Discussing the importance of keeping the Divine Author of Scripture at the forefront of your mind

Background

  • Trying to grow in a deeper understanding of the Holy scriptures
  • Need a proper understanding of Biblical interpretation and the role of the individual interpreter, three different contexts
    1. Understanding the Bible internally, utilizing textual features
    2. Understanding the Bible historically, using pagan and Jewish background
    3. Understanding the Bible magisterially/traditionally, studying the Church’s teachings and saints
  • Started reading “The Use and Abuse of the Bible: A Brief History of Biblical Interpretation” by Henry Wansbrough
    • Noticed two statements which stood out to me

Forgetting the Divine Author

  • In the first chapter’s section on the “Actualization of Scripture” you will find the following quotations:
    • ‘At noon there was darkness over the whole earth’ (Mk 15:33) is in fact an allusion to the darkness at noon prophesied by Amos 8:9 for the Day of the Lord, the dread day of reversal and retribution. So it does not describe an interesting meteorological phenomenon but indicates that the Crucifixion is this Day of the Lord.
    • The mockery of the crucified Jesus by the chief priests—‘He put his trust in God, now let God rescue him if he wants him, for he did say, “I am God’s son” ’ (Mt. 27:43)—uses the actual words put in the mouth of the godless in mocking the just in Wis. 2:18–20. Rather than a remembered record of what they said, this is an indication that the chief priests are the godless and that the crucified Jesus is undergoing the fate of the just. Whatever their actual words, this is in fact what they were saying.
  • These brief interpretations seem, at least in part, to inadvertently forget the divine author of scripture (or at least not consider Him in depth)

Darkness Over the Whole Earth

‘At noon there was darkness over the whole earth’ (Mk 15:33) is in fact an allusion to the darkness at noon prophesied by Amos 8:9 for the Day of the Lord, the dread day of reversal and retribution. So it does not describe an interesting meteorological phenomenon but indicates that the Crucifixion is this Day of the Lord.

  • Wansbrough asserts that the description of darkness over the whole earth does not mean a miraculous or “interesting meteorological phenomenon” occurred
  • While I agree that this text is primarily indicating that the Crucifixion is the Day of the Lord, but it does not necessarily imply that there wasn’t any sort of physical darkening at that time
  • If you remember the divine power of God you can have this text mean that both a physical reality, possibly locally, while retaining the global spiritual implications which the physical reality demonstrate

Mocking of Jesus by the Godless

The mockery of the crucified Jesus by the chief priests—‘He put his trust in God, now let God rescue him if he wants him, for he did say, “I am God’s son” ’ (Mt. 27:43)—uses the actual words put in the mouth of the godless in mocking the just in Wis. 2:18–20. Rather than a remembered record of what they said, this is an indication that the chief priests are the godless and that the crucified Jesus is undergoing the fate of the just. Whatever their actual words, this is in fact what they were saying.

  • This quotation misses the providential power of God, ignoring his ability to intervene in the past based on what will happen in the future
  • God is outside of time and inspired both the book of Wisdom and Matthew’s Gospel
  • Understanding this reality, we know that God is the author of both books. It is therefore not impossible that God, when inspiring the human author of Wisdom, did so with knowledge that the words of the wicked would be spoken by those crucifying our Lord
  • There could also be a natural explanation which allows the words of those mocking Jesus to be near direct quotes or accurate paraphrases.
    • The wicked may have unknowingly quoted the book of Wisdom without recalling where they were quoting from
    • I have done this before, quoting something and later discovering I was quoting it from an inappropriate context

Wrong Interpretations?

  • These interpretations aren’t necessarily wrong/false, but it’s important to not make them out to be absolute
  • Imposing a purely literary device upon a text when it may in fact be both a physical and spiritual reality can cause you to miss the true meaning of scripture

Bringing the Divine to the Forefront

  • The primary cause of forgetting the divine author is that of arbitrarily restricting what information we can access
    • Ignoring what the magisterium has taught, for example, reduces your access to valid data points
  • Wansbrough himself offers a twofold answer to the issue of forgetting the divine author, in the context of understanding New Testament interpretations of the Old Testament

Future Relevance

First, we are dealing with God’s word, and the New Testament authors (in this case John) understand the words to have been spoken not only about their immediate situation but also with relevance to the wider future. The message of God is addressed not only to the situation of the original author but also to all time.

  • Remember when interpreting scripture that not only the direct signification of the words are intended, God intends for his words to echo across time and eternity

Filling a Mold

Second, we must ask just how the words and actions are relevant to the wider future. The thought behind this is the consistency of God’s dealings, of God’s shaping of history. The earlier events and the earlier words create a pattern into which the later events fit. This gives rise to what is often known as the ‘typological sense’. The typological sense means that a mold is created into which a later event fits, just as molten metal is poured into a clay mold.

  • Using the light the New Testament shines on the Old, we are able to establish patterns, types, and fulfillment
  • From each fulfillment we can go back to the mold, the original context, and acquire new information on both how it was filled as well as more information about the type itself

Conclusion

If you wish to bring the divine author to the center of attention, look at the deep interrelation between the Old and New. Find out how God put things together across time and use that to delve deeper, drawing conclusions beyond the face of the text. Reach into the Church’s interpretative tradition and apply what you can to learn about the Word of God