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History's Golden Thread: The History of Salvation
The Bible is the timeless word of God that comes to us through the cultural structures of a specific people, the people of Israel. In spite of the number of books that it comprises, the Bible is, in the end, one book that contains one history. In this book Sofia Cavalletti uses the scriptures to follow the golden thread of the history of salvation, from the creation of the world to its final destiny in Christ. Fifty brief chapters look at the stories of the Old Testament through the lens of the New Testament, making parallels between events, images, and persons. References to the founders of the Church and to the liturgy are included to show how the Bible has been experienced throughout the centuries and how its texts have continued to permeate the lives of believers. Ideal for catechists, scripture students, and anyone interested in understanding the biblical foundations of Christianity. Sofia Cavalletti is an internationally known biblical scholar and the founder of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a method of religious formation based on the educational model of Maria Montesorri. The Catechesis builds on the capacity for faith already present in each child, using the scriptures and the liturgy of the Church. Published by Liturgy Training Publications.
163 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 1999
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May 29, 2013
"A plan has always existed in the mind of God, the aim of which is to bring humankind to the full enjoyment of God" (4).
"The work of God and the response of humankind meet and are bound together in the events that make up the history of salvation. This wondrous unity of the human and the divine must not be broken apart lest we distort the true meaning and nature of sacred history" (7).
"God is the principal artisan" (7).
"In the study of salvation history, it is necessary to become accustomed to examining historical events as both ends in themselves and as signs indicating a reality that transcends them" (8).
"The history of salvation unfolds throughout he collaboration of God and humankind, but the respective roles and different and unequal" (10).
"The aim of sacred history is the salvation of humankind, so that the love of God might be realized in every human being" (11).
"Whenever the invitation of God is met by a free and full human response, salvation is realized" (11).
"Thus, the events of sacred history can be viewed as points of encounter between God and humankind in which humankind comes to know God" (12).
"God is known by entering into communion with him, assenting to dialogue with him" (13).
"With God's help, the reading of the Bible can also be for us an encounter with the living God" (13).
"The masterpiece is a Christ, the Son of Man, who is the willing, intelligent and perfect instrument of divinity. However, the plan of God is completed not only in a person but in the establishment of a kingdom" (15).
"The liturgy then becomes for us the most particular way in which the events of the Bible are made present again, this time in our own lives" (16).
"The way of reading the Bible that we have been describing is that of typology. The term typology comes from the Greek typo, meaning "to beat"). It refers to the hollow imprint left by a die or mold" (17).
"In other words, the typological method searches for the "imprint" of one phase of sacred history upon another, keeping in mind the unity of the divine plan from creation to Parousia" (17).
"The typological method does not detract from the historical reality of the events being interpreted. Indeed typology cannot be based on anything other than historical facts. Only an event that has truly occurred can be the seed of future events. A plant cannot grow from an imaginary seed" (18).
See page 18 for a description of "typology of institutions," "typology of events," and "typology of persons."
"Christian typology has all too often been limited to a typology of two stages . . . . Yet, the correct use of such an interpretive method leads one to a typology of three stages, one that embraces the eschatological reality we await, properly balancing the history that has already been realized and the one that lies before us" (19).
"A typology that does not go beyond the present Christian realities is a typology divested of hope and impairs the very plan of God" (21).
What do I make of the claim: "Only a typological reading of the Bible will enable us to draw near to the mystery of God" (21)?
"Both memorial and typology exhibit a kind of freedom from time; the distance between events seems to disappear, and the events merge into one unified expression of God's salvation and love, in which past and future are fused" (22).
"When mystery speaks and we listen to it, the method of listening is that of typology. When the mystery is celebrated and we participate in it, the way of participating is memorial" (23).
"Typology is not an arbitrary method of reading; it is not a scholarly gimmick" (23).
"Regretfully, typology has not always been applied in this way (in three stages), and the resulting theological and practical consequences have been quite serious: a weakening of hope, a loss of dynamism in the expectation of the "new heavens and the new earth," and, in relation to Israel, the emergence of a theology of substitution with all its tragic consequences" (23).
"The 'deep sleep' of Adam is expressed with a word that also has a religious significance in Hebrew. It indicates a certain receptive passivity on the part of the human being, which makes it possible for God to work in him or her" (28)
"Just as a child is born from the darkness of the maternal womb, so also the woman is created during the 'deep sleep' of Adam" (28). (See entire paragraph)
Three types of typology: christological, ecclesial, sacramental. Correspondence and contrast.
Add passage from page 30-31 to baptism album pages.
"Although redemption is a determinant point, it is not the final one . . . . Christianity is not a point of arrival at which we come to a halt; rather it is a point of departure. It is dynamic and momentous; it is a hope for the completion of what has already occurred, a waiting for the complete realization of all that has been accomplished in Jesus. Only with this cosmic vision will history acquire its full dynamism, the hope of humankind be nourished, and the work of humankind find its true value" (32).
"Therefore, [the prophets] ask, is in not possible that God, who has already been powerful, good, and so forth, could be so again, and to an even greater degree? Could those marvelous acts of God, such as creation, not be repeated on an even higher level? Has God's power been exhausted in what he has already done?" (33).
"From past events the prophets infer that the divine power manifested in history will produce even greater results in the future" (33).
