Notable Quote: Sacred Texts and Doctrine by St. John Henry Newman

At Catholic Thought Book Club at Goodreads, we’re reading St. John Henry Newman’s Apologia Pro Vita Sua, his great autobiography on his evolution to Roman Catholicism.  If Apologia were a work of fiction, it would be considered a Bildungsroman, that is a story about the development of a young man to who he became in maturity.  Perhaps after St. Augustine’s Confessions, Apologia is the greatest autobiographical conversion story in history.  Of course I will be posting on it once our read is over, but for now I want to post what I think is a great observation and a memorable quote.  This quote comes from the very first chapter, which details his beliefs and works up to the age of thirty-two.  The context of the quote is while speaking of a particular mentor of his at Oxford, a Dr. Hawkins.  Most certainly an Anglican, Dr. Hawkins had a very High Church theology.  He impressed this understanding upon the young Newman.

 

 “The sacred text was never intended to teach doctrine, but only to prove it, and that, if we would learn doctrine, we must have recourse to the formularies of the Church.”

 

Now you can see how this understanding of scripture would be an undermining of Protestant rudiments.  Certainly with this understanding, the Bible could not stand alone, and obviously you would need a “Church” to instruct you on the doctrine. 

Newman places himself under Dr. Hawkins between the years 1822 to 1825, which would span his twenty-first to twenty-fourth years.  He would convert to Roman Catholicism in 1845 at the age of forty-four, some twenty years later.

Dei Verbum: Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Post 3

This is the third and final post in a series on the Vatican II document, Dei Verbum.  You can find Post #1 here.   

Post #2 here.  

You can also find the online document here.  

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Chapter 5: “The New Testament,” Paragraphs 17 thru 20:

The fifth chapter delineates the importance of the New Testament.  It begins with the manifestation of the incarnation “when the fullness of time arrived (see Gal. 4:4), the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us in His fullness of graces and truth (see John 1:14).”  This was a significant and climatic moment in salvation history.

 

This mystery had not been manifested to other generations as it was now revealed to His holy Apostles and prophets in the Holy Spirit (see Eph. 3:4-6, Greek text), so that they might preach the Gospel, stir up faith in Jesus, Christ and Lord, and gather together the Church. Now the writings of the New Testament stand as a perpetual and divine witness to these realities. (17)

Through the writing of the Gospels we arrive at the full knowledge of Jesus Christ, so the Word made flesh is revealed in the words of the scriptures.

 

It is common knowledge that among all the Scriptures, even those of the New Testament, the Gospels have a special preeminence, and rightly so, for they are the principal witness for the life and teaching of the incarnate Word, our savior. (18)

 

The sacred authors wrote the four Gospels, selecting some things from the many which had been handed on by word of mouth or in writing, reducing some of them to a synthesis, explaining some things in view of the situation of their churches and preserving the form of proclamation but always in such fashion that they told us the honest truth about Jesus. For their intention in writing was that either from their own memory and recollections, or from the witness of those who "themselves from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word" we might know "the truth" concerning those matters about which we have been instructed (see Luke 1:2-4). (19)

 

For the Lord Jesus was with His apostles as He had promised (see Matt. 28:20) and sent them the advocate Spirit who would lead them into the fullness of truth (see John 16:13).  (20)

So we obtain the “fullness of truth” through the written word and through the spoken word of tradition guided by the Holy Spirit.

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Christine BoMass Commented:

Manny wrote: " The other takeaway from that passage you quote that should be noted is "we now await no further new public revelation before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ." That is important. Revelation has stopped with the apostles. Stuff like the Book of Mormon or the Koran can never be seen as revelation because revelation has ended. Any revelation by saints or mystics is private revelation and while it may be useful for devotional purposes cannot add to inspired revelation."

What about the experiences of the Saints? I am thinking of St Faustina in particular here, though there are more.

Manny Replied:

Christine, are you referring to private revelation? St. Faustina's diary is considered private revelation. Revelation given to saints and people alike is not considered official revelation. Official revelation ended with the New Testament. Whatever private revelations have come to people is not considered full or clear or complete. It may not be suspect, but the person who received the revelation, even if he/she be a saint, may be filtering it through the prism of their understanding or consciousness. Ultimately these private revelations come from fallible sources. Not only that, if you really started looking at the private revelations of many saints, you will probably find distinctions and contradictions. We Catholics may find useful material in private revelations but we are free to choose to believe or not private revelations.

