A close study of Church pronouncements immediately before, during and
after Vatican II clearly shows that nothing has changed in official Catholic
teaching since the time when Vatican I and Pope Leo XIII declared the
Scriptures to be “written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost … have
God for their author, and as such have been delivered to the Church”
6
:
“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.”
7
“They refuse to admit the existence of a supernatural order and the
intervention of a personal God in the world through strict Revelation,
and the possibility and existence of miracles and prophecies. Others
begin with a false idea of faith, as if it had nothing to do with
historical truth––or rather, were incompatible with it. Others deny the
historical value and nature of the documents of Revelation a priori
[as a starting point]. Finally, others make light of the authority of the
Apostles as witnesses to Christ, and of their task and influence in the
primitive community, extolling rather the creative power of that
community. All such views are not only opposed to Catholic
doctrine, but are also devoid of scientific basis and alien to the
correct principles of historical method.”
8
“Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or
sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it
follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as
teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God
6
Providentissimus Deus, Introductory.
7
Pope Pius XII, Divino Afflante Spiritu, 1943, Preface.
8
Pontifical Biblical Commission, Sancta Mater Ecclesia (Instruction on the
Historical Truth of the Gospels), 1964.
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