"All this happened because the Spirit of God rested on him from the mount of his conception, enriching him in a particular way at his baptism in the Jordan, and fully mastering and transforming his humanity at the moment of the resurrection. Therefore, those elements that humankind awaits at the end of time are realized in the person of Jesus. Until now, the plan of God has been fully realized only in him. Christian hope is directed toward the time when God's plan will have reached all of creation--all people and all things (Romans 8:19)").
"The work of God and the response of humankind meet and are bound together in the events that make up the history of salvation. This wondrous unity of the human and the divine must not be broken apart lest we distort the true meaning and nature of sacred history" (7).
"God is the principal artisan" (7).
"In the study of salvation history, it is necessary to become accustomed to examining historical events as both ends in themselves and as signs indicating a reality that transcends them" (8).
"The history of salvation unfolds throughout he collaboration of God and humankind, but the respective roles and different and unequal" (10).
"The aim of sacred history is the salvation of humankind, so that the love of God might be realized in every human being" (11).
"Whenever the invitation of God is met by a free and full human response, salvation is realized" (11).
"Thus, the events of sacred history can be viewed as points of encounter between God and humankind in which humankind comes to know God" (12).
"God is known by entering into communion with him, assenting to dialogue with him" (13).
"With God's help, the reading of the Bible can also be for us an encounter with the living God" (13).
"The masterpiece is a Christ, the Son of Man, who is the willing, intelligent and perfect instrument of divinity. However, the plan of God is completed not only in a person but in the establishment of a kingdom" (15).
"The liturgy then becomes for us the most particular way in which the events of the Bible are made present again, this time in our own lives" (16).
"The way of reading the Bible that we have been describing is that of typology. The term typology comes from the Greek typo, meaning "to beat"). It refers to the hollow imprint left by a die or mold" (17).
"In other words, the typological method searches for the "imprint" of one phase of sacred history upon another, keeping in mind the unity of the divine plan from creation to Parousia" (17).
"The typological method does not detract from the historical reality of the events being interpreted. Indeed typology cannot be based on anything other than historical facts. Only an event that has truly occurred can be the seed of future events. A plant cannot grow from an imaginary seed" (18).
See page 18 for a description of "typology of institutions," "typology of events," and "typology of persons."
"Christian typology has all too often been limited to a typology of two stages . . . . Yet, the correct use of such an interpretive method leads one to a typology of three stages, one that embraces the eschatological reality we await, properly balancing the history that has already been realized and the one that lies before us" (19).
"A typology that does not go beyond the present Christian realities is a typology divested of hope and impairs the very plan of God" (21).
What do I make of the claim: "Only a typological reading of the Bible will enable us to draw near to the mystery of God" (21)?
"Both memorial and typology exhibit a kind of freedom from time; the distance between events seems to disappear, and the events merge into one unified expression of God's salvation and love, in which past and future are fused" (22).
"When mystery speaks and we listen to it, the method of listening is that of typology. When the mystery is celebrated and we participate in it, the way of participating is memorial" (23).
"Typology is not an arbitrary method of reading; it is not a scholarly gimmick" (23).
"Regretfully, typology has not always been applied in this way (in three stages), and the resulting theological and practical consequences have been quite serious: a weakening of hope, a loss of dynamism in the expectation of the "new heavens and the new earth," and, in relation to Israel, the emergence of a theology of substitution with all its tragic consequences" (23).
"The 'deep sleep' of Adam is expressed with a word that also has a religious significance in Hebrew. It indicates a certain receptive passivity on the part of the human being, which makes it possible for God to work in him or her" (28)
"Just as a child is born from the darkness of the maternal womb, so also the woman is created during the 'deep sleep' of Adam" (28). (See entire paragraph)
Three types of typology: christological, ecclesial, sacramental. Correspondence and contrast.
Add passage from page 30-31 to baptism album pages.
"Although redemption is a determinant point, it is not the final one . . . . Christianity is not a point of arrival at which we come to a halt; rather it is a point of departure. It is dynamic and momentous; it is a hope for the completion of what has already occurred, a waiting for the complete realization of all that has been accomplished in Jesus. Only with this cosmic vision will history acquire its full dynamism, the hope of humankind be nourished, and the work of humankind find its true value" (32).
"Therefore, [the prophets] ask, is in not possible that God, who has already been powerful, good, and so forth, could be so again, and to an even greater degree? Could those marvelous acts of God, such as creation, not be repeated on an even higher level? Has God's power been exhausted in what he has already done?" (33).
"From past events the prophets infer that the divine power manifested in history will produce even greater results in the future" (33).
"All this happened because the Spirit of God rested on him from the mount of his conception, enriching him in a particular way at his baptism in the Jordan, and fully mastering and transforming his humanity at the moment of the resurrection. Therefore, those elements that humankind awaits at the end of time are realized in the person of Jesus. Until now, the plan of God has been fully realized only in him. Christian hope is directed toward the time when God's plan will have reached all of creation--all people and all things (Romans 8:19)").
May 15, 2010
Reading this with my Bible Study group on Tuesdays.
Traces the links between the Old Testament, the Gospels, the New Testament, and helps the reader more fully understand the Bible in its own context.
Very 'scholarly' read...very glad to have read it with a group.
Traces the links between the Old Testament, the Gospels, the New Testament, and helps the reader more fully understand the Bible in its own context.
Very 'scholarly' read...very glad to have read it with a group.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews