Hello! My name is Eric, and I am a Catholic. I have never read the Bible before and I would like to start, but I don’t know where or how to start. I worry that I will not be able to understand/correctly interpret the scriptures and therefore be lead astray. Any tips anyone can give me? Thanks!
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Hi Eric! Thank you for posting this great question! I gave a talk on this very subject a few years back. I will see if I can find my file when I get home this evening : )
I’ve heard that the Gospel of Mark is a good place to start. It’s pretty straightforward and easy to understand, I think.
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A good study Bible can be helpful. I just got a copy of the Ignatius Study Bible and it is so well done. Each book has an introduction written by very reliable Catholic theologians to explain the setting of when the book was written, what is known about the writer, and key concepts. There are numerous essays and explanations to assist. I think it is difficult to always understand the culture and idioms of a culture thousands of years ago in a different land. A study Bible can help a lot. Just like when Philip asked the Ethiopian, “Do you understand what you are reading?” and he responded “How can I unless some guides me?” (Acts 8: 30-31)
You are right about that, JJ. Excellent suggestion.
Ascension Press offers the Bible in a Year by Father Mike Schmitz. Highly recommended. Read a few passages a day and context and insights provided by Father Mike.
The Bible Intro
Are Catholics Bible believing Christians?
Did you know that as Catholic Christians attending Sunday Mass, we hear over 7,000 verses of the Bible per year—and that’s just counting the first, second, and Gospel readings! And if you attend daily Mass, you will hear 71.5% of the New Testament and 13.5% of the Old Testament within a three-year cycle.
In addition to hearing the Word of God proclaimed, we are encouraged to read our Bibles. Both Christ and Scripture are given “for the sake of [our] salvation” (Dei Verbum, 11). In reading Sacred Scripture, you will grow deeper in your relationship with our Lord and come to understand your place in the community God has called you.
Saint Jerome said that “ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” And it’s true: You can’t understand one without the other.
The Canon of the Bible was affirmed by the Council of Rome (382 AD), the Synod of Hippo (393 AD), the Councils of Carthage (397 AD & 419 AD), the Council of Florence (1431-1449 AD) and finally, as an article of faith, by the Council of Trent (1545-1563 AD).
Basic Parts of the Bible
There are 2 Main Parts of the Bible:
- Old Testament
- New Testament
The 46 Old Testament Books include:
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Wisdom, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, 1 Maccabees, and 2 Maccabees.
The 27 New Testament Books include:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts of the Apostles, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and Revelation (Apocalypse).
How do we, as Catholics, interpret the Bible?
When we read the Bible, we need to read it on two levels:
- Literal Sense
- Spiritual Sense
We should not separate the two. The Literal sense without the Spiritual sense is dead. Similar to a body which has no soul.
The Literal Sense: is what was the author of the text trying to convey?
The literal sense can have multiple meanings. Sometimes the author intends to refer to more than one level of reality at the same time. This is especially common in writings of poetry or when symbolism or irony is being used. An example of this would be in John 3:3-7 when he speaks of the “living water.” We learned of these different symbols when we learned about the Holy Spirit at one of our previous Generations of Faith nights. Do you remember what some of these symbolisms were?
Also, sometimes Divine Inspiration can cause a human author of Scripture who is writing only with one meaning to convey another meaning at the same time.
Any symbolism or deeper meaning of the biblical text must still have some solid connection with the literal sense.
As Saint Thomas Aquinas tells us, “All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal.”
The Spiritual Sense: is the meaning of the biblical text under the influence of the Holy Spirit in the context of the paschal mystery and the new life which flows from it. The New Testament explicitly proclaims Jesus, but the books of the Old Testament also speak of Jesus in ways that are hidden.
“The Old Testament prepares for the New while the New Testament fulfills the Old; the two shed light on each other” (CCC 140).
As Saint Augustine beautifully put it, “The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.”
The spiritual reading of Scripture is nothing new. The first Christians, including Saint Paul, Saint Peter, the Early Church Fathers, and others, read the Bible this way. Jesus, Himself, read the the Old Testament this way.
There are three sub-types of the Spiritual sense:
- Allegorical
- Moral
- Anagogical
The Allegorical interpretation of Scripture is when persons, objects and actions depicted in Scripture are taken as representing other things not present in the text.
One example of this is when Saint Paul describes Adam as a “type” of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:14).
We often refer to this as typology. Typology is the study of Christ’s foreshadowing in the Old Testament.
Another example is when Saint Peter notes that Noah and his family “were saved through water,” and that “this prefigured baptism, which saves you now” (1 Peter 3:20-21).
The Greek word for “prefigured” actually means “typify” or “to make a type of.”
