What is truly meant when it is said that Holy Scripture is 'inerrant' according to the Catholic Church?

manpreet Best Answer 2 years ago

Granted that further research has been made in collecting a greater amount of old manuscripts of Scripture, certain realizations have been made about the bible that we currently use; there are some excerpts and passages that are not in older manuscripts, but rather are later add-ons (the two major examples being Mark 16 and John 5:7-8). The validity of these verses and the reliability of the Gospels is not to be discussed here. What is to be discussed is the Church's statement that the canonized Scripture used today is inerrant. What is truly meant by this word, and how is it reconciled with what scholars have shown us regarding these later additions to original manuscripts? Are there any specific thoughts from Catholic thinkers regarding this matter?

It should also be noted that I make it sound as though there are thousands of such meaningful and stunning additions to Scripture throughout the years, but such could not be further from the truth. The two major examples I listed are among the few meaningful additions that appear to have been intentionally added, but the additions themselves do not in themselves deter any accepted doctrine of the Church.