For instance from what I understand St. Faustina has a vision of an angel of the Lord ready to strike the earth and destroy it. I personally find that hard to believe. It doesn't even seem like Divine Mercy. Perhaps I'm picking a bad example because I haven't read the details. I'll eventually get to reading her diary, but for me that sort of private revelation is something I am free to not believe.

Anyway, here are two articles that explain public versus private revelation by Jimmy Akin from Catholic Answers.
First

Second

If there is something in either article that contradicts what I just explained, let me know. I wish to learn further myself.

Manny Replied:

No! You have not been wasting your time. The saints provide great example and learning but their private visions are for instructive purposes, not doctrine. That angel ready to strike the world from St. Faustina's diary can be seen as showing God's displeasure toward the sin in the world. It has instructive value. But whether it actually happened is for us to choose.

 

For instance, St. Catherine of Siena had a vision that Christ had exchanged her heart with His. On this I believe. It did change her. But I can understand someone saying, "come on, how could that happen?" He would be free not to believe that.

 

Here I found the excerpt from St. Faustina that describes this:

 

As written in the Diary of St. Faustina:

 

"[The angel] was clothed in a dazzling robe, his face gloriously bright, a cloud beneath his feet. From the cloud, bolts of thunder and flashes of lightning were springing into his hands; and from his hand they were going forth, and only then were they striking the earth.

 

When I saw this sign of divine wrath which was about to strike the earth, and in particular a certain place, which for good reasons I cannot name, I began to implore the angel to hold off for a few moments, and the world would do penance. But my plea was a mere nothing in the face of the divine anger.

 

Just then I saw the Most Holy Trinity. The greatness of Its majesty pierced me deeply, and I did not dare to repeat my entreaties. At that very moment I felt in my soul the power of Jesus' grace, which dwells in my soul. When I became conscious of this grace, I was instantly snatched up before the Throne of God. Oh, how great is our Lord and God and how incomprehensible His holiness! I will make no attempt to describe this greatness, because before long we shall all see Him as He is.

 

I found myself pleading with God for the world with words heard interiorly. As I was praying in this manner, I saw the Angel’s helplessness: he could not carry out the just punishment which was rightly due for sins. Never before had I prayed with such inner power as I did then. The words with which I entreated God are these:

 

Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us.

 

The next morning, when I entered chapel, I heard these words interiorly:

 

Every time you enter the chapel, immediately recite the prayer which I taught you yesterday.' When I had said the prayer, in my soul I heard these words: 'This prayer will serve to appease My wrath . . ."..

 

It's part of a large article

For God to have that kind of "wrath" strikes me as attributing to God an extremely anthropomorphic personality. It just doesn't feel correct to me. But those who have a very Old Testament view of God's personality may find that natural.

Christine BoMass Replied:

Thank you Manny. I will look into this. I do read a lot on the Saints as they are great examples. I was taken aback a bit there, concerned that I have been wasting my time.

 

I read St Faustina's diary. Stream of consciousness...very difficult to read. I don't recall the striking bit, however I could have easily missed it.

 

Yes we are all still learning. It is a blessed thing. :)

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Chapter 6: “Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church.” Paragraphs 21 thru 26:

The sixth chapter brings all this context into a culminating point.  We see here why the Word of God is so important.

 

The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since, especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God's word and of Christ's body….Therefore, like the Christian religion itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and regulated by Sacred Scripture. (21)

 

… Since the word of God should be accessible at all times, the Church by her authority and with maternal concern sees to it that suitable and correct translations are made into different languages, especially from the original texts of the sacred books. And should the opportunity arise and the Church authorities approve, if these translations are produced in cooperation with the separated brethren as well, all Christians will be able to use them. (22)

And so we come to what I think is the completion of thought of Dei Verbum.

