Faith, Revelation and the Bible

Catechism of the Catholic Church sections # 51 through 141 are relevant to these documents.	The story of Church letters	Background statements written by Msgr. Peter J. Elliott of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and copyrighted by Catholics Committed to Support the Pope are indicated by ©CCSP. All others are written and copyrighted by Martin K.Barrack.
Document	Description	Background
Qui Pluribus EWTN Library	Faith and Religion, Encyclical of Pope Pius IX, November 9, 1846	In the first year of his pontificate, Pope Pius IX met the challenge of the Rationalists who claimed that faith and reason are not only separate but in conflict with one another. They denied the truth and the authority of Divine Revelation. The rationalist problem would continue through the Nineteenth Century, especially in the light of exaggerated claims made in the name of the developing sciences of that age. However, the Church also rejected the opposite extreme, Fideism, a distrust of human reason which may lead to “fundamentalism.” ©CCSP
Quanta Cura EWTN Library	Condemning Current Errors, Encyclical of Pope Pius IX, December 8, 1864	In a time of increasing tension and conflict, when the secularist forces of Liberalism, Socialism, and Freemasonry were determined to destroy the Church, Pius IX issued Quanta Cura. Liberalism set up the idea of the free individual as the measure of all truth and sought to subject the Church to state control. Behind this policy was a rejection of Divine Revelation and hence the supernatural truths and divine authority of Catholic Christianity. ©CCSP
Syllabus of Errors EWTN Library	Eighty Errors on Revealed Truth and Political Theory Corrected, Pope Pius IX, December 8, 1864	On the same day as the publication of Quanta Cura, Pius IX listed eighty specific errors in the realm of revealed truth and political theory. The freedom of the Church and her divine authority on earth are affirmed in the face of forces which would soon declare war on the Church and make the Pope the “prisoner of the Vatican.” ©CCSP
Dei Filius EWTN Library	Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith, Apostolic Constitution of Vatican I, 1870	Bearing the full authority of an Ecumenical Council, Dei Filius defines the truth of Revelation, the nature of faith and the correct balance between faith and reason. The Council affirms that we can know God exists by the use of reason, but we need divine revelation and the gift of faith to know God. Scripture and Tradition are the sources of Divine Revelation. Best remembered for the timely definition of papal infallibility, the First Vatican Council was forced to close hastily as hostile armies invaded the Papal States. ©CCSP
Providentissimus Deus Vatican Library	On the Study of Holy Scripture, Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, November 18, 1893	Written in a more peaceful era, this encyclical marks the beginning of the great revival of Catholic biblical studies and research. Leo XIII affirms the divine inspiration and inerrancy of the Sacred Scriptures, which are always to be interpreted in the light of faith. However, sound scientific methods have their proper place in the specialized study of the sacred books because there can be no conflict between the Bible and the natural sciences. In 1902, Leo XIII set up the Pontifical Biblical Commission to deal with technical problems of scriptural scholarship and interpretation. ©CCSP
Quoniam in re Biblica Still looking	On the Study of Holy Scripture in Seminaries, Apostolic Letter of Pope St. Pius X, March 27, 1906	Continuing the work begun by Leo XIII, St. Pius X sets out the requirements for the systematic study of the Scriptures in seminaries so that priests can better proclaim the word of God. ©CCSP
Lamentabili Sane EWTN Library	Sixty-five Modernist Errors Corrected, Decree of the Holy Office, July 3, 1907	By the beginning of the twentieth century, the opposite extremes of Rationalism and Fideism had penetrated the Church and coalesced in the form of a complex heresy known as Modernism. The statements which follow are sixty-five major errors taught by the Modernists, with emphasis on their rationalist interpretation of the Scriptures. ©CCSP
Pascendi Dominici Gregis EWTN Library	On the Doctrines of the Modernists, Encyclical of Pope St. Pius X, September 8, 1907	In a precise and prophetic analysis, St. Pius X exposed and condemned the errors, the mentality and the dishonest methods of the Modernists. The central error of Modernism reduces Revelation to an experience within us, a religious feeling. Pascendi described the first wave of this heresy, which would emerge later in the twentieth century in new and more effective forms. ©CCSP
