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The term word of God refers to God’s divine revelation to humanity, in which he reveals himself to us for the sake of our salvation. The Vatican II document Dei Verbum (DV) explains: Through divine revelation, God chose to show forth and communicate himself and the eternal decisions of his will regarding the salvation of men. That is to say, he chose to share with them those divine treasures which totally transcend the understanding of the human mind (6). Christians generally agree that the full …

Catholicism teaches that the doctrines contained in Sacred Scripture (the Bible) and Sacred Tradition (the Church) are authoritative because God’s revelation is the source of both. The Catechism puts it this way: “Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the word of God” (97).This means that “both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence” (82).To some Protestants, this might sound blasphemous. The idea th …

At first, the apostles conducted their teaching mission in a purely oral form. Peter preached a sermon on Pentecost.He did not issue a pamphlet.By teaching orally, the apostles followed the example of Jesus, who didn’t author any books, letters, or treatises. Only once do the Gospels mention Jesus writing, and that was with his finger on the ground (John 8:6, 8). Communicating God’s word orally was the most effective way to do it. The great majority of people—even in Israel—were illiterate. …