Question about 'private interpretation'

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nolongerbaptist

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Hi,

I’m not sure this is the best forum for this question, but here goes…

One verse that seems to be popular in Catholic books and websites I’ve been reading is 2 Pet 2:10 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation”, the point being made (I think) is that scripture is not meant to be interpreted on one’s own, unauthoritatively. Although I’m coming to see the benefits of that position (i.e. nobody can disagree on interpretation like us Protestants 😉 ), and we have no way of authoritatively knowing who is correct), it seems to me that’s not exactly what that passage is talking about. At face value, it’s talking about prophecy and is explained further in the next verse “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” - in other words, OT prophecies were not just the prophets own private words, but were in fact from God. I’m having trouble accepting stretching this particular passage to talking about the necessity of a single authoritative interpreter of scripture. But maybe that’s must my own private interpretation? 😉

Any feedback appreciated.

nlb
 
Is your question about the point of that particular line of scripture or the authority of the church? Or just how they relate to each other?

The argument for the church’s authority is tremendous, and that line doesn’t encapsulate a smidgen of them, but primarily this Church was started by Christ the Lord and we as Christians strive to follow His way as perfectly as possible, including submitting to the teachings of His Church, which he gave us and promised would not fall to the gates of hell - .

I think the point of the line is just exactly what it says - the OT passages weren’t just ‘inspirations’, even great inspirations from MEN, they were from God THROUGH men. The whole public revelations / private revelations thing. I don’t know if this answers your question any, best of luck!🙂 :hmmm:
 
Another scripture that should be mentioned in this discussion is 2 Peter 3:15-16
And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, also wrote to you, 16 speaking of these things as he does in all his letters. In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures.
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The Church encourages our private reading of the bible and that scripture can take on meaning for us privately, but doctrine comes from the Church’s interp of the Deposit of Faith, which includes scripture. It’s the Church’s job, not that of individuals, to define doctrine.
 
Thanks for the responses, and for fixing my typo in the chapter/verse number. 🙂

I guess I’m asking less about authority in general, and more about why this particular passage is used and how it specifically applies to a central, common interpretational authority.

Thanks,
nlb
 
nolongerbaptist said:
Thanks for the responses, and for fixing my typo in the chapter/verse number. 🙂

I guess I’m asking less about authority in general, and more about why this particular passage is used and how it specifically applies to a central, common interpretational authority.

Thanks,
nlb
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One thing that you must try to understand is that Catholics use the scripture differently that Protestants. This is why it is very difficult to find a Catholic that can quote chapter and verse as Protestants can.

Catholics use the scripture primarily in our form of worship; The Mass. The Mass is many times more biblical than any protestant prayer meeting. Virtually all of it is taken from scripture. salvationhistory.com/online/beginner/begcourse2_home.cfm

The bible is interpreted by Catholics in the form of human documents (as you and the others have pointed out). So, when Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthians, he did so for specific reasons. First we try to understand Paul’s intent in writing the letter and consider the historical background of the letter. Then we try to extract the spiritual message within. It is not just the literal message, but we understand three spiritual sublayers are included in scripture. Article 3: Sacred Scripture

Subrosa
 
nolongerbaptist said:
Thanks for the responses, and for fixing my typo in the chapter/verse number. 🙂

I guess I’m asking less about authority in general, and more about why this particular passage is used and how it specifically applies to a central, common interpretational authority.

Thanks,
nlb
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Church does not derives its authority from Scripture, but from Christ himself. The OT pointed to Christ and he established his Church, not a book, as his authority on earth. Therefore, no passage is the “proof” of the Church’s authority, but rather a witness to that historical fact.

That is a very different way of seeing authority, I know as a former Protestant myself. We were taught that the Bible was the supreme authority, but historically and theologically that’s simply not possible.

Authority does not lie in written documents no matter how inspired they are for no document can tell us how to interpret it–it cannot speak for itself. The US Constitution is a good example of this. We have a Supreme Court made up of men, who have the authority, given to them by the Founding Fathers, to interpret it.

