Thursday, December 4, 2025

4 December 2025

Faith Formation for Everyone

Dei Verbum pt. 2: Practical use in life of the Church.

Review

Dogmatic Constitution: is a formal, authoritative document from a Christian council, that defines key Church doctrines and principles regarding faith and/or morals. These documents, which are considered infallible teachings and are known by their official Latin title (first two words of the document) and are issued by the Church council and Pope.

            Purpose of the document: …to set forth authentic doctrine on divine revelation and how it is handed on, so that by hearing the message of salvation the whole world may believe, by believing it may hope, and by hoping it may love.

A way to approach divine revelation according to purpose of the document.

But, since Holy Scripture must be read and interpreted in the sacred spirit in which it was written, no less serious attention must be given to the content and unity of the whole of Scripture if the meaning of the sacred texts is to be correctly worked out. The living tradition of the whole Church must be taken into account along with the harmony which exists between elements of the faith. It is the task of the exegetes to work according to preparatory study the judgment of the Church may mature. For all of what has been said about the way of interpreting Scripture is subject finally to the judgment of the Church, which carries out the divine commission and ministry of guarding and interpreting the word of God. (DV, 12.3)

The Document on the Old Testament: 

“Principal purpose of the Old covenant was directed was to prepare for the coming of Christ, the redeemer of all and of the messianic kingdom, to announce this coming by prophecy, and to indicate its meaning through various types…” (DV, 15.)

The Document on the New Testament:

“Besides the four Gospels, the canon of the New Testament also contains the epistles of St. Paul and other apostolic writings, composed under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, by which, according to the wise plan of God, those matters which concern Christ the Lord are confirmed, His true teaching is more and more fully stated, the saving power of the divine work of Christ, is preached, the story is told of the beginnings of the Church and its marvelous growth, and its glorious fulfillment is foretold.” (DV, 20.)

Access to Sacred Scripture and Tools of the exegete:

1. Translations of Sacred Scripture: Church provides suitable and correct translations. 
2. Encouraged study of Sacred Scripture. 
3. Senses of Scripture
   1. Literal: the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation: ‘All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal’” (CCC 116, cf. ST I:1:10 ad 1).
   1. Spiritual: 
      1. Moral-the events reported in Scripture ought to lead us to act justly. As St. Paul says, they were written ‘for our instruction’” (CCC 117., cf. 1 Cor. 10:11).
      1. Allegorical- meanings in the pages of Scripture, meanings that went beyond what the words of the text themselves conveyed.
      1. Anagogical– “we can view realities and events in terms of their eternal significance, leading us toward our true homeland: thus, the Church on earth is a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem” (ibid.).
4. CCC
5. Church Documents
6. Church Fathers
7. Languages and translations.

Modern day example: on Genesis 1-2: Creation Narratives: Pope Benedict XVI, Homily. (See handout)

Key Church Fathers and Their Approaches

St. Augustine of Hippo

Augustine initially treated Genesis allegorically, later developing a “literal” interpretation in his work De Genesi ad litteram (On the Literal Meaning of Genesis). However, his “literal” interpretation did not mean a modern 24-hour day reading. 

• Literal Sense: Augustine believed creation was an instantaneous event, not spread over six sequential days, arguing the “days” were a literary device for organizing the simultaneous creation. He affirmed Adam was a historical person, but also acknowledged that non-Christians understood the physical world and the Bible should not contradict known reality.
• Spiritual Sense: He used the creation account to explore the stages of the Christian life and the nature of the human soul. The literal reading was a signpost to a higher, heavenly interpretation rooted in his Christian Neoplatonist worldview. 

St. Basil the Great and Ephrem the Syrian 

These Eastern Fathers strongly advocated for a more plain, straightforward, and historical (literal) reading of Genesis 1, arguing against what they saw as the excessive allegorizing of others. 

• Literal Sense: They argued for six actual 24-hour days of creation. Basil criticized those who sought a “majesty of their own invention” through overly distorted allegories, urging believers to “hear Scripture as it has been written”.
• Spiritual Sense: Despite this, Basil still saw profound theological mysteries within the text, such as the presence of Christ (the Word) in the creation and the announcement of the end times in the first verse (“In the beginning God made…”). 

Origen of Alexandria

Origen was a key figure in the Alexandrian tradition of allegorical interpretation and laid out a systematic method of hermeneutics with three senses (somatic/literal, psychic/moral, pneumatic/spiritual). 

• Literal Sense: Origen often found the plain text “absurd” if taken strictly literally (e.g., a “first day” without a sun, God planting a garden). He believed these details were deliberately written to guide the reader toward a deeper, figurative meaning.
• Spiritual Sense: He interpreted the two creation narratives as two distinct creations: an initial incorporeal, spiritual creation of minds, and a subsequent corporeal, material creation as a result of those minds “cooling” in their love for God. 

St John Chrysostom

St. John Chrysostom, a leading figure of the Antiochene school of exegesis, provided extensive commentary on Genesis 1 and 2 in his Homilies on Genesis. His approach emphasized the literal (historical) meaning while simultaneously drawing out profound moral and pastoral lessons for his congregation in Antioch. 

Insisted on a straightforward, historical reading of the creation account, arguing against the excessive allegorical interpretations favored by some Alexandrian Fathers like Origen. 

• Six Literal Days: He explicitly argued that the six days of creation were a chronological sequence of actual 24-hour days.
• Purpose of Literalism: He believed that the plain sense of the text was clear and that one should not “overstep the proper limit nor busy ourselves with matters beyond us” by seeking overly elaborate alternative meanings. He stressed that Moses presented the account in a simple manner accessible to all people.
• Combating Heresies: This emphasis on the literal, material creation was intended to combat heretical views, such as Gnosticism and Manichaeism, which denied the goodness of the physical world or believed that matter pre-existed creation.
• Creation ex nihilo: He affirmed that God created everything ex nihilo (from nothing), rejecting the notion that pre-existent matter was used as a basis for creation. 

Moral and Pastoral Application

While grounding his exegesis in the literal text, Chrysostom’s primary goal was pastoral: to use the text to teach moral virtue and guide his listeners in righteous living. 

• Evidence of God’s Love: The entire creation account, in his view, is the strongest proof of God’s immense love and kindness toward humanity, as God created a vast and beautiful world for our benefit even before we existed.
• Human Dignity and Dominion:
  • He focused heavily on the creation of man and woman in God’s image (Genesis 1:26), interpreting the “image” as one of command/authority (dominion over creation) rather than physical form.
  • He taught that Eve was created from Adam’s side to show equal esteem and partnership, not inferiority.
• Lessons from Paradise and the Fall:
  • The details of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8, 2:15) point to God’s care and the ideal, labor-free life intended for humanity before the Fall.
  • He analyzed Adam and Eve’s sin to highlight the dangers of disobedience and the importance of prioritizing God’s law over immediate pleasure or bad advice (e.g., from Eve to Adam).
• Creation as a Teacher: Chrysostom taught that creation and human conscience are two silent teachers given by God to guide humanity to knowledge of their Creator.
• Adam as a Prophet: He used details in Genesis 2:23 (“This at last is bone of my bones…”) to demonstrate that Adam was endowed with prophetic grace by the Holy Spirit. 

In essence, St. John Chrysostom saw Genesis 1 and 2 as a factual historical record of origins that also served as a rich source of moral instruction, revealing God’s character and teaching humanity how to live justly.