is a year long sophomore level class taught in the Theology Department at Cardinal Gibbons High School. The course introduces students to the content of the Old and New Testaments and to the Catholic approach to Biblical interpretation.
"...a landscape, however beautiful, presents itself as a chaotic phenomenon until one realizes that its different features are to be explained by what lies below the surface and therefore by their previous history. Like the formation of a landscape, the formation of a text is part of its total, contemporary meaning."
-Joseph Blenkinsopp, The Pentateuch: An Introduction to the First Five Books of the Bible
-Joseph Blenkinsopp, The Pentateuch: An Introduction to the First Five Books of the Bible
"Who do you say that I am?"
Jesus' question to his disciples in the Synoptic Gospels is as relevant to His followers today as it was when He first posed it. Who do we, as Christians who profess to be the members of His body, say that He is, both through the "reasons for our faith" and the way we live in accordance with that faith? No answer to that question can even begin to be formulated without first wrestling with the meaning of the scriptures held to be sacred in the Canon of the Christian Bible.
The Bible has been translated in its entirety into over 390 languages, and portions of it have been translated into over 2000 languages and dialects. It is the best-selling, most-translated book in the history of the world, existing in dozens of versions in English alone.
How many of them have actually been read?
Today, Christians increasingly come to know Jesus not through what the scriptures say about him, but through what critics, detractors, the media, the academy, and even political pundits have to say about those scriptures. The Jesus they offer as a product of their supposedly reliable and objective methodologies is not likely to be one a reasonable person would deem worthy of worship, the incarnation of God in whom one can confidently place faith. Even when Christians or curious enquirers turn to the Bible to find out the truth, they are often ill-equipped to find the meaning contained therein, hindered both by the complex nature of the text itself and by a set of mistaken assumptions about how it is to be interpreted.
The purpose of this class is to seek to recover the meaning of the sacred scriptures that the authors intended, to establish the understanding of history, literary type, purpose, and context necessary to reconstruct the thought-world in which such meaning was constructed and communicated. It is not, therefore, a survey course on the content of the Bible, but a methodology course intended to enable the student to explore the contents of the Bible with confidence in his or her ability to understand it correctly and to apply it meaningfully to a life of faith.
The course description as found in the Course of Studies book is as follows:
This course serves two purposes: (1) “to give students a general knowledge and appreciation of the Sacred Scriptures. Through their study of the Bible they will come to encounter the living Word of God, Jesus Christ. In the course they will learn about the Bible, authored by God through Inspiration, and its value to people throughout the world. If they have not been taught this earlier, they will learn how to read the Bible, and will become familiar with the major sections of the Bible and the books included in each section. The students will pay particular attention to the Gospels where they may grow to know and love Jesus Christ more personally”; (Doctrinal Elements of a Curriculum for the Development of Catechetical Materials for Young People of High School Age, p.2)
(2) “to help students understand all that God has done for us through his Son, Jesus Christ. Through this course of study, students will learn that for all eternity, God has planned for us to share eternal happiness with him, which is accomplished through the redemption Christ won for us. Students will learn that they share in this redemption only in and through Jesus Christ. They will also be introduced to what it means to be a disciple of Christ and what life as a disciple entails.” (Doctrinal Elements of a Curriculum for the Development of Catechetical Materials for Young People of High School Age, p.11)
Theology 10: Sacred Scripture and Christology corresponds to USCCB Curriculum Framework Core Courses I (“The Revelation of Jesus Christ in Scripture”) & III (“The Mission of Jesus Christ”), and Elective Option A (“Sacred Scripture”)
All documentation for this course is linked below. Keep in mind that the information on this site is supplemented by the information found on the CGHS website and on Google Classroom, both of which are accessible only to students enrolled in my classes.
All documentation for this course is linked below. Keep in mind that the information on this site is supplemented by the information found on the CGHS website and on Google Classroom, both of which are accessible only to students enrolled in my classes.
- Introductory Documentation for Students
- Back to School Night Information for Parents
- Virtual Learning Policy
- Grading Policy
Below you will find links to Video and PDF versions of the presentations used in my class, with a link to a PDF copy of the corresponding notes pages. Keep in mind that the PDFs of my PowerPoints do not always contain everything you will need to complete the notes. In some cases, the notes may refer you to readings or other sources to find answers to questions, and in other cases, questions may have been answered in class but not in the PowerPoint. Also, note that the page numbers for notes sometimes overlap from one topic to the next. This is because each new note sheet is not always the start of a new topic, and I've provided all pages that would be relevant to a specific presentation.
