Avoiding Biblical Paralysis: Sacred Scripture and the Modern Catholic

Avoiding Biblical Paralysis: Sacred Scripture and the Modern Catholic

by Curtis A. Martin

(Typically, we as readers stand in judgment over the books we read, deciding for ourselves whether to accept or reject the assertions that we encounter: But the Scriptures- because they are written by God- stand in judgment over the reader; calling us into a life-transforming relationship with the ultimate Author; our Heavenly Father.)

Who has never experienced frustration trying to read the Bible? The Book itself is fairly imposing, with more than 1,000 pages and seldom a picture. The characters seem to be right out of the Iliad and the Odyssey: "Mizraim became the father of Ludim and Anamin and Lehabim and Naphtuhim" (Gen. 10:13). Trying to read through the sacred text can lead to more perspiration than inspiration. So what is the layman to do? Many people read modern commentaries or even take classes on the Bible, looking for some helpful hints on how to crack open the sacred page and begin to experience the joy, the wisdom, and the life-transforming effects of which the saints and so many of our evangelical friends speak. This is usually where the problems begin.

A typical "Introduction to the Bible" course practically involves learning a new language and a new alphabet. For example, instead of Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books), we are told that J, E, P and D are the real authors. Just when one becomes acquainted with the prophet Isaiah, we are told that there are two of them, then three. The novices who thought that Matthew wrote the first gospel, are then told no, it was Mark, actually Q (or Q1, Q2, and Q3 for the more advanced!. Just when the letters of St. Paul are beginning to become instructive, someone points out that they are not all really his. What are the Catholic faithful to make of this convoluted mess? Every new piece of information only seems to call attention to how little we can (really) know.

DOCTRINAL AMNESIA?

It is not always easy to discern how modern scholarship can be reconciled with the official teachings of the Church. A recent article in pointed out that most scholars doubt the historical nature of many passages in Scripture: "[M]ost U.S. Catholic scholars now generally view the Infancy narratives- the visit of the magi, the flight into Egypt, the massacre of the innocents-as religious legends created by the evangelists, or their sources, to convey theological truths about Christ" (Hutchinson, "The Case for Christmas," , p. 10, 12/24/95).

This position not only runs counter to what many Catholics had always thought to be true, but it also seems difficult to reconcile with magisterial teaching. For example, in his , Pope St. Pius X cites the following statement as an example of the Modernist heresy: "In many narrations the Evangelists recorded, not so much things that are true, as

things which, even though false, they judged to be more profitable for their readers" (, no. 14, 1907). The average Catholic wants to be well-informed and intelligent, but also to be faithful. From my own studies it is far from clear how the two positions can come together. It almost seems as though some biblical scholars are suffering from doctrinal amnesia.

But even if modern scholarship could be harmonized with the official teachings of the Church, it still is missing the point. Vatican II encourages us to interpret Scripture thoughtfully and carefully, to make use of human wisdom and scholarship (cf. , no. 12). However, it appears to the average layman that the scholars have become more interested in their "scholarship" than in what the Bible actually says, as though their "eyeglasses" are more important than the world those eyeglasses were designed to help them see. The Bible itself warns that some of its passages are not easy to understand (cf. 2 Pet. 3:16), but some modern scholars make the enterprise seem impossible.

I remember teaching seventh grade catechism several years ago. One night we were to discuss the Gospel of St. John. The teacher's manual began, "Be sure to stress to the students that the Apostle John was not the author of the fourth Gospel." Even if this were true-the Pontifical Biblical Commission, in its findings of 1907, stated that St. John must be acknowledged as the author-this is not catechesis. Here is the tragedy: In St. John's Gospel we have many wonderful teachings, including the most compelling explanation of the Eucharist (Jn. 6), the institution of the Sacrament of Confession (Jn. 20:23), some of the clearest teachings on the divinity of Christ (e.g., Jn.1:1-18; 8:58), and many profound passages found nowhere else. But all of these things were supposed to take a backseat, so that I could stress to the students that St. John did not write the Gospel of St. John. How does this help young people to deepen their faith in Jesus Christ and his Church? Even if it were true, it is relatively trivial.

