Dei Verbum:

On Exegesis

• Check Creed worksheets (during bell-work)

• “Trade-n-Grade” Movie Worksheets

• Double-Check understanding of new project

• Gloat about the Irish win…

• Actually do what we need to today…

To-do List:

Through Revelation,

God reveals Himself

and His plan for man‟s

salvation.

He does this through concrete Words and Deeds;

speaking to humanity in a language we can

understand.

This Revelation is

interpreted through

Scripture and Tradition.

Scripture is the Word of God

written through the inspiration of

the Holy Spirit (dual authorship).

Scripture is inerrant in

matters concerning human

salvation, what God wishes

it to teach.

Because of the authority given by Christ

through Apostolic Succession, the Magisterium

(teaching office of the Church) compiled the

books that are presently part of the Canon we

consider the Bible today.

They also have the authority to

interpret the Scripture to ensure

that it is read and understood

correctly.

The Magisterium ensure that the Scripture is read with the

inspiration of the same Spirit who wrote it!

A little activity…

Get out:

- Paper

- Things to draw with

“Draw This” Activity

• Draw a scene which shows the following:

– Beautiful Location

– A very important event

– A home

– Parent‟s loving their children

– Joyous Children

– Good weather

During the Second Vatican Council, the Magisterium put

forth these guidelines to assist the Church in the

interpretation of Scripture.

They are found in the document: Dei Verbum

1. Be attentive to the content and unity of the

whole of Scripture.

Scripture verses can be a very powerful part

of one‟s prayer life, however, there is a

danger when a verse is taken out of context

to read from it something that the text does

not support…

A word is a part of a verse…

…a verse is a part of a chapter…

…a chapter is a part of a book…

…a book is a part of the canon…

The canon of Scripture with all the books,

chapters and verses combined tells the

story of God‟s Revelation.

It must be read as a whole!

Matt 23:9

For example…

“Call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.”

With this verse, one might try to claim that

when Catholics address priests as “Father,”

they are engaging in an unbiblical practice

that Jesus forbade…it could also nullify the

position of the Pope as the “Holy Father.”

When the Bible is read as a whole, one can see that the term

“father” is used in many other places as a sign of respect:

“So it was not you who sent me here, but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all

his house and ruler over all the land in Egypt”

Gen 45:8

“In that day I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah…and I will clothe him with a robe, and will bind a girdle on him, and will commit…authority to his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants

of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.”

Is 22:20-21

In Acts 7:2, St. Stephen refers to “our father Abraham,” and

Paul speaks of “our father Isaac” in Romans 9:10.

A careful examination of the context of

Matthew 23 shows that Jesus did not

intend for his words here to be

understood literally…

“But you are not to be called „rabbi,‟ for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. And call no man father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called

„masters,‟ for you have one master, the Christ.”

Matt 23:8-10

What did Jesus mean?

When read in context, we can clearly see that Jesus was

using a hyperbole – an exaggeration to make a point.

In this context, he is criticizing the Jewish leaders who love

“the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the

synagogues, and salutations in the market places and being

called „rabbi‟ by men” (Mat 23:6-7)

By using a hyperbole, Jesus is trying to show the Pharisees how

sinful and proud they were for not looking humbly to God as the

source of all authority, fatherhood and teaching.

Jesus did this often in Scripture…see Matt 5:29, 18:9 Mark 9:47

2. Read Scripture within the living Tradition of

the whole Church.

Because of Apostolic Succession, we believe

that God blesses the Magisterium with the

authority to interpret Scripture correctly.

Further, the doctrine that is

taught by the Magisterium in

matters of Faith and Morals is

done so with the guarantee of

INFALLIBILITY.

Reading Scripture within the “living Tradition” of the Church means

taking into account the fact that this text has been read by a

community of believers for centuries.

Even before it was a written text,

Christians lived and prayed the Gospel

they heard in sermons, through prayer

and meditation, through Christian art,

through liturgical celebrations and through

oral traditions.

