Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
The Use and Purposes of Scripture: Conclusion

The Use and Purposes of Scripture: Conclusion

Last updated on: February 21, 2017 at 6:51 am by Henry Karlson

The Use and Purposes of Scripture: Conclusion 2017-02-21T06:51:50-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Indeed, when Scripture is not properly understood as a tool helping achieve an end, and is seen as the end all discourse in and of itself, it not only becomes an idol which prevents the believer from attaining union with God, it becomes also a tool for the preservation of the ideology of the one who comes to the text to use it for their own limited purpose. Such a believer ends up believing their own interpretation of the text over its proper meaning, preventing them from attaining their proper end (union with God), as they end up defeating themselves through their own ego, as the Mahāyāna Sūtrālamkāra suggests:

The meaning (of the discourses) being (too) literally construed, self-conceited understanding leads to the ruin of intelligence. One rejects the well-taught and so suffers a defeat, confused by hostility toward the teaching.[5]

The interpreter who fails to understand its meaning becomes hostile to the truth due to their misconceived understanding of the text. We can see this in the way many who take Scripture in a positivistic fashion use their interpretation not only to deny the proper meaning of Scripture, but to vilify Scripture and the Christian tradition. Their hostility due is due to their self-conceited literalism. The same, of course, applies to many others whose hostility is geared towards those who do not follow them in their literalism with the text. Such interpreters ignore how the text itself warns against following such literalism, saying it will destroy those who look to it instead of the spirit, or real meaning, of the text:

Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the Spirit; for the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life (2Cor. 3:5-6 RSV).

This, then, was also noted in the commentary for the Mahāyāna Sūtrālamkāra (by either Asaṅga or Vasubandhu), where the commentator pointed out that one believing themselves to know the meaning of a text through its most literal reading will be found to ignore the proper teaching of the text established by those who were its masters, and so instead of following through and becoming like the holy ones before, they will end up with a real spiritual loss:

“Self-conceited understanding” is complacent attachment to one’s own view, not seeking the (true) import from the wise. It leads to the ruin of intelligence, due to the loss suffered from failure to attain the intuition attuned with reality. Such a one rejects the well-taught explanations of the teaching, thereby gaining great demerit and so suffering a defeat. The confusion of hostility toward the teaching leads to the (harmful) evolutionary action of abandonment of the teaching; this is its major drawback.[6]

Saint Jerome in his study. By Domenico Ghirlandaio [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

There is a difference between receiving a text and understanding it. The second requires leaning, soul searching, and a willingness to see beyond the “literal” reading of the text, so that the actual meaning of the text can be ascertained. Each text is itself a kind of riddle, and the solution of the riddle requires one to understand the code, the conventions, used, as Jerome suggested:

There is a difference between receiving and learning. The one who receives the Gospel is introduced to it and induced to trust in it and believes what is written to be true. The one who learns understands the messages that are encoded in Scripture in riddles and parables. [7]

To debate the validity of the externals of the text is not to debate the meaning of the text, and those caught up in such debates have yet to open the text up properly to understand its intent. That intent is, once again, known by love. That is, the text must be interpreted with love as the key, as the hermeneutic which unlocks the intended meaning of the text. Then we will see that Scripture points out that we are not only to be saved by Jesus Christ, but to be united with God (the Trinity) in a union of love which recognizes our relative distinction without absolution and yet awakens us to the truth which is the kingdom of heaven, the enjoyment of God, as Augustine explained:

The true objects of enjoyment, then, are the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, who are at the same time the Trinity, one Being, supreme above all, and common to all who enjoy Him, if He is an object, and not rather the cause of all objects, or indeed even if He is the cause of all. For it is not easy to find a name that will suitably express so great excellence, unless it is better to speak in this way: The Trinity, one God, of whom are all things, through whom are all things, in whom are all things.[8]

Scripture has several purposes, several interpretations, but they all lead to and point to one final purpose and goal. There are indeed several layers of advice found within it, some for those beginning their journey into God, and for some, those who are closing in on God, there are the hidden truths which only they can ascertain and use to help complete their journey into God. The greater, more difficult truths to discern become evident the closer one attains to full loving union with God until, at last, they are known in and of themselves in a way which transcends word. Then Scripture itself, the pointer to the truth, is no longer necessary for one’s understanding of the truth as the truth reveals itself to them in the silence which transcends all words.

[1] The Scripture on the Explication of Underlying Meaning. trans. John P. Keenan (Berkley, CA: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 2000), 12.

[2] St. Jerome, Commentary on Galatians. trans. Andrew Cain (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America, 2010), 78 -9.

[3] St. Augustine, “On Christian Doctrine” in NPNF1(2):533.

[4] St. Augustine, “On Christian Doctrine,” 534.

[5] Maitreya and Asanga, The Universal Vehicle Discourse Literature. Trans. L Jamspal, R. Clark, J. Wilson, L. Zwilling, M. Sweet, R. Thurman (New York: American Institute of Buddhist Studies, 2004), 15.

[6] Maitreya and Asanga, The Universal Vehicle Discourse Literature, 15.

[7] St. Jerome, Commentary on Galatians, 79.

[8] St. Augustine, “On Christian Doctrine,”524.

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook:

A Little Bit of Nothing

Previous Post

February 20, 2017

The Use and Purposes of Scripture: Part One

Next Post

February 22, 2017 Stand With The Earth Against Trump And Congress

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz