Who determines what the message of the Bible is?

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Unit 3-1
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• Who determines what the message of the Bible is?

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• Magisterium teaching authority of the Roman
  Catholic Church
• CCC 85-87, 100 Authentic interpretation is the
  responsibility of the teaching office of the
  Church.
• Is there any danger in having each individual,
  regardless of biblical knowledge, to interpret
  his/her own meaning?
• Example dress code

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• Interpretation of the Bible from 1993
• The text presented two sections on the
  characteristics of Catholic interpretation and
  the interpretation of the Bible in the life of
  the Church.
• It reviewed the key features of historical
  critical exegesis.
• Dei Verbum true doctrine on divine Revelation
  and its transmission

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• How do Catholics interpret scripture?
• "And these signs shall follow them that believe
  In my name shall they cast out devils they shall
  speak with new tongues They shall take up
  serpents and if they drink any deadly thing, it
  shall not hurt them they shall lay hands on the
  sick, and they shall recover," (Mark 1617-18).
• Discuss logic of doing this even if we have
  faith.
• How many of us would do this?
• Must we take this literally as a way to prove our
  faith?

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• What is a symbol ?
• something that stands for or suggests something
  else by reason of relationship, association,
  convention, or accidental resemblance
• Pictures Rainbow, cross, shamrock
• Numbers Bible/ old age wisdom and blessing 40
  fullness, completion, etc.
• What is the biblical symbol for evil?

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Types of Interpretation of Scripture

• Contextual the parts of a discourse that
  surround a word or passage and can throw light on
  its meaning.
• The format used by the Catholic Church
• Literal adhering to fact or to the ordinary
  construction or primary meaning of a term or
  expression.
• Issues due to relevance, culture and opinion
• Example Captain Oh My Captain

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Church Council

• An Ecumenical (general) Council is a conference
  of the bishops of The Catholic Church and is
  intended to discuss and settle matters of Church
  doctrine and practice.
• Vatican II
• 1962-65
• Updated the Church for the 20th Century, by
  rediscovering our roots in Early Christianity
• Finished and expanded the agenda of Vatican I,
  focusing not only on the Pope but on all
  Christians
• Issued 16 documents (4"Constitutions," 9
  "Decrees," 3 "Declarations")
• Attended 2,860
• Popes John XXIII Paul IV

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Biblical Truth v.
Scientific TruthCreationism v. Evolutionism

• Re-examine Gen. 1 2.
• Creation the act of bringing the world into
  ordered existence
• Evolution a process of continuous change from a
  lower, simpler, or worse to a higher, more
  complex, or better state
• Explain the events of the famous Scopes trial.
• CCC 159 There can be no conflict between
  religious truth and scientific and historical
  truth.
• The truths of the Genesis creation myth
  essentials that dont change with specific
  details.
• Question to discuss what is the debate over
  creation in our public arena now? Why?

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• Exegesis is the branch of theology which
  investigates and expresses the true sense of
  Sacred Scripture.
• The exegete does not inquire which books
  constitute Sacred Scripture, nor does he
  investigate their genuine text.
• He accepts the books which, according to the
  concurrent testimony of history and
  ecclesiastical authority, belong to the Canon of
  Sacred Scripture.
• Obedient to the decree of the Council of Trent,
  he regards the Vulgate as the authentic Latin
  version,

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Other Sources for Interpretation

• Archaeology of biblical scholarship.
• Dead Sea Scrolls- video clip
• Introduce other biblical documents
• Talmud the authoritative body of Jewish
  tradition
• Gospel of Thomas, etc.
• Other bodies of study are used in biblical
  interpretation.
• Examples history, anthropology, archaeology,
  sociology of historical cultures, etc.
• What will historians say about the year 2009-10
  in the future?