2 Timothy 3:12-17
Note verse 14-15. It admonishes Timothy to do three things:
1) Remember what you have learned and firmly believed (Tradition)
2) Know from whom you learned it (Magisterium)
3) Know you have the Scriptures
The Bible on St. Paul's list comes in third, not first. He actually gives here the traditional Catholic teaching on the three sources of sound teaching.
In verse 15 he goes into an excursus on the Bible. This brief excursus emphasizes the value of the Bible and recommends a fourfold method of exegesis. This verse was used in the pre-Reformation Church as a proof text for the Quadriga which was the standard Catholic approach to the Bible. The Quadriga method used the following four categories:
Literal/Literary (teaching) - the text as it is written
Analogical (reproof) - matters of faith
Anagogical (correction) - matters of hope/prophecy
Moral (training in righteousness) - matters of charity
(also found in the catechism
CCC 115-118)
The analogical, anagogical and moral senses of the Bible were known collectively as the spiritual senses.
The 'reformers' rejected the BIBLICAL fourfold method of exegesis in favor of a more literal approach,
and ignored 2 Tim 3:16!!!
D. Roman Catholic School: The Allegorism of Roman Catholicism employed a “spiritual” or “mystical” interpretation of the Word. The Catholic interpreter accepts what
The Church has said about various matters as
unequivocal truth. They believe that The Church is the official interpreter.
The Roman Catholic “Guide to Interpretation” is that interpretation:
1. must be solely about faith and morals.
2. is not bound by national or scientific matters.
3. must bear witness to Catholic tradition.
4. must have a unanimous witness by the Church Fathers.
5. is to be explained by unwritten tradition when the passage is obscure.
6. follows the “Principle of Development” meaning the doctrines of the New Testament were ‘seeds’ and
not complete units in themselves.
7. also follows the “Principle of Implication” which is called “Epigenesis” meaning that doctrines grow,
develop and change.
Historical Schools of Literalists
The literal method of interpreting the Bible is to accept as basic the literal rendering of the sentences unless by virtue of the nature of the sentence or phrase this is not possible. This allows for figures of speech, fables and allegories.
A. Jewish Literal School: Ezra founded this school when he translated the Hebrew to Aramaic for the Jews who were coming out of captivity (Neh 8:1-8). The Jewish Canons of interpretation were that:
1. the Word is to be understood in terms of sentence and the sentence by its context.
2. one should compare similar topics of scripture and give the clear passages preference over the obscure.
3. one must pay close attention to spelling, grammar, and figures of speech.
4.Logic is be used to apply scripture to life in circumstances where the Bible is silent.
The Reformers: involved a renewed study of Hebrew and Greek. Erasmus published the first Greek Ne
Testament in 1516. The Reformer Martin Luther held the following hermeneutical principles:
1. The Psychological Principle which recognized faith and illumination.
2. The Authority Principle which held that the Bible is the supreme authority and is above church authority.
3. The Literal Principle, which rejected allegory as, used by the Catholics.
4. They accepted the primacy of the original languages and paid attention to grammar, time frame, circumstances, conditions, and context.
5. The Sufficiency Principle, which indicates that the Bible is a clear book and a devout student, can understand it. This includes the fact that Scripture interprets scripture, so one must let the clear interpret the obscure.
6. They also employed the "Analogy of Faith" which was believed to be the theological
unity of the Bible and not the recognized dogma of an institution.
7. The Christological Principle states that the function of all interpreters is to find Chris
The Law-Gospel Principle which recognizes that the Law is not necessary for salvation.
In the Post-Reformation Era Ernesti published
Institutio Interpretis in 1761 which stated that grammatical exegesis has authority over dogmatic exegesis which was the RCC method.
(
http://www.sgbcmodesto.com/Classroom Papers/Hermeneutics).
