Bro. Giovanni B.

Bautista, scj
Reviewer for Sacred Scriptures

Bible interpretation in the Mind of the Church:

 Bible is not to be interpreted literally.
 Historical- critical method, a novelty reading and interpreting the bible did
not gain the church’s favor when it stars to question the AUTHORSHIP OD
PENTATEUCH AND HISTORICITY OF THE GOSPELS.
 Early of 19th TO 20TH century (age of modernism), biblical scholars tried new
science to interpret the bible thru the use of historical- critical method.

RESPONSE:
 Pope Leo XIII encyclical PROVIDENTISSIMUS DEUS addressed the use of
the new methods in bible interpretation.
 Followed by the SPITUS PARACLITUS by DIVINO AFFLANTE
SPIRITUS; yet none of these two encyclicals instilled the confidence to
biblical scholars in proposing new interpretation.
 Why? Because too afraid of MODERNISM.

1. PROVIDENTISSIMUS DEUS (MOST PROVIDENT GOD EST 1893)

 Addressed the methodological developments of the study of the scriptures.
 Exhorts catholic exegetes to embark new research from the perspective of
faith and from with the church’s doctrinal framework but also encourage
them to use the modern methods of the scriptures study availing them
linguistic, archeological and scientific tool, in order that the meaning of
biblical texts might be amplified for the faithful.
 Sadly, the openness to the biblical scholarship had been short lived.
 The Pontifical Biblical Commission created in 1902by Pope Leo XIII,
condemned the prepositions gaining ground at the time, among them, the
request to abandon the idea that Moses was not the author of the Pentateuch.
 In effect, no novel ideals could not be pushed through.

2. SPITUS PARACLITUS( est 1920)

 Encyclical letter of POPE BENEDICT XV concerning the biblical study, in
commemoration of the 15th centenary of Saint Joseph death.
 Published September 15, 1920.
 The encyclical refuse to accept the theory that asserts that only the religious
elements in the bible is taught and that, consequently, this element is
irrelevant.
  Rejects the application the principle outlined in the PROVIDENTISSIMUS
Deus for the solution of the difficulties in the field on natural sciences to
problem created by historical researchers.
 Since it caution further against some methods of exegesis, the SPITUS
PARACLITUS did not open the door to a free biblical research among the
Catholic because of the fear of modernism.

3. DIVINO AFFLANTE SPIRITU( est 1943)

 Encyclical of Pope Piux XII, commemorates the 50 th anniversary of Leo
XIII’s PROVIDENTISSIMUS Deus.
 It affirms Leo’s encyclical PROVIDENTISSIMUS Deus and permits all the
scholar to use the available means of investigating the Bible and its
background, believing that the truth of the bible would not be lost in the
process, but its meaning could be better understood.
 The tension of the novelty between the novelty and caution in the early 20 th
century portrayed the situation in the biblical studies just before the Vat. II.

4. Dei Verbum (est November 18, 1965)

 Dependent on the encyclical of the three popes.
 It is a dogmatic constitutions issued by Vat. II
 It is the most authoritative and important document of the Council.
 It propose is to spell the church understanding of the nature of
revelation( simply because the process by which God communicates with
human beings ) and relates the scriptures, tradition and teaching authority of
the church in the light of divine revelation.
Summary of Die Verbum
 Chapter 1 to 6 is the divine revelation itself.
 The idea of revelation is to make known something that is hidden.
 Divine revelation means that God makes known to man himself and
mysterious plans of His will for man and the world.
 His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Christ, the
word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit and thus become sharer in the divine
nature.
1. How does God do this? Through words and deeds in the history of
salvation as recorded in the Old and New Testament.
 The words contains the work of God in the salvation History and bring the
light the mystery contain.
 The word Dabar means words and actions, hence, dabar Yahweh. The word
of Yahweh is not only word of God but also contains action.
2. God enters History (human history), he did only manifest himself
to a dream, vision but became part of human story.
  Thus, God’s revelation is making himself and his will know to men,
happened in human history.
3. The word explains the work of God in the salvation history and
bring the light the mystery contain
 The bible contain the interpretation of the salvific event told to the
testimonies.
 In other words, the bible is the interpretation of the action of God in the
history of salvation under the form of story. In the time of the biblical
authors, story is the basic the basic way for interpreting events.
 INTERPRETATION is always the narration of what happened from the
narrator’s point of view or form the single point of view.
 Four accounts JEDP that comprises the Pentateuch and Mt, Mk, Lk and Jn
in the Gospel but only one Jesus.
 Different account do not channel each other instead they present the clearer
picture of the message they are pointing to.
 Interpretation of the SALVIFIC EVENTS CAN BE CONFIRMED BY
GOING BACK TO THE EVENTS THEMSELVES.
 THE IMPROTANCE OF HISTORICAL-CRITICAL STUDIES that ries to
go back to the happenings as far as possible.
Author’s Interpretation of the Salvific Event
 We do not expect the interpreter to render the exact amount of what
happened.
 The authors did not tell the event as it happened but tells it in terms of the
meaning the event wanted to convey.

