New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-04-01
THE PAPAL ENCYCL1CAL.
CATHOLICS and BIBLE STUDY
A CATHOLICS CRITICISM OF THE RE-
CENT UTTERANCE FROM THE
VATICAN.
THE AUTHOR or THE POLICY or THE POPE
DECLINES TO RD5ARD THE PoPE's LETTER
.As 4 RATIONAL REPUTATION OR AS


ms A RATIONAL REPUTATION OR AS
AN INFALLIELE DECREE"
tcopyrtglt: 1871: By The Tribune AssOciaionj
A scholarly Roman Catholic. conceaing his iden-
ttv urder q pen-name, contributed TO THE Con-
temporary Review" in 1892 and 1898 series OF ar
ticles discussing the Papa policy in a particularly
frank and fearless manner. The same writer mas
in the forthcoming April number Of that Journal
a similar article on the recent Papai Encychcai on
Bible study from which the following salient ex-
tracts taken:
WHY We Catholics, OF all Christians should
eTpcse our Church to such terrible and needless
the Bible we 80 seldom open Is absolutely Tree rom
error is one of those profound mysteries which 1t
vince outsiders of the truth OF this assertion anu
for them alone is it matter OF real hPo iS ths
For the needs of members OF the true lolo tiio
doctrine possesses 10 inherent itness. me vast
majority of them never open Bible 10 tTeah iaa
text from Genesis Is the same as one from ISAIAH
or Esther and no text has any intrinsic weight OF
its own. being dependent for its FORCE upon sh
teaching OF the Church. When In search OF ignt
and guidance, as many OF us are at present. II rs
Bible that we have recourse; Sut ths
to the Church or its venerable head inls was tne
followed in my previous artcIes ,S S's a
the entire question PlaGy b ana calng on our
Holy Father interpose his infallioe auth nor
Shortly after the last Of those articles nai aP-
reared the joyful tdings reached our ears that ms
Dan Rib,caI studies which would set all our doubts
that no. Ghrisfians enjoy the same degree of liberty
as we CATHOLICS and that the refreshing rest and
safety offered By our Church to tempest tossed
souls is mere vulgar bride 70 mental ~ nor
But our joy was sngulariy short-liyed. IL soon
leaked out that the Sovereign Pontf whose MALL
billy prOVdentaiy stops snort az - 'rrido
being inspired solely by theologians VINO Pri .
themselves on their ability to tackle the most m
tricate Biblical problems in the onahd nis ,iGn
when Hegel was wont TO deal with an sf ~ an
questions a priori. Further inquiries made IL cear
that our Holy Father had shut his ears 70 tle sus
eestiong and warnings OF the very few Cathoiic3
Who are entitled to speak with authority on Biole
criticism and was constituting himselt the spoheot,
Of their accuserS mus inc daTc, ~ dorI,neSs
dawnng day died suddenly away ana the uar ,iI
only deepencd The light oil sh bfnre
# can become visible. Since then the Encycllcai
has appeared and has been passed oyer IN i9Ipnas
which usually lavish the largest type anu .e nus
fgo S Tg ee a ahe Strange to say
most Catholic cities on the Continent II is TO 'nIs
day impossible TO obtain copy OF the document ior
Having enumerated the services of theologans Of
past ages. His Holiness gives expression 70 MS
solictude that the clergy OF to-day should loom III
Tn r footsteps and with this object in view ordans
ner beneiitng the Impotence of the subject and
tn needs of the time. What he understands by TINS
for their guidance which are in truth admirably
calculated to render all conflict between science
q Identical WIN the 'aws' Of hermeneutcs, and
based upon Vigorous method OF reas soiin5i
to have had recourse when about to ennhate the
Library Of Alexandria They are all summ hd, up I'm IN
soyereign PontN dwells with manifest admiration
that whenever new fact IS dscovered by sctenG h
called in question, it behooves US 10 SET ap1ut PROV
- y nov, scientific proposition be found ncompati-
bic with the testimony of the bible, then it Is our
h0undan duty to demonstrate that II IS most iaise
or if we cannot accomplish this, we must at least
firmly believe-wthout the shadow OF a douo'-
Nor do these wholesome restrictions in any. way
feter the liberty or retard ne progress ol the
which he can plough in perfect safety under the
protecting wing Of theology For theology Is the
one science whose conclusions we can accept with a
light heart and easy conscience superior %
and landmarks" And according to the teaching OF
theolog!ans and the Fathers, there IS no error IN
the Bible which in its entirety r. In each or rs
though not intended to initiate US into the mysteries
Of proane sciences IT Is infa an o
Writ the individual writer's being His instruments
in the same sense as our hdn1i wnen @e
those who hold that there is be in the Script
HrS b Papr peveri the catholic notion Of Divine
inspiration, or else accuse God Himself OF error.
