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AQA GCSE Religious Studies B · 8063
AQA 8063 · 3.1.1.3 Sources of Authority on Creation Check the specification (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
The Bible is Christianity's sacred scripture, but it is not a single book written by one person. It is a collection of writings produced by different authors over many centuries. Its contents include laws, accounts of events, poems, prayers, prophetic messages and letters.
Many stories and teachings were first passed on through oral tradition: people told them to others before they were written down. Written texts were preserved on scrolls, copied and collected. The Church gradually recognised which writings belonged in its Canon of Scripture, meaning its accepted collection of sacred books. The Catholic Bible contains 73 books.
This origin matters when reading the Bible. A prayer, a law and a symbolic vision do not communicate in the same way. Understanding the kind of writing helps a reader understand what its author intended to teach.
The Bible has two main parts. The Old Testament recounts God's relationship with the people of Israel before Jesus. Its books are commonly grouped into four sections, although an individual book can contain more than one literary form.
| Section | What it contains and why it matters |
|---|---|
| Law | The first five books, also called the Torah. They describe the beginnings of Israel's relationship with God and include guidance for living, such as the Ten Commandments. Genesis belongs here, although its creation accounts are narratives rather than legal commands. |
| History | Accounts of Israel's past, understood in relation to God's guidance. Stories of faithfulness and failure teach later generations about their relationship with God. |
| Wisdom | Poems, prayers and advice about living well and remaining close to God. These writings help people worship and reflect on life. |
| Prophecy | Messages delivered by prophets on God's behalf. They call people to remain faithful to God and explain God's activity in the world. |
Prophecy is not simply prediction. A prophet may speak about the future, but also challenges how people are behaving in the present.
The New Testament centres on Jesus and the communities formed by his followers.
The early Church recognised writings as authoritative because of their connection with the apostles, their agreement with Christian teaching and their acceptance within Christian communities. The canon was therefore more than a collection of every religious text available.
Catholics believe the Bible is the revealed Word of God: through it, God makes himself and his purposes known. Its human authorship does not, for Catholics, prevent it from communicating a divine message.
Inspiration means that the Holy Spirit guided the biblical writers. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. Inspiration does not mean that the writers stopped being human or merely copied dictated sentences. They used their own words and the forms of writing available in their cultures.
The Bible communicates God's message through the prophets, through the teachings of the apostles and, above all, through Jesus's words and actions. Christians call Jesus the Word of God made human: he reveals God personally, while scripture bears witness to him.
This gives the Bible authority in Catholic life. Its teachings guide belief and behaviour, rather than being treated merely as interesting ancient literature.
Catholics believe the Holy Spirit also guides the Church's understanding of scripture. The Magisterium, the teaching authority exercised by the Pope and bishops, helps interpret its message and apply it to new circumstances.
Catholic interpretation asks what the human writers intended to communicate. Dei Verbum teaches that an interpreter should investigate “what meaning the sacred writers really intended”. This requires attention to the historical setting and literary form of a passage.
Catholics therefore do not regard the Bible as an authority isolated from the Church's tradition and teaching. Some other Christians place greater emphasis on the Bible alone as the sufficient authority for Christian belief. The disagreement concerns how God's message is faithfully understood, not simply whether the Bible matters.
Genesis 1 and 2 both teach about creation, but Catholics do not read them as scientific reports. Genesis 1 has a structured, poetic presentation of creation; Genesis 2 tells its story through vivid narrative imagery.
These accounts can be understood as religious myths: narratives conveying spiritual truths. Calling them myths in this sense does not mean dismissing them as worthless or deceptive. Catholics believe that their central teachings remain true: God created everything, creation is good, and human beings have a special place in creation as God's image.
A non-literal reading therefore distinguishes the religious message from the story's form. For example, the six days of Genesis 1 can communicate an ordered creation without requiring Catholics to believe that the universe was produced in six ordinary days.
Some fundamentalist Christians favour a literal reading. They argue that, because the Bible is God's inspired Word, its account of creation should be accepted as an accurate description of events. For those who understand the days as ordinary days, God created the world in six days. Some also believe the Earth is only a few thousand years old and reject evolution.
Literal interpretations are not all identical. Some Christians understand a creation ‘day’ as a much longer period, allowing an older universe while retaining the sequence described in Genesis. Others accept the Big Bang but reject human evolution because they understand Genesis 2 as describing humans being created separately from animals.
Catholics respond that respecting the Bible's authority includes reading each passage according to its literary form. Treating poetry or symbolic narrative as a scientific report can be a category mistake: asking one kind of writing to do the job of another.
The strongest argument for a literal reading is that it appears to safeguard the reliability of God's Word. Its difficulty is that reliability does not necessarily require every passage to be literal history. The strongest argument for the Catholic reading is that it preserves the theological message while respecting literary form. A literal interpreter might nevertheless object that symbolic readings risk allowing readers to choose which details to accept.
A justified conclusion must address that concern. A non-literal reading need not be arbitrary if it is grounded in the passage's literary features, intended meaning and the Church's interpretation.