The confusion seemed unnecessary to me. As a fallen-away Roman Catholic, it was by reading the Protestant Bible that I came to see that the true Bible Church was in fact the Church of the Bible: Roman Catholicism. As a recent "revert," I quickly began to see that reading the Bible as a Catholic involved many apparent challenges and difficulties. I wanted to be faithful to the Church that I had rediscovered to be the

mystical Body of Christ, but the "experts" seemed to be taking the Bible right out of my hands. Thank God for sacred Tradition and the Magisterium! The more I listened to the modern scholars, the more confused and frustrated I became. I decided to go to the source. By studying what the Church had said in her official documents, it became clear that it was her desire for all Catholics to be Bible Christians, and all Bible Christians to be Roman Catholics.

I have come to discover five basic principles which allow us lay people to read the Bible as Roman Catholics and maximize the profit we can gain from the sacred page. I will now share these principles with you, and then look at a couple of ways in which we might be able to begin our own personal study of the Word of God in Scripture, so that this "grand source of Catholic revelation [may] be made safely and abundantly accessible to the flock of Jesus Christ" (Pope Leo XIII, , no. 2, 1893).

1. The Truth Will Make You Free: Biblical Inspiration and Inerrancy

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

The first point is to realize that sacred Scripture is the very Word of God. As the substantial Word of God became like to men in all things, "except sin," so the words of God, expressed in human language, are made like to human speech in every respect, except error (Pope Pius XII, , no. 37, 1943).

The Bible is different from all other books because it is inspired by God. But it is important to understand what the Church means by this "inspiration." She does not mean that the Bible is necessarily inspirational, although it often is. Rather, the Scriptures are referred to as inspired because they are literally God-breathed. "For the sacred Scripture is not like other books. Dictated by the Holy Spirit, it contains things of the deepest importance" (, no. 5). As the book of Hebrews says, "the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword" (Heb. 4:12). The fact that Scripture is God's very words becoming the words of men gives it an inner dynamism which differentiates it from all other books. The Scriptures possess a reliability in which we may place our trust about what we are to believe and how we are to act. This reliability is based upon what the Church calls inerrancy.

"[H]aving been written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, [the books of the Bible] have God for their author and as such were handed down to the Church herself.... [This is a] Catholic doctrine by which such divine authority is claimed for the 'entire books with all their parts' as to secure freedom from any error whatsoever" (, introduction).

The Bible's inerrancy is based on God's trustworthiness, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. This trustworthiness distinguishes the Bible from all other books (cf. , no. 12). Typically, we as readers stand in judgment over the books we read, deciding for ourselves whether to accept or reject the assertions that we encounter. But the Scriptures- because they are written by God-stand in judgment over the reader, calling us into a life-transforming relationship with the ultimate Author, our Heavenly Father. The sacred Scriptures, read in light of sacred Tradition and with the guidance of the Magisterium, provide that firm foundation on which we can build a life of faith and support for our daily lives (cf. 1 Tim. 3:15). Biblical inspiration and inerrancy are the fundamental principles upon which biblical interpretation rests.

The Lord's words are true; for him to say it, means that it is. Again, "'Scripture cannot lie'; it is wrong to say Scripture lies, no, it is impious even to admit the very notion of error where the Bible is concerned" (Pope Benedict XV, , no. 13, 1920).

An example of this commitment to the sacred page not only extends to all the saints, but to our Lord himself, who quoted from all parts of the Scripture with solemn testimony: "The Scripture cannot be broken" (Jn. 10:35). This is the commitment we too will need if we want to experience the fruits that Our Lord has intended for "hearers of his Word."

2. As You Sow, So Shall You Reap: The Importance of Sound Interpretation

"[S]o shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thin" for which I sent it" (Is. 55:11).

