1. THE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT PREPARED THE WAY FOR THE NEW TESTAMENT IT SPEAKS OF CHRIST THROUGH PROPHECY AND TYPES Sacred Scripture the Inspired Word

2. Sacred Scripture The Church determined which books were inspired by the Holy Spirit & which were not The Bible is divided into Two sections:  the Old Testament & the New Testament The N.T. does not nullify (negate) the Old Testament  Rather it fulfills & completes it If the N.T. tells the story of Jesus, why do Christians need to know about the old Testament? The first thing to know about Jesus Christ, Matthew tells us, is how Jesus is related to the O.T.

3. Genealogy  is the study of ancestry, or a chronological list of ancestors. The Gospels of Matthew & Luke show evidence that Jesus is in the ancestral line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, & David. “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham”. Matthew 1:1 The books of the O.T. tell the story of the long journey toward salvation  That is completed in the N.T. where the promises of the O.T. are fulfilled in Jesus

4. The Old Law Prepared the Way for the Gospel “ In many & various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.” (Hebrews 1:1-2) Stresses the unity of the Scriptures – author is God –  And the difference in quality between God’s messengers:  1 st the Prophets, & finally His own Son. The unity of the sacred books is reflected by their Latin name biblia, singular it is one book  The Book of Books

5. Analogy of Faith Because God is Truth, there is absolute unity & harmony of truths contained in the various books of the Bible The various books shed light on one another  These Truths can never be contradictory  Each truth helps us to understand the other truths & the total plan of Revelation.  This principle is called “the analogy of faith” This criterion, i.e., using truths contained in one part of the Bible to understand truths contained in other parts, must be applied in the interpretation of the Bible

6. Figure or Type One essential aspect of the Bible’s inner unity is both the O.T. & N.T. refer to Christ Figure or Type  An event or person in Scripture that points toward a later event or person.  The type has similar virtues or other qualities as its fulfillment  Noah’s ark prefigures the Church, within Salvation is to be found.  Manna prefigures ( is a type of) the Eucharist The N.T. is hidden in the Old & the O.T. is made manifest in the New

7. 46 Books of the Old Testament Old Testament  46 Books written over period of 1500 years  Pentateuch 1-5 Torah or Law  From Creation until Israelites enter into the Promised land following their exodus from Egypt  The Last books, which relate the Maccabean revolt vs. Greeks Four main types: law, history, wisdom, & prophecy  Law –(5) Pentateuch  History (14) of the people of Israel - conquest of Canaan thru the end of the kingdoms of Israel & returning to Jerusalem  Wisdom, (7) several different kinds of books in this section  Prophecy, (20) prophets are sent by God to bring his words to his people

8. O. T. Law & History & Wisdom Joshua (History) Judges Ruth 1 & 2 Samuel 1 & 2 Kings 1& 2 chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Tobit Judith Esther Job (Wisdom) Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon Wisdom Sirach______________ Genesis (Law) Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy

9. O.T. Prophecy- major & minor Prophets Isaiah (Major) Jeremiah Lamentations Baruch Ezekiel Daniel______________ Hosea (Minor -shorter) Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi 1 & 2 Maccabees *Deuterocanonical Books 7 Same authority as rest of the books of the Bible

10. New Testament Law & History Law – Four Gospels Matthew Mark Luke John History Acts of the Apostles

11. New Testament Wisdom & Prophecy Wisdom Romans (Wisdom) 1 & 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 & 2 Thessalonians 1 & 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 & 2 Peter 1, 2, 3 John Jude Prophecy Revelation

15. Old Testament Law Genesis (Greek for “origins or beginnings”) tells the story of creation of the world & beginning of the nation of Israel Exodus (Greek for “going out”) Israelites’ escape from Egypt Leviticus ( having to do with the Levitical priests of Israel)  Book of Laws to do with religious observances Numbers - 40 years in the desert & constant rebellion Deuteronomy - (Greek for “second law”) Ten commandments are repeated from Exodus, new laws concerning how Israelites would live in the Promised land

16. History These books tell the history of the people of Israel  From the conquest of Canaan through the end of the kingdoms of the North (Israel) & south (Judah)  To the restoration of Jerusalem Joshua – the story how the Israelites led by Joshua began their conquest of Canaan Judges- long history of the story of the conquest & Israel’s unfaithfulness leading to punishment

17. Prophecy Prophets are sent by God to bring his words to his people Many of the prophets predicted the coming of the Messiah (the Christ)  Isaiah -some of the clearest prophecies of the coming of Christ  Jeremiah -foretold the destruction of Judah, called them to repent – gives us many details about his life  Ezekiel – strange visions given in symbolic pictures, valley of dry bones coming back to life- bring dead Israel back to life  Hosea is a story about his marriage (his unfaithful wife) which is a metaphor for God’s relationship with Israel

18. Wisdom - Poetry Most of the wisdom books are written in verse  Job long poem that asks: why does God let bad things happen to people who have done nothing wrong  Many of the Psalms, are poems in praise of God  Proverbs, tells us how to face our everyday problems.  Ecclesiastes is a long meditation on the vanity of worldly things – only good a person can do is trust in God.  Song of Solomon is the worlds most famous love poem  Bride & groom speak their love for one another  Poem is an allegory of Christ’s love for his Church  Sirach- how to live a good life in the real world without compromising your faith in God  Wisdom is a poem in praise of wisdom & how God is patient with human folly

19. The New Testament The N.T. does not replace the Old Testament, but rather fulfills the O.T. St. Augustine said that the New Testament is hidden in the Old, & the Old is revealed in the New The O.T. is the story of the gradual unfolding of God’s plan of salvation The Old Law is a preparation for the Gospel

20. New Testament 4 classes of Books Law  Old Testament 5 books of Moses & story of founding of Israel  New Testament 4 Gospels give us the new Law & story of founding of the Church = New Israel History  Old Testament book: Joshua history of Israel from death of Moses  New Testament book: Acts of the Apostle history of early Church From the Ascension of Jesus Wisdom  N.T. the Epistles ( letters) written by the Apostles tell us how to live as Christians Prophecy  Book of Revelation, John speaks the Word of the Lord in Symbols & images as the prophets did in the Old Testament

21. Gospels are the heart of all the Scriptures The Gospels are the principal source for the life & teaching of the Incarnate Word (enfleshed Word) 3 Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke tell the story of Jesus in a similar way thus called the “Synoptic Gospels”  Synoptic means “seeing together”