Timothy Bellamah examines how the Church’s authority mediates biblical interpretation, using Matthew Levering’s reading of Thomas Aquinas as a point of departure. The argument first clarifies the historical meaning of auctoritas, which cannot simply be equated with modern notions of authority, legal power (potestas), or command (imperium). In Christian usage, it signifies a divine gift connected with authorship, revelation, and participation in God’s truth.

Medieval biblical scholars locate Scripture’s authority in God as its primary author and human writers as secondary authors, distinguishing its certitude from rational demonstration. Yet they do not treat every patristic opinion as irreformable: through concordia auctoritatum and dialectical distinctions, figures such as William of Alton and Thomas Aquinas reconcile or reject conflicting interpretations, especially on historical details such as the identity of the women who anointed Jesus. Faithful inquiry remains possible because individual saints may err in non-definitive matters, while the Church’s settled teaching—ultimately articulated through the Pope—has decisive force. The Church’s magisterium therefore serves, rather than masters, the Word it authentically interprets, acting in the name of Jesus Christ.