Bible Study: The Revelation of St. John
Introduction
Hey all. Here at St. Andrew's, I teach a Bible Study Thursday nights, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. This past year we studied Revelation. Since over the summer months, there won't be much other teaching happening in the Youth Ministry, I thought I would post the commentary on Revelation here, based on that Bible Study. God bless!
By the by, starting September 21st, we'll be studying the Old Testament book of Tobit.
The Book of Revelation, the last of all the books of the Bible, is also the least understood. Throughout the world, and throughout the different sects and denominations within Christianity, much confusion, disagreement, debate, and squabble abounds over its proper interpretation. Even its author and date of writing are up for debate among scholars. And these questions are not recent, but many of them go back to the beginning.
The Book of Revelation was one of the last books to be inducted into the Canon of Scripture (the authoritative list of the books of the Bible), finding acceptance by St. Athanasius in around AD 367, and ratified by following Church Councils. However, over 1000 years later, at the time of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther again wanted to remove it from Scripture because he could not make sense of the book. In his own words, "A revelation should be revealing."
In recent years, Revelation has been at the forefront of Protestant thought, due to the popularity of the best-selling Left Behind series. This series of Christian fiction interprets Revelation in a literalistic fashion and in a purely futuristic sense--making the book all about the Return of Jesus Christ. However, their interpretation, and that of many Protestants, (known as dispensationalism) is a new teaching, originating in America around the end of the 19th century. Historically, and traditionally, the Catholic Church has never taught this, and still does not.
That brings us to the purpose of this study: What does the Catholic Church teach about the Book of Revelation? What Martin Luther and the majority of Bible Scholars these days fail(ed) to take into account in trying to understand this mysterious book is that it, and indeed, all of the Bible, is only ultimately comprehensible within the Liturgy of the Church. Traditions and denominations that have splintered from and rejected the Tradition of the Catholic Church have lost that key, and as close (or as far) as any of them come to interpreting Revelation, it will always be incomplete.
Throughout this study, we will be using The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth by Dr. Scott Hahn (himself a convert to Catholicism) as a guide to show us that as much as Revelation is a book that discusses the fate of the Church and the world in St. John's own day, and as much as it reveals things about the End of the World and the Return of Jesus Christ, ultimately, Revelation, in all its bizarre and confusing imagery, is about something very near and dear, something very familiar to all of us. The key to understanding Revelation is the Mass, and on the other hand, the key to really understanding the Mass is the book of Revelation.
Scott Hahn writes in his introduction,
God inspired all of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16) and as such He meant for it to be for all peoples of all times. Therefore, what John wrote down is relevant to us today. God still speaks through His Word, if we are open to hearing His voice. Otherwise, what would be the point of a Bible Study? So let us open our hearts to His Word.
Come Holy Spirit, and enlighten the hearts of Your people. Reveal Your truth to us. Amen.
Just a note. For the commentary, the Words of Scripture will be Bold and blue, while my comments will be in the normal light grey default type. Scriptures quoted outside of Revelation will be in blue, but not bolded. Words of Christ, as always, will be red. The Scripture text will be in the Revised Standard Version unless otherwise noted.
God bless.
Go To:
Chapter 01 | Chapter 02 | Chapter 03 | Chapter 04 | Chapter 05
Chapter 06 | Chapter 07 | Chapter 08 | Chapter 09 | Chapter 10
Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15
Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20
Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Conclusion
Hey all. Here at St. Andrew's, I teach a Bible Study Thursday nights, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. This past year we studied Revelation. Since over the summer months, there won't be much other teaching happening in the Youth Ministry, I thought I would post the commentary on Revelation here, based on that Bible Study. God bless!
By the by, starting September 21st, we'll be studying the Old Testament book of Tobit.
The Book of Revelation, the last of all the books of the Bible, is also the least understood. Throughout the world, and throughout the different sects and denominations within Christianity, much confusion, disagreement, debate, and squabble abounds over its proper interpretation. Even its author and date of writing are up for debate among scholars. And these questions are not recent, but many of them go back to the beginning.
The Book of Revelation was one of the last books to be inducted into the Canon of Scripture (the authoritative list of the books of the Bible), finding acceptance by St. Athanasius in around AD 367, and ratified by following Church Councils. However, over 1000 years later, at the time of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther again wanted to remove it from Scripture because he could not make sense of the book. In his own words, "A revelation should be revealing."
In recent years, Revelation has been at the forefront of Protestant thought, due to the popularity of the best-selling Left Behind series. This series of Christian fiction interprets Revelation in a literalistic fashion and in a purely futuristic sense--making the book all about the Return of Jesus Christ. However, their interpretation, and that of many Protestants, (known as dispensationalism) is a new teaching, originating in America around the end of the 19th century. Historically, and traditionally, the Catholic Church has never taught this, and still does not.
That brings us to the purpose of this study: What does the Catholic Church teach about the Book of Revelation? What Martin Luther and the majority of Bible Scholars these days fail(ed) to take into account in trying to understand this mysterious book is that it, and indeed, all of the Bible, is only ultimately comprehensible within the Liturgy of the Church. Traditions and denominations that have splintered from and rejected the Tradition of the Catholic Church have lost that key, and as close (or as far) as any of them come to interpreting Revelation, it will always be incomplete.
Throughout this study, we will be using The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth by Dr. Scott Hahn (himself a convert to Catholicism) as a guide to show us that as much as Revelation is a book that discusses the fate of the Church and the world in St. John's own day, and as much as it reveals things about the End of the World and the Return of Jesus Christ, ultimately, Revelation, in all its bizarre and confusing imagery, is about something very near and dear, something very familiar to all of us. The key to understanding Revelation is the Mass, and on the other hand, the key to really understanding the Mass is the book of Revelation.
Scott Hahn writes in his introduction,
Of all things Catholic, there is nothing so familiar as the Mass. With its timeless prayers, hymns, and gestures, the Mass is like home to us....
The Mass is near and dear. The Book of Revelation, on the other hand, seems remote and puzzling....
Well, in this little book, I'd like to propose something outlandish. I propose that the key to understanding the Mass is the biblical Book of Revelation--and, further, that the Mass is the only way a Christian can truly make sense of the Book of Revelation.
God inspired all of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16) and as such He meant for it to be for all peoples of all times. Therefore, what John wrote down is relevant to us today. God still speaks through His Word, if we are open to hearing His voice. Otherwise, what would be the point of a Bible Study? So let us open our hearts to His Word.
Come Holy Spirit, and enlighten the hearts of Your people. Reveal Your truth to us. Amen.
Just a note. For the commentary, the Words of Scripture will be Bold and blue, while my comments will be in the normal light grey default type. Scriptures quoted outside of Revelation will be in blue, but not bolded. Words of Christ, as always, will be red. The Scripture text will be in the Revised Standard Version unless otherwise noted.
God bless.
Go To:
Chapter 01 | Chapter 02 | Chapter 03 | Chapter 04 | Chapter 05
Chapter 06 | Chapter 07 | Chapter 08 | Chapter 09 | Chapter 10
Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15
Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20
Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Conclusion
Labels: Bible Study, Revelation
posted by Gregory at 5:57 p.m.
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