Which versions of the Bible are true?
31st May 2009 - Pentecost Sunday

I have a question about contradictions in the Bible. There are two Creation stories and different account of how many animals Noah had on the ark. How do I know which versions are true? - Biblically Confused

Dear Biblically Confused,

All of the versions are different ways of expressing the same teaching so, in a way, all are true. We Catholics are not fundamentalists. We do not read the Bible as if every word were ture. We do not see it as a work of history, but of faith. We search for the theological meaning for God’s message, behind the words.

With respect to the different Creation stories, God is Creator. Whether that happened in an instant, in six days, or in millennia, the truth remains the same.

Another reason for different accounts of the same events is that some books weren’t necessarily written by only one author. The Book of Isaiah, for example, was written by at least three different people, at three different times, and under three very different sets of circumstances.

Your questions touch on some complicated concepts that the Catholic Church has not always done a very faithful job of explaining. Interest in the Bible is growing among Catholics, and publishers like Liguori are producing Bible-study programs to meet those needs. I recommend you continue your personal of God’s sacred Scripture and, if possible, join a Catholic Bible study group. And keep asking those questions.

Rick Potts, C.Ss.R.