DIVINO AFFLANTE SPIRITU
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XII ON PROMOTING BIBLICAL STUDIES, COMMEMORATING THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF PROVIDENTISSIMUS DEUS TO OUR VENERABLE BRETHREN, PATRIARCHS, ARCHBISHOPS, AND OTHER LOCAL ORDINARIES ENJOYING PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE APOSTOLIC SEE.
Inspired by the Divine Spirit, the Sacred Writers
composed those books, which God, in His paternal charity towards the human
race, deigned to bestow on them in order "to teach, to reprove, to
correct, to instruct in justice: that the man of God may be perfect, furnished
to every good work."[1] This heaven-sent
treasure Holy Church considers as the most precious source of doctrine on faith
and morals. No wonder herefore that, as she received it intact from the hands
of the Apostles, so she kept it with all care, defended it from every false and
perverse interpretation and used it diligently as an instrument for securing
the eternal salvation of souls, as almost countless documents in every age
strikingly bear witness. In more recent times, however, since the divine origin
and the correct interpretation of the Sacred Writings have been very specially
called in question, the Church has with even greater zeal and care undertaken
their defense and protection. The sacred Council of Trent ordained by solemn
decree that "the entire books with all their parts, as they have been wont
to be read in the Catholic Church and are contained in the old vulgate Latin
edition, are to be held sacred and canonical."[2] In
our own time the Vatican Council, with the object of condemning false doctrines
regarding inspiration, declared that these same books were to be regarded by
the Church as sacred and canonical "not because, having been composed by
human industry, they were afterwards approved by her authority, nor merely
because they contain revelation without error, but because, having been written
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God for their author, and
as such were handed down to the Church herself."[3]
When, subsequently, some Catholic writers, in spite of this solemn
definition of Catholic doctrine, by which such divine authority is claimed for
the "entire books with all their parts" as to secure freedom from any
error whatsoever, ventured to restrict the truth of Sacred Scripture solely to
matters of faith and morals, and to regard other matters, whether in the domain
of physical science or history, as "obiter dicta" and - as they contended
- in no wise connected with faith, Our Predecessor of immortal memory, Leo XIII
in the Encyclical Letter Providentissimus Deus, published on November 18 in the
year 1893, justly and rightly condemned these errors and safe-guarded the
studies of the Divine Books by most wise precepts and rules.
2. Since then it is fitting that We should
commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of this Encyclical
Letter, which is considered the supreme guide in biblical studies, We, moved by
that solicitude for sacred studies, which We manifested from the very beginning
of Our Pontificate,[4] have considered that this
may most opportunely be done by ratifying and inculcating all that was wisely
laid down by Our Predecessor and ordained by His Successors for the consolidating
and perfecting of the work, and by pointing out what seems necessary in the
present day, in order to incite ever more earnestly all those sons of the
Church who devote themselves to these studies, to so necessary and so
praiseworthy an enterprise.
3. The first and greatest care of Leo XIII was to
set forth the teaching on the truth of the Sacred Books and to defend it from
attack. Hence with grave words did he proclaim that there is no error
whatsoever if the sacred writer, speaking of things of the physical order
"went by what sensibly appeared" as the Angelic Doctor says,[5] speaking either "in figurative language, or
in terms which were commonly used at the time, and which in many instances are
in daily use at this day, even among the most eminent men of science." For
"the sacred writers, or to speak more accurately - the words are St.
Augustine's - [6] the Holy Spirit, Who spoke by
them, did not intend to teach men these things - that is the essential nature
of the things of the universe - things in no way profitable to salvation";
which principle "will apply to cognate sciences, and especially to
history,"[7] that is, by refuting, "in
a somewhat similar way the fallacies of the adversaries and defending the
historical truth of Sacred Scripture from their attacks."[8] Nor is the sacred writer to be taxed with error,
if "copyists have made mistakes in the text of the Bible," or,
"if the real meaning of a passage remains ambiguous." Finally it is
absolutely wrong and forbidden "either to narrow inspiration to certain
passages of Holy Scripture, or to admit that the sacred writer has erred,"
since divine inspiration "not only is essentially incompatible with error
but excludes and rejects it as absolutely and necessarily as it is impossible
that God Himself, the supreme Truth, can utter that which is not true. This is
the ancient and constant faith of the Church."[9]
4. This teaching, which Our Predecessor Leo XIII
set forth with such solemnity, We also proclaim with Our authority and We urge
all to adhere to it religiously. No less earnestly do We inculcate obedience at
the present day to the counsels and exhortations which he, in his day, so
wisely enjoined. For whereas there arose new and serious difficulties and
questions, from the wide-spread prejudices of rationalism and more especially
from the discovery and investigation of the antiquities of the East, this same
Our Predecessor, moved by zeal of the apostolic office, not only that such an
excellent source of Catholic revelation might be more securely and abundantly
available to the advantage of the Christian flock, but also that he might not
suffer it to be in any way tainted, wished and most earnestly desired "to
see an increase in the number of the approved and persevering laborers in the cause
of Holy Scripture; and more especially that those whom Divine Grace has called
to Holy Orders, should day-by-day, as their state demands, display greater
diligence and industry in reading, meditating and explaining it."[10]
5. Wherefore the same Pontiff, as he had already
praised and approved the school for biblical studies, founded at St. Stephen's,
Jerusalem, by the Master General of the Sacred Order of Preachers - from which,
to use his own words, "biblical science itself had received no small
advantage, while giving promise of more"[11] -
so in the last year of his life he provided yet another way, by which these
same studies, so warmly commended in the Encyclical Letter Providentissimus
Deus, might daily make greater progress and be pursued with the greatest
possible security. By the Apostolic Letter Vigilantiae, published on October 30
in the year 1902, he founded a Council or Commission, as it is called, of
eminent men, "whose duty it would be to procure by every means that the
sacred texts may receive everywhere among us that more thorough exposition
which the times demand, and be kept safe not only from every breath of error,
but also from all inconsiderate opinions."[12] Following
the example of Our Predecessors, We also have effectively confirmed and
amplified this Council using its good offices, as often before, to remind
commentators of the Sacred Books of those safe rules of Catholic exegesis,
which have been handed down by the Holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church, as
well as by the Sovereign Pontiffs themselves.[13]
6. It may not be out of place here to recall
gratefully the principal and more useful contributions made successively by Our
Predecessors toward this same end, which contributions may be considered as the
complement or fruit of the movement so happily initiated by Leo XIII. And first
of all Pius X, wishing "to provide a sure way for the preparation of a
copious supply of teachers, who, commended by the seriousness and the integrity
of their doctrine, might explain the Sacred Books in Catholic schools..."
