Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study & Apologetics
House rules/notes…
1. Online via Meetup/Zoom or In Person at St. John Neumann Catholic Church 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston, VA 20191 https://saintjn.org/
2. Meetup is www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy Zoom Meeting Logon ID: 861 1782 2081 Password: 406952
3. Unedited Meeting Recaps will be sent out the same night of our meetings without pics (Meetup issue). An edited version with pictures will be posted on our website https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website before the next meeting. Taylor will notify everyone.
4. Questions are encouraged. You can ask during the class, or in the chat box, or email the Meetup group, or me at ron@hallagan.net.
5. Respectfulness. We will be discussing differences between religions and Christian denominations, and we agree to be respectful at all times. Specifically, Protestants are our friends and brothers in Christ; in fact, I personally owe part of my return to the faith to them!
6. No politics. Our goal is not to self-destruct. Our goal is to learn/understand/apply the Bible and our Catholic faith.
7. Catholic Prayer & Fellowship. Are you interested in praying with other Catholics during the week? Jason Goldberg started “Catholic Prayer, Fellowship, and Spirituality Meetup.” Sign up at: https://www.meetup.com/online-catholic-prayer-fellowship-and-spirituality/.
8. “The Chosen” TV series. All of us seek a relationship with Jesus Christ, which is not always easy. It can help if we have seen and heard Jesus personally. “The Chosen” series captures Jesus better than any show I have ever seen. Watch a few episodes and see for yourself.
9. RSVP Reminder: Please RSVP whether you are attending the meeting or just reading the Recaps afterwards. The more RSVPs, the more Meetup will give exposure to “Catholic Bible Study” – a good thing!
Bible Study Format: As shown below, each week of the month has a repeating topic.
Week 1: Gospel Week:
Week 2: Bible Week (Gen to Rev): We are in EXODUS, the 2nd book of Moses.
Week 3: Topics Voted on by Members: x 1) Jesus’ Greatest Parables x 2) Hell, Purgatory, Heaven x3) Comparative Religions 4) Great Women in the Bible 5) Book of Revelation 6) Major Heresies and Church Councils
Week 4: Member Questions:
2. Can you provide a brief review of the origin/meaning of the (12) statements in the Creed?
3. Why does God seem full of vengeance or violence in the OT? Is this a misinterpretation?
4. Can we do a Christian Meditation one evening?
5. Angels – who are they, what do they do, and do we really have guardian angels?
Ark of the Covenant – a) The golden chest containing the Ten Commandments; b) Mary’s womb containing the Word of God
Tabernacle - the portable sanctuary used by the Israelites in the wilderness from the Exodus from Egypt to the building of the Temple in Jerusalem by Solomon. Latin tabernaculum – tent; temporary dwelling place
Apologetics – to defend a belief.
Catholic Apologetics– to defend the Catholic faith using reason, tradition, & Scripture.
Exegesis – the study and interpretation of Scripture (it’s what we do here every week; you are all exegetes).
Eschatology – (Greek, eschaton=last/end): the study of the End Times: the Second Coming of Christ (also called
“Parousia”), Judgement Day, Heaven and Hell.
Church – a building for public Christian worship; the whole body of Christian believers. Greek kyriakon house of the Lord.
Synagogue – a Jewish house of worship, often having facilities for religious instruction. Greek synagogue an assembly, meeting, or gathering
Temple – Latin templum a space set aside for worship; Judaism – the original Temple in Jerusalem where sacrifices occurred.
Eucharist –the Lord’s Supper. The consecrated bread and wine. Comes from Greek eucharistia = gratefulness, thanksgiving.
Mass – the celebration of the Last Supper/Eucharist. “Mass” is from the Latin missa meaning “to send (out).”
Evangelize – to make the Kingdom of God present in our world.
God as Father/He/Him – scriptural tradition (God is not a gender); God does set the gold standard for fatherhood.
Man – generic for mankind, humanity.
Theophany – a divine appearance. Greek: theo (god) + phaneia (appearance).
Preternatural – means “outside the natural”; refers to the preternatural grace Adam & Eve had before the Fall.
The “World” – pertaining to this world or our temporary life here. Also, secular (Latin seaecularis – worldly/temporal). In the Bible, it is used negatively – “fallen man chooses the world/himself over Heaven/God and gets what he asks for.”
Opening Prayer
LORD
As we conclude the story of Exodus tonight,
We thank you for studying your Word with us.
Help us to see Your prefiguring work of Baptism, the Eucharist, the Mass, and human freedom.
And as you taught us to pray…
Our Father
Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily Bread;
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us all. Amen.
