Thursday Morning Scripture Study
Fall 2007
The Creed
with Father Larry Hennessey
September 27 to December 6
for the class syllabus and handouts click here
This Fall the Thursday Morning Scripture study group is directing its attention to a study of the Creed. Luke Timothy Johnson in his book, The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why it Matters explains why a thorough understanding of the Creed is essential as we study scripture.
The creed does not dictate how Scripture is to be read in all its richness and diversity, but it provides an epitome or summary that guides and directs the proper reading of Scripture. Apart from the few places where it uses terms from ancient philosophy, it draws all its language from Scripture. The story told by the creed is itself drawn from the great story line of Scripture.
[T]he creed provides a guide for the correct understanding of the heart of Scripture and its overall intent. Any reading of Scripture that has it teaching of multiple gods, or the equality of evil with good, or that Jesus was not fully human, or a sectarian view of the church, is, by the measure of the creed, a false reading. The creed unobtrusively but effectively supplies the Christian people with the code for understanding its sacred text.