The impossibility of any contradiction existing in the Bible itself flows from the fact that God is the author of Sacred Scripture , and would be responsible for any such discrepancy. But how are we to remedy apparent contradictions in Scripture, the existence of which cannot be denied?
In some cases it is practically certain that our present text has been corrupted. 1 Samuel 13:1 says that Saul was a child of one year when he began to reign, and he reigned two years over Israel, though, according to Acts 13:21 (and Joseph., Antiq., VI, xiv) Saul reigned forty years, beginning at the age of twenty-one. In the former case, the letters of the Hebrew text denoting forty and twenty respectively must have been lost. A similar corruption must be admitted in 1 Kings 4:26 , which grants to Solomon 40,000 stalls of chariot horses instead of the 4000 assigned to him in II Par., ix, 25 (Hebrew text).
In other cases the apparent contradictions in the Bible are due to an erroneous exegesis of one or both of the passages in question. Such wrong interpretations are easily caused by the change of the meaning of a word; by the assumption of a wrong nexus of ideas (chronological, real, or psychological ); by a restriction or an extension of the meaning of a passage beyond its natural limits; by an interchange of figurative with proper, of hypothetical with absolute, language; by a concession of Divine authority to mere quotations from profane sources, or by a neglect of the difference between the Old and the New Testament. Thus the word "tempt" has one sense in Genesis 22:1 , and quite another sense in James 1:13 ; the expressions "faith" and "works" have not the same sense in Romans 3:28 , and James 2:14, 24 ; the "sincere companion" of Philippians 4:3 , does not mean "wife", and does not place this passage in opposition to 1 Corinthians 7:8 ; the "hatred of parents " inculcated in Luke 14:26 , is not the hatred prohibited by the commandment of the decalogue ; the nexus of events in the First Gospel is not chronological and does not establish an opposition between St. Matthew and the other Evangelists ; in 1 Samuel 31:4 , the inspired writer testifies that Saul killed himself, while in 2 Samuel 1:10 , the lying Amalecite boasts that he slew Saul ; in John 1:21 , the Baptist denies that he is "the prophet :, without contradicting the statement of Christ in Matthew 11:9 , that John is a prophet ; etc.
Apparent contradictions in the Bible may have their source in an erroneous identification of distinct words or facts, in a neglect of the difference of standpoint of different writers or speakers, or finally in an erroneous assumption of opposition between two really concordant passages. Thus Genesis 12:11 sqq. , refers to facts wholly different from those related in Genesis 20:2 and 26:7 ; the healing of the centurion's servant related in Matthew 8:5 sqq. , is entirely distinct from the healing of the king's son mentioned in John 4:46 sqq. ; the multiplication of loaves in Matthew 14:15 sqq. , is distinct from that described in Matthew 15:32 sqq. , the cleansing of the temple related in John 2:13 sqq. , is not identical with the event told in Matthew 21:12 sqq. ; the anointing described in Matthew 26:6 sqq. , and John 12:3 sqq. , differs from that told in Luke 7:37 sqq. ; the prophets view the coming of Christ now from an historical, now from a moral, and again from an eschatological standpoint, etc.
No Opposition between Biblical and Profane Truth
Proof -- Thus far we have considered apparent contradictions between different statements of Sacred Scripture ; a word must be added about the opposition which may appear to exist between the teaching of the Bible and the tenets of philosophy, science, and history. The Bible student must be convinced that there can be no such real opposition. The Vatican Council declares expressly: "Though faith is above reason, still there can never be a true discrepancy between faith and reason, since the same God, who reveals mysteries and infuses faith, implants in the human mind the light of reason " (Sess. III, Constit. de fide cath., cap. iv). The same truth is upheld by Leo XIII in the Encyclical "Providentissimus Deus": "Let the learned maintain steadfastly that God the creator and ruler of all things is also the author of the Scriptures, and that therefore nothing can be gathered from nature, nothing from historical documents, which really contradicts the Scriptures." Consequently, any contradiction between Biblical and profane truth is only apparent. Such an appearance of opposition may spring from one of three sources: Scripture may be wrongly interpreted, there may be a mistake in reputed profane truth, or finally the proof establishing the opposition between profane and Biblical truth may be fallacious.
