OTHCC Chapter 88: items 1741 - 1760

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

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The Old Testament is actually

a.   a collection of 46 separate books, which were probably written by many different human authors.
b.   the exact collection of writings that the Jewish people consider to be their holy books.
c.   one single religious book written, over a forty-year period in the desert, by the prophet Moses.

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''Old Testament'' is

a.   a specifically Christian name.
b.   a term no longer used by Catholics.
c.   what the Jews call their sacred writings.

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The word ''testament'' can be used in place of the word

a.   brotherhood.
b.   covenant.
c.   meeting.

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Who first used the term, ''New Covenant'' regarding what Jesus established?

a.   Jesus.
b.   Saint Paul.
c.   Saint Peter.

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The name ''Old Testament'' is a specifically Christian name, used to contrast the Old Covenant (or ''Testament'') that God has made with the Jewish people, with the New Covenant that Jesus completed with his sacrifice on the Cross and extends to his disciples in the Eucharist, saying at the Last Supper, ''This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.'' [the Gospel according to Saint Luke, Chapter 22, verse 20 (Lk 22:20)] <<

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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 1 Maccabees* 2 Maccabees* Job

Psalms

Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Wisdom* Sirach* || Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Baruch* Ezekiel Daniel || Hosea >> Joel << Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

The Old Testament books with a star * are not any more or less important than the others. The star indicates that the Catholic Church definitively professes and knows these books to be part of the sacred writings, the inspired Word of God [cf. CCC 120], but that they are specifically rejected by the Jewish people, and called ''apocryphal'' (of doubtful inspiration) by Protestants.

Read Joel 2:1-2, then Joel 2:12-14. Joel prophesies the ''day of the LORD,'' when he will come, but then the LORD says that the people may yet return to him

a.   by heartfelt sorrow and contrition.
b.   by making visible shows of ritual sadness.
c.   to be given their just punishments.

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Read Joel 3:1-5 (in some bibles, Joel 2:28-32). Now read Acts 2:16-21. St. Peter sees Joel predicting the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Church at Pentecost. <<

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Note: Do NOT restate the incorrect answers to this question. Only the correct answer has meaningful content.

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 1 Maccabees* 2 Maccabees* Job

Psalms

Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Wisdom* Sirach* || Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Baruch* Ezekiel Daniel || Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

The Old Testament books with a star * are not any more or less important than the others. The star indicates that the Catholic Church definitively professes and knows these books to be part of the sacred writings, the inspired Word of God [cf. CCC 120], but that they are specifically rejected by the Jewish people, and called ''apocryphal'' (of doubtful inspiration) by Protestants.

The New Testament quotes or refers to passages in the book of Deuteronomy about how many times?

a.   200.
b.   300.
c.   400.

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Many modern scholars believe that Deuteronomy weaves together many legal traditions from far older times in the life of the Jewish people in order to

a.   ensure that the Jewish people would continue to be curious about them.
b.   provide a new pattern of life for the Jewish people after a great crisis.
c.   reinforce the value of traditional institutions such as the monarchy.

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The Catholic Church affirms that Deuteronomy, along with the rest of the Pentateuch, is connected with Moses. However, Catholics are not required to profess that Moses himself wrote Deuteronomy. Many modern scholars suggest that Deuteronomy has a ''frame story''; in other words, Deuteronomy pictures Moses solemnly speaking to the Jewish people four last times, just as they are preparing to enter the land promised to them. Read Deut 1:1-8. Read Deut 4:44-49, 5:1. Read Deut 29:1-2. Read Deut 33:1. Within this ''frame story'' Deuteronomy gives its teaching

a.   of faithful obedience to the laws of the covenant.
b.   that God is sorry he created the heavens and the earth.
c.   that Israel will surely be destroyed because of its sins.

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In Deuteronomy, and elsewhere in the Old Testament, the ''obedience'' required of man by God is strongly associated with - is virtually synonymous with -

a.   blind evil.
b.   faithful love.
c.   terrible slavery.

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Many scholars have said that much of Deuteronomy takes a form similar in language and style to that of an ancient treaty or covenant between a superior ruler and an inferior nation. In the addresses in Deuteronomy Moses typically

- reminds the people of how the LORD saved them with power
- makes a plea for obedience
- gives the laws by which the covenant can be kept
- renews the promise of life in the land IF the covenant is kept

''Horeb'' in Deuteronomy is Mount Sinai, the place where God first gave Moses the law. Now Moses and the people are in Moab, just prior to entering the land that God promised. Read Deut 29:1. Here Deuteronomy reveals that the law Moses gives in Deuteronomy

a.   cancels the law he received from God on Mount Sinai.
b.   continues the law he received from God on Mount Sinai.
c.   supersedes the law he received from God on Mount Sinai.

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Read Deut 5:1-6:3. The Ten Commandments are given

a.   as the commands of an insane and jealous dictator who does not understand reality.
b.   as the means to keep the covenant and thus live intimately with God in happiness.
c.   to harm the people and make them endure perpetual suffering because of all their sins.

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Human nature being what it is, there may come a time when obeying one of the Ten Commandments temporarily seems intolerable, or even insane, to you. Please don't let these thoughts of the moment lead you to think that God gave the Ten Commandments to harm you, or that he gave them because he doesn't understand the real you. The Catholic Church confirms the view of Deuteronomy: not wishing to follow the Ten Commandments always means that God is just fine, and it's you who are temporarily confused.

You protest that you personally could never become so confused that you begin to ''think'' (using the term loosely) that sin is actually a good idea?

The sacrament of Penance will still be there after you wake up and remember how wrong you are about that. <<

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Read Deut 6:4-25. What is the meaning and purpose of the laws given in Deuteronomy? They

a.   have no actual meaning, but are arbitrary symbols of faithfulness.
b.   have no actual purpose, but nonetheless we can trust the LORD.
c.   were given so that the people could remain in the life of the LORD.

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Read Deut 6:4-5. Read Mathew 22:35-40. Quoting Deuteronomy and then Leviticus, Jesus ties together the whole law in two commandments. Here we briefly discuss another topic, a small but somewhat interesting point regarding the translation of Deut 6:4. Some translations say, ''The LORD our God is one LORD.'' Others say, ''The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.''

What's the difference? Many scholars now think that ''the LORD alone'' better reflects the original context of this text. What is that context? That there were many gods, the LORD being one of them. So, the ''literal sense'' might be, ''although there are many gods, the LORD alone is our God.''

Of course, over time the Jewish people themselves gradually understood these very ancient texts in a further way. They gradually understood that there was an additional reason that their devotion to the LORD had to be so strict and faithful: the other gods did not actually exist. They were illusions.

What the best of these scholars seem to be noticing when they point out the differing translations of Deut 6:4 is that time itself can be holy, if it passes in the presence of God. By means of God's presence with them in time, the Jewish people first gradually learned to distinguish the LORD from false gods, and then gradually learned that the false gods are illusions, empty shells, not alive at all.

Was all that time learning more clearly who the LORD was wasted?

Only if time spent with God is wasted. <<

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Some scholars have said that Deut 27:9-10 is a key to understanding Deuteronomy. Read Deut 27:9-10 now. These scholars say that this passage reveals that the people of Israel are to obey God's laws as set down in Deuteronomy

a.   because the LORD has graciously entered their history, made them his people, and offered them a life of faithful love.
b.   because in this way they can bargain God into giving them the land and all the other things they want.
c.   or else the LORD is going to wreck their cities, destroy the Temple, and kill every single one of them.

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A siege occurs when a city is surrounded by an army that can not take it directly and tries to bombard it or starve it into surrender. There are passages in Deuteronomy which many scholars think show that the ancient laws and traditions were collected together and edited into the book of Deuteronomy first during the siege of Jerusalem by Babylon, and also after Israel's defeat and Exile. They say that Deut 28:47-68 may depict some of the actual gruesome sufferings and sins of the siege of Jerusalem and the Exile. But what does Deuteronomy consistently say is the true reason for these horrible things? Read Deut 28:47-68 and then answer.

a.   Israel's leaders were simply not smart enough to make the proper military alliances.
b.   Israel was disobedient to the LORD by failing to faithfully keep covenant with him.
c.   Israel was a weak and unimportant kingdom that was crushed like so many others.

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Some scholars think that ''life'' in Deuteronomy specifically means human life lived in intimate union with God. ''Good'' is then the ''blessing'' - all the consequences of this intimacy. ''Death'' therefore is human life apart from God. It is more than just physical death. All the terrible consequences of the refusal of intimacy with God is the ''curse'' - ''evil.'' Now read Deut 30:15-20, which many scholars consider to be the summit of Deuteronomy, the heart of its teaching. What is the entire purpose of Israel?

a.   To love the LORD.
b.   To be rich and successful.
c.   To be slaves of the LORD.

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Read Deut 30:1-14. Here Moses says that understanding the law and then actually following it is

a.   far beyond man's capacities.
b.   possible for the ordinary man.
c.   the job of a few saints.

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