This document discusses several key issues around interpreting sacred scripture: 1) It addresses the questions of whether scripture means whatever individuals think/feel versus taking everything as absolute historical truth. It notes the importance of considering both the human and divine authors. 2) It emphasizes examining both the historical context around the human authors as well as the overall message, themes, and unity of the entire scripture. 3) Multiple literary and historical analysis methods are outlined to aid careful interpretation, such as form criticism, redaction criticism, and source criticism. The overall goal is to understand both the human authors' intentions as well as God's intended message.

1. Two Questions:
Does sacred scripture mean whatever we personally think
and/or feel it should mean?
OR ...
Do we take everything in scripture as being an
absolute, total, historical and literal truth?
And how does that whole "inspiration" thing fit in, anyway?

2. Salvation History
Divine Revelation
Sacred Scripture
Inerrant
Inspiration
AND …
The very important distinction between “literal” and
“literalist”

3. Keep in mind ... while God is the "author" of scriptures (via
the Holy Spirit), it was written by humans -- using human
emotions, language, perspective, etc.
It's like God
gavethem the
idea ...
... and they wrote it
in their own words.
And, last time I checked (with the exception of Jesus, of course!) humans are not God and therefore
… humans aren't perfect!

4. CHAPTER III
SACRED SCRIPTURE, ITS INSPIRATION AND DIVINE INTERPRETATION
11. Those divinely revealed realities which are contained and presented in Sacred Scripture have been
committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For holy mother Church, relying on the
belief of the Apostles (see John 20:31; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-20, 3:15-16), holds that the books of both
the Old and New Testaments in their entirety, with all their parts, are sacred and canonical because
written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been handed on
as such to the Church herself. In composing the sacred books, God chose men and while employed by
Him they made use of their powers and abilities, so that with Him acting in them and through
them, they, as true authors, consigned to writing everything and only those things which He wanted.
Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by
the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully
and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation.
Therefore "all Scripture is divinely inspired and has its use for teaching the truth and refuting error, for
reformation of manners and discipline in right living, so that the man who belongs to God may be
efficient and equipped for good work of every kind" (2 Tim. 3:16-17, Greek text).

5. 12. However, since God speaks in Sacred Scripture through men in human fashion, the interpreter of
Sacred Scripture, in order to see clearly what God wanted to communicate to us, should carefully
investigate what meaning the sacred writers really intended, and what God wanted to manifest by
means of their words.
To search out the intention of the sacred writers, attention should be given, among other things, to
"literary forms." For truth is set forth and expressed differently in texts which are variously
historical, prophetic, poetic, or of other forms of discourse. The interpreter must investigate what
meaning the sacred writer intended to express and actually expressed in particular circumstances
by using contemporary literary forms in accordance with the situation of his own time and culture.
For the correct understanding of what the sacred author wanted to assert, due attention must be
paid to the customary and characteristic styles of feeling, speaking and narrating which prevailed
at the time of the sacred writer, and to the patterns men normally employed at that period in their
everyday dealings with one another.

6. But, since Holy Scripture must be read and interpreted in the sacred spirit in which it was written, no
less serious attention must be given to the content and unity of the whole of Scripture if the
meaning of the sacred texts is to be correctly worked out. The living tradition of the whole Church
must be taken into account along with the harmony which exists between elements of the faith. It
is the task of exegetes to work according to these rules toward a better understanding and
explanation of the meaning of Sacred Scripture, so that through preparatory study the judgment
of the Church may mature. For all of what has been said about the way of interpreting Scripture is
subject finally to the judgment of the Church, which carries out the divine commission and ministry
of guarding and interpreting the word of God.
13. In Sacred Scripture, therefore, while the truth and holiness of God always remains intact, the
marvelous "condescension" of eternal wisdom is clearly shown, "that we may learn the gentle
kindness of God, which words cannot express, and how far He has gone in adapting His
language with thoughtful concern for our weak human nature.“ For the words of God, expressed
in human language, have been made like human discourse, just as the word of the eternal
Father, when He took to Himself the flesh of human weakness, was in every way made like men.

