1. Views and perceptions of the individual person on any matter.
2. Personal likes, dislikes that together with societal factors, create perceptions of certain statements.
3. Views of peoples and individuals as to the meaning of the message of God.
4. Opinions that are not infallible.

Prophesy and personal interpretation

The bible clearly states that prophesy is not the realm of personal perceptions, but rather that the truth of God should be interpreted as he meant it to be.

“¹⁹ So we have confirmation of the words of the prophets; and you will be right to pay attention to it as to a lamp for lighting a way through the dark, until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds.

²⁰ At the same time, we must recognise that the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual.

²¹ For no prophecy ever came from human initiative. When people spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them. “

(II Peter Chapter 1 verses 19-21) New Jerusalem Bible

http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=59

Place of church

The Catholic church is considered the final authority and defender of the scriptures. It is considered the “pillar and foundation of the truth” (I Timothy chapter 3 verse 15).

(for evidence and expansion see our article on Authority of the State, Church God, Angels and others, or our page on the Scriptural Basis For Catholicism).

The gift of the saints

Not all Jesus’ words, in life and in three years of preaching, are recorded in the bible, but these are still divine. Tradition, the interpretation of the bible by the early church is fully beneficial in the study of scripture, and has been vastly expanded over time, via clarification, and much research.

The gift of church guided conscience

This is furthered by the gift of conscience, which aids in showing us the texts with prayer and guidance. This aid cannot contradict the truth, but must work in conjunction with the church (Acts 15). It is advised that one should use a Catholic endorsed bible, with the 7 books excluded by modern protestant versions(, many such bible follow the blueprint of the second version of the “King James” version, which excluded them), and that one receive the full training of the church as to the scripture, and that one buys a Catechism of the Catholic church. One should further attend mass every Sunday, and obey the church. If interpretation of a passage is unclear, then the Catechism should clear up the meaning. God gives grace to those reading the bible, and an indulgence has been given before, for those who read it constantly for more than fifteen minutes, however- while reading the bible is encouraged, this should be done with the original message in mind, and with meaning in mind (”hold the message you originally heard”). The bible is not considered a textbook for science and history. It is beneficial for our spiritual edification, and is useful. If one is considering joining the Faith, they should join either confirmation or Adult initiation, at a Catholic church, where a firm foundation will be laid as to the message of the bible.

Resources

New Advent (on prophesy)

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12473a.htm

“Catholics For Truth” (dept. evangelism site Archdiocese of Johannesburg)

On Jehovah’s Witnesses

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12473a.htm

Eternal Word Television Network

Interpreting the bible

http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/PBCINTER.HTM

New Jerusalme Bible

http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=52&bible_chapter=3

Other Links

http://scripturelinkencyclopedia.stblogs.com/2007/11/14/authority-of-the-state-church-god-angels-and-others/

Details

His view, while supported by many quotes, disagreed also with many quotes of the fathers.

Ultimately, Vatican II settled the issue of Baptism of desire for the church, who infallibly looked at the issue. Feeney believed that the Church’s statements were open to personal interpretation. The Pope at the time stated that like the scripture, they were not open to such. As the Apostle Peter said- “Prophesy is never a matter left up to the individual”(II Peter chapter 1 Verse 20).

Feeney named the pope of his time, and others who declared baptism of desire true to be heretics (”Feeney himself says of Baptism of desire: “That is heresy!”" http://www.ewtn.com/library/SCRIPTUR/FEENEY2.TXT) , and believed that the church’s teaching was contrary to what it itself thought it to be.

Feeney’s excommunication, for disobeying the summons to Rome (many times), was later lifted, out of the Church’s decision to allow diversity in the church, by a later pope. Feeney’s followers are known as the Feeneyites. Other controversial decisions of Feeney included his choice to communally raise children, never attempted by the Church before, but done by heretical groups in the past.

The church relooked at the doctrine of “outside the church no salvation” declaring it to be true, but that it should be interpreted as the church set out. As truth cannot contradict truth, this doctrine must be interpreted with Baptism of desire in mind.