instituted "the academic degrees of licentiate and doctorate in Sacred
Scripture...; to be conferred by the Biblical Commission";[14] he later enacted a law "concerning the
method of Scripture studies to be followed in Clerical Seminaries" with
this end in view, viz.: that students of the sacred sciences "not only
should themselves fully understand the power, purpose and teaching of the
Bible, but should also be equipped to engage in the ministry of the Divine Word
with elegance and ability and repel attacks against the divinely inspired
books";[15] finally "in order that a
center of higher biblical studies might be established in Rome, which in the
best way possible might promote the study of the Bible and all cognate sciences
in accordance with the mind of the Catholic Church" he founded the
Pontifical Biblical Institute, entrusted to the care of the illustrious Society
of Jesus, which he wished endowed "with a superior professorial staff and
every facility for biblical research"; he prescribed its laws and rules,
professing to follow in this the "salutary and fruitful project" of
Leo XIII.[16]
7. All this in fine Our immediate Predecessor of
happy memory Pius XI brought to perfection, laying down among other things
"that no one should be appointed professor of Sacred Scripture in any
Seminary, unless, having completed a special course of biblical studies, he had
in due form obtained the academic degrees before the Biblical Commission or the
Biblical Institute." He wished that these degrees should have the same
rights and the same effects as the degrees duly conferred in Sacred Theology or
Canon Law; likewise he decreed that no one should receive "a benefice
having attached the canonical obligation of expounding the Sacred Scripture to
the people, unless, among other things, he had obtained the licentiate or
doctorate in biblical science." And having at the same time urged the
Superiors General of the Regular Orders and of the religious Congregations, as
well as the Bishops of the Catholic world, to send the more suitable of their
students to frequent the schools of the Biblical Institute and obtain there the
academical degrees, he confirmed these exhortations by his own example,
appointing out of his bounty an annual sum for this very purpose.[17]
8. Seeing that, in the year 1907, with the benign
approval of Pius X of happy memory, "to the Benedictine monks had been
committed the task of preparing the investigations and studies on which might
be based a new edition of the Latin version of the Scripture, commonly called
the Vulgate,[18] the same Pontiff, Pius XI,
wishing to consolidate more firmly and securely this "laborious and
arduous enterprise," which demands considerable time and great expense, founded
in Rome and lavishly endowed with a library and other means of research, the
monastery of St. Jerome, to be devoted exclusively to this work.[19]
9. Nor should We fail to mention here how
earnestly these same Our Predecessors, when the opportunity occurred,
recommended the study or preaching or in fine the pious reading and meditation
on the Sacred Scriptures. Pius X most heartily commended the society of St.
Jerome, which strives to promote among the faithful - and to facilitate with
all its power - the truly praiseworthy custom of reading and meditating on the
holy Gospels; he exhorted them to persevere in the enterprise they had begun,
proclaiming it "a most useful undertaking, as well as most suited to the
times," seeing that it helps in no small way "to dissipate the idea
that the Church is opposed to or in any way impedes the reading of the
Scriptures in the vernacular."[20] And
Benedict XV, on the occasion of the fifteenth centenary of the death of St.
Jerome, the greatest Doctor of the Sacred Scriptures, after having most
solemnly inculcated the precepts and examples of the same Doctor, as well as
the principles and rules laid down by Leo XIII and by himself, and having
recommended other things highly opportune and never to be forgotten in this connection,
exhorted "all the children of the Church, especially clerics, to reverence
the Holy Scripture, to read it piously and meditate it constantly"; he
reminded them "that in these pages is to be sought that food, by which the
spiritual life is nourished unto perfection," and "that the chief use
of Scripture pertains to the holy and fruitful exercise of the ministry of
preaching"; he likewise once again expressed his warm approval of the work
of the society called after St. Jerome himself, by means of which the Gospels
and Acts of the Apostles are being so widely diffused, "that there is no
Christian family any more without them and that all are accustomed to read and
meditate them daily."[21]
10. But it is right and pleasing to confess openly
that it is not only by reason of these initiatives, precepts and exhortations
of Our Predecessors that the knowledge and use of the Sacred Scriptures have
made great progress among Catholics; for this is also due to the works and
labors of all those who diligently cooperated with them, both by meditating,
investigating and writing, as well as by teaching and preaching and by
translating and propagating the Sacred Books. For from the schools in which are
fostered higher studies in theological and biblical science, and especially
from Our Pontifical Biblical Institute, there have already come forth, and
daily continue to come forth, many students of Holy Scripture who, inspired
with an intense love for the Sacred Books, imbue the younger clergy with this
same ardent zeal and assiduously impart to them the doctrine they themselves
have acquired. Many of them also, by the written word, have promoted and do
still promote, far and wide, the study of the Bible; as when they edit the
sacred text corrected in accordance with the rules of textual criticism or
expound, explain, and translate it into the vernacular; or when they propose it
to the faithful for their pious reading and meditation; or finally when they
cultivate and seek the aid of profane sciences which are useful for the
interpretation of the Scriptures. From these therefore and from other
initiatives which daily become more wide-spread and vigorous, as, for example,
biblical societies, congresses, libraries, associations for meditation on the
Gospels, We firmly hope that in the future reverence for, as well as the use
and knowledge of, the Sacred Scriptures will everywhere more and more increase
for the good of souls, provided the method of biblical studies laid down by Leo
XIII, explained more clearly and perfectly by his Successors, and by Us
confirmed and amplified - which indeed is the only safe way and proved by
experience - be more firmly, eagerly and faithfully accepted by all, regardless
of the difficulties which, as in all human affairs, so in this most excellent
work will never be wanting.
11. There is no one who cannot easily perceive
that the conditions of biblical studies and their subsidiary sciences have
greatly changed within the last fifty years. For, apart from anything else,
when Our Predecessor published the Encyclical Letter Providentissimus Deus,
hardly a single place in Palestine had begun to be explored by means of
relevant excavations. Now, however, this kind of investigation is much more
frequent and, since more precise methods and technical skill have been
developed in the course of actual experience, it gives us information at once
more abundant and more accurate. How much light has been derived from these
explorations for the more correct and fuller understanding of the Sacred Books
all experts know, as well as all those who devote themselves to these studies.
The value of these excavations is enhanced by the discovery from time to time
of written documents, which help much towards the knowledge of the languages,
letters, events, customs, and forms of worship of most ancient times. And of no
less importance is papyri which have contributed so much to the knowledge of
the discovery and investigation, so frequent in our times, of letters and
institutions, both public and private, especially of the time of Our Savior.
