Welcome to The Great Adventure™
“To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; to seek him, the greatest adventure.”
– St. Augustine of Hippo
The Bible is at the heart of our faith and our relationship with God. Much more than just another book, it is a
“place” where our heavenly Father comes down to meet us and speaks to us with love.
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Millions of people have
found it to be a rich source of wisdom, encouragement, instruction, and solace.
Reading the Bible should bring us closer to Christ, but many people find it hard to even begin. The Great
Adventure
TM
Catholic Bible Study Program and The Bible Timeline™ Learning System aim to make the complex
simple—to give people a way to read the Bible and understand it … and so experience its life-changing power.
Since 2002, I have worked with Je Cavins in bringing The Bible Timeline Learning System to Catholics through
various Bible studies and seminars. We are excited to oer this new Great Adventure study, Unlocking the Mystery
of the Bible. Like its predecessor, A Quick Journey Through the Bible, this study seeks to draw you into God’s
marvelous plan of salvation as it unfolds throughout Sacred Scripture. It is my prayer that Je’s dynamic
teaching, in conjunction with the thought-provoking discussion questions and home Bible reading, will open
the door to a newfound understanding of God’s Word and his plan for your life.
Je Cavins, creator and president, The Great Adventure
Sarah Christmyer, co-developer and author, The Great Adventure
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See Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum (DV) 21.
About The Gre
at Adventure
At the core of The Great Adventure Catholic Bible Study Program is The Bible Timeline Learning System. The
Bible Timeline presents a simple way of focusing on the story that runs throughout Scripture so that we can
see the “big picture” of the Bible. This story is God’s plan as it has unfolded in history and continues to unfold
today. When we grasp this story, the Mass readings begin to make more sense, our Scripture reading and study
come to life, and we see how our lives fit into God’s loving plan.
Every Great Adventure study is designed to foster:
• Familiarity with the Bible and ease of reading it
• Bible study habits consistent with the guidelines of the Catholic Church
• Personal engagement in the Word of God
• Faith-sharing based on the Word of God
• Growth in knowledge about Scripture and the Catholic Faith
About Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible
Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible is the starting point of The Great Adventure Catholic Bible Study Program. In
eight compelling videos, Je Cavins presents the story of salvation history from Creation and the Fall through
the coming of Christ and the establishment of the Church. In this study, you will learn the story with the aid
of an easy-to-use, color-coded Bible Timeline Chart and small-group discussion questions, which reinforce the
video presentations and help you apply the message to your life.
Building on the basic understanding gained from this study is a series of Bible studies that explore the
biblical narrative in light of Catholic teaching. Studies of individual books are supplemented by a growing
number of studies on various themes and studies tailored for life application.
Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible replaces A Quick Journey Through the Bible. Because the content has
been revised substantially, the workbooks and videos for A Quick Journey Through the Bible study are not
compatible with Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible.
Materials
Materials for Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible include:
• Workbook: contains engaging discussion questions and responses, home preparation material, Talk
Notes, and The Bible Timeline Chart and Bookmark. (You will need one workbook for every participant,
study leader, and small-group facilitator.)
• Video Presentations (eight 30-minute sessions): presented by Je Cavins, these eight video presentations
provide an overview and explanation of the twelve time periods of biblical history.
In addition, every participant, leader, and small-group facilitator should have a Catholic Bible and the Catechism
of the Catholic Church. We recommend The Great Adventure Catholic Bible. It incorporates the same color-coded
Bible Timeline Learning System that you will use throughout this program.
How the Study Works
Each session of Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible study includes three steps:
1 2 3
Video Small-Group Home
Presentation Discussion Preparation
NOTE: A general explanation of each step follows. Because the first session is slightly different
from the others, it is described separately.
Step 1 – Session One: Video Presentation (30–35 minutes)
Aer your leader welcomes you and introduces you to the study, you will watch a video presentation in which
Je Cavins explains why we oen find it hard to read the Bible and describes how The Bible Timeline Learning
System will “make the complex simple.”
Step 2 – Session One: Small-Group Discussion (30–40 minutes)
During the irst small-group discussion, you will irst review the “Ten Commandments of Small-Group
Discussion.” Next, you will go through the discussion questions, which review the main points covered in
the video presentation and will help you get acquainted with The Bible Timeline Chart. Finally, facilitators will
introduce the home preparation required for the next session.
Step 3 – Session One: Home Preparation: Looking Ahead
The workbook provides simple exercises for you to complete at home in preparation for the next session. The
exercises for Session One will help you practice using The Bible Timeline Chart, guide you as you begin reading
the biblical narrative on your own, and provide a preview of Session Two.
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Step 1 – Sessions Two through Eight: Video Presentation (30–35 minutes)
Each session begins with the leader’s welcome and opening review followed by a video presentation. In Sessions
Two through Eight, the mystery of the Bible is unpacked as Je Cavins tells the story of the Bible, connects it
to the Catholic Faith, and reveals how it relates to our lives. Session Eight concludes the program with ways to
continue the journey of getting to know God through Scripture.