4. Revelation as Progressive- since revelation comes in in and

through history, not everything is revealed at once.
 Human beings are historical beings. We come to knowledge and understand
gradually. We know little by little. God respect our tempo and capacity to
accept and understand.
 Thus, form Ot to Nt , there is progressive deepening of truth. It implies:
1a. when we read the bible, we have to put the text in its historical
setting to try to understand it in a way people at the time have
understood it.
2b. we have to put in the text in the line of development of revelation
to which they belong.
 Jesus Is the fullness of revelation and culmination (definitive of revelation) it
is in reference to him that all norms and practices in the NT will be qualified.
(DV4)
  The NT is the a 2nd testament that we have to wait for 3 rd or 4th testament. It
is the New and definitive covenant.
5. The revelation of Jesus is Public revelation; it is meant for all and
needed by all for the salvation.
 We continue to deepen our understanding of it., the same truth of revelation
acquires different light viewed from different angles and concerns of history.
 The definitive revelation contained in the New Testament will be fully
manifested in the PAROUSIA when will understand more fully the depth of
the revelation we are privilege to have.
6. The proper response of Man to God’s revelation to Himself is
FAITH.
 FAITH IS GIFT FORM GOD.SO MAN MUST HAVE THE GRACE which
illuminates his mind and move his will to believe, to do this he needs the
interior help of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus said, no one can come me unless
Father draws to him.
 FAITH DOES NOT LIE IN CONCEPT but in obedience to the voice of God.
 Believing is not the knowledge or adherence to teaching but saying yes to the
Wisdom and love of God who reveals.
 Saying yes is not through one’s mind but through one’s life.
 In revelation, God speaks using the language of Love and friendship, thus
invites us to hear and to listen.
 Biblical spirituality is the spirituality of listening, not spirituality of reading a
book.
 Listening should be the primary attitude to the words of God.

Need to study the Bible

 Sitz im Leben
 Bible is both human and divine. To discover the message of the divine
author, one has to deal first with the meaning of the text written by the
human authors.
 The meaning of the text, that is the words we read in the bible, is not always
self –evident because there are many meaning of the words.
 Language or the bible text as the raw material for the formation of meaning
is always to be considered in tis context.
What does it mean when we says the Bible is inspired!
 Bible has historical and scientific error.
 The bible contents fallible elemets( error) in the sense that it reflects the
cultural and historical limitation of the writers.
 But the bible is inffalible( without errors)in what it entends to teach
 The bible is imperfect in its form but not mistaken in its content. It is written
for our instruction, for the salvation.
  The bible is inspired and immune from errors only in those matters which
pertains to salvation. Refer to Dei Verbum 11.
 100 percent human and divine. The human authors, human as they are, are
not necessarily without error. They did not think according to the rulers of
scholastic logic
 The bible contains events in relation to God’s salvation. It does not intend to
teach salvific things ore chronicle of events in the modern sense of history.
 The locus of inspiration is not the physical text itself nor in the single writers
but in the message of the scriptures- what it tells about God, about ourselves
and how we relate to God.
DEPOSIT OF FAITH
 Sacred scriptures and sacred tradition.
 Apostolic tradition--The divine revelation which is given to mankind many
years ago by Jesus to the New testament handed on the generation to
generation
 Jesus commanded them to preach the gospel of all nations. They preached
and bore witness to all that he said and did in his earthly life.
 As apostles, advanced in age and died, in order the gospel might preserved
and act, appointed bishop as their successor and conferred their authority
own teaching authority on them.
 Tradition transmit faithfully the word of God which was given to the Apostle
by Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
 Traditions transmits it to the Bishop who were the successor of the Apostles.
 The church draws he certainty about the revealed truth both form scripture
and tradition both of which must be treated with equal reverence.
MAGISTERIUM
 Vatican II, the only authentic interpreter of the word of God, whether in
writer or in the form of tradition, id the office of the church, which is the
magisterium.
 The magisterium is composed of Pope and Bishops in union with, guided by
the Holy Spirit.
 The magisterium authentically and faithfully interprets God’s word as it is
given to us in scripture and church tradition.
 This means that problems or questions about true faith and morals must be
solved by resorting to these three basic sources.
 TRADITION, SCRIPTURE AND MAGISTERIUM are so connected and
associated that one of them cannot stand without errors. DV 10
Pentateuch
Greek: Pentateuchos means 5 scroll jars
Late Greek: teukos is book via notion of case for scroll
Penta: five
teukos: vessels

 Moses death and burial in Moab.( Dt. Chapter 34)

