Spadafora argues that traditional Catholic biblical exegesis (interpretation) has been subverted and systematically defeated by a modernist current. This current, originating in Protestant rationalism, infiltrated key institutions of the Church, notably the Pontifical Biblical Institute (PBI) from the 1950s onwards, and consolidated its victory with the Second Vatican Council and subsequent reforms, resulting in a widespread crisis of faith and the demolition of the very foundations of Divine Revelation.
⚔️Spadafora identifies a radical and irreconcilable opposition between traditional Catholic exegesis and the "new" modernist exegesis on three crucial dogmatic points:
Inspiration and Inerrancy of Scripture:
Traditional View: The Bible, inspired by God in all its parts, is absolutely inerrant (free from any error, not just in matters of faith and morals), as firmly taught by encyclicals such as Providentissimus Deus by Leo XIII and Spiritus Paraclitus by Benedict XV (Spadafora, 1994).
Modernist View: Inerrancy is limited to "salvific truth," that is, only to matters of faith and morals, allowing for historical and scientific errors in the sacred text. This thesis, repeatedly condemned by the Magisterium, was cunningly reintroduced at the Second Vatican Council, despite the opposition of hundreds of fathers and the intervention of Pope Paul VI (Spadafora, 1994).
Historicity of the Gospels:
Traditional View: The Gospels are historically faithful accounts, written by the Apostles (Matthew and John) or their direct disciples (Mark and Luke), who witnessed the events.
Modernist View: Using rationalist methods like Formgeschichte ("form criticism") and Redaktiongeschichte ("redaction criticism"), the Gospels are seen as products of the "faith of the primitive community," written decades later by anonymous "redactors." Thus, the historicity of miracles, the infancy of Jesus, the Resurrection, and even certain foundational words such as those of the Primacy of Peter (Mt 16:17-19) is questioned and reduced to mere theological constructs (Spadafora, 1994).
The Magisterium as Interpreter:
Traditional View: The Church, through its infallible Magisterium, is the sole authentic interpreter of Scripture, being the "proximate norm" for the Catholic exegete, as defined by the Councils of Trent and Vatican I (Spadafora, 1994).
Modernist View: "Scientific criticism" (the historical-critical method) becomes the final authority, placing exegetes above the Magisterium and Tradition, in an attitude of rebellion that echoes the modernist heresy condemned by St. Pius X.
🗺️The text traces a chronology of what Spadafora considers a betrayal of the faith:
The Defense of Orthodoxy (until 1950): Popes like Leo XIII (Providentissimus Deus) and St. Pius X established solid defenses against modernism, creating the original Pontifical Biblical Commission (PBC) as a "dike" to protect doctrine.
The Turning Point (1950s-1960s): The Pontifical Biblical Institute (PBI), run by Jesuits, began to adopt Protestant rationalist methods. Professors like Fathers Stanislas Lyonnet and Maximilian Zerwick became the main exponents of this "new exegesis," teaching serious errors about original sin and the historicity of the Gospels (Spadafora, 1994).
The Catholic Reaction (1960): Monsignor Spadafora and Monsignor Antonino Romeo publicly denounced this modernist turn at the PBI. The controversy led to the intervention of the Holy Office (under Cardinal Ottaviani), which suspended Fathers Lyonnet and Zerwick in 1962 and issued a Monitum (warning) in 1961 reaffirming the historicity of the Gospels.
The Modernist Victory (Second Vatican Council and Pope Paul VI): Spadafora argues that the "European Alliance" of progressive bishops (led by figures such as Cardinals Bea, Frings, and Liénart) dominated the Council. The preparatory schema on Revelation (De fontibus Revelationis), which clearly reaffirmed traditional doctrine, was rejected. The final document, Dei Verbum, is seen as a compromise text, with ambiguities ("time bombs") intentionally inserted. The rehabilitation of Fathers Lyonnet and Zerwick by Paul VI in 1964 is viewed as the final blow against the Holy Office and the consecration of the "new exegesis."
🏛️Critique of Post-Conciliar Institutions
The "New" Pontifical Biblical Commission (PBC): Reformed by Paul VI, the new PBC ceased to be an organ of the Magisterium and became a "commission of specialists." Spadafora shows that its members (such as Descamps, Cazelles, Vanhoye, and more recently, Ravasi) are largely exponents of the same modernist current that the original commission was created to combat.
Recent Documents: The author harshly criticizes documents like Biblia y Cristología (1984) and The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (1993), which, in his view, formalize the acceptance of the historical-critical method and treat the historicity of the Gospels as an "open question," contradicting centuries of doctrine and the very text of Vatican II when correctly interpreted (Spadafora, 1994).
The Role of Cardinal Ratzinger: Spadafora expresses perplexity and disappointment with Cardinal Ratzinger. While acknowledging that Ratzinger identifies the "crisis" and the problems of the historical-critical method, he criticizes him for not rejecting it and for seeking an impossible synthesis between faith and a method that denies it in its principles. As president of the new PBC, Ratzinger is seen as presiding over the very demolition of Catholic exegesis, allowing heresy to spread under the guise of "scientific research" (Spadafora, 1994).
⚖️Author's Conclusion
Monsignor Spadafora concludes that Catholic exegesis is in a state of "decomposition," where heresy is openly taught under the pretext of "biblical science." The triumph of modernism, facilitated by the ambiguity of Vatican II and the weakness of post-conciliar authority, has led to a total separation between exegesis and dogma, undermining the very foundations of the faith. The author ends by denouncing the betrayal and expressing the hope — which is a certainty of faith — that a future infallible intervention by the Magisterium will restore the truth, putting an end to this dire deviation.
📚References
SPADAFORA, Francesco. O triunfo do modernismo sobre a exegese católica. 1994.
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