And probably one of my favorite types is in Genesis, chapter 22, where God puts Abraham to the test. He calls out to Abraham, “Abraham!” Yes Lord? “Take your son, your only son Isacc, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a burnt offering on a height that I will point out to you.” So the next morning, Abraham saddles up his donkey and he and his son Isaac, along with two of their servants (probably to carry the wood that Abraham had cut for the offering) start heading up this mountain. On the third day of climbing Mount Moriah, Abraham gets sight of the place where God wants the sacrifice to take place. Then he says to the servants, “Both of you stay here with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over yonder to worship. We’ll be back for you in a while.” Then Abraham takes the wood for the sacrifice and puts it on his son Isaac’s shoulders, while Abraham carries the fire and the knife. As they are walking to the spot, Isaac speaks up and says something like, “Ummm, Dad?” Yes Son? “Ummm, Where’s the lamb that we’re going to sacrifice?” “God will provide Himself the lamb for the offering.” So they keep walking. When they finally come to the the place that God had chosen for them, Abraham builds an alter and arranges the wood in order. Then he ties up his son Isaac, and puts him upon the alter. Then he takes the knife to slaughter his son, but an angel calls to him from Above, “Abraham, Abraham!” Yes Lord! “Do not lay your hand on the boy! I now know how devoted you are to me, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.” When Abraham looks up, he spots a ram caught in the thickets. So he takes the ram and offers it up in place of his son. Then Abraham names the spot where all this had taken place, The Lord will Provide.
An interesting fact, is that Mount Moriah later became the place where Solomon built the Temple that contained the Holy of Holies. And the Hebrew word for “provide” is jira, Put the two together and you get “Jerusalem.”
And what is even more cool is that the Lord later “provides Himself” a lamb, His only beloved son, Jesus, on Calvary, which happens to be one of the hills of Moriah. So we see Isaac as a type of Christ. Just as we see Isaac carrying the wood; it was Jesus who carried the wood of the cross through Jerusalem on the way up to Calvary.
The second sub-type, the Moral sense, leads us to act justly.
In the story of Abraham and Isaac, the moral interpretations are trusting in the Lord and obedience. The amount of trust Isaac must have had to allow his dad to tie him up and place him upon the alter. And the fact that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his very own son, showed great obedience to the Lord.
There are tons and tons of other examples of the moral sense to explore. And when we ponder the moral sense of Scripture the Holy Spirit leads us towards conversion in our lives.
The third spiritual sense is the Anagogical sense, and it relates to events in Scripture that point to things-to-come (Heaven, Hell, and the Glory to come at the End of Time).
An example of the anagogical sense is when Saint John uses the city of Jerusalem as an image of the Kingdom of Heaven, which he refers to as the “New Jerusalem, coming down from Heaven” (Revelation 21:1—22:5). Another example can be found in the Letter to the Hebrews (12:22), where the author speaks of the eternal destiny of “Mount Zion,” “The City of the Living God,” and the “Heavenly Jerusalem.”
There is also a fourth spiritual sense sometimes spoken of — the Fuller sense. An example of this would be the definition of original sin defined by the Council of Trent, which is based on Paul’s teaching in Romans 5:12-21 about the consequences of Adam’s sin on humanity.
So how do we know that we are interpreting the Bible correctly?
Along with the Bible, we have “Sacred Tradition,” the Tradition handed down to us from Jesus through the successors of the Apostles. St. Paul told the early church to “stand firm and hold to the traditions which you have been taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). Both the Bible and Sacred Tradition come together to form one “deposit of faith” and both are to be “accepted and honored with sentiments of devotion and reverence” (DV, 9).
Where do we begin reading the Bible?
Jeff Cavins says that “one of the greatest stumbling blocks to reading the Bible is the Bible itself.” It is a big book.
We are used to reading books from the beginning to the end, but with the Bible, there are many different ways that we can begin.
These different ways include:
- Bible Roulette (where you just flip open your Bible and begin reading : )
- Reading the 4 Gospels is a great place to start (especially during the time of Lent)
- Reading with the liturgical calendar can help us to get more out of Mass.
- Praying with the Psalms
- Reading the 14 narrative books of the Bible is a great way to become more familiar with Salvation History. (come join us on Thursday nights at 6:30 pm fore Bible Study)
- Reading with the Early Church Fathers
- Reading with the Catechism of the Catholic Church (there is an index in the back that tells where each Scripture passage is mentioned in the Catechism)
- The Pope has declared this the Year of St. Paul (June 28, 2008 - June 29, 2009). We could read Paul’s epistles (Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon)
- Going back and reading the adult version of some of the children Bible stories that we know and love. (this could be kind of fun)
- _________________________.