Please see our article on this issue (”extra ecclesiam nulla salus”) , also see our article (http://scripturelinkencyclopedia.stblogs.com/2007/11/20/eastern-orthodoxy-a-mystery-of-our-eastern-brothers/) and our section on scripture and corruption in(http://scripturelinkencyclopedia.stblogs.com/2007/11/24/curruption/). Also note what the Bible says- “hold the faith you originally heard”, and the church is the “pillar and foundation of the truth”, and our article on authority (Authority of the State, Church, God, Angels and others).

Further resources

http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/outside_the_church.htm

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0512fea3.asp

http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/outside_the_church.htm

http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/outside_the_church.htm

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/audiences/alpha/data/aud19950531en.html

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/audiences/alpha/data/aud19950531en.html

www.ewtn.com/library/SCRIPTUR/FEENEY2.TXT

On extra ecclesiam nulla salus

Resources

This Rock Magazine

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0512fea3.asp

http://www.catholic.com/library/Salvation_Outside_the_Church.asp

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1999/9909frs.asp

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2004/0403sbs.asp

www.catholic.com/thisrock/2002/0207fea3.asp

www.catholic.com/newsletters/kke_040113.asp

Eternal Word Television Network

http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/outside_the_church.htm

http://www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/EXTRECCL.HTM

http://www.ewtn.com/library/SCRIPTUR/EXTRAECC.TXT

www.ewtn.com/library/SCRIPTUR/FEENEY2.TXT

Vatican

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/audiences/alpha/data/aud19950531en.html

www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html

www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p123a9p3.htm

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070419_un-baptised-infants_en.html

http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html

www.vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html

www.vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20040528_lineamenta-xi-assembly_en.html

Valid links contradicting the Feeneyist view are:

Unbaptised children

http://scripturelinkencyclopedia.stblogs.com/2007/11/08/infallibility/

(Also showing the broad catholic view, and authority of church councils -on the authority of church councils)

Vatican

www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c3a3.htm

www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/audiences/alpha/data/aud19930324en.htmlwww.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/audiences/alpha/data/aud19930317en.htmlEternal

Eternal Word Television Network

www.ewtn.com/library/ISSUES/ORDIN.TXT

www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/EXPLINFA.htm

www.ewtn.com/library/ISSUES/ORDIN.TXT

www.ewtn.com/library/ISSUES/SHAWINFA.TXT

www.ewtn.com/faith/Teachings/papac2.htm

www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/MIRINFAL.htm

www.ewtn.com/library/Theology/SIPVAT2.HTM

www.ewtn.com/library/DOCTRINE/TRIGINFL.HTM

www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/INFALLIB.htm

www.ewtn.com/library/Theology/SUMMARY.HTM

www.ewtn.com/library/CHRIST/CONFATAL.txt

www.ewtn.com/library/ISSUES/PILSORD.TXT

www.ewtn.com/faith/Teachings/chura2a.htm

www.ewtn.com/library/HUMANITY/THEOTRAD.TXT

www.ewtn.com/vexperts/showmessage.asp?number=518780&Pg=Forum6&Pgnu=1&recnu=7

New Advent- Catholic Encyclopedia

www.newadvent.org/cathen/05030a.htm

www.newadvent.org/cathen/07790a.htm

www.newadvent.org/cathen/15303a.htm

Catholic Online

Catholic Encyclopedia

www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=6099

www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=3717

United States Council Of Catholic Bishops

www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2003/03-075.shtml

www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p4.htm

www.usccb.org/seia/southernbaptist.shtml

This Rock- www.catholic.com

www.catholic.com/library/Papal_Infallibility.asp

www.catholic.com/thisrock/2002/0202sbs.asp

www.catholic.com/thisrock/1990/9007qq.asp

www.catholic.com/thisrock/2001/0109bt.asp

www.catholic.com/thisrock/2000/0010fea5.asp

www.catholic.com/thisrock/1994/9409fea2.asp

www.catholic.com/thisrock/2002/0212qq.asp www.catholic.com/thisrock/2000/0004qq.asp

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0510fr.asp

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” (Colossians 1:9) NIV (protestant- not catholic) bible 

Catholic theology

As God is almighty- and greater than us- we understand- that what he knows is greater than anything else. He has the power to show himself to us or not. Catholic theology is often critisized for it’s listening approach- whereby it bases itself largely- if not solely on revelation and logic in relation to such. In all honesty- however- this is the only logical method- we can’t interview God- we have to plead for an answer- and if needed- wait and listen to it. Theology thereby only covers what God desires us to know about him. It is not so much our efforts- as his.