12. Moreover ancient codices of the Sacred Books
have been found and edited with discerning thoroughness; the exegesis of the
Fathers of the Church has been more widely and thoroughly examined; in fine the
manner of speaking, relating and writing in use among the ancients is made
clear by innumerable examples. All these advantages which, not without a
special design of Divine Providence, our age has acquired, are as it were an
invitation and inducement to interpreters of the Sacred Literature to make
diligent use of this light, so abundantly given, to penetrate more deeply,
explain more clearly and expound more lucidly the Divine Oracles. If, with the
greatest satisfaction of mind, We perceive that these same interpreters have
resolutely answered and still continue to answer this call, this is certainly
not the last or least of the fruits of the Encyclical Letter Providentissimus
Deus, by which Our Predecessor Leo XIII, foreseeing as it were this new
development of biblical studies, summoned Catholic exegetes to labor and wisely
defined the direction and the method to be followed in that labor.
13. We also, by this Encyclical Letter, desire to
insure that the work may not only proceed without interruption, but may also
daily become more perfect and fruitful; and to that end We are specially intent
on pointing out to all what yet remains to be done, with what spirit the
Catholic exegete should undertake, at the present day, so great and noble a
work, and to give new incentive and fresh courage to the laborers who toil so
strenuously in the vineyard of the Lord.
14. The Fathers of the Church in their time,
especially Augustine, warmly recommended to the Catholic scholar, who undertook
the investigation and explanation of the Sacred Scriptures, the study of the
ancient languages and recourse to the original texts.[22]
However, such was the state of letters in those times, that not many -
and these few but imperfectly - knew the Hebrew language. In the middle ages,
when Scholastic Theology was at the height of its vigor, the knowledge of even
the Greek language had long since become so rare in the West, that even the
greatest Doctors of that time, in their exposition of the Sacred Text, had
recourse only to the Latin version, known as the Vulgate.
15. On the contrary in this our time, not only the
Greek language, which since the humanistic renaissance has been, as it were,
restored to new life, is familiar to almost all students of antiquity and
letters, but the knowledge of Hebrew also and of their oriental languages has
spread far and wide among literary men. Moreover there are now such abundant
aids to the study of these languages that the biblical scholar, who by
neglecting them would deprive himself of access to the original texts, could in
no wise escape the stigma of levity and sloth. For it is the duty of the
exegete to lay hold, so to speak, with the greatest care and reverence of the
very least expressions which, under the inspiration of the Divine Spirit, have
flowed from the pen of the sacred writer, so as to arrive at a deeper and
fuller knowledge of his meaning.
16. Wherefore let him diligently apply himself so
as to acquire daily a greater facility in biblical as well as in other oriental
languages and to support his interpretation by the aids which all branches of
philology supply. This indeed St. Jerome strove earnestly to achieve, as far as
the science of his time permitted; to this also aspired with untiring zeal and
no small fruit not a few of the great exegetes of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, although the knowledge of languages then was much less than at the
present day. In like manner therefore ought we to explain the original text
which, having been written by the inspired author himself, has more authority and
greater weight than any even the very best translation, whether ancient or
modern; this can be done all the more easily and fruitfully, if to the
knowledge of languages be joined a real skill in literary criticism of the same
text.
17. The great importance which should be attached
to this kind of criticism was aptly pointed out by Augustine, when, among the
precepts to be recommended to the student of the Sacred Books, he put in the
first place the care to possess a corrected text. "The correction of the
codices" - so says this most distinguished Doctor of the Church -
"should first of all engage the attention of those who wish to know the
Divine Scripture so that the uncollected may give place to the corrected."[23] In the present day indeed this art, which is
called textual criticism and which is used with great and praiseworthy results
in the editions of profane writings, is also quite rightly employed in the case
of the Sacred Books, because of that very reverence which is due to the Divine
Oracles. For its very purpose is to insure that the sacred text be restored, as
perfectly as possible, be purified from the corruptions due to the carelessness
of the copyists and be freed, as far as may be done, from glosses and
omissions, from the interchange and repetition of words and from all other
kinds of mistakes, which are wont to make their way gradually into writings
handed down through many centuries.
18. It is scarcely necessary to observe that this
criticism, which some fifty years ago not a few made use of quite arbitrarily
and often in such wise that one would say they did so to introduce into the
sacred text their own preconceived ideas, today has rules so firmly established
and secure, that it has become a most valuable aid to the purer and more accurate
editing of the sacred text and that any abuse can easily be discovered. Nor is
it necessary here to call to mind - since it is doubtless familiar and evident
to all students of Sacred Scripture - to what extent namely the Church has held
in honor these studies in textual criticism from the earliest centuries down
even to the present day.
19. Today therefore, since this branch of science
has attained to such high perfection, it is the honorable, though not always
easy, task of students of the Bible to procure by every means that as soon as
possible may be duly published by Catholics editions of the Sacred Books and of
ancient versions, brought out in accordance with these standards, which, that
is to say, unite the greatest reverence for the sacred text with an exact
observance of all the rules of criticism. And let all know that this prolonged
labor is not only necessary for the right understanding of the divinely-given
writings, but also is urgently demanded by that piety by which it behooves us
to be grateful to the God of all providence, Who from the throne of His majesty
has sent these books as so many paternal letters to His own children.
20. Nor should anyone think that this use of the
original texts, in accordance with the methods of criticism, in any way
derogates from those decrees so wisely enacted by the Council of Trent
concerning the Latin Vulgate.[24] It is
historically certain that the Presidents of the Council received a commission,
which they duly carried out, to beg, that is, the Sovereign Pontiff in the name
of the Council that he should have corrected, as far as possible, first a
Latin, and then a Greek, and Hebrew edition, which eventually would be
published for the benefit of the Holy Church of God.[25]
If this desire could not then be fully realized owing to the
difficulties of the times and other obstacles, at present it can, We earnestly
hope, be more perfectly and entirely fulfilled by the united efforts of
Catholic scholars.
