“the kings of the earth have had intercourse … and the inhabitants 

of the earth became drunk on the wine of her harlotry” (Rev. 17:2). 

(Other Bible translations refer to the harlot as the “great whore,” leading 

to the commonly known title “Whore of Babylon.”) The Harlot of Babylon 

was “seated on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous 

names, with seven heads and ten horns” (Rev. 17:3). Next, John saw 

the annihilation of the city of Babylon (which the harlot represents) (Rev. 

18), and, after its fall, the heavenly assembly rejoiced and sang a song of 

victory (“Alleluia!” [Rev. 19:1, 3, 6]) (Rev. 19). Then, the “King of kings 

and Lord of Lords” (Rev. 19:16) led the armies of Heaven in victorious 

battle against the beast and the kings of the earth. Despite the challenge 

of interpreting these visions, one particular way makes the most sense of 

what John saw. 




St. Gertrude the Great 

At the age of five, young Gertrude was put in the 

care of Benedictine nuns at the abbey of Saint 

Mary of Helfta. The devout nuns raised Gertrude 

in their quiet atmosphere of prayer and contemplation, 

and the young girl, too, took the veil. 

Gertrude had a curious and agile mind. She 

read and wrote in Latin at a time when few people 

knew how to read, and she gave herself to the 

study of science and philosophy. 

But Jesus wanted more from Gertrude. He 

was calling her to give herself to Him alone and 

to be His special bride. 

One day, when she was 26 years old, Gertrude 

was walking down the hall and bowed before an 

elderly nun as she passed her by. When Gertrude 

raised her head, Jesus stood before her! Jesus 

explained to her that He had come to comfort and 

save her, and the sweetness of His presence filled 

her heart. 

When Jesus left, Gertrude understood how 

unworthy she was of His gifts, and she was determined 

only to do those things that brought her 

closer to Jesus. From then on, her readings were 

the Scriptures and the Church Fathers, and the 

music she sang was always filled with the praises 

of God. 

On the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, 

Jesus appeared to her with St. John, the beloved 

disciple. The disciple instructed 

Gertrude to lay her 

head on Jesus’ breast the 

same way he had done 

during the Last Supper. 

Resting her head against 

her savior’s chest, Gertrude 

exclaimed at hearing the 

tender beating of Jesus’ 

Sacred Heart. St. John explained 

that the graces of 

Jesus’ Sacred Heart would 

renew this later age with the 

warmth of His divine love. 

Gertrude received continuous 

visions of Jesus and 

Mary throughout her life. 

She wrote down her revelations in a book called 

Herald of Divine Love. She had a deep love for 

Jesus’ Sacred Heart and offered all her sufferings 

for sinners and the holy souls in Purgatory. Jesus 

also performed many miracles through her. The 

illnesses of many of her Benedictine sisters were 

cured through her prayers. 

Gertrude dedicated herself to the love of 

Jesus’ Sacred Heart until she died a holy death 

in 1302. St. Gertrude the Great, help my heart be 

renewed by Jesus’ divine love! 

[Gertrude] 

offered all her 

sufferings for 

sinners and 

the holy souls 

in Purgatory. 



385 

The New Jerusalem 

The key to unlocking the meaning of this and the other visions is to determine 

the identity of the Harlot of Babylon. Many have believed the 

Harlot to be a representation of Rome, while others, especially certain 

Protestant denominations, believe even today that the Harlot is the 

Catholic Church. The interpretation that makes the most sense, however, 

is that the Harlot of Babylon is Jerusalem. Remember how the prophets of 

the Old Testament frequently used the analogy that Jerusalem and Israel 

were like a prostitute, or an unfaithful wife — a harlot — and God was 

like a faithful bridegroom waiting for His bride to return to Him. Further, 

in John’s time, Jerusalem had become a worldly city wrapped up in the 

politics of Rome (likely the “scarlet beast” of John’s vision). The Jews in 

Jerusalem had taken to persecuting the Christians living there, forcing 

them to flee the city. And, in John’s lifetime, in AD 70, Jerusalem and the 

Temple were destroyed by the Romans, who had turned on their vassal 

state. Afterward, the center of Christianity shifted away from Jerusalem 

to Rome and the Gentile world, where the Christian Faith quickly spread 

far and wide. While there are many other reasons why this interpretation 

makes sense, the real-world destruction of Jerusalem that happened in 

the not-too-distant future of Revelation’s writing was an immediate fulfillment 

of the prophecies in the book. What comes next in Revelation 

further cements this interpretation. 

Once the earthly Jerusalem was destroyed in John’s vision, it was 

replaced by a new Jerusalem, a heavenly Jerusalem (Rev. 21–22). This 

new Jerusalem is described as “the holy city” (Rev. 21:2), and “God’s 

dwelling” (Rev. 21:3) among the human race, and the “bride, the 

wife of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:9). John’s vision of the new and heavenly 

Jerusalem corresponds to similar Old Testament prophecies of a new 

Temple, a new Jerusalem, and God’s dwelling among His people from 

the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. What is unique about John’s 

vision, however, is the description of the new Jerusalem as the bride of 

the Lamb. Jesus is the Lamb of God. Jesus referred to Himself as the 

Bridegroom (Matt. 9:15; Mark 2:19; Luke 5:34; and John 3:29), and St. 

Paul made it clear throughout his theology, most especially in Ephesians 

5, that Christ’s bride is the Church. The new and heavenly Jerusalem of 

John’s vision in Revelation is the Catholic Church, the Bride of Christ, in 

which God dwells with His people. 

[T]he real-world 

destruction 

of Jerusalem 

that happened 

in the not-toodistant 

future 

of Revelation’s 

writing was 

an immediate 

fulfillment of the 

prophecies in 

the book. 

Further, immediately preceding John’s vision of the new Jerusalem, the 

hosts of Heaven sang during their victory song: “Let us rejoice and be 

glad and give him glory. For the wedding day of the Lamb had come, 

his bride has made herself ready. She was allowed to wear a bright, 

clean linen garment” (Rev. 19:7–8). And then, an angel told John to write, 



The Church has 

always taught that 

the "woman clothed 

with the sun" in St. 

John's vision is the 

Blessed Virgin Mary. 

 

Immaculate Conception by Peter Paul Rubens (1628–1629). 

“Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the 

Lamb” (Rev. 19:9) — a variation of which the priest says immediately before 

we receive Holy Communion at Mass and become one with Jesus by 

receiving His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. 

A Woman Clothed with the Sun 

In Revelation 12, immediately following the rejoicing of the hosts of Heaven 

in the Lord and the coming of the Kingdom, John saw: “A great sign appeared 

in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under 

her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child 

and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth” (Rev. 12:1–2). 

Then, “a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its 

heads were seven diadems” (Rev. 12:3) (whom John later identified as 

“the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan” [Rev. 12:9]), 

appeared next to her and “swept away a third of the stars in the sky” 

(Rev. 12:4) with its tail, hurling them down to earth. The dragon waited to 

“devour” (Rev. 12:4) the woman’s child when she gave birth to a son who 

was “destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod” (Rev. 12:5). After 

she gave birth, the child was “caught up to God and his throne” while 



387 

she fled into the desert (Rev. 12:5). Then John saw a war break out in 

Heaven between the angels (led by Michael the Archangel) and the dragon 

and its angels (demons), which the angels of Heaven won, casting the 

dragon out of Heaven to the earth. There, the dragon pursued the woman 

and waged war against the rest of her offspring, “those who keep God’s 

commandments and bear witness to Jesus” (Rev. 12:17). 

