Divino Afflante Spiritu

[vivavox]

What are your thoughts about Divino Afflante Spiritu?

 

[Filia Mariae]

That it's a normative ecclesial document for the interpretation of Holy Scripture.

Is there something in particular you wanted to discuss about it?

 

[ProScribe]

Its a papal encyclical.

 

[vivavox]

That it's a normative ecclesial document for the interpretation of Holy Scripture.

1. Does it give us the ability to make use of non-Catholic scholarship?
2. Is the adherence to the Deuteronomistic history in agreement with it?

 

[Globalnomad]

What's Deuteronomistic history?

 

[vivavox]

What's Deuteronomistic history?

It was 'discovered' by Martin Noth who argued that Deuteronomy-2 Kings was written by the Deuteronomist (or possibly two (Dtr1 & Dtr2)).

 

[Sphinx777]

What are your thoughts about Divino Afflante Spiritu?

Divino Afflante Spiritu is an encyclical letter issued by Pope Pius XII on September 30, 1943. It inaugurated the modern period of Roman Catholic Bible studies by permitting the limited use of modern methods of biblical criticism. The Catholic bible scholar Raymond E. Brown described it as a 'Magna Carta for biblical progress'.

The first purpose of the encyclical was to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the issuing of Providentissimus Deus by Pope Leo XIII in 1893, which had condemned the use of higher criticism. In the encyclical, Pius XII noted that since then, advances had been made in archeology and historical research, making it advisable to further define the study of the Bible.

Previously, Catholic translations of the Bible into modern languages were usually based on the Latin Vulgate, the text used in the liturgy. They generally used the original texts, in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, only to clarify the exact meaning of the Latin text.

In his encyclical the Pope stressed the importance of diligent study of these original languages and other cognate languages, so as to arrive at a deeper and fuller knowledge of the meaning of the sacred texts. He stated that "the original text ... having been written by the inspired author himself, has more authority and greater weight than any even the very best translation, whether ancient or modern" (Divino Afflante Spiritu, 16).

Since then Catholic translations of the Bible are based directly on the texts found in manuscripts in the original languages, taking into account also the ancient translations that sometimes clarify what seem to be transcription errors in those manuscripts, although the Latin Vulgate remains the official Bible in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church.

 

[Filia Mariae]

1. Does it give us the ability to make use of non-Catholic scholarship?

Catholic biblical scholars are both permitted and encouraged to make use on non-Catholic scholarship.

2.

Is the adherence to the Deuteronomistic history in agreement with it?

A papal encyclical addressing the correct methods of Biblical scholarship and the theology of revelation in Scripture doesn't address particular theories of biblical criticism with respect to specific texts, that isn't the intent.

If you're looking for the "big picture" on modern Catholic Biblical scholarship, there are four documents that you should read as essentials:

Dei Verbum (Vatican II's Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation)
Providentissimus Deus (papal encyclical)
Divino Afflante Spiritu (papal encyclical)
The Pontifical Biblical Commission's Interpretation of the Bible in the Church

 

[vivavox]

If you're looking for the "big picture" on modern Catholic Biblical scholarship, there are four documents that you should read as essentials:

Dei Verbum (Vatican II's Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation)
Providentissimus Deus (papal encyclical)
Divino Afflante Spiritu (papal encyclical)
The Pontifical Biblical Commission's Interpretation of the Bible in the Church

Great stuff, thanks! I have read Divino Afflante Spiritu but not the others. I will take a look.

 

[MoNiCa4316]

What are your thoughts about Divino Afflante Spiritu?

my thoughts are... I don't know what it is ..lol

(but after reading this whole thread I sort of do)