"Philip ran over and heard him reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. He asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The official replied, “How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?” And he invited Philip to climb up and sit in the carriage with him." (Acts 8:30-31)
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| THE HOLY BIBLE |
WHAT IS THE BIBLE?
The Word "Bible" is the English form of the Greek word Biblia, which means "books". From the 5th century the name began to be used for the entire collection of the sacred books or the "Library of Divine Revelation." The appellation Bible was first adopted by Wickliffe and, then, came gradually into use in the English language.
The Bible is the collection of the holy writings of the Christian religion. It contains the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Catholic editions contain, also, the Apocrypha (or the Deuterocanonical Books). The Bible contains messages inspired by the Holy Spirit, and given to the world as the means of salvation. The Bible is, thus, the book of books. It is the book for all people and for all time. It is a book unlike any other book - it is the book of life.
PROBLEMS WITH THE BIBLE
The books of the Bible were written in ancient times, by ancient people, in ancient languages (Hebrew, Greek, Latin etc) and in ancient cultures. The various translations of the Bible in modern languages are both different and distant from each other because of the cultures, beliefs and objectives of the translators. They are also very distant from the original texts for similar reasons : cultural and linguistic differences. These are what cause the many misinterpretations, wrong applications or abusive uses of the holy Scriptures by some churches, preachers and individual believers. So in the face of these challenges and limitations, the question is : how can one read and understand, really, what the Bible is saying?
INTERPRETING THE BIBLE
The whole Bible or particular texts may speak, at the same time, to the whole of humanity, to a given group of people and to a particular individual.. But in whatever case, one should not try to interpret the Bible to suit their own purpose, desire or will - or to justify their conduct. Rather the one should submit to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who is the only infallible interpreter of the Word of God. This is so because the Holy Spirit who inspired the ancient scribes is the same Holy Spirit, today and forever. And he is the only one who can help us understand the ancient scriptures in the modern context.
"The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you." (John 14:26).
So the interpretation or understanding of the Bible (verse, paragraph, chapter, book) which does tie with the essence and purpose of salvation is wrong and misleading. That is why the scripture says, "The Word of God is alive and active" (Hebrews 4:12) and another one says, "Heaven and earth shall pass away but my Word shall never pass away" (Matthew 24:35). If you want to pray on a particular problem, for example, seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit for the right scripture to use. One should not just apply a Bible text in their particular case because someone else used it in their case and it worked. That text may not be the appropriate one for you - because every case is different. This is the reason why a true spiritual counselor will not prescribe a scripture text to someone without first of all listening carefully to their case and examining their lives indepth.
STAND UNDER TO UNDERSTAND
Though, one has to be literate in order to read the Bible, understanding the Bible does not depend on the power of the human intellect or wisdom.
"At that time Jesus said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned." (Matthew 11:25)
First of all, to read and to understand the Bible you need to "stand under" the circumstances of the message. This means that one has to take well into account the "where","why", "when" and "to whom" the message of God was spoken. The consideration of these facts enable to read between the lines and to have a better understanding or interpretation of the scriptures.
Secondly, to grasp a better meaning of the Bible one has to "stand under" the scribe or writer of the scripture. The scripture is revealed the Holy Spirit but its material presentation reflects the very nature of the writer. Let's take, for example, that if we c3onnect a blue and a red bulb to an electric current, the blue bulb will give out blue light and the red bulb will give out red light - though both are supplied by the same current. Therefore, to know the origin, tradition, culture, attitude, or character of a scribe is a useful means to better understand what the Holy Spirit said through them.
Another useful means to understand or interpret the scriptures is to "stand under" the Church. In other words, one has to follow the official interpretation of scriptures as it is presented in the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. This interpretation is the collective work of the Bishops who are the successors to the Apostles of Christ.
Finally, to understand what the Bible says, no matter your level of study, you need to "stand under" the Holy Spirit. That is to say, empty your mind of what you know or of what you think, as a human being, and to allow the Spirit of God to teach you what you don't know and to tell you what you've never heard. This means that before you start reading or meditating on a Bible text you must first discard all preconceptions and, then, invoke the Holy Spirit by a song or prayer.
"When, however, the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, he will lead you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own authority, but he will speak of what he hears and will tell you of things to come. He will give me glory, because he will take what I say and tell it to you.", (John 16:13-14)
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LEVELS OF INTERPRETATION
Ultimately, one may interpret the Bible at different levels. The first level of interpretation is to get the literary or figurative meaning of the Bible text or message.
The second level of interpretation is the actual or practical meaning of the text or meesage. It seeks to know what the written words or figures of speech stand for. For example, the scripture says, "Wherever there is a dead body, the vultures will gather" (Mathew 24:28). The actual meaning of "dead body" is "Christian without faith" and that of "vultures" is "false prophets". (Matthew 24:24).
The third level of interpretation is the religious or theological understanding. The question here is: how does the scripture text or message relate the believer or the Church to God. This is a most essential level of interpretation of scriptures because the salvation of the world depends on the relationship between human beings and God.
The highest level of interpretation is the mystical or transcendental sense. This is the meaning of a biblical text whose reality may only be experienced in heaven or in the life after death. This level of interpretation is evident in the parable of the marriage feast of the Lamb (Matthew 25:1-13). In view of these, the Bible reader or interpreter should also be mindful of the use of parables, figures, metaphors images and symbols, as well as paradoxes, sacarsm, irony, satire, mockery and simile in Bible texts. So as the world evolves, these tips are the keys for the believers to know God, to love him, to fellowship with him, to serve him, and to come to live with him, forever, in heaven.
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Author: Aying Godman, is a Catechist, Evangelist & Blogger of the Roman Church; Founder of CATHOLIC FRONT MEDIA™
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