Sacred Scripture #
An introduction to Sacred Scripture and systematic theology. These lectures examine how Scripture guides us toward eternal life, the systematic structure of the New Testament, and the principles of division and classification in understanding divine revelation.
Listen #
Lectures #
1. Eternal Life, the Theological Virtues, and Scripture’s Purpose #
This lecture establishes the Christian goal as eternal life (zoē aiōnios)—the beatific vision of seeing God face to face—and explains how the three theological virtues (faith, hope, charity) ordered in time lead to this end. Berquist examines the opening passages of Vatican II’s Dei Verbum and papal documents on Scripture study, arguing that sacred doctrine itself is structured around faith, hope, and charity, and traces how the Church Fathers and medieval Scholastics contributed to systematic biblical interpretation.
2. St. Thomas’s Division of Sacred Scripture and the Epistles of Paul #
This lecture explores St. Thomas Aquinas’s systematic division of Sacred Scripture, particularly focusing on the structure of the New Testament and the fourteen Epistles of St. Paul. Berquist explains how the Old Testament operates through commandments (principiendo) while the New Testament operates through grace (adjuvando), and demonstrates how Thomas divides complex theological material into comprehensible units of two or three parts, using the Gospels and Pauline epistles as primary examples.
3. Division, Definition, and the Structure of Logical Argument #
Berquist examines the principles of logical division, explaining why things naturally divide into two or three parts. He explores the relationship between premises and conclusions in syllogistic reasoning, drawing parallels to how definitions make known their species without the species being part of the definition. The lecture uses concrete examples from military terminology, family structure, and cell biology to illustrate these logical principles.