Extent of revelation

As tradition (the unaltering interpretation of the message of God by the early- to modern church (”hold the message you heard from the begining”)) is required to interpret the scriptures- with God’s help- the church largely studies the early writings when interpreting verses in context of the times and context of the original writing. Private revelation- especially in clarifying such is also useful. God speaks via nature, via society, via systems and rules he allowed into being, and via scripture and our fellow men’s language and actions. Theology is not a realm for personal interpretation. It is not an art, but a science- it studies reality- thereby the piles of documents used by the church- are quite vital, as well as the guidance God gives the pope and magisterium- especially in the Ecunumical councils (see acts 15). Theology pertains eternal truths, and rests on the solid foundation of Papal infallibility. Whithout such- the word would be subject to any personal interpretation, and to the whims of every foundation. “The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth” ( one of St. Paul’s Epistles) and only from this foundation- from the very body of God’s son- can we venture into the dangerous realm of theology.

 Theology is constant- it cannot be based on personal views

Newness, or novelty- is the food of heresy, such is not the aim of love which is truth. Orthodoxy and consistency is the aim of any loyal theologian. He furthers this with building on firm foundations, set by all before him- clarifying the known truths that have not altered in all eternity, as well as those which are traced back to the begining and to Jesus- yet outside of time- are also eternal. Theology must be done within the meaning and confines of the church. The Catholic encyclopedia has at least 100 000 articles, the catechism also is large. This is a firm foundation, along with the councils and many other tools- for the furthering of theology. God himself teaches the Christian- via the truth of the church, which is his body, or sometimes via other revelation. Theology is not subject to whim, but rather to truth.

1. Infallibility- state of being - ability to be-

 free from error in certain circumstances.

Catholic Definition

1. Infallibility- The ability and guidance given to the Pope, and promised to the church- by God- safeguarding all “From the Chair” decisions- so far as they relate to Doctrine and morals. Infallibility only extends as far as these statements go, and is only in relation to subjects pertaining our spiritual edification.
2. Infallibility is not- applicable to the every day decisions of the pope- and the pope’s actions are not infallible- though probably more protected than most. The decision must be an official “From the Chair of Peter” decision, or that of an ecumenical council in obedience to the pope.

Why it is needed

Peter notes in his epistles- that the untaught pervert the scriptures- to their own destruction. It is also noted that Jesus opened the minds of his apostles to the scriptures. God also told Peter to take care of his sheep. If we did not need to be taken care of- God would not have said so.

How we have the bible

The 73 books of the bible, were accepted by A.D. 393 at the council of hippo. This was decreed by the authority of the church as shown in Acts chapter 15.

Bible on infallibility

Jesus noted that some hypocrites searched the scriptures- thinking they held salvation- but rejected him- salvation- when he was standing in front of them. Clearly- the scriptures needed to be interpreted correctly. (John 5 v 36-40)

God is also noted as prophesying via the High priest who demanded his crucifixion (John 11 v 51) the bible states that this was because of his position. This is furthered by Jesus’ command that his disciples should do as the hypocritical Pharisees said, but not what they did. This because they held the seat of moses. One must note that they were only to be accepted because God ordained them. It is only because the church is validly Apostolic- and not just claiming to be- that Catholics obey the Pope.

The Apostles, further- replaced Judas- showing succession- which is also recorded in the church Fathers- hundreds of years before Protestants existed. The bible shows this in the following(Acts 1 v 20) where Judas is replaced using a “Lot”. It is important that they did not get others to vote him in, but relied on God to choose- as the modern church does.

The church is further aided, and claims to be aided directly by God- in dealing with the Circumcision heresy (Acts 15 v 19,22-30) – despite discussing it themselves.

Peter, and others in their words, or in the case of St.Paul- their letters- also seem to claim to be infallible. Peter said that someone who lied to him had lied to God- he was not claiming to be God- but to represent him- in his office (his doctrine- he could still sin) infallibly (Acts 5 v 4).

