To understand Bible, one must understand its nature, pope says

cns ^ | April 12, 2013 | Cindy Wooden

[NYer]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic faith is not centered simply on a book -- the Bible -- but on Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, Pope Francis said.

"The sacred Scriptures are a written testimony to the divine Word," which came before the Bible and exceeds it, the pope said April 12 during a meeting with members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, an international body of scholars that advises the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Commission members met at the Vatican April 9-12 to conclude work on a document about inspiration and truth in the Bible, which is likely to be published in the coming months.

Archbishop Gerhard Muller, prefect of the doctrinal congregation and president of the commission, told the pope the aim was to help people interpret the Scriptures "in accordance with the nature" of the Bible itself. The focus on "inspiration," he said, was an attempt to explain the divine origin of the Bible and the focus on "truth" was an attempt to describe what the Bible says "about God and his plan for salvation."

The archbishop said the commission recognized that when the church describes the Scriptures as being divinely inspired and true certain "challenges come from the Bible itself," including when passages seem to contradict scientific or historical evidence.

Another challenge, he said, is posed by "the violence in some passages" that seems to contradict basic Christian teaching and even phrases the Bible attributes directly to Jesus.

The point of the document, he said, is to help Catholics "overcome both fundamentalism and skepticism."

Pope Francis said the themes of biblical inspiration and truth are important not only for individual believers, "but for the whole church because its life and mission are based on the Word of God, who animates theology and inspires all of Christian existence."

Interpreting the Bible in an honest and authentic way means respecting its nature and recognizing its purpose, the pope said.

"The texts inspired by God were entrusted to the community of believers, the church of Christ, to increase the faith and guide the life of charity," he said. It is only with the assistance of the Holy Spirit and with full respect for the tradition and teaching of the church that the Scriptures' true meaning can be understood.

[metmom]

Totally wrong.....

Nothing at all like reciting the rosary, which one can do without even thinking of it

Thank God He has freed me from the shackles and bondage of Catholicism.

I talk WITH Him, not AT Him.

[Natural Law]

"Nothing at all like reciting the rosary, which one can do without even thinking of it."

How can you assume to know what is in the mind and heart of every Catholic who prays the Rosary? Even I, an active Catholic cannot make that claim. For me and for many Catholics I know the Rosary is an act of deep prayer and reflection. Like with you, each prayer is comprised largely of actual verses of Scripture memorized and recalled and, like you is prayed to raise our hearts and mind to God. For me the Rosary is a way to clear and settle my in in preparation for actual prayer. Those things that are weighing on me, that interrupt my concentration are most often those things in my life that need prayer or are the voice of God speaking to me.

If we are indeed communicating with God then why would we not expect that our experiences would differ only superficially. We are both created in His image and not so different after all.

Peace be with you

[NYer]

Elsie, what is your point in posting the names of those 8 popes?

[Dutchboy88]

You may wish to revisit basic theology, my FRiend. The hypostatic union of the theanthropic person is not heresy. And, Mary is not the mother of God, no matter how delirious that dancing gets around the maypole in St. Peter's.

The sick cries for appartions at Fatima, at Medjugorje, the Original Pancake house demonstrates that a reasonable respect for a biblical character has moved to idolatry and sick demonic worship. Read JPIIs remarks. I sympathize with how long his misnamed "purgatory" is going to last.

[Gamecock]

Another challenge, he said, is posed by "the violence in some passages" that seems to contradict basic Christian teaching and even phrases the Bible attributes directly to Jesus.

Which solution by some RC scholars by relegating the stories of the conquest of Canaan to being folk tales.

Just like the liberal Protestant churches.

[ex-snook]

"And, Mary is not the mother of God, no matter how delirious that dancing gets around the maypole in St. Peter's.".

Mary was the mother of God made man. Jesus is God, the second person of the Trinity. One either believes Jesus was both God and man or one doesn't. I hope you join us.

[BlueDragon]

Protestantism's objections to the actions of the Church are disqualified by the Clean Hands doctrines

It wasn't "protestantism" that did the removing & destroying of icons. It was individuals that did those things.

If it works for Catholics in saying their church never sinned, only people in it have, then the same sets of rules & exceptions can be applied to protestant-ism.

Or is this yet another place where "special pleadings" need be appealed to, and applied only to one party --- to keep the Latin Church itself from being disqualified by "Clean Hands" doctrine which you mention?

[NYer]

If one doesn't read the Bible, that person IS ignorant of it. It's a given.