| Title | Notes | ||||
| 00 | Scripture: | The Greek Alphabet | Video | PP: | |
| 01 | Scripture: | Jewish History Overview | Video | 001-006 | |
| 02 | Scripture: | Bible Origins I | Video | 007-008 | |
| 03 | Scripture: | Bible Origins II | Video | 009-010 | |
| 04 | Scripture: | Bible Origins III | Video | 011-012 | |
| 05 | Scripture: | Bible Origins IV | Video | 013-018 | |
| 06 | Scripture: | Bible Origins V | Video | 017-018 |
| 07 | Scripture: | Torah I | Video | 019-022 | |
| 08 | Scripture: | Torah II | Video | 023-026 | |
| 09 | Scripture: | Primeval History I | Video | 027-032 | |
| 10 | Scripture: | Primeval History II | Video | 032-036 | |
| 11 | Scripture: | Primeval History III | Video | 035-036 | |
| 12 | Scripture: | Primeval History IV | Video | 037-038 | |
| 13 | Scripture: | Patriarchs I | Video | 039-042 | |
| 14 | Scripture: | Patriarchs II | Video | 043-044 |
| 15 | Scripture: | Exodus I | Video | 045-048 | |
| 16 | Scripture: | Exodus II | Video | 047-048 | |
| 17 | Scripture: | Exodus III | Video | 049-050 | |
| 18 | Scripture: | Exodus IV | Video | 051-052 | |
| 19 | Scripture: | Exodus V | Video | 053-058 |
| 20 | Scripture: | Former Prophets I | Video | 061-062 | |
| 21 | Scripture: | Former Prophets II | Video | 063-064 | |
| 22 | Scripture: | Former Prophets III | Video | 065-066 | |
| 23 | Scripture: | Former Prophets IV | Video | 067-070 | |
| 24 | Scripture: | Former Prophets V | Video | 069-074 |
| 25 | Scripture: | Latter Prophets I | Video | 073-076 | |
| 26 | Scripture: | Latter Prophets II | Video | 075-076 | |
| 27 | Scripture: | Latter Prophets III | Video | 077-078 |
| 28 | Scripture: | The Persian Period | Video | 081-084 | |
| 29 | Scripture: | Wisdom Literature (for 2020-21) | Video | PP: | |
| 30 | Scripture: | The Hellenistic Period | Video | 085-088 | |
| 31 | Scripture: | The Greek Worldview | Video | 089-090 | |
| 32 | Scripture: | The Allegory of the Cave | Video | 091-092 | |
| 33 | Scripture: | Aristotle and Onward (for 2020-21) | Video | PP: | |
| 34 | Scripture: | The Maccabean Period | Video | 093-094 |
| 35 | Scripture: | The Roman Period I | Video | 095-096 | |
| 36 | Scripture: | The Roman Period II | Video | 097-098 | |
| 37 | Scripture: | The Apostle Paul | Video | 099-100 | |
| 38 | Scripture: | Paul: The Undisputed Letters | Video | 101-102 |
| 39 | Scripture: | The Gospels and Intro to Mark | Video | 103-104 | |
| 40 | Scripture: | Mark: Characteristics I | Video | 105-106 | |
| 41 | Scripture: | Mark: Characteristics II | Video | 107-108 | |
| 42 | Scripture: | Mark: Characteristics III | Video | 109-110 |
| 43 | Scripture: | The Synoptic Problem I | Video | 111-112 | |
| 44 | Scripture: | The Synoptic Problem II | Video | 113-114 | |
| 45 | Scripture: | Intro to Matthew | Video | 115-116 | |
| 46 | Scripture: | Matthew: Characteristics I | Video | 117-118 | |
| 47 | Scripture: | Matthew: Characteristics II | Video | 119-122 |
| 48 | Scripture: | Intro to Luke | Video | PP: | |
| 49 | Scripture: | Luke: Characteristics I | Video | PP: | |
| 50 | Scripture: | Luke: Characteristics II | Video | PP: |
| 51 | Scripture: | Intro to Johannine Literature | Video | PP: | |
| 52 | Scripture: | John: Characteristics I | Video | PP: | |
| 53 | Scripture: | John: Characteristics II | Video | PP: | |
| 54 | Scripture: | John: Characteristics III | Video | PP: |
| Title | Assigned | Due | |||
| 01 | Q1 | What Was Jesus Saying? | WS | 08.00.20 | 08.00.20 |
| 02 | Q1 | What Was Jesus Really Saying? | WS | 08.00.20 | 08.00.20 |
| 03 | Q1 | Bible Beginnings: The Old Testament | XW | 08.00.20 | 08.00.20 |
| 04 | Q1 | Greek Alphabet Quizzes Review | RV | 08.00.20 | 08.00.20 |
| 05 | Q1 | Books of the Old Testament I Quiz Review | RV | 08.00.20 | 08.00.20 |
| 06 | Q1 | Bible Beginnings: The Old Testament | XW | 08.00.20 | 08.00.20 |
