Biblical infallibility means that The Bible is incapable of leading people astray in matters of faith and practice, while inerrancy asserts that the Bible is completely without error in all its teachings. These concepts impact the interpretation of scripture by guiding believers to view the Bible as trustworthy and authoritative in guiding their beliefs and actions.
The concept of inerrancy and infallibility in the Bible may not align with modern interpretations and understandings of scripture. Some scholars believe that the Bible contains human perspectives and cultural influences that may not always be considered error-free or infallible. It is important to consider different perspectives and approaches when interpreting the Bible in a modern context.
It is difficult when reading scripture to say with any conviction that there is inerrancy in it. One must read and study the scriptures, then ask God if what you have read is true. If you ask with a sincere heart and have the faith to know that he will answer your prayer, then you will know of the truth of all things. If what you read is good then it is of God.
Exegesis
A:The notion of biblical inspiration is generally intended to mean that the Bible is the word of God, who inspired the authors to write down exactly what he commanded them to write. Because the Bible is inspired in this way, it must of course be inerrant, which means that the Bible contains no error of fact or transcription. A secondary meaning, unrelated to inerrancy is that the Bible contains the words of men, who were inspired in what they believed, but what they wrote was not guided by God. In this secondary meaning, the Bible can not be assumed to be inerrant. Calling the Bible inerrant means that if any historical error or other error of fact is found in the Bible, then the entire belief in its inerrancy must be called into question. If the belief in the Bible's inerrancy is applied to an English translation of the Bible, this applies even to errors of translation.Some say that the above rule for inerrancy is too broad and that the Bible contains exactly what God intends to convey, but the absence of error does not necessarily apply to the incidental, scientific, geographical, or historical statements in Scripture.Professor Alley of the University of Richmond is quoted as saying, "While some persons may continue to hold that the historic Christian belief in biblical infallibility and inerrancy is the only valid starting point and framework for a theology of revelation, such contentions should be heard with a smile and incorporated into the bylaws of the Flat Earth Society."
There is no difference.
Some regard the Bible as inerrant - totally without error or contradiction. Others, more practically regard the Bible as infallible - containing possible errors or contradictions on matters of history and the natural world, but not on matters of faith. Calling the Bible inerrant means that the Bible contains no error of fact or transcription. This means that if any historical error or other error of fact is found in the Bible, then the entire belief in its inerrancy must be called into question. If the belief in the Bible's inerrancy is applied to an English translation of the Bible, this applies even to errors of translation. Some say that this rule for inerrancy is too broad and that the Bible contains exactly what God intends to convey, but the absence of error does not necessarily apply to the incidental, scientific, geographical, or historical statements in Scripture. Professor Alley of the University of Richmond is quoted as saying, "While some persons may continue to hold that the historic Christian belief in biblical infallibility and inerrancy is the only valid starting point and framework for a theology of revelation, such contentions should be heard with a smile and incorporated into the bylaws of the Flat Earth Society."
Even if you accept a certain Holy Scripture as the truth, the interpretation of such a Scripture is not always clear; different people will interpret the same passage in different ways. There are some references to an end of the world (which, according to some, may simply mean an end of an era). You don't usually hear about a specific mention to a supernova; that may be the interpretation of a minority.
Pope Pius XII's Encyclical "Divino Afflante Spiritu" Sept 30 1943 opened the door to a wider interpretation of Sacred Scripture for Catholic Scholars.
Benjamin Jowett has written: 'Scripture and truth' -- subject(s): Criticism, interpretation, Predestination, Sin, Bible, Paul and Pauline Epistles 'Philebus' 'Theological essays of the late Benjamin Jowett' -- subject(s): Theology 'Plato' 'Meno' 'College sermons' -- subject(s): English Sermons, Sermons, Universities and colleges 'The interpretation of scripture and other essays' -- subject(s): Criticism, interpretation, Bible 'Statements Of Christian Doctrine And Practice' -- subject(s): Theology 'The interpretation of Scriptures' -- subject(s): Bible, Criticism, interpretation, Paul and Pauline Epistles, Theology, Doctrinal Theology 'Scripture and truth, dissertations'
2Pt:1:20: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
The theory that states that Scripture is only inspired in matters of religious dogma is known as limited inerrancy. This view holds that the Bible is without error only when it speaks on matters of faith and doctrine, but may contain errors or inconsistencies in other areas like history or science.
William Van Mildert has written: 'An inquiry into the general principles of Scripture-interpretation'