Abstract
The requirement of the Second Vatican Council, that biblical studies should be 'the soul of sacred Theology' (anima sacrae theologiae) (Dei Verbum 24) brought new impulses into the exegetical methodology. Every theological discipline has to have a direct contact with the source of the Revelation and should be nourished by it.
The historical-critical method remains the main tool of interpreting the Scriptures in order to get their literal sense, which expresses the theological and spiritual meaning of biblical texts. The Christian faith, uniting the exegete with the living tradition of the Church, is an indispensable condition giving him/her a right pre-understanding as an optimal context of Christian exegesis.