The theological-ecclesial method considers Church leaders/doctrine as the final authority for the interpretation of the Bible. Christians have interpreted the Bible ecclesiologically from the beginning of Christianity. Even before there was a New Testament, the first Christians expressed their faith in creeds. For example, see the early creed chronicaled in I Corinthians: 15. In addition, the first Christians also gathered in Councils to combat error and clarify the content of Christian doctrine (see Acts 15). As summaries of Christian faith and statements of scriptural truths, the creeds and the councils of the early Church provide basic doctrinal framework for reading and interpreting Scripture. Several dominant thinkers have influenced the pre-modern Catholic development of Theological-Ecclesial interpretation, including Origen and Augustine. Augustine’s work On Christian Doctrine set three tasks for Christian teachers and preachers: to discover the truth in the Scriptures, to teach the truth from the Scriptures, and to use Church doctrine to defend scriptural truth when it was attacked. Origen recognized the historicity of the scriptures; however, he did not recognize its relevance to our interpretation. Instead, Origen interpreted scripture through the lens of the Church as the source of Christian life, laying the foundation for ecclesiological interpretation ^[1] Several documents originating from Vatican II reveal ecclesial interpretation as essential for Christian understanding. In the Dogmatic Constitution On Divine Revelation, Pope Paul IV asserts the vital role of the teaching office of the Church in establishing a strong foundation for Biblical interpretation: “The task of authentically interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed on, has been entrusted exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church, whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ ^[2].” In addition, Pope Paul VI clarifies this role of the magisterium as a service to God in communicating His word to man, “The Magisterium of the Church is not above the word of God; it serves it ^[3].

The theological-ecclesial method refers to the method of interpreting the bible through the lens of the Church. This definition was developed by combining the meaning of the words theology and ecclesial; theology meaning, “the study of religious faith, practice, and experience,” ^[4] and ecclesial meaning, “of or relating to a church” ^[5]. This method has been around for as long as the Church has and has been developed over that time. There are many positive qualities that come with this type of biblical interpretation, including a greater understanding of the practices and beliefs of the Church. By looking through its lens it all becomes much less pixelated to the reader. However, it also has some negative results. Because of how long it has been around and how many different interpretations have been layered over the top of it over time, one’s view of the scripture can become clouded.

Ecclesial Method

The creation of the Ecclesial Method came from the Second Vatican Council. In the beginning of the council Pope Pius XXIII was overseeing the council meetings in 1962. By the end of the Vatican II in 1965 Pope Paul VI had become Pope ^[6]. When Pope Paul VI became Pope he took a focus in how we should teach the bible teachings. A quote from the article Vatican II-Voice of The Church said “Chapter six of Dei Verbum indicates some specific areas in the life of the Church which are nourished and guided by the Scriptures: theology and the whole ‘ministry of the Word’ (‘pastoral preaching, catechetics and all forms of Christian instruction, among the liturgical homily should take pride of place’) ^[7].

Theological Method

The creation of the Theological Method has been present since the creation of the Church. This method comes from the scientific method of studying religion. The use of this method, is based off of not only reading scripture but studying, analyzing and questioning the bible and the doctrine that is implemented ^[8]. Thomas Aquinas was the one credited with the creation of this methodology and first looked into this concept when looking at Divine Trinity, which incorporates the Father, Son and the Holy Spirity ^[9].

The Theological-Ecclesial method is a very unique way of interpreting the Bible. The method is pertaining to the thoughts and ideas of the Church and this method is used to teach people how to understand scriptures by learning it from the Church’s teaching. The Theological- Ecclesial method makes it clear the best way to understand the scripture is by the Church because it is the truest interpretation ^[10]. It also states that independent and private opinions of Scripture are not correct because it would turn the Bible into chaos of different interpretations. ^[11]. A person can learn the church’s teachings through different scriptures through out the Bible, in the stories of Matthew, Peter, Timothy, Etc... ^[12]. If a person is unable to understand a scripture the best possible answer they can receive is by finding their answer through the church.