The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-01-13
TFIE RMRAL SYLLABUS
With Recitation Of the Errors Which 1t Condemns
Translated from the Italian LFalcoui
~ ~ ~ + ? ? = =

Interpreters of the divine utterances-
mo. YOU. shall not die the death. For
God doth know that in what day sooner
you shall eat of the fruit of the tree.
your eyes shall be opened, and you
shall be as gods, knowing good and
evil.
The high sounding promise of the
serpent brought about the fall of our
first parents and their consequent eN-
pulsion from Paradise. But, let us
leave this aside for the present, and
even granting That there are certain
dogmas. like the existence of God, His
providence, goodness. omnipotence,
etc. which are not superior to reason
and may therefore be presented as an
object for it's study; still We ask, how
can the mysteries be the abject of
natural science or theology since they
are manifestly without the sphere of
these branches and entirely beyond
their power to explain. Reason. by a
process of ratiocination mounts from
| effects to the discovery of a supreme
cause; it also discovers effects from
their causes, when these causes oper-
ate in a necessary manner, or at least
| it conjectures them with a certain de
gree of probability; it may also de
scend from principles to their last con-
sequences, if it possesses sufficient in
/ tellectuaI vigor to keep in view the
connection between principles and the
remote results deduced therefrom. But
/ in the domain of mysteries, this rule
I
animation of them, reason cannot per-
cefve the connecting link which exists
/ between the subject and the thing
predicated. The various interpreta-
tions which they have given to the
doctrines of religion verify the ancient
( saying: QUOT capita tot sententiae'
Reason and experience alike. there
fore, forbid us to suppose that all
dogmas without exception are the OBJ
/ ject of natural science or philosophy.
The advocates of reason, as a religious
guide, have been driven to desperation.
and in Gineva they went so far as to-
prohibit in the schools any discussion
/ of those questions which were a sub
/ ject a dispute in their church. viz:
/ the two natures of Christ, original sin
/ grace, predestination, etc. This is the
! final outcome of all attempts to ex-
plain the mysteries by the aid of
reason, which grapples in its pride
with these obstruse dogmas, but finds
4 itself in the end hurled from its lofty
| pedestal and compelled to acknowledge
it's own insuficiency And yet these
ministers of Gineva who originated
/ that prohibition, were men of learn
/ ing possessed of great historical and
biblical condition, and vested in the
I are of criticism as we'll as in the science
/ of theology Their only fault was their
entrance upon a field Of labor to which
they had not been called. mon eerant
de genere flornm per quos salus facta
/ est Israel
The true course for reason to pur-
sue is to demonstrate that though the
mysteries of faith cannot be under
stood, they do not on that account
imply any contradiction. As for us,
let US always hold firmly to the
teaching of st. Peter that no prophecy
of Scripture is made by private in
/ depreciation, and obey the precept of
St. Paul, which bids us allow our in
teuect to be led captive in the service
of Christ.
Go be continued)