To whom does the Bible belong and why?

[Della]

1. Everyone who reads it.
2. Those to whom it is given to understand it.
3. “Bible Christians”.
4. The Catholic Church, as a part of its Sacred Tradition.

Why?

(I see a lot of misunderstandings written about the Bible on CAF, so I thought we should try to clear up this question, and then go on to others questions related to it in subsequent threads.)

 

[Fergal]

Usually things belong to those from whom they originate or to those to whom they are given.

If that is the case, we may say that the Bible belongs to God and is for all those of good will.

 

[rwoehmke]

The question might better have been to whom belongs the ultimate authority to determine its content, proper translations, and interpretation. Anybody can obtain and own one or more Bibles and they “belong” to them. Similarly anyone can translate and interpret their Bible(s). Usually some entity holds a copyright on a particular translation that goes into print.

If I missed the point of the question. I apologize, as I have a great respect for the wisdom of the OP.

 

[buffalo]

God, because it’s His word.

 

[Della]

The question might better have been to whom belongs the ultimate authority to determine its content, proper translations, and interpretation. Anybody can obtain and own one or more Bibles and they “belong” to them. Similarly anyone can translate and interpret their Bible(s). Usually some entity holds a copyright on a particular translation that goes into print.

If I missed the point of the question. I apologize, as I have a great respect for the wisdom of the OP.

Thank you for your kind words.

I wasn’t thinking of personal ownership nor of denominational translations. Gee, this can get complicated quickly, can’t it?

No, I just mean whose Scriptures are they, and why.

Also, I’m assuming the Author is the Holy Spirit.

 

[kepha1]

When the Bible is removed from the Church, it is no longer an inspired book. It just makes for inspirational reading. God’s Divine Revelation, Tradition and Scripture as explained by the Church, belongs to all mankind. The Bible alone reduces God’s revelation to an opinion reference text.

 

[zerinus]

God, because it’s His word.

Thank you, best answer. A book “belongs” to its author, or copyright owner; and since the Bible is acknowledged as the “word of God,” then God becomes the “owner” of the Book, or the Person to Whom it “belongs”. We have received the Bible from God on trust, and He holds us responsible for how we treat it or respond to its message.

zerinus

 

[geekborj]

1. Everyone who reads it.
2. Those to whom it is given to understand it.
3. “Bible Christians”.
4. The Catholic Church, as a part of its Sacred Tradition.

Why?

(I see a lot of misunderstandings written about the Bible on CAF, so I thought we should try to clear up this question, and then go on to others questions related to it in subsequent threads.)

Answer is easy. It belongs to anyone who has all the traits listed above! #4 is the shortest answer since it encompasses #1, #2, AND #3. There is no paradox here.

 

[Della]

Thank you, best answer. A book “belongs” to its author, or copyright owner; and since the Bible is acknowledged as the “word of God,” then God becomes the “owner” of the Book, or the Person to Whom it “belongs”. We have received the Bible from God on trust, and He holds us responsible for how we treat it or respond to its message.

zerinus

While the Holy Spirit certainly inspired the Sacred Writers, it is a physical object produced by men. And as such, to whom does it most properly belong and why?

geekborj:

Answer is easy. It belongs to anyone who has all the traits listed above! #4 is the shortest answer since it encompasses #1, #2, AND #3. There is no paradox here.

Yes, but why?

 

[zerinus]

While the Holy Spirit certainly inspired the Sacred Writers, it is a physical object produced by men. And as such, to whom does it most properly belong and why?

That don’t make sense. Every book is a “physical object produced by men;” but its “owner” is the person who wrote it, or who owns the copyright to it. In the case of the Bible, it is God.

zerinus

 

[DarkMark]

The author of the Bible is God. In a sense, The Church (Christ’ Bride) gave us the Bible. The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, chose which books were inspired and which was not. The Church is not separated from Christ; they are one.

 

[JRKH]

1. Everyone who reads it.

Yes. The Bible is intended to be read by those who wish to know. However it must be read carefully and with a well formed intellect

1. Those to whom it is given to understand it.

Yes. As indicated above, The Bible should be read carefully. The more often it is read and studied the more truths can be gleaned.

1. “Bible Christians”.

Yes, but only in the sence given above. The problem with the “Bible Christians”, and by that I assume you are refering to the “Sola Scriptura” types, is that they are missing a very large and important aspect of the Bible and that is it’s origion and who constructed it.

1. The Catholic Church, as a part of its Sacred Tradition.

Yes. The Catholic Church carries the pedigree of having reviewed the early writings and having decided which were inspired and deserving of being included in the canon of the Bible. Every person who uses the Bible is using a “Catholic” book.

Does that help at all?
James

 

[rocketrob]

I’m having trouble understanding the whole basis for this question. As article 95 of the Catechism states, the bible cannot be uniquely removed or distinct from the deposit of Sacred Tradition, or the Teaching Magisterium of the Church any more than an element of the Holy Trinity can be isolated:

Article 95 - “It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.”

So the real question here has to be to whom does the Word of God (being made up of both Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture) belong? And according to article 102, the one single uttered Word of God was Christ:

Article 102 - “Through all the words of Sacred Scripture, God speaks only one single Word, his one Utterance in whom he expresses himself completely: You recall that one and the same Word of God extends throughout Scripture, that it is one and the same Utterance that resounds in the mouths of all the sacred writers, since he who was in the beginning God with God has no need of separate syllables; for he is not subject to time.”

Article 103 continues to say - “For this reason, the Church has always venerated the Scriptures as she venerates the Lord’s Body. She never ceases to present to the faithful the bread of life, taken from the one table of God’s Word and Christ’s Body.”

For this reason, Sacred Scripture would belong to the Catholic Church…the one Church of the Body of Christ…the one Church that serves both the Word and Body from one table. This conclusion would seem to be supported by the following statement in article 105 of the Catechism:

Article 105 - “For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church herself.”

Sincerely,
rocketrob

 

[Della]

Thank you, everyone for your well thought-out replies.

I asked the questions because people seem to have the strange idea that all they need do to have a firm grasp of proper theology is to sit down with a Bible and let God speak to them.

People say things like: “I’ve read the Bible but I don’t see organized religion in it.”

Or: “Well, my Bible says ‘thus and so’ and so what I believe must be right.”

Or: “The Bible is the final authority.”

And the list goes on.

These statements show that people have no real idea of what the Bible is, how it came to be written/compiled, who has the authority to interpret it, or even that it needs an authoritative interpreter.

I find this quite troublesome, as well as a roadblock to meaningful discussion on many important issues on the CAF forums.

So, I thought we should lay down some groundwork about the Bible in order to help people who have erroneous ideas about it, upon which they base their beliefs and so their lives.