Scripture and Liturgy

Dr. Hahn discusses how his study of typology and the interconnectedness of the Old and New testaments pointed him, at every turn, toward the historic Catholic Church. He shows the place of tradition in Christian life and how scripture is fundamentally connected to liturgy. He concludes with a discussion of the sacramentality of marriage and the powerful daily liturgy we are called to in the domestic church. (This talk was originally given in 2003 at the CHNetwork’s “Deep in History” conference)

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Study Questions:

-Has a convert to Catholicism affected your faith journey? If so, in what way(s)?

-Have you ever considered human history to be an integral part of your faith?

-What does it mean to read the Bible “haphazardly”? Does this lead to a relationship with Jesus that is based on personal expectations?

-How does Dr. Hahn explain the significance of the story of the “Road to Emmaus”? (Luke 24:13-32)

-Why is context important when reading the Bible?

-Discuss what St. Augustine meant by “The New Testament is concealed in the Old and the Old Testament is revealed in the New” in light of Dr. Hahn’s talk.

-What examples of typology does Dr. Hahn mention? Had you previously noticed typology in Scripture? How much importance have you given to God’s Revelation to Abraham, “the Father of the Faith”, in your own personal faith?

-Does the Old Testament, in general, play a part in your personal faith?

-What difference does it make that Jews were required to eat the Passover lamb in order to be saved from the tenth plague?

-Consider Isaiah 22:19-23 with Matthew 16:18-19, and Luke 1:26-44 with Exodus 40:34-35, 2 Samuel 6:9-16, and 1
Chronicles 13:12-14. How does typology enlighten the Gospels?

-“Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15) Discuss your thoughts on Dr. Hahn’s realization that the Bible does not teach sola Scriptura.

-How did we get the Bible, according to Dr. Hahn?

-What is the “Domestic Church”? What responsibilities does being a member of the Domestic Church carry?

-Discuss Dr. Hahn’s phrase: “Feelings don’t define reality.”

Vocabulary:

Typology: “the Divine rhythm scheme of the Scriptures”; a study that examines the way in which Christian beliefs are
prefigured or symbolized by people, places, events, or things in the Old Testament. Typology “discerns in God’s works of the Old Covenant prefigurations of what he accomplished in the fullness of time in the person of his incarnate Son” (CCC 128)

Living Tradition: “Liturgy is a constitutive element of the holy and living Tradition” (CCC 1124).

Early Church Fathers: A title that gradually came to be applied to Christianity’s earliest teachers, who in the
period of the Church’s infancy and first growth, instructed her members in the teaching of Jesus Christ and that teaching which He very specifically had given to His Apostles. An Early Church Father must be of must be of orthodox doctrine and learning, living a saintly life, and having a certain antiquity (usually, prior to the Council of Chalcedon).