Technical terms applied to the study of Sacred Scripture

An excerpt from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's famous Erasmus lecture of January 27, 1988. His conclusions concerning Biblical exegesis remain an important guide for the study of sacred Scripture: "Finally, the exegete must realize that he does not stand in some neutral area, above or outside history and the Church. Such a presumed immediacy regarding the purely historical can only lead to dead ends. The first presupposition of all exegesis is that it accepts the Bible as a book. In so doing, it has already chosen a place for itself which does not simply follow from the study of literature. It has identified this particular literature as the product of a coherent history, and this history as the proper space for coming to understanding. If it wishes to be theology, it must take a further step. It must recognize that the faith of the Church is that form of "sympathia" without which the Bible remains a closed book. It must come to acknowledge this faith as a hermeneutic, the space for understanding, which does not do dogmatic violence to the Bible, but precisely allows the solitary possibility for the Bible to be itself."  [Joseph Ratzinger is now our beloved Pope Benedict XVI].

Technical terms applied to the study of Sacred Scripture:

 

Paul's Letter to the Romans

The Letter of St. James

Address and greeting: Romans 1:1-7

Address and greeting: James 1:1

Introduction/thanksgiving prayer: Romans 1:8-15

Body of the letter: James 1:2-5:20

Body of the letter: Romans 1:16-15:3

 

Conclusion and greetings: Romans 15:4-16:15

 

Farewell and postscript: Romans 16:17-27

 

Michal E. Hunt, Copyright © 2007 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.