7. We need to look at both the human author’s
intent, audience, perspective, experience, and purpose …
AND …
We need to also look at the divine author’s
intent, audience, perspective, experience, and purpose.
Come to
SHA!
Dear
Editor, You’re an
idiot!
I miss
camp!
•814 girls
•IB Program

8. From the Handout from Chapter 1 about the Deposit of
Faith …
Scripture, Tradition, and Magisterium are ALL intrinsically
related.
Scripture has certain primacy, as truly God’s words,
BUT …
This does NOT negate the other two pieces of Tradition &
the Magisterium.

9. It means we need to look carefully at how we interpret the
Bible, and take several different factors into account.
This is where the “historical-literary method of Bible
criticism” comes into play … examining both the historical
context and the writings themselves.
It’s important to realize that “criticism” often means more of the idea of a beneficial critique
(careful examination) as opposed to an unkind complaint (badmouthing slam).

10. The Bible is NOT history … science (even parts like
evolution) reveal the genius of God
We must read prayerfully and interpret carefully.
The Bible teaches us how to go to
Heaven, not how the heavens go. ~ Cardinal
Baronius
Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.
~ St. Jerome

11. What’s the
larger
context?
What
worldly
realities
influenced
the writer?
What is
the writer
actually
trying to
say?
How does
it fit with
the larger
whole/rest
of the
text?
How does
the
audience
shape the
writings?
What
literary
devices are
being used
here?

12. Bet you thought I was gonna be sacrilegious and non-teacherly here, right? 
The Literal Sense:
 What the words actually mean
The Spiritual Sense:
 Viewing events of the Bible as signs
Allegorical Sense ~ prefigures/foreshadows Christ
Moral Sense ~ tells us how to act
Anagogical Sense ~ Greek for “leading”; points to heaven

13. Source Criticism
Historical Criticism
Form Criticism
Redaction Criticism
Textual Criticism

14.  Where’d they get their information?
 “Consider the source…”

15. Historical
Criticism
LITERAL SENSE ~
what the writer wanted
to say, in light of
historical context
(archeology, customs, tr
aditions, language, etc.)
Probability that
Jesus actually
did/said what
they report
LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS ~
Aramaic  good chance
ORIGINALITY/CRITERION OF
DISSIMILARITY ~ new, radical
 good chance; common
for Jews  inconclusive
CONVERGENCE ~ not same
source but similar info 
good chance
CONSISTENCY ~ fits with the
overall whole of Jesus 
good chance

16. Newspaper
Articles
Entertainment
Reviews
News
Sports Columnist
Culture
Gossip
Satire
Cartoons
Fun
Political
News
Local
National

17.  Need to consider not only the different types of writings
(encyclopedia, newspaper, novel, textbook, etc.), but also
the different styles within each type
 PLUS … oral tradition influences writings as well
 For example …
Parables are storytime – listen for deeper message
Narratives are “historical” – listen for what happened

18. Some Overall Types
• Gospel
• Epistle
• History
• Apocalypse
……and others
Some Literary Forms (p. 50)
• Miracle
• Parable
• Riddle
• Pronouncement
• Prayer
• Revelation
• Legends
• Genealogies

19. The evangelists were not only writers, but also editors.
“Writing”
Arranging
Sorting
Compiling

20.  Each gospel gives a different picture of Jesus, as shaped by
the theology, audience, purpose, etc., of the evangelist
Matthew
Jewish/Christian
audience
New Moses, fulfill
prophecies
Mark suffering church
Suffering Servant;
bear our crosses
Luke Gentile/Christian
Universal
Messiah, especially for
outsiders
John various Roman churches
Way, Truth, Life, Word
of God, etc.

21. In the days before cut&paste, it was parchment, papyrus, and…
Hand-copied texts, though, were not
always perfect. Mistakes were
made, people changed
things, writing wasn’t
clear, different
languages and
.
Amazingly enough, however, most
differences were minor.

22.  Codex Vaticanus (c. 350) ~ oldest NT collection
 Vulgate (383-384) ~ Jerome, into Latin (“common”); Church’s official
translation from the original languages
 Protestant Translations
 King James (1611)
 New Revised Standard Version (1990)
 Revised English Bible (1989)
 New International Version (1973-1978)
 Catholic Translations
 Douay-Rheims (1582-1609; 1749-1763) ~ translation of the Vulgate
 1943 ~ Pope Pius XII encourages translation from original languages, not just
the Latin Vulgate
 New American Bible (1952-1970; 1987) ~ used in the liturgy
 New Jerusalem Bible (1985) ~ from French La Sainte Bible