Providentissimus Deus

The encyclical Deus Providentissimus ( In the providence of God ) belongs to the so-called Bible encyclicals, it was on 18 November 1893 by Pope Leo XIII. published. Your topic is how to deal with Scripture.

Background

It was the first time that a Catholic Church leader to biblical scholarship took a stand. Origin was the discussion of the interpretation of the Bible, but also the attacks on the Catholic interpretation of the Bible. The attacks came from the part of rationalist science.

Structure and content

The encyclical is divided into three main parts:

  • Value and Benefits of the Bible
  • Exegetical receivables
  • Authority and Glaubenswürdigkeit the biblical writings

Statements, receivables and value

Leo XIII. presents the particularity of Scripture in the foreground, which is due to the divine inspiration of both the Old and the New Testament. He acknowledged the exegesis a high priority.

In the encyclical then important exegetical demands are being made, including:

  • Training of suitable teachers of biblical studies
  • Knowledge of the ancient Near Eastern language
  • Familiarity with text- critical work ( "lower criticism" )
  • Rejection of the internal literary criticism ( " higher criticism " )
  • Exploration of the natural sciences

She explains to the church as the highest authority in the interpretation of Scripture, but there is no restriction of biblical scholarship, but preservation from error. Their high importance lies in the statement that authority and credibility of the biblical writings in the authorship of God is.

Pope Benedict XV Divino afflante Spiritu Aeterni Patris Annum Sacrum Custodi di quella Fede Divinum illud munus Etsi nos Graves de communi re Immortale Dei Inimica vis Laetitiae sanctae Mirae caritatis Octobri mense Officio sanctissimo Quamquam pluries Quod apostolici muneris Rerum Novarum Satis cognitum Superiore anno Supremi apostolatus officio
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