21. And if the Tridentine Synod wished "that
all should use as authentic" the Vulgate Latin version, this, as all know,
applies only to the Latin Church and to the public use of the same Scriptures;
nor does it, doubtless, in any way diminish the authority and value of the
original texts. For there was no question then of these texts, but of the Latin
versions, which were in circulation at that time, and of these the same Council
rightly declared to be preferable that which "had been approved by its
long-continued use for so many centuries in the Church." Hence this
special authority or as they say, authenticity of the Vulgate was not affirmed
by the Council particularly for critical reasons, but rather because of its
legitimate use in the Churches throughout so many centuries; by which use
indeed the same is shown, in the sense in which the Church has understood and
understands it, to be free from any error whatsoever in matters of faith and
morals; so that, as the Church herself testifies and affirms, it may be quoted
safely and without fear of error in disputations, in lectures and in preaching;
and so its authenticity is not specified primarily as critical, but rather as
juridical.
22. Wherefore this authority of the Vulgate in
matters of doctrine by no means prevents - nay rather today it almost demands -
either the corroboration and confirmation of this same doctrine by the original
texts or the having recourse on any and every occasion to the aid of these same
texts, by which the correct meaning of the Sacred Letters is everywhere daily
made more clear and evident. Nor is it forbidden by the decree of the Council
of Trent to make translations into the vulgar tongue, even directly from the
original texts themselves, for the use and benefit of the faithful and for the
better understanding of the divine word, as We know to have been already done
in a laudable manner in many countries with the approval of the Ecclesiastical
authority.
23. Being thoroughly prepared by the knowledge of
the ancient languages and by the aids afforded by the art of criticism, let the
Catholic exegete undertake the task, of all those imposed on him the greatest,
that namely of discovering and expounding the genuine meaning of the Sacred
Books. In the performance of this task let the interpreters bear in mind that
their foremost and greatest endeavor should be to discern and define clearly
that sense of the biblical words which is called literal. Aided by the context
and by comparison with similar passages, let them therefore by means of their
knowledge of languages search out with all diligence the literal meaning of the
words; all these helps indeed are wont to be pressed into service in the
explanation also of profane writers, so that the mind of the author may be made
abundantly clear.
24. The commentators of the Sacred Letters,
mindful of the fact that here there is question of a divinely inspired text,
the care and interpretation of which have been confided to the Church by God
Himself, should no less diligently take into account the explanations and
declarations of the teaching authority of the Church, as likewise the
interpretation given by the Holy Fathers, and even "the analogy of
faith" as Leo XIII most wisely observed in the Encyclical Letter
Providentissimus Deus.[26] With special zeal
should they apply themselves, not only to expounding exclusively these matters
which belong to the historical, archaeological, philological and other
auxiliary sciences - as, to Our regret, is done in certain commentaries - but,
having duly referred to these, in so far as they may aid the exegesis, they
should set forth in particular the theological doctrine in faith and morals of the
individual books or texts so that their exposition may not only aid the
professors of theology in their explanations and proofs of the dogmas of faith,
but may also be of assistance to priests in their presentation of Christian
doctrine to the people, and in fine may help all the faithful to lead a life
that is holy and worthy of a Christian.
25. By making such an exposition, which is above
all, as We have said, theological, they will efficaciously reduce to silence
those who, affirming that they scarcely ever find anything in biblical
commentaries to raise their hearts to God, to nourish their souls or promote
their interior life, repeatedly urge that we should have recourse to a certain
spiritual and, as they say, mystical interpretation. With what little reason
they thus speak is shown by the experience of many, who, assiduously
considering and meditating the word of God, advanced in perfection and were
moved to an intense love for God; and this same truth is clearly proved by the
constant tradition of the Church and the precepts of the greatest Doctors.
Doubtless all spiritual sense is not excluded from the Sacred Scripture.
26. For what was said and done in the Old
Testament was ordained and disposed by God with such consummate wisdom, that
things past prefigured in a spiritual way those that were to come under the new
dispensation of grace. Wherefore the exegete, just as he must search out and
expound the literal meaning of the words, intended and expressed by the sacred
writer, so also must he do likewise for the spiritual sense, provided it is
clearly intended by God. For God alone could have known this spiritual meaning
and have revealed it to us. Now Our Divine Savior Himself points out to us and
teaches us this same sense in the Holy Gospel; the Apostles also, following the
example of the Master, profess it in their spoken and written words; the
unchanging tradition of the Church approves it; and finally the most ancient
usage of the liturgy proclaims it, wherever may be rightly applied the well-known
principle: "The rule of prayer is the rule of faith."
27. Let Catholic exegetes then disclose and
expound this spiritual significance, intended and ordained by God, with that
care which the dignity of the divine word demands; but let them scrupulously
refrain from proposing as the genuine meaning of Sacred Scripture other
figurative senses. It may indeed be useful, especially in preaching, to
illustrate, and present the matters of faith and morals by a broader use of the
Sacred Text in the figurative sense, provided this be done with moderation and
restraint; it should, however, never be forgotten that this use of the Sacred
Scripture is, as it were, extrinsic to it and accidental, and that, especially
in these days, it is not free from danger, since the faithful, in particular
those who are well-informed in the sciences sacred and profane, wish to know
what God has told us in the Sacred Letters rather than what an ingenious orator
or writer may suggest by a clever use of the words of Scripture. Nor does
"the word of God, living and effectual and more piercing than any
two-edged sword and reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit, of
the joints also and the marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart"[27] need artificial devices and
human adaptation to move and impress souls; for the Sacred Pages, written under
the inspiration of the Spirit of God, are of themselves rich in original
meaning; endowed with a divine power, they have their own value; adorned with
heavenly beauty, they radiate of themselves light and splendor, provided they
are so fully and accurately explained by the interpreter, that all the
treasures of wisdom and prudence, therein contained are brought to light.
28. In the accomplishment of this task the Catholic
exegete will find invaluable help in an assiduous study of those works, in
which the Holy Fathers, the Doctors of the Church and the renowned interpreters
of past ages have explained the Sacred Books. For, although sometimes less
instructed in profane learning and in the knowledge of languages than the
scripture scholars of our time, nevertheless by reason of the office assigned
to them by God in the Church, they are distinguished by a certain subtle
insight into heavenly things and by a marvelous keenness of intellect, which
enables them to penetrate to the very innermost meaning of the divine word and
bring to light all that can help to elucidate the teaching of Christ and to
promote holiness of life.
29. It is indeed regrettable that such precious treasures
of Christian antiquity are almost unknown to many writers of the present day,
and that students of the history of exegesis have not yet accomplished all that
seems necessary for the due investigation and appreciation of so momentous a
subject. Would that many, by seeking out the authors of the Catholic
interpretation of Scripture and diligently studying their works and drawing
thence the almost inexhaustible riches therein stored up, might contribute
largely to this end, so that it might be daily more apparent to what extent
those authors understood and made known the divine teaching of the Sacred
Books, and that the interpreters of today might thence take example and seek
suitable arguments.
