Before The Bible

What is the bible? We, as Christians, read it and quote it and it's easy to just say that it's the Word of God, but we all know that it didn't appear to us as a gift from God in the same manner that the tablets were given to Moses. It's a gift alright, but with much more "meat" to it. 

Wikipedia says: "The bible refers to respective collections of religious writings of Judaism & of Christianity." 

Webster says: a) the sacred scriptures of Christians comprising the Old Testament and the New Testament. b) the sacred scriptures of some other religion (as Judaism).

The definitions make it seem so simple...but early Christianity shows us that it took a great deal of discussion, understanding, knowledge, prayer, and an open heart to the Holy Spirit to compile the book we have in our homes. It also didn't happen over night, hundreds of years of apostolic teaching and tradition went into it.

Bible: The name is derived from the Greek expression biblia (the books). In the Latin of the Middle Ages, the neuter plural for biblia gradually came to be regarded as a feminine singular noun. The singular form of the word passed to western languages..."The Book". In the time of Christ, the Jews had sacred books, which were different from one another in subject, style, & origin. They regarded all of these writings with a character that separated them from all other writings, they have a Divine Authority from God. Their belief was confirmed by Christ and by His apostles. We see this in their teaching and as they used them as a foundation of their doctrine. The books were handed down to the Christian Church as the written record of Divine revelation before the coming of Christ...to give us the Old Testament. These were written mostly in Hebrew, gradually within the nine centuries which preceded the Christian era.

The truths of Christian revelation were given to the apostles either by Jesus Himself or by the Holy Spirit. They constitute what is called the Deposit of Faith. Some of the truths were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and were handed down to us in what is called the New Testament...written originally to individual Churches or people, completed around 100AD. We say some of the truths because we can't limit the understanding of the works and truths of Christ to the pages of a book (John 21:25). St. Augustine says, "We are not to believe that in respect of space the world could not contain them...but that by the capacity of the readers they could not be comprehended."

When? Back to the topic of time of this compilation. The scriptures of the Hebrews were being used by the apostles and being referenced by Christ as we see in the New Testament, but there was no New Testament...it was being written. The Pauline epistles were circulating in collected form by the end of the first century AD. St. Justin Martyr (130-165AD) mentions the "memoirs of the apostles". A four gospel canon was stated by St. Irenaeus (160AD) and there have been writings found, dating to the early 200's, that list "New Testament" books. There was however, some debate over what books were accepted as Divinely written, but most of the major writings were accepted by almost all Christians by the middle of the 2nd century. St. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria (328-373AD), gave a list of exactly the same books that would become the New Testament canon...he actually used the word "canonized" (kanonizomena) in speaking of them. Pope Damasus I proclaimed an important New Testament canon in the Roman synod of 374 and he commissioned the Latin Vulgate in 383AD. Needless to say that the New Testament was official by the 4th century. 

Why? "Why" seems to face me alot when it comes to my faith...it always has. As the Church grew, it faced many groups of heretics who tried to use scripture for their own gratification...some out of sheer ignorance and some for greed and power. Either way, the Church had it's hands full with people trying to teach something different than that of Christ and His apostles. What's so important about these early saints who defended our faith? It was these saints that were used by the Holy Spirit in preserving our faith that is alive today. They used the apostolic tradition that had been handed down to them from Peter and the apostles to "etch in stone" the doctrines of our faith. The synods of Bishops and the councils that have taken place throughout history have not created what we believe, but displayed it for those who may try to doubt it. Hence the reason for things like the Nicene Creed...this creed was written in the 4th century not to create a belief, but to confirm it and finalize it. For this reason we still profess this in unity each and every week from the time it was written to now:

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit He was born of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Most Christians believe in the Trinity; God the Father, Jesus His Son, & The Holy Spirit and would also state that they are equal in divinity, yet in three persons right? I ask you to find that doctrine in scripture. The doctrine that defines the Trinity as 1 God divided into three persons, yet remaining to be 1 God, with equal divinity. I'll save you some time and trouble...you can't because it's not found in scripture. The Trinity is certainly named in scripture, but the doctrine that we as Christians believe in is not found in the bible. It was given to the apostles through the Holy Spirit by Divine revelation and from the teachings of Jesus...handed down, tested by non-believers, then defined to end argument on what the true Church teaches and taught.

