Sacred Scriptures
56. What are the Holy Scriptures?
The Holy
Scriptures, commonly called the Bible, are the books of the Old and
New Testaments; other books, called the Apocrypha, are often
included in the Bible.
57. What is the Old Testament?
The Old Testament
consists of books written by the people of the Old Covenant, under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to show God at work in nature
and history.
58. What is the New Testament?
The New Testament
consists of books written by the people of the New Covenant, under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to set forth the life and
teachings of Jesus and to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom for
all people.
59. What is the Apocrypha?
The Apocrypha is a
collection of additional books written by people of the Old
Covenant, and used in the Christian Church.
60. Why do we call the Holy Scriptures the Word of God?
We call them the
Word of God because God inspired their human authors and because God
still speaks to us through the Bible.
61. How do we understand the meaning of the Bible?
We understand the
meaning of the Bible by the help of the Holy Spirit, who guides the
Church in the true interpretation of the Scriptures.