“The Bible is the crucial link between Christians”, declared Cardinal Karl Lehmann, president of the German Bishops’ Conference and bishop of Mainz, during the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the birth of the distinguished New Testament exegete Ferdinand Hahn in Munich on 30 January. “The truth of Holy Scripture he continued may only be perceived if we open ourselves to it. Without love it is impossible to understand the Bible or perform biblical work at the practical level. Lehmann also warned of the danger of too literal an interpretation of the biblical text and declared that “Marxist, psychological and feminist” interpretations of the Bible are “legitimate”, though “they can never represent the whole truth”. “In spite of everything, exegesis cannot dispense with a simple reading” of the Bible, he said. “Man must be encouraged to express his understanding [of Holy Scripture] and reflect with others on it. Exegetes never have any exclusive competence to interpret the Bible, yet a constant dialogue with the world of scholarship is needed”, the cardinal concluded.
