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  • 8/8/2019 Things to Remember About

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    THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUTTHE BIBLE:

    It is a PARTIAL RECORD it does not contain all of revelationIt is a record ofRELIGIOUS INTERPRETATION it presents the story of Israel in the light of their belief that, sincethey were the Chosen People, their history was directed by God.

    MYTH symbolic expression of religious truths or ultimate realitiesMIDRASH imaginative reconstruction of a biblical episode

    HISTORY Gods revelation of Himself in the framework of eventsFABLE a short story embodying a lesson and introducing animals and inanimate things as actors or personsAPOCALYPTIC GENRE revelation made by God concerning hidden things employing all kinds of imagery andsymbolism which appeal to the imagination of the ancientsWISDOM LITERATURE reflections on the meaning and problems of life, good and evilMIRACLE STORIES stories of Gods presence and of Messianic Salvation

    PARABLE a simple narrative in the form of an extended metaphor which criticizes worldly values and invites conversionthrough reorientation of the values of the KingdomALLEGORY similitude which involve levels of meaningPOETRY artistic depiction of life through metaphors and other exaggerationsAETIOLOGY attempts to explain the origin or cause of a phenomenon of nature, condition, custom, or institutionSATIRE a social commentary on a person or institution involving sarcasm, invective, parody, irony, or directcondemnationIRONY a passage with double-layered meaning

    LEGAL CODES Laws and Commandments

    PROPHECY an oracle or utterance of the spokesmen of God expressing threat, promise, reproach or admonitionEPISTLE correspondence of an apostle to another person or community regarding doctrinal and pastoral matters

    THEREFORE, TO PROPERLY UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT, WE HAVE TO CONSIDER THREETHINGS:

    The world of the authorThe world of the text

    The world of the reader

    Senses of the Scripture:

    a. Literal sense refers to the immediate meaning conveyed in the scripturesProper obvious face-value of the wordImproper meaning which the author wanted to convey through his words

    b. Allegorical sense- An allegory is a sustained metaphor. It is also a technique of interpreting works of art such thatthey will convey more than one level of meaning simultaneously.

    c. Moral sense - The moral sense refers to the instruction given by the text to the reader such that he be able to conduct hislife according to the teachings of Sacred Scriptures.

    d. Anagogical sense - The anagogical sense refers to the pre-figurations of mans eternal union with God.Thus, the anagogical sense enables one to view realities and events in the Bible in terms of their eternal significance.

    APPLICATION OF THE FOUR SENSES:Biblical Story: Wedding in Cana John 2:1-12

    Literal Sense:The author referred to the changing of water into wine as a SIGN.Proper literal sense: A sign is a reality that points to a greater realityImproper literal sense: The author wanted the readers to understand that in performing the miracle, Jesus was not doing magic.Rather, this miracle was intended to call us to awareness of Gods presence in human history.Allegorical Sense:The stone jars contained water used for Jewish purification rituals.

    Water symbolized Jewish traditions on purification which were ineffective in cleansing sin.Wine is an allusion of the blood of Christ which alone washed away sin and caused the salvation of humanity.Hence, the first sign signified the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant.The Stone Jars can also symbolize Jesus. Jews believe that stone cannot be touched by impurity or by evil spirits. Jesus is thatpure unblemished stone. When the Jars containing the wine was poured, the couple in Cana was saved from disgrace. When theblood of Christ was poured, the world was saved from sin.Moral Sense:

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    Through the miracle at Cana, Jesus teaches us the value of faith. No faith, no miracle. The greatest manifestation of this faith isobedience.

    Allegorical Sense:Wedding Feast signifies the final and perpetual union of God and humanity on the last day.The Third Day the author tells us that the sign occurred on the Third Day, which evokes the memory of Christs glorious

    resurrection, prefiguring his appearance in glory on the last day.

    LITERARY CRITICISM analysis of the texts literary form. Is it a myth? A legend? An epic? Is it poetry? Religioushistory? EtcHISTORICAL CRITICISM analysis of the historical context (culture, significant events, socio-political-economicconditions, foreign influences) in which the text was written.REDACTION CRITICISM analysis of the motives orintent of the writer or editor since literature is always conditionedby the authors concerns.

    APPLICATIONBiblical Story: The Visit of the Magi Matthew 2:1-12Literary Criticism: Since no one was there to witness and record the events during Christs infancy, this story must be aMIDRASH an imagined story not intended to give biographical information on the protagonist, but to describe him throughsymbolic narratives.Historical Criticism: This story was written during the time when Jews were being converted to Christianity. Its author was aJew and the audience were Jews as well. Some details of the story were lifted from Old Testament prophecies of which theaudience were familiar. (e.g. Bethlehem, Dream, Star) Most likely, the writing of Matthews account was done after Christianity

    was officially excommunicated from Judaism. To criticize the Jews rejection of Jesus Christ, the author presented Gentiles as the

    Messiahs first visitors.Redaction Criticism: The author presented Jesus as a royal king, not born in a stable but in a house. To emphasize Jesusroyalty, the author situated the story in Bethlehem, the hometown of David. Noble wise men, not shepherds, were the firstvisitors. These foreigners were the first visitors of the newborn Jewish king. The author wanted to make his Jewish audience feelsorry that while Christ was principally sent for them, they rejected him. The Gentiles were the ones that accepted him first andacknowledged him as the Messiah sent by God.Interpretation must be done within the living tradition of the church, whose first concern is fidelity to the revelation attested by

    the BibleDue consideration must be given to the historical character of biblical revelation since Gods self disclosure took place throughhuman language, within human history.Since the bible contains the universal Word of God, this Word must be interpreted in such a way that it becomes responsive to theneeds of its reader todayThe Scriptural text must always be interpreted in relation Christ, to the whole of Scripture, and to life of the Church.