Dei Verbum - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Dei Verbum was promulgated by Pope Paul VI

Pope Paul VI

Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...

on November 18, 1965, following approval by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,344 to 6.23. It is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council

Second Vatican Council

The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...

, indeed their very foundation in the view of one of the leading Council Fathers, Bishop Christopher Butler

Christopher Butler

Basil Christopher Butler OSB , was a convert from the Church of England to the Roman Catholic Church, a Roman Catholic priest, the 7th Abbot of Downside Abbey, one-time Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation, a bishop, an internationally respected scripture scholar, a consistent...

. The phrase "Dei Verbum" is Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

for "Word of God" and is taken from the first line of the document, as is customary for titles of major Catholic

Catholicism

Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....

documents.

Contents of Dei Verbum

The numbers given correspond to the chapter numbers and, those in brackets, to the section numbers within the text.

Preface (1)

Revelation Itself (2–6)
Handing On Divine Revelation (7–10)
Sacred Scripture, Its Inspiration and Divine Interpretation (11–13)
The Old Testament (14–16)
The New Testament (17–20)
Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church (21–26)

The full text in English is available through the Holy See's website from which the excerpts below have been taken. The footnotes have been inserted into the text at the appropriate places in small print and indented for the convenience of the present reader.

Another widely used translation is Austin Flannery OP (ed.), "Vatican Council II" (2 volumes).

Concerning sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture

In Chapter II under the heading "Handing On Divine Revelation" the Constitution states among other points:

9. Hence there exists a close connection and communication between sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end. For Sacred Scripture is the word of God inasmuch as it is consigned to writing under the inspiration of the divine Spirit, while sacred tradition takes the word of God entrusted by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, and hands it on to their successors in its full purity, so that led by the light of the Spirit of truth, they may in proclaiming it preserve this word of God faithfully, explain it, and make it more widely known. Consequently it is not from Sacred Scripture alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed. Therefore both sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence.

Footnote: Cf. Council of Trent, Session IV, loc. cit.: Denz. 783 (1501).

Concerning the inspiration and interpretation of sacred Scripture

In Chapter III under the heading "Sacred Scripture, Its Inspiration and Divine Interpretation" the Constitution states:

11. Those divinely revealed realities which are contained and presented in Sacred Scripture have been committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For holy mother Church, relying on the belief of the Apostles (cf. John 20:31; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19–20, 3:15–16), holds that the books of both the Old and New Testaments in their entirety, with all their parts, are sacred and canonical because 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.

Footnote: Cf. Vatican Council I

First Vatican Council

The First Vatican Council was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This twentieth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, held three centuries after the Council of Trent, opened on 8 December 1869 and adjourned...

, Const. dogm. de fide catholica, c. 2 (de revelatione): Denz. 1787 (3006). Bibl. Commission, Decr. 18 June 1915: Denz. 2180 (3629); EB 420: Holy Office, Letter, 22 December 1923; EB499.

In composing the sacred books, God chose men and while employed by Him

Footnote: Cf. Pius XII, Encycl. Divino Afflante Spiritu

Divino Afflante Spiritu

Divino Afflante Spiritu is an encyclical letter issued by Pope Pius XII on September 30, 1943. It inaugurated the modern period of Roman Catholic Bible studies by permitting the limited use of modern methods of biblical criticism. The Catholic bible scholar Raymond E...

, 30 September 1943; AAS 35 (1943), p.314; EB 556.

they made use of their powers and abilities, so that with Him acting in them and through them,

Footnote: In and by man: cf. Heb. 1:1; 4:7 (in); 2 Sam 23:2; Mt 1:22 and passim (by); Vatican Council I

First Vatican Council

, schema de doctr. cath., note 9; Coll. Lac., VII, 522.

they, as true authors, consigned to writing everything and only those things which He wanted.

Footnote: Leo XIII, Encycl. Providentissimus Deus

Providentissimus Deus

Providentissimus Deus, "On the Study of Holy Scripture", was an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 18 November 1893.In it, he reviewed the history of Bible study from the time of the Church Fathers to the present, spoke against the errors of the Rationalists and "higher critics", and outlined...

, 18 November 1893: Denz. 1952 (3293); EB 125.

Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings

Footnote: Cf. St. Augustine, Gen. ad Litt., 2, 9, 20: PL 34, 270–271; Epist. 82, 3: PL 33, 277; CSEL

Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum

The Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum is a series of critical editions of the Latin Church Fathers published by a committee of the Austrian Academy of Sciences....

34, 2, p.354. – St. Thomas, De Ver. q. 12, a. 2, C. – Council of Trent, Session IV, de canonicis Scripturis: Denz. 783 (1501) – Leo XIII, Encycl. Providentissimus

Providentissimus Deus

: EB 1121, 124, 126–127. – Pius XII, Encycl. Divino Afflante

Divino Afflante Spiritu

: EB 539.

for the sake of salvation. Therefore "all Scripture is divinely inspired and has its use for teaching the truth and refuting error, for reformation of manners and discipline in right living, so that the man who belongs to God may be efficient and equipped for good work of every kind" (2 Tim. 3:16–17, Greek text).

12. However, since God speaks in Sacred Scripture through men in human fashion,

Footnote: St. Augustine, De Civ. Dei, XVII, 6. 2: PL 41, 537: CSEL XL, 2, 228.

the interpreter of Sacred Scripture, in order to see clearly what God wanted to communicate to us, should carefully investigate what meaning the sacred writers really intended, and what God wanted to manifest by means of their words.

To search out the intention of the sacred writers, attention should be given, among other things, to "literary forms". For truth is set forth and expressed differently in texts which are variously historical, prophetic, poetic, or of other forms of discourse. The interpreter must investigate what meaning the sacred writer intended to express and actually expressed in particular circumstances by using contemporary literary forms in accordance with the situation of his own time and culture.

Footnote: St. Augustine, De Doctr. Christ., III, 18, 26; PL 34, 75–76.

For the correct understanding of what the sacred author wanted to assert, due attention must be paid to the customary and characteristic styles of feeling, speaking and narrating which prevailed at the time of the sacred writer, and to the patterns men normally employed at that period in their everyday dealings with one another.

Footnote: Pius XII, loc. cit.: Denz. 2294 (3829–2830); EB 557–562.

But, since Holy Scripture must be read and interpreted in the sacred spirit in which it was written,

Footnote: Cf. Benedict XV, Encycl. Spiritus Paraclitus, 15 September 1920: EB 469. St. Jerome, In Gal. 5, 19–21: PL 26, 417 A.

no less serious attention must be given to the content and unity of the whole of Scripture if the meaning of the sacred texts is to be correctly worked out. The living tradition of the whole Church must be taken into account along with the harmony which exists between elements of the faith. It is the task of exegetes to work according to these rules toward a better understanding and explanation of the meaning of Sacred Scripture, so that through preparatory study the judgment of the Church may mature. For all of what has been said about the way of interpreting Scripture is subject finally to the judgment of the Church, which carries out the divine commission and ministry of guarding and interpreting the word of God.

Footnote: Cf. Vatican Council I

First Vatican Council

, Const. dogm. de fide catholica, c. 2 (de revelatione): Denz. 1788 (3007).

13. In Sacred Scripture, therefore, while the truth and holiness of God always remains intact, the marvelous "condescension" of eternal wisdom is clearly shown, "that we may learn the gentle kindness of God, which words cannot express, and how far He has gone in adapting His language with thoughtful concern for our weak human nature".

Footnote: St. John Chrysostom, In Gen. 3, 8 (hom. 17, 1): PG 54, 134. Attemperatio corresponds to the Greek synkatábasis.

For the words of God, expressed in human language, have been made like human discourse, just as the word of the eternal Father, when He took to Himself the flesh of human weakness, was in every way made like men.

Concerning the New Testament, in particular the Gospel accounts

In Chapter V under the heading "The New Testament" the Constitution states among other points:

18. It is common knowledge that among all the Scriptures, even those of the New Testament, the Gospels have a special preeminence, and rightly so, for they are the principal witness for the life and teaching of the incarnate Word, our savior.

The Church has always and everywhere held and continues to hold that the four Gospels are of apostolic origin. For what the Apostles preached in fulfillment of the commission of Christ, afterwards they themselves and apostolic men, under the inspiration of the divine Spirit, handed on to us in writing: the foundation of faith, namely, the fourfold Gospel, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Footnote: Cf. St. Irenaeus, Adversus haereses

On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis

On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis, today also called On the Detection and Overthrow of Knowledge Falsely So Called , commonly called Against Heresies , is a five-volume work written by St. Irenaeus in the 2nd century...

