THE INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE IN THE CHURCH AND CONTEXTUAL APPROACHES

The Pontifical Biblical Commission's document The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (IBC) details interpretive methods which the Roman Catholic exegete should use in the study of Biblical texts. This article highlights the IBC's description and assessment of Contextual Approaches such as Liberation Theology and Feminism. The reading of the Scripture has been susceptible to interpretations according to the context of the reader. Thus, this paper provides an overview and assessment of these two methods of interpretation discussed in the Pontifical Commission's document, as well as an assessment and suggestions for how exegetes can fruitfully engage with these two contextual approaches.