THE INERRANCY OF THE BIBLE
! 7 now proceed to offer few remarks on the two
main propositions of the spcyccal; first, that the
| Bible IS wholly free from all admixture OF error
because error must spring from human source
and all human sources eliminated by the doc
trine that God is not merely the inspirer but also
the actual author Of the Scriptures; and secondly
80 scinnfiGcaIy Without ever being confronted by
any of the inconvenient problems or Higher Criti-
The first Of these two theses is calculated to aston
ism the unbiased reader OF the Encyccai more tnai
auyht else it contains. For not only does 1t elm
! init All errors contrary to the doctrines OF the
Church. but likewise all mistakes ana lnaccuraCis
in matters Of science and history. and cateSoricay
denies the possibility of any contradictions dis
. crepancios. even Inconsistencies between the
various writer's Of the Scriptures. The pous Catho-
lie viii discern and respect the noble sentiment that
prompted this belief and most Christians feel tnat
it would have been more in harmony with our hu-
man notions Of what 4 book written by an ON
niscent Being for the purpose OF revealing HIM,
self TO manksld should be. had it been preserved
! from All admixture of error, contradiction and OBJ
scurity But surely the lnscrutability or God ways
which We have already laden with Weghty mys-
teries and seeming mpossibilities, will easily bear
the further strain Of the many contradictlons NJ
secondary matters which we ind IN the Bible ina
wise disposed Of will appear manifest from fe"
| concrete instances taken at random
According to Exodus Levitcus and Numbers
Moses enacted numerous laws regulating burn
| offerings and sacrifices which laws we must peneve
T. have been inspired by God. And yet Jahveh him
self, speaking through his prophet Jeremiah, de-
/ cares most emphaticaHy that ne never gave any
directions whatever about burnt 9Sr1ss ana e sac
sacrifice of peace offerings unto me LORD we shal
| offer it at your own will. II shall be eaten the
same day We offer 1t. and on the morrow And ir
another passage of the book find this clear
. Injunction regarding the very same peace offerings
hnothe ,T instance The Book Of Numbers state.
| very positively. I'm two different passages, that
Aaron died on Mount Hor and was buried there
/ while Deuteronomy, on tne 9ther hanai a iix
/ Mosera which is seven stations distant. and wa:
duly buried there. Now. no Judge no court of jus
tice. no unbiased man il the civilized world, would
venture 20 maintain that these conflicting state
ments inplv neither contradict ion nor inconsis
encv And II our theOlOgians make the assertion. II
can only be in virtue Of the principle that thine
| may be and not be at one and the same time. AnC
this principle we are not yet quite prepared t'
/ indorse
THE DIFFICULTIES OF DANIEL.
The prophet Daniel. too. contributes his share tC
| the s;orehouse of Biblical difficulties, and wher
he gives the name and parentage of the last kinl
/ of Babylon as Belshaser, son of Nebuchadnezzar
history fatty contradcts him, And history in th!
case we know is true. The inspired author asserts
| in unmistaklble terms that the last King OF Baby
lon vss Helshazzar. and that this Belshazzar va:
the son Of Nebuchadnezzar But history speaking
through Berosus and the Cuneform Inscriptions
informs US that the last king was Nabonned. a mar
-. l..rln.L 10 The L0uae of Nehm