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Catholics and the Bible

Catholics and the Bible. An Exchange with Father Seán Charles Martin Associate Professor of Biblical Studies Aquinas Institute of Theology Saint Louis, Missouri. General Interpretative Principles. Texts and meaning: the problem of interpretation When is a text not a text?

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Catholics and the Bible

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  1. Catholics and the Bible An Exchange with Father Seán Charles Martin Associate Professor of Biblical Studies Aquinas Institute of Theology Saint Louis, Missouri

  2. General Interpretative Principles • Texts and meaning: the problem of interpretation • When is a text not a text? • Oral proclamation and the persistence of memory • What the text means and what the text meant

  3. Privileging the earliest meaning • Privileging the earliest language • Cultivating the historical imagination • Determining the earliest audience • Case study: the first Creation Account (Genesis 1:1 – 2:4A)

  4. Days of Separating Day 1 (Gn 1:1-5): light separated from darkness Day 2 (Gn 1:6-8): Waters below separated from waters above Day 3 (Gn 1:9-13 Water separated from dry land Vegetation appears Days of Making Day 4 (Gn 1:14-19): Creation of sun and moon Day 5 (Gn 1:20-23): Creation of fish (who swim in the waters below) and birds (who “swim” in the waters above) Day 6 (Gn 1:24-31) Creation of wild and domestic animals Creation of the first human beings The First Creation Story: Genesis 1:1 – 2:4A

  5. What about the seventh day? • God “rests,” and so did ancient Hebrews • Sabbath observance and the Exile • The power of ritual to unite the believing community with the divine • The power of ritual to distinguish “insiders” from “outsiders”

  6. Ancient meaning and contemporary questions • Genesis 1:1 – 2:4A as a narrative of meaning • The question of “why” versus the question of “how” • Ancient preoccupation with dissimilarity, distinction, and difference • Contemporary fascination with process, protocol, and procedure

  7. Catholics and the Bible: Three Church Documents of the 20th Century • Divino Afflante Spiritu, 1943: An encyclical letter written by Pius XII • Dei Verbum, 1965: Also known as the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, it is one of the most important of the documents of the Second Vatican Council • The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, 1993: Written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Divino Afflante Spiritu, it analyses a number of different methods and approaches to the study of Sacred Scripture

  8. Divino Afflante Spiritu, 1943 • Stressed that the primary task of interpretation was to determine the “literal sense” of Scripture (DAS, 15) • Defined the “literal sense” as that meaning intended by the author (DAS, 15) • Urged exegetes to investigate the collateral literature of the ancient Near East (DAS, 20)

  9. Dei Verbum, 1965 • Understood revelation not as a text, but as God’s own self-communication (DV, 2-6) • Maintained the inerrancy of Scripture regarding those things God wished to be included in the Bible “for the sake of our salvation” (DV, 11) • Relied heavily on the insights of Pius XII in DAS regarding the need for attention to literary forms and historical context (DV, 12) • Acknowledged the “lasting value” of the Old Testament (DV, 14), even if its message comes to fruition in the New Testament (DV, 16)

  10. The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, 1993 • Written by the Pontifical Biblical Commission to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Divino Afflante Spiritu • Distinguishes between a “method” for understanding Scripture and an “approach” to the Bible • Reviews and evaluates a number of different methods and approaches • Holds that the historical-critical method is “indispensable … for the scientific study of the meaning of the ancient texts” • Recognizes the legitimacy of other methods (eg., rhetorical criticism, narrative criticism,) and approaches (e.g., social-scientific criticism, liberationist and feminist approaches)

  11. Interpretive Worlds and the Text of the Scriptures • The “world behind the text:” those historical, cultural, economic, and political conditions that gave rise to the text • The “world of the text:” patterns of narrativity (plots, characters, themes) found in the text that come to life as the story is read or told • The “world in front of the text:” presuppositions and perceptual categories that the reader/hearer brings to bear on his or her understanding of the text

  12. Case Studies: The Bible and Pastoral Care • Pastoral Care of the Sick, 1983 • Chapter One: Visits to the Sick • Acts 3:1-10 • Psalm 102 • Matthew 8:14-17

  13. Acts 3:1-10 • The world behind the text: early Christianity and continuing the work of Jesus • The world of the text: miracle story • Bad situation • Miraculous word or deed • Proof of efficacy • Choric response • The world in front of the text: the ministerial setting • Patient’s perspectives • Minister’s perspectives

  14. Psalm 102 • The world behind the text: prayers for healing in ancient Israel • The world of the text: the lament • Invocation • Description of distress • Plea for relief • Promise of praise • The world in front of the text: the ministerial setting • Patient’s perspectives • Minister’s perspectives

  15. Matthew 8:14-17 • The world behind the text: Jesus as a miracle worker • The world of the text: miracle story • Bad situation • Miraculous word or deed • Proof of efficacy • Choric response • The world in front of the text: the ministerial setting • Patient’s perspectives • Minister’s perspectives

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