What is a biblical covenant and how has God unfolded His covenants in history?
A covenant in Catholic biblical theology is not a mere legal contract; it is a sacred kinship bond initiated by God that establishes family relationship between Himself and humanity. Salvation history unfolds across six major covenants: with Adam (marriage), Noah (family household), Abraham (tribe/chieftain), Moses (nation of Israel), David (kingdom), and definitively with Jesus Christ in the New and Everlasting Covenant (the universal Church). Each covenant expanded the scope of God's family until all nations were invited into salvation through Christ.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 54-67
- Luke 22:20
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.