Reading Scripture
Good stuff here reminding us what the Catechism teaches on the appropriate way to read scripture, of which I quote here:
"The Catechism reiterates the profound teaching in Dei Verbum by laying out for us three rules that must be observed as foundational principles to reading the Bible “in accordance with the Spirit who inspired it.”In the first rule, paragraph 112 of the Catechism tells us to observe with the utmost strictness that the entirety of the Scriptures from the first word of Genesis to the last word of Revelation. Every word from first to last has a unity and consistency of content that excludes any contradictions. It is common practice today to try to search out apparent contradictions in the Biblical texts. Surely, many apparent contradictions have been found and held out for examination, but upon deeper understanding, all contradictions are proven illusory. All of the Holy Scriptures emanate from Christ’s Sacred Heart illustrating the unity of God’s salvific plan and such unity is revealed in the Holy Scriptures when they are properly interpreted.
"The second rule in paragraph 113 is that we must read the Bible within “the living Tradition of the whole Church.” Such is our reliance on the written word today that we overlook the truth that Sacred Scripture is written on the heart of the Church in the same way that God’s law is written on our hearts. The written works and archives are pale imitations incapable of transmitting God’s truths to us with the same organic fluidity as our teachers, the Church Doctors, who properly convey the sacred Traditions of Holy Mother Church. We must turn to those great teachers instead of to ourselves if we are to properly understand what we are reading.
"Finally, the third rule in paragraph 114 explains that we must be attentive to the “analogy of faith.” By this the Catechism means “the coherence of the truths of faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation.” The Analogy of Faith is the assurance that Scripture will not contradict itself. This demonstrates the harmonic and immutable teaching contained in the entirety of the Bible. In the early Church there were no hermeneutics to assist folks in interpreting the Scriptures, so Tradition and the Analogy of Faith were the two dominant laws of interpretation."
"The Catechism reiterates the profound teaching in Dei Verbum by laying out for us three rules that must be observed as foundational principles to reading the Bible “in accordance with the Spirit who inspired it.”In the first rule, paragraph 112 of the Catechism tells us to observe with the utmost strictness that the entirety of the Scriptures from the first word of Genesis to the last word of Revelation. Every word from first to last has a unity and consistency of content that excludes any contradictions. It is common practice today to try to search out apparent contradictions in the Biblical texts. Surely, many apparent contradictions have been found and held out for examination, but upon deeper understanding, all contradictions are proven illusory. All of the Holy Scriptures emanate from Christ’s Sacred Heart illustrating the unity of God’s salvific plan and such unity is revealed in the Holy Scriptures when they are properly interpreted.
"The second rule in paragraph 113 is that we must read the Bible within “the living Tradition of the whole Church.” Such is our reliance on the written word today that we overlook the truth that Sacred Scripture is written on the heart of the Church in the same way that God’s law is written on our hearts. The written works and archives are pale imitations incapable of transmitting God’s truths to us with the same organic fluidity as our teachers, the Church Doctors, who properly convey the sacred Traditions of Holy Mother Church. We must turn to those great teachers instead of to ourselves if we are to properly understand what we are reading.
"Finally, the third rule in paragraph 114 explains that we must be attentive to the “analogy of faith.” By this the Catechism means “the coherence of the truths of faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation.” The Analogy of Faith is the assurance that Scripture will not contradict itself. This demonstrates the harmonic and immutable teaching contained in the entirety of the Bible. In the early Church there were no hermeneutics to assist folks in interpreting the Scriptures, so Tradition and the Analogy of Faith were the two dominant laws of interpretation."
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