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The reference to historical events in Balaam’s fourth prophecy leads most critical writers to fix the date of its composition not earlier than David’s reign. David’s Moabitic war is said to be the war referred to in Num., xxiv, 17. But, putting aside the gift of prophecy, we know that writings of this kind, like the Psalms, are often retouched in ages later than that of their original composition. At most, therefore, it seems legitimate to conclude that this passage shows signs of having been expanded and reedited at that period.
No you are not required to accept a literal interpretation of much of the O.T.Must Catholics believe that Balaam’s donkey really spoke?
II. Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture
- 105 God is the author of Sacred Scripture. “The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.”
“For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author, and have been handed on as such to the Church herself.”- 106 God inspired the human authors of the sacred books. “To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more.”
- 107 The inspired books teach the truth. “Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures.”
- 108 Still, the Christian faith is not a “religion of the book.” Christianity is the religion of the “Word” of God, a word which is “not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living”. If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, “open our minds to understand the Scriptures.”
III. The Holy Spirit, Interpreter of Scripture
- 109 In Sacred Scripture, God speaks to man in a human way. To interpret Scripture correctly, the reader must be attentive to what the human authors truly wanted to affirm, and to what God wanted to reveal to us by their words.
- 110 In order to discover the sacred authors’ intention, the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking and narrating then current. “For the fact is that truth is differently presented and expressed in the various types of historical writing, in prophetical and poetical texts, and in other forms of literary expression.”
- 111 But since Sacred Scripture is inspired, there is another and no less important principle of correct interpretation, without which Scripture would remain a dead letter. “Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by whom it was written.”
I tend to believe it did happen. Just like Moses with his staff.Must Catholics believe that Balaam’s donkey really spoke?
Thanks! That was very helpful.I tend to believe it did happen. Just like Moses with his staff.
But this article from Fr. Longenecker might help you.
Do You Believe In The Talking Donkey?
One of the latest wisecracks about Christianity is that to be a Christian you have to believe in a talking snake and a talking donkey. Do you stutter andwww.patheos.com
You’re welcome!Thanks! That was very helpful.
It's no harder to believe that than it is to believe that a bolt of lightning hit a gob of snot laying in a mud puddle, and over the next four billon years, the gob of snot evolved into a rhinoceros. Just give the phenomenon of Balaam's donkey a fancy scientific name to explain it----"equalized punctuation", or something of the sort.Must Catholics believe that Balaam’s donkey really spoke?
Gob of snot….LOL.It's no harder to believe that than it is to believe that a bolt of lightning hit a gob of snot laying in a mud puddle, and over the next four billon years, the gob of snot evolved into a rhinoceros. Just give the phenomenon of Balaam's donkey a fancy scientific name to explain it----"equalized punctuation", or something of the sort.
This is correct.No you are not required to accept a literal interpretation of much of the O.T.
Catholic Answers Forums?A long time ago on a forum far far away, there was a poster who’s moniker was Balaam’s Ass. I still get a good laugh from that.
Good to know.This is correct.
God can communicate His message without using stories that are literally true, for example Jesus using parables, if we accept everything in the bible literally there are going to be far too many one handed, one eyed people. Mathew 5:29-30Lest anyone fall into the dead end of a Bible of merely "My own interpretations", Catholics can listen to the Catechism and judge in that light (emphases added by me), how to safely and faithfully hear God speaking to us:
The priest at my home parish (I think I’m going to register at a different parish) said something similar when we were talking about how the LCMS teaches so much literally.God can communicate His message without using stories that are literally true, for example Jesus using parables, if we accept everything in the bible literally there are going to be far too many one handed, one eyed people. Mathew 5:29-30
This part of the Catechism, I'm sorry to say, is as misunderstood as much in Scripture:God can communicate His message without using stories that are literally true, for example Jesus using parables, if we accept everything in the bible literally there are going to be far too many one handed, one eyed people. Mathew 5:29-30
In this cutlure we too quickly go from "Literal? Obviously not." And then go to subjective, and then we have "My truth and your truth, and Bible? Who needs it?"
- 111 But since Sacred Scripture is inspired, there is another and no less important principle of correct interpretation, without which Scripture would remain a dead letter. “Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by whom it was written.”
The translation "continue in" is of the Gk μένω - menō - A primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): - abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand,... The best non-literal translation I have seen of that word (a favorite in John's Gospel) is, "make your home in", as in:Jn 8:31 Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples,
Jn 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
But to His disciples, He says,Mt 13:13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Mt 13:14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: 'You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive.
Mt 13:15 For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.'
Mt 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
When I was a kid there was this claymation series called davey and goliath, so the idea of a talking donkey isn't all that hard to imagine.If the donkey was here today, he'd say "Michael, my name is Hee-Haw, not Balaam. Who'd want a name like Balaam??"
And your dog would say "Michael! Did you see that? A talking donkey!"
Looked it up. It’s a dog that talked in that series.When I was a kid there was this claymation series called davey and goliath, so the idea of a talking donkey isn't all that hard to imagine.
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