HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies ISSN: (Online) 2072-8050, (Print) 0259-9422 Page 1 of 10 Original Research Theological reflection, divorced from the incarnational nature of the Christian faith, invalidates the Bible Author: This article draws its inspiration from the famous excerpt of the 5th century Father and 1 Jennifer Slater Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church, Jerome, who firmly claims in his Commentary on Affiliation: Isaiah (Nn 1.2: CCL 73, 1–3) that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. By this exhortation 1Department of Philosophy, he urged Christians to recognise the serious necessity to study the Word of God as it is not Practical and Systematic an optional luxury to be used and interpreted with tawdriness. The secret of this renowned Theology, College of Human biblical scholar was to adhere to a fundamental criterion, namely, to interpret the Holy Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa Scriptures in harmony with the Roman Catholic Church’s magisterium, and thus no person is at liberty to interpret the scriptures alone and slip into self-righteous error. Jerome believed Corresponding author: that the authentic interpretation of Scripture is harmonious with the faith of the (Catholic) Jennifer Slater, Church and when ‘correctly attuned’, only then the reader is authorised to understand
[email protected] Sacred Scripture. Scripture is the foundation of theological truth and this article endeavours Dates: to disclose that when the bible is not perceived as an inexhaustible source of inspiration and Received: 29 Apr. 2020 guidance, it is left open for distasteful interpretations and becomes a recipe for scripture Accepted: 02 Oct.