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The Bible and Moral Theology (Old Testament Elements (The Ten Commandments…
The Bible and Moral Theology
Scripture in the Catholic Tradition
Catholic theology does not see the Bible as a book of ethics.
Though divinely inspired, does not present God's list of right and wrong. Its ethical prescriptions cannot be taken literally in many areas
Evidence of polygamy, concubinage, divorce, and slavery as accepted behavior
The Bible is an anthology of sacred literature, not a systematic presentation of doctrine and ethics
Recounts God's relationship with his people throughout salvation history
New Testament authors provide images of the Christian life which imply new ontological structures grounding new modes of human ethical conduct
Scripture arises out of an oral culture that relies more on stories, symbols, and images for interpreting reality
Jesus spoke in parables, telling stories, and providing images
Images seek to capture the imagination, tease the mind, invite the hearer, and motivate to action
Contemporary moral issues must be approached within the whole context of the full and living Gospel (both Scripture and Tradition)
Old Testament Elements
Christian biblical revelation finds its spiritual and moral roots in the tradition of Israel
God made man with freedom, which he used in a negative way, allowing sin to enter the world
God started his plan of salvation for man with Noah, Abraham, and Moses being examples of fidelity to God
Establishing of a covenant with His people
All of Israel's morality is a covenant morality. It provides the motive for observing the Torah. It showed the people how to respond to God's love
The Ten Commandments
Their meaning is best determined from the context of its revelation - God saving His people - an act of love
They express the will of God for the community of Israel
Not meant primarily for individual conduct, one participated in the covenant inasmuch as one was a member of the covenanted people. Breaking the law meant breaking the community's covenant with God
Shows God as the model for moral action in accordance with His command, since He is alone good and is faithful
Prophets
The people still sinned and took God's promises for granted
The prophets came to remind people of their covenant commitment and ancient ideals - to instill hope and help people turn back to God
They insist on the sincerity of religious practice being proved by right conduct - plead for justice and active social responsibility
Wisdom Literature
More concerned with the individual person than with the community of faith
Offer maxims and insights based on reasonableness of human nature - more philosophical than theological
Start with the human capacity for intelligence, discipline, and moral behavior as the springboard for discussion. They mediated the law and prophets to the common folk in their daily lives
New Testament Elements
Teaching of Jesus
By his words and deeds, Jesus fully reveals the will of God the Father and teaches the truth about moral action
Jesus brings the question about morally good action back to its religious foundations, to the acknowledgment of God, who alone is goodness, fullness of life, the final end of human activity, and perfect happiness
"This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15)
Kingdom of God - the dynamism of God's love erupting in time
A call to conversion and repentance - a grace to allow us to look at the world through God's eyes and not our own
Announcing the Good News - repentance and forgiveness of sins
Faith is our response and acceptance of God's gift and call
Sermon on the Mount
Details the moral implications for all those who answer Jesus' call to follow him personally as disciples
He re-lays the foundations of ethics, by making the moral value of an act depend on inner disposition of heart - interiorization of law
The Beatitudes describe the basic attitudes and dispositions that should characterize the life of a disciple - they are blessings for the disciples who will fulfill the words of the Covenant - they show where true happiness may be found
The Great Commandment of Love of God and one's neighbor
Love is the form and essence of Christian perfection
Such holiness involves a love that completely surrenders the self and imitates God's love for everyone. Jesus is the model
Christian love is a direction of attitude and concern that had to do with our will, not emotions or feelings. It is totally related to who God is and how he deals with us (He loves, so we love)
Lack of sensitivity to the needs of others is just as serious a violation as is cold-hearted selfishness
The Church in the New Testament
The Holy Spirit - through the Spirit the believer is created anew. Christian life thus does not primarily consist of obedience to rules, but is a living out of the life of the new creature in Christ's Spirit
The Spirit imparts the capability of fulfilling what is commanded
The Spirit is the unifying principle of the Christian community, the body of Christ - there is a communion of life. Early Christians had a communal ethics
St. Paul presents a dying/rising ethics - the believer must grow in Christ by continuing to share in the paschal mystery
St. Paul - charity is the bond of perfection and love of neighbor fulfills the whole law. One proves one's love by keeping the commandments. Charity implies one is begotten by God and lives in communion with Him
Eschatological perspective - in the end, a sure and lively hope in the final fulfillment of God's plan, his kingdom, must lead Christians to love in joy and peace
Fidelity to the fundamental kerygma provides the Christian theologian with the ultimate criterion for moral action - active cooperation with God's will