While Catholics believe the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit and
that it is true, one cannot take individual biblical quotes or passages
and say each one is literally true, Pope Benedict XVI said.
“It is
possible to perceive the Sacred Scriptures as the word of God” only by
looking at the Bible as a whole, “a totality in which the individual
elements enlighten each other and open the way to understanding,” the
Pope wrote in a message to the Pontifical Biblical Commission.
“It
is not possible to apply the criterion of inspiration or of absolute
truth in a mechanical way, extrapolating a single phrase or expression,”
the Pope wrote in the message released today at the Vatican.
The
commission of biblical scholars, an advisory body to the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith, met at the Vatican from May 2 to May 6 to
continue discussions about “Inspiration and Truth in the Bible”.
In
his message, the Pope said clearer explanations about the Catholic
position on the divine inspiration and truth of the Bible were important
because some people seem to treat the Scriptures simply as literature
while others believe that each line was dictated by the Holy Spirit and
is literally true.
Neither position is Catholic, the Pope said.
“An
interpretation of the sacred writings that disregards or forgets their
inspiration does not take into account their most important and precious
characteristic, that they come from God,” he said.
The Catholic
position is that the Holy Spirit inspired the biblical writers so that
“human words express the word of God”, he said.
“Through his word
God wants to communicate to us the whole truth about himself and his
plan of salvation for humanity,” the Pope wrote.
“A commitment to
discovering ever more the truth of the sacred books, therefore, is a
commitment to seeking to better know God and the mystery of his saving
will.”