III, 11, 8: PG 7, 885; ed. Sagnard, p. 194.

19. Holy Mother Church has firmly and with absolute constancy held, and continues to hold, that the four Gospels just named, whose historical character the Church unhesitatingly asserts, faithfully hand on what Jesus Christ, while living among men, really did and taught for their eternal salvation until the day He was taken up into heaven (see Acts 1:1). Indeed, after the Ascension of the Lord the Apostles handed on to their hearers what He had said and done. This they did with that clearer understanding which they enjoyed

Footnote: Cf. Jn 2:22; 12–16; cf. 14:26; 16:12–13; 7:39.

after they had been instructed by the glorious events of Christ's life and taught by the light of the Spirit of truth

Footnote: Cf. Jn 14:26; 16:13.

The sacred authors wrote the four Gospels, selecting some things from the many which had been handed on by word of mouth or in writing, reducing some of them to a synthesis, explaining some things in view of the situation of their churches and preserving the form of proclamation but always in such fashion that they told us the honest truth about Jesus

Footnote: Cf. The Instruction Sacra Mater Ecclesia of the Pontifical Biblical Commission: AAS 56 (1964), p. 715.

For their intention in writing was that either from their own memory and recollections, or from the witness of those who "themselves from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word" we might know "the truth" concerning those matters about which we have been instructed (see Luke 1:2–4).

For the Latin text of sections 18 and 19 and the relevant sections of Sancta Mater Ecclesia see Bernard Orchard OSB, Dei Verbum and the Synoptic Gospels, Appendix (1990).http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1996/9605scrp.asp

Scholarly opinion

The schema, or draft document, prepared for the first council session (October–December 1962) reflected the conservative theology of the Holy Office

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...

under Cardinal Ottaviani. Pope John intervened directly to promote instead the preparation of a new draft which was assigned to a mixed commission of conservatives and progressives, and it was this on which the final document was based.

Joseph Ratzinger

Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...

, later elected pope, identified three overall motifs in Dei Verbum: (1) the new view of the phenomenon of tradition; (2) the theological problem of the application of critical historical methods to the interpretation of Scripture; and (3) the biblical movement that had been growing from the turn of the twentieth century.

Regarding article 1 of the preface of Dei Verbum, Joseph Ratzinger writes, "The brief form of the Preface and the barely concealed illogicalities that it contains betray clearly the confusion from which it has emerged."

Biblical infallibility and inerrancy

There was a controversy during the Council on whether the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

taught biblical infallibility

Biblical infallibility

Biblical infallibility is the belief that what the Bible says regarding matters of faith and Christian practice is wholly useful and true. It is the "belief that the Bible is completely trustworthy as a guide to salvation and the life of faith and will not fail to accomplish its purpose...

or biblical inerrancy

Biblical inerrancy

Biblical inerrancy is the doctrinal position that the Bible is accurate and totally free of error, that "Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact." Some equate inerrancy with infallibility; others do not.Conservative Christians generally believe that...

. Some have interpreted Dei Verbum as teaching the infallibility position, while others note that the conciliar document often quotes previous documents such as Providentissimus Deus

Providentissimus Deus

and Divino Afflante Spiritu

Divino Afflante Spiritu

that clearly teach inerrancy.

Dei Verbum has sometimes been compared to the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy

Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy

The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy was formulated in October 1978 by more than 200 evangelical leaders at a conference sponsored by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, held in Chicago. The statement was designed to defend the position of Biblical inerrancy against a perceived...

, which expounds similar teachings, characteristic of many evangelical Protestants.

External links

Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation – Dei Verbum (English translation on the Vatican website)
Arthur Wells, Bishop Christopher Butler OSB – His Rôle in Dei Verbum, Part 1 – Part 2
Bernard Orchard OSB, Dei Verbum and the Synoptic Gospels (1990)
Brian W. Harrison, O.S., On Rewriting the Bible (2002)

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Contents of Dei Verbum

Concerning sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture

Concerning the inspiration and interpretation of sacred Scripture

Concerning the New Testament, in particular the Gospel accounts

Scholarly opinion

Biblical infallibility and inerrancy

Further reading

External links