SCRPT 616 offers an introduction to the academic study of the Bible as a theological and historical text, that is Biblical exegesis, from the Patristic era to the Enlightenment. The course begins by discussing modern Church teachings about the nature of Divine revelation; the relationship of Scripture, tradition, and the Magisterium; and, guidelines for interpreting Scripture in the Church.

The course then studies Biblical interpretation in the Church and in the world as it developed from the Patristic Era to the Enlightenment (up to about 1800). This study begins with the Church Fathers, then moves through the medieval scholastics, to the Renaissance and then issues of the Protestant Schism-Heresies or Reformation. Finally, the course considers the challenge of early Enlightenment philosophy and the early development of modern textual scholarship.

While the course stands on its own, it is also the first of a two-part history of Biblical interpretation. SCRPT 617 considers the academic study of the Bible since the Enlightenment, including the development of modern critical methods of text-historical study; the Church’s discernment of and careful integration of these methods, and directions for future development.