The interpretation of the Church from her earliest days is that the 

woman is Mary, the New Eve, and her child is Jesus, the New Adam. Recall 

the promise of the Protoevangelium from Genesis 3:15, that the offspring 

of the woman would crush the head of the offspring of the snake. Jesus, in 

His first miracle (which, not incidentally, took place during a wedding feast 

and was recounted to us by John, who also received this vision), referred 

to His mother, Mary, as “woman” (John 2:4). In doing so, He announced 

that she was the woman God had promised, the New Eve, whose offspring, 

Jesus, the New Adam, would fulfill that first proclamation of the Gospel. 

Think also about how Mary is frequently depicted in art: often pregnant, 

standing on the moon, with the snake crushed under her feet, crowned with 

stars (her vail often covered in stars as well), and radiant with light. This 

common artistic representation of the Blessed Mother is taken directly from 

her description in the Book of Revelation. 

Immediately prior to his vision of the woman in the sky, John saw a 

vision of God’s temple in Heaven opening and of the “ark of the covenant 

… seen in the temple” (Rev. 11:19). Then, in the very next line, he 

tells of his vision of the woman. Remember, during the Exodus, the Ark of 

the Covenant was God’s dwelling place and made of the finest materials 

to be worthy of containing His presence. Remember, too, that Mary is the 

Ark of the New Covenant, the holy and perfect human vessel that, by her 

free consent, contained within her womb the New Covenant itself, her Son, 

Jesus Christ, who was “destined to rule all the nations.” 

This common 

artistic 

representation 

of the Blessed 

Mother is taken 

directly from 

her description 

in the Book of 

Revelation. 

Another of Mary’s titles is Mother of the Church. Recall that while on the 

Cross, Jesus gave His mother to John (again, the recipient of the visions 

of Revelation and author of John’s Gospel) and thereby to all of us as our 

mother (John 19:26–27). In another sense, we the Church are the offspring 

of the woman of Revelation. Thus, Mary is our spiritual mother who loves 

and cares for us, her children, as only a mother can. John’s vision of the 

dragon, who is Satan, chasing the woman and her offspring depicts the 

“enmity” of Genesis 3:15 between the snake (Satan) and his offspring (the 

demons) and the woman (Eve and Mary) and her offspring (all people, 

and, specifically in this age, the members of the Church). The battle of St. 

Michael and the angels John witnessed is at once the battle that cast Satan 

and his demons out of Heaven and at the same time the final victory of the 

Kingdom of God at the end of time. 



The New Heaven and the New Earth 

Finally, John saw “a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven 

and the former earth had passed away and the sea was no more” (Rev. 

21:1). It is in the midst of this passing away and renewal that John saw 

a new Jerusalem. Further, he saw that when God came to dwell with His 

people in this New Heaven and New Earth, he would “wipe every tear 

from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing 

or pain [for] the old order has passed away” (Rev. 21:4). And God 

said, “Behold, I make all things new. … I [am] the Alpha and the Omega, 

the beginning and the end” (Rev. 21:5–6). In John’s vision, we have a 

glimpse of the end of the world, when the Kingdom of God and God’s reign 

will be firmly established over all things for all eternity. 

In this renewed 

creation, all 

the effects of 

sin and death 

will be no more, 

and we will 

enjoy perfect 

communion 

with God. 

Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead made it possible for all of us to rise 

from the dead at the end of time, and we profess our belief in this hope 

in the Creed: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of 

the world to come.” The everlasting life that Jesus promised is a bodily life; 

at the end of time, our souls will be reunited with our resurrected bodies 

and we will be with God in the New Heaven and New Earth. All of Creation 

will be renewed. Although we do not fully understand the meaning of this 

renewal or what the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God will look like, we do 

know that “it will be the definitive realization of God’s plan to bring 

under a single head ‘all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things 

on earth’” (CCC 1043). In this renewed creation, all the effects of sin and 

death will be no more, and we will enjoy perfect communion with God, who 

has fulfilled all of His covenantal promises, and with all the angels and 

saints for all eternity in our resurrected bodies. It is in this vision of the future 

eternity that awaits us that we place our hope. And it is this mysterious 

future renewal of creation (in which God will dwell in perfect communion 

with us forever) that is the culmination of the plan God put into place in the 

very beginning and that He has worked and continues to work throughout 

human history to bring to fruition. 

A Unifying Theme 

By this interpretation of John’s visions, we discover a unifying theme 

through Scripture. The Bible begins with a wedding — that of Adam and 

Eve — that signifies the intimate relationship and communion God desires 

to have with us. And the Bible ends with a vision of a heavenly wedding 

feast of the Lamb and His bride, the Church, when, at the end of time, the 

intimate communion God so desires will be consummated in the everlasting 

Kingdom. Everything that happens in between tells the story of the drama 

of this relationship — a love story between God and His Chosen People. 



389 


Have you ever wished that you could know what Heaven is like? While Heaven 

should be our goal throughout our lives, it sometimes might feel like we do not 

know exactly what it is we are aiming for. We might come up with an image 

of a very bright and shiny place with a lot of singing, or we might think about 

the happiest we have ever been and try to imagine feeling that way forever. 

The problem is that human imagination has limits, and so everything we can 

conceive of when we think of Heaven falls far short of the reality. It is difficult 

to imagine that after a lifetime of experiences we could be content to be in one 

place that does not change for eternity. 

In the midst of doubts and questions about eternal life, the Book of 

Revelation is a great place to turn for answers, not only to give us some idea 

of what Heaven is like, but to tell us that we actually have already had a taste 

of what Heaven is like. The visions that Jesus gave St. John in Revelation are 

strikingly familiar to anyone who has ever attended Mass. Heaven is an eternal 

act of perfect worship in the presence of God, of which the Mass gives us a 

small preview. So, the next time you go to Mass, do not focus on the hard pews 

or the quality of the homily or the music. Think about the reality of where you 

are and what is happening; God is there present to you, and you are joining 

with the whole Church, all the angels and saints in Heaven as well as those on 

earth, in participating in the joy and hope of the heavenly worship. 


390 


Chapter 20 


1 What do the words revelation and apocalypse mean? Why are these titles fitting for the Book 

of Revelation? 

2 Who is the traditional author of the Book of Revelation? What kind of literary style is 

Revelation and how can this style be described? 

3 What are John’s stated purpose and intention for writing the Book of Revelation? 

4 To whom was the Book of Revelation originally addressed? Why can we understand it also as 

being addressed to us today? What answers do we find within it? 

5 In what way did John describe Jesus’ appearance in his vision? What is the symbolism behind 

this description? 

6 What were the various elements of the second part of John’s vision all part of? What directly 

parallels the answer to this question? How? 