Input from SJN members – see draft informational handout.
Major liturgical events – many feast days and memorials in Sept and October but no Solemnities until All Saints Day on Nov 1 and All Soul’s Day on Nov 2.
Today: Mainly Exodus 35-40
Manresa Retreat
What is manna?
Construction of the Tabernacle
The Priests
End of Exodus
Q: Can you provide an intro or overview of the OT books?
Manresa retreat – I was at a 3-day Jesuit retreat last weekend. A few interesting takeaways:
Baptism is not a one-off. Baptism is a river that runs through our lives.
1
Incarnation – the Word made Flesh (Jesus). Incarnation continues in us. When we turn God’s Word into action, it becomes part of us and part of the world. This is a form of continued incarnation.
Jesus said to lay down your life for your friend was the greatest act of love. That’s true, but it’s not like we can go around laying down our lives all the time for others. Yes, we can, in small pieces. We lay down our lives for others every time we do something for them while not expecting anything in return. Every time we praying for someone, we laying down part of our life for them.
Week Two is Bible Timeline – We are in Exodus
Manna – what is it?
Manna was heavenly bread, miraculously provided by God, to nourish the Israelites during their 40 years in the wilderness. Contrary to popular belief, manna did not come down as a finished bread product. It was small, fine as frost, could be boiled, baked, or made into cakes, and tasted like wafers made with honey. It appeared in the morning dew and melted away with the sun.
“The manna was like coriander seed and its appearance was like that of bdellium (a semi-transparent gum resin). The people would go about and gather it up and grind it between two millstones or beat it into mortar and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of cakes backed with oil” (some say honey). – Numbers 11:6-9
Wisdom 16:20 suggests the Lord made it taste according to each one’s preference, which could be why it is difficult to give a single description. It appears to have been nutritionally balanced since it kept them healthy for 40 years.
The origin of “manna” is interesting. It had no name, so they named it "manna," which means, "What is it?"
And when the children of Israel saw it, they, said one to another, “It is manna,” for they knew not what it was.
And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.” - Ex 16:14-15
The Manna
The Israelites were only able to gather enough to meet their need for one day, except the day before the Sabbath when they could gather enough for two days. If anyone gathered more than this, it would spoil by morning (maggots).
The Tabernacle Sanctuary
On the day after Moses returned from Mt. Sinai with the second tablets, he gathered about him the entire congregation of Israel, and told them that God had ordered them to build a place of worship – a Tabernacle – which was to be a visible emblem of God’s presence in the midst of Israel. "They shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst" were God's words. For this purpose God had asked them for voluntary contributions of gold, silver, copper, precious stones, wool, and linen.
When the people heard the news, they gave freely of everything useful and precious that they owned; the women also spun and wove artistic handicraft.
Q: Why would the people be so happy to give their precious possessions to building the Tabernacle?
1) They had seen what happened to those who took a stand against God after the Golden Calf (they died).
2) They thought God would have rejected them after this, and they were elated that God decided to continue this journey with them.
The princes of each tribe contributed precious stones, fine oil, and rare spices. Day after day the entire community brought rich gifts as their offerings to God's sanctuary, until the contributions were more than necessary for the construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings. In fact, Moses had to stop the ceaseless flow of contributions.
Last month we reviewed Chapters 24-31 where God gives the plans for the Tabernacle to Moses. There was a chapter dedicated to each of these!
The Collection of Materials (gold, silver, bronze, yarns of various colors, fine linen, goat hair, ram’ skins, acacia wood, oil for light, spices for anointing, incense, onyx stones, etc., etc., etc.).
The Tent Cloth, Framework, and Veils (dimensions, weave, loops, golden clasps, curtains, multiple frames…).
The Altar for Burnt Offerings (size, wood, horns, pots, basins, fire pans, utensils…).
The Court of the Tabernacle (location, size what should be on the N, S, E, W sides of the tent panels, etc.)
Oil for the Lamps (clear oil of crushed olives…).
The Priestly Vestments
Consecration of the Priests
Altar of Incense
Choice of Artisans, Sabbath Laws, The Tablets
Q: Can anyone see the roots of the Catholic Church here?
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Note the gold and fine materials, the altar, the tabernacle, the oil for lamps (candles), the incense, the priestly vestments, the consecration of the priests! The Catholic Church that Jesus started may only be 2000 years old, but the roots of the Church go back to the beginning of the Bible.
The Priests
From the beginning, the first-born male of every family had originally been destined to be the priests of God, but they lost this privilege as a consequence of the Golden Calf. Since the tribe of Levi did not take part, God selected them to serve as priests in the Sanctuary (and the Temple after that).
