Belief in the Bible
Catholic attitudes to the Bible
In the nineteenth century, Roman Catholic belief in the truth of the Bible did not change, even in the light of hostile biblical criticism.
For Roman Catholics:
- the Bible was God's true word to humans about himself and his purposes
- it had a special authority which marked it out from all other books
- it was truly a sacred text - or Scripture, the term frequently used.
However, whereas the Protestant belief was that the Bible contained all the truth necessary for salvation, Catholics, however Bible-believing, also saw authority for their faith in other things, especially:
- in the traditional teaching of the Church
- in the doctrinal statements of the Pope made in certain circumstances.
How Catholics interpreted the Bible
Catholics had a certain tradition of Bible interpretation, going back to medieval times. One level of interpretation was fairly literal and historical, but others were more symbolic or allegorical.
Ordinary Catholics would not be expected to understand all these levels, but the priests were trained to teach the Bible in this way. So ordinary believers, on the whole, were not expected to puzzle out the Bible for themselves; that was the duty of their priests.
Of course, the various Catholic theologians from the past did not always agree with each other. So there were different groups within the Catholic church who emphasized some teachers more than others.
Member of a worldwide Christian church which traces its origins from St. Peter, one of Jesus' original disciples. It has a continuous history from earliest Christianity.
The Christian Bible consists of the Old Testament scriptures inherited from Judaism, together with the New Testament, drawn from writings produced from c.40-125CE, which describe the life of Jesus and the establishment of the Christian church.
The Bible describes God as the unique supreme being, creator and ruler of the universe.
Sacred writings. The New Testament uses the term to refer to the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). In time, the Christian Church recognised the Old and New Testaments as both containing God's authoritive written word.
Christians whose faith and practice stems from the Reformation movement in the sixteenth century which resulted in new churches being created as an alternative to the Roman Catholic Church.
In the Bible, salvation is seen as God's commitment to save or rescue his people from sin (and other dangers) and to establish his kingdom.
Belief and trust in someone or something.
1. Term for a worshipping community of Christians.
2. The building in which Christians traditionally meet for worship.
3. The worldwide community of Christian believers.
The supreme governor of the Roman Catholic Church who has his headquarters in Rome, in Vatican City. In certain circumstances, his doctrinal utterances are deemed infallible.
In literature, something that is chosen to take on a particular meaning by the writer, e.g. clouds as symbols of mutability.
A non-realistic genre of literature whereby characters or episodes systematically represent a certain belief system. Interpretation of allegory can involve two or more levels of meaning.
Those engaged in the study of God.
