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!
Peace to all,
We all welcome, Eric.
The Catholic Bible has either 72 or 73 books, depending on whether Lamentations is considered a separate book from Jeremiah.
The Bible is certainly a reference book and the Inspired Word of God.
And we know if everyone who truly believes in the divinity of The Christ, the Holy Spirit Family of God in the flesh of Jesus, then we can rationalize that if everything Christ did on earth and in heaven were written, not even the world alone could contain all the books that could be written. We know, The keys are given to those who realize Jesus is God and in the Power of the Holy Spirit Family understanding Jesus is God is the greatest “Gift” and the keys to eternal life and spirit, both natures becoming again, One Family but to me there in no greater work even possible than helping passing out the keys, to all.
So the question becomes, where do we go to get the answers, and the question becomes is the Bible the Mother of the Church? or is the Church the Mother of the Bible. Logically and rationally we see here two questions becoming one question becoming again where logically do we go to get the answers? I say OMNIlogically, the Church, work proven, trusted and verified from the Eternal Priestly Authority, Jesus through the one whom now sits on the Moses’ Seat, St Peter and through his successor, Pope Francis, the successor of St Peter, the handpicked of God and the Vicar of Christ on Earth, through the Catholic Church.
When we read the bible and attend Mass, trust in the written word is generally verified through the Mass in the readings and all through all of the logical formulas in the Wondrous Mysteries of the Faith in the Christ. To me we participate at the full Sunday Mass Celebration to know to trust the Bible verified at the Mass, logically.
Today, I sometimes use the New term OMNIlogical because no one today has ever brought proper logic and rationale to the faith, to me. And to me logically and rationally, the pattern always follows the logical formulas of Catholicism, with respect to the teachings of the Church, trusted and verified.
As Catholic, we believe all Bible References and inspirations must be confirmed through the Church, work proven validity through the Word, rationally and from through the Faith of Abraham, fulfilled by the New Living Sacrifice, from becoming transformed to becoming again glorified and transfigured through the God of Justice and the King of Kings, Jesus, logically, rationally, infallibly, incorruptibly divinely physically and spiritually through both natures, for spirit and life becoming again, One Holy Spirit Family of God, One God in being, in all mankind, OMNIlogically, to me.
To me, when we read the Bible and trust in the Church this is just who Jesus is, becoming again in all.
Peace always,
Stephen
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.
Peace to all,
So true, Mark is good to read. I mostly always am scanning for lines, that follow the patterns of who the Christ really is logically and through the faith.
Some say the synoptic Gospels speak of the history, locations and events, more generic to references of The Christ, more simular in information. But The Gosple of John is diffiernt because John speaks more on the Divinity of Jesus. To me logically this is because from the Cross John took Mary home with him, "Ecce Mater tua, and we were also there at the cross, he spoke to us all by name before we were even born, by first name, “Disciple, Behold our Mother” all from the cross we also take Mary home with us, because all Disciples of Christ are the Disciple he loves the most, for He loves with only the Most love, “we are all the Disciple He loves the most.” And we are the Disciple that will never die from the spirit becoming again through both natures through a new body from the New Spirit, One God in being One Holy Spirit Family, logically and rationally and through the Faith of Abraham. We know when The Christ says, “What is it to you if He remain alive until I return” we know to follow Him.
The Gospel of John emphasizes meaning over detail, and uses miracles to prove that Jesus is God incarnate. And always, Mary is right there with Him, telling everone, to listen.
We know Mary, John’s Mother, Our Mother, and Mother of Jesus, is Queen of Council. I think logically and rationally, Mary had special privy to divine knowledge based on Her will becoming the Will of The Father at the Annunciation given special instruction from divine beings powered by the Holy Spirit Family before creation. Actually to me the Gospel According to John was mentored by the Queen of Heaven helping us all to understand better the divinty of Her Son through The Gosple According to Mary, I mean The Gospel According to John, And John, Mary helped, I mean John also wrote The Bood of Revelation. He was with Mary for perhaps 30 or so years, can you even imagine some of the stories Mary would tell John, John would perhaps go like, “Mary, what was it like in the beginning, before creation?” And Mary would say, well Johns, "In the beginning, was the Word, the family of God, The Holy Spirit Family, and The Word was each God and the Word together was God. We were all there in the beginning, One Holy Spirit Family.
