Catholic Hermeneutics and Exegesis: Resources and Links

Last updated on: June 5, 2026 at 11:40 pm By Dave Armstrong

Photograph by “klimkin” (7-19-16) [Pixabay / CC0 public domain] *** (6-28-09) ***** Introductions Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: hermeneutics Study of the general principles of biblical interpretation. Its primary purpose is to discover the truths and values of the Bible, which is seen as a receptacle of divine revelation. Four major types of hermeneutics have emerged: literal (asserting that the text is to be interpreted according to the “plain meaning”), moral (seeking to establish the principles from which ethical lessons may be... Read more

What is a Specifically Catholic Interpretation of Holy Scripture?

Last updated on: June 5, 2026 at 11:40 pm By Dave Armstrong

Photograph by “klimkin” (7-19-16) [Pixabay / CC0 public domain] *** (6-17-09) *** I was asked: How, then, is the Catholic to interpret Scripture, the basic rules of hermeneutics; exegesis, along with what the Church teaches? I’m still a bit in the dark on this. Excellent question. Basically, first of all, the Catholic needs to learn good basic skills of Bible interpretation. I would recommend a book such as Making Senses Out of Scripture: Reading the Bible As the First Christians... Read more

Books by Dave Armstrong

Last updated on: June 5, 2026 at 12:48 pm By Dave Armstrong

All My Books — One Page, One Stop Every title I’ve written, in one place — with the lowest prices I can possibly offer. This is my full-time work and book royalties are my primary income: when you buy from my own Bookstore, the most goes directly to supporting it. Print editions are linked under each book as well. Visit the Bookstore →Buy in Print BROWSE THE SHELF — CLICK ANY COVER scroll sideways ↔ every cover goes straight to... Read more

Luke 23:43 (Thief on the Cross): “Paradise” = Sheol, Not Heaven

Last updated on: March 12, 2019 at 4:00 pm By Dave Armstrong

. . . According to Many Reputable Protestant Scholars Christ and the Good Thief (c. 1566), by Titian (1490-1576) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (5-25-09) ***** This comes from a good discussion I am involved in, at the CHNI forum. Dan Woodring is a former Lutheran pastor and now a Catholic. His words will be in blue. Words of my fellow moderator David W. Emery will be in green. * * * * * Apart from the obvious issues regarding... Read more

Cardinal Newman’s Philosophical & Epistemological Commitments

Last updated on: May 30, 2017 at 7:26 pm By Dave Armstrong

[19 October 2004] * * * * * Was Cardinal Newman a “Rationalist”? Fr. Stanley Jaki disagrees with classifying Newman as a “rationalist”: Then there is the Grammar‘s method that looks very similar to what later took by storm the philosophical and theological scene under the name phenomenology. It stands for a systematic aversion, to use a Pauline phrase again, to reasoned assurance about things that do not appear, that is, are not phenomena. Finally, there is the... Read more

Books by Dave Armstrong: “Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths”

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:10 am By Dave Armstrong

“. . . A Source Book for Apologists and Inquirers“ [completed on 18 April 2009; 445 pages; published on 15 August 2009 by Sophia Institute Press] [cover design by Theodore Schluenderfritz] *** Purchase Options *** [PAPERBACK (Amazon variable prices for used copies)] [KINDLE: 9.95] *** * * * * Now available for FREE online (original RSV version): follow the links for chapters in the Table of Contents * * * * *** [in final version: 2051 Bible Passages entirely written... Read more

Candles, Incense, and Symbolism for Prayer in the Bible

Last updated on: November 20, 2021 at 1:34 pm By Dave Armstrong

[Pixabay / CC0 public domain] *** (2-16-09) *** Incense (i.e., a thing that burns and produce smoke and fragrances, which is similar to a candle, complete with the metaphorical smelling of the offering by God), as an image of prayer, is an explicit biblical motif: Genesis 8:20-21 (RSV) Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the LORD smelled... Read more

Luther, Calvin, & Melanchthon Wax Geocentric, Oppose Copernicus

Last updated on: June 2, 2017 at 4:24 pm By Dave Armstrong

NASA photograph of the earth from 22,000 miles away (10-17-00) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (2-5-09) ***** Martin Luther [From Conversations With Luther: Selections From Recently Published Sources of the Table Talk, translated and edited by Preserved Smith and Herbert Percival Gallinger, New York: The Pilgrim Press, 1915 (link to Google Reader)] Then Luther spoke concerning the threefold movement of the heavens: “The first is the primary motion, of great swiftness, which is perhaps caused by an angel; in... Read more

Sola Scriptura Debate (vs. Evangelical Pastor C. Michael Patton)

Last updated on: June 2, 2017 at 4:27 pm By Dave Armstrong

Image from a You Tube presentation on Sola Scriptura and the Five Solas (10-5-14), by Pastor Andrew Coleman of Sheridan Hills Baptist Church [Creative Commons license for reuse] *** This series of replies will respond to a lengthy, multiple-post defense of sola Scriptura, written by C. Michael Patton, on the blog Parchment and Pen. He describes himself as an “historic evangelical.” He is not an anti-Catholic (which is one major reason why I am taking a considerable amount of time... Read more

Books by Dave Armstrong: “The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton”

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:10 am By Dave Armstrong

” . . . The Very Best Quotes, Quips, & Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton“ (completed on 10 October 2008; published in December 2009 by Saint Benedict Press) *** [cover art by Christopher J. Pelicano] *** Purchase Options *** [PAPERBACK: $17.95] [KINDLE: 9.98] *** TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication [p. v] Introduction [p. ix] Chesterton Aphorisms (By Alphabetical Topic) [p. 1] Bibliography of Sources By Abbreviations [p. 361] Bibliography of Sources in Chronological Order [p. 363] Index of... Read more

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