Saints LightWhat Is the Bible, Really?
The Bible is a library of 73 books with God as its true author, written through real human authors, and it teaches without error the truth God wanted written for our salvation.
What this lesson teaches
- The Bible is a library of 73 books: 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New.
- Inspiration means God is the true author while the human writers remain true authors too.
- Inerrancy means what the sacred authors affirm, read according to their kind of writing, is true.
- Chapter and verse numbers are later additions, useful but not inspired.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 105-108
- CCC 120
- CCC 138
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21.
A sample question from this lesson
What does it mean that the Bible is inspired?
- God dictated every word while the writers simply took notes
- God is the author, working through human writers who used their own gifts
- The writers had good religious ideas that the Church later approved
- Only the words of Jesus are from God; the rest is human commentary
Show the answer
God is the author, working through human writers who used their own gifts. The lesson explains that God chose real human authors who used their own minds and styles, and worked through them so they wrote what he wanted (CCC 105-106).
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Inspiration
- God's action on the human authors of Scripture, so that God is the true author of what they wrote.
- Inerrancy
- The truth that Scripture teaches without error what God wanted written for our salvation.
- Canon
- The official list of books the Church recognizes as inspired Scripture.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"What Is the Bible, Really?" is lesson 1 of The Bible, the Catholic Way. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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Related lessons
- How God Speaks: Scripture, Tradition and the Church (Start Here, free)