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ABOUT AGAPE BIBLE STUDY

[ag-ah-pay' = Greek for "spiritual love."  1^st century Christians, however, gave this word a uniquely Christ-centered meaning = "self-sacrificial love."  "Agape" is the word Jesus used when He commanded us to love one another as He has loved us in John 13:34]

Mission Statement: Agape Bible Study is dedicated to providing free Bible study materials to everyone who desires to explore the fullness of God's Truth in Sacred Scripture and Tradition.

About our Logo:
The three blocks of color in our logo represent the mystery of the Triune God. The red block represents God the Father. Sacred Scripture tells us that God manifested Himself to Moses in a fire blazing from the middle of a bush (Exodus 3:2), He manifested Himself to the Israelites as a holy fire on the heights of Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:18), and the inspired writers of both Deuteronomy and Hebrews described God as a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrews 12:29) in His desire to purify His children to bring them to salvation (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). The bright yellow block represents God the Son, the Light of the World (John 1:4; 8:12) who brings God's gift of salvation to mankind (CCC# 432; 2466). The blue block represents God the Holy Spirit who imparts new life in the Sacrament of Baptism through water and the Spirit (John 3:5; CCC# 720). The positions of the bocks also represent the progression of the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son (CCC# 245-248; Latin Rite Nicene-Constantinople Creed; the Council of Florence). The cross symbol is presented on top of the blocks, which represent the Most Holy Trinity, as a sign that the cross of Jesus Christ is the only ladder to heaven (John 17:2-3; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:3-6).

Agape Bible Study follows the guidelines of Catholic teaching on Sacred Scripture which is drawn from five authoritative sources:

1. Pope Leo XIII: Providentissimus Deus (Encyclical on the Study of Holy Scripture; November 18, 1893)
2. Pope Benedict XV: Spiritus Paraclitus (Encyclical on St. Jerome; September 15, 1920)
3. Pope Pius XII: Divino Afflante Spiritu (Encyclical on Promoting Biblical Studies; September 30, 1943)
4. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council: Dei Verbum (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation; November 18, 1965)
5. Catechism of the Catholic Church (first edition, October 11, 1992; second edition, August 15, 1997)

Every Agape Bible Study course follows the guidelines for Biblical studies set forth in the Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC]:

1. CCC #101-117:  Each study teaches that "God inspired the human authors of the sacred books"
2. CCC#106: "The inspired books teach the truth"
3. CCC#107: "Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by whom it was written"
4. CCC#101: Sacred Scripture must be studied within "the living Tradition of the whole Church" (CCC#113).  In every lesson the Biblical text is studied in accordance with the ancient tradition of the two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual, the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses (see CCC# 115-117).

In order to discern the sacred writer's original meaning and intent every lesson takes into account:

1. The conditions of the time the passages were written (historical background) and the culture and literary genres in use at the time.
2. Attention to the original language (Hebrew in the Old Testament as well as Greek in the Septuagint Old Testament translation, the Greek language used in the New Testament) employed by the inspired writer.
3. An understanding of the entire context of the passage and the relationship between that passage of Sacred Scripture and other Old or New Testament passages (prophecy and typology).

Pope Benedict XVI has expressed his concern for modern-day methods of interpreting the Bible that are too limiting in which some scholars and Bible teachers read Scripture in an attempt to pluck out answers from unrelated texts. Instead, Pope Benedict has encouraged the faithful to study Sacred Scripture as one whole, as the inspired word of God in which everything relates to everything else in salvation history, with the whole of the Bible leading to Christ and its message forever in the present, addressing each generation.

Organization of the Agape Bible Study Website:
Each study also provides numerous charts to illustrate teaching points of Biblical events, and charts to illustrate typological relationships that assist students in understanding complex Biblical themes, as well as information included concerning archaeological discoveries which support the Biblical account.  Each of the Bible study courses emphasizes the study of Sacred Scripture in the light of the cumulative effect of Salvation History with an emphasis on Christianity's Jewish, Old Covenant roots'taking as a guide St. Augustine's statement "...for the New [Testament] is hidden in the Old and the Old [Testament] is fulfilled in the New."

You will find that Agape Bible Study is divided into Bible Studies, Documents & Resources, and Charts. The Documents & Resources and the Charts sections contain the various charts and other documents that may be referenced in the lessons. Fifteen studies are currently offered:

• How to Study the Books of the Prophets [ 1 Lesson ]
• Salvation History: A Study of God's Plan of Salvation for Humanity From Genesis to the Birth of the New Covenant Church [ 28 Lessons ]
• The Book of Genesis [ 20 Lessons ]
• The Book of Exodus [ 18 Lessons ]
• The Book of Leviticus [ 13 Lessons ] (in progress)
• The Gospel According to John [22 Lessons ]
• The Apocalypse of John, also called the Book of Revelation [ 25 Lessons ]
• St. Paul's Letter to the Romans [ 17 Lessons ]
• The Letter of St. James [ 10 Lessons ]
• The Letter of St. Jude [ 1 Lesson ]
• The Letter to the Hebrews [ 14 Lessons ]
• The Sermon on the Mount [ 10 Lessons ]
• The Beatitudes [ 10 Lessons ]
• The Advent of the Messiah [ 6 Lessons ]
• The Eight Last Things: Crossing the Threshold to Eternity [ 8 Lessons ]

As you study the lessons, if you have any questions, please contact us by clicking on the "contact" box.  We would be happy to answer any of your questions.

Required texts for all Bible studies:

• Catholic Bible with complete canon
• Catechism of the Catholic Church

For more information on the study of Sacred Scripture, please see the document "A Guide for the Study of Sacred Scripture" found in the Bible Study Section on the main menu.  Before you begin each Agape Bible Study lesson, please pray that God the Holy Spirit will guide you in your study and that He will reveal to you the truth of God's Living Word, our Savior Christ Jesus.  In pursuing the truth contained in Sacred Scripture please also keep in mind St. Thomas a Kempis' advice:

"Mankind is always changing; God's truth stands forever.  And he has many ways of speaking to us, regardless of the human instruments he uses.  Often enough, our reading of Holy Scripture is distracted by mere curiosity; we want to seize upon a point and argue about it, when we ought to be quietly passing on.  You will get most out of it if you read it with humility, and simplicity, and faith, not concerned to make a name for yourself as a scholar.  By all means ask questions but listen to what holy writers have to tell you; do not find fault with the hard sayings of antiquity ' their authors had good reason for writing as they did."
St Thomas a Kempis,  The Imitation of Christ: On the Reading of Holy Scripture, 1.5.2

Per Crucem ad Lucem: "Through the Cross to the Light"


Agape Bible Study staff.