16. The Source of Divine Revelation
1. The Word of God
God manifests himself to humanity through works of creation (natural revelation). He also reveals himself to us directly (supernatural revelation) by speaking to all mankind through some chosen individuals. This is properly called revelation.
There is only one source of revelation, namely, God the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit.
God the Son, the divine Word, became man to save mankind. Likewise, to reveal himself to humanity, God speaks to them with human utterances. All these utterances can be summarized in only one word—the divine Word. Jesus Christ is the original revelation of God.1
Through revelation, God has unveiled certain truths about himself and his salvific plan for mankind. Some of these truths exceed all created intellect; others are accessible to the human mind on its own (natural truths).
This revelation constitutes a sacred deposit entrusted to the Church for her to guard and transmit: “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you” (1 Tm 6:20).
The content of divine revelation is found in Sacred Scripture and Tradition: “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter” (2 Thes 2:15).
Sacred Scripture is the collection of sacred books, written through the promptings of the Holy Spirit, that have God as their author, and, as such, they are entrusted to the Church.2 Sacred Scripture is the word of God, written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Tradition is the word of God that was received from Christ himself through the apostles, and was handed down (transmitted) to us without alteration by the Church, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit.3
The first Christians were aware of the importance of Sacred Tradition: “Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us” (2 Tm 1:13–14). Also: “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed…” (1 Cor 11:23). “What you have learned from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tm 2:2).
[Christ] … commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel … and … communicate the gifts of God to all men. This was faithfully done: it was done by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received—whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life and his works, or whether they had learned it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit; it was done by those apostles and other men associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing.4
Both Sacred Scripture and Tradition are “bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal.”5
“Sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the word of God, which is entrusted to the Church.”6
To interpret the Sacred Scripture correctly, one must find out what the human authors wanted to affirm and what God wanted to manifest through their words. Thus, Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted with the same Spirit in which it was written.7 The Holy Spirit is the legitimate interpreter of the Sacred Scripture.8
Christ himself wanted his Church to have a living Magisterium with the task of authentically interpreting the divine word, whether written or orally transmitted, exercising its authority in the name of Jesus Christ.9 “Yet this Magisterium is not superior the word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith.”10
“In the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.”11 Thus, the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, is the only authentic interpreter of Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
Sacred Tradition and Human Traditions
We find in the Bible two kinds of religious traditions: divine and human.
God wanted divine Tradition preserved and honored because he made it part of the deposit of faith. As St. Paul affirmed, “I commend you because you … maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you” (1 Cor 11:2; cf. 2 Thes 2:15; 3:6). Arguing against this, Protestants claim that all Tradition is man-made, not coming from God, but made by those in the Church who have the power to teach.
Christ accused the Pharisees of being too concerned about traditions of men (which had their origins in the opinions of earlier teachers) and neglecting the divine traditions of God’s Law: “You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the traditions of men” (Mk 7:8). With these man-made traditions, the Jews were forever adding little precepts and interpretations to the Law of God. Instead of helping its fulfillment, these human traditions suffocated and contradicted it. Jesus challenged these innovations and denounced the hypocrisy and insincerity of the teachers of the Jews. Something similar happens nowadays with the innovations of different religious sects.
As in any other institution, however, some human traditions—those that help us to fulfill God’s Law—can also be found in the Church. Still, these traditions have only a temporary value. Moreover, the Church is able to distinguish the enduring word of God from human traditions that are of only transient worth.
2. Names To Designate Sacred Scripture
There are several terms that we can use to refer to the written word of God:
i) Sacred Scriptures. This term is biblical in origin. The New Testament refers to the books of the Old Testament as the Scriptures or Holy Scriptures (cf. Mk 12:10; Lk 4:21; Rom 1:2). The Fathers of the Church used these expressions during apostolic times to refer to all inspired books, both Old Testament and New Testament. The Bible is sacred because it is the written word of God.
ii) Bible. This term is a simple transcription of the Greek word biblia, which etymologically means “books.” It signifies more than a mere collection of books; it signifies the unity of all these books. The Bible is more than an anthology; it is the Book of Books.
iii) Old and New Testaments. The entire collection of the Bible is divided into two parts: The Old Testament contains the books written before Christ’s coming, and the New Testament is composed of books written after Christ’s death.
Testament (in Hebrew berith) is synonymous with pact, alliance, or covenant. God made two pacts with mankind. The first covenant was with Abraham and was formally established with the people of Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai. By virtue of this first covenant (agreement), God would fill Israel with blessings as long as they remained faithful to the Law. The covenant was repeatedly broken by the Jews.
Yet, God had promised a new covenant (cf. Jer 31:31). When the fullness of time came (cf. Gal 4:4), God made a new covenant with mankind through Jesus Christ; Jesus sealed it with his blood. Under this covenant, we have received a superabundance of graces, especially the liberation from sin and the definitive opening of heaven for us.
These two testaments, the Old and New, signify the books related to the first and the second covenant.
iv) Inspired Books. In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul calls the Scriptures “inspired by God,” and in 2 Peter 1:21, we are told that the ancient prophets wrote “moved by the Holy Spirit.” Hence, we use the word inspiration, which refers to that divine act by which the writer becomes an instrument of God in the composition of the Bible.
3. Books that Constitute the Bible
By means of the apostolic Tradition, the Church knew what writings constituted the list of sacred books.12 This list is called the “canon” of the Scriptures. It is composed of the books of the Old and the New Testament.13
Old Testament Pentateuch (which means “five books”) Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
Historical Books Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, *Tobit, *Judith, Esther, *1 and *2 Maccabees
Didactic Books Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Qohelet (or Ecclesiastes), Song of Songs, *Wisdom, and *Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus)
Prophetical Books Major prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah (including Lamentations), *Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel
Minor prophets: Hosea (or Osee), Joel, Amos, Obadiah (or Abdias), Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (or Sophonias), Haggai (or Aggeus), Zechariah, and Malachi
(Catholics, in accordance with the computation of the Council of Trent, recognize 45 books. Lamentations may be included in the Book of Jeremiah. The Jews accept only 39 books and the Protestants follow this Jewish tradition. Books questioned by Jews and Protestants are marked with an asterisk.)
New Testament Historical Books Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; and Acts of the Apostles
Didactic Books 14 Epistles of St. Paul: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews
7 Catholic Epistles: 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, *James, and Jude
Prophetic Books Apocalypse of St. John (or Revelation)
4. Excellence and Usefulness of the Bible
Sacred Scripture is God’s word. The Church has always venerated Sacred Scripture as she venerated the Body of the Lord.14 The Bible is superior to any human book for three reasons:
i) Its divine origin: God’s authorship
ii) Its content: the supernatural truths
iii) Its end: the salvation of all people
The Bible is extremely useful: “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tm 3:16). The Church offers Sacred Scripture to the faithful. In it, she distributes the one table of the word of God and the Body of Christ.15
The Fathers of the Church and the Magisterium recommend the Bible:
· for the spiritual life: nourishment for the soul;
· for preaching: sermons, catechism, and the like, and
· for theology: based on Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
Man must respond to God’s gift of Sacred Scripture. One should accept the Bible joyfully and exert effort to delve deeply into the divine mysteries revealed in these books.
Footnotes:
1. Cf. CCC, 101–141.
2. DS 3006.
3. Cf. DS 1501.
4. DV, 7.
5. Ibid., 9.
6. Ibid., 10.
7. Cf. DV, 12.
8. Cf. CCC, 109ff.
9. Cf. Ibid., 888–892.
10. DV, 10.
11. Ibid., 11.
12. Cf. DV, 8.
13. Cf. CCC, 120–127.
14. Cf. DV, 21; CCC, 102–104.
15. Cf. DV, 21.
God manifests himself to humanity through works of creation (natural revelation). He also reveals himself to us directly (supernatural revelation) by speaking to all mankind through some chosen individuals. This is properly called revelation.
