Types of “Truth” in Bible texts Religious Education Services Brisbane Catholic Education 2014

Is the Bible “True”? The first point to remember is that the ”Bible” is in fact a collection of books: for Catholics, 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The Catholic tradition teaches that each of these texts “firmly, faithfully and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scripture.” Modern scholars such as Raymond Brown have pointed out that the words “for the sake of our salvation” are important when discussing the “truth” of the Bible- that is, there can be scientific, historical, social and other differences and errors in today’s understanding in the Bible which do not affect our salvation.

Interpreting Scripture for “Truth” The Catholic Church teaches that to know what God wants revealed in the words of the human authors of the 73 texts of the Catholic Bible, readers must take into account the conditions of those time sand cultures; the literary genres in use at that time and the modes of feeling, speaking and narrating then current. The Catholic tradition endorses various methods of interpretation or criticism of scripture in order to consider those factors above and to come to an understanding of the truths contained for the people of that time and for believers today.

Is the Bible Literally True? The Catholic tradition teaches quite clearly and unambiguously that all Scripture must be read in the context of its time, place, culture and literary style. It is no longer appropriate for Catholics to interpret the words or texts of Scripture literally or out of their context. Modern Biblical scholarship is therefore concerned not with historical accuracy (historical truth) nor even factual events, (factual truth) but rather the meaning for audiences then and now. “The question for modern Catholic audiences reading Scripture is not: “Did it really happen?, but rather: What does it mean?” (BCE Religion Curriculum )

Factual Truth in the Bible People of the Twentieth and twenty-First century know more than ever that “Factual Truth” is an elusive term. What was known and considered “fact” for generations can now, in this age of knowledge explosion and instant access to information, be proved to be wrong or not the whole truth. Anyone who has watched the television program QI hosted by Steven Fry knows the hazards of declaring something a “fact”. The Bible does indeed still include what is considered “factual truth” today as well as in the times in which its texts were written. However, many of what were considered “factual truths” in the Bible then and across history have been shown now not to be the case and no doubt that will continue in the future. This is not of great concern to scholars or the Church, because (i) the Bible has never claimed or been considered to be a book about “scientific” facts and (ii) today, Bible readers are advised to look, not for factual events, but for the meaning of the narratives in Bible texts.

Examples of Factual Truth in the Bible There are factual truths about Sacred Scripture and factual truths in Sacred Scripture, though the Bible is not primarily concerned with Factual Truth. Some factual truths in the Bible: – There are many factually true statements about geographical locations in the Bible- e.g. the existence of cities, mountains, rivers, lakes and the distances between them. – The Bible gives the location of the first and second temples as Jerusalem. – The Bible states that Caesar’s face was on coins used in Palestine at the time of Jesus. – The Bible gives many factual truths about the practices of the Hebrew people - their purity rituals; eating habits; status of various individuals in that society. – The Bible mentions the existence of a number of groups within Judaism in the 1 st century CE- e.g. Scribes, Pharisees, Zealots.

Historical Truth in the Bible One way of understanding the Bible is to consider it a religious interpretation (mainly in retrospect) of the (hi)story of a people- that is, the Hebrews or the Jewish people. Another way is to see the Bible as one people’s understanding of their encounter with their god throughout their history. The word interpretation is important: the texts are about how these people understood how, when where and why their god intervened or acted in their history.

History in the Bible Historical events, people and facts are mentioned often in the Bible. For example, historical figures mentioned in non-Biblical texts are named: Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon; Cyrus King of Persia; Pontius Pilate; Caesar Augustus. Not all figures mentioned in the Bible however, can be historically verified. The Bible does not set out to be a history text or even an historical novel. While there are historically accurate times, events, people and places in the Bible, it is not unusual for facts to be interpreted, characters added, events exaggerated or minimalised to “fit” the interpretation or to stress a religious message.

Religious Truth in the Bible Above all else, however, the Bible contains religious truths, particularly for Jews and Christians, but also for Muslims. As stated previously, the Jewish people and the followers of Jesus interpreted events in their story, or the story of Jesus, long after the events, in the light of what happened in between. In other words, believers theologised factual and historical truths in order to make meaning of their lives and their changing understanding of their God over time.

Other “Truths” in the Bible Scholars identify other “truths” in the bible- for example: Wisdom truths- that is, universal truths about the human condition captured in the Wisdom texts of the Bible such as proverbs and parables, that many or all human cultures would accept. Moral truths: beliefs about good and bad actions and attitudes; laws and commandments; directives on how humans should live, such as the golden rule or the Great Commandment.

Truths about Jesus Factual Truths about Jesus in the New Testament: Jesus was born, lived and died a Jew. Mary was Jesus’ mother. Jesus was an itinerant Jewish wisdom figure and prophet. Jesus came from Nazareth in the region of Galilee in Palestine.

Truths about Jesus Historical Truths about Jesus in the New Testament Most historians agree that Jesus of Nazareth is an historical figure Jesus conducted an itinerant ministry for between one and three years. Jesus offered an alternative vision of Israel’s God which put him in conflict with Jewish religious leadership. Jesus was crucified by order of Pontius Pilate. A new movement within Judaism grew up around Jesus during his life and after his death.

Truths about Jesus Religious truths about Jesus in the New Testament Jesus was the promised Messiah longed for in Judaism. Jesus was the Son of God Jesus spoke with the authority of God Jesus came to fulfil the Law and the prophets of Judaism Jesus was born of a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus rose from the dead

“One” Truth in the Bible? For Christians, the Bible contains one great truth about an omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent creator God who desires a loving relationship with humanity and who has a dream for how humans should exist with each other and all of creation. This presence and dream reached their fullest expression when this God took human form in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. All the texts of the Bible, Christians believe, point to this great Religious Truth or “good news”.