Your
Eminence,
Your Excellency,
Dear Members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission,
I am pleased to welcome you once again at the end of your annual
Plenary Assembly. I thank Cardinal William Levada for his
greeting and for his concise presentation of the theme that has
been the object of attentive reflection at your meeting.
You have gathered once again to study a very important topic:
Inspiration and Truth of the Bible. This subject not only
concerns theology, but the Church herself, because the life and
mission of the Church are necessarily based on the word of God,
which is the soul of theology and at the same time the
inspiration of all Christian life. The topic you have addressed
furthermore responds to a concern that I have very much at
heart, because the interpretation of Sacred Scripture is of
capital importance for the Christian faith and for the life of
the Church.
As you have mentioned, Cardinal President, in his Encyclical "Providentissimus
Deus," Pope Leo XIII offered Catholic exegetes new encouragement
and new directives on the subject of inspiration, truth and
biblical hermeneutics. Later, Pius XII in his Encyclical "Divino
Afflante Spiritu," gathered and completed the preceding teaching
and urged Catholic exegetes to find solutions in full agreement
with the Church's doctrine, duly taking into account the
positive contributions of the new methods of interpretation
which had developed in the meantime.
The vigorous impetus that these two Pontiffs gave to biblical
studies, as you also said, was fully confirmed and developed in
the Second Vatican Council, so that the entire Church has
benefited and is benefitting from it. In particular, the
Conciliar Constitution "Dei Verbum" still illumines the work of
Catholic exegetes today and invites Pastors and faithful to be
more regularly nourished at the table of the word of God.
In this regard the Council recalls first of all that God is the
Author of Sacred Scripture: "The divinely revealed realities,
which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred
Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit. For Holy Mother Church relying on the faith of the
apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the Books of the
Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their
parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit they have God as their author, and have been handed
on as such to the Church herself" (Dei Verbum, n. 11).
Therefore since all that the inspired authors or hagiographers
state is to be considered as said by the Holy Spirit, the
invisible and transcendent Author, it must consequently be
acknowledged that "the books of Scripture, firmly, faithfully
and without error, teach that truth which God, for the sake of
our salvation, wished to see confided to the sacred Scriptures"
(ibid., n. 11).
From the correct presentation of the divine inspiration and
truth of Sacred Scripture certain norms derive that directly
concern its interpretation. The Constitution "Dei Verbum"
itself, after stating that God is the author of the Bible,
reminds us that in Sacred Scripture God speaks to man in a human
fashion and this divine-human synergy is very important: God
really speaks to men and women in a human way. For a correct
interpretation of Sacred Scripture it is therefore necessary to
seek attentively what the hagiographers have truly wished to
state and what it has pleased God to express in human words.
"The words of God, expressed in the words of men, are in every
way like human language, just as the Word of the eternal Father,
when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness, became like
men" (Dei Verbum, n. 13).
Moreover, these indications, very necessary for a correct
historical and literary interpretation as the primary dimension
of all exegesis, require a connection with the premises of the
teaching on the inspiration and truth of Sacred Scripture. In
fact, since Scripture is inspired, there is a supreme principal
for its correct interpretation without which the sacred writings
would remain a dead letter of the past alone: Sacred Scripture
"must be read and interpreted with its divine authorship in
mind" (ibid., n. 12).
In this regard, the Second Vatican Council points out three
criteria that always apply for an interpretation of Sacred
Scripture in conformity with the Spirit that inspired it.
First of all it is essential to pay great attention to the
content and unity of the whole of Scripture: only in its unity
is it Scripture. Indeed, however different the books of which it
is composed may be, Sacred Scripture is one by virtue of the
unity of God's plan whose centre and heart is Jesus Christ (cf.
Lk 24: 25-27; Lk 24: 44-46).
Secondly, Scripture must be interpreted in the context of the
living tradition of the whole Church. According to a statement
of Origen: "Sacra Scriptura principalius est in corde Ecclesiae
quam in materialibus instrumentis scripta", that is, "Sacred
Scripture is written in the heart of the Church before being
written on material instruments".
Indeed, in her Tradition the Church bears the living memory of
the Word of God and it is the Holy Spirit who gives her its
interpretation according to the spiritual meaning (cf. Origin,
Homilae in Leviticum, 5,5).
As a third criterion, it is necessary to pay attention to the
analogy of the faith, that is to the consistence of the
individual truths of faith with one another and with the overall
plan of the Revelation and the fullness of the divine economy
contained in it.
