MISSION
I. Profile
The Original Commissio Pontificia de Re Biblica
The body now known as the Pontifical Biblical Commission was established by Pope Leo XIII through the Apostolic Letter Vigilantiae studiique on 30 October 1902 (cf. AAS 35 [1902-1903], 234-238). The Holy Father assigned the institution a threefold mission:
a) to promote biblical study effectively among Catholics, b) to counteract erroneous opinions regarding Sacred Scripture through scientific means, and, c) to study and elucidate debated questions and emerging issues in the field of biblical studies.
Later, Pope Pius X, through the apostolic letter Scripturae Sanctae on 23 February 1904, granted the Biblical Commission the authority to confer academic degrees, including licentiates and doctorates in Biblical Studies (cf. AAS 36 [1903-1904], 530-532).
Both Leo XIII and Pius X granted the Biblical Commission broad authority to address emerging biblical questions and controversies stemming from modern critical scholarship. Between 13 February 1905, and 17 November 1921, the Commission issued fourteen decrees and two declarations in response to questions or doubts presented to it. Under Pope Pius XI, two additional decrees were promulgated, bringing the total interventions to eighteen by 30 April 1934.
The New Pontifical Biblical Commission
On 27 June 1971, as part of the post-conciliar reform and through the Motu Proprio Sedula cura (cf. AAS 63 [1971], 665-669), Pope Paul VI introduced new norms for the organization and operation of the Biblical Commission to enhance its relevance to contemporary needs.
This Apostolic Letter brought about significant changes to the Commission’s role and structure. According to its provisions, the Members of the Commission were no longer Cardinals assisted by consultors but rather experts in the biblical sciences from various schools and nations, chosen for their scholarship, prudence, and fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church (Art. 3).
This structural reform transformed the Commission into a consultative body serving the Magisterium, under the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, whose Prefect also serves as the President of the Commission (Art. 1).
II. Activities and Documents
The Pontifical Biblical Commission organizes an annual plenary assembly the second week after Easter, on a topic chosen by the President in consultation with various entities, such as the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Episcopal Conferences, and the Commission itself.
The new Biblical Commission held its first plenary Assembly in 1974, during which exams for the conferral of academic degrees in the biblical sciences were reviewed.
In 1975-1976, the Commission studied femininity in the Bible, and, more precisely, the role of women in society according to Sacred Scripture. The conclusions reached by the Biblical Commission were not published but only placed at the service of the Holy See, following the provisions of Article 10 of the Apostolic Letter Sedula cura.
In 1977-1978, the Commission addressed the use of Sacred Scripture in Liberation Theology, a topic of significant relevance at the time, although no document was published.
In the plenary assembly of 1979, the theme of inculturation in Sacred Scripture was studied, and the contributions were published in a volume entitled Faith and Culture in Light of the Bible (Fede e cultura alla luce della Bibbia, LDC, Turin 1981).
In 1980, the Commission decided to study a very demanding and diverse theme: the relationship between hermeneutics and Christology. This study continued until the Plenary Assembly of 1983, which ended with the publication of the document The Bible and Christology (Bible et Christologie, Cerf, Paris 1984), which was immediately translated into the principal languages.
From 1985 to 1988, the Biblical Commission took time to study the complex connections between local churches and the universality of the one People of God, featuring an approach that was biblical, ecclesiological, and ecumenical. A document of twenty pages was produced with the title, Unity and Diversity in the Church (Unité et diversité dans l’Église), and this was made public, together with the text of the presentations of the various Members (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Città del Vaticano 1989). This also was translated into the principal languages.
In 1989, the Commission studied the important theme of the interpretation of the Bible. Various presentations were made, and work was taken forward on many controversial aspects that, for some years, had raised heated discussions in scientific circles. The work continued for some years thereafter. Finally, in 1993, the Commission published the document, The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Città del Vaticano 1993).
From 1994 to 1996, the Commission studied the universality of salvation through Christ and the diversity of the religions. Starting in 1997, the Commission undertook an in-depth study of the relationship between the New and Old Testaments and between Christians and Jews. This investigation concluded in the Plenary Session of 2000. The following year, the document entitled “The Jewish People and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible” was published in various languages.
In the following years, the Commission took up new and important topics, and its reflections were published in the following documents:
- The Bible and Morality: Biblical Roots of Christian Conduct (11 May 2008)
- The Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture: The Word That Comes from God and Speaks of God for the Salvation of the World (22 February 2014)
- “What is Man?” (Ps 8:5): A Biblical Anthropology (30 September 2019).
BOARD
The President of the Biblical Commission is the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, assisted by a Secretary (chosen from among the twenty Members of the Commission) and by a Technical Secretary. The members of the Biblical Commission, including the Secretary, upon the recommendation of the President, are nominated by the Holy Father for a period of five years. Once the five-year period has ended, they can be reconfirmed for a second mandate. They come from various schools and countries and are distinguished for their learning and Catholic respect of the Church’s Magisterium. The present composition of the Biblical Commission is as follows:
President: S. Em. Card. Víctor Manuel Fernández
Secretary: Prof. Nuria Calduch Benages
Technical Secretary: Rev. Alessandro Belano, F.D.P.