SUMMARY OF THE INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE IN THE CHURCH

SUMMARY OF THE INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE IN THE CHURCH

In the history of interpretation the rise of the historical-critical method opened a new era. With it, new possibilities for understanding the biblical word in its originality opened up. Just as with all human endeavors, though, so also this method contained hidden dangers along with its positive possibilities. The search for the original can lead to putting the word back into the past completely so that it is no longer taken in its actuality. It can result that only the human dimension of the word appears as real, while the genuine author, God, is removed from the reach of a method which was established for understanding human reality. In the quest to achieve this task of interpreting and understanding the Bible, the teaching office of the Catholic Church has taken up several positions beginning from Pope Leo XIII, in his encyclical Providentissimus Deus of Nov. 18, 1893, plotted out some markers on the exegetical map then Pope Pius XII, in his encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu of Sept. 30, 1943, was able to provide largely positive encouragement toward making the modern methods of understanding the Bible fruitful. In accomplishing this goal various method and approaches for interpretation was adapted. Historical-Critical Method which method is the indispensable method for the scientific study of the meaning of ancient texts. Holy Scripture, inasmuch as it is the "word of God in human language," has been composed by human authors in all its various parts and in all the sources that lie behind them. New methods of Literary analysis since the historical-critical method cannot claim to be absolutely sufficient, It necessarily has to leave aside many aspects of the writings which it studies because no scientific method for the study of the Bible is fully adequate to comprehend the biblical texts in all their richness. Approaches Based on Tradition, the above mentioned methods are not sufficient enough for the interpretation of the Bible because they consider each of its writings in isolation, so in this case number of approaches were adopted: canonical approaches, Recourse to Jewish tradition of interpretation approach and history of the influence of the text. Approaches that use human Sciences, since the word of God emanated from the human communities, and it has been through the psychological dispositions of the various persons who composed the biblical writings that it has pursued its path. It follows that human sciences, sociology in particular can contribute toward a better understanding of the Bible. Contextual Approaches, interpretation of a text is always dependent on the mindset and concerns of its readers. Readers give privileged attention to certain aspects and, without even being aware of it, neglect others. It is important that they do so with critical discernment. Fundamentalist Interpretation starts from the principle that the Bible, being the word of God, inspired and free from error, should be read and interpreted literally in all its details.

Second part of this work has to do with Hermeneutical question, question that will help to explain and analyses written texts. Philosophical hermeneutics, it helps in knowing subject in human understanding, especially as regards historical knowledge. The meaning inspired by scripture, it allows biblical exegesis to deepen its understanding of the task before it, the complexity of which has become ever more evident.

The third section has to do with the characteristics of catholic interpretation. Catholic exegesis does not claim any particular scientific method as its own. It recognizes that one of the aspects of biblical texts is that they are the work of human authors, who employed both their own capacities for expression and the means which their age and social context put at their disposal. Consequently Catholic exegesis freely makes use of the scientific methods and approaches which allow a better grasp of the meaning of texts in their linguistic, literary, sociocultural, religious and historical contexts, while explaining them as well through studying their sources and attending to the personality of each author (cf. Divino Afflante Spiritu: Ench. Bibl. 557). The church made use of interpretation in the biblical tradition, which expression include the manner in which the Bible interprets fundamental human experiences or the particular events of the history of Israel, or again the manner in which the biblical texts make use of their sources, written or oral, some of which may well come from other religions or cultures--through a process of reinterpretation. Interpretation in the tradition of the church, the church, as the people of God, is aware that it is helped by the Holy Spirit in its understanding and interpretation of Scripture. The task of the exegete, It is an ecclesial task, for it consists in the study and explanation of holy Scripture in a way that makes all its riches available to pastors and the faithful. But it is at the same time a work of scholarship, which places the Catholic exegete in contact with non-Catholic colleagues and with many areas of scholarly research. Moreover, this task includes at the same time both research and teaching. The relationship with other theological disciplines, exegesis has close and complex relationships with other fields of theological learning. On the one hand, systematic theology has an influence upon the presuppositions with which exegetes approach biblical texts. On the other hand, exegesis provides the other theological disciplines with data fundamental for their operation.

The fourth part has to do with the interpretation of the bible in the life of the church. The church, indeed, does not regard the Bible simply as a collection of historical documents dealing with its own origins; it receives the Bible as word of God, addressed both to itself and to the entire world at the present time. This conviction, stemming from the faith, leads in turn to the work of actualizing and inculturating the biblical message, as well as to various uses of the inspired text in liturgy, in "lectio divina," in pastoral ministry and in the ecumenical movement.