Apparent Opposition -- Any statement resting on a faulty text, or an exegesis neglecting one or more of the many hermeneutic rules, cannot be said to be a Biblical truth. On the other hand, a mere theory in philosophy, or a mere hypothesis in science, or again a mere conjecture in history, cannot claim the dignity or right of a profane truth. Many mistakes have been made by Scriptural exegetes, but their number is not greater than scientific blunders. But even in cases in which the sense of the Bible is certain, and the reality of the profane truth cannot be doubted, the proof of their mutual opposition may be faulty. It is all the easier to go wrong in the proof of such an opposition, because the language of the Bible is not that of philosophy, or of science, or of the professional historian. The Scriptures do not claim to teach ex professo either philosophical theses, or scientific facts, or historical chronology. The expressions of Scripture must be interpreted in the light of their own age and of their original writer, before they are placed in opposition to any profane truth. There are expressions even in the language of today (for instance, the rising and the setting of the sun, etc.) which contradict acknowledged scientific truths, if no attention be paid to the conformity of such language with "sensible appearances".
Relation between Hermeneutics and Profane Learning -- What is, therefore, the relation between the interpreter and the scientist ?
· It would be wrong to make Scripture the criterion of science, to decide our modern scientific questions from our Biblical data. In certain historical controversies this course may be followed, because some of the books of Scripture are truly historical works. But in scientific questions, it suffices to hold that "in matters of faith and morals " Scripture agrees with the truths of science ; and that in other matters, Scripture rightly understood does not oppose true scientific results.
· Towards the use of profane truths in Biblical exegesis, the attitude adopted by commentators is not so uniform. The ultra-conservatives are inclined to explain Scripture without any regard to the progress of profane learning. This method is opposed even to the warning of St. Thomas (I:68:1). The conservatives are prone to adhere to traditional scientific views until such are evidently superseded by modern results; these exegetes expose themselves to the danger of at least seeming defeat--a disgrace that reflects on Biblical exegesis. It is well, therefore, to temper our conservatism with prudence ; prescinding from "matters of faith and morals " in which there can be no change, we should be ready to accommodate our exegesis to the progress of historians and scientists in their respective fields, showing at the same time that such harmonizing expositions of Scripture represent only a progressive stage in Bible study which will be perfected with the progress of profane learning. To repeat once more, with regard to "matters of faith and morals " there is no progress of the faith in the faithful, but only progress of the faithful in the faith ; with regard to other matters, the progress of profane knowledge may throw additional light on the true sense of Sacred Scripture.
In some cases it is practically certain that our present text has been corrupted. 1 Samuel 13:1 says that Saul was a child of one year when he began to reign, and he reigned two years over Israel, though, according to Acts 13:21 (and Joseph., Antiq., VI, xiv) Saul reigned forty years, beginning at the age of twenty-one. In the former case, the letters of the Hebrew text denoting forty and twenty respectively must have been lost. A similar corruption must be admitted in 1 Kings 4:26 , which grants to Solomon 40,000 stalls of chariot horses instead of the 4000 assigned to him in II Par., ix, 25 (Hebrew text).
In other cases the apparent contradictions in the Bible are due to an erroneous exegesis of one or both of the passages in question. Such wrong interpretations are easily caused by the change of the meaning of a word; by the assumption of a wrong nexus of ideas (chronological, real, or psychological ); by a restriction or an extension of the meaning of a passage beyond its natural limits; by an interchange of figurative with proper, of hypothetical with absolute, language; by a concession of Divine authority to mere quotations from profane sources, or by a neglect of the difference between the Old and the New Testament. Thus the word "tempt" has one sense in Genesis 22:1 , and quite another sense in James 1:13 ; the expressions "faith" and "works" have not the same sense in Romans 3:28 , and James 2:14, 24 ; the "sincere companion" of Philippians 4:3 , does not mean "wife", and does not place this passage in opposition to 1 Corinthians 7:8 ; the "hatred of parents " inculcated in Luke 14:26 , is not the hatred prohibited by the commandment of the decalogue ; the nexus of events in the First Gospel is not chronological and does not establish an opposition between St. Matthew and the other Evangelists ; in 1 Samuel 31:4 , the inspired writer testifies that Saul killed himself, while in 2 Samuel 1:10 , the lying Amalecite boasts that he slew Saul ; in John 1:21 , the Baptist denies that he is "the prophet :, without contradicting the statement of Christ in Matthew 11:9 , that John is a prophet ; etc.
