Teologia Moral Fundamental A questão da permanência, universalidade e aplicabilidade dos preceitos morais da Sagrada Escritura

Abstract

In this article we focus on the delicate issue of the interpretation and concrete application of the moral exhortations and regulations present in Sacred Scripture. The Bible, in its moral dimension, requires special exegetical and hermeneutical care. Through biblical exegesis, texts are interpreted in the literary, cultural and religious context of the time and place in which they were written. Through hermeneutics, in turn, we seek to discover and discern what the biblical text teaches us today, what light and guidance it brings to readers/believers in the face of their current problems.When one intends to make a “moral use” of the Bible, care and discretion must be exercised. There is a moral evolution from the Old Testament to the New Testament according to a divine pedagogy. Adultery, for example, was condemned in the Old Testament with the penalty of stoning. Jesus continues to condemn adultery from a moral point of view, but the cruel punishment provided for in the Torah (“Law”) becomes unacceptable in the light of the Christian spirit. Mercy overcomes legal judgment (John 8:1-11). The more concrete biblical moral norms are, the more carefully they must be interpreted and applied. In this regard, it is very useful to keep in mind the document of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, dated April 15, 1993: “The interpretation of the Bible in the Church”. This document presents two fundamental interpretation criteria: the updating criterion and the inculturation criterion. This way, fundamentalism is avoided and the evangelical spirit is preserved. And here we come to the core message: it is essential to read and interpret the Bible with a Christian perspective. Jesus Christ is the key to reading all of Holy Scripture.