May 2, 2010

  • Question 252 - Questions about the Canon of Scripture

    Mr. Sungenis,

     

    Thank you for taking the time to participate in this project.  I am looking forward to reading your answers.

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Andy Erwin

     

    1.)   Do Catholics believe in a “closed” canon?  If so, what or who closed the canon?

     

    Robert Sungenis: Yes, the Catholic Church teaches that the biblical canon is closed. It also teaches that the Catholic Church, as represented in its universal magisterium by the pope and the bishops, was given the authority to make such decisions (cf. Matt 16:18-19; 1Tim 3:15; Act 15:1-12). In brief, by the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Catholic Church determined which books are canonical (inspired by the Holy Spirit).

     

    2.)   Concerning the apocryphal books of the Old Testament, why do you include some in the Canon and not others?

     

    Robert Sungenis: Because it was determined by the Catholic Church that some were not inspired by the Holy Spirit and therefore not canonical.

     

    3.)   Do you accept any of the Church Fathers as being inspired?  Are their works considered canonical by the Roman Catholic Church?

     

    Robert Sungenis: No, none of the Church Fathers were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and none of their works are considered canonical. The only official attribution the Catholic Church gives to the Church Fathers is that, when the Fathers are in consensus on any given topic of faith or morals, we are obliged to accept their consensus as being of Apostolic origin, and therefore a Sacred Tradition that must be accepted, as commanded by St. Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:15.

     

    4.)   Could a canonical book’s status change today if the Roman Catholic Church decreed it did not belong?  What about the status of a non-canonical book?

     

    Robert Sungenis: That is like asking if God could uncreate the world if he decided one day that he didn’t want it to exist any longer. The answer, of course, is no, since God cannot lie. By the same token, the Catholic Church cannot lie when it is infallibly guided by the Holy Spirit to determine the canon of Scripture. Therefore, what the Catholic Church decreed infallibly in the past cannot change in the future. Therefore, all books which have been chosen as canonical will remain canonical and their status will never change. All books that have been determined to be non-canonical will remain non-canonical.

     

    5.)   How does your view of canonicity affect the doctrine you teach? 

     

    Robert Sungenis: It affects it in the sense that when we preach from the Bible we know that what we preach is true because the book from which the information is taken has been declared canonical by infallible decree. If it were not the case that the book was determined to be canonical by infallible decree, then we would not be able to teach from it as being the word of God, since we could never be sure that God actually inspired its words.