7 Who is the “Lamb that seemed to have been slain” (Rev. 5:6)? What did the seven spirits of 

God upon Him represent? What did the congregation of Heaven do in response to Him? 

8 After his vision of the heavenly worship, what sequence of events did John see? What can we 

be confident in regarding the meaning of these events? 

9 What does the Harlot of Babylon represent? Why? What happened to the Harlot of Babylon? 

10 What can we understand the new Jerusalem to represent and why? 

11 Whom do we understand the woman clothed with the sun from John’s vision to be? Why? 

12 How is John’s vision of the Ark of the Covenant related to his vision of the woman clothed 

with the sun? 



391 

13 Whom does the dragon from John’s vision represent? What does the dragon chasing the 

woman represent? Who are the woman’s offspring? 

14 What do we know about the New Heaven and the New Earth? What will it be the culmination 

of? 

15 What is the significance of the “bookends” of Scripture? 

16 How did St. Gertrude come to have a devotion to Jesus’ Sacred Heart? 


392 




Excerpt from the General Audience of Pope St. John Paul II, March 31, 2004 

Thus, we are dealing with a secret prophecy. That scroll contains the whole series of divine decrees that 

must be accomplished in human history to make perfect justice prevail. If the scroll remains sealed, these 

decrees can be neither known nor implemented, and wickedness will continue to spread and oppress 

believers. Hence, the need for an authoritative intervention: it would be made precisely by the slain and 

risen Lamb. He was able “to take the scroll and to open its seals” (cf. 5:9). 

Christ is the great interpreter and lord of history, the revealer of the hidden plan of divine action which 

unfolds within it. 

3. The hymn continues by showing us the foundation of Christ’s power over history. It is nothing other than 

his Paschal Mystery (cf. 5:9–10): Christ was “slain” and with his blood “ransomed” all humanity from the 

power of evil. The word “ransom” refers to Exodus, to the freeing of Israel from Egyptian slavery. In the 

ancient law, the duty to ransom a person was incumbent on the closest relative. In the case of his People, 

this was God himself, who called Israel his “first-born son” (Ex 4:22). 

Christ then carried out this duty for all humanity. The redemption he brought about does not only serve to 

redeem us from our evil past, to heal our wounds and to relieve our wretchedness. Christ gives us a new 

inner being: he makes us priests and kings who share in his own dignity. 

1 What does Pope St. John Paul II suggest is the meaning of the vision of the Lamb taking and 

opening the scroll? 

2 What meaning does the pope assign to the concept of ransom? How does the meaning of Jesus 

ransoming us from our sins change the way you understand Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross? Why? 

Excerpt from the General Audience of Pope Benedict XVI, August 23, 2006 

Also at the heart of the visions that the Book of Revelation unfolds, are the deeply significant vision of the 

Woman bringing forth a male child and the complementary one of the dragon, already thrown down from 

Heaven but still very powerful. 

This Woman represents Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer, but at the same time she also represents the 

whole Church, the People of God of all times, the Church which in all ages, with great suffering, brings 

forth Christ ever anew. And she is always threatened by the dragon’s power. She appears defenseless 

and weak. 

But while she is threatened, persecuted by the dragon, she is also protected by God’s comfort. And in the 

end this Woman wins. The dragon does not win. 



393 



This is the great prophecy of this Book that inspires confidence in us! The Woman who suffers in history, 

the Church which is persecuted, appears in the end as the radiant Bride, the figure of the new Jerusalem 

where there will be no more mourning or weeping, an image of the world transformed, of the new world 

whose light is God himself, whose lamp is the Lamb. 

For this reason, although John’s Book of Revelation is pervaded by continuous references to suffering, 

tribulation and tears — the dark face of history — it is likewise permeated by frequent songs of praise that 

symbolize, as it were, the luminous face of history. 

So it is, for example, that we read in it of a great multitude that is singing, almost shouting: “Alleluia! For 

the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of 

the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready” (Rv 19:6–7). 

Here we face the typical Christian paradox, according to which suffering is never seen as the last word 

but rather, as a transition towards happiness; indeed, suffering itself is already mysteriously mingled with 

the joy that flows from hope. 

For this very reason John, the Seer of Patmos, can close his Book with a final aspiration, trembling with 

fearful expectation. He invokes the definitive coming of the Lord: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rv 22:20). 

This was one of the central prayers of the nascent Christianity, also translated by St Paul into its Aramaic 

form: “Marana tha.” And this prayer, “Our Lord, come!” (I Cor 16:22) has many dimensions. 

It is, naturally, first and foremost an expectation of the definitive victory of the Lord, of the new Jerusalem, 

of the Lord who comes and transforms the world. But at the same time, it is also a Eucharistic prayer: 

“Come Jesus, now!” And Jesus comes; he anticipates his definitive coming. 

So it is that we say joyfully at the same time: “Come now and come for ever!” 

This prayer also has a third meaning: “You have already come, Lord! We are sure of your presence among 

us. It is our joyous experience. But come definitively!” 

And thus, let us too pray with St Paul, with the Seer of Patmos, with the newborn Christianity: “Come, 

Jesus! Come and transform the world! Come today already and may peace triumph!” Amen! 

1 Whom does the woman of Revelation represent according to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI? How 

can the events that happen to her in the Book of Revelation be interpreted? 

2 Given the understanding of the woman and her persecutions and eventual triumph, what can we 

learn about the nature of suffering? 

3 Why do you think the words of St. John, “Come, Lord Jesus,” or marana tha in Aramaic, is a fitting 

way to close the Book of Revelation and the entire Bible? 



Glossary 

Act of Contrition (n.): Prayer in which we express 

sorrow for our sins out of love for God, as 

well as our committment not to sin again. (pg. 

172) 

Adam (n.): Hebrew for “man.” It can be used to 

refer to males as well as the collective humankind. 

(pg. 61) 

Agape (n.): The love of God for human beings 

and the love we are called to offer to God and 

one another. It is the highest form of sacrificial 

love, in which we will the good of another for 

their own sake. Greek for “good will” or “desire 

for the good of another.” (pg. 361) 

Allegorical Sense (n.): The subcategory of the 

spiritual sense that helps us acquire a more profound 

understanding of events in the Bible by 

recognizing their significance in Christ. It is the 

typology present in the Scripture text. (pg. 40) 

Anagogical Sense (n.): The subcategory of the 

spiritual sense that helps us view realities and 

events in the Bible in terms of their eternal significance, 

leading us toward our true homeland: 

Heaven. (pg. 40) 

Angels (n.): Heavenly creatures who are pure 

spirits and are servants and messengers of 

God. (pg. 59) 

Annunciation (n.): The visit of the angel Gabriel 

to Mary to inform her that she was to be the 

mother of the Savior. After giving her consent to 

God’s Word, Mary became the mother of Jesus 

by the power of the Holy Spirit. (pg. 279) 

Antithetical Parallelism (n.): A form of parallelism 

in which two lines contrast with one another, 

with the second inverting or stating the opposite 

of the first. (pg. 222) 

Apocalyptic Literature (n.): A writing style of 

Scripture that communicates truths about God 

and our salvation through visions, strange imagery, 

and symbolism. (pg. 243) 

Apocryphal Gospels (n.): The name given to 

heretical non-canonical writings that purported 

to be additional accounts of the life of Christ, but 

were written by members of heretical groups, 

such as the Gnostics. They denied fundamental 

truths about Jesus, such as the reality of 

the Incarnation and the Pashcal Mystery, contradicted 

in sometimes odd ways stories of the 

life of Christ from the four inspired Gospels, and 

claimed to contain secret knowledge and magic 

spells for the Gnostic sects who might read 

them. (pg. 258) 

Apostolic Succession (n.): The handing on 

of apostolic preaching and authority from the 

Apostles to their successors, the bishops, 

through the laying on of hands as a permanent 

office in the Church. (pg. 11) 

Ark of the Covenant (n.): A chest described 

in Exodus 25 and made of the finest materials. 

