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The Catholic Church does not claim infallibility of scripture, instead asserting freedom from error, holding the doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture. Biblical infallibility is the belief that what the Bible says about faith and Christian practice is wholly useful and true. It is the belief that the Bible is a completely reliable guide to salvation and the life of faith, and will not fail to accomplish its purpose. Catholics believe that the Church is infallible, whereas Protestants tend to believe that only the Bible is infallible. The Magisterium, tasked with keeping fallible humans from error, has given definitions within which each Catholic can interpret the Bible themselves. The Church defines its teaching (dogma), which is supported by Scripture and Tradition. While there is no official list, the Church has taken a stand on certain biblical verses over time while defining doctrine and combating heresy.
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What You'll Learn
Catholics believe the Church is infallible
Catholics believe that the Church is infallible, whereas Protestants tend to believe that only the Bible is unerring in this way. The doctrine of infallibility relies on the cornerstone of Catholic dogma, that of papal supremacy, whereby the authority of the pope is the ruling agent as to what are accepted as formal beliefs in the Catholic Church. The pope is considered the spokesman for the whole church as Catholics believe that their bishops are the successors of the apostles and that Peter had a special role among the apostles as the preserver of unity.
The doctrine of papal infallibility, the Latin phrase ex cathedra (literally, 'from the chair'), was proclaimed by Pius IX in 1870 as meaning "when, in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, [the Bishop of Rome] defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church." The response demanded from believers has been characterized as 'assent' in the case of ex cathedra declarations of the popes. However, a doctrine proposed by a pope as his own opinion, not solemnly proclaimed as a doctrine of the church, may be rejected as false, even if it is on a matter of faith and morals.
The Church teaches that infallibility is a charism entrusted by Christ to the whole church, whereby the Pope, as "head of the college of bishops", enjoys papal infallibility. Such infallible papal decrees must be made by the pope, in his role as leader of the whole Church, and they must be definitive decisions on matters of faith and morals that are binding on the whole Church. An infallible decree by a pope is often referred to as an ex cathedra statement. This type of infallibility falls under the authority of the sacred magisterium.
The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church hold the doctrine that the ecumenical councils are infallible. However, the Eastern Orthodox churches accept only the seven ecumenical councils from Nicaea I to Nicaea II as genuinely ecumenical, while Roman Catholics accept twenty-one. Only a few Protestants believe in the infallibility of ecumenical councils, usually restricting infallibility to the Christological statements of the first seven councils.
There is debate within the Church between those who believe that infallibility is exercised rarely and explicitly and those who believe it is common. An example of a dispute over whether a subject matter is within the limits of infallibility is the canonization of a saint by a pope. While some Catholic theologians have held that the canonization of a saint by a pope is infallible teaching that the person canonized is definitely in heaven with God, others usually regard it as not of divine faith, as it depends on facts that post-date New Testament revelation.
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The Bible is not a Church Manual
The Catholic Church does not claim infallibility of scripture but asserts freedom from error, holding the "doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture". This means that the Bible is viewed as wholly useful and true regarding matters of faith and Christian practice. It is considered a trustworthy guide to salvation and the life of faith, and will not fail to accomplish its purpose. The Church interprets the biblical message when it rejects a heresy or defines a doctrine, even if the sense of no particular passage is defined. For example, the Catholic Church refuted the Jehovah's Witnesses' interpretation of John 1:1, Colossians 1:15, and Revelation 3:14 (that Jesus is a creature and not God) by defining the divinity of Christ and the existence of the Trinity.
The Magisterium, tasked with keeping Catholics from error, has officially interpreted a small number of verses in the Bible. For instance, John 3:5, which refers to being "born of water and Spirit", has been defined by the Magisterium as referring to baptism. The Council of Trent in the 16th century also defined John 20:22-23 as teaching that the apostles received the power to forgive and retain sin in the Sacrament of Penance.
While the Church interprets Scripture within the framework of Sacred Tradition, it does not provide an official list of infallibly interpreted scriptures. Catholics are allowed to interpret the Bible within the bounds set by the Magisterium.
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The Church defines its teaching, not Bible verses
The Catholic Church does not claim the infallibility of scripture, instead asserting freedom from error, holding the "doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture". Biblical infallibility is the belief that what the Bible says about faith and Christian practice is wholly useful and true. It is the belief that the Bible is a completely reliable guide to salvation and the life of faith, and will not fail to accomplish its purpose.
Catholics believe that the Church is infallible, whereas Protestants tend to believe that only the Bible is infallible. Catholics are allowed to interpret the Bible within the bounds set by the Magisterium. The Magisterium's role is to keep fallible humans from error by providing definitions. The Magisterium exercises a teaching function not by defining Scripture but by using Sacred Tradition and Scripture together.
