THE 1310 Lecture 2

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Topics:

Divine Revelation

Teleology:

Knowing something's purpose (τέλος; telos, "end", "fulfillment", "completion") determines other characteristics
demonstrates the greatest intelligence of that thing
philosophy of Toy Story franchise by Pixar: toys reach their ultimate fulfillment when they are loved and played with by a child.

What is the purpose of divine revelation?

union with God and sharing in His divine nature
fellowship with Himself
the Trinity is a secret that can only be known through revelation / "unveiling"
God calls us "friend"
- According to Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, friendship must be among equals
- God is so far beyond us that according to Aristotle, we could never be friends... yet we are
- God has come down to us to raise us up to Himself

Creation: nature reflects the "form" of God
History: points in time where we come to fuller understanding of God
- Adam & Eve
- Abraham, Moses, and other patriarchs
- Prophets among the Israelites
- Christ!, the fullness of revelation: "we await no further revelation"^[1]

Definition: Teachings and practices handed on orally.

Why hand things down?
- "I forget..."
- "No, literally, we forget things" and need a way to remember (preferably without error)
How has this been done?
- "Words and Deeds" (repetitive theme throughout Dei verbum) :: Scripture and tradition
  - These "form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church."^[2]
Tradition pre-dates scripture
- 1Cor 11:23-26 is earliest evidence of tradition
- Paul's letter was written before gospels
- Paul wasn't even at the Last Supper
- Therefore, his knowledge of this must have been passed onto him orally by the Apostles.
Since there will be no new revelation, why has the faith continued to develop?
- God is a living God, hence living yet unchanging tradition.

Definition: "with [God] acting in and through [matter]"^[3]