It contained the stone tablets of the Ten 

Commandments, a piece of manna, and the 

staff of Aaron. Ark of the Covenant is also a title 

for Mary, the God-bearer: she carried God 

Himself in her body for nine months before delivering 

Him into the world. (pg. 126) 

Ark (n.): A place or vessel that provides safety 

and protection. The word used for the boat 

God commanded Noah to build to save himself 

and his family as well as pairs of every unclean 

animal and seven pairs of every clean animal 

during the Great Flood. (pg. 83) 


Glossary 

395 

The Ascension (n.): Jesus’ return to Heaven 

in His glorified body that occured 40 days after 

His Resurrection. There He is seated at the right 

hand of the Father in all His glory. (pg. 326) 

Assyrians (n.): A Mesopotamian people who, at 

various times between 2025 BC–609 BC, ruled 

an empire consisting of parts of the ancient Near 

East, including Egypt for a time. The Assyrians 

conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 

722 BC, sending many of the people of the ten 

northern tribes into exile, never to be heard from 

again. (pg. 198) 

Baal (n.): A Canaanite fertility god whom the 

people of Israel and Judah frequently turned to 

in idolatrous worship. (pg. 186) 

Babylon (n.): The ancient captial city of the 

Babylonian Empire founded in 2300 BC and located 

on the shores of the Euphrates River in 

modern-day Iraq. (pg. 200) 

Babylonian Captivity (n.): The name for the 

period of exile and captivity of the people of 

Judah in Babylon after they were conquered by 

the Babylonians in 586 BC. It became a time of 

great renewal of Jewish faith and culture as the 

people rediscovered the faith of their ancestors, 

resurrected ancient feasts and prayers, and devoted 

themselves to the study of Scripture. (pg. 

200) 

Babylonians (n.): A Mesopotamian people 

originating from the ancient city of Babylon who 

ruled an empire consisting in part of the remains 

of the defeated Assyrian empire from 626–539 

BC. They conquered the Southern Kingdom 

of Judah in 586 BC and exiled the people to 

Babylon for more than 50 years. (pg. 199) 

Beatitudes (n.): The teachings of Jesus in the 

Sermon on the Mount on the meaning and way 

to true happiness or fulfillment. (pg. 297) 

Biblical Criticism (n.): The study of the text 

of Scripture in order to come to a better understanding 

of its meaning. It most often takes one 

of two forms: historical criticism and literary criticism. 

(pg. 42) 

Bishops (n.): A successor to the Apostles who 

has received the fullness of the Sacrament of 

Holy Orders. He is the leader of a particular 

church, or diocese, entrusted to him. (pg. 11) 

The Book of Glory (n.): The second half of the 

Gospel of John that is focused on the events 

of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection 

beginning with Holy Thursday through Easter 

Sunday and the Resurrection appearances. (pg. 

270) 

The Book of Signs (n.): The first half of the 

Gospel of John that is focused on seven signs, 

or miracles, of Christ that each attest to His divinity. 

(pg. 269) 

Books of Wisdom (n.): A genre of writing in the 

Bible that is a broad collection of instruction for 

living a just, moral, and holy life through poetry, 

song, parables, or short pithy statements. (pg. 

216) 

Bread of the Presence (n.): Twelve loaves of 

bread representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel 

that were placed on a table in the tabernacle 

and later in the Temple of Jerusalem. The loaves 

were replaced each Sabbath by the Levitical 

priests, who ate the previous week’s loaves. (pg. 

126) 

Breaking of the Bread (n.): A title for the Mass 

used in the New Testament. (pg. 342) 

Canon (n.): The official list of inspired books 

that appear in the Bible. The Catholic canon of 

Scripture includes 46 Old Testament books and 

27 New Testament books. (pg. 26) 



Catholic Epistles (n.): The seven letters written 

to the entire Church by Apostles. They are the 

epistles of James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 

John, and Jude. (pg. 356) 

Cherubim (n.): A classification of angel seen in 

visions by the prophet Ezekiel and St. John the 

Evangelist who directly attend to God. (pg. 381) 

Christ (n.): Anointed one. Derived from the 

Greek christos. It is the title given to the Savior 

God promised to the people of Israel. See 

Messiah. (pg. 285) 

Christology (n.): A branch of theology that 

seeks to understand the nature and mystery of 

Jesus Christ. (pg. 268) 

Communio (n.): Communion experienced 

by the Christian faithful with one another as 

the Body of Christ and with God the Father 

through Christ in the Sacraments (especially 

the Eucharist) and by the movement of the Holy 

Spirit. (pg. 341) 

Concupiscence (n.): The tendency or inclination 

to sin that is an effect of Original Sin. Even 

though Baptism erases the stain of Original Sin, 

the tendency to sin remains. (pg. 67) 

Contrition (n.): Sorrow of the soul and detestation 

of sin, together with the resolution not to 

sin again. Contrition motivated by love for God 

is called perfect contrition. When it is motivated 

by fear of punishment, it is called imperfect contrition. 

(pg. 172) 

Corporal Works of Mercy (n.): Loving actions 

taught to us by Christ that help us meet a person’s 

physical needs. Corporal means “of the 

body.” The Corporal Works of Mercy are: feed 

the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the 

naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit 

the imprisoned, and bury the dead. (pg. 300) 

Council of Jerusalem (n.): The first ecumenical 

council of the Catholic Church. Convened 

in Jerusalem around AD 48 and attended by 

the Apostles, St. Paul, and other leaders of the 

early Church, it settled the question of whether 

Gentile converts to Christianity had to first 

adhere to Jewish law, specifically dietary laws 

and the law of circumcision. After much deliberation, 

St. Peter exercised his role as the first 

pope and definitively declared that faith in Jesus 

Christ leading to Baptism was the fundamental 

requirement for becoming Christian. (pg. 347) 

Covenant (n.): A sacred permanent bond of 

family relationship. God entered into a series of 

covenants with His People throughout Salvation 

History to invite us to be part of His divine family 

and to prepare us gradually and in stages, and 

in words and deeds, to receive the gift of salvation. 

(pg. 7) 

Covenantal Sign (n.): An external representation 

of the interior reality occurring within a 

covenant. Every covenant included a sign taken 

from human experience to represent the depth 

of God’s love and mercy present at the heart of 

the covenant. (pg. 8) 

Deposit of Faith (n.): The full content of divine 

revelation communicated by Christ, contained in 

Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, handed 

on in the Church from the time of the Apostles, 

and from which the Magisterium draws all that it 

proposes for belief as being divinely revealed. 

