Acerca de la verdad contenida en la Sagrada Escritura (Una «quaestio» de Santo Tomás citada por la Constitución «Dei Verbum»)

Resumen

152

Towards the end of the past century, the divine gift of biblical inspiration begun to be considered as an aspect of the gift of prophecy, which St. Thomas explains in the questions 171-174 of the secunda secundae of the Summa Theologiae, as well as in other texts. Hence, the nature of the gift of biblical inspiration was understood as a case of prophecy in which God gives to the hagiographer the lumen divinum ad iudicandum, as speculative judgment; but at the same time that this lumen is not accompanied by the infusion of the species on the part of God. Biblical inspiration was then considered as revelatio late dicta.

A few decades ago, serious objections came up opposing this form of explaining the divine gift of inspiration above all with arguments based on a clearer distinction between revelation and inspiration. The eminently practical character of biblical inspiration oriented towards writing is accentuated. This notion of inspiration is considered foreign to the formulation of the problem made by St. Thomas on the subject of prophetic gift. The essence of the gift of inspiration is placed not in the speculative judgment, which distinguishes the divine gift of revelation, but rather in the practical judgment which deliberates on the convenience of writing and the manner of doing it.

In this context, it is highly significant that the Const. Dei Verbum of the II Vatican Council makes rejerence, in note 5 of paragraph 11, to a text of St. Thomas in which he studies the gift of prophecy: De Veritate q. 12, a. 2 c. In the last moments of the composition of Dei Verbum, this quotation of St. Thomas is inserted in order to clarify the correct meaning of biblical truth, one of the most discussecl topics of the mentioned conciliar Constitution.

The truth, quam Deus nostrae salutis causa Litteris Sacris consignari voluit, understood (according to the orientation of note 5) under the light of Thomistic doctrine, supposes that the gift of inspiration involves on the part of the hagiographer an act of the speculative judgment. All the affirmations of the Sacred Scripture have been placed in script for our salvation. But at the same time, these are all true in themselves because they correspond to reality. They are salvific truths (salutares) that always maintain their true and salvific character. The very close relation between both concepts -truth and salvation- should not lead to a loss of the proper meaning of the former. This supposes that the gift of divine inspiration of the Holy Scripture includes an act of speculative judgment, in the manner of prophetic gift, as well as an act of practical judgment, which is also considered, in an analogous manner in the thomistic doctrine of the divine gift of prophecy.