Step 2 – Sessions Two through Eight: Small-Group Discussion (30–40 minutes)
You will break into small groups to discuss the video presentation using the discussion questions. In Sessions
Two through Eight, these questions draw upon key points made in the video presentations or on Scripture
passages covered in that session. The small-group discussion gives participants a chance to share what they
have learned and consider how the Scripture applies to their lives. This life-application focus makes the
small-group discussion one of the richest parts of the study.
Step 3 – Sessions Two through Eight: Home Preparation
For Sessions Two through Eight, your workbook provides simple exercises for you to do at home in preparation
for the following session. These exercises provide practice using The Bible Timeline Chart, guide you as you
begin reading the biblical narrative on your own, and look ahead to the next time period using The Bible
Timeline Chart. Several passages from the Bible that tell the story of the next time period are oered for those
who would like to read ahead.
NOTE: Session Eight does not include a “Looking Ahead” component. Instead, ideas are offered to help you
“Continue The Great Adventure” of getting to know Jesus in the Bible (see page 64).
Session Outline and Reading Guide
Session
(Video Times)
Title Narrative Book(s)*
Session One (30:21)
(3:24)
Introduction
The Bible Timeline Chart
Session Two (33:01) Early World Genesis 1–11
Session Three (36:42) Patriarchs Genesis 12–50
Session Four (34:06) Egypt and Exodus, Desert Wanderings Exodus; Numbers
Session Five (31:03)
Conquest and Judges
Royal Kingdom
Joshua; Judges
1 and 2 Samuel; 1 Kings 1–11
Session Six (30:49)
Divided Kingdom
Exile
Return
1 Kings 12–22; 2 Kings
2 Kings 17, 25
Ezra; Nehemiah
Session Seven (33:51)
Maccabean Revolt
Messianic Fulfillment:Part 1
1 Maccabees
Luke 1–21
Session Eight (34:20)
Messianic Fulfillment:Part 2
The Church
Continuing the Journey
Luke 22–24
Acts
* In The Bible Timeline, the term “narrative books” refers to fourteen books of the Bible that tell the story of salvation history
from Creation through the establishment of the Church.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which Bible should I use?
For this study, you will want to use a Catholic edition of the Bible, such as:
• Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE): a literal translation recommended
for serious Bible study. The verses in this study are consistent with the wording in the RSV-2CE.
We recommend The Great Adventure Catholic Bible, an RSV-2CE Bible that incorporates the same
color-coded Bible Timeline Learning System that you will use throughout this program.
• New American Bible (NAB): a less literal, more “dynamic” translation that strives for readability;
used in the lectionary at Mass.
• New Jerusalem Bible (NJB): a “dynamic equivalent” translation that is less literal yet strives to be
faithful to the original meaning.
2. How do I find a Scripture reference in my Bible?
Each book of the Bible is divided into chapters, and each chapter is made up of a series of numbered
verses. To aid readers in finding a particular biblical verse, each Scripture passage has an “address,” a
location reference made up of the name of the Bible book, followed by the chapter and verse numbers.
For example:
• 1 Samuel 7 refers to the entire seventh chapter of the book of 1 Samuel (pronounced “first Samuel”
because there also is a 2 Samuel, or “second Samuel”)
• Genesis 1:1 refers to the book of Genesis, Chapter 1, verse 1
• Numbers 5:2-6 refers to the book of Numbers, Chapter 5, verses 2 through 6
• I Corinthians 3:2-6, 7-10 refers to the book of 1 Corinthians (“first Corinthians”), Chapter 3,
verses 2 through 6 and verses 7 through 10
Abbreviations are oen used in Scripture references. For example, “Jn 3:16” means “John, Chapter 3, verse 16.”
A list of abbreviations is found in the front of your Bible. To locate a particular book, use your Bible’s contents
page. As a general rule, Great Adventure Bible studies do not use Bible book abbreviations.
3. What is the Bible?
The Bible is the written expression of the Word of God. Although it contains seventy-three books written
over many centuries by many dierent human authors in several languages, it is also a unified whole
because all its books are inspired by the Holy Spirit, and together, they reveal God’s plan of salvation.
Because God inspired the Bible’s human authors, he is the principal Author of Scripture. As such, the Bible
is inerrant (“without error”). As the Second Vatican Council’s document on Sacred Scripture, Dei Verbum
(“Word of God”), states:
Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be
asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching
solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake
of our salvation.(11)
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For more on canonicity, inspiration, and inerrancy, see the resources listed on page xii.
4. What are the Old and New Testaments?
The books of the Bible are grouped under two headings—the Old Testament and the New Testament.
The word testament can also be translated “covenant,” which clarifies the meaning of these titles. The Old
Testament tells how God made a series of “covenants” (i.e., binding agreements) with his people Israel in
which he promised blessing in return for loving obedience. The New Testament tells how God fulfilled this
promise of blessing by means of a new and everlasting covenant in his Son, Jesus Christ.
