Divino afflante Spiritu

The encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu ( mutatis mutandis: inspiration of the divine Spirit ) was on September 30, 1943 by Pope Pius XII. published. They grappled with the handling of the Bible and the Bible statements and builds some misinterpretation from about the natural sciences.

Background of this teaching writing

With the beginning of the 20th century, the actual Bible movement arose and began the exegesis ( biblical explanation ), which beat out according to different directions and opinions. Divino Afflante Spiritu is one of the three so-called " Bible encyclicals ," she picks up the theme of the Bible first encyclical Deus Providentissimus (1893 ) by Pope Leo XIII. on and refers to the fiftieth anniversary of this Circular. In the series of Bible teaching encyclicals followed as the second letter, the so-called Jeronimos encyclical Spiritus Paraclitus (1920 ) by Pope Benedict XV.

Short Description

In the introduction, Pius XII raised. the principles of biblical studies who had given his predecessors, produced. The encyclical is the exegesis explain the methods of explanation. She exhorts the exegetes to pay attention to the meaning of the word so as to express any statements as historical or scientific principles.

Therefore, is also found in the text, the following sentence: " The biblical writers, or rather the Holy Spirit who spoke through them, did so, as St. Augustine says, people do not teach them of the innermost being of sensible things, which for the soul would have been of no use. "

According to the encyclical God did not teach about scientific processes to humans; but she admits a scientific and historical errors in the Bible. Finally, the exegete is enjoined that they should recognize the more literary intention in the Bible. You cheers also to form and generic research and explains virtually the introduced species research as legitimate.