Barron - How the Pope Reads Scripture

In reading Jesus of Nazareth (volume 2), Father Robert Barron comments on Pope Benedict XVI's "theological hermeneutic," which, while not eschewing the historical critical method of studying Scripture, looks at the Bible more deeply, revealing God's intent in and for human history. Here.

1,000 Years Older than Dead Sea Scrolls

Fox News reports:

By decoding the inscription on a 3,000-year-old piece of pottery, an Israeli professor has concluded that parts of the bible were written hundreds of years earlier than suspected.

The pottery shard was discovered at excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa near the Elah valley in Israel -- about 18 miles west of Jerusalem. Carbon-dating places it in the 10th century BC, making the shard about 1,000 years older than the Dead Sea scrolls.

Professor Gershon Galil of the University of Haifa deciphered the ancient writing, basing his interpretation on the use of verbs and content particular to the Hebrew language. It turned out to be "a social statement, relating to slaves, widows and orphans," Galil explained in a statement from the University.

The inscription is the earliest example of Hebrew writing found, which stands in opposition to the dating of the composition of the Bible in current research; prior to this discovery, it was not believed that the Bible or parts of it could have been written this long ago.

According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, current theory holds that the Bible could not have been written before the 6th century B.C.E., because Hebrew writing did not exist until then..More>>

Readings for Sunday

Sunday, September 27, 2009: Liturgy Reflection from JP Catholic University on Vimeo.

Loaded Canons

Here's a nifty comparison of biblical canons provided by Bible Study Magazine. [ht: New Advent]

The B - I - B - L - E, Yes That's The Book ...

Until we get the Gloria TV video (below) to keep itself within the bounds of its incredibly important and over-sized message, allow me to offer, gentle reader, a fine essay by fellow convert and apologist Mark Shea, Tools for Thinking Sensibly About Scripture from insidecatholic.com.

For some folks, it takes a lot to dispel the myth of the hyper-controlling Church that only permits Bible study among the faithful after the insertion of the Vatican Orbital Mind Control Laser Platform chip in the frontal lobe of the brain. Indeed, it may come as a shock to such folk to discover that the Church offers us only three measly guidelines when pointing the faithful toward reading Scripture for its literal sense. Dei Verbum tells us:

1. Be especially attentive "to the content and unity of the whole Scripture";
2. read the Scripture within "the living tradition of the whole Church"; and
3. be attentive to the analogy of faith.

That's it. That's all the mind control the Church offers when it comes to reading the Bible for its literal sense. What do these guidelines mean? In part, as we saw last week, they mean that when you read the Bible, you need to pay attention to what sort of literature you are reading. But other things come in as well.

Keep reading …