Day Fourteen: The Bible and the Formation of the Gospels, Part Five

                “Predictable and Consistent”. I learned a long time ago that the best thing a teacher can do for their students is just to be predictable and consistent with their routine. There is already too much going on in my students’ lives that they cannot control and that give them anxiety. Why should I add any more to their stress? As best I can, I want to give them a sense of ownership and control in my classroom. One of the ways I do this is strict routine. Predictable and consistent.

                When students come into my classroom, they will always find the daily objectives written on the board: “Students will be able to...”. Some students have their own routine and they write or type these objectives in their notes before the bell rings. Before the class even begins, my students have an idea of what we will be doing that day. Of course, this doesn’t prevent them from trying to negotiate with me sometimes: “Can we have a free day, today, Mr. Smith?” I do a quick calculation of how much their education actually costs them, their parents, or taxpayers; they usually go back to their desks.

Church of Mary Immaculate, Refuge of Sinners in Dublin, Ireland. Churches like this were intentionally impressive and inspiring, as if to tell the congregation that something important was going to be said (in Scripture) and done (in the Eucharist). (photo P. Smith)

“Students will be able to describe the format of the Bible.” It is a basic “nice-to-know” kind of thing. Basic knowledge of the structure of the Bible allows them an ability to potentially read the Bible on their own. It gives them access to the single most quoted and referenced book in the Western Hemisphere; it helps them to understand allusions and metaphors they will come across in their history, art, and literature classes. And, if they are lucky, it will help them to know a God who Loves them perfectly. Knowing the format of the Bible is a precursor to encountering God in the Bible.

I give them some basic notes:

The Christian Bible is divided into two parts:

• Old Testament/Old Covenant/Hebrew Scriptures/Israel’s Scriptures. “Old Testament” or “Old Covenant” are antiquated terms. They make it seem as if the entire history of the Jewish people means nothing in regard to our Salvation History. Even calling it “Hebrew Scriptures” is misleading as not all of the books in this part of the Bible were written in Hebrew. I stress that the Israel’s Scriptures are necessary and completentary to the story of Jesus in the Gospels/
• New Testament/New Covenant. Christian Scriptures tells the story of Salvation History, Jesus’ life and the early Church. The Israel’s Scriptures describe Salvation History and how God continually invites us into relationship with Him and how we regularly and poorly respond to that invitation. The New Testament details Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. It is the final chapter in God’s invitation to us. The New Testament explains how the Holy Spirit helps the Church to start, flourish, and grow in the first century, despite major obstacles.
• The twenty-seven books of the New Testament, in particular, focus on Jesus Christ and developing a relationship with Jesus so we can begin to know True, Authentic Love. Indeed, the Bible is a Rope that God gives us so we can know Him better.

The last part of this class describes the formation of the Gospels, in particular, and how the story of Jesus necessarily includes us as story-tellers or witnesses.