5. Why are Catholic and Protestant Bibles dierent?
Both Catholic and Protestant versions of the Bible contain the same twenty-seven books of the New
Testament. It is the Old Testament that differs. The books of the New Testament are arranged in the
following order:
• Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and the Acts of the Apostles
• St. Paul’s letters (or “epistles”) to the early Christian churches – Romans; 1 and 2 Corinthians;
Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1 and 2 Thessalonians
• “Pastoral letters” – 1 and 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon; Hebrews
• “Catholic letters” (James; 1 and 2 Peter; 1, 2, and 3 John; Jude) and the book of Revelation
In the early days of the Church, two versions of the Old Testament were used by the Jewish people. One,
written entirely in Hebrew, contained thirty-nine books. The other, a Greek translation known as the
Septuagint, contained forty-six books—the same thirty-nine as the Hebrew version plus another seven.
In 393, the bishops of the Church, with the authority given them by Christ, determined the list of inspired
books of Scripture. This list contained the forty-six books of the Septuagint, which had been used by
Christians since the first century. So the Old Testament of the Church had forty-six books for more than a
thousand years.
During the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, the reformers chose to follow the shorter
Hebrew collection of thirty-nine books. At the Council of Trent in 1546, the Septuagint’s list of forty-six
books was declared by the Catholic Church to be the “canon” (or “authoritative list of inspired books”) of
Scripture.
Here are the books of the Old Testament as found in Catholic versions of the Bible, listed by type of
literature. The seven “deuterocanonical” books (which Protestants refer to as the “apocryphal books” or
“the Apocrypha”) are listed in italics:
• Pentateuch – Genesis; Exodus; Leviticus; Numbers; Deuteronomy
• Historical books – Joshua; Judges; Ruth; 1 and 2 Samuel; 1 and 2 Kings; 1 and 2 Chronicles; Ezra;
Nehemiah; Tobit; Judith; Esther; 1 and 2 Maccabees
• Wisdom books – Job; Psalms; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; Song of Solomon (Song of Songs), Wisdom of
Solomon; Sirach
• Prophets – Isaiah; Jeremiah; Lamentations; Baruch; Ezekiel; Daniel; Hosea; Joel; Amos; Obadiah;
Jonah; Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah; Haggai; Zechariah; Malachi
Some deuterocanonical portions of Esther and Daniel are not included in Protestant versions.
6. What are the notes that appear in some Bibles?
The explanatory notes that appear in many versions of the Bible reflect the theological stance of their
editors and the scholarship at the time of publication. All notes published in Catholic Bibles have received
the imprimatur of a bishop, which is an ocial permission to publish that carries with it the assurance
that nothing in the book is contrary to the faith or morality of the Church. (An imprimatur does not imply
that the bishop who granted it agrees with the notes’ content or that they are ocial Church teaching,
however.) The notes are not considered part of Sacred Scripture and therefore are not divinely inspired.
7. Where can I find answers to my other questions about the Bible?
We recommend the following books and resources:
• The Catechism of the Catholic Church. For information about Sacred Scripture, its relationship to Sacred
Tradition, and its inspiration and interpretation, see paragraphs 50 through 141. (The Catechism is
available online and in published editions.)
• Catholic Bible Dictionary, Scott Hahn, general editor
• The Bible Compass: A Catholic’s Guide to Navigating the Scriptures, by Edward Sri
• Praying Scripture for a Change: An Introduction to Lectio Divina, by Tim Gray
• Walking with God: A Journey Through the Bible, by Tim Gray and Je Cavins
Ten Commandments of Small-Group Discussion
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1. Enjoy yourself!
2. Speak with respect and charity.
3. Do not ridicule or dismiss what others say. Keep comments positive.
4. Come prepared.
5. If you were not able to prepare, let others speak first.
6. Stick to the topic and questions at hand.
7. Start and end on time.
8. Allow silence. Give people a chance to think.
9. Listen to others without interrupting.
10. Keep personal matters within the group.
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Adapted from Thomas Smith’s original “10 Commandments of a Small Group.”
Session One: INTRODUCTION
Staying Focused
As you progress through Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible, you will probably come across things you want to
know more about. It is exciting to learn how to read the Bible and explore its riches, but if you try to understand
it all at once, you will become frustrated. The Bible is too big to understand all at once.
Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible makes the complex simple by initially setting aside many of the details to focus
on the overall story—the “big picture”—of the Bible. Once you have this “big picture,” you will have a framework
to help you understand the entire Bible in its proper context.
The Bible is not a subject to master; it is a place to meet the living Word of God! Approach it with the goal of
meeting God, and prepare to be transformed.
Planning for the Future
When the mystery of the Bible has been “unlocked” and people learn how to read it, they usually find they
have more questions. You can feed this new hunger for Scripture by planning your next study now. Consider
continuing with The Great Adventure foundational study series: The Bible Timeline: The Story of Salvation,
Matthew: The King and His Kingdom, and Acts: The Spread of the Kingdom. These studies are designed to take
participants deeper into the Bible while teaching them how to read the Bible as Catholics. Additional studies
are oered on various books of the Bible, as well as on biblical themes and people.
For more information about how to plan and promote a Bible study and how to
facilitate a small-group discussion, visit ascensionpress.com or call 1-800-376-0520.