The prayerful and careful reading of the Scriptures will always prove itself to be a profitable use of time. This does not mean, however, that reading the Bible is easy or simple. The sacred Scriptures are like a large lake, sufficient for anyone to come and drink fully, but deep enough for anyone to drown. This is the way God has designed the Bible, to encourage us to dig deep and to dig humbly. While the Church encourages us to read the Bible, it calls us to read carefully. Special attention should be paid to the text so that we might discern the intention of the sacred writer. This includes noting the literary form, or genre, of the text: Is it poetry, a parable, or a narration? The nature of the text will affect the meaning of the passage:

"[I]t is the duty of the exegete, to lay hold, so to speak, with the greatest care and reverence of the very least expressions which, under the inspiration of the Divine Spirit, have flowed from the pen of the sacred writer, so as to arrive at a deeper and fuller knowledge of his meaning" (, no. 15).

Proper care and willingness to always examine our understanding in light of the teachings of the Church will help us to avoid the opposing errors of fundamentalism and skepticism.

The Bible works something like a chamois, a leather cloth used to dry a car when washing it. A chamois needs to be moist in order to absorb moisture. This is the paradox for the biblical student: We need to know the Bible in order to get to know the Bible better. This means that in our first reading we may miss many elements and aspects which a later reading will show us. But God has designed the Scriptures so that the faithful reader will be able to get something every time he studies it.

One helpful hint may be to begin on more familiar ground. The ideal starting place for devotional reading may be the Gospel of St. John in the New Testament. The Gospels are more familiar to us. We hear them at Mass every week, even daily if we attend. The characters of the New Testament are also more familiar to us, such as Mary and the apostles. A commitment to read a portion each day will lead us quickly through the New Testament, and then we may be ready to go back to the beginning.

The Old Testament is admittedly more difficult. The names, places, and events can be foreign to the modern reader. I recommend a tape series by Dr. Scott Hahn entitled "Salvation History." In these tapes Dr. Hahn provides a framework within which we can begin to make sense of the Old Testament salvation history. This framework offers a "filing cabinet" in which we can begin to store the information as we read it, almost like a computer disk which needs to be formatted before information can be stored on it.

Most of all, we must avoid the temptation to become frustrated. There will be things we will not fully understand. When we encounter these difficulties, we should realize we are in good company: "Whosoever comes to [Scripture reading] in piety, faith, and humility, and with determination to make progress in it, will assuredly find therein and will eat the 'Bread that comes down from heaven' (Jn. 6:33 ); he will, in his own person, experience the truth of David's words: 'The hidden and uncertain things of Thy Wisdom Thou hast made manifest to me!"' (Ps. 51:6) (, no. 43).

Pope Benedict XV also acknowledges: "[St.] Jerome was compelled, when he discovered apparent discrepancies in the sacred books, to use every endeavor to unravel the difficulty. If he felt that he had not satisfactorily settled the problem, he would return to it again and again, not always, indeed, with the happiest results" (ibid., no. 15, emphasis added).

As with any craft, there are many tools which can be used to maximize the profitability of our reading. First and foremost among these tools is the regular and consistent reading of the sacred page itself. St. Jerome taught, "Read assiduously and learn as much as you can. Let sleep find you holding your Bible, and when your head nods let it be resting on the sacred page" (ibid., no. 42).

Only after we have read and reread the sacred page ourselves can we effectively make use of other tools. There are modern commentaries on all of the New Testament put out through the Navarre Study Series by Scepter Press. Dr. Hahn has a number of commentaries on audiotape on various books of the Bible. There are several official documents put out by the Magisterium on the topic of sacred Scripture (Pope Leo XIII, Pope Pius X, Pope Benedict XV, Pope Pius XII, Vatican II, and the Pontifical Biblical Commission before Pope Paul removed its magisterial status). There are also a number of other study guides available for more serious investigation, such as concordances, Bible dictionaries, biblical encyclopedias, etc. But these tools, while helpful, can never replace the daily, personal reading of sacred Scripture. The Word of God is that pearl of great price which deserves all of our attention.

3. For the Sake of Our Salvation: The Purpose of Sacred Scripture

"The Church ... has always regarded, and continues to regard, the Scriptures taken together with sacred

Tradition as the supreme rule of faith" (, no. 21).

In its dogmatic constitution , literally "the Word of God," the Second Vatican Council provides the gemstone of official Church teachings on the sacred Scripture. Building upon the firm foundation of other magisterial teachings, the Council Fathers remind us of the ultimate reason for God's gift of sacred Scripture: "It pleased God, in His goodness and wisdom, to reveal Himself and to make known the mystery of His will. His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit, and thus become sharers in the Divine Nature" (, no. 2).

