Dei Verbum

1. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Solemnly Promulgated by Pope Paul VINovember 18, 1965 Dei Verbum

2. Dei Verbum: Its Purpose • “Following then, in the steps of the Councils of Trent and Vatican I, this Synod wishes to set forth the true doctrine on divine Revelation and its transmission. For it wants the whole world to hear the summons to salvation, so that through hearing it may believe, through belief it may hope, through hope it may come to love.” (DV1)

3. Dei Verbum: Its Focus • The nature of Tradition • The inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture • The role of the Magisterium • The rule for biblical interpretation. • The actual use of Scripture in the life of the Church

4. Dei Verbum: Its Structure • Chapter I: Revelation Itself • Chapter II: Handing On Divine Revelation • Chapter III: Sacred Scripture: Its Inspiration and Divine Interpretation • Chapter IV: The Old Testament • Chapter V: The New Testament • Chapter VI: Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church

5. Chapter I:Revelation Itself • “Revelation is not just words about God, it is a living encounter with God” .”[DV#2] • “God not only reveals the Divine Will, but reveals God ‘s very self.” .”[DV#2] • “The goal of revelation is to invite people into fellowship with God and with one another.”[DV#2] • “The Bible is the inspired testimony to the living Word of God, who is Jesus” [DV#5]

6. Chapter I:Revelation Itself (Cont) • Through Divine Revelation God chose to • Reveal Himself and His hidden purpose • Communicate Himself and His decisions regarding the salvation of mankind which totally transcend the understanding of the human mind. • He speaks to us as friends • He lives among us • He invites us into fellowship with Him • The deepest truth about God and the salvation of mankind shine out in Christ • Christ is both the mediator and the fullness of all revelation

7. Chapter II: Handing On Divine Revelation • Revelation is a cohesive whole, with one source, God. • This cohesive source is passed on in different ways: both in writing and the practices of the Church. • Scripture and Tradition “make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God”[DV#10] • The two flow from the same Divine wellspring and move toward the same goal [DV#9]

8. Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition Both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of devotion and reverence

9. The Magesterium and Divine Revelation • The Teaching Office of the Church • The Bishops in union with the Pope • Ordinary Magesterium: refers to the exercise of the teaching office without a solemn definition being given. This is the case with the day-today teaching of bishops in their dioceses, or the greater part-almost the entire part-of the Popes teaching. • Extraordinary magesterium: refers to a special exercise of their teaching office by either the Pope and bishops together, or the Pope alone, in which a definitive judgment is given. When a General Council pronounces a solemn definition, this is an exercise of the extraordinary Magisterium. So is an ex cathedra definition by the Pope: a decision definitively settling the question

10. The Magesterium and Divine Revelation (Cont) • The task of authentically interpreting the Word of God has been entrusted exclusively to the magesterium: the living teaching office of the church • Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the teaching office of the church are so linked that one cannot stand without the other.

11. Chapter II: Handing On Divine Revelation: Sacred Tradition • That which comes down from the apostles and develops in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit • There is a growth in understanding of the realities and the words handed down through • The preaching of the bishops • Contemplation and study made by believers • The witness of the Fathers of the Church

12. Chapter II: Handing On Divine Revelation (Cont) • God has seen that what He had revealed for salvation would abide in its full integrity and be handed on to all generations through His apostles by: • What they received from His lips • From living with Him • From what He did • From what they learned through the Holy Spirit • To keep the Gospel forever whole and alive within the Church, the apostles handed over to bishops and their successors “the authority to teach in their own place”

13. Chapter III: Sacred Scripture: Its Inspiration and Divine Interpretation • Affirms the Divine inspiration of Scripture • The work of God • The work of human beings • All [the books of the Bible] firmly, faithfully and without error, teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to Sacred Scriptures. [DV#11] • Interpretation of Scripture is to make use of the methods of contemporary biblical scholarship [DV#12] • Historical context • Literary Genres employed

