Rome's Battle for the Bible
"It looks like the papered-over compromise from Vatican II is coming to the fore at the conference in Rome," said John Woodbridge, research professor of church history and the history of Christian thought at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. "After years of 'don't ask, don't tell,' they are asking and telling."
Catholic challenges to inerrancy in the late 20th century went against longstanding church teaching. No less an authority than Augustine of Hippo set the church's standard. "The authority of these books has come down to us from the apostles through the successions of bishops and the extension of the church, and, from a position of lofty supremacy, claims the submission of every faithful and pious mind," Augustine wrote in a response to Faustus the Manichaean. "If we are perplexed by an apparent contradiction in Scripture, it is not allowable to say, 'The author of this book is mistaken;' but either the manuscript is faulty, or the translation is wrong, or you have not understood."
Pope Leo XIII cited Augustine in his landmark 1893 encyclical on the study of Holy Scripture. The Vatican subsequently launched a decades-long crackdown on higher criticism. At the same time, controversies over the authority of Scripture were wreaking havoc in Protestant seminaries and denominations.
More recently, Catholic seminaries and universities have tolerated scholars who deny the historicity of some biblical events, such as Jesus' miracles. Pope Benedict XVI is an Augustinian, and his years as a university professor have acquainted him with the challenges posed by critical scholarship. According to Allen, the pope advocates "canonical exegesis," which "takes the unity of the Bible for granted and aims at a theological rather than a simply literary-historical interpretation."
Before the synod, the Catholic Biblical Federation commissioned a study of 13 countries to learn how they viewed the Bible, according to Allen. "In broad strokes, the survey found that even in highly secularized nations, people have a basically positive attitude towards the Bible, finding it 'interesting' and wanting to know more about it," Allen reported. At the same time, few surveyed knew anything about the Bible — even whether Paul or Moses was an Old Testament leader.
The problem at the congregational level has been diagnosed. Reaching a solution among the church's leadership will be much more difficult, as history indicates. After fighting their own battles over inerrancy, Protestants will be watching.
"The only way forward in ecumenical dialogue is the biblical pathway," George said. "The Roman Catholic Church is taking the Bible more seriously now than it did 30 to 50 years ago. This is a good sign."
Collin Hansen is a CT editor at large and author of Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey with the New Calvinists.
Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
Related Elsewhere:
Previous Theology in the News columns are available on our site.
The Latest in Movie News, June 17, 2013
It's the Thoughts That Count
Why World Relief's Jenny Yang Feared Speaking on Immigration
(on articles open to the public, you must at least register for a free account).
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Newsletters
Google
Comments
Displaying 1–3 of 32 comments
See all comments
destinycreature
The Roman Catholic church is just on a plot to deceive people and draw them into their damnable heresies. The have not denounced many of their heresies including: 1.Apostolic Succession, 2. Temporal Power 3. Infallibility of the Pope 4. Co-Mediator status of Mary 5. Transubstantiation 6. Purgatory 7. Indulgences 8. Salvation by works 7. Veneration of Saints and Angels 8. The Assumption of Mary 9. Perpetual Virginity of Mary 10. The authority of the Mother Church 11. Authority of the Canon Law and Dogma and much more. Roman Catholicism was NEVER truly Christian from its roots. This means that they are not apostate but false. The Pope and his minions are just seeking to gain more power for themselves through any means possible. It is through their primary vehicle of Ecumenism that they are seeing to embrace all religions and created a man centered version of Christianity to damn the souls of men to the pits of hell for all eternity. Please don't be deceived by Roman Catholicism.
Charles C.
As a "cradle Catholic" I was taught that the Roman Catholic Church bases the truth of its teaching on two foundations, Holy Scripture and Tradition. Since Vatican II, I have witnessed the erosion of this teaching by Modernist theologians and clergy in my Church who are engaged in the "self destruction" of Catholicism which was deplored by Pope Paul VI. (Ironically, it was this same pope who aided and abetted the self destruction.) More power to Christian scholars and leaders who are reasserting the belief in the inerrancy of the Bible. Many Catholics are fed up with the denial of the Revealed Word of God that we have endured in Sunday sermons, Catholic publications and in "Catholic" classrooms! (e.g., "Jesus didn't believe He is the Son of God"; "Jesus was the most surprised person in Jerusalem when He was resurrected"; "Jesus couldn't predict the future, despite what one reads in the Bible"; "the Bible teachings are incorrect" ).
Brian Mershon
If you read the Latin original of the Vatican II documents, the English translation commonly used does not give a full account of the true meaning of the Church's understanding of inerrancy. The text can read as if it means that inerrancy is limited ONLY to matters of salvific value. Other better translations show that meaning to be a false understanding. Robert Sungenis, at www.catholicintl.com has covered this extensively for anyone who wants to read further. The Latin to English translation is corrupt.