It is the same with the Scriptures. Christ gave his Church, which he founded on the Apostles, the promise of infallibility in all matters of faith and morals. The NT backs this up, but is not the source of the Apostles’ authority, but the witness of it.
 
Paul claims that a person which has no education in theology should not interpret the Bible - since interpretations outside the official Church teaching can lead to heresy.

Today many people say that you can understand Bible by simply reading the pages of the Holy Book. This is not correct. Ethiopian courtman said he doesn’t understand the Bible’s book of Isaiah (** Act of Apostoles 8:30 **) and Peter warns that people without proper knowledge can make incorrect interpretations of hard-to-understand Paul’s writtings , and they mislead in such way to their own destruction( **2 Peter’s 3:16 **).

The only way to truely understand the Scripture is by Chuch guidance since Church is pillar of truth ( 1 Timothey 2:4 ) having the Unity with Jesus Christ ( **1 Corithans 1:9 **).

What Bible says in theory is that people who wrote the Scripture were inspired by God, but the readers who read it are not inspired in the same way. We are to read the Bible in order to power-up trust and love for Jesus Christ.
 
Here is an excerpt from the Douay-Rheims Bible of that scripture and the Church’s statement following it:
20 Understanding this first, that no prophecy of scripture is made by private interpretation.
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20 “No prophecy of scripture is made by private interpretation”… This shows plainly that the scriptures are not to be expounded by any one’s private judgment or private spirit, because every part of the holy scriptures were written by men inspired by the Holy Ghost, and declared as such by the Church; therefore they are not to be interpreted but by the Spirit of God, which he hath left, and promised to remain with his Church to guide her in all truth to the end of the world. Some may tell us, that many of our divines interpret the scriptures: they may do so, but they do it always with a submission to the judgment of the Church, and not otherwise.
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There are many people who espouse to the “right of anyone” to interpret the bible. The problem with this as you so adroitly 🙂 pointed out in the OP…was, if I understood you correctly, that there is or would be effectively as many different “interpretations” as there are people interpreting the scriptures. Therein lies the true dangers allowing the rise of false teachers and teachings. Even to the extent of the “Jim Jones’” and others…

I am not illiterate by any means, and I am educated and speak the English language and can speak some others…a little rusty now, but still… But I am not foolish enough to believe for one second that I can fully interpret bible scriptures. The Church and its wisdom in this matter are literally my “safety net” where the bible and scriptures is concerned.
 
nolongerbaptist said:
Hi,

I’m not sure this is the best forum for this question, but here goes…

One verse that seems to be popular in Catholic books and websites I’ve been reading is 2 Pet 2:10 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation”, the point being made (I think) is that scripture is not meant to be interpreted on one’s own, unauthoritatively. Although I’m coming to see the benefits of that position (i.e. nobody can disagree on interpretation like us Protestants 😉 ), and we have no way of authoritatively knowing who is correct), it seems to me that’s not exactly what that passage is talking about. At face value, it’s talking about prophecy and is explained further in the next verse “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” - in other words, OT prophecies were not just the prophets own private words, but were in fact from God. I’m having trouble accepting stretching this particular passage to talking about the necessity of a single authoritative interpreter of scripture. But maybe that’s must my own private interpretation? 😉

Any feedback appreciated.

nlb
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Laudatur Iesus Christus.

It may be easier to understand the intention of the passage to know that the Greek word used is “propheteia.” This is slightly different than the usual understanding of the word “prophecy” in English. The Greek word means the “gift of interpreting the will of the gods.” (See, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, “propheteia”.) Its parts mean “to speak forth.” This is understood in the context of relating God’s will to the people; that is to be God’s “spokesman.”

In the New Testament this is seamlessly extended to the “gift of expounding scripture or of speaking and preaching under the influence of the Holy Spirit.” See, Romans 12:6; Corinthians 12:10; 1 Timothy 1:18; etc.

This is exactly what is meant by “scriptural interpretation” today. In this light, St. Peter’s words are directly on point.

Spiritus Sapientiae nobiscum.

John Hiner
 
Use the common sense approach when reading Scripture. Don’t try to dissect the words that God has given us - don’t try to put your words in God’s teachings - don’t try to place a question mark where God placed a period. Always remember when reading scripture, LOOK FOR THE “PERSONAL” MESSAGE THAT GOD WANTS US TO RECEIVE.