The creed from the late 300's doesn't create the doctrine of our belief in the Holy Trinity, it states it once and for all. It was believed from the time of Christ. We must remember that we are the Church of God with Jesus at the head, and by the power of the Holy Spirit produced scripture that was written through the early Church...not a Church produced from the bible. Paul tells Timothy and the Thessalonians to hold true to the traditions handed down, not only by written letter, but by word of mouth as well and then to find and entrust faithful men to carry on these traditions. (2 Thess. 2:15, 2 Tim. 2:2)

So, history shows that we didn't have a "bible" until 300 or 400 years after Christ's death and resurrection...so what did the early Church do for that time? We see that they wrote letters and gave sermons. We can see from Acts and many other scriptures that they saw the need for structure and maintaining a structure (Acts 1:23), having authority on earth (Matt. 16:19) and exercising it (Acts 5:4). We also see, from Paul, that not everything was written down. 

Who? So who did they teach? Did those faithful men write anything? As I asked this question, I found more answers than I ever thought I would find. If you look throughout Christian history, you'll find writings that teach us so much about the Church after Acts, after the Gospels and how people understood the traditions that were handed to them by written letter and by word of mouth. Read some of the greats like St. Augustine (4th century), St. Ambrose (4th century), St. Athanasius (4th century), St. Ignatius (1st/2nd century)(appointed to Antioch by Peter), St. Polycarp (1st/2nd century)(Apostle of John), St. Irenaeus (2nd century), St. Clement of Rome (4th Pope, some writings indicate he was ordained by Peter), St. Justin Martyr (2nd century), and the list goes on and on. These men wrote against heresy and defended the faith until they died...most were martyred. 

What can we learn from these men? I've found so much information about how they worshipped and you start to see how going to a Catholic Mass is extremely the same, which makes sense, it was designed that way. Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom, told him that what he bound on earth would be bound in heaven and what he loosed on earth would be loosed in heaven. He also told Peter to tend His sheep, Peter did that and then entrusted that responsibility to a faithful man and told him to do the same. Jesus appeared to the disciples, breathed on them the Holy Spirit, and gave them the authority to forgive or retain the sins of the flock (John 20:23). This authority, only made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit, was handed down and entrusted to the faithful for the past 2000 years in the Catholic Church. The Church will never contradict scripture and scripture will not contradict the Church. The true word of God is alive in the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit that inspired the scriptures, & the same Holy Spirit that inspires the Church. 

You find that the great theologians expound on the things they were taught and give a deeper explanation of our faith. These men were the continuation of the Church that Jesus started, these men were the early Church that gave us what we call a bible, these men were the Church and remember what Paul tells us, "The Church is the Pillar and foundation of truth." 1 Tim. 3:15 

Hail Mary?

 The rosary is uplifting on so many plateaus, but what does it mean to say the rosary and why is it important? I've heard many times, "Yea, that's cool and all, but I can pray on my own thanks.". I myself have not given enough time to pray this wonderful devotion, but I'm seeing that I need to change that. For those of you who might be reading that don't know what the rosary consists of, it's easy to understand and you can go to this site for a detailed outline of the mysteries, etc.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. amen.

Hail Mary:

Where does this well known term come from...I know, you may be thinking that it came from the great Roger Staubach; the Dallas Cowboy's hall of fame quarterback who actually coined the phrase as a type of passing play, but as great as he was he didn't author the term...it stems from something much greater. The angel of God, Gabriel greeted Mary in this way saying, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women." (Luke 1:28) There is so much we can learn from this and Dr. Scott Hahn probably does one of the best jobs of walking us through.  The following contains some writing from Dr. Hahn and what many early Church fathers before him have taught.

 The angel uses a word - variously translated hail or rejoice - that the prophets used to foretell the joy of the people at the Messiah's coming (Joel 2:23-24; Zechariah 9:9). In fact, the angel's announcement seems to be drawn almost word for word from a prophesy of Zephaniah (3:14-18). I'll place the words drawn from Luke in parenthesis and the words that are not are from Zephaniah:

"Shout for joy (Hail), O daughter Zion (favored one)! The King of Israel, the Lord (The Lord) is in your midst (is with you)...Fear not, O Zion (Do not be afraid, Mary)...Your God is in your midst (You will conceive in your womb), a mighty saviour (...Son of the Most High).

The angel tells Mary that her Son will be "Son Of the Most High" and will be given "the throne of David His Father." In fact, the angel's words we hear echoes of God's covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm 89:4-5; 27-30). God swore that David's son would be "a son to Me." God also swore that David's son would rule on his throne forever. The angel promises that Mary's Son will be seated on "the throne of David his father...forever." 

It gets deeper, Mary asked how she, as a virgin, will conceive the child promised by the angel. The angel replies: "For nothing will be impossible for God" (Luke 1:37). An angel spoke almost these same words to Abraham's wife, Sarah, when she laughed at the notion that in her old age she would bear the son that God had promised to Abraham (Gen. 18:14). Luke shows us that Mary, too, is being called to bear the son of God's covenant promise. Mary's response to the angel takes up the story of still another barren woman who found favor with God - Hannah the mother of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11, 19-20). In presenting herself as "the handmaid of the Lord", she recalls the oath of Hannah - who pleaded with God for a son, vowing to consecrate him to the Lord. Three times Hannah described herself as the Lord's "handmaid" (1 Samuel 1:11, 16, 18). 

