Here are some review questions on Sacred Scripture.

1. Are the human authors of Sacred Scripture true authors? What does the answer to this question imply? The human authors are true authors, not typewriters or secrataries. This implies that techniques of literary study can and should be employed.
2. How could you explain that the Inspiration of Scripture, even though extending itself to the whole work (including the words), is not the same as “dictation”? The human authors used their own voice and vocabulary, and were subject to human limitations. The Holy Spirit intervened such that God’s intended message was communicated. For example, if a different human author wrote a particular message, the same message would have been communicated, but it would have been written in a different way, according to the style of the author. A good example is the four Gospels, especially the three synoptic Gospels, where some of the same messages are said but in different ways. Of course, the providence of God also chose the human authors, so there was no part of the process which was out of God’s control.
3. How could you explain the meaning of Inspiration in relation to a book shaped by long traditions redacted into one book only later (e.g. the Pentateuch)? God intervened in the whole process such that the Scriptures said what needed to be said. God was at work in the original events, and may have inspired early witnesses to report them. God intervened in the process of oral transmission and original writings to make sure that the needed information was preserved. Finally, God intervened in the final editors so that everything that was needed made it into the Scripture that we have today.
4. How could you describe briefly the “Inerrancy” of Sacred Scripture (see Vatican II, Constitution of Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, chapter III, especially section 11)? God is the author of sacred Scripture. He chose the human authors, and made full use of their powers and faculties while acting in them and by them. The human authors are true authors, but by means of inspiration, God made sure that they wrote what he wanted written, and no more. We can be assured that everything in Scripture is there because God wanted it there. This does not negate the fact that the various kinds of literature that make up the Bible must be interpretted in an appropriate manner, which may not demand scientific or even historical accuracy.
5. Why is the regard of “literary forms” essential for the proper understanding of the meaning and Inerrancy of Sacred Scripture? (see Dei Verbum, especially section 12)? Truth can be expressed in different ways using different literary genres. The Scriptures include various historical, prophetical, and poetical writings, which must be interpreted differently. Also, the circumstances of time and culture at the time of writing must be taken into account, including customary and characteristic patterns of perception, speech, and narrative, as well as the conventions people observed in their dealing with one another. We must be careful not to impose contemporary expectations onto the ancient texts.
6. Give and Explain the various senses of Sacred Scripture. All Scripture can be understood in a literal sense, which is focused on what the text literally says. The literal sense can be further divided into how it would be strictly understood at a human level, and what is known as the “sensus plenior”, or the fuller sense, which is the intent of the divine author, and can only be recognized in the light of subsequent revelation. The literal sense must be maintained, as understood in its literary and cultural context, even though other senses may find additional meaning in the text.
   The typical sense recognizes that events, persons, institution, and objects of an earlier phase prefigure and anticipate the realities of a subsequent phase of salvation history. The Patristic and Medieval schema, which is also used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, further subdivides the typical sense according to the realities signified. The first subdivision is the allegorical sense, which sees Christ and the Church prefigured. The second subdivision is the tropological or moral sense, which sees the moral teachings of a passage. The third is the anagogical or eschatilogical sense, which sees the ultimate fulfillment of a passage at the second advent of Christ. Finally, Origen had a somewhat different division. He recognized the strictly literal sense, as well as a moral sense, which corresponds to the tropological sense. He had a third sense, which he called “spiritual”, which included the sensus plenior, the allegorical, and anagogical senses.
7. What are the foundations of the “fuller” sense and the “typical” sense, or “spiritual” sense in general (see Dei Verbum sections 12-13)? The senses of Scripture come out of the unity of salvation history. This means that all of the Scriptures come from the same source, (God, the Father), are centered on Christ, and animated by the same Spirit. Any particular passage of Scripture must ultimately be understood in the context of the whole of Scripture, the tradition of the entire church, and the analogy of faith.
8. Give some good examples of the “typical” sense and their relevance. Old Testament prophecies that predict the unending line of the dynasty of King David are seen to be ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Not only do we see Christ reigning today from heaven through the Church (analogical sense), but we also anticipate an ultimate fulfillment of Christ’s kingship when he comes again to judge the world, after which he will reign forever as King of Kings.