(pg. 13) 


Glossary 

397 

Deuterocanonical (adj.): Of the second canon. 

A designation often used by Catholics to 

refer to seven books of the Old Testament not 

recognized as canonincal by Protestants and 

modern-day Jews, but which have always been 

recognized as inspired Scripture by the Catholic 

Church. Because Protestants doubt their status 

as inspired, Protestants refer to these books as 

“the apocrypha” or “apocraphycal books.” These 

books are Tobit, Judith, Sirach, Wisdom, Baruch, 

and 1 and 2 Maccabees, as well as additional 

parts of Esther and Daniel. (pg. 29) 

Disciples (n.): Students. The disciples were 

the followers, or students, of Jesus. Jesus had 

thousands of disciples. All Christians today are 

His disciples. Sometimes used interchangeably 

in the Gospels to refer to the Twelve Apostles. 

(pg. 295) 

Divine Pedagogy (n): The teaching method of 

God, who is the divine teacher, by which He revealed 

Himself gradually and in stages and by 

words and deeds. (pg. 7) 

Divine Revelation (n.): God’s communication 

of Himself by which He makes known the mystery 

of His divine plan by deeds and words over 

time and, most fully, by sending His Son, Jesus 

Christ. (pg. 7) 

Easter Sunday (n.): The greatest and oldest 

Christian feast, which celebrates Jesus’ 

Resurrection from the dead on the third day after 

His Death on the Cross. (pg. 324) 

Ecumenical Council (n.): A meeting of all the 

world’s bishops together in union with the pope. 

(pg. 29) 

Epistles (n.): The name given to the 22 letters 

in the New Testament written by Sts. Paul, 

Peter, James, John, and Jude. From the Greek 

epistole, meaning “letter.” (pg. 356) 

Evangelization (n.): The act of sharing the 

Good News of the Gospel message of salvation. 

At the command of Jesus, the Church’s mission 

is to evangelize the whole world. (pg. 261) 

Ex Nihilo (adv.): Latin for “out of nothing.” It refers 

to the doctrine of creation that God freely 

created all that exists, both visible and invisble, 

out of nothing. (pg. 59) 

Exodus (n.): A going out or departure of a mass 

of people. It is the name given to the departure 

of the Israelites from Egypt. From the Greek exodos, 

meaning “going out.” (pg. 116) 

Fiat (n.): Mary’s “yes,” or consent to God’s will 

for her at the Annunciation and all throughout 

her life. Latin for “let it be done.” (pg. 280) 

Gentiles (n.): Persons of non-Jewish descent. 

(pg. 278) 

Gnostic Gospels (n.): Ancient books about 

the life of Christ that are infused with theology 

that reflects the Gnostic heresy rampant at the 

time. Two are falsely attributed to St. Thomas 

the Apostle and St. Mary Magdalene. (pg. 258) 

Gnosticism (n.): The name given to a heresy 

of the early Church that taught, among other 

things, that Jesus was not fully human, the material 

world was evil, and salvation was achieved 

through secret knowledge, or gnosis. (pg. 258) 

Emblematic Parallelism (n.): A form of parallelism 

in which the second line uses a symbol 

or metaphor to communicate the thought expressed 

in the first. (pg. 223) 



Gospel (n.): One of the first four books of 

the New Testament. They are the heart of the 

Scriptures and proclaim the Good News of salvation 

won for us by the Passion, Death, and 

Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Gospels are 

our primary source of knowledge of life of Jesus 

Christ. The word “Gospel” means “Good News.” 

(pg. 10) 

Great Commandments (n.): Jesus’ summary 

of the Law and the prophets: Love God with all 

your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor 

as yourself (cf. Matt. 22:37–40). (pg. 299) 

Great Commission (n.): The final words of 

Christ to His Apostles before His Ascension into 

Heaven, found in Matthew 28:18–20. In these 

words, Christ gave His Apostles, and thereby the 

Church, the mission of evangelization — making 

disciples of all the nations. (pg. 10) 

Great Flood (n.): The cleansing and re-creation 

of the world by God when the human race had 

become so sinful that only one righteous man, 

Noah, remained. The Ark (a type of the Church) 

carried Noah and his family to salvation through 

the Flood waters. (pg. 82) 

Hanukkah (n.): Jewish holiday that celebrates 

the purification of the Temple of Jerusalem at the 

end of the Maccabean Revolt, around 150 years 

before the birth of Christ. (pg. 205) 

Hasmonean Dynasty (n.): A line of Jewish 

kings established to rule Israel after the 

Maccabean revolt. The Hasmonean kings were 

not descended from David and thus were not 

the heirs to God’s Old Testament promises. The 

Hasmoneans ruled Israel until 63 BC, when the 

Romans conquered the kingdom. (pg. 206) 

Hellenization (n.): The spread, often by force, 

of Greek culture — customs, language, manners 

of dress, and worship of Greek gods — across 

conquered lands. (pg. 205) 

Heresy (n.): The obstinate denial after Baptism 

of a truth which must be believed with divine and 

Catholic faith. (pg. 258) 

Hidden Years (n.): The name given to the 17 

years between the last Gospel story of Jesus’ 

childhood and when He began His public ministry 

around the age of 30. It can be assumed that 

during these years Jesus led a normal human 

life doing the things all humans do with the exception 

of sin. (pg. 282) 

Historical Criticism (n.): The method of 

Scripture analysis that considers the historical 

context of a book or passage. (pg. 42) 

Historical Novella (n.): A sub-genre of historical 

literature in the Bible that straddles the 

line between historical and wisdom literature, 

portraying historical geography, situations, and 

people in an imaginative way to illustrate truths 

that transcend history. (pg. 202) 

The Holy of Holies (n.): The inner-most sanctuary 

of the tabernacle in the Temple of Jerusalem. 

It housed the Ark of the Covenant and was separate 

from the outer sanctuary by an ornate veil 

or curtain. (pg. 183) 

Hyssop (n.): A plant of unknown identity (and 

distinct from the hyssop plant that grows in 

Europe and North America) whose branches 

were used in Hebrew sprinkling rituals. 

During the first Passover, God commanded 

the Israelites to spread the blood from the paschal 

lamb over their doorposts using a hyssop 

branch. (pg. 120) 

Imago Dei (n.): Latin for “Image of God.” Man is 

made in God’s image, with equal dignity as male 

and female and possessing rational faculties of 

intellect, free will, and the capacity for love. (pg. 

60) 


Glossary 

399 

Immaculate Conception (n.): The dogma that 

professes that from the beginning of her life, the 

Virgin Mary was saved from Original Sin so that 

she could bear the Son of God within her. Mary 

was prepared by God to be a holy vessel for our 

salvation. (pg. 279) 

Incarnation (n.): The fact that the Son of God 

assumed human nature and became man in order 

to accomplish our salvation. Jesus Christ, 

the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, 

is both true God and true man. (pg. 9) 

Inerrant (adj.): Without error. Scripture is inerrant: 

it teaches without error the truth God wanted 

known for the sake of our salvation. (pg. 22) 

Infallibility (n.): The charism of being infalliable 

(incapable of error) in matters of faith and morals. 