30. For thus at long last will be brought about
the happy and fruitful union between the doctrine and spiritual sweetness of
expression of the ancient authors and the greater erudition and maturer
knowledge of the modern, having as its result new progress in the never fully
explored and inexhaustible field of the Divine Letters.
31. Moreover we may rightly and deservedly hope
that our time also can contribute something towards the deeper and more
accurate interpretation of Sacred Scripture. For not a few things, especially
in matters pertaining to history, were scarcely at all or not fully explained
by the commentators of past ages, since they lacked almost all the information
which was needed for their clearer exposition. How difficult for the Fathers
themselves, and indeed well nigh unintelligible, were certain passages is
shown, among other things, by the oft-repeated efforts of many of them to
explain the first chapters of Genesis; likewise by the reiterated attempts of
St. Jerome so to translate the Psalms that the literal sense, that, namely,
which is expressed by the words themselves, might be clearly revealed.
32. There are, in fine, other books or texts,
which contain difficulties brought to light only in quite recent times, since a
more profound knowledge of antiquity has given rise to new questions, on the
basis of which the point at issue may be more appropriately examined. Quite
wrongly therefore do some pretend, not rightly understanding the conditions of
biblical study, that nothing remains to be added by the Catholic exegete of our
time to what Christian antiquity has produced; since, on the contrary, these
our times have brought to light so many things, which call for a fresh
investigation, and which stimulate not a little the practical zest of the
present-day interpreter.
33. As in our age, indeed new questions and new
difficulties are multiplied, so, by God's favor, new means and aids to exegesis
are also provided. Among these it is worthy of special mention that Catholic
theologians, following the teaching of the Holy Fathers and especially of the
Angelic and Common Doctor, have examined and explained the nature and effects
of biblical inspiration more exactly and more fully than was wont to be done in
previous ages. For having begun by expounding minutely the principle that the
inspired writer, in composing the sacred book, is the living and reasonable
instrument of the Holy Spirit, they rightly observe that, impelled by the
divine motion, he so uses his faculties and powers, that from the book composed
by him all may easily infer "the special character of each one and, as it
were, his personal traits."[28] Let the
interpreter then, with all care and without neglecting any light derived from
recent research, endeavor to determine the peculiar character and circumstances
of the sacred writer, the age in which he lived, the sources written or oral to
which he had recourse and the forms of expression he employed.
34. Thus can he the better understand who was the
inspired author, and what he wishes to express by his writings. There is no one
indeed but knows that the supreme rule of interpretation is to discover and
define what the writer intended to express, as St. Athanasius excellently
observes: "Here, as indeed is expedient in all other passages of Sacred
Scripture, it should be noted, on what occasion the Apostle spoke; we should
carefully and faithfully observe to whom and why he wrote, lest, being ignorant
of these points, or confounding one with another, we miss the real meaning of
the author."[29]
35. What is the literal sense of a passage is not
always as obvious in the speeches and writings of the ancient authors of the
East, as it is in the works of our own time. For what they wished to express is
not to be determined by the rules of grammar and philology alone, nor solely by
the context; the interpreter must, as it were, go back wholly in spirit to
those remote centuries of the East and with the aid of history, archaeology,
ethnology, and other sciences, accurately determine what modes of writing, so
to speak, the authors of that ancient period would be likely to use, and in
fact did use.
36. For the ancient peoples of the East, in order
to express their ideas, did not always employ those forms or kinds of speech
which we use today; but rather those used by the men of their times and
countries. What those exactly were the commentator cannot determine as it were
in advance, but only after a careful examination of the ancient literature of
the East. The investigation, carried out, on this point, during the past forty
or fifty years with greater care and diligence than ever before, has more
clearly shown what forms of expression were used in those far off times,
whether in poetic description or in the formulation of laws and rules of life
or in recording the facts and events of history. The same inquiry has also
shown the special preeminence of the people of Israel among all the other
ancient nations of the East in their mode of compiling history, both by reason
of its antiquity and by reasons of the faithful record of the events; qualities
which may well be attributed to the gift of divine inspiration and to the
peculiar religious purpose of biblical history.
37. Nevertheless no one, who has a correct idea of
biblical inspiration, will be surprised to find, even in the Sacred Writers, as
in other ancient authors, certain fixed ways of expounding and narrating,
certain definite idioms, especially of a kind peculiar to the Semitic tongues,
so-called approximations, and certain hyperbolical modes of expression, nay, at
times, even paradoxical, which even help to impress the ideas more deeply on
the mind. For of the modes of expression which, among ancient peoples, and
especially those of the East, human language used to express its thought, none
is excluded from the Sacred Books, provided the way of speaking adopted in no
wise contradicts the holiness and truth of God, as, with his customary wisdom,
the Angelic Doctor already observed in these words: "In Scripture divine
things are presented to us in the manner which is in common use amongst
men."[30] For as the substantial Word of
God became like to men in all things, "except sin,"[31] so the words of God, expressed in human language,
are made like to human speech in every respect, except error. In this consists
that "condescension" of the God of providence, which St. John
Chrysostom extolled with the highest praise and repeatedly declared to be found
in the Sacred Books.[32]
38. Hence the Catholic commentator, in order to
comply with the present needs of biblical studies, in explaining the Sacred
Scripture and in demonstrating and proving its immunity from all error, should
also make a prudent use of this means, determine, that is, to what extent the
manner of expression or the literary mode adopted by the sacred writer may lead
to a correct and genuine interpretation; and let him be convinced that this
part of his office cannot be neglected without serious detriment to Catholic
exegesis. Not infrequently - to mention only one instance - when some persons
reproachfully charge the Sacred Writers with some historical error or
inaccuracy in the recording of facts, on closer examination it turns out to be
nothing else than those customary modes of expression and narration peculiar to
the ancients, which used to be employed in the mutual dealings of social life
and which in fact were sanctioned by common usage.
39. When then such modes of expression are met
within the sacred text, which, being meant for men, is couched in human
language, justice demands that they be no more taxed with error than when they
occur in the ordinary intercourse of daily life. By this knowledge and exact
appreciation of the modes of speaking and writing in use among the ancients can
be solved many difficulties, which are raised against the veracity and
historical value of the Divine Scriptures, and no less efficaciously does this
study contribute to a fuller and more luminous understanding of the mind of the
Sacred Writer.