Oath Against Modernism EWTN Library	Sworn to by all seminary clergy, pastors, confessors, preachers, religious superiors, and professors. Motu Proprio of Pope St. Pius X, September 1, 1910	To eliminate Modernism at the key points of teaching and pastoral care in the Church, the Oath Against Modernism was required of all the clergy. Two years after Vatican II, a modified form of the oath was introduced. In 1990 a new oath of fidelity was approved by John Paul II, with the same purpose of maintaining and promoting the integrity of the Catholic Faith. ©CCSP
Spiritus Paraclitus Vatican Library	On St. Jerome, Encyclical of Pope Benedict XV, September 15, 1920	St. Jerome (c. 345-420) prepared the definitive Latin translation of the Bible known as the Vulgate. Benedict XV used the anniversary of his death to reaffirm the divine inspiration of the Sacred Scriptures and to encourage the reading and study of the Bible. He also corrects a misinterpretation of the teaching of Leo XIII in Providentissimus Deus. ©CCSP
Divino Afflante Spiritu Vatican Library	Promoting Biblical Studies, Encyclical of Pope Pius XII, September 30, 1943	With this important guide to the study and interpretation of the sacred Scriptures, Pius XII opened the way for rapid developments in Catholic biblical research. The use of modern methods in analyzing the sacred texts is allowed and encouraged; however the word of God is to be studied in the light of the faith of the Church. A knowledge of the ancient biblical languages, the scientific study of manuscripts and biblical archaeology may all serve to deepen expertise in scriptural research. ©CCSP
Time of Pentateuch and Literary Form of First Eleven Chapters of Genesis Still looking	Letter from the Pontifical Biblical Commission to Cardinal Suhard, January 16, 1948	This letter examines the meaning and literary forms of the first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis which were central problems for Old Testament scholars. ©CCSP
The Proper Way to Teach Holy Scripture in Seminaries Still looking	Letter from the Pontifical Biblical Commission, May 13, 1950	Future priests should know and love the Bible as part of their formation and education. This instruction of the Pontifical Biblical Commission promoted a stronger and more systematic emphasis on scriptural study, biblical theology and homiletics in modern seminary training. ©CCSP
Humani Generis Vatican Library	Some False Opinions Threatening to Undermine the Foundations of Catholic Doctrine, Encyclical of Pope Pius XII, August 12, 1950	Because errors and unsound opinions were circulating in Catholic academic circles, Pius XII examined various current problems in Humani Generis. He proposed caution when studying the origin of the human race and the theory of evolution. The early chapters of Genesis cannot be dismissed as non-historical myths. While the way the truth is expressed may change, the doctrines of the Church may never be changed or reinterpreted in the light of passing modern theories and philosophies. ©CCSP
The Historicity of the Gospels EWTN Library	Instruction from the Pontifical Biblical Commission, April 21, 1964	To encourage research on the four Gospels, the instruction Sancta Mater Ecclesia sets out the stages whereby the Gospels came to be written. Modern methods of textual analysis are to be used in a balanced way, but always subject to the Faith of the Church and the spiritual needs of God’s people. The Gospels are reliable accounts of what Jesus Christ did and said. ©CCSP
Dei Verbum Vatican Library	Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Apostolic Constitution of Vatican II, November 18, 1965	One of the major documents of Vatican II, Dei Verbum completes the work begun at Vatican I on the central Christian reality of Divine Revelation. In word and deed, God reveals Himself to us both through Sacred Scripture and Tradition, yet these two sources come together as ways in which He speaks to us. The final interpretation of the Word of God, as Scripture or Tradition, rests with the teaching authority, Magisterium, of the Church, which is always guided by the Holy Spirit. ©CCSP
New Regulations for the Pontifical Biblical Commission Still looking	Motu Proprio of Pope Paul VI, June 27, 1971	The Pontifical Biblical Commission is provided with new regulations to guide and assist its work not only in the Church but also in the ecumenical field. ©CCSP
