Richard Simon (priest)

Richard Simon ( born May 13, 1638 Dieppe, † April 11, 1712 ibid ) was a French exegete, theologian, philosopher and historian of the Catholic faith. Richard Simon has a very early stage dealt with the variety alttestestamentlicher and New Testament texts and regarded as the true founder of the historical-critical method in biblical studies.

Life

Simon was born in Dieppe, grew up in a strict Catholic family and studied at the Sorbonne theology.

1662 he was admitted after a failed first attempt ( 1658) as a novice at the Oratorians. This alternately earned him a lectureship at the order's College in Juilly and the post of librarian in aid of the excellent library of the Oratory in the rue Saint- Honoré ( Paris) ( 1663-1678 ). In 1670 he was ordained a priest. The years 1662-1678 are considered the most fruitful period of his literary activity. In the above and in the other libraries (especially of the royal ) of Paris, he found the necessary primary and secondary literature for his biblical and oriental studies. This action was accompanied by the fertile contact with Talmud and rabbinic literature knowledgeable Jews (especially Jonah Salvador). Under such excellent conditions he became the founder of the Biblical Introduction Science, which he documented in 1678 with his major work, the Histoire critique du Vieux Testament. The more than 1,300 copies in print-ready up on title page and dedication work but was seized at the behest of influential at court Bishop Bossuet, confiscated and officially burned. Simon came in 1678 by his order exit an official exclusion before. He retired to Bolleville. From there he was in 1682 again to Dieppe. During this time he remained faithful to his priesthood, celebrated the holy day. Fair and considered himself a loyal Catholic. Some saved copies of his confiscated main work formed the basis for a new edition in 1685 in Rotterdam (with new preface). "

Richard Simons critical study of the New Testament is the Histoire critique du texte du Nouveau Testament, published in Rotterdam in 1689. Richard Simon wanted to prove with its publication, that alone compiled by Hieronymus texts could form the basis for theological reflection. He also came to the conclusion that could be based solely on the writing because of the partially widely spaced text versions of the Christian faith. This view was contrary to the Protestant Reformation principle of sola scriptura -. Richard Simon, however, supported the view expressed in the Catholic Church teaching of the apostolic tradition, that is, that in addition to the writings give a traditional interpretation, which was handed down only by the ( Catholic ) Church .. In later writings of Richard Simon attacked the Protestant doctrine more directly at:

Work

Simon realized that Judaism and Christianity ( in contrast for example to Islam) are not religions of the book, but personal revelation religions, that is, central to the faith is God who reveals himself in and with the freedom of concrete historical persons. In Jesus Christ, the servant of God, the God - sonship of Israel has come to completion.

Therefore, according to Simon's insight, a historical-critical study of the Bible is possible without a way of destroying the faith. The Bible is not the revelation itself, but merely a witness, which consists of various literary genres and editing stages, it is just also historically exegetisieren.

The question of whether God exists and whether God is a God of the living, who can raise his servant Jesus of Nazareth, but ultimately all mankind from death, is a philosophical question that considered by the validity claim here is not linked to the biblical witness. The old cliché untouched verbal inspiration is thus obsolete, the subject validity of man emphasizes: Anyone who speaks truth, speaks by the Holy Spirit.

Here, Simon did not forget that the true meaning of the Bible can only be explored in that theistic tradition community, which has produced in dialogue with the reality of God and the Bible with their canonical writings: In the church, which begins with the congregation of Israel as a space of experience Jesus. Judaism and Christianity are, as Simon once said, consubstantial.

A major step Simon has thus anticipated: The God of Jesus is the God of the Christians; the Christian churches a receiving - related life history happening through all cultures and times further development of the congregation of Israel with the liberating message of Jesus from the already fractured kingdom of God as the center.

After Richard Simon, only one critical enough, who has realized what is the actual requirement for all crisis ( = historical distinctiveness ): The theistic talented human freedom as the original place of divine revelation.

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