 

The bride of the incarnate Word, the Church taught by the Holy Spirit, is concerned to move ahead toward a deeper understanding of the Sacred Scriptures so that she may increasingly feed her sons with the divine words. Therefore, she also encourages the study of the holy Fathers of both East and West and of sacred liturgies. Catholic exegetes then and other students of sacred theology, working diligently together and using appropriate means, should devote their energies, under the watchful care of the sacred teaching office of the Church, to an exploration and exposition of the divine writings. This should be so done that as many ministers of the divine word as possible will be able effectively to provide the nourishment of the Scriptures for the people of God, to enlighten their minds, strengthen their wills, and set men's hearts on fire with the love of God. The sacred synod encourages the sons of the Church and Biblical scholars to continue energetically, following the mind of the Church, with the work they have so well begun, with a constant renewal of vigor.  (23)

The Word of God is God, and one of the key ways to know God and to love God.  The religious and the laity need to understand it, through the teaching of the Church, for it builds our foundation as Christians.

 

For the Sacred Scriptures contain the word of God and since they are inspired, really are the word of God; and so the study of the sacred page is, as it were, the soul of sacred theology. By the same word of Scripture the ministry of the word also, that is, pastoral preaching, catechetics and all Christian instruction, in which the liturgical homily must hold the foremost place, is nourished in a healthy way and flourishes in a holy way.  (24)

The document lays down the gauntlet: we Catholics are Bible Christians.  We use the Bible as much as Protestants, and we should all do so with frequency.

 

The sacred synod also earnestly and especially urges all the Christian faithful, especially Religious, to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the "excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:8). "For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." Therefore, they should gladly put themselves in touch with the sacred text itself, whether it be through the liturgy, rich in the divine word, or through devotional reading, or through instructions suitable for the purpose and other aids which, in our time, with approval and active support of the shepherds of the Church, are commendably spread everywhere. And let them remember that prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that God and man may talk together; for "we speak to Him when we pray; we hear Him when we read the divine saying."  (25)

And why must we do so, that is, read scripture more frequently?  To evangelize! 

In this way, therefore, through the reading and study of the sacred books "the word of God may spread rapidly and be glorified" (2 Thess. 3:1) and the treasure of revelation, entrusted to the Church, may more and more fill the hearts of men. (26)

I know we Catholics have a lot of devotionals and non-scriptural means of building a relationship with all three persons of the Trinity and with the Body of Christ, and that is a good thing.  But one should not exclude the frequent reading of scripture.  Indeed, one needs to integrate scripture to fully nurture those devotionals.  I found Dei Verbum a wonderful and clearly argued document. 

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Here is a fine exegesis of Dei Verbum by Bishop Robert Barron. 

 

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My Goodreads Review:

What an important Church document.  And for a Papal document, how easy to read.  This document from Vatican II is on the nature of divine revelation, that is, how God made Himself known in the world, how that manifestation was written in inspired texts we call scripture, how that those scriptures are understood by the Church through the eyes of tradition, how the Church preserves that understanding, and how she promulgates it to the world.  All in about nine or ten pages.  Two quotes which sum up the document, from paragraphs 21 and 24:

 

The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since, especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God's word and of Christ's body….Therefore, like the Christian religion itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and regulated by Sacred Scripture. (21)

 

For the Sacred Scriptures contain the word of God and since they are inspired, really are the word of God; and so the study of the sacred page is, as it were, the soul of sacred theology. By the same word of Scripture the ministry of the word also, that is, pastoral preaching, catechetics and all Christian instruction, in which the liturgical homily must hold the foremost place, is nourished in a healthy way and flourishes in a holy way.  (24)

If you are only going to read one papal document, read this one.  All thoughtful Catholics should read Dei Verbum because the Bible is a Catholic book, and you should understand why it exists and how the Catholic Church preserves the Apostolic teaching from sacred scripture.

Sunday Meditation: A New Heavenly City of Jerusalem

Another reading from the Book of Revelation, again today’s second reading.

 

The angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain

and showed me the holy city Jerusalem

coming down out of heaven from God.

It gleamed with the splendor of God.

Its radiance was like that of a precious stone,

like jasper, clear as crystal.

It had a massive, high wall,

with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed

and on which names were inscribed,

the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites.

There were three gates facing east,

three north, three south, and three west.

The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,

on which were inscribed the twelve names

of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

 

I saw no temple in the city

for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.

The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it,

for the glory of God gave it light,

and its lamp was the Lamb.

        -Rev 21:10-14, 22-23 

This follows from last week’s meditation on the New Heaven and New Earth.  Now we have the New City of Jerusalem floating down from heaven.  Here is a wonderful homily on this beautiful passage by Bishop Robert Barron.  This is a must listen.

