Catholic Interpretation of the Bible

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

The Challenge of (Protestant) “Fundamentalism”

• Five “Fundamentals” of Christian Doctrine (from the “Fundamentalist Congress” of the 1890’s)
  1. Inerrancy of the Bible (interpreted literalistically)
  2. Virgin birth & deity of Jesus
  3. Substitutionary atonement (Jesus’ death)
  4. Bodily resurrection of Jesus
  5. Imminent return of Jesus
• Popular Appeal of Fundamentalism
• Offers simplistic answers to complex questions;  people crave certainty, don’t like ambiguity or complexity

Five Principles of Catholic Biblical Interpretation

1. “Both/And” Approach (vs. one-sided over-emphases of any type)

• The Bible is both the Word of God (divine inspiration) and written by human authors (language limitations)
• The Bible contains both Old and New Testaments;  we both study it academically and read it prayerfully
• Catholics interpret the Bible both literally and spiritually (christologically, morally, anagogically)
• Caution: We read the Bible literally (as “literature”), but not literalistically (as if it were mere “facts”)
• For more detail, see The Both/And Approach

2. Literary Genres (vs. modernist/historicist assumptions)

• “GENRE” = category/type of literature (art, music, etc.) characterized by a particular form, style, or content. Some publications contain multiple genres:
• Ex: newspapers have news, editorials, comics, sports results, financial reports, ads, obits, etc.
• See also my page on Biblical Genres
• Similarly, the Bible is not just one “book,” but a whole “library,” containing many different literary genres:

3. Historical-Critical Exegesis (vs. fundamentalist/literalist fallacies)

• Foundation of Ex-egesis = “leading out” (drawing the intended meaning out of the text)
• Contrast to eis-egesis = “leading into” (reading your own opinions into the text)
• Catholics accept many different methods of exegesis: historical, literary, sociological, canonical, etc.
• Multiple levels of Content:
• Literal/Historical Content (original meaning) and  Spiritual/Theological Content (enduring meaning)
• Essential Role of Context:
• Literary/Canonical Context (surrounding texts)  and  Cultural/Historical Context (surrounding world)
• Consideration of Historical Development:
• From oral preaching/tradition to written texts/scriptures;  growth in understanding/application over time

4. Incarnational Principle (vs. bibliolatry, over-emphasis on the Bible as text)

• The Word of God is JESUS, the Pinnacle of God’s Self-Revelation
• “God sent his only begotten Son…” (John 3:16),  not  “…his only begotten book!”
• Incarnation: “The Word became Flesh…” (John 1:14) à Jesus is both Son of God  and Son of Mary
• Word of God (when God speaks, things happen; cf. Gen 1)
• Word made Flesh (God speaks to us in human languages, despite their limitations)

5. Ecclesial Guidance (vs. individualistic misinterpretations)

• Jesus, Spirit, Disciples, Church: all came before the Bible was completed and compiled!
• The Church (guided by the Holy Spirit) created the Bible, not vice-versa!
• The community helps us understand the text (Homilies, Commentaries, Bible Study, Scripture Sharing)
• One’s personal/individual interpretation should not conflict with long-standing Church Tradition
• Our Popes and Bishops are the guarantors of this Tradition (assisted by theologians and biblical scholars)

Official Church Documents explaining Catholic Bible Interpretation

• Pope Pius XII: Encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu (1943)
• Second Vatican Council: “Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy”: Sacrosanctum Concilium (1963)
• Second Vatican Council: “Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation”: Dei Verbum (1965)
• Pontifical Biblical Commission: “The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church” (1993)
• Catechism of the Catholic Church: Part One, Section One, Chapter Two - §§51-141 (1994, 1997)
• For a complete list, click here.

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