Dei Verbum
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Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council. The Constitution was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on November 18, 1965, following approval by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,344 to 6. "Dei Verbum" is Latin for "Word of God" and appears in the first line of the document, as is customary for major Catholic documents. (The full text in English is available through the Holy See's website (http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html).)
Hence there exists a close connection and communication between sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end. For Sacred Scripture is the word of God inasmuch as it is consigned to writing under the inspiration of the divine Spirit, while sacred tradition takes the word of God entrusted by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, and hands it on to their successors in its full purity, so that led by the light of the Spirit of truth, they may in proclaiming it preserve this word of God faithfully, explain it, and make it more widely known. Consequently it is not from Sacred Scripture alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed. Therefore both sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence. (DV 9)
Contents
The numbers given correspond to section numbers within the text.
- Preface (1)
- Revelation Itself (2-6)
- Handing On Divine Revelation (7-10)
- Sacred Scripture, Its Inspiration and Divine Interpretation (11-13)
- The Old Testament (14-16)
- The New Testament (17-20)
- Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church (21-26)