 

This homily puts the entire Bible into perspective.  With the Book of Revelation, it really does bring Judaism to conclusion.  As I said last week, we don’t get enough readings from the Book of Revelation. 

Dei Verbum: Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Post 2

This is the second post in a series on the Vatican II document, Dei Verbum.  

You can find Post #1 here.   

You can also find the online document here.  

 

Chapter 2: “Handing on Divine Revelation,” Paragraphs 7 thru 10:

The second chapter deals with three related matters.  Given that God has revealed Himself through scripture, His revelation first needs to be explained and handed down through the centuries.  Second, to explain the revelation requires an understanding of the tradition from which it was understood.  One cannot separate the scripture from the tradition.  Taken together, scripture and tradition are a deposit of faith.  And third, the Church was created to maintain and promulgate that faith.  Here again are excerpts that build the argument.

 

In His gracious goodness, God has seen to it that what He had revealed for the salvation of all nations would abide perpetually in its full integrity and be handed on to all generations. (7)

 

But in order to keep the Gospel forever whole and alive within the Church, the Apostles left bishops as their successors, "handing over" to them "the authority to teach in their own place."(3) This sacred tradition, therefore, and Sacred Scripture of both the Old and New Testaments are like a mirror in which the pilgrim Church on earth looks at God, from whom she has received everything, until she is brought finally to see Him as He is, face to face (see 1 John 3:2)  (7)

 

And so the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved by an unending succession of preachers until the end of time.  Therefore the Apostles, handing on what they themselves had received, warn the faithful to hold fast to the traditions which they have learned either by word of mouth or by letter (see 2 Thess. 2:15) (8)

 

This tradition which comes from the Apostles develop in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit. (5) For there is a growth in the understanding of the realities and the words which have been handed down. This happens through the contemplation and study made by believers, who treasure these things in their hearts (see Luke, 2:19, 51) through a penetrating understanding of the spiritual realities which they experience, and through the preaching of those who have received through Episcopal succession the sure gift of truth. For as the centuries succeed one another, the Church constantly moves forward toward the fullness of divine truth until the words of God reach their complete fulfillment in her. (8)

Here perhaps are the key couple of sentences for chapter 2:

 

Hence there exists a close connection and communication between sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end. (9)

To separate scripture from the tradition is to do what the Protestant Reformers did 1500 years after the Christ.  It kept the scripture but shucked out most of the tradition to create a whole new understanding of Christianity.  It was not what was handed over from the apostles.  Chapter 2 continues with the need for a “teaching office” to maintain both halves of the deposit of faith, and that teaching office—commonly referred to as the “magisterium”—is part of the responsibility given to the Church.  The logic of chapter 2 continues:

 

But the task of authentically interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed on, (8) has been entrusted exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church, (9) whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. This teaching office is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously and explaining it faithfully in accord with a divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it draws from this one deposit of faith everything which it presents for belief as divinely revealed. (10)

It is clear, therefore, that sacred tradition, Sacred Scripture and the teaching authority of the Church, in accord with God’s most wise design, are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others, and that all together and each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.  (10)

Finally it should be noted that the teaching office is guided by the Holy Spirit, a link to the divine.

Kerstin Commented:

Once one is on board with both Scripture and Tradition comprising the deposit of faith one can't go back. It makes so much sense. For me it really was intuitive. I had never been hung up on this particular hurdle while still Protestant.

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Chapter 3: “Sacred Scripture, Its Inspiration and Divine Interpretation,” Paragraphs 11 thru 13:

The third chapter provides some facts about the nature of sacred scripture.  First scripture comes to us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Those divinely revealed realities which are contained and presented in Sacred Scripture have been committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. (11)

God worked through real men with their own personalities and perspectives.  Judeo-Christian sacred scripture is not a quoting from God, say in what Islam claims of Mohammed from Allah, but men who use with their own words, style, imagery, rhetorical gifts.  That is the difference between inspiration and ventriloquism. 

 

In composing the sacred books, God chose men and while employed by Him they made use of their powers and abilities, so that with Him acting in them and through them, they, as true authors, consigned to writing everything and only those things which He wanted. (11)

Nonetheless, inspired text are still the word of God and must be understood to be without error.

 

Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation. (11)

But the form and genre of the author must understood to derive the full truth the author is trying to convey.