14. Literary Genres Employed in Scripture • "GENRE" = a category or type of literature (or of art, music, etc.) characterized by a particular form, style, or content. • Allegory: A narrative in which literal meaning corresponds clearly and directly to symbolic meaning. The story of the Garden of Eden is often considered to be an allegory. • Biography: The nonfictional story of a person's life. The gospels are regarded as biographies. • Didactic literature: Literature intended to instruct or educate. The Book of Job is an excellent example of didactic literature, as is much of the Book of Proverbs. • Myth: A story about the origins of a culture's beliefs and practices, or of supernatural phenomena, usually derived from oral tradition and set in an imagined supernatural past. Much of the Pentateuch deals with the origins of Hebrew beliefs and practices, set in a supernatural past. • Parable: A short narrative that illustrates a moral by means of allegory. The gospels are well known for their parables

15. The Senses of Scripture • There are two basic senses of Scripture: the literal sense and the spiritual sense. • The literal sense refers to the sense of the words themselves; it is “that which has been expressed directly by the inspired human authors.” • The spiritual sense refers to when what is signified by the words of a text, the literal sense, also has a further signification. It is the meaning expressed by the biblical texts when read under the influence of the Holy Spirit, in the context of the paschal mystery of Christ and of the new life which flows from it.” • The allegorical sense refers to the meaning that is hidden beneath the surface of the text. • The tropological (moral) sense is concerned with the moral lessons that can be drawn from the biblical text. • The anagogic sense represents a shift in focus to the future, specifically to the end times or last things. It looks to the goal of our journey through life as we are “led up”10 to our heavenly home.

16. The Significance of the FOUR SENSES • The Literal speaks of deeds; • The Allegory to faith; • The Moral how to act; • The Anagogy our destiny.

17. Chapter IV: The Old Testament • The Old Testament has a lasting value in reflecting on God’s revelation [DV#14] • The Old Testament serves to prepare for the coming of Christ. [DV#15]

18. The Old Testament (Cont) • God, in preparing the salvation of the whole human race, chose a people to whom He would entrust His promise. • Through Covenants • Through the Prophets • God arranged that the New Testament be hidden in the Old and the Old made manifest in the New.

19. Chapter V:The New Testament • The Gospels developed through a “three stage process” • The ministry of Jesus • Oral transmission and preaching by the apostles • The actual composition of the Gospels by the evangelists • Retold the story in light of the situations in their own churches

20. The New Testament Gospels • Among the New Testament Scriptures, the Gospels have a special pre-eminence [DV#18] • The Four Gospels are of Apostolic Origin [DV#19] • The Sacred Authors of the Gospels wrote them selecting some things from the many which had been handed on by word of mouth or in writing: • Reducing some of them to summaries • Explaining some things in view of the situation of their churches • Preserving the form of proclamation but always in such fashion that they told the honest truth about Jesus [DV#20]

21. The New Testament Epistles and Other Apostolic Writings • The Epistles • Paul • Peter • John • James • Jude • Hebrews • The Apostolic Writings • Acts of the Apostles • Revelation

22. The New Testament Epistles and Other Apostolic Writings • Composed under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit • Confirming matters which concern Christ • More fully stating His teaching • Preaching His saving power • The story of the beginnings of the Church

23. Chapter VI: Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church • Speaks of the “one table” of the Word of God and the Body of Christ from which we are fed.[DV#21]

24. Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church • The Church receives and offers life to the faithful : both from the Word of God, the Scriptures, and the Body of Christ in the Liturgy [DV#21]

25. Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church • The same Word of Scripture is the basis for: • Pastoral preaching • The Liturgical homily has first place • Catechetics • Christian Instruction • All Christian faithful are urged to learn to know Jesus through Scripture • By reading • By praying • By instruction • Through the Liturgy [DV#26]

26. Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church • Just as the life of the Church is strengthened by more frequent celebration of the Mass, similarly we may hope for a new stimulus for the life of the Spirit from a growing reverence for the Word of God [DV#26]