De Controversiis, Prima Controversia Generalis: De Verbo Dei
Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621)
First published 1599
Robert Bellarmine’s Controversies on the Word of God (Controversiae de Verbo Dei) is a systematic defense of the Catholic doctrine of divine revelation and Sacred Scripture. Across four books, Bellarmine examines the inspiration and authority of Scripture, the canon of the Old and New Testaments, the Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, and Latin textual traditions, and the authority of the Latin Vulgate. He then addresses the interpretation of Scripture and the proper judge of doctrinal controversies, before concluding with an extensive defense of apostolic Tradition and its relationship to the written Word of God. Written in direct engagement with the theological disputes of the Reformation, the work combines biblical argument, patristic testimony, conciliar authority, and historical analysis in presenting the Catholic understanding of Scripture and Tradition.