 

To search out the intention of the sacred writers, attention should be given, among other things, to "literary forms." For truth is set forth and expressed differently in texts which are variously historical, prophetic, poetic, or of other forms of discourse. (12)

God’s kindness and gentleness, indeed, His entire nature is present in the text.

 

In Sacred Scripture, therefore, while the truth and holiness of God always remains intact, the marvelous "condescension" of eternal wisdom is clearly shown, "that we may learn the gentle kindness of God, which words cannot express, and how far He has gone in adapting His language with thoughtful concern for our weak human nature."  For the words of God, expressed in human language, have been made like human discourse, just as the word of the eternal Father, when He took to Himself the flesh of human weakness, was in every way made like men. (13)

This short video provides a nice summation of chapter 3.

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Chapter 4: “The Old Testament,” Paragraphs 14 thru 16:

The fourth chapter is short and sweet, but the conclusion is vitally important.  It’s purpose is to give significance to the Old Testament and to make the bold claim that salvation history was planned by God and foreshadowed from the beginning.  First it states the special importance of the Jewish people.

 

In carefully planning and preparing the salvation of the whole human race the God of infinite love, by a special dispensation, chose for Himself a people to whom He would entrust His promises. (14)

 

Then too, when God Himself spoke to them through the mouth of the prophets, Israel daily gained a deeper and clearer understanding of His ways and made them more widely known among the nations (see Ps. 21:29; 95:1-3; Is. 2:1-5; Jer. 3:17).  (14)

It makes clear that there was a plan from the beginning, and the plan’s objective was the coming of Christ.

 

The principal purpose to which the plan of the old covenant was directed was to prepare for the coming of Christ, the redeemer of all and of the messianic kingdom, to announce this coming by prophecy (see Luke 24:44; John 5:39; 1 Peter 1:10), and to indicate its meaning through various types (see 1 Cor. 10:12). (15)

And it makes the bold statement that there is a relationship, a deep interconnection between the Old and New Testaments. 

 

God, the inspirer and author of both Testaments, wisely arranged that the New Testament be hidden in the Old and the Old be made manifest in the New.  (16)

The Old Testament is not just filler to get to the New. 

Dei Verbum: Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Post 1

We did a reading of the Vatican II document on Divine Revelation called Dei Verbum.  The following are my contributions to the discussion.  I expect this will take about three posts to complete the series. 

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Introduction.

What is Dei Verbum?  Translated in means “the Word of God” and it is taken from the opening phrase of the document.  It refers to itself as the “Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation.”  It was the very first document put out by the Second Vatican Council, and it is dated, November 18, 1965, promulgated by his holiness, Pope Paul VI.  You can read the document online, here.  

In the preface we are given the objective of the document:

 

Therefore, following in the footsteps of the Council of Trent and of the First Vatican Council, this present council wishes to set forth authentic doctrine on divine revelation and how it is handed on, so that by hearing the message of salvation the whole world may believe, by believing it may hope, and by hoping it may love.  (Preface, Paragraph 1)

In layman’s terms, the objective is to put forth the doctrine of how the Catholic Church has received divine revelation and how it communicates that revelation to the faithful.  It is important to remember that some things we can know about God through our senses and reason and some things we can only know through divine revelation.  This document deals only with the divine revelation element of how we know God.  The second part of that quoted sentence tells us why the Church communicates: so that the whole world may believe.  I emphasized “whole world” because that is more than just the Catholic Church.  It does so I believe because the Catholic Church as the institution created by Jesus through Peter sees herself as having the responsibility of maintaining the faith for all, whether they consider themselves as part of the Catholic Church or not.

You can read a history and summary of Dei Verbum at Wikipedia, here.  

Let’s take this week to read it.  It’s only ten pages.  And then we’ll have the next two weeks to discuss it.

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Susan Commented:

And my other question relates to your last statement. Are you able to clarify what you mean when you say "the Catholic Church...sees herself as having the responsibility of maintaining the faith for all, whether they consider themselves as part of the Catholic Church or not"? Would I be accurate in re-expressing what you were saying as, 'feels the responsibility to keep fidelity to what was handed on to Her, and to continue to express such to allow the opportunity for any and all to choose to believe?' There might be a subtle distinction there that I am trying to clarify

My Reply to Susan:

Hmm, when I said that it came out of my understanding, perhaps out of my impressions. I don't know for a fact whether the Church feels that responsibility. I think it does, but I don't want to state it as absolutely certain. How do you and others feel on that? Do you think the Catholic Church feels the responsibility to maintain Christianity whether other sects of Christianity agree with her or not?

