Monday, August 13, 2007

Scripture: Historia Salutis, The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church

I have given myself a "mission" for September. To read Dei Verbum (the Vatican II Constitution on Divine Revelation) and Historia Salutis (the lineamenta for the upcoming 2008 Bishops' Synod) -- Dei Verbum is a chief citation source for the lineamenta. Update: I will also be reading three previous documents on Scripture: Divino Afflante Spiritus (Pope Pius XII's encyclical promoting the study of Scripture, from 1943, commemorating the fifthieth anniversary of...), Providentissimus Deus (Pope Leo XIII's encyclical, also on the study of Scripture), and Dei Filius (the Vatican I Constitution on the Catholic Faith). These documents are either direct sources of Historia Salutis and Dei Verbum, or are indirect sources through one another. In addition to these three documents, I'm also reading Sancta Mater Ecclesia, an instruction from 1964 on the historicity of the Gospels.

The lineamenta's introduction and three chapters include "detailed Questions associated with the subject treated in each chapter" (Historia Salutis, Preface). The Bishops taking part in the Synod are expected to "submit a written response to these questions before November of this year" (ibid).

I am going to contact my Bishop and find out how I can share my own personal answers with the Synod (if it is at all possible). I certainly do not consider myself a Bishop, or imbued with the mark of character a Bishop has, but I do wish to try and let them know (to the best of my ability) how one lay Catholic sees the subject.

I will be making the process public: I will post the questions for a section when I begin reading it, write about the section briefly, and post my answers to the questions. I hope to have this finished by the end of September.

1 comment: