From: Robert Schneider (rjschn39@bellsouth.net)
Date: Sun Jun 15 2003 - 14:03:51 EDT
Walter writes:
>
> Is there anywhere in the Bible where it claims it's own inerrancy? I know,
for
> example, that RC Pope has declared himself to be infallible wrt matters of
faith
> and morals. But, I have never heard of any clear cut claim of inerrancy
> specifically made in the Bible. All that seems to be based upon inference
and
> "logic".
On references to inerrancy in the Bible, see my response to Moorad's note.
The declaration of papal infallibility, that is, that when speaking from the
Chair of Peter on matters of faith and morals, the Pontiff, inspired by the
Holy Spirit, speaks without error, was not declared by any pope, but rather
by the First Vatican Council in 1870. I might add, though, that the Pope at
the time, Pius IX, lobbied heavily for this declaration among the bishops in
council, going, it is said, to rather great lengths with his largess to
insure a majority vote. Since that time only two papal declarations falling
under the infallibility rule have been issued, both regarding the Virgin
Mary, and both enshrining as dogma matters of popular belief. They are
belief in the Immaculate Conception and in the Assumption of the Virgin (the
latter in 1950). Recent attempts by the conservative Cardinal Ratzinger,
head of the Congregation for the Faith, to characterize certain
pronouncements of Pope John Paul II, as falling within the domain of
infallibilty, e.g., the prohibition against the ordination of women to the
priesthood, have been ignored or dismissed by a large body of Catholic
opinion, including theological, and are not likely to stand the test of
time.
Bob Schneider
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