THE MARVELOUS CONDESCENSION OF GOD 

Throughout this study, we are reading Dei Verbum carefully in continuity with Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the perennial teaching of the Catholic Church – considering both what the text says and how it must be understood within the Faith handed down through the centuries.

In Day Eight, we conclude Chapter Three with section 13. Though it is only a single paragraph, it addresses a profound mystery: the marvelous condescension by which God expresses His divine Word through human language, just as the eternal Word took to Himself the weakness of human flesh.

We also examine where confusion entered. The Council did not teach that Sacred Scripture contains error. Yet when its less explicit language was separated from the safeguards found within Dei Verbum itself and from the Church’s prior teaching, human limitation could be made to overshadow divine authorship.

By comparing section 13 with Sacred Scripture, the Fathers, Vatican I, and the teaching of Pope Pius XII, we consider why the Council must always be interpreted within the Church’s unbroken Faith. God adapted His manner of speaking to our human weakness, but He did not adapt His truth to falsehood.

Use the button below to access Day Eight of our “14 Days Through Dei Verbum” study.

Tomorrow, in Day Nine, we plan to start Chapter Four, and take up section 14. In chapter Four, we will examine the Old Testament, God’s preparation of His people, and the essential unity of the Old and New Testaments.

May this reading deepen our gratitude for the kindness of God, who stooped down to speak to us in human words while preserving intact His divine truth and holiness.

In Christ,

The Pillars of Faith Team