De fontibus revelationis : the debate about a constitutive tradition during the Second Vatican Council

This investigation deals with the debate surrounding the controversial question of whether there exists a constitutive tradition at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). The investigation can broadly be divided into three sections. The first section provides both an analysis of the terminology relevant for understanding and a theological background. The background leads up the Council of Trent (1545-1563) that plays a significant role in the question of the “sources” of revelation. The second section analyses the conciliar drafts leading up to Dei Verbum regarding the question of a constitutive tradition. Each Latin draft is first placed within its historical context in order to highlight the events of the council that played a significant role in the question at hand. Thereafter, the relevant passages are analysed both in terms of language and theological content. As the conciliar drafts develop, this study focuses on the contrasting elements concerning the choice of words in addition to the omissions and reformulations of the documents that become evident as each draft can be seen in light of the previous. The first draft, De fontibus revelationis, contains the scholastic view of the two-source theory, claiming that certain revealed truths are only to be found in Tradition. The subsequent four versions, with varying terminology, strive to maintain neutral towards the question of a constitutive tradition, resulting in a broad formulation that leaves the disputed question open to interpretation. The final section includes a discussion of the results leading up to the conclusion of this study, which shows that a decision was avoided regarding whether Tradition ‘adds’ anything to Scripture. The Latin drafts focus instead on the mutual dependence that exists between Scripture and Tradition that resulted in a deeper study into the nature of revelation