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1.1 REVELATION 1.4 MEANS OF REVELATION

1.2 CONTENT OF REVELATION 1.4.1 Words
1.2.1 God’s Mastery of Himself 1.4.2 Deeds
1.2.2 God’s Divine Plan of Salvation 1.5 CHRIST AS THE PERFECT REVELATION
1.3 VARIOUS INSTRUMENTS OF REVELATION 1.6 FAITH
1.3.1 Creation
1.3.2 Scripture
1.3.3 Church
1.3.4 Conscience
1.3.5 Other religions

1 Revelation and Faith

Intro to
 1. Intro to Revelation and Faith

How do we know God?

How does God

make himself known to us?
The proper attitude of inquiry in this course should always consider God’s initiative in making himself known
to man and not simply man discovering God. — Even our smallest knowledge of God would not be possible if
God did not allow himself to be known through His grace.
This particular grace is called: Revelation.

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 1. Introduction
1. Intro to Revelation and Faith

1.1 REVELATION
Revelation is God’s self-communication to humanity. It is the
manifestation of religious truths by God which humans need to
believe and accept.

“It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal Himself

and to make known the mystery of His will.” [cf. Eph 1:9]

Etymology: Latin (revelatio); Greek (apocalypsis) “the removal of a veil,” i.e.

self-disclosure of God; the making known of what was previously covered
and invisible. Hence, when applied to God, Revelation is God’s self-disclosure.
God’s invisibly is unveiled and manifested.

Gratuitousness of Revelation: God did not have to reveal himself and his
will. The revelation of God’s self and will is not meant to benefit Himself but
humankind. Thus, divine revelation is, itself, a gift!

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 1. Intro to Revelation and Faith

1.2 CONTENT OF REVELATION

1.2.1 GOD’S MYSTERY OF HIMSELF ▶

Transcendent:* God is the One who is unreachable, unfathomable, inexpressible,

and as “the Other.” It means that God will completely remain a mystery* because
He is an infinite, transcendent and absolute being.* He goes beyond human
comprehension and understanding. The limited human mind will not be able
to grasp the divine mystery.

“You, Lord, are the most High over all the earth; “I am who am” [Ex 3:14]
exalted far above all gods.” [Ps 97:9] God as “Inexpressible,” as He made himself known to
Describing God as “Unreachable” Moses.

God is “ipsum esse subsistens” (self-subsisting being) [ St. Thomas Aquinas]

This explains that God’s existence is independent upon other things.

Immanence:* God is present in all of creation, while remaining distinct from it. His presence is manifested
through His mercy and graciousness, truth and love. This is better understood in the theology of the incarnation*
where He enters into a more personal relationship with humanity in the person of Jesus Christ and through the
presence of the Holy Spirit.

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 1. Intro to Revelation and Faith
“In His goodness and wisdom, God chose to reveal Himself to make known to us His purpose and will by
which through Christ, the Word made flesh, human beings might have access to the Father and come to
share in the divine nature. Through this revelation, the invisible God, out of the abundance of His love,
speaks to humans as friends and lives among them into fellowship with Himself.” [Dei Verbum* 2]

1.2.2 GOD’S DIVINE PLAN OF SALVATION

God makes known his desire for humankind and all of his creation which is
to share in His Divine Triune* life. In revealing himself, he made known our origin
and destiny. In revealing his will, he made known the path which we are to traverse
in our journey from Him to Him. It does not pre-determine us but respects our
reason and freedom. For this, God communicates Himself in two general ways:
General Revelation (revealed to all mankind) and Special Revelation (Salvation History).

1.3 VARIOUS INSTRUMENTS OF REVELATION

1.3.1 CREATION
The first way where God reveals Himself to us is through the natural signs that
show the splendor and order of creation and our dignity and role as human persons in
creation which is one of the general revelations. Seeing nature to be in complete order
and beauty cannot deny an intelligent creator who brought it into being.

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 1. Intro to Revelation and Faith
1.3.2 SCRIPTURE
Within Salvation History* God enters into a covenant relationship with His people,
that with His Spirit, He spoke through the prophets and intervenes with the affairs of
humanity which is completed and perfected in Jesus Christ. The holy scriptures became
the written form of these revelations of the living Word of God.

