"A Symphony of the Word" | A Short Guide to Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Exhortation "Verbum Domini"

"A Symphony of the Word" | A Short Guide to Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini | Carl E. Olson | Ignatius Insight | December 21, 2010

When chosen as pontiff on April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was the oldest man elected pope in nearly 300 years and the first German in 500 years. Of greater significance was the fact—not often noted or analyzed in-depth—that Pope Benedict XVI was the first biblical theologian to ever sit in the Chair of St. Peter. Yet, as Dr. Scott Hahn notes in the opening chapter of Covenant and Communion: The Biblical Theology of Benedict XVI (Brazos, 2009), the pontificate of Benedict XVI, "to a degree not seen perhaps since the medieval papacy of Gregory the Great, has borne the stamp of a distinctive biblical theology."

While the lengthy and prolific pontificate of Benedict's successor and close friend John Paul II produced a remarkable number of major documents addressing many crucial issues, none of those documents were solely focused on the Bible, its interpretation, and its place in the Church. Now, in the fifth year of his pontificate, Benedict has written a major document about Sacred Scripture. It is the post-synodal apostolic exhortation, Verbum Domini (also available in PDF format from the Vatican site), on the "Word of God in the life and mission of the Church," which was presented on September 30, 2010, the memorial of St. Jerome, and made public on November 11th.

The Genesis of Verbum Domini

Dr. Michael Barber, Professor of Theology, Scripture and Catholic Thought at John Paul the Great Catholic University (San Diego), has noted on his blog, "The Sacred Page", that Benedict XVI's "clear focus on Scripture has been manifest throughout his papacy." He points out that the Year of St. Paul (2008) was marked by a prolonged and consistent emphasis on Scripture, notably within the many audiences the pope dedicated to the writings and theological thought of the Apostle Paul. The Holy Father's best-selling book, Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration, addressed methods of interpreting Scripture and reflected at length on life and teachings of Jesus Christ. (Two more volumes are yet to be published, one on Christ's Passion and Resurrection and another on his birth and infancy.)

In October 2006, Benedict XVI chose the topic, "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church," and in April of 2007 he announced a synod in which the bishops would meet together to discuss the nature of Scripture and its role in the Church. The Lineamenta (draft guidelines) for the 2008 Synod of Bishops stated that the "purpose of this Synod is primarily pastoral, namely, spreading and strengthening encounters with the Word of God ..." It listed as objective the following: "to help clarify the basic truths of Revelation as the Word of God, Divine Tradition, the Bible and the Magisterium, which prompt and guarantee an authentic and effective living of the faith; to spark an appreciation and deep love of Sacred Scripture so that 'the faithful might have easy access" to it; to renew listening to the Word of God, in the liturgy and catechesis, specifically through lectio divina, duly adapted to various circumstances; and to offer a Word of consolation and hope to the poor of the world."

It also mentioned the aim of fostering "a proper approach to biblical hermeneutics and to correctly direct the process of evangelization and inculturation. It also intends to encourage ecumenical dialogue, which is closely linked to listening to the Word of God and to promote an encounter and dialogue of not only Christians and Jews but also those engaged in interreligious and inter-cultural dialogue." With those goals in mind, the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops met at the Vatican from October 5-26, 2008. Benedict writes in the Introduction that Verbum Domini is his response "to the request of the Synod Fathers to make known to the whole People of God the rich fruits which emerged from the synodal sessions and the recommendations which resulted from our common endeavour" (par. 1).

Read the entire essay...

Comments

[bill bannon]

I urge Catholic readers to also be capable of facing problems within Popes when the Popes are not accessing their charism of infallibility. Section 42 of Benedict's essay implies inter alia that God was not behind the "dooms" of the Canaanites as Scripture states He was (see entire 12th chapter of Wisdom)...and Benedict's section 42 states that the prophets denounced "every form of violence" which simply is not true since Elijah slit the throats of 450 prophets of Baal at the Jordan; Eliseus cursed boys who dishonored his state as prophet and two bears then ate 42 of the boys; and the prophet Samuel " hacked Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal" because Saul did not obey God and left Agag alive. This section 42 is similar to section 40 of Evangelium Vitae by John Paul II where John Paul implies that the death penalties of the OT were not really from God but from the unrefined culture of the Jews....when in fact the Bible has God giving many death penalties in the 1st Person singular.
So the only two Popes in centuries to call the death penalty "cruel" both write their respective sections 42 VD and 40 EV proferring an evolutionary approach to violence in the Bible which contradicts the 1st Person imperative mood that the Bible actually gives regarding both the dooms and the death penalties....and I can find no Catholic writer who will notice this at least out loud. Benedict states something about the prophets denouncing every form of violence while three of them used violence ( one of whom will return prior to the 2nd Coming) and no one says a word. There is way too much flattery taking place in our system when the professional writing community never point out these problems which are related to what exactly is and is not legitimate in modern hermeneutical schools. Fr. Raymond Brown was on the PBC while John Paul II was Pope....and Brown did not believe Mary ever said the Magnificat ( Birth of the Messiah page 349 and thereabouts). If you're ok with that, then you should be ok with it being common knowledge to Catholics and I doubt that a decimal of 1% of them know that problem...and it's echoes in sections 42 VD and 40 EV.

[Deacon Harold]

Great overview, Carl. Well done!