Vatican II, in Dei Verbum 10 says: “This teaching office [of the Church] is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously and explaining it faithfully in accord with a divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it draws from this one deposit of faith everything which it presents for belief as divinely revealed.”
The Old Testament existed long before the Church came into existence. The New Testament was written after Pentecost, and later compiled along with the Old into the Bible. Any authority that the Church has, serves it.
The authority of the Church was given to her by Christ who said, “Those who hear you hear me and those who reject you reject Him who sent me.”, “If a man will not listen to the Church let him be unto you as a heathen.” and “What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and what you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” There was no official Bible in the common language for nearly 400 years after our Lord’s resurrection, the contents of which were approved by the Church and translated by Saint Jerome. The Church does not serve the Bible. In fact, the Church would have had the full authority of God to teach in His stead, define morals and doctrine and provide the sacraments through which we are saved had there never been a Bible at all. You can have all that is necessary for salvation without any Bible, literacy or understanding of the text, but you cannot have salvation without the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that gave us the Bible and all Christian faith.
Vatican II says that the Church serves the Word of God and is not above it. I am comfortable with Catholics now being able to disagree on issues that were off limits when I was growing up. Our own spiritual discernment is again being supported in the Church as it was in New Testament times.
The Gospel is not limited to the Bible, but includes Sacred Tradition. Were the Bible necessary for salvation, no illiterate or mentally handicapped person could ever be saved, not could the firsts Christians. Jesus said you must be Baptized and receive HIs Body and Blood to have eternal life, not be able to read. Obviously, I love the Bible as I write about it daily, but the truth is, the Church is essential, the Bible is not.
Vatican II, in Dei Verbum 21 says: "Therefore, like the Christian religion itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and regulated by Sacred Scripture.”
The message in the Bible is necessary for salvation. Even those who are illiterate are able to hear the Bible preached without having to read it themselves, as long as they are hearing its message. The first Christians had to totally rely on preaching, whether people were literate or not, because the word of God was handwritten and only at the disposal of rabbis. When the New Testament was not yet written, all Christians had to rely only on what was preached by the apostles and teachers. Fortunately, most of us are now literate, and, because of the printing press, are able to have our own private Bibles to read if we choose.
And, we should. But one may be Baptized and confirmed, receive the Eucharist and even become a saint who is illiterate, too young to understand or mentally deficient. The Bible is not necessary for salvation. The Church is. In our era most Bibles are false counterfeits. It is wonderful to have and read a real, complete, Catholic Bible. But, the Bible, alone, will not save your soul.
AMEN and AMEN!!!!!!
Vatican II, in Dei Verbum 10 says: “This teaching office [of the Church] is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously and explaining it faithfully in accord with a divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it draws from this one deposit of faith everything which it presents for belief as divinely revealed.”
The Old Testament existed long before the Church came into existence. The New Testament was written after Pentecost, and later compiled along with the Old into the Bible. Any authority that the Church has, serves it.
The authority of the Church was given to her by Christ who said, “Those who hear you hear me and those who reject you reject Him who sent me.”, “If a man will not listen to the Church let him be unto you as a heathen.” and “What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and what you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” There was no official Bible in the common language for nearly 400 years after our Lord’s resurrection, the contents of which were approved by the Church and translated by Saint Jerome. The Church does not serve the Bible. In fact, the Church would have had the full authority of God to teach in His stead, define morals and doctrine and provide the sacraments through which we are saved had there never been a Bible at all. You can have all that is necessary for salvation without any Bible, literacy or understanding of the text, but you cannot have salvation without the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that gave us the Bible and all Christian faith.
Vatican II says that the Church serves the Word of God and is not above it. I am comfortable with Catholics now being able to disagree on issues that were off limits when I was growing up. Our own spiritual discernment is again being supported in the Church as it was in New Testament times.
The Gospel is not limited to the Bible, but includes Sacred Tradition. Were the Bible necessary for salvation, no illiterate or mentally handicapped person could ever be saved, not could the firsts Christians. Jesus said you must be Baptized and receive HIs Body and Blood to have eternal life, not be able to read. Obviously, I love the Bible as I write about it daily, but the truth is, the Church is essential, the Bible is not.
Vatican II, in Dei Verbum 21 says: "Therefore, like the Christian religion itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and regulated by Sacred Scripture.”
The message in the Bible is necessary for salvation. Even those who are illiterate are able to hear the Bible preached without having to read it themselves, as long as they are hearing its message. The first Christians had to totally rely on preaching, whether people were literate or not, because the word of God was handwritten and only at the disposal of rabbis. When the New Testament was not yet written, all Christians had to rely only on what was preached by the apostles and teachers. Fortunately, most of us are now literate, and, because of the printing press, are able to have our own private Bibles to read if we choose.
And, we should. But one may be Baptized and confirmed, receive the Eucharist and even become a saint who is illiterate, too young to understand or mentally deficient. The Bible is not necessary for salvation. The Church is. In our era most Bibles are false counterfeits. It is wonderful to have and read a real, complete, Catholic Bible. But, the Bible, alone, will not save your soul.