The Word of God: Dei Verbum

Dei Verbum
The Word of God
Through Revelation,
God reveals Himself
and His plan for mans
salvation.
He does this through concrete Words and Deeds;

speaking to humanity in a language we can
understand.
This Revelation is
interpreted through
Scripture and Tradition.
Scripture is the Word of God

written through the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit (dual authorship).
Scripture is inerrant in
matters concerning mans
salvation.
Because of the authority given by Christ

through Apostolic Succession, the Magisterium
(teaching office of the Church) compiled the
books that are presently part of the Canon we
consider the Bible today.
They also have the authority to
interpret the Scripture to ensure
that it is read and understood
correctly.
The Magisterium ensure that the Scripture is read with the

inspiration of the same Spirit who wrote it!
During the Second Vatican Council, the Magisterium put

forth these guidelines to assist the Church in the
interpretation of Scripture:
1. Be attentive to the content and unity of the

whole of Scripture.
Scripture verses can be a very powerful part
of ones prayer life, however, there is a
danger when a verse is taken out of context
to read from it something that the text does
not support
A word is a part of a verse

a verse is a part of a chapter
a chapter is a part of a book
a book is a part of the canon
The canon of Scripture with all the books,
chapters and verses combined tells the
story of Gods Revelation.
It must be read as a whole!
For example
Matt 23:9
Call no man your father on

earth, for you have one
Father, who is in heaven.
With this verse, one might try to claim that
when Catholics address priests as Father,
they are engaging in an unbiblical practice
that Jesus forbadeit could also nullify the
position of the Pope as the Holy Father.
When the Bible is read as a whole, one can see that the term
father is used in many other places as a sign of respect:
In
ld
O
the
nt
e
tam
s
Te
So it was not you who sent me here,

but God; and he has made me a
father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his
house and ruler over all the land in
Egypt
45:8my servant
In that day I willGen
call
Eliakim, the son of Hilkiahand I will
clothe him with a robe, and will bind a
girdle on him, and will commit
authority to his hand; and he shall be a
father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
and to the house of Judah.
est
T
ew
N
e
In th
t
n
e
am
In Acts 7:2, St. Stephen refers to our father Abraham, and

Paul speaks of our father Isaac in Romans 9:10.
A careful examination of the context

of Matthew 23 shows that Jesus did
not intend for his words here to be
understood literally
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have

one teacher, and you are all brethren. And call no
man father on earth, for you have one Father, who
is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for you
have one master, the Christ.
What did Jesus mean?

When read in context, we can clearly see that Jesus was
using a hyperbole an exaggeration to make a point.
Jesus did this often in Scripturesee Matt 5:29, 18:9 Mark 9:47
In this context, he is criticizing the Jewish leaders who love
the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the
synagogues, and salutations in the market places and being
called rabbi by men (Mat 23:6-7)
By using a hyperbole, Jesus is trying to show the Pharisees how

sinful and proud they were for not looking humbly to God as the
source of all authority, fatherhood and teaching.
2. Read Scripture within the living Tradition of

the whole Church.
Because of Apostolic Succession, we believe
that God blesses the Magisterium with the
authority to interpret Scripture correctly.
Further, the doctrine that is

taught by the Magisterium in
matters of Faith and Morals is
done so with the guarantee of
INFALLIBILITY.
Reading Scripture within the living Tradition of the Church means

taking into account the fact that this text has been read by a
community of believers for centuries.
Even before it was a written text,

Christians lived and prayed the Gospel
they heard in sermons, through prayer
and meditation, through Christian art,
through liturgical celebrations and through
oral traditions.
Keeping this in mind when

reading Scripture reminds us to
stick to the original intention of the
author and read from Scripture
what God wants to express.
Luke 22:19-20
Then, taking bread and giving thanks,

he broke it and gave it to them, saying:
This is my body to be given for you.
Do this as a remembrance of me.
When this text is read according to

the living Tradition of the Church,
we see this as the heart of the
Liturgy of the Eucharist. The bread
and the wine actually become the
body and blood of Jesus Christ.
3. Be attentive to the analogy of faith.

