Dei Verbum

Dei Verbum – The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation – Vatican II

Prologue

1.      “This Synod sets forth the true doctrine on divine Revelation and its Transmission.”

Chapter I – Divine Revelation itself

2.       

·        “It pleased God to reveal himself and …his will”

·        “His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Chirst,… in the Holy Spirit, and thus become sharers in the Divine Nature.”

·        By revelation, the invisible God, moves among men and invites them as friends into his own company.

·        This is realised by words and deeds.

·        The most intimate truth of God and salvation is in Christ who is himself both the mediator and the sum total of Revelation.

3.

·        God creates and conserves all things

·        provides evidence of himself in created realities

·        He manifested himself to our first parents

·        He has never ceased to take care of the human race

·        He wishes to give eternal life to all who seek salvation.

·        Called Abraham, patriarchs, Moses and Prophets to recognise him as one living and true God, Father and just judge.

·        and to look for promised saviour

4.

·        He sent his son to dwell and tell of inner life of God.

·        He completed and perfected Revelation.

·        “The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord, Jesus Christ.”

5.

·        “The obedience of faith” must be given to God as he reveals himself.

·        By faith man freely commits his entire self to God… .

·        Man must first have the help of the Holy Spirit, who also perfects faith.

6.

·        God wished “to share with us divine benefits which entirely surpass the powers of the human mind to understand”.

·        “The sacred Synod professes that “God, the first principle and last end of all things, can be known with certainty from the created world, by the natural light of human reason”

·        It teaches that it is to his Revelation that we must attribute the fact “that those things, which in themsleves are not beyond the grasp of human reason, can in the present condition of the human race, be know by all men with ease, with firm certainty, and without the contamination of error.”

Chapter II – The Transmission of Divine Revelation

7.

·        “God graciously arranged that all the things he had once revealed for the salvation of all peoples should remain in their entirety, throughout the ages, and be transmitted to all generations.”

·        Christ commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel.

·        “This gospel was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline”

·        This was faithfully done, who handed on (Tradition) by spoken word, example, and institutions by apostles and other men who committed the message to writing.

·        The apostles left bishops as their successors with “their own position of teaching authority” (Magisterium)

·        Scripture and Tradition

8.

·        Scripture is to be preserved until the end of time.

·        Apostles warn faithful to maintain the traditions.

·        What was handed on comprises everything that serves to make the People of God live their lives in holiness and increase their faith.

·        “In this way the Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes.

·        The Tradition makes progress in the Church.

·        “Thus, as the centuries go by, the Church is always advancing to wards the plentitude of divine truth, until eventually the words of God are fulfilled in her.

·        “By means of the Tradition the full canon of the sacred books is known to the Church and the holy Scriptures themselves are more thoroughly understood and constantly actualised int eh Church.”

9.

·        Sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture, then are bound closely together… .

·        “Thus it comes about that the Church does not draw her certainty about all revealed truths form the holy scriptures alone. Hence, both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal feelings of devotion and reverence.”

10.

·        Sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to the Church.

·        “But the task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone.”

·        “Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant.”

·        “It is clear, therefore, that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others.”

·        All contribute to the salvation of souls.

Chapter III – Sacred Scripture: Its divine inspirtation and interpretation

11.

·        The divine truths have been written down in sacred Scripture under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

·        Holy Mother Church accepts as sacred and canonical , whole and entire the books of the old and new testament, having God as their author.

·        To compose the books God chose cartain men who as true authors consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more.

·        We must acknoledge the books firmly, faithfully and without error, teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the sacred Scriptures.