All of the truths about Scripture and each of the truths contained in the Scripture lead to the Gospel, the good news, that the almighty and ever living God has freely chosen first to create us and then reveal himself to us as a loving Father, through the work of our divine Savior Jesus Christ, and desires to draw us back into his divine favor through the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. All of the wisdom and insights which may be gleaned from the Scriptures pale in comparison to this over-arching truth. In a beautiful and central passage of , the Church teaches: "Since, therefore, all that the inspired authors, or sacred writers, affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture, firmly, faithfully, and without error, teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the sacred Scriptures" (, no. 11).

This passage has one of the longest footnotes of any of the Vatican II documents. This footnote bears witness to the rich tradition upon which the Catholic perspective of the Word of God is based. The footnote contains references to St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, the Council of Trent, Pope Leo XIII, and Pope Pius XII, each affirming the inspiration, inerrancy, and importance of the sacred Scriptures for the Church and the individual Christian.

These truths provide the framework within which we understand the Bible within the Church. It is inspired by God, literally "God- breathed," and therefore completely trustworthy. It is rich in content and meaning, and deserves our zealous and diligent study. It is an expression of the gift of God of His very self to humanity, and is provided to us for the sake of our salvation.

4. The New in Light of the Old: Analogy of Scripture "God, the inspirer and author of the books of both Testaments, in His wisdom has so brought it about that the New should be hidden in the Old, and that the Old should be made manifest in the New" (, no. 16).

The complete canon of Scripture includes 73 books. But as the teaches, there is an inner unity which also allows us to refer to the Bible as a single book:

"Be especially attentive 'to the content and unity of the whole Scripture.' Different as the books which comprise it may be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God's plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since His Passover" (, no. 112).

This principle of interpretation is called the analogy of Scripture. The analogy of Scripture allows us to see how the plans, promises, and covenants of the Old Testament salvation history are realized and fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ and the foundation of the Roman Church. Salvation history, viewed in this light, allows us to see that "His story" becomes "our story." This realization allows us to read the Scriptures with a new-found interest. What may have appeared to be an obscure story now becomes our family history. St. Paul states: "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Rom. 15:4).

When viewed in this light, the Scriptures invite us in and provide us with a God-given worldview. We become acquainted with "the eternal purpose which he carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph. 3:1 1). We have become "fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone" (Eph. 2:19-20). It is with this knowledge and through the life of prayer which must accompany it that we may begin to make sense of our lives and our role in the modern world. Vatican II provides that "Christ fully reveals man to himself" (, no. 22), and without this Christ-centered knowledge of self we have no hope of living the life that God intends for us.

5. Faith of Our Fathers: Analogy of Faith

"So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us" (2 Thes. 2:15).

A final interpretive principle allows us to experience the breadth and length and height and depth of the fullness of the Roman Catholic Faith. This principle is called the analogy of faith, and is described in the : "Read the Scripture within 'the living Tradition of the whole Church.' According to a saying of the Fathers, sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church's heart..." (, no. 113). The analogy of faith is based on the fact that "sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to the Church" (, no. 10). This deposit of faith is given by God and entrusted to the Church, "the pillar and bulwark of the truth" (1 Tim. 3:15). The analogy of faith is the secret weapon of the Catholic Church. If we as Catholics were to realize in our lives the analogy of faith, we would become suitable laborers in the work of authentic Christian unity.

The unity among Christians willed by God can be attained only by the adherence of all to the content of revealed faith in its entirety. In matters of faith, compromise is a contradiction with God who is Truth (Pope John Paul II, , no. 18).

It was the discovery of this interpretative principle which led me back to the Roman Catholic Church. Although the Bible is the very Word of God given in the words of men, there is still room for human error and misinterpretation. In the book of Acts, the deacon Philip comes across an Ethiopian eunuch who is reading a passage from the sacred Scriptures, and Philip asks him, "Do you understand what you are reading?" and the eunuch replies, "Well, how could I unless someone guides me?" (cf. Acts S:30-31). There are more than 25,000 different Christian denominations, each claiming the Bible as their rule of faith. So without someone to guide us, we would be unable to discern the authentic meaning of the sacred page. St. Jerome illustrates this point, stating: "What I have learned I did not teach myself-a wretchedly presumptuous teacher!-but I learned it from illustrious men in the Church" (, no. 36).

