Bad Scripture Interpretations (4)

As most of you know, I received my bachelor's degree in (protestant) Biblical Studies, with a minor in Greek (and almost a second minor in Hebrew). I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a gpa of 3.98. I also have a master's degree in (protestant) Pastoral Theology and graduated with a gpa of 4.0. This is only given to say: I know protestant theology, and know it well.

If anything was taught to us back then, it was how to interpret Scripture. I did not say that we were taught the way that Christians interpreted Scripture since the first century; no, we were taught how Martin Luther and others of his kind interpreted Scripture. In other words, we were taught how to reject Catholicism, and then find whatever we expected to find in Scripture.

I have stacks of commentaries on the books of the Bible. Many of them are written by protestants, using the exact same methods of study, and most of them disagree with each other. If this method is so correct, then why does it lead to so many different perspectives, all of which see the others as in error? I believe that the answer to that is that the protestant method of interpretation of Scripture is not based on seeking to understand what the Bible says, but rather to prove what the interpreter is wanting to prove.

In 2 Timothy 2:15, St. Paul tells Bishop Timothy that he must be a faithful minister who is known to be "rightly handling the word of truth" because so many handle God's word wrongly. That was a favorite rally cry of every protestant denomination that I came into contact with. They each claimed to "rightly handle" the Bible but everyone else did it wrongly.

Once again, they said this while each was using the same method of interpretation. Sounds to me like the method is broken. It was wrong from the day it was invented (by those who rebelled against the Church), and it is just as wrong today. Let us learn to submit to God's mouthpiece: the Apostles who handed their authority on to the Popes and Bishops, who have in turn relayed to us the truth for the last 2000 years. Thanks be to God.