(pg. 14) 

Intercession (n.): Prayer for the needs of others. 

(pg. 181) 

Jerusalem (n.): The captial city of the united 

Kingdom of Israel under kings David and 

Solomon, and later the capital city of the 

Southern Kingdom of Judah. (pg. 185) 

Kingdom of Heaven (Kingdom of God) (n.): 

God’s reign, or rule, over all things. During 

His public ministry, Jesus proclaimed that the 

Kingdom of God was at hand. The Church is 

the seed, or beginning, of the Kingdom here on 

earth. The Kingdom will be fulfilled in Heaven. 

(pg. 260) 

Kingdom of Israel (n.): The name of the 

Northern Kingdom, with its capital in Samaria, 

after the original Kingdom of David split into two. 

(pg. 185) 

Kingdom of Judah (n.): The name of the 

Southern Kingdom, with its capital in Jerusalem, 

after the original Kingdom of David split into two. 

(pg. 185) 

Kosher (adj.): Allowed by Jewish law regulating 

the kinds of animals allowed to be eaten and 

sacrificed and their preparation. (pg. 83) 

Lectio Divina (n.): An ancient form of praying 

with Scripture that is a slow and thoughtful encounter 

with the Word of God. Latin for “divine 

reading.” (pg. 47) 

Literal Sense (n.): The meaning that comes directly 

from the Scripture text and is intended by 

the sacred author. (pg. 40) 

Literary Criticism (n.): The method of Scripture 

analysis that considers the composition of a 

book or passage, including genres of writing, figures 

of speech, allusions, metaphors, and more. 

(pg. 43) 

Liturgy of the Hours (n.): The public prayer 

of the Church that sanctifies the whole course 

of the day and night. It consists of a variety of 

prayers, Scripture readings, most especially the 

Psalms, and writings of the saints, divided into 

“hours,” which are prescribed to be prayed at 

specific times of day. (pg. 44) 

Maccabeans (n.): The name given to the 

Jewish rebels who revolted against the Greeks, 

eventually retaking Jerusalem and the Temple. 

(pg. 205) 

Maccabeus (n.): Hebrew word for “the hammer.” 

A name given to the leader of the Maccabean 

Revolt, Judas Maccabeus. (pg. 205) 

Magi (n.): The wise men who came from the 

East to pay homage to the newborn Savior. (pg. 

281) 



Magisterium (n.): The living teaching authority 

of the Catholic Church whose task it is to 

give authentic interpretation of the Word of God 

found in Scripture and Tradition and to ensure 

the faithfulness of the Church to the teachings 

of the Apostles in matters of faith and morals. 

This authority is exercised by all of the world’s 

bishops in union with the pope, and by the pope 

alone when he defines infallibly a doctrine of 

faith or morals. (pg. 14) 

Major Prophets (n.): The four prophets of the 

Old Testament whose books are the longest: 

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. (pg. 235) 

Manna (n.): A miraculous food, “bread from 

Heaven,” God provided Israel under the harsh 

conditions of desert life and that would come 

with the morning dew. (pg. 123) 

Martyr (n.): A person who is killed for bearing 

witness to his faith. (pg. 10) 

Mediator (n.): The person whom God chose to 

represent all those entering into a covenant with 

Him. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and 

Jesus Christ are the mediators of the six primary 

covenants throughout Salvation History. (pg. 8) 

Medium (n.): A person who practices the occult 

and magic and can summon the dead. (pg. 167) 

Messiah (n.): The Hebrew word for “anointed 

one” and the title given to the Savior God promised 

to the people of Israel. (pg. 163) 

Minor Prophets (n.): The 12 prophets of the Old 

Testament whose books are shorter in length. 

(pg. 235) 

Miracle (n.): A supernatural act of God that 

shows forth His power. There are four type of 

miracles: healing, supernatural, nature, and supply. 

(pg. 297) 

Moral Sense (n.): The subcategory of the spiritual 

sense that helps us recognize how the 

events reported in Scripture lead us to act justly. 

Also called the “tropological sense.” (pg. 40) 

Natural Revelation (n.): God’s communication 

of Himself to us through the created order. (pg. 

6) 

Nazirite (n.): An Israelite who was consecrated 

to God. They took certain vows, including growing 

their hair without cutting it and abstaining 

from wine. (pg. 147) 

Nephilim (n.): Mysterious individuals from 

Genesis 6 who are described as “the heroes of 

old” and the “men of renown.” Careful study of 

Scripture reveals they are, in fact, the children 

of marriages between the sinful descendants of 

Cain and the faithful descendants of Seth. They 

were morally corrupt men who sought to honor 

themselves rather than God. (pg. 82) 

New Adam (n.): A title for Jesus Christ that reflects 

His triumph over sin and death and His 

creation of the world anew. The title refers to 

how Jesus redeems human nature, which was 

wounded by the sin of the first man, Adam. (pg. 

68) 

New Eve (n.): A title for Mary that describes how 

eternal life became possible through her obedience 

to God. Just as sin and death entered the 

world through the disobedience of Eve, Mary’s 

obedience to God led to the birth of God’s Son, 

Jesus Christ, who died on the Cross and rose 

from the dead to save us from sin. (pg. 68) 

New Testament (n.): The 27 books of the Bible 

written by the sacred authors in apostolic times 

that have Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of 

God, as their central theme. (pg. 24) 


Glossary 

401 

Obedience of Faith (n.): The response due 

from man to God’s revelation of Himself: to listen 

and freely submit to the Word of God. (pg. 48) 

Old Testament (n.): The 46 books of the Bible 

that record the history of salvation from creation 

through the old covenant with Israel in preparation 

for the appearance of Christ as Savior of the 

World. (pg. 24) 

Omnipotent (adj.): All-powerful. (pg. 59) 

Omniscient (adj.): All-knowing. (pg. 59) 

Original Justice and Holiness (n.): The original 

state of human beings before sin. Original 

Justice refers to how, in the beginning, there was 

no suffering or death, man was at peace with 

himself, there was harmony between men and 

women, and there was peace between Adam 

and Eve and all of creation. Original Justice was 

lost due to the Original Sin. Original holiness refers 

to the state of friendship with God enjoyed 

by Adam and Eve before their sin brought pain, 

suffering and death into the world. (pg. 63) 

Original Sin (n.): The state of human nature deprived 

of the original holiness and justice Adam 

and Eve enjoyed before the fall. (pg. 67) 

Parables (n.): Short stories that convey unfamiliar 

or complex truths in a simple and easy to understand 

way by using characters and situations 

that are familiar, or in a mysterious way hidden 

in layers of metaphor and symbolism. (pg. 298) 

Paraclete (n.): Advocate. A title for the Holy 

Spirit. (pg. 340) 

Parallelism (n.): A literary device frequently 

used in Hebrew poetry that pairs two corresponding 

lines together in some way. (pg. 222) 

Paschal Mystery (n.): Christ’s work of redemption 

accomplished by His Passion, Death, 

Resurrection, and Ascension. (pg. 316) 

Paschal Mystery (n.): Christ’s work of redemption 

accomplished by His Passion, Death, 

Resurrection, and Ascension. (pg. 10) 

Passover (n): The central event of the Exodus. 