Peace always,
Stephen
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.
Catholic scholars like Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch; the “Trinity” aspect refers to the Christian theological concept of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which is deeply explored within the study guide’s interpretations of biblical texts.
Peace to all,
We see many speaking on The Trinity and…
True, a great guide, but I just has a quick question on the Trinity?
Has anyone read on pre tenth century theologials on their concpts of The Trinity? Truly great theologians, and great minds, but Tertullian, Hippolytus, Gregory of Nazianzus, Basil of Caesarea and others I read about and I witnessed no logical or rational thought from within the documents I have reviewed.
Gregory wrote that each of the three persons possess unity by reason of the identity of essence and power.
To me, the powers exist as creation, Flesh transformation and incorruption glorified Holy Spirit and flesh transfiguration. Logic dictates, each power is God in the powers of God, and each separetly God from the father through the Mother for the Son, becoming again in One God in being One Holy Spirit Family and One God in being back to the One Trinity and One God in being.
Caesarea Wrote that the term ousia is common to all, while hypostasis is contemplated in the special property of Fatherhood, Sonship, or the power to sanctify.
And we see in the next examples, general vaguness and unclarity in wording from:
Theophilus of Antioch’s 2nd-century To Autolycus .[17] There it is used to refer to God, his word and his wisdom.[b] The view that the Son was “of the essence of the Father, God of God […] very God of very God” was formally ratified at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. The Holy Spirit was included at the First Council of Constantinople (381 AD), where the relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as one substance (ousia) and three co-equal persons (hypostaseis) was formally ratified.[1]
And all these details I cannot logically evaluate due to general obscurity.
Gregory of Nazianzus Wrote that the Godhead is one in three, and the three are one. But logically and rationally missed The Mother and ferers to the Holy Spirit a person.
And finally, Some Trinitarians agree with OMNIlogic, seeing a development over time towards a true understanding of the Trinity. I agree, OMNIlogically.
To me, the Trinity is three persons in being preexistion before creation was ever ceated was even created and exist from the pwers of Creation, Transformation and glorification and transfiguration and each person is God separately and equal as Gods in the power of One God in being and together in One God in being, becoming again, One Holy Spirit Family. Somtimes I often wonder perhaps how Our Church sees the Holy Spirit as a person.
Romans 11:36 mis-translated the gender of through who?, Mary.
For from him and through Mary and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Logically to me the Abrahamic God is two natures requiring Two Co-redemptive Gods, Mary God of Mercy and God of Transformation into sanctified immortality through the New Eve, and Jesus, God of Justice Holy Spirit conceived through the New Eve in the Christ, re-Sanctified Confirmed and glorified and transfigured for all becoming again, One Godin being One Holy Spirit Family.
To me logically, From the Father, through The Mother and for The Son, we become, One Holy Spirit Family, One God in being.
To me the Co-Redemptive, God of Immaculate Flesh from spirit Transformation role of Mary, preexisting before creation in fulfilled intelligence logic as Mother of God and Queen of Heaven and is through the New Eve, from the Immaculate Conception in the Virgin Birth of Jesus in the Christ. The Old Eve becomes into New Eve immortality now ready to become again from the New Eve through the Christ in the New Adam, the re-Sanctified Confirmed Holy Spirit in all mankind in becoming again One God in being One Holy Spirit Family, OMNIlogically, to me. Can we see God? OMNIlogically, Yes. As a Holy Spirit Two Nature Fulfilled, Spirit and Life Family, One God in being. No other discipline on the planet earth can explain infallible logic and rationale any clearer than through the New Eyes for all OMNIlogically so even a child can understand the Mind of God, to know from The Father through Mary for Jesus to the Holy Spirit Family be the glory.
To me, OMNIlogically we can see logically and rationally, Mary, logically and rationally, belongs in The Trinity.
To me, Logically, We are sanctified flesh immortality and spirit sanctification through the New Eve, Mary becoming into the church and Baptism.
