Divorce of Scripture and Theology
A long-standing complaint of mine is the divorce that occurred between Scripture and Theology in the 19th century (they had been separated for a while before that, but the divorce became final in the 1800′s). The study of the Bible became the sole province of “Scripture scholars” and theologians were no longer allowed to write commentaries or interpret the Bible directly.
This is the opposite of the situation in the early Church, when being a theologian meant that you were a Scripture scholar. Most of the theological works of the Church Fathers are not systematic theology tracts, but instead commentaries on the Word of God. In modern times such a combination became unthinkable, as discussions of the Bible now centered around source and form criticism, not the Trinity or Redemption.
R.R. Reno, editor of the wonderful Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible, has an article decrying this divorce on the First Things website. The Brazos Commentary, an ecumenical endeavor including Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox theologians, is striking in that it attempts to return to the marriage between Scripture and Theology. I have read two of the volumes – the one on Matthew and the one on Acts – and found them to be quite insightful and full of Biblical scholarship in the classical sense of the term.
But what struck me about Reno’s article was the following paragraph:
[In] a popular nineteenth-century Catholic theological textbook for seminarians…doctrine is described as “materially complete,” “formally perfect,” and capable of universal application. In contrast, the historical nature of the biblical material means that its truths are “expressed in the metaphorical language of the East.” This makes Scripture “unfit for the general use of people.” Better, then, to base theology on succinct and authoritative Church doctrine.
From this, it appears that the divorce did not just occur in liberal Protestant circles, but also existed in orthodox Catholic ones as well. However, the contention that the language of tradition is superior to the language of Scripture is a false one. The Pontifical Biblical Commission in 1984 wrote:
The “auxiliary” languages employed in the Church in the course of centuries do not enjoy the same authority, as far as faith is concerned, as the “referential language” of the inspired authors, especially (that) of the New Testament with its mode of expression rooted in the Prior (Testament).
Instruction on Scripture and Christology
This is a profound statement. What it means is that Scripture, not Tradition or the Magisterium, is the primary language of theology. Concepts like grace/nature, faith/reason, theotokos or homoosis, while important and necessary, are ultimately subordinate to the language of Scripture. Any true Catholic theology must be anchored in an interpretation of the Bible, not the other way around.
I was going to recommend this article to you, but then remembered that you assuredly would find it without my assistance.
I would suspect that the “divorce” in Catholic circles was more a matter of practice than explicit policy. In other words, I suspect Catholic theologians tended to lean more on doctrinal sources because they are expressly designed to answer the kinds of questions theologians want to ask; the scriptures are much more messy and difficult to deal with (and also richer and more rewarding). I suspect many of them saw exegesis as a field tainted/dominated by Protestants, and so more-or-less subconsciously stayed away from it.
Note that I have absolutely no evidence to back any of this up.
My favorite parts of the article were the petulant quotes from the “scripture scholars” who clearly resent the encroachment of the theologians. Good stuff.
I agree that it was more practice than policy. That has often been the case in Church history.
I also tend to think that the “divorce” might have been an overreaction to Sola Scriptura. Here were Protestants rejecting the use of Tradition in interpreting Scripture, so a natural human response is to go the other way and put Tradition over Scripture.
If such a “divorce” took place, why was it perpetuated?
I often wonder if the lack of uniformity / accountability / certification of seminaries and their curriculums they present to our future priests may have promulgated and enhanced this divide.
Bob,
I think the divorce originally occurred as the result of the Reformation. By splitting Scripture from Tradition and the Magisterium, they were ultimately splitting Scripture from Theology. In the 19th century, this led liberal Protestants to consummate the split in ways that would have scandalized the first Reformers.
In reaction, Catholics of the time wanted to protect the value of Tradition and the Magisterium (rightly so), but at times went too far, thus doing exactly what they were trying to protect against: weakening the integral bond between the Bible and Theology.
Over the past 40 years though, the Catholic response has been different. Instead of reacting against liberal Protestantism, many Catholic Scripture scholars have simply embraced their philosophy. However, the last two popes have been insistent in their writings and teachings that Scripture and Theology are deeply related, and Scripture has a certain “primacy” in that relationship, as it is the Word of God, whereas Theology is the interpretation of that Word.
Divorce is always a bad news among married couples. Some couples just cannot iron out their differences.-~*
Divorce will always lead to depression and anger towards the other party. As much as possible avoid divorce’”,