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Courses Reconquest > Understanding Old Testament History > Module 3

Module presentation 3 - From Abraham to Joseph of Egypt

This module will offer a chance to contemplate humanity’s journey from the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise to the times that lead up to Abraham’s emergence. The events covered show how human infidelities and Satan’s plots in no way upset Gods loving and almighty plans, regardless of appearances.

In concluding his six-day Work, with the creation of man, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Gen 1:31). The “very good” ensemble of Creation had man at its summit, in a certain sense, since God would one day become incarnate in human nature. “‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’” (Gen 1:26). 

In their prideful ambition to be equal to God, Adam and Eve disobeyed a divine prohibition, seduced by the serpent’s words to Eve: “’You will be like God’” (Gen 3:5).  

The opposite was true: by sinning, Adam and Eve lost Divine Grace and shattered the harmony that existed in their souls and in Creation. But the Tempter had no time to gloat. God immediately promised a future Redeemer and foretold Satan’s defeat. 

With humanity’s newfound moral weakness, humans would have to depend all the more on God’s Grace and would be divided between those who accept God’s aid and those who reject it. In the Deluge, God’s chastised the latter, while safeguarding the faithful Noah and his family in the ark — pre-figure of the Church.

The descendants of Noah formed a new, but not God-fearing, humanity. They began to build the Tower of Babel, and their evil intent was punished: God confused their language and “scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth” (Gen 11:8). 

We will examine all of these crucial events from the angle of God’s ever-prevailing plans and the rift between the faithful and those who war against God. We will see how God makes use of all evils to enhance His plans and win greater glory — glory that He will share with his faithful children.

Conteúdo

Module presentation

Module lessons

Bibliographic references

Comments

Module lessons 3

1. Idolatry

Post-diluvian humanity, forgetting the God who had created it and filled it with so many gifts and benefits, and giving free rein to its evil passions, embarked on the path of sin by erecting idols to worship. The study of this idolatrous practice is essential if we are to understand how our course will unfold.  

2. Abraham: God’s Chosen One

From the ends of Mesopotamia, the Creator of the world loves and elects a man full of faith and docility to his voice for a unique mission. We will learn about the beginnings of his glorious existence and also about the land of Canaan, promised to Abraham.  

3. “You shall be the Father of many nations…”

In this lesson, we will consider Abraham's courage and his generosity towards God and his neighbor. For his ardent charity, the venerable patriarch receives the blessing of the mysterious Melchizedek and the promise of having countless descendants.  

4. Sodom and Gomorrah

The fire of the Lord of Hosts' wrath physically descends on the wicked cities of the Pentapolis. Why? How were Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed? Were there any survivors of this terrible cataclysm? These and other questions will be addressed for our reflection and formation.  

5. The Heroism of Faith

God puts Abraham through an unimaginable test! All the promises made to the saintly patriarch seem to have been forgotten by the Creator. However, strengthened by faith and burning with charity, the patriarch plunges into the absurd in order to fulfill God's will. What will be the outcome of this drama?  

6. Esau and Jacob

Isaac, Abraham's holy son, together with his wife Rebekah, bear children who, in part, seem to be a replay of Cain and Abel. Esau, the firstborn, is a character focused on the things of this life, willing to trade spiritual goods to satisfy his passions. Jacob, a soul set on God, docile to the voice of grace and full of wit. We will learn important lessons from the story of these two lives.  

7. The man who wrestled with God

Adventures, struggles, uncertainties, and sufferings forged the soul of Jacob, who received the name Israel. Let's follow the life of this faith-filled character, a worthy descendant of Abraham, and learn from him that “the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Mt 11:12)  

8. From slave to viceroy of Egypt

Joseph, a just and God-fearing man, Jacob's beloved son, was envied, betrayed, and persecuted by his brothers, but never defeated because the hand of the Lord was with him. Put in a cold prison... Joseph was elevated to the rank of Pharaoh's vizier! Let's get to know and experience this exciting story together!  

9. Joseph's brothers arrive in Egypt

Joseph’s story reaches its climax. The prophetic dreams he had when just a boy are fulfilled to the letter. In this last lesson, we will study the coming of the great famine foretold by Joseph, how he meets his brothers once again and how Israel and his whole family settle in Egypt.  

Bibliographic References

MARY OF JESUS OF AGREDA. Mystical City of God: The Divine History and Life of the Virgin. Hammond: W.B. Conkey Company, 1914.

THOMAS AQUINAS. Summa Theologiae. Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 1948, vols. I–V.

BERTHE, Augustin. Jesus-Christ: Sa vie, sa passion, son triomphe. [Jesus Christ: His Life, His Passion, His Triumph] Dublin: Omnia Veritas, 2015.

BIBLE. Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2006.

BOSCO, João. História Sagrada. [Sacred History] São Paulo: Livraria Salesiana, 1949.

BROWN, S. S. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Hoboken: Prentice Hall, 1990.

CLÁ DIAS, João Scognamiglio, EP. Maria Santíssima! O Paraíso de Deus revelado aos homens. [Mary Most Holy! God’s Paradise Revealed to Men] São Paulo: Arautos do Evangelho, 2020, vols. I–III.

______. New Insights on the Gospels. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana; Nobleton: Heralds of the Gospel, 2014, vols. I–VII.

______. Pequeno Ofício da Imaculada Conceição comentado. [Commentaries on the Little Office of the Immaculate Conception] São Paulo: Associação Católica Nossa Senhora de Fátima, 2010.

______. São José: quem o conhece? [St. Joseph: who knows him?] São Paulo: Instituto Lumen Sapientiae, 2017.

EMMERICH, Anne Catherine. The Life of Jesus Christ and Biblical Revelations. Rockford: TAN Books, 2004, vols. I–IV.

FILLION, L. C. The Life of Christ. New York: Herder, 1948.

______. La Sainte Bible. Paris: Letouzey et Ané, 1923, vol. I.

JOSEPHUS, Flavius. Antiquities of the Jews. Delhi: Alpha Editions, 2021.

LAWRENCE, Paul; MILLARD, A. R. The IVP Atlas of Bible History. Westmont: InterVarsity Press, 2006.

MONLOUBOU, L.; BUIT, F. M. du. Universal Biblical Dictionary. Paris: Desclée, 1984.

MONTFORT, Louis Marie Grignion de. True Devotion to Mary. In: God Alone. New York: Montfort Publications, 1987.

OLIVEIRA, Plinio Corrêa de. Conferences. São Paulo: Arquivo ITTA-IFAT.

ROPS, Daniel. The Story of the Old Testament. London: Burns and Oates, 1956.

______. O povo bíblico. [The Biblical People] Porto: Tavares Martins, 1955.

SALGUERO, José. Biblia Comentada. [Commentaries on the Bible] Madrid: BAC, 1965, vols. I–VII.

SILVA, Duarte Leopoldo e. Concordância dos Santos Evangelhos. [Concordance of the Holy Gospels] São Paulo: LTr, 1998.

WEINRICH, William C. La Biblia Comentada por los Padres de la Igreja. [The Bible Commented on by the Fathers of the Church] Madrid: Ciudad Nueva, 2010, vols. I–XVIII.

See also

Mariology

Why must we suffer? – Module 2
Mariology

A Spiritual Retreat
Mariology

Why must we suffer? – Module 1
Mariology

The Universal Mediation of Mary - 3
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