Caesarea does not confirm resanstification, becoming again, glorified and transfigured from penance through sacrifice through the Christ becoming again, one Holy Spirit Family,
Clearly, logically and rationally, and through the Faith of Abraham, we become and become again and in todays reading we see resurrection, spirit and life, both natures, becoming again, one God in One Holy Spirit Family.
Reading II 1 Corinthians 15:45-49
“But the spiritual was not first;
rather the natural and then the spiritual.
The first man was from the earth, earthly;
the second man, from heaven.
As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly,
and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly.
Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one,
we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.”
And From the Christ, Logically I can see Jesus preexisting before creation as a person in being and God in the Powers of Eternal Priestly Authority of spirit and life and The Father preexisting before creation as Creator God. And Together with the Father and The Son is the Holy Spirit Family, with all. Jesus is redeemer Holy Spirit in the Christ in the New Eve from the Immaculate Conception, flesh immortality, through the Holy Spirit and Co-redemption through Holy Spirit Redemption through the Immaculate flesh from Jesus in the New Eve becoming again glorified and transfigured for all One God in being One Holy Spirit Family of God.
Peace always,
Stephen
OMNIlocical Catholic Scholar
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).
Peace to all,
Welcome, and I have always understood theology from the Church on the Trinity.
True revelation is becoming logical.
To me, The forefathers of Trinity Doctrine never considered logically understanding the Mind of God. Always what is misunderstood by all is what is used for all illogically as the Holy Spirit being a person, and irrational, to me. And always the forefathers of the Trinity miss the mark looking at the Holy Spirit as a person. To me rationally and logically, The Holy Spirit is the Family of God Jesus delivered in the Flesh through the Christ, becoming again, One Holy Spirit Family from the Cross.
Page 2 of 9 Original Research
Tertullian’s doctrine on the Trinity ‘became the foundation
for the church’s definition of the Trinity’.1 However, it
could be that he did not invent that terminology, but that
he inherited it from a predecessor or even predecessors
(Evans 2019:2)
To me the flawed logic becomes from an inherent predecessor or predecessors to me using missed and re-missed irrational logic.
For example on Tertullian, he uses some of the Holy Spirit irrational personal belief and rewrites Praxeas? To me both illogical as far as Holy Spirit Logic.
Tertullian’s formulation became the foundation for the church’s definition of the Trinity. He maintained, “All are of one, by unity … of substance; while the mystery of the economy is still guarded, which distributes the unity into a Trinity, placing in their order the three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (Against Praxeas, 2).
The logic in both Praxeas and Tertullian does not rationalize, to me. Mystery of the Economy? could be becoming again in both natures, spirit and life, One Body, One Holy Spirit Family through the three personal Gods in being before creation, logically to me.
To me, We are all One by United through both natures One Holy Spirit Family in being from three Gods preexisting before creation. The Father, the Mother and The Son. What logic are they using? Not using? and we know not to preach and judge others only to generalize logically, rationally and through the Faith of Abraham, eternal spirit and life promised and fulfilled 2000 years later through His Son.
The God of Abraham is a Two Nature, God, becoming One Body.
Fulfilled in both natures How logically? OMNIlogically, through the New Living Sacrifice.
Rationally, Forgiven is from the Old Living Sacrifice of Animals in spirit nature only awating in the Bosom of Abraham only becoming again through both natures, Spirit and life, God and Temple, from the New Living Sacrifice through the Christ for all becoming again, in One Holy Spirit Family.
“For from him and through her and for him are all things. In him be glory forever. Amen” Both Natures, spirit and life.
Logically, Jesus came to resurrect life from the Holy Spirit through the Christ, the New Living Sacrifice in the Host, the body, blood, soul and Divinity of God, the Entire Holy Spirit Family which transforms and glorifies and transfigures for all from created through becoming and becoming again for the second nature through The Body from the Holy Spirit, out of the Bosom of Abraham where only the spirits in the souls awaiting for flesh to become again, the body from the spirit through the souls of all for the immaculate flesh through the New Eve, the New Temple through the Holy Spirit in the New Adam in the Christ to become again in both natures, One Holy Spirit Family, One God, in spirit and life.
True, The Bible is the inspired Word of God and a reference book, a true historical non-fiction story of The Christ becoming again in all and the greatest story ever told.
To me, we can see the Mind of God logically.
Peace always,
Stephen