The vestments of the common priests consisted of a white linen tunic, pants, girdle, and a white turban.
The High-Priest shared these garments but also had other vestments and ornaments which proclaimed his office to be one of higher importance and holiness. His most characteristic garment was the Ephod, which he wore above the tunic. Made of the finest texture, blue and crimson fine twined linen, and gold threads, it was held on the shoulders by two onyx-stones set in gold. On these onyx-stones the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraved, six on each stone. As magnificently were the High-priest and priests were attired, they were to approach the Sanctuary with uncovered feet, that they might constantly be reminded of modesty and humility.
Holy Place, Holy of Holies, The Bread of the Presence
Manna in the Sanctuary
Once the Tabernacle/Sanctuary was built, manna was kept in the Holy Place near the Ark of the Covenant. This bread was a reminder that daily dependence on God was part of their new relationship, and a prefigurement of the Eucharist that we depend on for our salvation (“give us this day our daily bread”). In the tabernacle/sanctuary, it was even called the “Bread of the Presence” (also show bread, face bread). Moses explained to them further:
"So He (God) humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna – which you did not know nor did your fathers know – that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 8:3).
Q: As yet another prefigurement, who recalls where Jesus repeats these words?
Jesus says these words to Satan in the desert in Mt 4:4.
We learn later on from Jesus that the manna was an intimation of Himself when he told the crowds,
"I AM the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever" (Jn 6:51).
The people were stunned and asked him, "Give us this bread always" (John 6:34).
Jesus answers their prayer shortly afterwards at the Last Supper.
In the tabernacle sanctuary, just outside the “Holy of Holies” that held the Ark, in the “Holy Place” was a gold table, set to the right, that held two stacks of six loaves of flatbread made from manna, one for each tribe of Israel. This bread was to be eaten by the priests every Sabbath “in the sacred place” (the sanctuary), and then they replaced it with fresh each week. Along with the bread, there were also offerings of wine and oil. This was to be an everlasting observance.
Q: Who sees another connection with the Last Supper?
Jesus gives the Bread to his 12 disciples who replace the 12 Tribes of Israel. It is an everlasting observance.
In the middle of the room was the Altar of Incense, made of wood and overlaid with gold. On it, the finest spices were offered to God, every day, morning and evening.
In the south stood the Candlestick, hammered out of pure gold and decorated and ornamented with flower-buds, blossoms, and petals; its seven lamps were lighted every evening.
Q: What do the 7 lamps of the Menorah represent?
Seven represents perfection – the 7th Day of Creation – into which man was invited but didn’t make it.
Ark of the Covenant
The two Tablets of Testimony, which Moses had brought back from Mount Sinai, were kept in the Ark. The Ark was also wood overlaid with pure gold from within and from without. The Holy Ark stood in the Holy of Holies. Its lid was made of pure gold, and out of it were beaten two Cherubim, spreading forth their wings, with their faces turned toward each other. Golden rings were attached to the corners of the Ark so that it could be carried on poles when the camp was on the move.
Consecration of the Tabernacle
The rest of the work in the Holy Tabernacle was given over to the members of the other families of Levi.
After the various parts and vessels of the Sanctuary had been finished, Moses set up the Holy Tabernacle and placed each vessel in accordance with God's command. Then he arranged a seven-day period for the consecration of the sanctuary and installation of the priests in their holy offices.
On the first day of Nissan of the second year after the exodus from Egypt, the erection of the Holy Tabernacle was completed. When Aaron placed the first sacrifice on the altar, God sent a flame of fire which devoured the pieces of meat on the altar. The entire people had watched with awe this sign of God's presence in the Tabernacle and worshipped Him, joyously bowing down before His Divine Majesty.
Cloud and Pillars of Fire
During the day, the Holy Tabernacle was always covered by a pillar of cloud, and in the night by a pillar of fire. As long as the pillar of cloud rested over the Tabernacle, the children of Israel remained in the same place. When the cloud rose up, it was a sign for them to continue their journey.
In order to gain the attention of the vast multitude, whether upon the march or during the encampment, Moses was commanded to use two silver trumpets; their loud and significant blast would be a summons for the people to assemble before the Tabernacle or to prepare for departure from the encampment.
End of Exodus
Most people think that the Book of Exodus ends in the Promised Land, but that’s not correct. The book ends here only two years after they left Egypt. They have 38 years to go, which are covered in the other 3 remaining books of the Pentateuch – Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (mostly Numbers).