Don’t try to complicate God’s Word. Scripture was not written only for the scholars and more intelligent people, (many could not even read or write), but was also written for the common person to understand. Finding and having faith in God is not complicated. It is usually the simple ordinary person with simple faith in our Lord who is closest to God.

The above paragraph reminds me of my childhood days when I was a young altar boy. Serving several morning Masses each week and sometimes in the evening. For the morning Mass, I would arrive at our church about 30 minutes before the 6 a.m. Mass. I would always see, sitting in the church, elderly people who were of little means and who had to walk some distance to get there, even on those cold wintry mornings in Pennsylvania… The women would always have a covering on their heads. They were simple people, married to coal miners like my mother and grandmother, who had little, but loved God a lot. They knew very little about Scripture even though most of them, if not all, had Bibles in their homes. Oh sure, they would read from them occasionally, but not like we do today, or rather, are supposed to do. They never tried to ask the why’s and wherefor’s as some of us do. They just simply heard the Word of God from the pulpit and some even read the Word of God in Scripture; but in either case, they FULLY ACCEPTED His Word as to how it pertained to them. While in church, most of them were saying the Rosary before Mass. They were very devout people. After Mass they would stay a little longer in prayer and then finally go home to their simple life styles of cooking, cleaning and taking care of their children while their husbands when off to work in the mines… They didn’t have Bible studies as we do today. They didn’t need that. All they needed to do was to love God. They knew very little about Scripture, but what they did know, they did not question. I feel confident that these people are now in God’s Kingdom.

The above, of course, is my true story, but probably happened all over the country in those days gone by. Some of us today are not satisfied to just love God and accept His Word without challenging, or at least dissecting those areas of Scripture that we don’t fully understand. I often times think that we are looking and reading Scripture more in an inquisitive way than in the simple way that God intended. We often fail to look for the message that God wants us to hear. We don’t have to know every chapter, verse or word in Scripture to love God. We just have to love Him and follow the teachings of His son, Jesus. We don’t have to know all the stories in the Old Testament to attain His Kingdom, but it wouldn’t hurt us to know them for background and supportive purposes. Sometimes we just head in the wrong direction thinking that we MUST know everything in the Bible if we have hopes of being with our Lord at the end of time.

To sum it all up, I say, let’s keep our faith in God simple by knowing what He wants of us and then using the common sense He gave us to carry out His teachings. Let’s increase our reading of God’s Holy Word, but steer away from scriptural arguments and pushing our personal interpretations on others. We may all receive different interpretations from Scripture as pertains to each one of us personally. God speaks to us individually through His Word. What we should do is ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit, when we read Scripture, to ensure that we are getting the message God wants us to have. Take advantage of Bible studies when they are offered, especially by our own church. Remember, Christians experience dying, but will never experience death if we follow the teachings as given to us in Scripture and the traditions, especially the Apostolic Traditions of our church. Remember, God’s Word in Scripture IS God talking to each one of us on a personal level.
 
Private Interpretation is not in regards to the individual looking at the evidence and coming to a conclusion, RATHER it is in regards to an unauthorized individual self-appointing themself to an office of teaching/authority and telling others to follow his interpretation. This is especially relevant when a individual doesnt want to obey his Bishop and due to his “itching ears” (as Paul would say, 2 Tim 4:3) that dissatisfied individual would set up their own self-appointed teachers.

The Catholic understanding of “salvation history” is that Jesus established ONE Church and thus one Gospel, this Gospel has been preserved throughout the ages. The individual who is looking to the find the Truth must recognize there is one Church and seek to track it down through their own “private investigation”…but NEVER does this give the individual the right to put them self in a position of church authority to be obeyed and followed. That is what we mean by “Private Interpretation”.
 
The doctrine of the Catholic Church has to be correct… I too was a protestant until Easter…

When Christ said “The gates of hell shall not prevail against my church” and we know that the only church in existance was the Catholic Church… WELL THEN THE CHURCH DOCTRINE MUST BE CORRECT.
 
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