Dei Verbum

The Word of God

Through Revelation,
God reveals Himself
and His plan for man’s
salvation.

He does this through concrete Words and Deeds;

speaking to humanity in a language we can
understand.

This Revelation is
interpreted through
Scripture and Tradition.
Scripture is the Word of God
written through the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit (dual authorship).

Scripture is inerrant in
matters concerning man’s
salvation.
Because of the authority given by Christ
through Apostolic Succession, the Magisterium
(teaching office of the Church) compiled the
books that are presently part of the Canon we
consider the Bible today.

They also have the authority to

interpret the Scripture to ensure
that it is read and understood
correctly.

The Magisterium ensure that the Scripture is read with the

inspiration of the same Spirit who wrote it!
 During the Second Vatican Council, the Magisterium put
forth these guidelines to assist the Church in the
interpretation of Scripture:

1. Be attentive to the content and unity of the

whole of Scripture.

Scripture verses can be a very powerful part

of one’s prayer life, however, there is a
danger when a verse is taken out of context
to read from it something that the text does
not support…
A word is a part of a verse…

…a verse is a part of a chapter…

…a chapter is a part of a book…

…a book is a part of the canon…

The canon of Scripture with all the books,

chapters and verses combined tells the
story of God’s Revelation.

It must be read as a whole!

 For example…

Matt 23:9

“Call no man your father on earth, for

you have one Father, who is in heaven.”

With this verse, one might try to claim that

when Catholics address priests as “Father,”
they are engaging in an unbiblical practice
that Jesus forbade…it could also nullify the
position of the Pope as the “Holy Father.”
When the Bible is read as a whole, one can see that the term
“father” is used in many other places as a sign of respect:

“So it was not you who sent me here, but God; and
he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all
his house and ruler over all the land in Egypt”
Gen 45:8

“In that day I will call my servant Eliakim, the son

of Hilkiah…and I will clothe him with a robe, and will
bind a girdle on him, and will commit…authority to
his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants
of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.”
Is 22:20-21
 In Acts 7:2, St. Stephen refers to “our father Abraham,” and
Paul speaks of “our father Isaac” in Romans 9:10.

A careful examination of the context of

Matthew 23 shows that Jesus did not
intend for his words here to be
understood literally…

“But you are not to be called ‘rabbi,’ for you have one teacher,
and you are all brethren. And call no man father on earth,
for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called
‘masters,’ for you have one master, the Christ.”
Matt 23:8-10
 What did Jesus mean?

When read in context, we can clearly see that Jesus was

using a hyperbole – an exaggeration to make a point.

Jesus did this often in Scripture…see Matt 5:29, 18:9 Mark 9:47

In this context, he is criticizing the Jewish leaders who love

“the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the
synagogues, and salutations in the market places and being
called ‘rabbi’ by men” (Mat 23:6-7)

By using a hyperbole, Jesus is trying to show the Pharisees how

sinful and proud they were for not looking humbly to God as the
source of all authority, fatherhood and teaching.
2. Read Scripture within the living Tradition of
the whole Church.
Because of Apostolic Succession, we believe
that God blesses the Magisterium with the
authority to interpret Scripture correctly.

Further, the doctrine that is

taught by the Magisterium in
matters of Faith and Morals is
done so with the guarantee of
INFALLIBILITY.
Reading Scripture within the “living Tradition” of the Church means
taking into account the fact that this text has been read by a
community of believers for centuries.

Even before it was a written text,

Christians lived and prayed the Gospel
they heard in sermons, through prayer
and meditation, through Christian art,
through liturgical celebrations and through
oral traditions.

Keeping this in mind when

reading Scripture reminds us to
stick to the original intention of the
author and read from Scripture
what God wants to express.
Luke 22:19-20

Then, taking bread and giving thanks, he broke it

and gave it to them, saying: “This is my body to be
given for you. Do this as a remembrance of me.”

When this text is read according to

the living Tradition of the Church,
we see this as the heart of the
Liturgy of the Eucharist. The bread
and the wine actually become the
body and blood of Jesus Christ.
3. Be attentive to the analogy of faith.

The Analogy of Faith is the coherence of those Truths revealed in

Scripture and Tradition that pertain to our eternal salvation

Truth does not contradict Truth!

For example, one could never say…

“There is a God” and “There is no God”
The statements contradict each other. Logic dictates that it is either one or
the other, but not both at the same time.

The same thing holds true for Scripture. God has revealed Truth; Truth
cannot contradict itself. Revelation interpreted through Scripture must
support Revelation interpreted through Tradition and visa versa.
 John 10:30

“The Father and I are One”

The interpretation of Scripture
must cohere with other things
believed by faith.
The Church proclaims that there
are three distinct persons in the
Trinity: the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit.

These three distinct persons, however, are all made of the

same divine substance…they are all God.

In this verse, one can see both the distinction and the unity
believed in the doctrine of the Trinity. It agrees with and supports
the analogy of faith.
Because Scripture is the inspired Word of God, we can interpret two
senses as we read to understand more fully what God has revealed.

1. The Literal Sense

This sense involves reading
the text very carefully to
Read Ex 14:26-31 understand exactly what is
being said.
Literally, the Scripture is telling the
story of how the Israelites crossed the
Red Sea and how the Egyptians were
drowned when they tried to cross.

All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal!!!

 2. The Spiritual Sense

Thanks to the unity of God’s plan, not

only the text of Scripture but also the
realities and events about which it
speaks can be signs.

A sign is something
that points to St. Augustine uses the example of
something else. smoke and fire…one points to the other.

Three distinctions can be made within the Spiritual Sense

a. The Allegorical Sense

b. The Tropological or Moral Sense

c. The Anagogical Sense

A. The Allegorical Sense

When we read Scripture in the allegorical sense,

we see that the events that occur in the stories of
Scripture have a greater significance when seen
in light of the story of Christ.

Example: The Israelites crossing the Red Sea to be delivered

from slavery in Egypt is a sign or type of the Christians’
Baptism and conformation to Christ as they are freed from
slavery to sin.
 B. The Tropological/ Moral Sense

When we read Scripture in the tropological sense,

we see that the events that occur in the stories of
Scripture teach us to live justly.

Scripture is meant for our instruction and

spiritual transformation of the soul. The words
reveal lessons that teach us how to act in
accordance with God’s will.

Example:
Ps 61
C. The Anagogical Sense

When we read Scripture in the anagogical sense,

we see the events in terms of their eternal
significance, leading us to Heaven.

Example:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, between

your offspring and hers.”
Genesis 3:15
 Putting it all together…

Context: This verse is part of the curse God gives

the snake after the fall of man.

Literally, God is speaking to the serpent, Adam and Eve.

Spiritually under the category of the anagogical sense, we can see a

reference to the end of time when evil will ultimately be conquered.

Read as part of the whole of Scripture and within the living

Tradition of the Church, we can see that this could be
interpreted as a reference to Mary being born without original
sin and to Jesus’ victory over sin and death.

For centuries, the Magisterium has interpreted this as the

Protoevangelium or the first Gospel.

Even in the moments following the fall, God was beginning to reveal
His plan for man’s salvation!
 Exegesis
Catholic exegesis is the careful study of
Scripture according to these rules of
interpretation.

Exegetes attempt to delve deeper into the Sacred

Deposit of Faith entrusted to us by Christ.

That is why the Bishops say that study of Sacred

Scripture is the very Soul of Theology.