What is the Roman Catholic view on Matthew 23:9?

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Accepted answer

It's pretty blatant hyperbole, evidenced by the fact that St. Peter and St. Paul both used the term "father" in their letters freely and repeatedly.

In Romans 4:11-12:

11And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal on the righteousness received through faith while he was uncircumcised. Thus he was to be the father of all the uncircumcised who believe, so that to them [also] righteousness might be credited,
12as well as the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised, but also follow the path of faith that our father Abraham walked while still uncircumcised.

In Romans 9:10:

And not only that, but also when Rebecca had conceived children by one husband, our father Isaac

In 1 Corinthians 4:15:

Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:11:

As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children,

In 1 Timothy 5:1:

Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as a father. Treat younger men as brothers,

In Hebrews 12:9:

Besides this, we have had our earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not [then] submit all the more to the Father of spirits and live?

In James 2:21:

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?

In 1 John 2:13:

I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one.

St. Paul also used it in Acts 22:1:

“My brothers and fathers, listen to what I am about to say to you in my defense.”

As well as St. Stephen in Acts 7:2:

And he replied, “My brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia, before he had settled in Haran,

The list of references to the apostles calling people (or themselves) fathers continues on from there.

The dead giveaway though is in Matthew 19:18-19, when Jesus himself makes mention of worldly fathers in his recitation of the commandments:

18He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness;
19honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Jesus was known for using hyperbole as a rhetorical device. Consider Matthew 5:29-30:

29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.s It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

Obviously, Jesus doesn't mean for you to pluck your eye out or cut your hand off.

So if it's not meant to be taken literally, what was the point Jesus was trying to convey? For that, I turn to an essay on Catholic Answers, which was declared nihil obstat by the Censor Librorum of the Archdiocese of San Diego:

Jesus is not forbidding us to call men "fathers" who actually are such—either literally or spiritually. [...] To refer to such people as fathers is only to acknowledge the truth, and Jesus is not against that. He is warning people against inaccurately attributing fatherhood—or a particular kind or degree of fatherhood—to those who do not have it.

[...]

This was also a temptation in the Jewish world of Jesus’ day, when famous rabbinical leaders, especially those who founded important schools, such as Hillel and Shammai, were highly exalted by their disciples. It is this elevation of an individual man—the formation of a "cult of personality" around him—of which Jesus is speaking when he warns against attributing to someone an undue role as master, father, or teacher.

Upvote:0

How do the Roman Catholic Church reconcile these two facts?

Similarly to how she interprets 1 Tim. 2:5 ("For there is […] one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus") as not excluding Blessed Virgin from being Co-Redeemer:

There is only one Fatherhood, the Divine Relation of the First and Second Persons of the Holy Trinity, of which all other fatherhoods are said analogously and of which they are but imperfect participations.

Eph. 3:15: "all paternity in heaven and earth is named" after God the Father.

There are various degrees of fatherhood.

  1. "divine fatherhood within the Godhead" (fatherhood in the proper sense)
    "True generation by way of identity of nature." The Father and Son are both God.

Fatherhood ranked by degree of participation in #1:

  1. "fatherhood of divine adoption" (Rom. 8:15)
    "True generation by way of a participation of nature.
    Formal Paternity."
    By grace we participate in God's nature.
  2. "human fatherhood"
    "True generation by way of a similitude of nature.
    Formal Paternity."
  3. "God's fatherhood of natural creatures"
    "No generation, but the procession of living beings by way of a similitude of God's essence.
    Non-formal Paternity."
  4. "fatherhood of human adoption"
    "No generation, no procession of creatures; but the external principle perfecting generation.
    Non-formal paternity."

source: pp. 276 & 283 Thomas E. D. Hennessy, O.P. “The Fatherhood of the Priest.” The Thomist: A Speculative Quarterly Review 10, no. 3 (1947): 271–306.

Upvote:5

'Father' in this context refers to calling Abraham 'Father Abraham' ala John 8:39. Not calling any particular individual father.

They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham.

John 8:39 NABRE

Jesus statement is in connection with the Pharisees who take pride in exulting themselves. They call themselves Abraham's Children, take their place on the seat of Moses, make up new laws purely for self gratification.

The title 'Father' is in regards to the relationship a priest may have with his flock. It's not an honorific in that sense, any more than calling your own dad father is. Priests are Reverend, Bishops are Most Reverend. Priests don't assert their spiritual fatherhood for self gratification, but as a gift of self, the way natural parents do.

However, the commentary in the NABRE acknowledges a discrepancy in the historical practice, so make of it what you will.

These verses, warning against the use of various titles, are addressed to the disciples alone. While only the title ‘Rabbi’ has been said to be used in addressing the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 23:7), the implication is that Father and ‘Master’ also were. The prohibition of these titles to the disciples suggests that their use was present in Matthew’s church. The Matthean Jesus forbids not only the titles but the spirit of superiority and pride that is shown by their acceptance. Whoever exalts…will be exalted:

Source

Upvote:10

Rather than answering in comments, let me answer here.

First, if you look at the rest of the verses: Matt 23: 8-12

8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

It would appear we shouldn't call anyone instructor or teacher, if we shouldn't call anyone father.

But, as pointed out by others, the prohibition isn't on the word, itself.

The issue is that the Pharisees would expect the best seats, and the best treatment, as they held themselves as father figures as well as teachers, so, they were arrogant, rather than being humble before God, they put themselves above God.

We should strive to be humble before others and before God, rather than holding ourselves up.

So, the entire question can be put into context by reading the rest of the verses, and see that just taking one verse out of context can be misleading.

And for an interesting article on the word used in this verse you can look at:

CALL NO MAN FATHER (Mat. 23:9)

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