Vatican II by Shaun Blanchard & Stephen Bullivant

Author:Shaun Blanchard & Stephen Bullivant [Blanchard, Shaun & Bullivant, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780192633781
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2022-12-29T00:00:00+00:00

The last six articles teach that the prayerful study of scripture is of paramount importance not just for preaching clergy but for all Christians, since ‘ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ’ (§25, quoting St Jerome’s famous statement). While it is a myth that lay people were not encouraged to read the Bible until Vatican II, it is undeniable that Dei Verbum placed an emphasis on personal scripture reading and study that was unprecedented in post-Tridentine Catholicism. This emphasis has been deepened by postconciliar movements, by changing parish and devotional cultures, and by manifold writings of recent popes, bishops, and other leading Catholic figures. In light of diverse and ambiguous (if not outright negative) late medieval and early modern Catholic approaches to vernacular Bible reading by the laity, Dei Verbum’s affirmations evidence a stunning development in Catholic thought and practice, though a development that was long in the making.

A comparison of the status quo even in the early 20th century to contemporary Catholic attitudes on Bible reading reveals a striking difference—from popes to priests to the parish leaders and campus ministers who, in some places, work hard to sign up as many people in the pews as possible for Bible studies that are often lay led. This is not to mention the gulf separating Dei Verbum from the cautious and even prohibitive policies reflected in some early modern magisterial documents. Pope Clement XI’s Unigenitus of 1713 (see the notorious articles 79–86) condemned ideas that read like they could be taken from Dei Verbum or the writings of a modern pope. An ecumenical council implying that one will have a deficient understanding of Christ without sufficient personal contact with the scriptures is a remarkable reform. A desire for a more scriptural church at every level is ultimately a claim not just about revelation but about ecclesiology. How the Catholic Church understands itself and its mission—probably the central theme of Vatican II—is the subject of the next chapter.

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