40. Let those who cultivate biblical studies turn
their attention with all due diligence towards this point and let them neglect
none of those discoveries, whether in the domain of archaeology or in ancient
history or literature, which serve to make better known the mentality of the
ancient writers, as well as their manner and art of reasoning, narrating and
writing. In this connection Catholic laymen should consider that they will not
only further profane science, but moreover will render a conspicuous service to
the Christian cause if they devote themselves with all due diligence and
application to the exploration and investigation of the monuments of antiquity
and contribute, according to their abilities, to the solution of questions
hitherto obscure.
41. For all human knowledge, even the nonsacred,
has indeed its own proper dignity and excellence, being a finite participation
of the infinite knowledge of God, but it acquires a new and higher dignity and,
as it were, a consecration, when it is employed to cast a brighter light upon
the things of God.
42. The progressive exploration of the antiquities
of the East, mentioned above, the more accurate examination of the original
text itself, the more extensive and exact knowledge of languages both biblical
and oriental, have with the help of God, happily provided the solution of not a
few of those questions, which in the time of Our Predecessor Leo XIII of
immortal memory, were raised by critics outside or hostile to the Church against
the authenticity, antiquity, integrity and historical value of the Sacred
Books. For Catholic exegetes, by a right use of those same scientific arms, not
infrequently abused by the adversaries, proposed such interpretations, which
are in harmony with Catholic doctrine and the genuine current of tradition, and
at the same time are seen to have proved equal to the difficulties, either
raised by new explorations and discoveries, or bequeathed by antiquity for
solution in our time.
43. Thus has it come about that confidence in the
authority and historical value of the Bible, somewhat shaken in the case of
some by so many attacks, today among Catholics is completely restored; moreover
there are not wanting even non-Catholic writers, who by serious and calm inquiry
have been led to abandon modern opinion and to return, at least in some points,
to the more ancient ideas. This change is due in great part to the untiring
labor by which Catholic commentators of the Sacred Letters, in no way deterred
by difficulties and obstacles of all kinds, strove with all their strength to
make suitable use of what learned men of the present day, by their
investigations in the domain of archaeology or history or philology, have made
available for the solution of new questions.
44. Nevertheless no one will be surprised, if all
difficulties are not yet solved and overcome; but that even today serious
problems greatly exercise the minds of Catholic exegetes. We should not lose
courage on this account; nor should we forget that in the human sciences the
same happens as in the natural world; that is to say, new beginnings grow
little by little and fruits are gathered only after many labors. Thus it has
happened that certain disputed points, which in the past remained unsolved and
in suspense, in our days, with the progress of studies, have found a
satisfactory solution. Hence there are grounds for hope that those also will by
constant effort be at last made clear, which now seem most complicated and
difficult.
45. And if the wished-for solution be slow in
coming or does not satisfy us, since perhaps a successful conclusion may be
reserved to posterity, let us not wax impatient thereat, seeing that in us also
is rightly verified what the Fathers, and especially Augustine,[33] observed in their time viz: God wished
difficulties to be scattered through the Sacred Books inspired by Him, in order
that we might be urged to read and scrutinize them more intently, and,
experiencing in a salutary manner our own limitations, we might be exercised in
due submission of mind. No wonder if of one or other question no solution
wholly satisfactory will ever be found, since sometimes we have to do with
matters obscure in themselves and too remote from our times and our experience;
and since exegesis also, like all other most important sciences, has its
secrets, which, impenetrable to our minds, by no efforts whatsoever can be
unraveled.
46. But this state of things is no reason why the
Catholic commentator, inspired by an active and ardent love of his subject and
sincerely devoted to Holy Mother Church, should in any way be deterred from
grappling again and again with these difficult problems, hitherto unsolved, not
only that he may refute the objections of the adversaries, but also may attempt
to find a satisfactory solution, which will be in full accord with the doctrine
of the Church, in particular with the traditional teaching regarding the
inerrancy of Sacred Scripture, and which will at the same time satisfy the
indubitable conclusion of profane sciences.
47. Let all the other sons of the Church bear in
mind that the efforts of these resolute laborers in the vineyard of the Lord
should be judged not only with equity and justice, but also with the greatest
charity; all moreover should abhor that intemperate zeal which imagines that
whatever is new should for that very reason be opposed or suspected. Let them
bear in mind above all that in the rules and laws promulgated by the Church
there is question of doctrine regarding faith and morals; and that in the
immense matter contained in the Sacred Books - legislative, historical,
sapiential and prophetical - there are but few texts whose sense has been
defined by the authority of the Church, nor are those more numerous about which
the teaching of the Holy Fathers is unanimous. There remain therefore many
things, and of the greatest importance, in the discussion and exposition of
which the skill and genius of Catholic commentators may and ought to be freely
exercised, so that each may contribute his part to the advantage of all, to the
continued progress of the sacred doctrine and to the defense and honor of the
Church.
48. This true liberty of the children of God,
which adheres faithfully to the teaching of the Church and accepts and uses
gratefully the contributions of profane science, this liberty, upheld and
sustained in every way by the confidence of all, is the condition and source of
all lasting fruit and of all solid progress in Catholic doctrine, as Our
Predecessor of happy memory Leo XIII rightly observes, when he says:
"unless harmony of mind be maintained and principle safeguarded, no
progress can be expected in this matter from the varied studies of many."[34]
49. Whosoever considers the immense labors
undertaken by Catholic exegetes during well nigh two thousand years, so that
the word of God, imparted to men through the Sacred Letters, might daily be
more deeply and fully understood and more intensely loved, will easily be
convinced that it is the serious duty of the faithful, and especially of
priests, to make free and holy use of this treasure, accumulated throughout so
many centuries by the greatest intellects. For the Sacred Books were not given
by God to men to satisfy their curiosity or to provide them with material for
study and research, but, as the Apostle observes, in order that these Divine
Oracles might "instruct us to salvation, by the faith which is in Christ
Jesus" and "that the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every
good work."[35]
50. Let priests therefore, who are bound by their
office to procure the eternal salvation of the faithful, after they have
themselves by diligent study perused the sacred pages and made them their own
by prayer and meditations, assiduously distribute the heavenly treasures of the
divine word by sermons, homilies and exhortations; let them confirm the
Christian doctrine by sentences from the Sacred Books and illustrate it by
outstanding examples from sacred history and in particular from the Gospel of
Christ Our Lord; and - avoiding with the greatest care those purely arbitrary
and far-fetched adaptations, which are not a use, but rather an abuse of the
divine word - let them set forth all this with such eloquence, lucidity and
clearness that the faithful may not only be moved and inflamed to reform their
lives, but may also conceive in their hearts the greatest veneration for the
Sacred Scripture.