Quotes on bible courtesy of http://scripturelink.googlepages.com/scripturalproofs

Resources on Papal Infallibility

Vatican

www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c3a3.htm

www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/audiences/alpha/data/aud19930324en.htmlwww.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/audiences/alpha/data/aud19930317en.htmlEternal

Eternal Word Television Network

www.ewtn.com/library/ISSUES/ORDIN.TXT

www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/EXPLINFA.htm 

www.ewtn.com/library/ISSUES/ORDIN.TXT

www.ewtn.com/library/ISSUES/SHAWINFA.TXT

www.ewtn.com/faith/Teachings/papac2.htm

www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/MIRINFAL.htm

www.ewtn.com/library/Theology/SIPVAT2.HTM

www.ewtn.com/library/DOCTRINE/TRIGINFL.HTM 

www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/INFALLIB.htm

www.ewtn.com/library/Theology/SUMMARY.HTM

www.ewtn.com/library/CHRIST/CONFATAL.txt

www.ewtn.com/library/ISSUES/PILSORD.TXT

www.ewtn.com/faith/Teachings/chura2a.htm

www.ewtn.com/library/HUMANITY/THEOTRAD.TXT

www.ewtn.com/vexperts/showmessage.asp?number=518780&Pg=Forum6&Pgnu=1&recnu=7

New Advent- Catholic Encyclopedia

www.newadvent.org/cathen/05030a.htm

www.newadvent.org/cathen/07790a.htm

www.newadvent.org/cathen/15303a.htm

Catholic Online

Catholic Encyclopedia

www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=6099

www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=3717

United States Council Of Catholic Bishops

www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2003/03-075.shtml

 www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p4.htm

www.usccb.org/seia/southernbaptist.shtml

This Rock- www.catholic.com

www.catholic.com/library/Papal_Infallibility.asp

 www.catholic.com/thisrock/2002/0202sbs.asp

www.catholic.com/thisrock/1990/9007qq.asp 

www.catholic.com/thisrock/2001/0109bt.asp 

www.catholic.com/thisrock/2000/0010fea5.asp 

www.catholic.com/thisrock/1994/9409fea2.asp 

www.catholic.com/thisrock/2002/0212qq.asp  www.catholic.com/thisrock/2000/0004qq.asp 

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0510fr.asp 

Belief, the act on this ability given- the act of altering one’s entire life, because of the truthful message-

As one would alter their lives, and visit the doctor often, if one had cancer- as we visit the church every Sunday and on the Holy Days when the church requires.

As one does not stop their course of medication, knowing that if they do- that it may return even worse.

God has prescribed the sacraments. There is no honest way to doubt this. Should you honestly doubt it, which is possible, with all those voices and oppinions that so loudly speak against this, perhaps pray, and ask the truh of this- I dare not disobey the voice that my conscience follows. I know that this voice should inform you also, should you open yourelf in obedience and listening. We cannot be judged by that we did not know.

Should we obey our doctors with more zeal that the creator of the universe- than the being that controls the moment of our death?

We should not be ignorant of the message of God himself. If we say that we believe the message, are we to ignore the commands, which are there, to save our souls?

Faith- is hearing the soft voice that we know to belong to God, and obeying it. This is where even baptism of desire involves faith. They hear God in conscience alone, and obey him.

We recognise his voice in the servants of the gospel and the official doctrine of our spiritual mother- the church.

We should always seek the truth, and obey the Lord our God, that voice of conscience within- as best we can

-Marc Aupiais

LECTURE : DEI VERBUM

1. INTRODUCTION

Three influences:

• New attitude to tradition: evolving/dynamic process.

• Application of critical historical methods to the interpretation of scripture. Human factors emphasized in scripture.

• Biblical movement. New attitude to scripture in large areas of the Catholic world.

1. REVELATION

God has revealed himself to humanity. How?

1. • Natural revelation. God is “saying” something to us through creation. Rm1:19-20 . we need to look at creation and reflect on it rationally and logically in order to discover the God who reveals there. First Vatican Council “Constitution on the Catholic Faith”( Dei Filius) .Reaction to Fideist: reason was useless to help us come to know the Creator and Rationalist: reason alone can apprehend all there is to know about God.

Why do we all not see God in creation and reason?