There is only one source of revelation, namely, God the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit.
God the Son, the divine Word, became man to save mankind. Likewise, to reveal himself to humanity, God speaks to them with human utterances. All these utterances can be summarized in only one word—the divine Word. Jesus Christ is the original revelation of God.1
Through revelation, God has unveiled certain truths about himself and his salvific plan for mankind. Some of these truths exceed all created intellect; others are accessible to the human mind on its own (natural truths).
This revelation constitutes a sacred deposit entrusted to the Church for her to guard and transmit: “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you” (1 Tm 6:20).
The content of divine revelation is found in Sacred Scripture and Tradition: “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter” (2 Thes 2:15).
Sacred Scripture is the collection of sacred books, written through the promptings of the Holy Spirit, that have God as their author, and, as such, they are entrusted to the Church.2 Sacred Scripture is the word of God, written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Tradition is the word of God that was received from Christ himself through the apostles, and was handed down (transmitted) to us without alteration by the Church, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit.3
The first Christians were aware of the importance of Sacred Tradition: “Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us” (2 Tm 1:13–14). Also: “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed…” (1 Cor 11:23). “What you have learned from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tm 2:2).
[Christ] … commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel … and … communicate the gifts of God to all men. This was faithfully done: it was done by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received—whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life and his works, or whether they had learned it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit; it was done by those apostles and other men associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing.4
Both Sacred Scripture and Tradition are “bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal.”5
“Sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the word of God, which is entrusted to the Church.”6
To interpret the Sacred Scripture correctly, one must find out what the human authors wanted to affirm and what God wanted to manifest through their words. Thus, Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted with the same Spirit in which it was written.7 The Holy Spirit is the legitimate interpreter of the Sacred Scripture.8
Christ himself wanted his Church to have a living Magisterium with the task of authentically interpreting the divine word, whether written or orally transmitted, exercising its authority in the name of Jesus Christ.9 “Yet this Magisterium is not superior the word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith.”10
“In the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.”11 Thus, the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, is the only authentic interpreter of Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
Sacred Tradition and Human Traditions
We find in the Bible two kinds of religious traditions: divine and human.
God wanted divine Tradition preserved and honored because he made it part of the deposit of faith. As St. Paul affirmed, “I commend you because you … maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you” (1 Cor 11:2; cf. 2 Thes 2:15; 3:6). Arguing against this, Protestants claim that all Tradition is man-made, not coming from God, but made by those in the Church who have the power to teach.
Christ accused the Pharisees of being too concerned about traditions of men (which had their origins in the opinions of earlier teachers) and neglecting the divine traditions of God’s Law: “You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the traditions of men” (Mk 7:8). With these man-made traditions, the Jews were forever adding little precepts and interpretations to the Law of God. Instead of helping its fulfillment, these human traditions suffocated and contradicted it. Jesus challenged these innovations and denounced the hypocrisy and insincerity of the teachers of the Jews. Something similar happens nowadays with the innovations of different religious sects.
As in any other institution, however, some human traditions—those that help us to fulfill God’s Law—can also be found in the Church. Still, these traditions have only a temporary value. Moreover, the Church is able to distinguish the enduring word of God from human traditions that are of only transient worth.
2. Names To Designate Sacred Scripture
There are several terms that we can use to refer to the written word of God:
i) Sacred Scriptures. This term is biblical in origin. The New Testament refers to the books of the Old Testament as the Scriptures or Holy Scriptures (cf. Mk 12:10; Lk 4:21; Rom 1:2). The Fathers of the Church used these expressions during apostolic times to refer to all inspired books, both Old Testament and New Testament. The Bible is sacred because it is the written word of God.
ii) Bible. This term is a simple transcription of the Greek word biblia, which etymologically means “books.” It signifies more than a mere collection of books; it signifies the unity of all these books. The Bible is more than an anthology; it is the Book of Books.
iii) Old and New Testaments. The entire collection of the Bible is divided into two parts: The Old Testament contains the books written before Christ’s coming, and the New Testament is composed of books written after Christ’s death.