Catholics can accept scientific explanations such as the Big Bang and evolution while believing that God is the creator. Science investigates natural processes; belief in creation addresses the world's dependence on God and its religious meaning. Explaining a process does not, by itself, settle whether God is its ultimate creator.
The Second Vatican Council, a gathering of Catholic Church leaders in 1962–65, gave authoritative teaching on this relationship. It is an example of conciliar Magisterium: bishops gathered in a council exercising the Church's teaching authority. Its document Gaudium et Spes, issued in 1965, addressed the Church's relationship with the modern world, including fears that religion would threaten the independence of science.
In Gaudium et Spes 36, the Council taught that created things have their own laws and order, which people should discover using the appropriate scientific methods. Science therefore has a rightful independence: scientists should investigate nature rather than treat religious texts as substitutes for scientific enquiry. The Council regretted attitudes, including some among Christians, that failed to respect this independence and made faith and science appear opposed.
The Council also taught that investigation carried out in a genuinely scientific manner and according to moral standards “never truly conflicts with faith”, because earthly matters and faith derive from the same God. Studying creation can therefore deepen understanding of God's work. This does not mean that science may ignore morality, or that creation exists independently of God: scientific independence concerns its methods, not freedom from ethical responsibility or dependence on the Creator.
This teaching encourages Catholics to see science and religion as mutually supportive rather than rival explanations. Together with a non-literal interpretation of Genesis, it provides an official basis for accepting scientific accounts such as the Big Bang and evolution without abandoning belief in God as creator. It also encourages Catholics to use their talents in scientific research while taking its moral responsibilities seriously.
In 2014, Pope Francis explained that the Big Bang “does not contradict the divine act of creating”. He also argued that evolution presupposes the existence of beings capable of evolving. His point was not that Genesis provides a scientific theory, but that natural development and divine creation need not be alternatives. This later statement applies the harmony affirmed by the Council.
For Catholics, accepting science therefore need not make Genesis unnecessary: its teachings about God and humanity answer questions that a description of physical processes does not answer. Conversely, a scientific explanation alone does not prove those religious teachings. Harmony means that the two approaches need not contradict each other, not that they provide identical explanations.
Distinguish inspiration from dictation: Catholics believe the Holy Spirit guided the writers, who still used their own words and literary forms.
When comparing interpretations of Genesis, explain why Christians hold each view, rather than simply labelling one ‘literal’ and another ‘symbolic’.
Use ‘myth’ carefully: in this context it means a narrative conveying religious truths, not simply a false story.
In an evaluation, weigh the arguments and reach a justified conclusion. Explain whether a non-literal reading preserves the religious authority of Genesis.
Do not assume all Christians accept the Catholic Magisterium or that all literal interpreters understand the creation ‘days’ identically.
When using Gaudium et Spes 36, include its qualifications: research must be genuinely scientific and conducted according to moral standards. Explain why harmony is possible: science and faith derive from the same God.
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Canon of Scripture
The collection of books recognised by the Church as sacred scripture.
Oral tradition
The passing on of stories and teachings by speech before, or alongside, their being written down.
Inspiration
The Catholic belief that the Holy Spirit guided the biblical writers, who expressed God's message through their own human words.
Revelation
God making himself and his purposes known to human beings.
Literary form
A kind of writing, such as poetry, law, historical narrative or prophecy, whose features help readers understand its intended meaning.
Prophecy
A message communicated on behalf of God, often calling people to faithfulness; it may also concern future events.
Epistle
A letter; the New Testament epistles give teaching and guidance to Christian communities and individuals.
Myth
A religious narrative that expresses deep truths about God, humanity or the world through its story and imagery.
Literal interpretation
A reading that treats a passage as describing events as they actually happened, rather than primarily expressing meaning through symbols.
Magisterium
The teaching authority of the Catholic Church, exercised by the Pope and bishops.
Second Vatican Council
A council of Catholic Church leaders held in 1962–65 which agreed changes to Church practice and doctrine; an example of conciliar Magisterium.
Put your knowledge into practice — try past paper questions for Religious Studies B
Canon of Scripture
The collection of books recognised by the Church as sacred scripture.
Oral tradition
The passing on of stories and teachings by speech before, or alongside, their being written down.
Inspiration
The Catholic belief that the Holy Spirit guided the biblical writers, who expressed God's message through their own human words.
Revelation
God making himself and his purposes known to human beings.
Literary form
A kind of writing, such as poetry, law, historical narrative or prophecy, whose features help readers understand its intended meaning.
Prophecy
A message communicated on behalf of God, often calling people to faithfulness; it may also concern future events.
Epistle
A letter; the New Testament epistles give teaching and guidance to Christian communities and individuals.
Myth
A religious narrative that expresses deep truths about God, humanity or the world through its story and imagery.
Literal interpretation
A reading that treats a passage as describing events as they actually happened, rather than primarily expressing meaning through symbols.
Magisterium
The teaching authority of the Catholic Church, exercised by the Pope and bishops.
Second Vatican Council
A council of Catholic Church leaders held in 1962–65 which agreed changes to Church practice and doctrine; an example of conciliar Magisterium.