Synod to Focus on Proper Use of Scripture

Catholic World News ^ | 6/12/06

[marshmallow]

CWNews.com) - The Synod of Bishops, meeting in Rome in October 2008, will discuss ways to promote the prayerful reading, understanding, and proclamation of the Word of God.

At a Vatican press conference on June 12, Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, the secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, introduced the instrumentum laboris, the working document, for the October Synod meeting, which is dedicated to a discussion of the Word of God. The archbishop explained that the Synod discussions will have "a pastoral and missionary character," with a focus on use of Scripture to spur Christian evangelization.

The Church should combat widespread "Biblical illiteracy" among the Catholic faithful, Archbishop Eterovic said. At the same time, the Synod will discuss the challenge posed by fundamental sects that promote misleading interpretations of the Scriptures. The instrumentum laboris focuses on a balanced approach to the Scriptures, reading the Bible carefully and relying on the authoritative guidance of the Church magisterium.

The Bible, the instrumentum laboris emphasizes, must be understood as the work of the Holy Spirit, a gift to Christ's Church. Reading the Scriptures in that light, observes the Preface of the working document, "leads from the the letter to the spirit and from the words to the Word of God." This prayerful approach is essential to avoid misinterpretations, the document continues, explaining: "Indeed, the words often conceal their true meaning, especially when considered from the literary and cultural point of view of the inspired authors and their way of understanding the world and its laws."

Archbishop Eterovic noted that this year's meeting, the 12th ordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops, will convene after the inauguration of a special year dedicated to the memory of St. Paul. That Pauline year "will not fail to arouse a renewed missionary drive in the Church," he predicted.

The instrumentum laboris for the Synod meeting bears, as its title, the theme chosen for this year's meeting: The Word of God in the life and Mission of the Church. The document was been released in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Polish; the full text of the instrumentum laboris is available on the Vatican web site.

The working document is divided into three major sections. The first examines the meaning of the term the "Word of God," and the relationships among Scripture, tradition, and the magisterium. The second explores the understanding and interpretation of the Bible, and the proper approach to reading the Word of God and using the Scripture in the liturgy and daily prayer. The third discusses the role of the Word of God in the life of the Church, considering the mission of evangelization, formation of clergy and laity, ecumenical outreach, and inter-religious dialogue. "An attentive listening to the Word is fundamental to a personal encounter with God," a concluding passage of the instrumentum laboris says. "No one can fathom the depths of the Word of God. However, only in the previously mentioned manner can the Word take hold of and convert a person, making him discover its riches and secrets, widening his horizons and promising freedom and full human development."

[Alex Murphy]

The Church should combat widespread "Biblical illiteracy" among the Catholic faithful, Archbishop Eterovic said. At the same time, the Synod will discuss the challenge posed by fundamental sects that promote misleading interpretations of the Scriptures. The instrumentum laboris focuses on a balanced approach to the Scriptures, reading the Bible carefully and relying on the authoritative guidance of the Church magisterium.

Ping to read later

[stuartcr]

Don’t Catholics have a different version of the bible, than other Christians?

[marshmallow]

There are a number of different "versions" of the Bible. However you're probably thinking of the debate about "The Douay-Rheims" versus "King James" versions.

Here's a worthwhile read from "Catholic Answers": Bible Translations Guide

[NYer]

The Church should combat widespread "Biblical illiteracy" among the Catholic faithful, Archbishop Eterovic said. At the same time, the Synod will discuss the challenge posed by fundamental sects that promote misleading interpretations of the Scriptures. The instrumentum laboris focuses on a balanced approach to the Scriptures, reading the Bible carefully and relying on the authoritative guidance of the Church magisterium.

"Did not our hearts burn within us...as he opened up to us the Scriptures?"
—Luke 24:32

Thanks to EWTN, Catholics are being exposed to more programs devoted to Scripture and its interpretation. And, thanks to Dr. Scott Hahn, there are some very exciting new approaches.

St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology

[thefrankbaum]

I think stuartcr was talking about the Deuterocanonical books, marshmallow.

Stuart, yes, the Church includes all the books listed by the Synod of Hippo as canon in 393 AD. Many of the Church Fathers quoted from these books in their writing, applying to them authority. It was not until the Protestant movement came along that these books were removed from the Bible - Christians for 1500 years accepted them.

[annalex]

Elaborating on what Frank said, the Protestants have a truncated canon, missing 7 books. The Orthodox have essentially the same Bible as we do.

For the complete Bible online, go to www.drbo.org

To compare versions and translations, use unbound.biola.edu

[Salvation]

I was all ready to post this article early this morning, but couldn’t get on FR.

Glad you could!

[Salvation]

Catholics are Christians, BTW.

Catholics have the complete Bible. So might I ask, why are you a proponent of an incomplete Bible?

[stuartcr]

Thanks for the info, I’m not familiar enough with the bible to know the differences, but I had heard there was a difference, and was wondering. In a nutshell, what are the differences, if it’s not too involved.

[stuartcr]

Sorry, I should have said ‘other Christians’. I’m not really a proponent of either bible.

[Salvation]

I Frank does not answer your question........I will.

[stuartcr]

OK, thanks

[thefrankbaum]

Salvation is probably much more learned than I am, so I'm sure anything I write which is mistaken or needs to be elaborated on will be posted not only quickly, but correctly ;-)

The story of the Deuterocanonical books, in a nutshell, is this. A few centuries before Christ, Jews had spread throughout the Mediterranean world. Since the lingua franca of the area was still Greek (owing to the conquests of Alexander and the Roman/Latin culture not lending itself to higher intellectual discussion), many Jews lost their grasp of Hebrew and sought their Scripture in a language they could understand. This began a multi-century long process where the Hebrew was translated into Greek, a version known as the Septuagint (or LXX), from the Latin "seventy" and the legend that seventy scholars were responsible for the translation.

Now, these scholars translating Hebrew Scripture included the following books, which became a point of issue in the West:

• Tobit
• Judith
• Wisdom
• Sirach
• Baruch
• 1 Maccabees
• 2 Maccabees
• Additionally, there are more verses in Daniel, Esther, and a different organization of Jeremiah

These books, found in Catholic Bibles, and as an addendum in some Protestant Bibles, were available in Greek to both Jews and the early Christians, and were referenced as authoritative by early Church Fathers. Around the 2nd Century AD, Jews stopped using the LXX - the reasons for this are a little more involved than the purview of this post. The Protestants decided they would remove these Books, since the Jews weren't using them - furthermore, many of the Books (2 Maccabees especially) speak in opposition to Protestant beliefs.

That's a quick primer on the Deuterocanon. Salvation or anyone else, feel free to jump in!

[stuartcr]

Thanks for the info.