Keeping this in mind when

reading Scripture reminds us to

stick to the original intention of the

author and read from Scripture

what God wants to express.

Luke 22:19-20

Then, taking bread and giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying: “This is my body to be

given for you. Do this as a remembrance of me.”

When this text is read according to

the living Tradition of the Church,

we see this as the heart of the

Liturgy of the Eucharist. The bread

and the wine actually become the

body and blood of Jesus Christ.

3. Be attentive to the analogy of faith.

The Analogy of Faith is the coherence of those Truths revealed in

Scripture and Tradition that pertain to our eternal salvation

Truth does not contradict Truth!

For example, one could never say…

“There is a God” and “There is no God”

The statements contradict each other. Logic dictates that it is either one or

the other, but not both at the same time.

The same thing holds true for Scripture. God has revealed Truth; Truth

cannot contradict itself. Revelation interpreted through Scripture must

support Revelation interpreted through Tradition and visa versa.

In this verse, one can see both the distinction and the unity

believed in the doctrine of the Trinity. It agrees with and supports

the analogy of faith.

John 10:30

“The Father and I are One”

The interpretation of Scripture

must cohere with other things

believed by faith.The Church proclaims that there

are three distinct persons in the

Trinity: the Father, the Son and

the Holy Spirit.

These three distinct persons, however, are all made of the

same divine substance…they are all God.

Because Scripture is the inspired Word of God, we can interpret two

senses as we read to understand more fully what God has revealed.

1. The Literal Sense

This sense involves reading

the text very carefully to

understand exactly what is

being said.

Read Ex 14:26-31

All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal!!!

Literally, the Scripture is telling the

story of how the Israelites crossed the

Red Sea and how the Egyptians were

drowned when they tried to cross.

2. The Spiritual Sense

Thanks to the unity of God‟s plan, not

only the text of Scripture but also the

realities and events about which it

speaks can be signs.

a. The Allegorical Sense

b. The Tropological or Moral Sense

c. The Anagogical Sense

A sign is something

that points to

something else.St. Augustine uses the example of

smoke and fire…one points to the other.

Three distinctions can be made within the Spiritual Sense

A. The Allegorical Sense

When we read Scripture in the allegorical sense,

we see that the events that occur in the stories of

Scripture have a greater significance when seen

in light of the story of Christ.

Example: The Israelites crossing the Red Sea to be delivered

from slavery in Egypt is a sign or type of the Christians‟

Baptism and conformation to Christ as they are freed from

slavery to sin.

B. The Moral Sense

When we read Scripture in the moral sense, we

see that the events that occur in the stories of

Scripture teach us to live justly.

Scripture is meant for our instruction and

spiritual transformation of the soul. The words

reveal lessons that teach us how to act in

accordance with God‟s will.

Example:

Ps 61

When we read Scripture in the anagogical sense,

we see the events in terms of their eternal

significance, leading us to Heaven.

C. The Anagogical Sense

Example:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers.”

Genesis 3:15

Context: This verse is part of the curse God gives

the snake after the fall of man.

Read as part of the whole of Scripture and within the living

Tradition of the Church, we can see that this could be

interpreted as a reference to Mary being born without original

sin and to Jesus‟ victory over sin and death.

For centuries, the Magisterium has interpreted this as the

Protoevangelium or the first Gospel.

Even in the moments following the fall, God was beginning to reveal

His plan for man‟s salvation!

Putting it all together…

Literally, God is speaking to the serpent, Adam and Eve.

Spiritually under the category of the anagogical sense, we can see a

reference to the end of time when evil will ultimately be conquered.

Exegesis

Catholic exegesis is the careful study of

Scripture according to these rules of

interpretation.

Exegetes attempt to delve deeper into the Sacred

Deposit of Faith entrusted to us by Christ.

That is why the Bishops say that study of Sacred

Scripture is the very Soul of Theology.

Homework

• Read Gn 18:1-15

• Give your interpretation of the passage

using what we learned today. Be sure to

mention:

– Literal Sense

– Spiritual Sense:

• Allegorical

• Moral

• Anagogical