An Introduction to Studying the Bible for Catholics

Have you ever thought…

• Why would a loving God make the whole human race suffer just because Adam took a bite of that apple?
• Wasn’t it cruel of God to ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac in the first place?
• I think the vineyard workers who worked all day should have been paid more.

If you ever asked yourself these questions or others like them, please consider joining us for this 9-session bible study series. We will use the book And God Said What? by Margaret Nutting Ralph. The series will introduce participants to the importance of understanding the various literary forms that appear in Scripture: myth, legend, debate, fiction, Gospel, parable, allegory, letter and apocalypse. Each genre is clearly defined, and the importance of understanding genre in order to find meaning is explored in relation to many well-known biblical passages: Samson, Lot’s wife, Jonah, puzzling parables, 666, and many more.

The sessions are as follows. Please click on the link to see a sample PowerPoint presentation from when this series was first offered in 2011 by Fr. Steve Shott, OSFS, now pastor at St. Ann Catholic Church in Fayetteville, NC.

1. What is the Bible? (Ch. 1)
2. Literary Forms – Myth, Legend, Debate (Chs. 2, 3, 4)
3. Literary Forms – Fiction, Songs, Narratives (Chs. 5, 6)
4. What is a Gospel? (Ch. 7)
5. The Infancy Narratives (Ch. 8)
6. The Miracle Stories (Ch. 9)
7. Parables and Allegories (Chs. 10, 11)
8. The New Testament Letters (Ch. 12)
9. The Book of Revelation (Ch. 13)

RESOURCE: And God Said What? An Introduction to Biblical Literary Forms