Divine Revelation

Divine Revelation

Divine revelation is defined as the communication of knowledge to man by a divine agency. Therefore, those who have been revealed to by God have bear witness to this transcendent experience. The church and bible we know today take their roots in this supernatural enlightenment.

Some may think the “Word of God” is the bible, however this is merely a collection of books from others interpretations of God’s word. The Word of God, as stated in Dei Verbum, is Jesus Christ. “In His goodness and wisdom God chose to reveal Himself and to make known to us the hidden purpose of His will by which through Christ, the Word made flesh, man might in the Holy Spirit have access to the Father and come to share in the divine nature.” Christ “speaks the word of God” and “completes the work of salvation” which had been bestowed upon Him by His Father.

Once we know that Christ is the Word of God, we come to wonder how the Word has been passed on well after the physical life of Jesus Christ. Looking at chapter II of Dei Verbum, we read that the Word is passed from generation to generation in the form of the sacred tradition and the Sacred Scripture. The sacred tradition includes all stories passed on by word-of-mouth. Those who have underwent divine revelation have shared their experiences and spoke of the knowledge and truth provided to them directly from God. The Scripture is the written Word, the bible. Both are equally accepted throughout the Christian faith as they have such a close connection to each other.

This is where the Magisterium comes in. God had given the duty of spreading and teaching the Word to the Apostles. These Apostles then left bishops as their successors in order to continue the teaching of God’s will and encouraging others in their search for divine revelation. In today’s church, the magisterium is charged with this duty and the authority to teach in their