The historical events, and the manner in which these events are written about, communicate far more than factual info. They reveal the existence of a plan of salvation that God is working out in human history. The reason for the careful use of quotes and allusions to Israel's past is to reveal that unity between the Old and New Testaments - to show what happens to Mary is a continuation and culmination of what has gone before. This is how Jesus taught his apostles to read the Old Testament. He referred to Jonah (Matt 12:39-41), Solomon (Matt 12:42), the temple (John 2:19), and the brazen serpent (John 3:14) as types or signs that prefigured Him. On the first Easter night He said that, "Everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled." (Luke 24:44-45).

In the writings of the prophets and psalmists, often we find typological readings of earlier events, deployed to prepare Israel for it's coming savior. Isaiah spoke of a new creation (Isaiah 65:17) and a new exodus (11:10, 15-16; 43:16-22; 51:9-11). He and others, Ezekiel and Jeremiah, spoke of the coming of a new Davidic sheperd-king and the restoration of the kingdom (Isaiah 9:1-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Ezekiel 16:59-63; 34:24-30; 37:23-28). Jesus was the new Adam, the first born of a new creation (Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 45-49). His Cross and Resurrection mark a new exodus (Luke 9:31; 1 Corinthians 10:1-4). His Church is the new Jerusalem and the new kingdom of David (Galatians 4:26; Acts 1:6-9; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6).

The second part of this prayer, "...and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." is taken from Luke's gospel as well. (Luke 1:42). This entire situation is interesting to me because of how Mary's own family reacts to her visit. "And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. And she cried out with a loud voice and said: Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy." 

This was a cousin of Mary's...I don't know if I've ever been greeted at any family member's house in this way. As if it were an honor for me to grace them with my visit. The great part about it is the fact that this is not Elizabeth's feeling, this is the Holy Spirit at work here. It was the sound of Mary's voice that caused the infant to leap for joy...and notice the separation that is spoken, "Blessed art thou among women AND blessed is the fruit of thy womb (Jesus)..."

So to speak the words that Mary is Blessed is to speak as the Holy Spirit spoke through Elizabeth in scripture but, the cool thing is how Mary responded to Elizabeth's words, immediately directing us to how great God is. (Similar to how she directed the people at the wedding in Cana, to follow the instructions that her son gives them.) Mary, in Luke, tells us that from that moment forward all nations will call her blessed. Jesus gives His mother to John at the foot of the cross and gives "the one whom he loved" to His mother. John was to honor her as if she were his mother and she was to treat John as if he were her son. 

There are also many early Church fathers who write with a great honor of Mary...which only makes sense. If we are to look at Christ as our brother (John 20:17), look to his disciples for teaching (2 Thess. 2:15, 2 Tim. 2:2), treat the scriptures as the Word of God, and use the Church as the pillar and foundation of truth (1 Tim. 3:15) then shouldn't we have a great honor for Jesus' mother just as it shows in all of the above. 

To say "Hail Mary" has much more meaning and roots than ever imagined by me.

Seeking...

Today I've been really drawn to reflect on the rosary...what do these prayers repeated actually do or achieve for us? Why the repetition? Why the beads? I've found that in order to answer questions concerning our faith, it is never just a quick answer that satisfies my spirit. As I start to answer one question, it leads me to many more. Since my conversion to the Catholic Faith I've found so much deep rooted history about our Christian faith...it's mind boggling really, some great history and some bad, but boggling still the same.

As a child I often wondered about the gap of space between the "end" of the Bible and life as we know it today. As I grew older I, like most young teens, stopped concerning myself with my faith and started to concern myself with "my life". The cool thing about God is that He is always there and when you get enough humility to listen to Him, good things happen. My good thing happened...I started to seek truth, truth on God's terms and not my own.

That's the problem with us, we want God to come to us and change for us and make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside 100% of the time. God doesn't change for us, we are to change for God and come to Him on His terms and that's what I did. I learned that my terms only led me to confusion and no confidence in what I was supposed to believe in. I guess a good comparison would be to go with the old saying that, an apple is still an apple no matter how you slice it...truth is truth. Paul says in his first letter to Timothy that the pillar and foundation of truth is the Church. (1 Timothy 3:15)

I found truth and I continue to pursue it in the deep rooted history that has been laid out before us. using both holy scripture and apostolic tradition, through which the Holy Spirit works through today.

This blog is me seeking truth and taking the truth that I find and writing it down...or typing it down. In my next post, I'm going to type out the answers to some questions I've had today and some interesting things I find along the way.