51. The same veneration the Bishops should
endeavor daily to increase and perfect among the faithful committed to their
care, encouraging all those initiatives by which men, filled with apostolic
zeal, laudably strive to excite and foster among Catholics a greater knowledge
of and love for the Sacred Books. Let them favor therefore and lend help to
those pious associations whose aim it is to spread copies of the Sacred
Letters, especially of the Gospels, among the faithful, and to procure by every
means that in Christian families the same be read daily with piety and
devotion; let them efficaciously recommend by word and example, whenever the
liturgical laws permit, the Sacred Scriptures translated, with the approval of
the Ecclesiastical authority, into modern languages; let them themselves give
public conferences or dissertations on biblical subjects, or see that they are
given by other public orators well versed in the matter.
52. Let the ministers of the Sanctuary support in
every way possible and diffuse in fitting manner among all classes of the
faithful the periodicals which so laudably and with such heartening results are
published from time to time in various parts of the world, whether to treat and
expose in a scientific manner biblical questions, or to adapt the fruits of
these investigations to the sacred ministry, or to benefit the faithful. Let
the ministers of the Sanctuary be convinced that all this, and whatsoever else
an apostolical zeal and a sincere love of the divine word may find suitable to
this high purpose, will be an efficacious help to the cure of souls.
53. But it is plain to everyone that priests
cannot duly fulfill all this unless in their Seminary days they have imbibed a
practical and enduring love for the Sacred Scriptures. Wherefore let the
Bishops, on whom devolves the paternal care of their Seminaries, with all
diligence see to it that nothing be omitted in this matter which may help
towards the desired end. Let the professors of Sacred Scripture in the
Seminaries give the whole course of biblical studies in such a way, that they
may instruct the young aspirants to the Priesthood and to the ministry of the
divine word with that knowledge of the Sacred Letters and imbue them with that
love for the same, without which it is vain to hope for copious fruits of the
apostolate.
54. Hence their exegetical explanation should aim
especially at the theological doctrine, avoiding useless disputations and
omitting all that is calculated rather to gratify curiosity than to promote
true learning and solid piety. The literal sense and especially the theological
let them propose with such definiteness, explain with such skill and inculcate
with such ardor that in their students may be in a sense verified what happened
to the disciples on the way to Emmaus, when, having heard the words of the
Master, they exclaimed: "Was not our heart burning within us, whilst He
opened to us the Scriptures?"[36]
55. Thus the Divine Letter will become for the
future priests of the Church a pure and never failing source for their own
spiritual life, as well as food and strength for the sacred office of preaching
which they are about to undertake. If the professors of this most important
matter in the Seminaries accomplish all this, then let them rest joyfully
assured that they have most efficaciously contributed to the salvation of
souls, to the progress of the Catholic faith, to the honor and glory of God,
and that they have performed a work most closely connected with the apostolic
office.
56. If these things which We have said, Venerable
Brethren and beloved sons, are necessary in every age, much more urgently are
they needed in our sorrowful times, when almost all peoples and nations are
plunged in a sea of calamities, when a cruel war heaps ruins upon ruins and
slaughter upon slaughter, when, owing to the most bitter hatred stirred up
among the nations, We perceive with greatest sorrow that in not a few has been
extinguished the sense not only of Christian moderation and charity, but also
of humanity itself. Who can heal these mortal wounds of the human family if not
He, to Whom the Prince of the Apostles, full of confidence and love, addresses
these words: "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. "[37]
57. To this Our most merciful Redeemer we must therefore
bring all back by every means in our power; for He is the divine consoler of
the afflicted; He it is Who teaches all, whether they be invested with public
authority or are bound in duty to obey and submit, true honesty, absolute
justice and generous charity; it is He in fine, and He alone, Who can be the
firm foundation and support of peace and tranquillity: "For other
foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid: which is Christ Jesus."[38] This author of salvation, Christ, will men more
fully know, more ardently love and faithfully imitate in proportion as they are
more assiduously urged to know and meditate the Sacred Letters, especially the
New Testament, for, as St. Jerome the Doctor of Stridon says: "To ignore
the Scripture is to ignore Christ";[39] and
again: "If there is anything in this life which sustains a wise man and
induces him to maintain his serenity amidst the tribulations and adversities of
the world, it is in the first place, I consider, the meditation and knowledge
of the Scriptures."[40]
58. There those who are wearied and oppressed by
adversities and afflictions will find true consolation and divine strength to
suffer and bear with patience; there - that is in the Holy Gospels - Christ,
the highest and greatest example of justice, charity and mercy, is present to
all; and to the lacerated and trembling human race are laid open the fountains
of that divine grace without which both peoples and their rulers can never
arrive at, never establish, peace in the state and unity of heart; there in
fine will all learn Christ, "Who is the head of all principality and
power"[41] and "Who of God is made
unto us wisdom and justice and sanctification and redemption."[42]
59. Having expounded and recommended those things
which are required for the adaptation of Scripture studies to the necessities
of the day, it remains, Venerable Brethren and beloved sons, that to biblical
scholars who are devoted sons of the Church and follow faithfully her teaching
and direction, We address with paternal affection, not only Our congratulations
that they have been chosen and called to so sublime an office, but also Our
encouragement to continue with ever renewed vigor with all zeal and care, the
work so happily begun. Sublime office, We say; for what is more sublime than to
scrutinize, explain, propose to the faithful and defend from unbelievers the
very word of God, communicated to men under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit.?
60. With this spiritual food the mind of the
interpreter is fed and nourished "to the commemoration of faith, the
consolation of hope, the exhortation of charity."[43]
"To live amidst these things, to meditate these things, to know
nothing else, to seek nothing else, does it not seem to you already here below
a foretaste of the heavenly kingdom?"[44] Let
also the minds of the faithful be nourished with this same food, that they may
draw from thence the knowledge and love of God and the progress in perfection
and the happiness of their own individual souls. Let, then, the interpreters of
the Divine Oracles devote themselves to this holy practice with all their
heart. "Let them pray, that they may understand";[45] let them labor to penetrate ever more deeply into
the secrets of the Sacred Pages; let them teach and preach, in order to open to
others also the treasures of the word of God.
