OTHCC Chapter 20: items 381 - 400

The Old Testament in the Heart of the Catholic Church < > All Chapters

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After God made the covenant with Abraham, what was the status of the covenant he had made with Noah? The covenant with Noah

a.   became a metaphor for the covenant with Abraham.
b.   completed its purpose and so passed into history.
c.   will never be revoked and continues in force.

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There is a history of the covenants, a history in which God gradually reveals himself and his desire for an intimate and unbreakable relationship of love with men. According to the Catechism [CCC 288], this history begins with

a.   Creation.
b.   the Fall.
c.   the Flood.

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The patriarchs are

a.   Abraham, his son Isaac, Isaac's son Jacob, and Jacob's twelve sons.
b.   Adam, his son Abel, Noah, his descendent Abraham, and Moses.
c.   Moses, his brother Aaron, and the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah.

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For the Catholic Church, the term ''prophets''

a.   has partly the same meaning as it has for Jews.
b.   has the opposite meaning as it has for Jews.
c.   has the same meaning as it has for Jews.

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CCC 702 makes a distinction between the meaning of the term ''Prophets'' as understood by Jewish tradition, and the ''prophets'' as understood by the faith of the Catholic Church:

''By 'prophets' the faith of the Church here understands all whom the Holy Spirit inspired in living proclamation and in the composition of the sacred books, both of the Old and the New Testaments. Jewish tradition distinguishes first the Law (the first five books or Pentateuch), then the Prophets (our historical and prophetic books) and finally the Writings (especially the wisdom literature, in particular the Psalms).'' <<

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By the faith of the Church, the term ''prophets'' includes

a.   only the inspired human authors of the Old Testament.
b.   only the inspired human authors of the Old and New Testaments.
c.   the inspired human authors of the Old and New Testaments.

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By the faith of the Church, the term ''prophets'' includes

a.   all those inspired by the Holy Spirit to proclaim God's word during both Old and New Testament times.
b.   all those inspired by the Holy Spirit to proclaim God's word in writing during both Old and New Testament times.
c.   only those inspired by the Holy Spirit to proclaim God's word during Old Testament times.

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In the Jewish tradition, ''the Prophets'' (capitalized) are particular writings in their Bible. (Remember that the Catholic Old Testament adds some writings specifically rejected by Jewish tradition as not part of their Bible, and so the Old Testament is almost but not quite the same writings as are contained in the Bible accepted by Jewish tradition). The following may help you see what Jewish tradition means by ''the Prophets.''

The three primary Jewish divisions of their scriptures:

The Law (Torah)
The Prophets
The Writings

''The Law'' (Torah):

The first five books in the Bible.
The Law is also known as ''Moses,'' or ''the book(s) of Moses,'' or the Pentateuch (PEN-ta-took) (''pentateuchos'' means ''composed of five books'' in Greek).

The Prophets:

Four writings in the Bible giving the history of the people of Israel after Moses's death (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings), along with the writings of prophets like Isaiah, etc.

The Writings:

Other books in the Bible, including Chronicles, but especially the wisdom literature of sayings, proverbs, etc., and in particular the Psalms. <<

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The patriarchs, the prophets of the Old Testament, and certain other Old Testament figures [CCC 61]

a.   have at times but not always been honored as saints in all the Catholic Church's liturgical traditions.
b.   have been and always will be honored as saints in all the Catholic Church's liturgical traditions.
c.   have never been and will never be honored as saints in all the Catholic Church's liturgical traditions.

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Read Gen 35: 9-15. Isaac's son Jacob is given a new name as part of the covenant God renews with him. It is

a.   Israel.
b.   Jacoboam.
c.   Jerusalem.

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The name ''Exodus'' means

a.   discover.
b.   going out.
c.   return.

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Read Ex 1 (the book of Exodus, chapter 1). In Egypt, the sons (descendants) of Israel (that is, the people of Israel) were being

a.   left alone to do as they wished.
b.   oppressed and extinguished.
c.   rewarded and honored.

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Read Ex 2. Moses is born and grows up as God

a.   abandons his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
b.   lets his people find their own way out of their misery.
c.   remembers his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

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Read Ex 3. God calls Moses

a.   from the midst of a bush that burns without being consumed.
b.   from the midst of an earthquake that tore the temple veil in two.
c.   in a quiet whispering sound that only Moses could hear.

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God identifies himself to Moses. Whom does God say that he is?

a.   ''I am the God of the Egyptians, the friend of the most powerful people in the world.''
b.   ''I am the God beyond space and time, thus too holy and remote to work in time and space to help you.''
c.   ''I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.''

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Read Ex 3:13-15. God reveals to Moses that he

a.   has a name.
b.   has no name.
c.   is an anonymous force.

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The Holy Father and the bishops poignantly profess [CCC 203] God's loving revelation of himself in giving his name to Moses:

''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.''

In this passage in the Catechism we are probably also meant to see in this revelation by God to Moses and to God's people Israel a foreshadowing of God's complete revelation of himself in his only Son, the Word who ''handed himself over'' for our redemption. <<

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God gives Moses his name, in Hebrew, YHWH (''I AM HE WHO IS,'' ''I AM WHO AM,'' or ''I AM WHO I AM'') [CCC 206]. By giving his name God reveals that he is

a.   infinitely beyond anything we can comprehend and not a God who makes himself close to men.
b.   infinitely beyond anything we can comprehend and the God who makes himself close to men.
c.   not infinitely beyond anything we can comprehend but a God who makes himself close to men.

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God's name also reveals [CCC 207] that he

a.   exists only in the human mind and heart.
b.   is faithful from everlasting to everlasting.
c.   is the Christian name for the living universe.

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Moses takes off his sandals and veils his face [Ex 3:4-6] because [CCC 208]

a.   faced with God's presence, man discovers his own insignificance.
b.   God was very possibly going to hurt him or injure him.
c.   he needed to humiliate himself in God's presence out of fear.

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