A Closer Look At Vatican II
Pope Paul VI promulgated Dei Verbum on Nov. 18, 1965 following near unanimous approval of the final draft by the assembled bishops (2,344 to 6). The document later became the foundation upon which the section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church dealing with the revelation of God is based. In fact, 59 of the 112 citations in paragraphs 50 through 141 of the Catechism are from Dei Verbum (53 percent).
Although often cited as a document dedicated to the Church’s understanding of the Bible, the scope of the teaching is much broader. Dei Verbum is a clarification of the Church’s teaching on God’s revelation of Himself to humankind throughout history, the pinnacle of which is Jesus Christ.
Dei Verbum paints a picture of human history, from Creation until the return of Jesus to earth, in which God has, does and will continue to reveal His Truth. He does this through nature and via “word of mouth and letter” (2 Thess. 2:15); the latter of which are inextricably linked via the authority given to the Apostles and their successors by Jesus (DV 6, 8). As such, the Church stands as the final interpreter and safeguard of God’s Word.
Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit. And Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching (DV 9).
Catholicism is not a “religion of the book” (CCC 108). Since truth is conveyed by God through nature and Tradition as well, it is necessary that the Church ensure all interpretation aligns with what God has revealed:
Thus it comes about that the Church does not draw her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Hence, both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal feelings of devotion and reverence.
Sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to the Church (DV 9,10).
Additionally, Dei Verbum sought to clarify a contemporary debate regarding the nature of sacred Scripture. At issue was the question of how sacred texts conveyed the truth of revelation. Dei Verbum indicates that the Holy Spirit inspired the authors to write the texts in such a way that the true meaning is conveyed through the human authors: “…though [God] acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more” (DV 11). In other words, the authors were not mere automatons; rather, God inspired them in such a way that they fully articulated the truth, without doctrinal error, through a variety of literary forms within differing cultural situations.
In chapters three through six, Dei Verbum narrows its focus on the proper reading and reverence of sacred Scripture. Article 20 provides a brief summary:
In accordance with the wise design of God these writings firmly establish those matters which concern Christ the Lord, formulate more and more precisely his authentic teaching, preach the saving power of Christ’s divine work and foretell its glorious consummation.
Dei Verbum makes it clear that all Catholics should seek to hear God’s Word, especially through study of the Scriptures. That urgency is apparent in Article 25:
….the sacred Synod forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful, especially those who live the religious life, to learn ‘the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ’ (Phil. 3:8) by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. ‘Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.’”
Dei Verbum teaches that God’s self-revelation has been, and always will be, constant in all that He communicates to us, either through nature, Tradition, or Scripture. He gives to the Church the proper authority to guide his sons and daughters by interpretation of His revelation, and by active study, the faithful come to a better understanding of the pinnacle of the Word of God, Jesus Himself.
