How does Catholic theology understand biblical inspiration and inerrancy?

• A. The Bible is infallible in every factual detail.
• B. The Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit; human authors write with their own gifts; inerrancy concerns truth for salvation and faith rather than every factual detail; interpreted within Tradition and Magisterium.
• C. Inerrancy means the Bible has no historical or scientific errors.
• D. Scripture stands apart from Tradition and Magisterium.

Answer: (B)

Catholic understanding sees Scripture as God’s Word communicated through human hands. The Holy Spirit works in and through the human authors, guiding them so that what they write is truly God’s truth, but they do so using their own languages, styles, and historical contexts. That means Scripture has a human dimension alongside the divine.

In this view, inerrancy isn’t about every factual detail being free from error in the modern sense. It means the biblical writers convey truths necessary for salvation and faith without error. Some passages may describe history, science, or events in ways that reflect the understanding of their own time or use literary forms such as poetry, symbol, or myth. The important point is that the core truths God intends for us to know for faith and salvation are reliable.

Because God’s revelation is handed on not only through Scripture but also through Tradition and the Church’s teaching office, interpretation isn’t done in isolation. Scripture is read and understood within the living Tradition and under the guidance of the Magisterium—the Church’s official teaching authority—so that interpretations stay true to the overall apostolic witness and Christ’s gospel.

So the best answer reflects that Scripture is inspired by the Spirit, written by human authors with their own gifts, inerrant in the sense of faith- and salvation-truth rather than every factual detail, and interpreted within Tradition and Magisterium.