Metmom, no doubt over the years you have seen photographs of older catholic cathedrals, and recently may have caught a glimpse of the Sistine Chapel.

Displayed on the ceiling are 9 scenes from Genesis, prophets, and other important figures from the Bible. Up until 1450, there were only a handful of hand transcribed bibles. With the arrival of the printing press, the number of books increased but were still quite costly. People learned their faith in church. Moreover, the use of images, stained glass and carvings helped to enhance the transmission of the faith. In the city of Florence, Italy, for example, there stands a large building known as the Baptistery. The proto-Renaissance doors consist of 28 quatrefoil panels, with the twenty top panels depicting scenes from the life of St. John the Baptist. The eight lower panels depict the eight virtues of hope, faith, charity, humility, fortitude, temperance, justice and prudence.

Literacy is the ability to read and write. Up until the turn of the 19th century, literacy was limited to those who could afford to hire private tutors. There are still many parts of the world where illiteracy rates are very high. My great, great grandmother, who arrived in the US from Ireland around 1875, was illiterate. We have several female parishioners from the Middle East who are totally illiterate. They sign checks with an "x". The Catholic Church, which compiled the books that make up the Bible used by christians, used multiple means to convey the story of salvation. You take for granted that everyone is like you. Humility is a good practice.

[Natural Law]

"It wasn't "protestantism" that did the removing & destroying of icons. It was individuals that did those things."

Every act of evil, whether vandalism or genocide, requires the cooperation of individuals. It is when individuals act collectively that the greatest evils are perpetrated. There is no denying that within the reformation were doctrines of iconoclasm.

I only hope you take as dismissive a view when abuses and evil committed by Catholics are discussed.

Peace be with you

[metmom]

Anything that can be recited by rote can be recited without even thinking.

[metmom]

In Scripture, the Holy Spirit saw fit to name her, Mary, mother of Jesus.

Jesus only ever referred to he as “Woman”.

Neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit ever assigned any other title to her. Calling her “ Mother of God” is man’s construct, obviously believing the the Holy Spirit did not do a good enough job inspiring Scripture.

[metmom]

That’s still trusting man.

How is someone to know if those representations actually represent what is in Scripture, if they don’t read it themselves?

Because someone said so?

Trusting man.

[Natural Law]

"Anything that can be recited by rote can be recited without even thinking."

I'm sure there are abuses, but by definition any action that is not the raising of the mind and the heart to God is not prayer. To assume that one is verbally praying but actually thinking about balancing their checkbook instead of contemplating the mysteries is sinful of itself. I hope you are not doing that.

And by the way, within your "chats", how do you display adoration and reverence for the All Mighty God, the Creator of the Universe? Peace be with you

[Natural Law]

"Anyone who depends on someone else to tell them what the Bible has to say instead of reading it themselves to find out for themselves is a fool and is jeopardizing themselves spiritually."

Are we to believe that the illiterate, the blind, those to whom a Bible is not available because of politics or price (Saudi and North Korean Christians for example), and the mentally incapacitated must be denied Salvation because they cannot read the bible?

Our Diocese has a program called SPRED which catechizes the disabled. I can assure you that no one on this earth has a more pure and sincere love of Jesus than some of the severely retarded who cannot read the Bible for themselves.

[Dutchboy88]

"Neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit ever assigned any other title to her. Calling her “ Mother of God” is man’s construct, obviously believing the the Holy Spirit did not do a good enough job inspiring Scripture."

Excellent. Thank you for these very good observations. You caused me to recall that when Jesus was told Mary was outside of a gathering where he was speaking, He noted that "Here is my mother and brothers." to the audience. Hmmm.

[ex-snook]

"Jesus only ever referred to he as “Woman”.

But do you believe that Jesus is God made man and Mary was his mother? "Behold your mother" is good enough for me. I hope it is for you too.

[BlueDragon]

I only hope you take as dismissive a view when abuses and evil committed by Catholics are discussed.

That's the point. The "dismissive view" when "abuses and evils by Catholics are discussed."

[Elsie]

Accepting for the sake of argument that there were indeed evil popes, how does that impugn the Church?

Accepting for the sake of argument that the Church is infallible, how does that allow for evil popes?

[Elsie]

Elsie, what is your point in posting the names of those 8 popes?

To put a little balance to the RC's that constantly bring up Luther's name.

[Elsie]

Moreover, the use of images, stained glass and carvings helped to enhance the transmission of the faith.

I remember when I first encountered a car with images on the gauges and switches instead of words.