An Apologetical Explanation of

Catholics’ Belief in the Bible

How do Catholics regard the Bible?

The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb 4:12)

Till I come, attend to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching, to teaching. (1 Tm 4:13)

Catholics hold the bible to be the inerrant Word of God. “The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord.” (DV 21) The teaching authority of the Church interprets Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition to communicate the sacred truths to all generations; this is how Christ “open[s our] minds to understand the Scriptures” (Lk 24:45)

This teaching office is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously and explaining it faithfully in accord with the divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it draws from this one deposit of faith everything which it presents for belief as divinely revealed. (DV 10)

Sacred Scripture tells the story of how God’s plan of salvation has unfolded throughout history. “In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets his children with great love and speaks with them” (DV 21). Salvation history, however, is different from other kinds of history. The Bible not only teaches the meaning of past events but also reveals how those events affect every person’s life in every age. (Cf. CCC 101-104)

The Bible is inspired and inerrant. God himself guided the Sacred Authors, who were enlightened by God the Holy Spirit to write what he wanted and nothing more, making it “not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living.” (St. Bernard, S. Missus Est Hom., 4, 11: PL 183, 86). Thus God the Holy Spirit is the principal author of Scripture; the human writers were the instruments through which he chose to reveal himself to his people. (Cf. CCC 105-108)

The Bible is also literature because it uses literary forms and techniques, such as stories, poems, dialogues, and figurative language to convey its meaning. Insofar as these forms and the historical, political, and cultural contexts in which they live are not understood, the meaning of the Sacred Authors remains hidden. These literary tehniques were placed at the service of the religious purpose of the Bible (Cf. CCC 109-119)

Sacred Scripture is not intended to be received either as a scientific treatise or as a mere historical record “but as what is really is, the word of God” (1 Thes 2:13; cf. DV 24). It must be read in light of Sacred Tradition and the teachings of the Church in order to be properly understood. This is why Scripture and Tradition form a single Deposit of Faith, which, guided by the Magisterium, which in turn is guided by the Holy Spirit, preserves and communicates Divine Revelation for all time. (Cf. CCC 84-87)

The Catechism addresses this question in paragraphs 104 and 108.

The contents of this page are Copyright © 2014 Rev. James Socias (of the Midwest Theological Forum). These apologetics are reproduced with written consent of said copyright holder for St Patricks Parish, Jaffrey, NH website only. Reproduction of any sort must be approved directly by said copyright holder.

To get a hardcopy of these Apologetics or the Didache Bible please visit the Midwest Theological Forum (publisher) at: http://www.theologicalforum.org