The final plague God sent upon Egypt was the 

plague of the death of the firstborn of every family 

in Egypt. By sacrificing a lamb, spreading its 

blood on their doorposts, and eating its roasted 

flesh in a sacred meal of bread and wine, 

the Israelites followed God’s commands so 

that their homes would be passed over by the 

plague of death. God also commanded that the 

Israelites remember this original Passover event 

every year with a memorial meal. The original 

Passover foreshadows Christ’s own sacrifice on 

the Cross. (pg. 122) 

Patriarchs (n.): The fathers of the People of 

Israel: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (pg. 96) 

Pentecost (n.): The day when Jesus sent the 

Holy Spirit upon Mary and the Apostles and 

the Church was born. Fifty days after Jesus’ 

Resurrection (ten days after His Ascension into 

Heaven), Mary and the Apostles gathered in the 

upper room and were filled with the Holy Spirit, 

who came in a rush of wind and appeared as 

tongues of fire over their heads. The blessings 

of Pentecost reversed the curse of the Tower of 

Babel. (pg. 87) 

Persians (n.): A people originating from modern 

day Iran who ruled a vast empire, founded 

by Cyrus the Great, from 550 BC–330 BC, consisting 

in part of the remnants of the defeated 

Babylonian Empire and many other kingdoms 

and city-states stretching from eastern Europe 

to western Asia. In 538 BC, the Persians, under 

the rule of Cyrus, allowed the Jews to return 

to Judah and rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem, 

ending the Babylonian Captivity. (pg. 200) 



Pharisees (n.): A Jewish sect that strictly observed 

the Mosaic Law in its ceremonies, practices, 

and oral tradition. They believed in the immortality 

of the soul and the resurrection of the 

body at the end of time. (pg. 278) 

Philistines (n.): Ancient inhabitants of the land 

of Canaan who were the sworn enemies of the 

Israelites. (pg. 147) 

Polygamist (n.): A person who takes more than 

one wife. (pg. 82) 

Polytheism (n.): Belief in many gods and goddesses. 

(pg. 117) 

Pride (n.): The undue self-esteem or self-love 

that seeks attention and honor and sets oneself 

in competition with God. It is the Capital Sin that 

is traditionally considered the source of all other 

sins. (pg. 65) 

Problem of Evil (n.): A question stemming 

from universal human experience: If God, who 

is all-powerful, all-good, and all-loving, created 

a world that is good and cares for all His creatures, 

why do evil and suffering exist? Only the 

Christian Faith as a whole provides an answer 

to this question, specifically in the redemptive 

suffering, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of 

Jesus Christ. (pg. 216) 

Promised Land (n.): The land promised to 

Abraham’s descendants by God, and the destination 

of the Israelites in the Exodus, where they 

would live in freedom from slavery in Egypt. The 

Promised Land foreshadows the coming of the 

Kingdom of God. (pg. 97) 

Prophet (n.): A person who spoke for God and 

made known God’s message to His people. 

They proclaimed hope and salvation if the people 

would repent and worship God and foretold 

destruction and exile if they did not. From the 

Greek prophetes meaning “one who speaks for 

another.” (pg. 186) 

Protestant Reformation (n.): A sixteenth-century 

revolt begun by Martin Luther that divided 

and eventually splintered Christianity. 

Many Christian churches, which are known as 

Protestant churches or denominations, formed 

as a result of this split. Though Jesus desires 

that His Church be one, all baptized Christians 

are brothers and sisters in Christ. (pg. 29) 

Protoevangelium (n.): The name given to 

Genesis 3:15 in which God promises to send a 

Savior to crush the head of the Serpent (Satan) 

and defeat sin and death. It is the first announcement 

of the Gospel, the Good News of salvation 

won by Jesus Christ. Latin for “first Gospel.” (pg. 

68) 

Psalms (n.): 150 poetic hymns and prayers 

found in the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament. 

They have been used in prayer since the time of 

the ancient Jews and continue to be prayed at 

Mass, in the Liturgy of the Hours, and in other 

forms of prayer. King David is believed to have 

written around half of them. They constitute the 

complete expression of human emotion and experience 

of worship of God. (pg. 219) 

Purgatory (n.): The state of being after death 

in which those who “die in God’s grace and 

friendship, but [are] still imperfectly purified, are 

indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but 

after death they undergo purification, so as to 

achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy 

of Heaven” (CCC 1030). (pg. 206) 


Glossary 

403 

Qoheleth (n.): Hebrew for “one who brings together 

an assembly.” An alternate title for the 

Book of Ecclesiastes. (pg. 223) 

Queen Mother (n.): The title given to the mothers 

of kings in the line of David who reigned as 

queen alongside their sons. (pg. 181) 

Queen of Heaven (n.): A title given to Jesus’ 

mother, the Virgin Mary, who, after her 

Assumption into Heaven, sits at the right hand 

of her Son, who is King of the Universe and who 

fulfills all God’s promises to David. (pg. 181) 

Rabbi (n.): Hebrew for “teacher.” One of 

the most frequent titles given to Jesus in the 

Gospels. (pg. 297) 

Rational Faculties (n.): The collective name 

for human soul’s powers of intellect and free will 

and the capacity for love. (pg. 60) 

Redeemer (n.): A person who saves or frees 

others from slavery or oppression. Jesus is our 

Redeemer because He saved us from the slavery 

and oppression of sin and death. (pg. 149) 

Resurrection, The (n.): The bodily rising of 

Jesus from the dead on the third day afrer His 

Death on the Cross and burial in the tomb. The 

Resurrection of Christ is the crowning truth of 

our faith in Christ. (pg. 324) 

Revelation (Apocalypse) (n.): The names 

given to the final book of the New Testament 

and the Bible that is a highly symbolic account 

of a vision of Heaven granted to St. John the 

Evangelist. From Latin and Greek words meaning 

“to reveal” or “to unveil.” (pg. 378) 

Ruah (n.): Hebrew word meaning “breath” or 

“spirit.” (pg. 22) 

Sabbath (n.): The day set aside each week for 

rest and worship of God, echoing how God rested 

on the seventh day of creation. (pg. 60) 

Sacred Scripture (n.): The written record of 

God’s revelation of Himself contained in the 

Old and New Testaments. It was composed by 

human authors inspired by the Holy Spirit. The 

Bible. The Word of God. (pg. 7) 

Sacred Tradition (n.): The living transmission 

of the Gospel message in the Church. (pg. 13) 

Sadducees (n.): A powerful group of leaders in 

Jewish society who believed the only way for 

the Jewish faith to survive was for the people to 

cooperate with the Gentiles. They believed that 

only the Pentateuch was canonical Scripture 

and rejected traditional interpretations and later 

additions to the Law and covenants contained in 

Scripture (specifically the covenant with David). 

