Vigilantiae studiique
Vigilantiae studiique is the name of an Apostolic Constitution of Pope Leo XIII. (1878–1903), dated October 30, 1902. With this constitution, also known as the Apostolic Letter , he announced the establishment of the “ Pontifical Biblical Commission ” and laid down the order, the rules and the organization of this papal institution.
history
Because he saw a growing danger of carelessness and false teaching in the interpretation of the Bible at the beginning of the 20th century, Pope Leo XIII decided. the implementation of a papal biblical commission. The Pope wrote that the task of this Biblical Commission was to "promote the progress of biblical studies and to ensure that errors do not arise". Previously, Leo XIII. with his biblical encyclical Providentissimus Deus of November 18, 1893 made fundamental statements about the use of the Holy Scriptures . Regarding the responsibilities of the Biblical Commission, he wrote that the commission members should include eminent scholars,
“Whose task it should be to ensure by all means effectively that the Holy Scriptures are given the careful treatment required by the circumstances of the time among Catholics and that not only every hint of error, but also all too free opinion is kept away from it. "
Pope Pius XII later affirmed this objective . in his encyclical Divino afflante Spiritu of September 30, 1943, in which he also dealt with the use of the Bible and the Bible explanations.
See also
The three most important so-called Bible encyclics:
- Providentissimus Deus (November 18, 1893) by Pope Leo XIII.
- Spiritus Paraclitus (December 8, 1920) also the so-called "Hieronymus Encyclical" by Pope Benedict XV. and
- Divino afflante Spiritu (September 30, 1943) by Pope Pius XII.