THE ECCLESIASTICAL STATEMENT, THE INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH, MAKES THE FOLLOWING ASSERTIONS ABOUT HOW TO READ THE BIBLE:

1. The Catholic Church “receives the Bible as word of God, addressed both to itself and to the entire world at the present time.” This means that the Bible is not merely an historical document, but also a revelatory text that can be actualized in various ways in different cultures and at different points in human history.
2. The Bible itself contains examples of this “actualization” where very early texts (like those dealing with the Exodus) have been reread in the light of new circumstances and applied to a new situation in which the people of God find themselves.
3. Such “actualization” is necessary because, although their message is of lasting value, the biblical texts have been composed with respect to circumstances of the past and in language conditioned by a variety of times and seasons. To reveal their significance for men and women of today, it is necessary to apply their message to contemporary circumstances and to express it in language adapted to the present time. This presupposes a hermeneutical endeavor, the aim of which is to go beyond the historical conditioning so as to determine the essential points of the message.

DISCUSSION:

1. What does this set of claims mean?
2. How does it affect biblical interpretation?
   
3. Why does it have these affects (i.e., what are the processes and stages at which these affects are noticeable)?