The Analogy of Faith is the coherence of those Truths revealed in
Scripture and Tradition that pertain to our eternal salvation
Truth does not contradict Truth!
For example, one could never say
There is a God and There is no God
The statements contradict each other. Logic dictates that it is either one or
the other, but not both at the same time.
The same thing holds true for Scripture. God has revealed Truth; Truth
cannot contradict itself. Revelation interpreted through Scripture must
support Revelation interpreted through Tradition and visa versa.
John 10:30
The Father and I are

One
The interpretation
of Scripture
must cohere with other things
believed by faith.
The Church proclaims that there

are three distinct persons in the
Trinity: the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit.
These three distinct persons, however, are all made of the

same divine substancethey are all God.
In this verse, one can see both the distinction and the unity
believed in the doctrine of the Trinity. It agrees with and supports
the analogy of faith.
Because Scripture is the inspired Word of God, we can interpret two

senses as we read to understand more fully what God has revealed.
1. The Literal Sense

Read Ex 14:26-31
This sense involves reading

the text very carefully to
understand exactly what is
being said.
Literally, the Scripture is telling the

story of how the Israelites crossed the
Red Sea and how the Egyptians were
drowned when they tried to cross.
All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal!!!
2. The Spiritual Sense

Thanks to the unity of Gods plan, not
only the text of Scripture but also the
realities and events about which it
speaks can be signs.
A sign is something
that points to
something else.
St. Augustine uses the example of

smoke and fireone points to the other.
Three distinctions can be made within the Spiritual Sense

a. The Allegorical Sense
b. The Tropological or Moral Sense
c. The Anagogical Sense
A. The Allegorical Sense

When we read Scripture in the allegorical sense,
we see that the events that occur in the stories of
Scripture have a greater significance when seen
in light of the story of Christ.
Example: The Israelites crossing the Red Sea to be delivered

from slavery in Egypt is a sign or type of the Christians
Baptism and conformation to Christ as they are freed from
slavery to sin.
B. The Tropological/ Moral Sense

When we read Scripture in the tropological sense,
we see that the events that occur in the stories of
Scripture teach us to live justly.
Scripture is meant for our instruction and
spiritual transformation of the soul. The words
reveal lessons that teach us how to act in
accordance with Gods will.
Example:
Ps 61
C. The Anagogical Sense

When we read Scripture in the anagogical sense,
we see the events in terms of their eternal
significance, leading us to Heaven.
Example:
I will put enmity between you and the
woman, between your offspring and
hers.
Genesis 3:15
Putting it all together

Context: This verse is part of the curse God gives the
snake after the fall of man.
Literally, God is speaking to the serpent, Adam and Eve.
Spiritually under the category of the anagogical sense, we can see a
reference to the end of time when evil will ultimately be conquered.
Read as part of the whole of Scripture and within the living

Tradition of the Church, we can see that this could be
interpreted as a reference to Mary being born without original
sin and to Jesus victory over sin and death.
For centuries, the Magisterium has interpreted this as the
Protoevangelium or the first Gospel.
Even in the moments following the fall, God was beginning to reveal
His plan for mans salvation!
Exegesis
Catholic exegesis is the careful study of
Scripture according to these rules of
interpretation.
Exegetes attempt to delve deeper into the Sacred
Deposit of Faith entrusted to us by Christ.
That is why the Bishops say that study of Sacred
Scripture is the very Soul of Theology.

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Dei Verbum

The Word of God

He does this through concrete Words and Deeds;

Scripture is the Word of God

Because of the authority given by Christ

The Magisterium ensure that the Scripture is read with the

During the Second Vatican Council, the Magisterium put

1. Be attentive to the content and unity of the

A word is a part of a verse

Call no man your father on

So it was not you who sent me here,

In Acts 7:2, St. Stephen refers to our father Abraham, and

A careful examination of the context

But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have

What did Jesus mean?

By using a hyperbole, Jesus is trying to show the Pharisees how

2. Read Scripture within the living Tradition of

Further, the doctrine that is

Reading Scripture within the living Tradition of the Church means

Even before it was a written text,

Keeping this in mind when

Then, taking bread and giving thanks,

When this text is read according to

3. Be attentive to the analogy of faith.

The Father and I are

The Church proclaims that there

These three distinct persons, however, are all made of the

Because Scripture is the inspired Word of God, we can interpret two

1. The Literal Sense

This sense involves reading

Literally, the Scripture is telling the

All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal!!!

2. The Spiritual Sense

St. Augustine uses the example of

Three distinctions can be made within the Spiritual Sense

A. The Allegorical Sense

Example: The Israelites crossing the Red Sea to be delivered

B. The Tropological/ Moral Sense

C. The Anagogical Sense

Putting it all together

Read as part of the whole of Scripture and within the living

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