VERONICA NOVOTNY
STAFF WRITER
Students flocked to the “Genesis to Jesus” Bible study, written by Scott Hahn and hosted by an expert from the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 5 in the Pugliese Auditorium.
Hahn, who holds a doctorate in biblical theology, wrote the “Genesis to Jesus” Bible study to fill a need for biblical study grounded in Catholic teaching. Raquel Lopez, who earned her master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville and now works with the St. Paul Center, personally led the Bible study, which focused on salvation history and the creation of God’s family through covenant.
As Christians reading the Scriptures, “we’re standing in the stream of salvation history,” said Lopez.
Lopez explained that the people and events of the Old Testament correspond to the Redeemer and the salvation won in the Gospels. She encouraged her audience to “pay attention to the readings even in the daily Mass (and) you will notice a lot of the parallels” between the Old and New Testaments, which she referred to as “typologies.” One such typology that she noted was when Moses led the Israelites into the Promised Land, which was both a historical event and a prefiguration of the crucifixion of Christ and redemption of the entire world.
“Genesis to Jesus” is a seven-week course designed to teach biblical history from God’s perspective, starting with the covenants of kinship he created with patriarchs like Adam and Moses and continuing into the new covenant established in the person of Jesus Christ.
The opening night on Wednesday covered the importance of scriptural study and the basics of biblical history, but it is not too late to join. The Bible study will continue for the following six Wednesdays, ending on Oct. 17. If a student attends at least four nights of the study, the St. Paul Center will grant that student a certificate of completion. Several professors offer extra credit for students who complete the program.
Alex Landrigan, a junior at Franciscan, said that she initially came for the extra credit, “but now that I’m here, I’m kind of excited for the rest of it.”
Lauren Donnelly, a junior transfer student, agreed with Landrigan and said, “I’ve never had a Bible study before, (so) it’s a new experience,” adding that she is grateful to have such enriching extracurriculars offered on campus.