1.3.3 CHURCH
The Church as the people of God proclaimed and witnessed
to the faith and the moral teachings Christ, handed down to the
apostles. With the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Church magisterium*
and theologians* are guided to protect and contextualize the
Word of God to the present social context and celebrated through
the mysteries of the sacraments.

1.3.4 CONSCIENCE
God’s presence is immanent in every person, and speaks in the silence of
one’s heart to reveal His intentions in the person’s life, as part of general revelation. Those
also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of
Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to
do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. (Lumen Gentium* 16)

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 1. Intro to Revelation and Faith
1.3.5 OTHER RELIGIONS

They “reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men” thus the
Catholic Church “rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these religions.”
(Nostra Aetate* 2). Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is
considered by the Church to be a preparation for the gospel and given
by him who enlightens all men and women that they may have at
length have life, in light of general revelation.

1.4 MEANS OF REVELATION

1.4.1 WORDS
Proclaim, set in motion, interpret, promise, contextualize, identify, preserve,
and clarify the mystery-in-deeds.

1.4.2 DEEDS
Confirm, shed light on, fulfill manifest, enflesh, and appropriate the doctrine-in-words.

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 1. Intro to Revelation and Faith

1.5 CHRIST AS THE PERFECT REVELATION

Jesus Christ as the incarnate Word of God is both agent (Revealer) and object
(Revealed) of revelation; both mediator* and fullness of revelation. He fully reveals
both divine nature and human nature.

1.6 FAITH
“The obedience of faith” (Rom. 13:26; see 1:5; 2 Cor 10:5-6) “is to be given to God
who reveals, an obedience by which man commits his whole self freely to God, offering
the full submission of intellect and will to God who reveals,” and freely assenting to the
truth revealed by Him. [Dei Verbum 5]

To make this act of faith, the grace of God and the interior help of the Holy Spirit must precede and assist,
moving the heart and turning it to God, opening the eyes of the mind and giving “joy and ease to everyone in
assenting to the truth and believing it.” [Dei Verbum 5]

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 VOCABULARY

being • For Aristotle, “being” is whatever is Lumen Gentium (Light of the Nations) • knowledge of God’s being and decrees
anything whatever. The “whatness” of any The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. which can only be known through faith
entity, person or thing. return One of the documents of Vatican II and receiving divine testimony. return
considered as one of the most important
Dei Verbum (Word of God) • Constitution document of the council, concerning Nostra Aetate (In our time) • Declaration
on Divine Revelation. One of the Christ as the Light of the World. return on the Relation of the Church with Non-
documents of Vatican II concerning the Christian Religions, one of the document
Church in itself, its sole salvific role as the magisterium • the teaching authority of of Vatican II. return
one, true and complete Christian faith, also the Roman Catholic Church, especially as
in relation to ecumenism among other exercised by bishops, the Pope, Councils Salvation History • the history of events
religions, in relation to the modern world, and Synods. return that focus on the salvation of human
renewal of consecrated life, liturgical beings and issues involving the new
disciplines, etc. return mediator • Christianity understands the heaven and the new earth. return
purpose of mediation and mediator
immanence • the state of being inherent as “the activity and person performing theologian • is someone who studies
or exclusively existing within something: it [mediation] of functioning as a go- the nature of God, religion, and religious
“Place” is a fundamental concept return between or intermediary between beliefs. return
two people or parties, in order to
incarnation • Incarnation literally means initiate a relationship, promote mutual transcendent • Transcendence is the act of
embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. understanding or activity, or effect a rising above something to a superior state.
It refers to the conception and birth of reconciliation after a dispute.” return When you achieve transcendence, you
a sentient being who is the material have gone beyond ordinary limitations. return
manifestation of an entity, god, spiritual mystery • Mystery, then, is a certain kind of
or universal force whose original nature is knowledge – knowledge of things reason triune • relating to Holy Trinity return

immaterial. return cannot discover. Ordinarily, this relates to

 VOCABULARY

Vatican II • The latest ecumenical council

held at the Vatican. It addressed relations
between the Catholic Church and the
modern world. The Council, through the
Holy See, was formally opened under the
pontificate of John XXIII on 11 October
1962, and was closed under Paul VI on the
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
on 8 December 1965. return