Using the Prima method is helpful when reading the Bible. Prima is Latin for “first.”
- Pray. Begin with a prayer that your time with the Bible will draw you closer to God.
- Read attentively, trusting that God will give you what you need to learn to grow.
- Imagine what was going on when the passage was first written. What is its cultural and historical contesxt? Try to put yourself into the story. What was the author trying to get across?
- Meditate on what you have read. How does this fit in the context of the rest of the bible’s teaching, with the Church’s teaching, and what you think God is teaching you?
- Apply what you have read to your life. God may be calling you to address a particular issue or relationship. Or you may find words of comfort and support you need at this particular time. Carry God’s Word into the rest of your day, the rest of your life!
If there is one thing that you get out of this talk, it is that the Bible is a Catholic book! Nothing in Sacred Scripture will contradict what we believe as Catholic Christians (if read in proper context).
Hopefully, in this Generations of Faith we have made the Bible seem a little less daunting for you.
If you like violence, the Bible has plenty of that. If you like betrayal, it has some of that too. If you like love stories, the Bible is the greatest love story ever told.
Saint Jerome said, “in the Sacred Books, the Father who is in Heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them.”
Let us close in prayer.
Response: Guide us through your Holy Word, O Lord.
St. Bernard said that the Christian faith is not a “religion of the book.” Christianity is the religion of the incarnate and living “Word” of God (CCC 108).
Jesus did not come to earth to hand out Bibles. He is the Word (John 1:1; CCC 134).
I also hadn’t read the Bible and when I finally went to college I enrolled in Bible study because of all the books I would learning from I believed and still do the Bible is the most important book. My professor was Protestant but it was still the Bible. All the students knew every scripture and verse and could find it quick when my instructor said turn to Matthew 5. Everyone was on the page as I struggled through all the pages. I grew up in a rural town a cradle Catholic where we shared a priest from a nearby town. When I did finally find that scripture I found it and read it and believed I had lived His words and grew up believing in His word without knowing the Bible. The Catholic religion has taught me what the Bible was saying- I was living it all along just how Jesus wanted.
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Thanks Rosa. Welcome to the forum! We hear 71.5% of the New Testament at Mass in a three-year cycle (Year A, B & C). This is not by accident. We see in “The Didache,” written around the first century or late second century, that the reading of Sacred Scripture was a part of their Sacred Liturgy from early on, as we still do today. The first half of the Mass is dedicated to God’s Word (usually an old testament, psalm, epistle & Gospel Reading).
The Bible is not only the Word of God, but a Catholic Book. The Early Church Councils discerned which books and letters were considered to be inspired and affirmed which to be included in the Canon of Scripture by the Council of Rome in 382 AD, the Synod of Hippo in 393 AD, the Councils of Carthage in 397 AD & 419 AD, the Council of Florence in 1431-1449 AD and finally, as an article of faith, by the Council of Trent in 1545-1563 AD.
It was a Catholic British scholar named Stephen Langton, who would later become the Archbishop of Canterbury, who numbered the Bible (giving it chapters & verses).
Some anti-Catholic Christian Fundamentalists will regurgitate the lie that the Catholic Church locked up Bibles “so that Catholics couldn’t read what was in it.” This is a false assumption on their part. The reason we had to chain the Bibles or lock them up was because Bibles were copied by monks by hand! The cost for one copy was extremely expensive to have made. The cost to have it transcribed and the cost of the parchment or vellum that they were hand-written onto. The Printing Press had not been mass-produced yet. It isn’t like going down to your local Dollar Tree and buying a cheap Bible for $1.25.
The more you read your Bible, the more you will be familiar with where the books are located. And I encourage all Catholic Christians to read the Bible. What’s nice about the Catechism (the green one or blue one for sure) has a section in the back where you can look up a verse in the Bible and it tells you everywhere the Catechism references the verse. So if you are reading the Bible and you have a question about something you have read or would just like to dive deeper, this is a good way to learn. I also find reading the intros in your Bible that talks about whom wrote the book and their intended audience at the time it was written to be helpful.
Thank you again for sharing your story. I put myself in your shoes as I read it.
Thank you Cade for your information, I love learning about The Trinity. God is so good to us all, to all Christians. I love being Catholic. Where else can you genuflect, do The Sign of the Cross, say Jesus’name 1000 times if you want? It gives me God’s abundance of the joys of His creations, His blessings, His love, even His humor! I can’t wrap my mind around how great He is. He is my King.
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I got carried away with my love for God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit but yes the Bible lives in me for He knew me before I was even conceived. I can’t tell you where to find that in the Bible but I believe that to be true.
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