Many sincere Christians disagree on biblical interpretation. For example, should our Lord be taken literally when He says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you" (Jn. 6:53)? Imagine how much insight we could gain if we could speak with St.

John himself and ask him what he understood our Lord to mean. Well, this is exactly what the Fathers of the Church were able to do. St. Ignatius of Antioch was a disciple of St. John, and St. Ignatius is not silent on the subject. He writes in his letter to the church of Antioch, "They [the heterodox] do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior, Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins in which the Father in His goodness raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes."

When I discovered the analogy of faith, I realized that I was no longer left to my own devices and subject to my own limitations in trying to discover the fullness of faith. Rather, I was able to enter into a "dialogue" with other faithful followers of Jesus Christ. And I also had the wise and anointed leadership of the Magisterium, the servant and teacher of God's word. For the Catholic, the riches of the Bible are open completely. We have the very word of God, in Tradition and in Scripture, as preserved and proclaimed by the Teaching Church. This means that Catholics among all Christians should be the most biblical.

Some people are concerned that by reading the Bible we may fall away from the Church. But what I have seen is quite the opposite. Catholics who read the Bible within the Church help others to come into the Church. Catholics who are ignorant of Scripture are easily drawn away to a "Bible church," which rightly focuses on the importance of the Word of God, but does so outside of its God- given context, the family of God, the Church.

TWO WAYS TO START

There are many styles and methods of studying the sacred Scriptures. The most basic is an inductive Bible study: to go to the very words of Scripture and allow them to teach you. As a Catholic, this must be done in light of the five principles of interpretation already mentioned. These principles allow us to read the Bible with freedom and confidence, knowing that if we encounter something that we do not understand or that seems to contradict the Church, we will humbly defer and allow the Church to guide us into the right interpretation. The Gospels may be the most fruitful subject for this inductive approach. In them, we are confronted by the very words and person of Jesus Christ, who invites us to repent and believe, and challenges us to live, not for the sake of this world, but for the sake of the world to come.

Seemingly, every passage of Scripture is an invitation to have our lives transformed by God. St. Paul writes, "I appeal to you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom. 12:1-2).

Another type of study is a deductive study, in which we allow a topic or a teaching to lead us into the Scriptures to show us its foundation and its biblical principles. Perhaps the most useful guide for a deductive study is the . The is filled with scriptural references, so much so that one modern theologian accused it of citing the Bible in a "fundamentalist way" (E. A. Johnson, "Jesus Christ in the Catechism," , p. 208, 3/3/92).

To read articles of interest in the and then to follow the references into the sacred Scriptures allows you to interact with the teachings of the Faith in the way the intends. In a certain sense, the is not the last word in Catholic teaching, but rather the first word, leading us to deeper study through the extensive references and footnotes. It is a wonderful synthesis of teachings flowing from the sacred Tradition of the Fathers, saints, church councils, and especially the sacred Scriptures, which embody the very soul of sacred theology, the study of God. By utilizing these principles and techniques, we lay people can avoid the confusion which sometimes surrounds modern Catholic biblical studies.

Theories will come and theories will go, but the official teaching of the Catholic Church provides us with a reliable guidepost to lead and transform us into the children of God we have been called to be.

Curtis Martin holds a Masters degree in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is President of Catholics United for the Faith. He is a featured speaker for The Institute of Applied Biblical Studies, founded by Dr. Scott Hahn. Curtis and his wife Michaelann live in Steubenville, OH, with their children, Brock 5, Thomas 3, Augustine 1, and MariAna.

This article was taken from the Mar-Apr. 1996 issue of "Catholic Dossier". Catholic Dossier is published bi-monthly for $24.95 a year by Ignatius Press. For subscriptions: P.O. Box 1639, Snohomish, WA 98291-1639, 1-800-651-1531.

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