Pius X11 Humani Generis Because of sin, prejudice, blindness or weakness, the human mind may not recognize the Creator when contemplating creation. BUT

Christians have believed that God has more to “say” to humanity than just through the created universe.

1. • Supernatural or special revelation is this more ( Direct communication from God ) . cf. Incarnation, Trinity.

1. SCRIPTURE AND TRADITION.

There emerged a view that God’s revelation was contained in

scripture, but besides that, there were other beliefs, not contained in

scripture, based on what Jesus said and did, that were passed on.

Tradition came to be applied to unwritten beliefs and practices of

the Church that were believed to originate in what Jesus said and did

and that are not recorded in Scripture.

1. • Two Source Theory of Revelation .There were two pieces of the puzzle- Scripture and Tradition that needed to go together to form one whole ( Council of Trent ) .This was not the only view about tradition.

   • Classical view of Thomas Aquinas. All of God’s revelation was recorded in Scripture. While many things were recorded explicitly ,some things were only recorded implicitly,.the role of tradition was to provide a correct interpretation of scripture: to make what was implicit as equally explicit as other parts.

   • Protestant view. Sola scriptura. Revelation was recorded only in the scriptures and the practices and beliefs of the Church must be evaluated in the light of what is found in scripture. There is no second source of revelation.

Misunderstanding of Trent.

• In the years after Trent many theologians, both Catholic and Protestant believed that Trent had endorsed the two-source theory of revelation.

In the decree partly in Scripture and partly in Tradition ( with partly crossed out ) can be interpreted as completely in written scripture and completely in unwritten tradition.

Thus, this interpretation, rather than seeing scripture and tradition as two parts making up one whole ( as in the two-source theory ) one could see them as two forms of one theory.

Trent wanted to say that to understand Scripture one needed Tradition.

At this time Tradition was seen as a static reality. The Church merely has the responsibility of handing on from one generation to the next in an unchanging way what had been revealed. BUT

According to Dei Verbum tradition is more- it is also a passing on. DV recovered the sense that tradition involved not just the content of revelation but the process of handing it on. Rather than a static process it was a dynamic process [ it was the handing on of the experience of God in the Christian community ]. The responsibility of tradition is to understand revelation in new ways that address and respond to new situations.

DV 8 “ There is growth in insight into the realities and words that have been passed on”. So the transmission of the Gospel from one generation to the next is part of what Vatican 11 meant by tradition. Thus DV is against the two- source theory.

However, tradition is broader than unwritten tradition. Scripture is included as part of tradition.

According to DV 9 Tradition comprises the written scriptures and unwritten tradition.

“Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal”.

DV 10 “Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to the Church”.

Scripture is the normative form of that tradition: other forms of tradition are assessed in comparison with their conformity to the written scriptures: nothing may be part of tradition which is contrary to it.

The discernment of the canon of scripture is a form of tradition. DV 8

“By means of the same tradition the full canon of the sacred books is known to the Church and the holy Scriptures themselves are more thoroughly understood and constantly actualized in the Church”.

Role of the Magisterium.

DV 10 “ The one deposit of revelation, made up of Scripture and tradition has been entrusted to the whole Church”. The whole church draws her life from it. The second part of the paragraph role which exclusively belongs to the magisterium – the authentic interpreter of the deposit of faith. Note the magisterium is not above the word of God but serves the Word of God. “Yet this magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant”( DV 10).The magisterium scrupulously guards the Word of God, losing nothing of it, deleting nothing from it and adding nothing to it.

The Church must declare the authentic meaning of the Word of God, explaining and casting light on everything that is obscure.

Scripture+Treadition+ Magisterium ate inseparable. DV 10 “It is clear, therefore, that in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others”. We need all three.

What is Tradition?

We saw that Scripture is a product of tradition and needs to be interpreted in the context of that living tradition.

• Fathers/Councils/ Creeds/ Church Order

The Christian religion is in a process of formation in the NT. The

Church needed a period of time to elapse before she could analyze and reflect more deeply on the mystery of Christ. Patristic thought is concerned with fundamentals and is the first level of deep reflection. Ratzinger argued that the “moment of the Fathers” was an essential moment in the receiving of the word of God by the Church.

The Councils ( ecumenical councils ) established the form that orthodoxy would take. By the middle of the 3^rd. century the formulae of the faith had developed in all the main churches based upon a Trinitarian formula.