 Jethro is name of the father of Moses. (other names – Reuel, Hoab)
 Half of the Pentateuch contains law (70%) called Torah by Jews.
 Pentateuch is literary achievement. It is kind of epic on a massive scale.
 Torah was compiled from many sources.
 Ezra produced the Torah after the exile (5 th century BCE)-is a prophet during the
second Babylonian exile who lead the Israelites in rebuilding the temple when they
return from exile.
 Babylonian Exile: 586/7 Babylon
 Assyrian Exile: 721 Nineveh
 Cyrus the great, from Persia, built the city and temple in 538. He was appointed by
Yahweh.
 1948, Israel becomes a nation.
 Amorite is an akkadian which means the westerner.
Other names:
Five books of Moses, Torah, the Law, The Law of Moses.
2 ARGUMENTS WHY MOSES IS THE AUTHOR OF PENTATEUCH
1. CHRISTIAN AND JEWIESH TRADITION: TORAH IS CALLED FIVE BOOKS
2. THE SCRIPTURE STATES Moses is the author of torah
4 reasons why Moses could not be the author of torah
1. The presence of doublets in the Pentateuch
2. The use of he instead of I of the author.’
3. Different names of God
4. Anachronism
2 CATALYST OF THE DOCUMENTARY HYPOTHYSIS
1. RICHARD Simon
2. Jean Austruc

Features of Jewish Tradition

 Divine promise and cause of obedience.
 Sin is to be impulse to be like God or gods.
 Main geographical location is Judah
 Anthromophic imagery
 Used the younger son theme.
 Storyline backbone of the torah
 Written to provide a sense of history for the kingdom of David
 Used of YHWH as divine name.
Features of Elohist Tradition- was corporated after the Y tradition
 Elohim is the generic name of God.
 Their personal experience of God is distant, not tangible
 Emphasis on Moral and Ethical issues
 Refers to Sinai as Horeb and canaan as Amorites
 Survived as fragment because it was inserted in J epic
 Fear of God motif
 God reveals in dream
 Emphasis on moral and conditional covenant
 great heroes of faith painted as prophets
 Important location is Israel( Ephraim)
 Divine name is Elohim
Features of Deuteronomy Tradition

 D comes after the J,E and combined JE
 Part of the Dt was perhaps found by Joshua in the temple in 621
 JPE were combined to set apart from From D.
 Much narration of the events but collection speech before they enter to promise land
and direct addressed in Israel.
 Contains Moses speech to the 2nd generation Israelites
  Setting: Transjordan immediately before the conquest
 Refers to God as YHWH
 Mt Sinai as Horeb like Elohist.
 1st generation: Moses to Aaron
 2nd generation: who went to Egypt.
 Mumor and comlaining, they did not enter to Yahweh’s land
 40 years is 1 generation.

Features Priestly Document

 Last document pentateuchal
 Has an obvious concern for the liturgy.
 P had long pre historic, exilic period
 Circle of priest during the Babylonian exile.
 Theology behind is to give hope to the dishearten Israelites. Israel relationship with
God is ordered by the Covenant.
 Blessing consists fruitfulness and multiplying
 Every moments is marked by covenant or God.
 Social and religious of priest.
 Word of God as divine force in history.
According Martin Noth
 Tetrateuch (4) - language and style and theology are different.
o Deuteronomy means to be the beginning of the history of Israel from the time
of Joshua to the fall of Judah
 Hexateuch(6) – genesis (land) to Joshua (land), exodus to Deuteronomy consists of
Moses and the laws …Joshua is the settlement in the promised land is the true
conclusion of the pentateuchal story. Joshua is the 2nd generation, change setting and
characters.
o The conclusion of the pentateuchal story is the settlement of Israel in the
Promised Land.
 Octateuch (8)
o The true conclusion of the story is found in Joshua( Joshua- king)
o Genesis (bereshit) in the beginning- prologue of the whole Pentateuch.
o Exodus (shemot) Names- Yahweh is just introducing, Passover, the
experience od incarnation
o Leviticus (vayikra) and He called- if you want to sleep at night, Levites and
Priest
o Numbers ( Bamidbar) in the dessert- contention between God and his people,
psalm 95: 40 years in the wilderness, desert experience, start relationship
with God
 o Deuteronomy ( Devarim) things or words- the auth taking, the swear before
crossing the Jordan King.
o Joshua
o 1 and 2 Samuel- setting of military leaders
o 1 and 2 Kings- true conclusion is to be found in Joshua, Joshua-kings, who
will merit the land. 12 leader (6 minor and 6 major)
What to take note: God saw that it was good
 Mnemonic device: evening came and morning followed
 Polemic : you want to prove something.
 Bara means to create, exclusive for God’s activity
 Asah m,eans to make, activity of human beings
 Benah used for a woman to build using wisdom.
 Tohuvabohu means formless void.
 Toledot means generation. To be born
 Ruah means wind
 In God’s image: to make to eb exact like God’s copy
 As God’s image: representation of God
5 literary identifiers
1. Duplication and repetition materials.
2. Different names of god
3. Constructing geographical and political perspective
4. Different vocabulary and literary style
5. Evidence of editorial activity
2 criticism against the documentary hypothesis
1. Comprises the literary integrity of the Pentateuch
2. Undermines the theory of inspiration.
Protocanonicals- Books with catholic and Jewish.
Deuterocanonicals- second canons, Books only in catholic, found in septuaguint.
 24 Books in Jewish
 66 Books in protestant
 73 Books in catholic approved in the council of Trent.
Pars prototo: prophets and pslams represents already in scriptures.