Is The Bible Solely To Be Interpreted By The Church?

[prose]

I find sometimes I come in here and ANYTHING that someone says about something they read in the Bible that spoke to them is disregarded as "too protestant", which got me to thinking...

When is it okay to "personally" interpret scripture?

[homeschoolmom]

Well, I think most of scripture is pretty self-explanitory... and we should let it speak to us.

[Sojourner]

I think (and I have nothing official to back this up, it's just me) that as long as your interpretation of Scripture is not at variance with Catholic teaching, and you aren't asserting that your interpretation is authoritative you're OK.

I think meditating on Scripture is important, thinking through the nuances of what it means, on the symbolism, etc. -- that's all good stuff. It's just not authoritative.

[homeschoolmom]

Yeah, what she said.

[johnnydigit]

one can relate their life to scripture in many different ways, but the most accurate and fullest interpretation intended by the author is that given by the 2000 year old Church. often the relation you make is useful and does not conflict with said interpretation, but sometimes it does conflict and we need to be guided back on the right path.

i think the problems arise when people can't accept that a certain interpretation they make does conflict with what the author intended, and the explanations they are given are not adequate for them. instead of going on to further investigate the reasons for the Church's interpretation, they simply reject it. when something doesn't make sense to me, i keep digging until i find the reason for the conflict in my reasoning, and i have yet to be disappointed by the Church. that is, 100% of the thousands of questions i have ever had, have been adequately explained by the Church.

[reyb]

[indent]If the reader’s mind is not the writer’s mind then whatever interpretation you got means ‘distorting the scripture’. Only a witness can understand a witness. [/indent]
[indent]In 2 Peter 1:20-21
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
NIV[/indent]

[The Joey-O]

I'm gunna be picky with the language. Yes, the church is the only means of interpreting Scripture. However, if you want to say the "clergy" or the "magisterium" are the only means, then I'd have beef.

[Katholikos]

[quote name='The Joey-O' post='1287600' date='Jun 3 2007, 11:06 PM']I'm gunna be picky with the language. Yes, the church is the only means of interpreting Scripture. However, if you want to say the "clergy" or the "magisterium" are the only means, then I'd have beef.[/quote]

Hi, Joey-O, what's your definiiton of the Magisterium?

[N/A Gone]

Good call Joey, the issue is the loaded terms of "church" and "interpreted"

What I have always understood is that the church sets the boundries, and theology works within that. The church does not nit-pick, but sets the boarders in which we work within. In this, I can take a chapter of hebrews and do a 20 page exegesis of it (fluff=weedmans class) and I am sure in my mind I am saying things that perhaps are not the official church teaching (thou shalt take verse 4 to mean= ) but what I am saying is bound to the teaching and revelation of the church to us. I wont say Jesus had a pet elephant named sparky, but I could find correlations of devotion and personal relevance.

Think of the church has having the authority as a parent to set the protection. And, remember that Church finds its strength in its history and being bound to that revelation. That is why we have not thrown away essential parts of salvation (sacraments) or bought into new bizarre epistemologies (calvinism, emergent church)

Im babbling..hope it helps.

[jeffpugh]

The babble sounds about right to me. It's good to go writing when you have a feel for the boundaries though...

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Terra Firma' post='1287411' date='Jun 3 2007, 06:11 PM']I think (and I have nothing official to back this up, it's just me) that as long as your interpretation of Scripture is not at variance with Catholic teaching, and you aren't asserting that your interpretation is authoritative you're OK.

I think meditating on Scripture is important, thinking through the nuances of what it means, on the symbolism, etc. -- that's all good stuff. It's just not authoritative.[/quote]
Ditto, and I'd add that knowing the proper interpretation should help Scripture speak to us, not keep it from speaking to us.

[N/A Gone]

I agree Raphel, funny thing is as a protestant with pastoral training and the 4 year degree I still think of all the church ladies that still think you can pick up the bible and know everything completely without any background, formal education or even the help of others.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Revprodeji' post='1288157' date='Jun 4 2007, 03:54 PM']I agree Raphel, funny thing is as a protestant with pastoral training and the 4 year degree I still think of all the church ladies that still think you can pick up the bible and know everything completely without any background, formal education or even the help of others.[/quote]
And yet you couldn't know everything without someone teaching you a language for one of the translations...so if you need to know that...why not more?