The creeds offer an overview of the entire Christian Gospel and thus set the agenda for all theology. No theology which does not do justice to the entire Church is sufficient for the life of the Christian community.

This period saw the emergence of the Church as an episcopally ordered communion of local churches centered on the local bishop and the bishop of Rome.

• Liturgy

The best guide to what the church believes is what the church says when she prays[ the law of praying is the law of believing ]. In the liturgy we see the Church’s self-understanding unfold before our eyes – the liturgy is the poetry of the church. The liturgy expresses what we might call the “inside of the act of faith”.

• Art

Christian art sheds much light on what was believed and done by the first generation, those closest to the apostles.

1. INSPIRATION

“At the same time, we must be most careful to remember that the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual. Why? Because no prophecy ever came from man’s initiative. When men spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them” ( 2Peter 1: 20-21 ).

The composition of scripture has something in it that is human and something divine. Two theories:

• Ecstatic or hypnotic theory cf. Philo, Origen.

• Verbal dictation. God communicates the language of scripture to the human author giving him the words that are suited to writer’s individuality. The author’s task is to be as receptive as possible to what God is doing.

Leo X111 Providentissimus Deus ( 1893) . Unless God in some way influences the minds, will and writing ability of the human authors, then there is little point in calling him the author of scripture at all.

DV 11 “… [the] sacred and canonical books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts [are]… written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit… they have God as their author… To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their powers and faculties so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more.

1. Thus divine composition must mean divine influence over the minds of biblical writers

2. But biblical writers remained people of their own time and place.

Problems

• Source criticism: some biblical books have more than one author.

• Form criticism: wants to consider the oral stage before set down in writing.

• Redaction criticism: looked at the pattern superimposed by the final editor.

So inspiration is corporate and social as well as individual. Israel-Church is the bearer of inspiration ( MacKenzie ) – corporate chain of inspiration. Inspiration is ultimately the charism of the divine society.

THIS MEANS THAT THE MEANING OF THE REVEALED WORD MUST BE MADE WITHIN THE TRADITION OF THE CHURCH AND NOT OUTSIDE IT.

Additionally, there is a difference between the limited intention of the author and the fullness of the divine intention. No finite consciousness could comprehend the total mystery of salvation. There is a supernatural meaning which the church unfolds at the end of time ( sensus plenior ).

1. INERRANCY

Newman “Inspiration and its Relation to Revelation” stated that it was unworthy of “divine greatness” that God should assume the office of an historian or geographer “except as secular matters bear directly upon revealed truth”. Inerrancy then touches only on what is material to the purposes of scripture.

• Providentissimus Deus ( Leo X111 ) cited Augustine whose Literary Commentary on Genesis declared that God’s Spirit Had not spoken through humanity in order to teach the laws of physics, or biology, since they had no relevance to the order of salvation.

• Divino Afflante Spiritu ( Pius X11 ) . In order to use a book as the author intended we must identify the literary form of the book in question as it enables us to determine the kind of truth that is to found in that biblical book.

Thus:

• Investigation of the literary forms will help one to judge the meaning of the text.

• The intention of the biblical author by reference to the literary form must be judged in terms of its relevance to human salvation.

DV 11: “The books of Scripture TEACH, FREELY, FORCEFULLY AND WITHOUT ERROR, the truth that God willed to be put down in the sacred writings for the sake of our salvation”.

Remember Galileo’s dictum: the Scriptures teach us how to get to heaven, not how the heavens go” ( an echo of St. Augustine ). The inerrant truth of the scriptures is inerrant saving truth ( inerrancy has relevance only to human salvation ).

However, Scripture’s inerrancy does not mean that the bible is inerrant only in matters of faith and morals. The basic outline of the empirical history of Israel, the life and death of Jesus, the empty tomb, together with the founding of the church are salvifically relevant truth.

1. CONCLUSION.

In conclusion then we can say that Dei Verbum returned to a more biblical, more personalist, more historical understanding of revelation as opposed to the highly conceptual approach of Vatican 1. Revelation comprises both word and deed, is not static but dynamic, and communicates not conceptual truths but God Himself and His will.” Father Rodney Moss (I asked permission to post this on my website.)