They did not believe in the afterlife, the resurrection 

of the body, or supernatural beings such as 

angels. (pg. 278) 

Samaria (n.): The capital city of the Northern 

Kingdom of Israel. (pg. 185) 

Sanhedrin (n.): The ancient Jewish court system 

that settled religious, poltitical, and judical 

matters. (pg. 343) 

Second Vatican Council (n.): The most recent 

ecumenical council of the Church, held at the 

Vatican between 1962 and 1965. Also called 

Vatican II. (pg. 38) 

Septuagint (n.): The pre-Christian Greek translation 

of the Old Testament books made by 

Jewish scholars and later adopted by Greekspeaking 

Christians. (pg. 29) 

Saba (v.): Hebrew for “to be made full,” “to be 

made complete,” or “to be made whole.” (pg. 60) 



Sermon on the Mount (n.): Jesus’ most important 

moral teaching, found in Matthew 5, in which 

He explains the divine principles of justice guiding 

us to the narrow path that leads to Heaven. 

(pg. 297) 

Shaba (v.): Hebrew for “oath swearing” or “to 

swear an oath.” (pg. 60) 

Shalom (n.): Hebrew for “peace.” (pg. 98) 

Shamar (v.): Hebrew for “to cultivate and to care 

for,” or “to guard and protect.” (pg. 62) 

Shem (n.): Hebrew for “name.” The eldest son 

of Noah. (pg. 86) 

Sheol (n.): The Hebrew word for Hell, or the 

dwelling place of all the dead before Christ’s 

Resurrection. (pg. 324) 

Sheva (n.): Hebrew for “seven.” (pg. 60) 

Shophet (n.): Hebrew for “judge.” A temporary 

military leader appointed by God to govern the 

Israelites and return them to right worship. They 

also won military victories against foreign invaders 

and settled disputes between tribes. (pg. 

142) 

Songs of the Suffering Servant (n.): Prophecies 

from the Book of Isaiah concerning a person who 

would come to voluntarily suffer in atonement for 

the sins of the people. His suffering would save 

the people from just punishment at the hands of 

God. Jesus perfectly fulfills this prophecy by His 

suffering and Death on the Cross. (pg. 236) 

Spiritual Sense (n.): The meaning of the 

Scripture text that reveals the inner unity of 

God’s plan through the realities and events of 

Scripture, which are signs God uses to point 

to deeper meaning. The spiritual sense is further 

broken down into three parts: the allegorical 

sense, the moral sense, and the anagogical 

sense. (pg. 40) 

Staircase Parallelism (n.): A form of parallelism 

in which ensuing lines build upon the thought of 

the previous ones. (pg. 223) 

Synonymous Parallelism (n.): A form of parallelism 

in which two lines repeat the same 

thought in different ways. (pg. 222) 

Synoptic Gospels (n.): The Gospels of 

Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which present the 

story of Christ’s life in a similar way and even 

borrow stories and the structure of their Gospels 

from each other. The word synoptic comes from 

the Greek for “view together.” (pg. 257) 

Synthetic Parallelism (n.): A form of parallelism 

in which the second line completes or expands 

upon the thought of the first. (pg. 223) 

Tabernacle (n.): The inner sanctuary of the 

Temple of Jerusalem where God dwelled. Prior 

to the building of the Temple, it was the portable 

house of worship where God dwelled with the 

Israelites during their desert wanderings, and 

in which were placed Old Testament types of 

the Lord: the Ark of the Covenant, manna, and 

Aaron’s staff. (pg. 59) 

Table of Nations (n.): A genealogy found in 

Genesis 10 that traces the various lineages that 

stemmed from the sons of Noah. (pg. 86) 

Temple of Jerusalem (n.): God’s dwelling place 

on earth during the time of the Davidic kingdom. 

It was the primary Jewish house of worship destroyed 

and rebuilt two times between 1000–20 

B.C. All that remains of the second Temple is the 

Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. (pg. 183) 


Glossary 

405 

Temple (n.): A house of worship and dwelling 

place for God. The Temple of Jerusalem 

was God’s dwelling place on earth in the Old 

Testament. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the 

Cross and the coming of the Holy Spirit, He 

dwells in us. Therefore our bodies are temples 

of the Holy Spirit. (pg. 59) 

Ten Commandments (n.): The ten rules for a 

moral life given by God to His Chosen People 

through Moses on Mount Sinai. The first three 

Commandments teach us how to love God; the 

last seven teach us how to love our neighbor as 

ourselves. (pg. 124) 

Tetragrammaton (n.): Having four letters. A 

word that refers to the sacred name of God, 

which is spelled with four letters in Hebrew: 

YHWH. (pg. 118) 

Theophany (n.): A profound manifestation, or 

revelation, of God. (pg. 98) 

Tithing (v.): The practice of giving a percentage 

of one’s income to a religious organization. (pg. 

98) 

Todah (n.): Hebrew for “thanksgiving.” It was 

the greatest form of worship in the Temple of 

Jerusalem, consisting of a sacred meal of bread 

and wine freely offered in sacrifice by a person 

to express thanksgiving to God for some good 

thing. The Todah foreshadows the sacred meal 

of bread and wine Jesus changed into His Body 

and Blood, Soul and Divinity at the Last Supper 

and that we still receive today in the Eucharist 

(Greek for “thanksgiving”) at every Mass. (pg. 

183) 

Total Warfare (n.): The Israelite military practice 

of killing every solider of their defeated enemies, 

as well as completly destroying their cities and 

killing enemy civilians. Also called “the ban.” (pg. 

140) 

Tower of Babel (n.): A tower built by humans in 

an attempt to get to Heaven to make themselves 

like God. As punishment, God confused the language 

of the human race and scattered them all 

over the earth. (pg. 87) 

Tradition (n.): The handing on of customs or 

beliefs. From the Latin word tradere, meaning 

“to hand over” or “deliver.” (pg. 13) 

Transcendent (adj.): Apart from and beyond 

the limits of created things. (pg. 59) 

Transfiguration (n.): The event described in 

the three synoptic Gospels when Jesus took 

Peter, James, and John up a mountain to see 

Him transformed in radiant divine glory. They 

also saw the prophets Moses and Elijah and 

heard the voice of the Father telling them Jesus 

was His beloved Son and to listen to Him. The 

Transfiguration is one of the Luminous Mysteries 

of the Rosary. (pg. 306) 

Twelve Apostles (n.): The 12 men Jesus chose 

and called to be His representatives. Jesus sent 

them to preach the Good News of salvation 

and work miracles in His name. Jesus gave the 

Apostles special authority and made them the 

first leaders (bishops) of the Church. The word 

apostle means “one who is sent.” (pg. 295) 

Type (n.): A person or thing in the Old Testament 

that foreshadows a person or thing in the New 

Testament. (pg. 41) 

Typology (n.): The study of how persons, 

events, or things in the Old Testament prefigured 

the fulfillment of God’s plan in the Person of 

Christ. The earlier thing is called a type. (pg. 24) 

Wedding at Cana (n.): The event detailed in 

John 2:1–11 during which Jesus performed His 

first miracle, changing water to wine, at the request 

of His mother, the Virgin Mary, and began 

His public ministry. (pg. 294)

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