The Gospels as True Witnesses of the Incarnated Word
Janusz Kręcidło
Abstract
The article develops the concept of true witness of the four canonical Gospels to Jesus Christ the Incarnated Word. The starting point is presentation of the teaching of the Pontifical Biblical Commission (PBC) in the document The Inspiration and Truth of the Sacred Scripture (2014) about the witness of the Bible, especially the Gospels. The canonical Gospels are considered in it as main witness of the life and teaching of the Incarnated Word. The article demonstrates that the PBC repeats here the teaching of the conciliar constitution Dei Verbum (1965). Argumentation in the article emphasizes the historical reliability of the transmission of the life and teaching of the historical Jesus in the Church tradition: historical Jesus – eye witnesses – written Gospels – authoritative interpretation in the Church. The canonical Gospels are not primarily literary texts but a truthful registration of the witness of faith of Jesus’ believers. Consequently, the hermeneutic of faith is the only methodology that is apt to explain and understand the true nature of the Scriptures.
Keywords:
biblical hermeneutics, canonical Gospels, historical truth of the Gospel, witness of the Church tradition, hermeneutics of faithReferences
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