Biblical theology, in the Catholic tradition, refers to the systematic study of how Scripture reveals the unfolding of divine action across time. It treats the Bible not as a disconnected anthology, but as a narrative structure, one that traces the arc from creation to covenant, from Christ to consummation.
Unlike historical-critical methods that interrogate the text from a distance, biblical theology approaches it as the Church’s canon: theologically coherent, shaped by tradition, and intended to illuminate the relationship between God and humanity. Its purpose is not merely to interpret the past, but to place the reader inside a story the Church claims is still ongoing.
Sub-Topics in Biblical Theology
The Story of Salvation
At the centre of biblical theology is the idea that Scripture presents a coherent story of salvation history. According to Catholic teaching, this begins with the creation narrative in Genesis and proceeds through Israel’s covenantal history, culminating in the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ.
Each part of the Old Testament is read in anticipation of the New. Figures such as Abraham, Moses, and David are interpreted as types, foreshadowings of Christ. The New Testament, in turn, is presented as the fulfilment of these anticipations. This typological method, though theological in intent, shapes much of how the Church reads and proclaims the Bible.
Scripture as the Living Word
For Catholics, Scripture is not merely historical record but verbum Dei, the Word of God. Biblical theology begins with the premise that this Word continues to speak, not only to its original context but to the Church today.
This view is rooted in Dei Verbum, the Second Vatican Council’s document on divine revelation, which asserts that Scripture and Tradition together transmit the Word, under the guidance of the Magisterium. Biblical theology is the discipline tasked with making sense of this transmission, not in abstract, but in ecclesial context.
For an overview of Catholic teaching on Scripture, consult Dei Verbum.
Christ as Interpretive Key
In Catholic theology, the figure of Christ is not one element of Scripture, but its interpretive key. The Church holds that all of Scripture “finds its fulfilment” in Him. The Gospels present His life as the axis on which the entire biblical narrative turns.
Biblical theology traces how prophetic texts, wisdom literature, and even seemingly unrelated genres are brought into new light by Christ’s life and teaching. This includes early Christian re-readings of Hebrew texts in light of the resurrection, what some have called “the Christological lens.” The discipline doesn’t pretend this approach is neutral. It is confessional by design.
Themes That Organise the Narrative
Covenant
One of the dominant structural themes is covenant. From God’s promise to Noah, to the calling of Abraham, to the law given to Moses, covenants mark turning points in salvation history. Biblical theology interprets these not only as legal or historical agreements, but as theological signposts pointing toward the new covenant in Christ.
Kingdom of God
Another central theme, especially in the New Testament, is the Kingdom of God. In Catholic theology, this is not an abstract utopia nor a purely eschatological event. It is both already present and not yet complete, a space where divine rule begins in the human heart and aims at cosmic fulfilment.
Unity and Diversity in Scripture
The Bible includes a wide variety of genres: law codes, poetry, narrative, apocalyptic vision. Biblical theology attempts to respect this diversity while claiming theological unity. Catholic teaching maintains that the multiplicity of voices is not a flaw but a feature, that the Holy Spirit speaks through human authors without erasing their individuality.
This raises questions about harmonisation, authorship, and interpretation, especially where texts seem to diverge. Biblical theology’s task is not to flatten these tensions, but to read them in a framework that presumes coherence, however complex.
Why It Matters
Biblical theology is not just an academic exercise; it informs how the Church preaches, prays, and forms doctrine. It underpins the lectionary, shapes the content of the Catechism, and frames the Church’s understanding of God’s action in the world.
For Catholic believers, it offers a way of reading Scripture that is at once historical and theological, narrative and liturgical. It does not ask whether the Bible can be read this way; it begins by asserting that it must.
That claim invites both reflection and scrutiny.
Conclusion
Biblical theology, as understood in the Catholic tradition, is a method of reading Scripture through the lens of faith, shaped by Tradition, and centred on Christ. It builds its narrative around themes the Church considers essential (covenant, kingdom, fulfilment) while holding that the Bible, as canon, speaks with a unified voice.
Whether one shares its assumptions or not, biblical theology reveals how the Church understands its own story and invites others to ask what it means to read sacred texts not only as literature, but as a living Word within a living tradition.
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