Conclusion: The Exodus, Ten Commandments, The Meaning of Freedom
As we conclude the book of Exodus, there are several important takeaways:
Exodus Event Prefigurement or Meaning
The burning bush God has dominion over the material world
Moses is told that the ground is holy. The last time “holy” is mentioned is Gen 2:3 (the 7th Day)
God gives his name as Yahweh “I AM” implies He is pure being and the author of existence.
What did Moses learn about God? He is a God of love, justice, and mercy
What did the plagues signify? The Egyptian gods were false gods à The First Commandment
The Passover – death will “pass over” the Jews The Last Supper/Passover – all humans can now “pass over” death.
The Israelites escape physical bondage Humans can now escape their spiritual bondage to sin (forgiveness)
The Israelites escape through the Red Sea A type of Baptism, where evil is washed away and new life begins on the other side.
Israelites are given Commandments The Commandments are freedom from slavery to sin.
The Commandments are all negatives Each one also means love of God and neighbor. Do not lie, cheat, kill, steal – may sound like restrictions but they are acts of love.
“You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (Jn. 8:32).
Q: Please provide an intro or overview of the OT books.
Pentateuch (first 5 books of the Bible, also called the books of Moses)
Book of Genesis 1-11 (pre-historic) Creation, Fall of Man, Noah, Tower of Babel, Abraham.
11-50 The Patriarchs-Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 12 sons/12 tribes of Israel, Joseph… into Egypt.
Book of Exodus (40) Moses, Plagues, First Passover, Escape from Egypt, Mt. Sinai, The Ten Commandments,
The Tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant.
Book of Leviticus (27): Leviticus is named after the priestly tribe of Levi. There is very little narrative and almost entirely comprises instructions on rules of sacrifices, the priesthood, the operation of the sanctuary, norms of ritual purity, the laws of holiness governing certain offerings, the celebration of feast days and sabbaticals, various moral behavioral, ethical, and economic issues (e.g., sexual practices, idolatrous worship, treatment of others, the sale of land, slavery), and penalties for violations. Some of these practices seem ridiculous or extreme, which requires the reader to dig deep to understand their origins and relevance to the times, and recall that many of these were part of isolating the people from the surrounding pagan-worshipping world and fill their lives with new rules, worship practices, and rituals that would transform their entire lives. This book was also critical for reestablishing religious life among the Jews after the years in Babylonian Exile.
Book ofNumbers (36): Continues the story of the journey begun in Exodus, beginning in the 2nd year after coming out of Egypt. It briefly describes the experiences of the Israelites for a period of thirty-eight years – from the end of their encampment at Sinai to their arrival at the border of the promised land. The Book of Numbers derives its name from the account of the two censuses taken of the Hebrew people, one near the beginning and the other toward the end of their journey in the wilderness. This “40 year” period represented a purifying time for a disparate people as they become more united in their lives and beliefs.
Book ofDeuteronomy (34): The fifth book of the Pentateuch consists of three sermons, or speeches, delivered by Moses to the Israelites in their final year on the Plains of Moab, shortly before they enter the Promised Land. The name comes from deuteron, meaning 2nd or copy, as Moses reviews, repeats, and reminds the Israelites all they have learned – and must take with them – into Israel (but without Moses…).
“And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab…” Deut 34:5 (+/- 1300 BC)
Historic Books and timeline (est.)
Genesis – Abraham to Joseph into Egypt (2,000-1,800 BC)
Exodus – Moses – out of slavery to promised land (1,400-1300 BC)
Joshua – Conquest of Israel (1300-1250 BC) and division of land amongst Israel’s twelve tribes
Judges – Ruled by 12 Judges from the time of Joshua to King Saul (1250-1050 BC)
Ruth – famous non-Hebrew grandmother of King David (1175 BC)
Samuel 1&2 – King Saul to King David (1050-1110AD)
Kings 1&2 – King David, King Solomon, kingdom splits in 2 (1010-940 BC)
Chronicles 1&2 – history recap from King David to the end of the Babylonian Exile (1010-538 BC)
Ezra and Nehemiah – return from the Babylonian Exile (500-400BC)
Maccabees 1&2 – revolt against the Greek Seleucids (160-120 BC)
Novellas (short stories/novels) – Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1&2 Maccabees
The Wisdom Books – Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach
12 Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Closing Prayer
Thank you, Father
For loving us into existence
And for giving us another chance when we fell.
Thank you, Lord
For coming here personally to walk in our shoes
And show us how to live and to love.
Thank you, Lord
For opening the gates of Heaven to us
And for paying our way.
Thank you, Lord
For leaving yourself behind in the Eucharist and in your Word
And for sending us the Holy Spirit to help us the rest of the way.
And Thank you for your mother and her constant intercessions!
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
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