Pope: the Bible must always be interpreted within the great Tradition of the Church
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "The interpretation of the Holy Scriptures cannot be only an individual scientific effort, but must always confront itself with, be inserted within and authenticated by the living tradition of the Church". It is a principle that Pope Francis has called "essential to specify the correct relationship between exegesis and the Magisterium of the Church," in his address to the members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, received today at the end of their plenary assembly on the theme of "Inspiration and Truth of the Bible."
"It
is - said the Pope - It is a matter that affects not only the individual
believer, but the whole Church, for the life and mission of the Church is
founded on the Word of God, which is the soul of theology and the inspiration
of all Christian life. As we
know, the Holy Scriptures are the testimony in written form of God's Word, the
canonical memorial that attests to the event of Revelation. The Word of God,
therefore, precedes and exceeds the Bible. It is for this reason that the
center of our faith is not only a book, but a history of salvation and
especially a Person, Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh. Precisely
because the Word of God embraces and extends beyond Scripture to understand it
properly we need the constant presence of the Holy Spirit who "guide us to
all truth" (Jn 16:13). It should be inserted within the current of the
great Tradition which, through the assistance of the Holy Spirit and the
guidance of the Magisterium, recognized the canonical writings as the Word
addressed by God to His people who have never ceased to meditate and discover
its inexhaustible riches. The Second Vatican Council has reiterated this with
great clarity in the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum: "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 "(n. 12)".
"As the
aforementioned conciliar Constitution reminds us, there is an unbreakable unity
between Scripture and Tradition, as both come from the same source: "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 "(ibid., 9)".
"It
follows, therefore, that the exegete must be careful to perceive the Word of
God present in the biblical texts by placing them within the faith of the
Church. The interpretation of the Holy Scriptures cannot be only an individual
scientific effort, but must always confront itself with, be inserted within and
authenticated by the living tradition of the Church. This norm is essential to
specify the correct relationship between exegesis and the Magisterium of the
Church. The texts inspired by God were entrusted to the Community of believers,
the Church of Christ, to nourish the faith and guide the life of charity.
Respect for this profound nature of Scripture conditions the very validity and
effectiveness of biblical hermeneutics. This results in the insufficiency of
any interpretation that is either subjective or simply limited to an analysis
incapable of embracing the global meaning that has constituted the Tradition of
the entire People of God over the centuries, which "in credendo falli nequit"
[cannot be mistaken in belief - ed](Conc Second Vatican Ecumenical Council.
VAT. II, Dogmatic Cost. Lumen Gentium, 12)".
"May
the Virgin Mary, model of docility and obedience to the Word of God, teach you
to accept fully the inexhaustible riches of Sacred Scripture not only through
intellectual pursuits, but in prayer and throughout your life of believers,
especially in this Year of the Faith, so that your work will help to shine the
light of Sacred Scripture in the hearts of the faithful".
This
morning, Pope Francis also made his first visit to the Secretariat of State. Father
Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office said the meeting lasted
fifty minutes, during which the Pope addressed those present with few words,
"all centered on the theme of sincere and heartfelt gratitude for the welcome
that he has been given and for the great amount of work done in this period.
" He
then mentioned that tomorrow will be exactly one month since his election and
expressed appreciation for the work done by the two sections of the Secretariat
of State and greeted each of the 300 present, one by one.
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