Catholic View on Biblical Reliability

[Ave Maria]

Hey everyone! What is the Catholic view on Biblical reliability? Do Catholics believe that the Bible is infallible, inerrant, or something else? I know that Catholics do not believe in Sola Scriptura and believe me, I also embrace this view. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!

 

[Dominus Fidelis]

The bible is 100% innerant according to the Church.

That being said, the Church teaches that we must read it appropriately to understand what it is trying to tell us. There are many forms of literature in the Bible and not all of them are literal. The Church takes the culture and intent of the human authors into account when interpreting the Bible, but it also recognizes the divine author that does not err.

 

[NDIrish]

Defens0r is correct. We believe the Holy Bible is inerrant. Just as a FYI, a book can't be infallible...a person can. A book would be inerrant.

 

[Ave Maria]

Ok, but what about copyist errors? Do Catholics believe that the Bible in its original form was inerrant or do they also believe that modern Bibles are inerrant as well?

 

[Paul S]

Ok, but what about copyist errors? Do Catholics believe that the Bible in its original form was inerrant or do they also believe that modern Bibles are inerrant as well?

Only the original was inspired by God - copyists' errors may have crept in, although the evidence shows that there aren't very many, and there's far more manuscripts of the Bible than any other ancient work.

The Council of Trent did, however, declare that the Clementine Vulgate was without error.

Other Catholic Bibles will have an imprimatur and nihil obstat, which indicate that nothing in them opposes Catholic doctrine, but this is not the same as being inerrant.

 

[Ave Maria]

Only the original was inspired by God - copyists' errors may have crept in, although the evidence shows that there aren't very many, and there's far more manuscripts of the Bible than any other ancient work.

The Council of Trent did, however, declare that the Clementine Vulgate was without error.

Other Catholic Bibles will have an imprimatur and nihil obstat, which indicate that nothing in them opposes Catholic doctrine, but this is not the same as being inerrant.

Ah ok. Thank you for that information. I do appreciate it. I also believe the Bible was inerrant in the original works but that copyist errors may have crept in at some point. Regardless, I do not feel that such minor errors have any affect on any Biblical doctrine.

 

[Paul S]

Regardless, I do not feel that such minor errors have any affect on any Biblical doctrine.

Translation errors, however, may affect doctrine, which is why it's important to only read Bibles which have been approved by the Church.

 

[NDIrish]

Translation errors, however, may affect doctrine, which is why it's important to only read Bibles which have been approved by the
Church.

Which leads us to this magnificent book:

http://www.baroniuspress.com/bible/douay_rheims_bible.htm

The Douay-Rheims

 

[Ave Maria]

Translation errors, however, may affect doctrine, which is why it's important to only read Bibles which have been approved by the Church.

OK, I agree. But can we not read other Bibles as well? I have a number of different Bibles which are alll Protestant versions. What should I do with them? Just get rid of them? I like to read them from time to time.

 

[Paul S]

OK, I agree. But can we not read other Bibles as well? I have a number of different Bibles which are alll Protestant versions. What should I do with them? Just get rid of them? I like to read them from time to time.

Protestant versions (besides missing several books) can translate certain verses in a way to eliminate Catholic doctrine. Sometimes the words "works" or "tradition" are only used in a negative sense, with another word substituted when we're told these are good things.

I wouldn't say you have to get rid of other versions, but when you read them, keep in mind what the Church teaches, and read it in that light.

I'm not really familiar with any of the Protestant translations, since I use the Vulgate and Douay-Rheims, and sometimes hear the NAB at Mass, so maybe someone else can fill in how Protestant versions differ.

 

[Epiphanygirl]

OK, I agree. But can we not read other Bibles as well? I have a number of different Bibles which are alll Protestant versions. What should I do with them? Just get rid of them? I like to read them from time to time.

Use them for comparitive study perhaps? If not, you could donate the ones you don't want anymore maybe to a shelter, or to a church.

 

[ThereseOfLisieux]

The Church has approved a Catholic version of the RSV (not NRSV) the Cahtolic version has the deuterocanonicals (sp?) and Catholic footnotes. If you have a protestant RSV this is probably your best bet as far as Catholic doctrine goes. Also, reading a protestant bible doesn't necessarily mean that it is translated badly, however many times we just don't know.

A good idea might be to get a Catholic bible, and use the others for comparison. Comparing versions can often give you a deeper sence of what is being said.

The thing with Cahtolic bibles is that they are translated in a way that upholds the meaning that is the same as it was in the early church.

Peace in Christ

Therese

 

[Ave Maria]

I am actually looking into this NAB Bible called the Catholic Answers Bible. I'd love to get it but I can't afford it at this time.

 

[Dream]

The Bible is 100% reliable as long as it is interpreted accurately.

 

[Michelina]

CCC #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."

http://www.nccbuscc.com/catechism/text/pt1sect1chpt2.htm#art3

 

[Carrye]

I'm not really familiar with any of the Protestant translations, since I use the Vulgate and Douay-Rheims, and sometimes hear the NAB at Mass, so maybe someone else can fill in how Protestant versions differ.

It's often in terminology. 'Elder' will be substituted for 'bishop', or there are the 'tradition' examples that you gave.

The other thing is that some of the "translations" - I use the word loosely here - are more of a narrative. They'd be what I would write after reading the gospels - like the childhood game of telephone.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is the issue of authority. By what authority do Protestant denominations translate the Bible? How do we know which one(s) are correct?

 

[Ave Maria]

It's often in terminology. 'Elder' will be substituted for 'bishop', or there are the 'tradition' examples that you gave.

The other thing is that some of the "translations" - I use the word loosely here - are more of a narrative. They'd be what I would write after reading the gospels - like the childhood game of telephone.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is the issue of authority. By what authority do Protestant denominations translate the Bible? How do we know which one(s) are correct?

Good question. I had always assumed they were all correct but just have different wording.

 

[Carrye]

I had always assumed they were all correct but just have different wording.

Yeah, the problem isn't necessarily that the words differ (though that is true in some cases - the bishop, tradition examples), but that the overall meaning is different amongst many translations.

 

[Skripper]

.

 

[bigsierra]

Pope Leo XIII (1893): His encyclical letter "Providentissimus Deus" said in part:
"For all the books which the Church receives as sacred and canonical are written wholly and entirely, with all their parts, at the dictation of the Holy Spirit; and so far is it from being possible that any error can coexist with inspiration, that inspiration not only is essentially incompatible with error, but excludes and rejects it as absolutely and necessarily as it is impossible that God Himself, the supreme Truth, can utter that which is not true. This is the ancient and unchanging faith of the Church..."