Biblical School Publishing Contest!

Like that first-century wedding in Cana, our 15th Anniversary Celebration just keeps going! Don't forget to send your submissions for our "Bible Blog" publishing contest before December 31, 2010.

If you submit your biblical reflections by September 30, you will be eligible for consideration in this month's contest. Click here for details.

Biblical School Bible Belt Update

As of September 13, the Catholic Biblical School in North Carolina has opened its doors. Congratulations to Hartford CBS 1999 Graduate, Jerry Siegmund, founder of this new Biblical School in his parish of St. Brendan's. For more details, see our May 28, 2010 entry.

JEPD—What Difference Does It Make?

What does it matter, who wrote the Torah (Pentateuch)? The Bible as we have it now is what we consider inspired, not the original writings behind the biblical text!

That is the perspective of some contemporary Catholic scholars, who hold that study of the text as it currently exists ought to be our guiding principle of interpretation, above the traditional historical-critical methods.

What difference does it make? A whole lot of difference.


Think of it as the difference between reading a news report about a ballgame and rooting for your team at the ballpark. Or the difference between being told about a birthday party after it happens and celebrating with your loved one in person. For me, it's the difference between reading about my parents' lives on email (they live3000 miles away) and spending time with them on vacation. The difference is HUGE.

Discovering how the Bible came to balance, on the one hand, the Yahwist’s (J’s) understanding of Yahweh as the God who he imagined “walking in the garden in the cool of the evening,” with, on the other hand, the Priestly writer’s (P’s) elevated understanding of God’s glory manifest in a luminous cloud (the Kavod Yahweh), is a journey that puts us in touch with the heart of God’s Word in a way that cannot be approached in any other way.

We must first separate the sacred text into its original literary strands before we can compare how different biblical authors experienced the profound religious insights of their times. And if you add into the mix the Elohist (E) and the Deuteronomist (D) you begin to get a glimpse of how the Pentateuch came to be a rich, vibrant tapestry of faith woven over centuries by human authors inspired by the Holy Spirit.

When we learn about the original context of the writings that came to make up Scripture, we enter into the ancient world in a way that, with persistent study and prayer, helps us to immerse ourselves in how the writers of the Bible understood God, the faith community, and the role of individual leaders and families within the context of their relationships with God in the faith community.

The process of careful study of the historical development behind our sacred canon allows us to encounter God in new (old) ways, to see how our current way of worshiping, understanding, and relating to God has evolved through history. We can recapture insights that may not be currently apparent in our lives and communities and in this way deepen our own relationship with God—as individuals and as a community.

This is one reason why the Pontifical Biblical Commission asserts, in the first sentence of its landmark 1993 document, The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, that "the historical-critical method is the indispensable method for the scientific study of the meaning of ancient texts. Holy Scripture, inasmuch as it is the 'word of God in human language,' has been composed by human authors in all its various parts and in all the sources that lie behind them. Because of this, its proper understanding not only admits the use of this method but actually requires it."

Our understanding of what the Bible means today, as a whole and in its individual books, must rely on the interpretation of what the Bible meant to the original authors. In the Pentateuch (Torah), we have come to refer to some of the identifiable authors as "J, E, P, and D."

Faculty Hiring/Retiring

The CBS bids a regretful “farewell” to a beloved member of our faculty, Sr. Judith Mulhall, CSJ, who chose to retire from the Biblical School at the end of the 2009-10 academic year. Thank you, Sr. Judith, from the Office of Religious Education and the Archdiocese of Hartford for guiding so many CBS students in New Testament studies.

We also are delighted to welcome three new faculty members: Ms. Nancy Casey, MTS; Ms. Marcia Franko, MA; and Dr. Eleanor Sauers, PhD.

Nancy holds a masters degree in Biblical Studies from Weston School of Theology and a Certificate in Advanced Studies from the Woman’s Leadership Institute at Hartford Seminary and has been campus minister and religion teacher at East Catholic High School in Manchester for several years.

Marcia is a former graduate of the Biblical School who comes to us after completing graduate studies in Religious Education at Fordham University this spring.

Eleanor has been DRE at St. Anthony of Padua in Fairfield for many years and holds a PhD in Religious Education from Fordham University.

College Credit for Catholic Biblical School Students

On September 15, the Connecticut Department of Higher Education licensed St. Thomas Seminary to award 18 undergraduate credits for completion of the Hartford Catholic Biblical School.

By licensing this new Certificate in Biblical Studies, the Connecticut Department of Higher Education affirms the mission of St. Thomas Seminary, in partnership with the Office of Religious Education Biblical School, to form adult students in understanding and interpreting the Bible for pastoral leadership. The program prepares individuals seeking deepened theological knowledge, both for personal spiritual enrichment and for preparation for ministry in the Church.

Students enrolled in the twelve member schools that make up the Hartford Consortium of Higher Education (including, among others, Univ. of Hartford, Univ. of Connecticut, Trinity College, St. Joseph College and Hartford Seminary) will soon be able to register for CBS courses (2011-12) through St. Thomas Seminary.