 

As to the subtle distinction you are making, yes, I would agree. It is part of the Bishop of Rome's responsibility and duty to keep fidelity with what has been handed down. It is his primary job function. I don't know if I meant to draw that distinction. Perhaps my choice of words were not perfect.

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The first thing in understanding a work is to first understand its structure.  The structure of Dei Verbum is given to us in six chapters with titles.  Let me lay this out:

1. Revelation Itself

2. Handing on Divine Revelation

3. Sacred Scripture, It’s Inspiration and Divine Interpretation

4. The Old Testament

5. The New Testament

6. Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church

A summary outline of Dei Verbum would be the understanding of how God revealed Himself to humanity, how humanity handed on that revelation, how it came to be written down as inspired scripture, both in the Old and New Testaments, and how the Church teaches with the scriptures to form the life of the faith.

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Now I will get at the heart of each chapter with some abundant quotes. 

 

Chapter 1: “Revelation Itself.” Paragraphs 2 thru 6:

The first chapter states that “God chose to reveal Himself and make known the hidden purpose of His will.”  That is what I would call a foundational statement to salvation history and the scriptures, which are nothing less than the Word of God.  Here are key statements in chapter 1 fill out this claim.  Each of these excerpts build toward the conclusion of chapter 1.  The number in parenthesis is the number of the paragraph in the document.

 

This plan of revelation is realized by deeds and words having an inner unity: the deeds wrought by God in the history of salvation manifest and confirm the teaching and realities signified by the words, while the words proclaim the deeds and clarify the mystery contained in them. By this revelation then, the deepest truth about God and the salvation of man shines out for our sake in Christ, who is both the mediator and the fullness of all revelation. (2)

 

Through the patriarchs, and after them through Moses and the prophets, He taught this people to acknowledge Himself the one living and true God, provident father and just judge, and to wait for the Savior promised by Him, and in this manner prepared the way for the Gospel down through the centuries. (3)

 

Moreover He confirmed with divine testimony what revelation proclaimed, that God is with us to free us from the darkness of sin and death, and to raise us up to life eternal. (4)

 

To make this act of faith, the grace of God and the interior help of the Holy Spirit must precede and assist, moving the heart and turning it to God, opening the eyes of the mind and giving "joy and ease to everyone in assenting to the truth and believing it." (5) To bring about an ever deeper understanding of revelation the same Holy Spirit constantly brings faith to completion by His gifts. (5)

 

Through divine revelation, God chose to show forth and communicate Himself and the eternal decisions of His will regarding the salvation of men. That is to say, He chose to share with them those divine treasures which totally transcend the understanding of the human mind. (6)

The development of the excerpts reach this conclusion for chapter 1:

 

As a sacred synod has affirmed, God, the beginning and end of all things, can be known with certainty from created reality by the light of human reason (see Rom. 1:20); but teaches that it is through His revelation that those religious truths which are by their nature accessible to human reason can be known by all men with ease, with solid certitude and with no trace of error, even in this present state of the human race. (6)

God has revealed Himself and can be known through human reason.

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Kerstin Commented:

Manny wrote: "God has revealed Himself and can be known through human reason."

This, in a nutshell, is what modernism denies, what we run up against every day.

 

Referencing 1 Timothy and Titus, this sentence on the bottom of paragraph 4 stood out for me:

The Christian dispensation, therefore, as the new and definitive covenant, will never pass away and we now await no further new public revelation before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

In other words, the deposit of faith is true and unalterable. It is. Yet from the very beginning men have tried to create wiggle room for themselves to make it in their own image. This famous G.K. Chesterton quote comes to mind:

 

The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.

My Reply to Kerstin:

Agree Kerstin. The other takeaway from that passage you quote that should be noted is "we now await no further new public revelation before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ." That is important. Revelation has stopped with the apostles. Stuff like the Book of Mormon or the Koran can never be seen as revelation because revelation has ended. Any revelation by saints or mystics is private revelation and while it may be useful for devotional purposes cannot add to inspired revelation.

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Here is a nice little video on what Dei Verbum is and says.