Divino Afflante Spiritus (Pius
XII, September 30, 1943)
"... discern and define that sense of the biblical words which
is called literal ... so that the mind of the author may be made
"... discern and define that sense of the biblical words which
is called literal ... so that the mind of the author may be made
clear. ... the exegete must
be principally concerned with the
literal sense of the
Scriptures."
Spiritus Paraclitus (Benedict XV,
September 15, 1920)
"As Jerome insisted, all biblical interpretation rests upon the
"As Jerome insisted, all biblical interpretation rests upon the
literal sense ... "
The definition of the
literal sense: The sense which the human
author directly intended
and which his words convey.
