On Biblical Inspiration and Inerrancy
As Catholics we firmly believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God written in the language of men, or in other words, that it was penned by the Lord’s hand through mortal hands without any loss of human freedom or divine truth. This understanding of the Sacred Scriptures has been passed down to us by the apostles themselves and is eloquently and thoroughly explained by the Church Fathers and in papal documents such as Providentissimus Deus, Spiritus Paraclitus, Divino Afflante Spiritu, and more recently, Dei Verbum.
Of course, in an ideal world, everyone would read these documents in their entirety, and that would be that–end of discussion. But since we live in reality, the constraints of daily routines make this practically impossible for most people, so I will summarize the perennial teaching of the Church in the following manner: the Bible is objectively and absolutely inerrant in matters of faith, morality, religion, and those foundational facts–namely historical realities such as the fall of man, exodus of Israel, and resurrection of Christ–upon which these necessarily rest.
There is a lot of meat here, so let us flesh this out.
The meaning of inerrancy when it pertains to the Bible depends on what aspect of Scripture is under scrutiny. Thus, when we say the Bible is inerrant in matters of faith, we mean it teaches, without error, the honest truth about God and his dealings in both the spiritual and the material realms; when we say the Bible is inerrant in matters of morality, we mean it teaches, without error, the honest truth about man’s duties to God and neighbor; when we say the Bible is inerrant in matters of religion, we mean it teaches, without error, the honest truth about how man ought to express his faith in God through the carefully codified acts of worship it recommends, whether they be communal or solitary; and when we say the Bible is inerrant in matters of foundational facts, we mean it teaches, without error, the honest truth about the events and people upon which its other teachings necessarily rest (for example, if there were no real fall of man, or if Christ did not rise from the dead in actual history, it would be absurd to claim the resurrection of Christ saves us from sin).
In closing, dear reader, I pray God’s grace may guide your ongoing exploration of his Word. With all the angels and saints, let us ask in one voice, “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of thy love. Send forth thy Spirit and they shall be created. And thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Amen.”
