The Old Testament in the Heart of the Catholic
Church
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Deuteronomy is the great book of the law of the Old Covenant. Following
her Lord who taught her this, the Catholic Church professes that while the
law is ''holy, spiritual, and good'' [CCC 1963] it is imperfect and can
not save man, because it can not remove sin. There is a deeper problem
that the law can only reveal, but not heal. Something deep in man's heart
has been wounded, turned away from God. On account of the sin of our first
parents, every human being, save Mary the Mother of God herself [CCC
491-492], begins life with a wound in his heart that twists him away from
God.
This wound is now part of man's fallen human nature and thus is utterly
beyond man's powers to heal. [CCC 403-404] The fact of this deep wound and
the whole mystery of the Fall and its effects can be seen clearly only in
relation to Christ. [CCC 388]
It is the solemn profession of the whole Catholic Church that the New
Covenant is absolutely necessary to the holiness of human life. For the
Catholic, Deuteronomy reveals the truth, and yet a truth that is only
fully revealed in Christ. An ordinary man can live a holy life. Being holy
is not something too hard for him or too high above him. Yet this is
possible only in and through the New Covenant established in the life and
sacrificial death of Jesus and continually made re-present in the
Eucharist. Now read CCC 2007 - 2011. <<
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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.
The book of Esther contains the story that is the basis
for the Jewish feast of Purim, traditionally a feast of wild celebration.
It is a story of villains and heroes whose setting is banquets. The book
also includes instructions for celebrating the feast of Purim. The version
of Esther accepted by Catholics includes additions that many scholars say
were added by an editor who wrote in Greek. Mordecai the trickster is a
Jew at the court of a Persian king and is able to have his cousin Esther
named queen. The villainous Haman plots to kill all Jews and Mordecai in
particular. Haman is defeated and killed instead. Queen Esther obtains a
royal decree allowing the Jews to defend themselves against attack. They
do, and slaughter great numbers of Persians. The Greek editor adds
material at the beginning and the end, which clarifies that God (not the
flawed Mordecai) is the true victor and the true hero and places the story
in the context of a cosmic struggle between good and evil. Read Esther,
Esth 10:4-13. <<
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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.
In distinct contrast to the book of Joshua, the book of Judges
a. describes an easy and speedy conquest of
the promised land under the competent leadership of Joshua.
b. outlines a very slow and uncertain
occupation of the land with the help of various military leaders and
advisors.
c. shows the pattern of good and bad kings
that governed Israel up to the time of the Exile in Babylon.
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According to most scholars, the ''judges'' in the book of Judges are
primarily
a. charismatic military leaders and
rulers.
b. leaders of the legal system of
Israel.
c. priests of the worship of the LORD.
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Many scholars see Judges
a. as a series of fact-based hero stories
collected together for a religious purpose.
b. as presenting a systematic history of
Israel up to the time of David.
c. in the light of the information on the
judges provided by the book of Joshua.
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Judges presents sparse information on several judges, and provides the
most extended stories regarding three judges. These are
a. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
b. Deborah, Gideon, and Samson.
c. Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
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Most scholars consider that the accounts of each of the major judges
a. are a single tightly-woven tradition
that was passed on.
b. collect together several traditions
about these heroes.
c. show evidence of drastic re-writing by
editors.
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Most scholars find in Judges a message and a pattern common also to
Deuteronomy, Joshua, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings. The LORD
a. makes promises to Israel which he never
expects to fulfill.
b. rejects the people of Israel, in spite
of their continual faithfulness.
c. saves his people, they turn from him,
and the people again suffer.
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Unlike other judges, Deborah also seems to have been a ''judge'' as we
understand that term (a judge of legal matters) prior to being called by
the LORD. He calls her at a time of crisis, and she then calls and advises
Barak. Then Israel defeats a strong coalition of enemies in battle. Read
Judg 4:1-16.
Scholars consider the Canticle of Deborah one of the oldest texts in the
Bible. Read the beginning of the Canticle, Judg 5:1-7. <<
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Read Judg 6:1-24. When the LORD calls Gideon, Israel
a. has been at peace for forty years.
b. is beginning to fear for its safety.
c. is being oppressed by the
Midianites.
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Gideon defeats the Midianites. Read Judg 8: 22-35. What happened
next?
a. After Gideon died, the people betrayed
the LORD again.
b. Gideon became the king of Israel and
ruled for forty years.
c. Gideon was completely faithful to the
LORD all his days.
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The most extensive collection of traditions in Judges is about Samson.
Samson
a. commands the largest army in Israel.
b. defeats the Philistines once and for
all.
c. engages in a series of individual
exploits.
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The stories about Samson are different from the stories of the other
judges. Samson never commands an army. He never rescues Israel from the
Philistines, although he does defeat some of them in battle. He was
remembered as having begun the eventual victory against the Philistines, a
people who settled in Israel around the same time as the Jews. Most
scholars say that Judg 13-16 contain several traditions about Samson that
have been combined.
The first tells of his auspicious birth and consecration to the LORD.
Read Judg 13.
The second recounts the first of Samson's heroic exploits. Read Judg
14:5-6. Later in the story Samson kills thirty men by himself.
The third relates more of Samson's feats of great strength. Read Judg
15:14-20.
Finally, chapter 16 concludes the story of Samson. Read Judg 16.
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Read Ex 17. Read Ps 95 [Psalm 95]. The place Massah and Meribah is
forever remembered as a place
a. at which Israel received the water it
needed.
b. that shows that man should ask God to
pass tests.
c. where hardship caused Israel to question
God's plan.
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The Church sees the ''water from the rock'' of Ex 17 as a type or figure
of the spiritual gifts of Christ. [CCC 1094] <<
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St. Joan of Arc was just nineteen years old in 1431, the year she was
condemned as a heretic and turned over to the civil authorities to be
burned at the stake by the bishop of Beauvais, France (who was the former
rector of the most famous Catholic university of the time), and the dozens
of theological experts from that university which he brought with him.
This virtually proves that
a. bishops are always right, at least when
they very carefully follow the advice of their own experts.
b. the Catholic Church should not be
believed, since its leaders and experts obviously make mistakes.
c. when bishops protect the true meaning of
the Bible, Holy Orders had better be a sacrament, or all is lost.
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Knowing that the sacraments are real and the New Testament is true
a. expands and clarifies the true meaning
of the Old Testament.
b. makes the meaning conveyed by the Old
Testament no longer true.
c. warps and distorts the true meaning of
the Old Testament.
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Note: Do NOT restate the incorrect answers to this question. Only the
correct answer has meaningful content.
The first five books of the Old Testament have always been thought of as
a unit in both Jewish and Catholic tradition. For Jews their name is Torah
(The Law) or the Books of Moses. For Catholics, too, these five books are
the Books of Moses, but these days are more commonly called the Pentateuch
[''Penta-took''] - Greek for ''five books.'' In English, the first letter
of the name of each book in the Pentateuch, in order, make up the nonsense
word:
a. GEDNL
b. GELND
c. GENLD
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''Messiah'' is Hebrew for ''the anointed one.'' Read Ex 30:22-32. The oil
of anointing
a. made holy whoever or whatever was
anointed.
b. made rich whoever or whatever was
anointed.
c. was made freely available by God to
everyone.
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Read 1 Sam 16:11-13. There were several ''messiahs'' (anointed ones of
the Lord) in the Old Covenant. ''In effect, in Israel those consecrated to
God for a mission that he gave were anointed in his name.'' [CCC 436]
Pre-eminent among these anointed ones of the Lord was
a. Aaron.
b. David.
c. Samuel.
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