Vatican II on 'other' ways of salvation: A valid interpretation?

Before investigating whether the Second Vatican Council agreed that ‘other’ living faiths can in some sense prove ‘ways of salvation,’ we need to clarify what the interpretation of texts involves. This article appeals to literary critics, philosophers, biblical scholars, and legal experts in maintaining that the interpretation of the Council’s texts should attend not only to the intentions of the authors but also to the texts (and the history of their reception) and their readers. On the basis of this integral view of interpretation, one can argue that Lumen gentium, Nostra aetate, and Ad gentes imply that in some real sense other faiths offer ‘ways of revelation and salvation.’