Students currently enrolled in the Biblical School will have the opportunity, beginning this year, to receive credit for their CBS work. Course syllabi are available through the Office of Religious Education. A process for enrollment in the new certificate is currently under review.

CBS Anniversary and Grad Reunion Celebration!

Tickets for the CBS Fifteenth Anniversary Event are available for $25 each in the Archdiocesan Office of Religious Education. Archbishop Henry Mansell will join us, and after dinner Dean Harold Attridge of Yale Divinity School will speak on “The Gospel of John, Critical Study of Scripture, and the Life of Faith.”

All are welcome to this event on Thursday, October 21, 2010, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at St. Thomas Seminary. For $25 per guest, you can be part of this historic gathering. Tickets can be purchased in person or by mail from Ms. Jill Costa or Ms. Shirley Morris at the Office of Religious Education in Bloomfield. Tickets will not be available at the door, so be sure and purchase them by October 10. 

Additional donations will be accepted at the event to support the ministry of the Catholic Biblical School.

CBS Recommends—A Survey of the Books of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible

The Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) is the basis for Christian Scripture, liturgy, and theological reflection, but remains for most Christians a closed and intimidating library of books. This course will survey the books of the Old Testament through group instruction and discussion of assigned readings to be completed between each session.

Readings will be assigned between meetings from Michael D. Coogan’s, The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. Copies of Coogan’s book will be available for purchase at the first session at a cost of $45.00 each.

Presenter:  Paul Sansone
Place: St. Patrick-St. Anthony Parish, Hartford
Dates: Saturdays 1:30-3:45 p.m. - September 25, October 30, November 20, January 22, February 26, April 16, May 21, June 18, July 16
Suggested Offering per session:  $15-$20

Mr. Paul D. Sansone studied Scripture at the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. and has been active in adult education and faith formation for many years.

Contact Ms. Pat Curtis for more information or to register.

This event is not sponsored by the Catholic Biblical School, but is authorized as a "make-up" for certain missed requirements. Specifically, sessions in this series could substitute for a Scripture Day that covers the same topic. Contact BJ Daly Horell to pursue this option.

CBS Seminar Registrations Due

Canaanite Mythology and the Old Testament

Mr. Paul Sansone

Sunday, September 12, 2010
Caritas Christi Center, 295 Benham St., Hamden, CT
1:00 p.m.-3:15 p.m.

The people who lived in the ancient Canaanite city of Ugarit are related to the Canaanites among whom ancient Israelites lived and with whom they interacted. The writings of Ugarit shed considerable light on the religious symbolism and language of the Old Testament (and indirectly on some important New Testament imagery). During this session, we will explore some of the mythological imagery that appears in these texts and illustrate how the Old Testament authors, while rejecting Canaanite beliefs, nevertheless took over the imagery of these ancient Canaanite texts to create a theological language by which they expressed their own beliefs about God, God's majesty, and God's relationship to Israel.

Reminder: If you plan to join us for this fascinating seminar on how the mythology of ancient Canaan impacted the formation of Israel's religion and the Hebrew Scriptures, you must register by Friday, September 3. Forms were sent out this summer in the ORE Connections. You can get another copy of the form by contacting Jill Costa at the Office of Religious Education (jcosta@adh-ore.org - 860-243-9465).

*The image above is a sketch of an ancient statue of Ba'al that is currently housed at the Louvre in Paris.

It's in There... NOT!

(Since the number seven symbolizes completion in the Bible, this seventh entry will complete our summer series.)

Proverb: "God helps those who help themselves"

This common saying is definitely NOT one of the Biblical proverbs. The phrase was popularized by Benjamin Franklin in 1757 in Poor Richard's Almanac.

While Scripture encourages us to discern and then act upon our discernment of what we believe what God is calling us to in any given situation (I think especially of Judith taking action to defeat Holofernes), this saying implies that God might NOT help those who don't or can't help themselves! In this sense Ben Franklin's proverb is misleading; Scripture insists that God does help those who cannot, for many reasons, help themselves. That's one reason we engage in petitionary prayer.

This question is at the heart of Christian faith. The New Testament affirms beyond question that God helped all humankind by coming to us in the person Jesus of Nazareth precisely because we could not help ourselves. As St. Paul wrote in his Letter to the Romans: "For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly." (New American Bible, Romans 5:6)

Library Open for Scripture Study

Did you know that students and graduates of the Catholic Biblical School are eligible for a library card at the Archbishop O'Brien Library at St. Thomas Seminary? The library keeps copies of Biblical School texts, along with hundreds of other Scripture resources for cardholders to use. The librarian, Ms. Karen Lesiak, is a graduate of the Biblical School and would be happy to help you find what you're looking for.

Beginning on September 7, 2010, the library will be open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. On Wednesdays the library will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (The library is closed on Monday, Sept. 6, for Labor Day.)