Testament (in Hebrew berith) is synonymous with pact, alliance, or covenant. God made two pacts with mankind. The first covenant was with Abraham and was formally established with the people of Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai. By virtue of this first covenant (agreement), God would fill Israel with blessings as long as they remained faithful to the Law. The covenant was repeatedly broken by the Jews.
Yet, God had promised a new covenant (cf. Jer 31:31). When the fullness of time came (cf. Gal 4:4), God made a new covenant with mankind through Jesus Christ; Jesus sealed it with his blood. Under this covenant, we have received a superabundance of graces, especially the liberation from sin and the definitive opening of heaven for us.
These two testaments, the Old and New, signify the books related to the first and the second covenant.
iv) Inspired Books. In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul calls the Scriptures “inspired by God,” and in 2 Peter 1:21, we are told that the ancient prophets wrote “moved by the Holy Spirit.” Hence, we use the word inspiration, which refers to that divine act by which the writer becomes an instrument of God in the composition of the Bible.
3. Books that Constitute the Bible
By means of the apostolic Tradition, the Church knew what writings constituted the list of sacred books.12 This list is called the “canon” of the Scriptures. It is composed of the books of the Old and the New Testament.13
Old Testament Pentateuch (which means “five books”) Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
Historical Books Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, *Tobit, *Judith, Esther, *1 and *2 Maccabees
Didactic Books Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Qohelet (or Ecclesiastes), Song of Songs, *Wisdom, and *Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus)
Prophetical Books Major prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah (including Lamentations), *Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel
Minor prophets: Hosea (or Osee), Joel, Amos, Obadiah (or Abdias), Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (or Sophonias), Haggai (or Aggeus), Zechariah, and Malachi
(Catholics, in accordance with the computation of the Council of Trent, recognize 45 books. Lamentations may be included in the Book of Jeremiah. The Jews accept only 39 books and the Protestants follow this Jewish tradition. Books questioned by Jews and Protestants are marked with an asterisk.)
New Testament Historical Books Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; and Acts of the Apostles
Didactic Books 14 Epistles of St. Paul: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews
7 Catholic Epistles: 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, *James, and Jude
Prophetic Books Apocalypse of St. John (or Revelation)
4. Excellence and Usefulness of the Bible
Sacred Scripture is God’s word. The Church has always venerated Sacred Scripture as she venerated the Body of the Lord.14 The Bible is superior to any human book for three reasons:
i) Its divine origin: God’s authorship
ii) Its content: the supernatural truths
iii) Its end: the salvation of all people
The Bible is extremely useful: “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tm 3:16). The Church offers Sacred Scripture to the faithful. In it, she distributes the one table of the word of God and the Body of Christ.15
The Fathers of the Church and the Magisterium recommend the Bible:
· for the spiritual life: nourishment for the soul;
· for preaching: sermons, catechism, and the like, and
· for theology: based on Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
Man must respond to God’s gift of Sacred Scripture. One should accept the Bible joyfully and exert effort to delve deeply into the divine mysteries revealed in these books.
Footnotes:
1. Cf. CCC, 101–141.
2. DS 3006.
3. Cf. DS 1501.
4. DV, 7.
5. Ibid., 9.
6. Ibid., 10.
7. Cf. DV, 12.
8. Cf. CCC, 109ff.
9. Cf. Ibid., 888–892.
10. DV, 10.
11. Ibid., 11.
12. Cf. DV, 8.
13. Cf. CCC, 120–127.
14. Cf. DV, 21; CCC, 102–104.
15. Cf. DV, 21.