The Church defines its teaching, or dogma, which is supported by Scripture and Tradition. One verse can support many teachings and should not be limited. For example, the Jehovah's Witnesses' interpretation of John 1:1, Colossians 1:15, and Revelation 3:14 (that Jesus is a creature and not God) was ruled out by the Catholic Church when it defined the divinity of Christ and the Trinity. This was done without precisely defining the sense of each of these passages. The Church has the power to teach infallibly the overall, doctrinal sense of biblical revelation and to interpret particular verses.
The Council of Trent defined John 20:22-23 as teaching that the apostles received the power to forgive and retain sin in the Sacrament of Penance. The Magisterium has also defined John 3:5, which refers to being "born of water and Spirit", as referring to baptism.
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The Bible is not God
In the context of Catholic doctrine, the Church interprets Scripture and defines its teachings, known as dogma, which are supported by both Scripture and Tradition. This interpretive role of the Church is crucial, as there is no infallible interpreter of Scripture. The Church's interpretations are not meant to be imposed but rather to guide Catholics in their understanding of the Bible within the bounds set by the Magisterium.
The Magisterium, a teaching authority within the Catholic Church, has the task of preventing fallible humans from error. It does not define Scripture but uses Sacred Tradition and Scripture together to guide interpretation. The Magisterium has officially interpreted only a handful of verses, and these interpretations serve as a framework for Catholics to form their own understanding within those boundaries.
It is important to distinguish between the concepts of infallibility and inerrancy. Biblical infallibility refers to the belief that the Bible is wholly useful and true in matters of faith and Christian practice. It implies that the Bible will not fail to accomplish its purpose as a guide to salvation. On the other hand, inerrancy suggests that the Bible contains no errors, which is a stronger claim.
While the Catholic Church holds to the doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture, it does not claim infallibility of Scripture itself. Instead, the Church asserts freedom from error, maintaining that the Bible is reliable and trustworthy. This belief in the inerrancy or infallibility of Scripture is not equivalent to worshipping the Bible as God.
In conclusion, the statement "The Bible is not God" underscores the distinction between the sacred text and the divine being. The Bible, as interpreted by the Catholic Church, serves as a guide for faith and salvation, but it is not an object of worship. The Church's interpretations and teachings provide a framework for Catholics to understand and apply the Scriptures in their spiritual journey.
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The Bible is not infallible, but inerrant
The Bible, as a collection of sacred texts, is considered inerrant by many Christians. This view holds that the Bible is without error in all matters it addresses, including history and science. For example, early Church fathers like Clement of Rome, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Augustine championed the belief that the Bible is inerrant in historical and scientific matters as well as redemptive matters. Augustine wrote, "I confess to your Charity that I have learned to yield this respect and honor only to the canonical books of Scripture: of these alone do I most firmly believe that the authors were completely free from error."
However, this does not mean that the Bible is infallible. Infallibility is a stronger claim than inerrancy, and it is typically applied to active agents such as human beings or institutions. For instance, Catholics (and Orthodox Christians) believe that the Church is infallible, while Protestants tend to hold that the Bible itself is infallible. This belief in the infallibility of the Church means that Catholics must accept everything that their Church professes and not interpret Scripture in a way that contradicts the Church's teachings.
It is important to note that the Bible itself states that it is all God's Word and perfect (2 Timothy 3:16). However, this does not make it infallible in the strict sense of the word. The Bible is seen as a revelation of God through Jesus Christ, and Scripture points towards Jesus but is not the full revelation of God. Therefore, to call the Bible infallible can feel blasphemous to some Christians.
In summary, while the Bible is considered inerrant by many Christians, it is not infallible. Infallibility is a stronger claim that is typically applied to active agents or institutions, such as the Church in Catholic and Orthodox traditions. The distinction between inerrancy and infallibility is important to understand when discussing the nature and authority of the Bible.
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Frequently asked questions
Biblical infallibility is the belief that the Bible is wholly useful and true in what it says about faith and Christian practice. It is the belief that the Bible will not fail to accomplish its purpose as a guide to salvation and the life of faith.
The Catholic Church does not claim infallibility of scripture but instead asserts freedom from error, holding the "doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture". The Church defines its teaching (dogma) supported by Scripture and Tradition.
There is no official list of scripture verses infallibly defined by the Catholic Church. However, the Church has taken a stand on certain biblical verses over time while defining doctrine and combating heresy. For example, the Catholic Church refuted the Jehovah's Witness interpretation of John 1:1, Colossians 1:15, and Revelation 3:14, ruling out their interpretation that Jesus is a mere creature and not God himself. The Council of Trent defined John 20:22-23 as teaching that the apostles received the power to forgive and retain sin in the Sacrament of Penance. The Magisterium has also definitively defined John 3:5, which refers to being born of water and the Spirit, as referring to baptism.
The Magisterium is tasked with keeping Catholics from error and providing definitions and interpretations of scripture within the bounds of Sacred Tradition and Scripture. The Magisterium exercises a teaching function by using Sacred Tradition and Scripture in conjunction with each other, providing guidance on how to interpret the Bible for Catholics.
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