Apparent contradictions in the Bible may have their source in an erroneous identification of distinct words or facts, in a neglect of the difference of standpoint of different writers or speakers, or finally in an erroneous assumption of opposition between two really concordant passages. Thus Genesis 12:11 sqq. , refers to facts wholly different from those related in Genesis 20:2 and 26:7 ; the healing of the centurion's servant related in Matthew 8:5 sqq. , is entirely distinct from the healing of the king's son mentioned in John 4:46 sqq. ; the multiplication of loaves in Matthew 14:15 sqq. , is distinct from that described in Matthew 15:32 sqq. , the cleansing of the temple related in John 2:13 sqq. , is not identical with the event told in Matthew 21:12 sqq. ; the anointing described in Matthew 26:6 sqq. , and John 12:3 sqq. , differs from that told in Luke 7:37 sqq. ; the prophets view the coming of Christ now from an historical, now from a moral, and again from an eschatological standpoint, etc.
No Opposition between Biblical and Profane Truth
Proof -- Thus far we have considered apparent contradictions between different statements of Sacred Scripture ; a word must be added about the opposition which may appear to exist between the teaching of the Bible and the tenets of philosophy, science, and history. The Bible student must be convinced that there can be no such real opposition. The Vatican Council declares expressly: "Though faith is above reason, still there can never be a true discrepancy between faith and reason, since the same God, who reveals mysteries and infuses faith, implants in the human mind the light of reason " (Sess. III, Constit. de fide cath., cap. iv). The same truth is upheld by Leo XIII in the Encyclical "Providentissimus Deus": "Let the learned maintain steadfastly that God the creator and ruler of all things is also the author of the Scriptures, and that therefore nothing can be gathered from nature, nothing from historical documents, which really contradicts the Scriptures." Consequently, any contradiction between Biblical and profane truth is only apparent. Such an appearance of opposition may spring from one of three sources: Scripture may be wrongly interpreted, there may be a mistake in reputed profane truth, or finally the proof establishing the opposition between profane and Biblical truth may be fallacious.
Apparent Opposition -- Any statement resting on a faulty text, or an exegesis neglecting one or more of the many hermeneutic rules, cannot be said to be a Biblical truth. On the other hand, a mere theory in philosophy, or a mere hypothesis in science, or again a mere conjecture in history, cannot claim the dignity or right of a profane truth. Many mistakes have been made by Scriptural exegetes, but their number is not greater than scientific blunders. But even in cases in which the sense of the Bible is certain, and the reality of the profane truth cannot be doubted, the proof of their mutual opposition may be faulty. It is all the easier to go wrong in the proof of such an opposition, because the language of the Bible is not that of philosophy, or of science, or of the professional historian. The Scriptures do not claim to teach ex professo either philosophical theses, or scientific facts, or historical chronology. The expressions of Scripture must be interpreted in the light of their own age and of their original writer, before they are placed in opposition to any profane truth. There are expressions even in the language of today (for instance, the rising and the setting of the sun, etc.) which contradict acknowledged scientific truths, if no attention be paid to the conformity of such language with "sensible appearances".
Relation between Hermeneutics and Profane Learning -- What is, therefore, the relation between the interpreter and the scientist ?
· It would be wrong to make Scripture the criterion of science, to decide our modern scientific questions from our Biblical data. In certain historical controversies this course may be followed, because some of the books of Scripture are truly historical works. But in scientific questions, it suffices to hold that "in matters of faith and morals " Scripture agrees with the truths of science ; and that in other matters, Scripture rightly understood does not oppose true scientific results.
· Towards the use of profane truths in Biblical exegesis, the attitude adopted by commentators is not so uniform. The ultra-conservatives are inclined to explain Scripture without any regard to the progress of profane learning. This method is opposed even to the warning of St. Thomas (I:68:1). The conservatives are prone to adhere to traditional scientific views until such are evidently superseded by modern results; these exegetes expose themselves to the danger of at least seeming defeat--a disgrace that reflects on Biblical exegesis. It is well, therefore, to temper our conservatism with prudence ; prescinding from "matters of faith and morals " in which there can be no change, we should be ready to accommodate our exegesis to the progress of historians and scientists in their respective fields, showing at the same time that such harmonizing expositions of Scripture represent only a progressive stage in Bible study which will be perfected with the progress of profane learning. To repeat once more, with regard to "matters of faith and morals " there is no progress of the faith in the faithful, but only progress of the faithful in the faith ; with regard to other matters, the progress of profane knowledge may throw additional light on the true sense of Sacred Scripture.
Taken from http://www.catholic.org/
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