Second Vatican Council Fathers and Their Concern about Catholic Biblical Studies

Abstract

The article presents the significant development of theological and biblical thinking since the beginning of the 20th century until the end of the Second Vatican Council. The tension between natural sciences and Biblical Studies, and thenceforth between historical studies and the matter of historical truth in the Bible, became the cause of numerous disputes, and controversies that Catholic theologians could not manage. Additional difficulties were caused by dubious conclusions of the Protestant exegetes, who stated that based on the Gospels there is only one reliable fact about the historical Jesus – the fact that he had existed (R. Bultmann). The very systematic and persistent work of the Council Fathers led to the formulation of the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum. This document described the nature of Divine Revelation and acknowledged all scientific research of the Catholic theologians and biblical scholars.

Keywords

• The Second Vatican Council, biblical studies