To the Pontifical Biblical Commission Still looking	Address by Pope Paul VI, March 14, 1974	Warmly encouraging scriptural scholars in their work for God’s People, Paul VI calls them to be free from Rationalism or unduly narrow academic interests. They are to collaborate with other disciplines in the Church. In their valuable work they are to be open to the grace of the God of Love. An outstanding example of the use of such authentic scriptural scholarship may be found in the catechesis of John Paul II. ©CCSP
Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity on Assuming an Office to be Exercised in the Name of the Church EWTN Library	Instruction from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, February 25, 1989	In February, 1989, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the approval of Pope John Paul II, issued a Profession of Faith and Oath of Loyalty for persons officially charged with teaching theology. The Profession and Oath are based on the Nicene-Constantinople Creed and Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. ©CCSP
The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church EWTN Library	Pontifical Biblical Commission, April 15, 1993	The Church already existed before the Bible was complete. Hence, the Catholic principle that the Word of God is both Scripture and Tradition (cf. Vatican II, Dei Verbum. In interpreting the Scriptures, the Catholic Church thus avoids not only the error of basing the Faith on “Scripture alone,” but also two erroneous extremes in interpreting Scripture: naive fundamentalism and rationalistic modernism. Good creative biblical scholarship is encouraged, but as work carried out in conformity with the Magisterium and respecting the interpretive place of sacred Tradition in the Church. True scriptural scholarship is guided by faith. ©CCSP
Fides et Ratio Vatican Library	Encyclical of Pope John Paul II on Faith and Reason, September 14, 1998	As Teacher of the Church and a noted philosopher in his own right, Pope John Paul II explores the relationship between faith and reason. In the light of his experience and breadth of vision, he opens the way to modern philosophies, while maintaining the privileged place of the “perennial philosophy” in the Catholic tradition. He indicates the weaknesses and dangers of misguided reasoning in our era. In this context he provides a timely warning about the surprising revival of Nineteenth Century rationalist “scientism,” which perhaps emerged in reaction to the spread of irrational “New Age” superstitions in the last decades of the twentieth century. He challenges philosophy to become truly a quest for truth and wisdom. ©CCSP
The Jewish People and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible Vatican Library	Pontifical Biblical Commission, May 24, 2001	The New Testament recognizes the divine authority of the Jewish Scriptures and supports itself on its authority. This superb exposition by the Pontifical Biblical Commission teaches that the Old Testament is an integral part of the whole Christian Bible, shows how fundamental themes in the Jewish Scriptures are received into the Christian faith, and shows that the Jewish people are overall portrayed favorably in the New Testament. ©MKB
Mass of the Lord’s Supper	Homily of Pope Benedict XVI, April 5, 2007	Homilies are not usually included among the major papal documents, but I’ve included this one because it helps us resolve an apparent conflict between the synoptic Gospels and St. John’s Gospel regarding the date of the Last Supper. That’s important because if, as we say, the Gospels are inerrant, then they must be consistent with one another. The synoptics appear to say that Jesus celebrated His Last Supper on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month nisan, after the sacrifice of the Passover lambs which took place before the sundown on fourteenth nisan. St. John, however, says firmly that Jesus’ Final Sacrifice on the Cross occurred at the very moment the Pharisees were sacrificing their Passover lambs, which would mean He celebrated the Last Supper and died a day earlier, on fourteenth nisan. The Holy Father resolves this by observing that, in all likelihood, Jesus celebrated the Passover according to the Qumran calendar, which was then a day earlier than the Jerusalem calendar used by the Pharisees, and that Sts. Matthew, Mark and Luke evidently used that calendar to describe the Last Supper because Jesus had used it. ©MKB

Faith, Revelation, and the Bible