INTRODUCTION

It is recommended that professors of Holy Scriptures should strive to form the judgment of the young towards the defense of the sacred writings and a penetration of their meaning. They should be taught to prove the integrity and authority of the Bible, to investigate and ascertain its truth and equally how to meet and refute objection. This teaching should result in a definite and ascertained method of interpretation.

SUMMARY OF ARTICLES 13 TO 26 OF PROVIDENTISSIMUS DEUS

The mere taste of every book must be avoided; each book should be treated with a suitable fullness. A gradual movement would be toward the use of scriptures in matters of theology. The opinions of the father is also great importance when they treat matters in their capacity as doctors, not only because they excel in their knowledge of revealed doctrine and in their acquaintance with many things which are useful to understanding the apostolic Books, but because of their eminent sanctity and ardent zeal for the truth. The expositor should follow the footsteps of the fathers with all reverence and appreciation. However, when it is necessary, inquiries should be pushed beyond what the fathers have done. However careful observation of the rules wisely raid down by St Augustine is highly recommended; he must not depart from the literally and obvious sense.

            The whole teaching of theology should be pervaded and animated by the use of the divine word of God. Without the assiduous study and use of the sacred books theology cannot be placed on its right footing, or treated as its dignity demands. Students should exercised in acquiring a scientific knowledge of dogma, by means of reasoning from the articles of faith to their consequence, according to the rules of approved and sound philosophy. Nevertheless the judicious and instructed theologians will by no means pass by that method of doctrinal demonstration which draws its proof from the authority of the Bible. There should equally be maintenance in the strongest possible way of the full authority of the scriptures. This can only completely and satisfactorily done by means of the living magisterium of the church. The church herself is a great and perpetual motive of credibility. However, we have to contend against those who use physical science to minutely scrutinize the sacred book in order to detect the writers in a mistake, and vilify its contents. Attacks of this kind may prove most fatal in destroying the principles of true philosophy and in the corruption of morality. To this regard, the professor of sacred scripture is advised to acquire some knowledge of natural science to help him in detecting and refuting attacks on the sacred books. However, there is no real discrepancy between the theologian and the physicist as long as each confines himself within his own lines, and both not making rash assertions. It must be known that the sacred writers did not seek to penetrate the secrets of nature, but rather describe and deal with things in more or less figurative language, or in terms commonly used at the time.

            The unshrinking defense of the Holy Scriptures does not require that we uphold all the opinions of the fathers because of the possibility that they have expressed the ideas of their own times which, necessarily might not be correct in these days. We must therefore carefully note that what they lay down belong to faith and intimately connected with it. Therefore, the Catholic interpreter, although he should show that those facts of natural science which investigators affirm to be now quite certain are not contrary to the Scripture rightly explained, must nevertheless always bear in mind, that much which has been held and proved as certain has afterwards been called in question and rejected. And if writers on physics travel outside the boundaries of their own branch, and carry their erroneous teaching into the domain of philosophy, let them be handed over to philosophers for refutation. These principles are applicable to cognate sciences, especially to History. It is true, no doubt, that copyists have made mistakes in the text of the Bible; this question, when it arises, should be carefully considered on its merits, and the fact not too easily admitted, but only in those passages where the proof is clear. In cases of ambiguous passages, good hermeneutical method would help in clearing up the obscurity. However, it is forbidden to narrow inspiration to particular areas of the Holy Scriptures, or to be in affirmation that the holy writers erred. The books which the church receive as sacred and canonical are written wholly and entirely at the dictation of the Holy Spirit; and it is far from possible that error can co-exist with inspiration, because God who is the truth cannot utter what is not true. The Holy spirit was so present to the writers and impelled them to write; the things he ordered they first rightly understood and then willed faithfully to write down in apt words with infallible truth. Therefore anyone who asserts the possibility of error in the sacred writings, either perverts the catholic notion of inspiration, or make God the author of such error. St Augustine and Jerome taught that it is only the books of Scripture which are now called canonical that I have learned to pay such honor and reverence as to believe most firmly that none of their writers have fallen into any error. However, if in these books one meet anything which seems contrary to the truth, he/she shall not hesitate to conclude either that the text is faulty, or that the translator has not expressed the meaning of the passage, or that he/herself do not understand.

            To undertake fully and perfectly the defense of the Holy Bible, with the weapon of the best science, is far more than the exertions of commentators and theologians alone; the co-operation of reputable Catholics in all branches of learning because the church is never without the graceful support of her accomplished children. The most needful thing is that the truth should find defenders more powerful and more numerous than the enemies it has to face, and nothing is more impressive that seeing the truth boldly proclaimed by learned and distinguished men. They should always be prepared to repulse with credit and distinction the assaults on the Word of God. The rich too assist with kind help for carrying out complete studies; an excellent way to invest money. In this way, the rich make use of their means to safeguard the treasure of His revealed doctrine.

CONCLUSION

These are the admonitions and instructions, it is now our province to see that what is said is observed and put in practice with all due reverence and exactness; that so, we may prove our gratitude to God for the communication to man of the Words of his Wisdom, and that all the good results so much to be desired may be realized, especially as they affect the training of the students of the Church, which is our own great solicitude and the Church's hope.