The Catholic Church And Sacred Scripture
Why Is Sacred Scripture Always Right?
Sacred Scripture came from the heart of God and was written by Him. For this reason it is claimed to be inspired and also to teach without mistake those truths which are required for our redemption. The Holy Spirit inspired the human authors that wrote just what He (The Holy Spirit) intended to instruct us. The Christian faith, nonetheless, is not a “religion of the Book”, but of the Word of God– “not a written and mute word, but incarnate and living” (Saint Bernard of Clairvaux).
Just how is Sacred Scripture to be read?
Sacred Scripture has to be read and understood with the assistance of the Holy Spirit and under the guidance of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church based on three standards:
- it must be read with attention to what is written and in union with the whole of Scripture – one part of sacred scripture will not contradict another part;
- it has to be read within the living Tradition of the Church – Sacred Scripture will not contradict the Catholic Church;
- it must be read with focus on the analogy of faith, that is, the internal consistency which is already existing among the truths of the faith themselves.
Just what is the Canon of Sacred Scripture?
[simpleazon-image align=”left” asin=”0232516502″ locale=”us” height=”375″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/411SYGDxJIL.jpg” width=”249″]The Canon of Scripture is the comprehensive list of the sacred writings – called books – which the Church has actually identified with Apostolic Tradition. The Canon consists of 46 books of the Old Testament and 27 of the New. It must be emphasized here that the Bible – Sacred Scripture – is a Catholic Book, It was the Catholic Church that preserved the Bible through the centuries prior to the printing press being invented sometime in the 14th to 15th century. It was the Catholic Church who in the year 397, held a Council – The Council of Carthage – that determined which books were deemed to be true and would make up Sacred Scripture. And, it was the Catholic Church that continued to preserve these 73 books of the bible, through the centuries until the invention of the printing press.
After the printing press came into being, history shows that a number of persons started putting their own spin on the bible. One of the key figures in this was Martin Luther. This resulted in a truncated version of the bible know as the Protestants’ Bible which has only 66 books. You can read more about this by clicking here.
The Old And The New Testament for Christians?
Christians reverence the Old Testament as the true word of God. All of the books of the Old Testament are divinely inspired and also retain a permanent worth. They demonstrate to the magnificent showing of God’s boundless, saving love. They are composed, most of all, to prepare for the coming of Christ the Savior of the world.
The primary focus of the New Testament is Jesus Christ – the Son of GOD. It communicates to us the ultimate truth of divine Revelation. Within the New Testament the four Gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John are the heart of all the Scriptures since they are the ultimate witness to the life and also teaching of Jesus Christ.
Scripture is one just as the Word of God is one. God’s plan of salvation is one, as well as the divine inspiration of both the Old and New Testaments is one. The Old Testament gets ready for the New and also the New Testament satisfies the Old; both shedding light on each other.
Finally, Sacred Scripture offers support and vigor to the life of the Church. For the children of the Church, it is a confirmation of the faith, food for the soul and the fount of the spiritual life. Sacred Scripture is the heart of theology and also of pastoral preaching. The Psalmist says that it is “a lamp to my feet as well as a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). The Catholic Church, as a result, exhorts all to read Sacred Scripture frequently simply because “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ” (Saint Jerome). If I might add to what Saint Jerome said; not only is ignorance of Sacred Scripture ignorance of Christ, but it can result in a life of utter darkness – since Jesus is the Light; a life lost in lies – since Jesus is the Truth; a life that is just lost – since Jesus is the Way.
(ccc 105 – 142)
