Sacred Scripture and the Bible

The Bible: Inspired Word of God

• The Church determined which books were inspired by the Holy Spirit and which were not.
• The Bible is divided into two sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament.
• The New Testament does not nullify the Old Testament, but rather fulfills and completes it.

The Old Testament

• The Old Testament tells the story of the long journey towards salvation, which is completed in the New Testament.
• The books of the Old Testament prepare the way for the Gospel.
• The Old Testament contains 46 books written over a period of 1500 years.
• The books can be classified into four main categories: Law, History, Wisdom, and Prophecy.

Law, History, Wisdom, and Prophecy

• Law: 5 books of the Pentateuch, which include Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
• History: 14 books, including Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah.
• Wisdom: 7 books, including Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Wisdom, and Sirach.
• Prophecy: 20 books, written by prophets sent by God to bring His words to His people.

Genealogy and Prophecy in the Old Testament

• The Gospels of Matthew and Luke show evidence that Jesus is in the ancestral line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David.
• The Old Testament speaks of Christ through prophecy and types.

Analogy of Faith

• The unity of the sacred books is reflected by their Latin name, biblia, which is singular, meaning "the Book of Books".
• The various books shed light on one another, and each truth helps us to understand the other truths and the total plan of Revelation.
• This principle is called "the analogy of faith".

Figure or Type

• A figure or type is an event or person in Scripture that points towards a later event or person.
• Examples include Noah's ark prefiguring the Church and Manna prefiguring the Eucharist.

The New Testament

• The New Testament does not replace the Old Testament, but rather fulfills the Old Testament.
• The New Testament contains 4 classes of books: Law, History, Wisdom, and Prophecy.

Gospels and the Heart of the Scriptures

• The Gospels are the principal source for the life and teaching of the Incarnate Word.
• The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) tell the story of Jesus in a similar way.
• The Book of Revelation is a prophetic book that speaks the Word of the Lord in symbols and images.

This quiz covers the basics of Sacred Scripture, the inspiration behind the Bible, and the division into the Old and New Testaments. It also touches on the fulfillment of the Old Testament by the New Testament.