The task of researchers who study Sacred Scripture with
different methods is to contribute in accordance with the
above-mentioned principles to the deepest possible knowledge and
explanation of the meaning of Sacred Scripture. The scientific
study of the sacred texts is important but is not sufficient in
itself because it would respect only the human dimension. To
respect the coherence of the Church's faith, the Catholic
exegete must be attentive to perceiving the Word of God in these
texts, within the faith of the Church herself.
If this indispensable reference point is missing, the exegetical
research would be incomplete, losing sight of its principal
goal, and risk being reduced to a purely literary interpretation
in which the true Author God no longer appears.
Furthermore, the interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures cannot
only be an individual scientific effort but must always be
compared with, inserted in and authenticated by the living
Tradition of the Church. This rule is decisive to explain the
correct relationship between exegesis and the Magisterium of the
Church. The Catholic exegete does not only feel that he or she
belongs to the scientific community, but also and above all to
the community of believers of all times. In reality these texts
were not given to individual researchers or to the scientific
community, "to satisfy their curiosity or to provide them with
material for study and research" (Divino Afflante Spiritu, eb
566).
The texts inspired by God were entrusted in the first place to
the community of believers, to Christ's Church, to nourish the
life of faith and to guide the life of charity. Respect for this
purpose conditions the validity and efficacy of biblical
hermeneutics. The Encyclical "Providentissimus Deus" recalled
this fundamental truth and noted that, far from hindering
biblical research, respect for this norm encourages authentic
progress. I would say, a rationalistic hermeneutic of faith
corresponds more closely with the reality of this text than a
rationalistic hermeneutic that does not know God.
Being faithful to the Church means, in fact, fitting into the
current of the great Tradition. Under the guidance of the
Magisterium, Tradition has recognized the canonical writings as
a word addressed by God to his People, and it has never ceased
to meditate upon them and to discover their inexhaustible
riches.
The Second Vatican Council reasserted this very clearly: "all
that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is
ultimately subject to the judgment of the Church which exercises
the divinely conferred commisssion and ministry of watching over
and interpreting the Word of God" (Dei Verbum, n. 12).
As the above-mentioned Dogmatic Constitution reminds us, an
inseparable unity exists between Sacred Scripture and Tradition,
because both come from the same source:
"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.
Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in
writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit. And Tradition
transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been
entrusted to the Apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy
Spirit. He transmits it to the successors of the Apostles so
that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully
preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching. Thus
it comes about that the Church does not draw her certainty about
all revealed truths from the Holy Scriptures alone. Hence, both
Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal
feelings of devotion and reverence" (Dei Verbum, n. 9).
As we know, this word "pari pietatis affectu ac reverentia" was
created by St Basil and then absorbed into Gratian's Decree,
through which it entered the Council of Trent and then the
Second Vatican Council. It expresses precisely this
inter-penetration between Scripture and Tradition.
The ecclesial context alone enables Sacred Scripture to be
understood as an authentic Word of God which makes itself the
guide, norm and rule for the life of the Church and the
spiritual growth of believers.
As I have said, this is in no way an obstacle to a serious and
scientific interpretation but furthermore gives access to the
additional dimensions of Christ that are inaccessible to a
merely literary analysis, which remains incapable of grasping by
itself the overall meaning that has guided the Tradition of the
entire People of God down the centuries.
Dear Members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, I would like
to end my talk by expressing to you all my personal gratitude
and encouragement. I thank you warmly for the demanding work you
do at the service of the Word of God and of the Church through
research, teaching and the publication of your studies. To this
I add my encouragement for the ground that has yet to be
covered.
In a world in which scientific research is assuming ever greater
importance in numerous fields, it is indispensable that
exegetical science attain a good level. It is one of the aspects
of the inculturation of the faith that is part of the Church's
mission, in harmony with acceptance of the mystery of the
Incarnation.
Dear brothers and sisters, may the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word
of God incarnate and the divine Teacher who opened the minds of
his disciples to an understanding of the Scriptures (cf. Luke
24: 45), guide and sustain you in your reflection.
May the Virgin Mary, model of docility and obedience to the Word
of God, teach you to accept ever better the inexhaustible riches
of Sacred Scripture, not only through intellectual research but
also in your lives as believers, so that your work and your
action may contribute to making the light of Sacred Scripture
shine ever brighter before the faithful.
As I assure you of my prayerful support in your efforts, I
cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to you, as a pledge of
divine favours.
Look at the One they
Pierced!