61. Let the present-day commentators of the Sacred
Scripture emulate, according to their capacity, what those illustrious
interpreters of past ages accomplished with such great fruit; so that, as in
the past, so also in these days, the Church may have at her disposal learned
doctors for the expounding of the Divine Letters; and, through their assiduous
labors, the faithful may comprehend all the splendor, stimulating language, and
joy contained in the Holy Scriptures. And in this very arduous and important
office let them have "for their comfort the Holy Books"[46] and be mindful of the promised reward: since
"they that are learned shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and
they that instruct many unto justice, as stars for all eternity."[47]
62. And now, while ardently desiring for all sons
of the Church, and especially for the professors in biblical science, for the
young clergy and for preachers, that, continually meditating on the divine
word, they may taste how good and sweet is the spirit of the Lord;[48] as a presage of heavenly gifts and a token of Our
paternal goodwill, We impart to you one and all, Venerable Brethren and beloved
sons, most lovingly in the Lord, the Apostolic Benediction.
Given
at Rome, at St. Peter's, on the 30th of September, the feast of St. Jerome, the
greatest Doctor in the exposition of the Sacred Scriptures, in the year 1943,
the fifth of Our Pontificate.
PIUS XII
NOTES:
1. 2 Tim. 3:16-17.
2. Session IV, decr. 1; Ench. Bibl. n. 45.
3. Session III, Cap. 2; Ench. Bibl. n. 62.
4. Address to the Ecclesiastical students in Rome (June 24, 1939);
Acta Ap. Sedis XXXI (1939), p. 245-251.
5. Cf. Iª, q. 70, art. I ad 3.
6. De Gen. ad litt. 2, 9,
20; PL 34, col. 270 s.; CSEL 28 (Sectio III, pars. 2), p. 46.
7. Leonis XIII acta XIII,
p. 355; Ench. Bibl. n. 106; supra, p. 22.
8. Cf. Benedictus XV, Enc.
Spiritus Paraclitus, Acta Ap. Sedis XII (1920), p. 396; Ench. Bibl. n. 471;
supra p. 53.
9. Leonis XIII Acta XIII,
P. 357 sq.; Ench. Bibl. n. 109 sq.; supra, pp. 23-25.
10. Leonis XIII Acta XIII,
p. 328; Ench. Bibl. n. 67 sq.
11. Apostolic Letter Hierosolymae in coenobio, Sept. 17, 1892; Leonis
XIII Acta XII, pp. 239-241; v. p. 240.
12. Cf. Leonis XIII Acta
XXII, p. 232 ss.; Ench. Bibl. n. 130-141; v. nn. 130, 132; supra. p. 31.
13. Letter of the Pontifical Biblical Commission to their Excellencies
the Archbishops and Bishops of Italy, Aug. 20, 1941; Acta Ap. Sedis XXXIII
(1941), pp. 465-472; infra, pp. 129-138.
14. Apostolic Letter Scripturae Sanctae, Feb. 23, 1904; Pii X Acta I,
pp.176-179; Ench. Bibl. nn. 142-150; v nn. 143-144.
15. Cf. Apostolic Letter Quoniam in re biblica, March 27, 1906; Pii X
Acta III, p. 72-76; Ench. Bibl. nn. 155-173; v. n. 155; supra. pp. 36-39.
16. Apostolic Letter Vinea electa, May 7, 1909; Acta Ap., Sedis
I(1909), pp. 447-449; Ench. Bibl. nn. 293-306; v. nn. 296-306; v. nn. 296 et
294.
17. Cf. Motu proprio
Bibliorum scientiam, April 27, 1924; Acta Ap. Sedis XVI (1924), pp.
180-182: Ench. Bibl. nn. 518-525.
18. Letter to the Most Rev. Abbot Aidan Gasquet, Dec. 3, 1907; Pii X
Acta IV, pp. 117-119, Ench. Bibl. n. 285 sq.
19. Apostolic Constitution Inter praecipuas, June 15, 1933; Acta Ap.
Sedis XXVI (1934), pp. 85-87.
20. Letter to the Most Eminent Cardinal Casetta Qui piam, Jan. 21,
1907; Pii X Acta IV, pp. 23-25.
21. Encyclical Letter Spiritus Paraclitus, Sept. 15, 1920; Acta Ap. Sedis XII (1920), pp. 385-422; Ench. Bibl.
nn. 457-508; v. nn. 457, 495, 497, 491; supra, pp. 43-78.
22. Cf. ex. gr. St.
Jerome, Praef. in IV Evang. ad Damasum; PL 29. col. 526-527; St. Augustine, De
Doctr. christ. II, 16; PL 34, col.
42-43.
23. De doctr. christ. II,
21; PL 34, col. 40.
24. Decr. de editione et
usu Sacrorum Librorum; Conc. Trid. ed. Soc. Goerres, t. V, p. 91 s.
25. Ib., t. X, p.471; cf. t.V, pp. 29, 59, 65; t. X, p. 446 sq.
26. Leonis XIII Acta XIII,
pp. 345-346; Ench. Bibl. n. 94-96; infra, pp. 15-16.
27. Hebr. 4:12.
28. Cf. Benedict XV, Encyclical Spiritus Paraclitus; Acta Ap. Sedis XII (1920), p. 390; Ench. Bibl. n.
461; supra, pp. 46-47.
29. Contra Arianos I, 54;
PG 26, col. 123.
30. Comment. ad Hebr. cap. I, lectio 4.
31. Hebr. 4:15.
32. Cf. v. gr. In Gen. I, 4 (PG 53, col. 34-35); In Gen. II, 21 (ib.
col. 121); In Gen. III, 8 (ib. col. 135); Hom. 15 in Joan., ad. I, 18 (PG 59,
col. 97 sq.).
33. St. Augustine, Epist. 149 ad Paulinum, n. 34 (PL 33, col. 644); De
diversis quaestionibus, q. 53, n. 2 (ib. XL, col. 36); Enarr. in Ps. 146, n. 12
(ib. 37, col. 1907).
34. Apostolic letter
Vigilantiae; Leonis XIII Acta XIII, p. 237; Ench. Bibl.n. 136; supra, p.
34.
35. Cf. 2 Tim. 3:15, 17.
36. Lk. 24:32.
37. Jn. 6:69.
38. 1 Cor. 3:11.
39. St. Jerome, In Isaiam, prologus; PL 24, col. 17.
40. Id., In Ephesios, prologus; PL 26, col. 439.
41. Col. 2:10.
42. 1 Cor. 1:30.
43. Cf. St. Augustine, Contra Faustum XIII, 18; PL 42, col. 294; CSEL.
XXV, p. 400.
44. St. Jerome, Ep. 53, 10; PL 22, col. 549; CSEL 54, p. 463.
45. St. Augustine, de doctr. christ. III, 56; PL 34, col. 89.
46. 1 Mach. 12:9.
47. Dan. 12:3.
48. Cf. Wisd. 12:1.
