The Bible

The Bible is the collection of sacred books inspired by God to guide humanity to heaven. The books written prior to the coming of Jesus Christ constitute the Old Testament; the remaining books make up the New Testament. The divine inspiration of Sacred Scripture is attested by the living Judeo-Christian tradition.

The Jewish people accept only the books of the Old Testament (the Tanakh) as divinely inspired. In their tradition, these scriptures are often interpreted with great literalness and meticulous rigor in concrete legal applications.

In Protestant theology, the foundational principles remain *sola scriptura* ("Scripture alone") and private judgment, which reject Sacred Tradition and the ecclesiastical Magisterium in favor of individual interpretation. This principle has historically generated countless denominations within Protestantism. In practice, however, Protestants interpret the Bible in light of the theological traditions of their specific denomination and the pastoral guidance of their ministers—which is entirely natural and unavoidable.

In broad terms, the Eastern Orthodox churches share the Catholic understanding of the Bible, reading Sacred Scripture within the living framework of apostolic Tradition and the ancient Ecumenical Councils.

Catholics likewise confess that Sacred Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit. Regarding its interpretation, Catholics read the Bible in organic unity with Sacred Tradition, under the authentic guidance of the Magisterium of the Church and the Pope.

Whenever anyone reads a book, he interprets it according to his own mindset, which may differ from how another reader understands it. This is equally true when reading the Bible. However, it can happen that a subjective reading reaches conclusions contrary to what God intended to communicate. For this reason, alongside personal reflection, an authentic interpretation is needed to safeguard fidelity to the divine message. In the Catholic Church, this task is entrusted to the living Magisterium, in faithful continuity with Sacred Tradition.

Because Jesus Christ Himself willed it so, as the Scriptures themselves attest:

• Jesus chose Peter as the head and shepherd of His Church, declaring:

  «Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven» (Mt 16:19)

  (Notice: He entrusted this authority to a person, without mentioning a written text).
• Jesus confirmed and fulfilled the Old Testament. Yet in His instructions to the Apostles, He never commanded them to distribute Bibles, but rather to preach Him and His living gospel.
• Jesus commanded the Apostles:

  «Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you» (Mt 28:19-20)

  (All that He commanded orally, for Jesus taught viva voce).
• Christ chose not to leave any written books; instead, He chose living Apostles to hand on His doctrine under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The teachings of Christ are of supreme authority, and our Lord chose to transmit them orally, thereby establishing the decisive primacy of Sacred Tradition and the living Magisterium. Jesus did not leave us a book; He left us Peter and the Church.

It is not strange if those men were given a divine mandate to do so by Christ Himself, commissioned to teach all nations. Moreover, the Pope and the bishops exercise profound reverence toward the sacred texts, examining their literal and spiritual senses through rigorous scholarship. In giving an authentic interpretation, they act under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and of Christ Himself, who promised His enduring presence to His Church:

«And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age» (Mt 28:19-20)

That is neither prudent nor safe. Left entirely to private judgment, anyone can easily extract a verse here or there out of context to justify personal opinions, while ignoring other passages and the broader teaching of Christ. In that case, each person constructs a bespoke religion of which he himself is the ultimate lawgiver. And a religion invented by oneself is, by definition, illusory.

The Lord deliberately intertwined Sacred Scripture with Tradition and the Magisterium for man's spiritual protection and growth:

• Pride and self-sufficiency are deeply destructive to the human person. That was the original rebellion of Satan, who sought autonomy from God. We are not gods but creatures, and claiming moral independence from God tears our nature apart. To protect us from intellectual pride, the Lord willed that we should not invent our own individualized interpretations of Scripture.
• God created man as a social being:

  «It is not good that the man should be alone» (Gen 2:18)

  Nor does man save himself in isolation. It belongs to human nature to journey toward the Lord in solidarity with others. Other men baptize us, other men absolve our sins in confession, and other men assist us in correctly understanding the Word of God.

In the Old Testament, various legal prescriptions were tailored to a specific epoch and pedagogical purpose. In the New Testament, some of these were modified or fulfilled, and others developed subsequently. This does not contradict the Bible; rather, it reflects its genuine interpretation according to God's progressive revelation—discerning eternal moral laws that endure forever from ceremonial or judicial rules that were temporary and contextual.

The Old Testament prescribed the stoning of adulterers, abstinence from pork, daily animal sacrifices, and circumcision as an absolute covenantal sign. In the New Testament, God directed Peter and the Apostles to make momentous developments—most notably setting aside the requirement of circumcision. When the Apostles met in council with Peter in Jerusalem, they decreed:

«For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.» (Acts 15:28-29)

This biblical account clearly demonstrates how the Lord guides the apostolic office. While Old Testament ceremonial law and New Testament practice differ, it is the one God guiding His people across time: first through Moses, then through Peter and the Apostles, and today through the Pope. This is God's authentic way of acting.

Not at all. Reading and meditating upon Sacred Scripture is warmly commended by the Catholic Church, provided one approaches it in a spirit of prayer, humble study, and filial love for God. Above all, daily reading of the Gospels is an invaluable source of grace.

Divine inspiration means that God Himself is the primary author of Sacred Scripture, while choosing and employing human authors as true instruments. The sacred writers utilized their own faculties and literary styles under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit, so that everything—and only that—which God willed was committed to writing, ensuring that the written text is truly the Word of God.

We know of its divine inspiration for two principal reasons:

• When God addresses mankind, He accompanies His words with mighty signs—miracles and fulfilled prophecies—that attest to the divine origin of the revelation.
• Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium have authoritatively received, discerned, and transmitted these specific books as canonical, distinguishing them from all apocryphal and merely human writings.

The Old Testament records numerous divine interventions, especially during the Exodus under Moses. In the New Testament, the wondrous miracles of Jesus Christ are abundant, culminating in His Resurrection, followed by the miracles worked through the Apostles. Even today, the Church continues to witness genuine miracles that confirm the truth of faith.

Theologians study Sacred Scripture with specialized exegetical methods. For ordinary Catholics, the Bible is primarily a fountain for prayer, meditation, and spiritual nourishment, rather than a reference manual for resolving complex disputes. When seeking clarity on doctrinal and moral questions, we turn to the Catechism.

Protestants and Jews frequently ask: "Where in the Bible does it say this?" and attempt to interpret complex ancient texts as though every believer were a trained exegete, often arriving at erroneous or conflicting conclusions. When Catholics encounter doubts, we ask: "What does the Catechism say on this?" This brings immense advantages: the Catechism presents doctrinal synthesis with clarity, incorporates the mature wisdom of two millennia, and carries the authoritative teaching of the Church. Resolving intricate theological problems directly from ancient texts demands linguistic, historical, and canonical expertise beyond the reach of casual readers; for personal prayer and devotion, however, Sacred Scripture is incomparable.

Certain modern fallacies regarding Scripture lead to significant misunderstandings, stemming from an attempt to use the Bible in isolation from Tradition and the Magisterium: