The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-01-06

/
Of both testaments fabulous stories;
and Jesus Christ himself is u mythical
| fiction
Refutation.-The miracles recorded in
the Holy Scriptures are not the in
ventions of poets; they are facts and
| possess all the characteristics of his
torical truth. Sound and accurate per
ception in those who are eye-witnesses
to facts is the criterion of their certf-
tude. We have positive assurance that
these wonders really took place and
that we have not been deceived con-
| corning them, because the circum-
stances surrounding them were such as
to render deception impossible. The
marvels wrought in favor of the Israel
ties during their sojourn in Egypt, as
we'll as their miraculous passage OF the
Red Sea, are recorded in the books
written by Moses himself and be-
queathed by him to this same people.
Would it not have been the height Of
folly on his part to represent ~1ese
miracles as having taken place under
the very eyes of his people, if such were
not really the case? and, if they were
without foundation in fact, would not
the opponents of the great laW-glVer
have been but too ready to demon
strate the untruthfulness of his MARIA
tive by direct appeal to the testimony
of those in whose behalf and in whose
presence they were said to have been
performed? The Israelites would not
have entertained so profound a respect
for the books of Moses. if they mad
regarded them as a record Of falsshoodS
an argument which derives additional
force from the fact that these same
books are a standing memorial OF their
own unfaithfulness and shameful in
gratitude. The truth of these miracles
is so firmly established that 1t cannot
be called in question without at the
same time overturning the criterion OIL
all historical gertrude.
1t were easier by far to deny that
Nineveh, Babylon. Athens or Rome,
ever existed.
All that has been said above applies
with equal force to the prolongation OF
the day in order that Jesus might COM
plete his victory, to the going back Of
the shadow on the sun dial of Achaz,
in token of the restoration of Ezechias
to health. to the shutting up the heav-
ems from raining by the Prophet Elias
and to the consuming, at his prayer,
of the holocaust without the applica-
ton of natural fire; in a word, to all
Of the marvellous occurrences recorded
in the Holy Scriptures.
These miracles were wrought, not
privately or in secret, but in the pres
once of a people unanimous in attest
ing their occurrence. Some of them
in their consequences to other
nations and to many of the f1ctions of
pagan mythology
Among the miracles recorded in the
New Testament I will mention the
three dead persons restored to life by
our Divine Lord, viz: Lazarus, who had
been four days already in the grave;
the daughter of Jarius, one of the
Rulers of the Synagogue; and the son
Of the widow of Naim; also the bes-
towal of sight upon the man who had
been born blind-a miracle which was
by the Pharisees, the blind
man himself and his parents being
before their tribunal. The
multitudes were filled with rapturous
joy at the spectacle of the wonders
which Jesus wrought, and they gave
praise to God, exclaiming: He hath !
lone all things we'll; He hath made |
both the deaf to hear, and the dumb |
10 speak; and though the Pharisees /
made no secret of their enmity to the |
Son of Man, they could not deny the |
ruth of His miracles, and were, FIere- !
ore content to revile and calumniate
Him, attributing His marvellous works
o the influence of Belzebub, or to
ome mysterious virtue inherent in the
Irvine name. Examine the Talmud
ind you will find therein a detailed ac-
count of the most remarkable of His
Miracles. L pass over in order to avoid
ediousness, the large number of
miracles performed by the Apostles,
nd will content myself with mention
ne the one wrought upon the cripple
Who was unable either to walk or to
tand and who regained the use of his
mbs when st. Peter invoked the name
f Jesus of Nazareth in his behalf. I'm
Bile to deny the miracle. the ancients
nd scribes asked st. Peter by what
over or by what name it had been
By the name of our Lord
esus Christ of Nazareth, whom you
acriiced, whom God hath raised from
ne dead, even by Him this man stand
tn here before you whole. This is the
tone which was rejected by you, the
which is become the head of
ne corner. Neither is there salvation
| any other. For there is no other
anne under heaven given to man,
hereby we must be saved.
By the term prophecy" 1 under
and the announcement of contingent
Iture events, which it is impossible for
lman wisdom to foresee and which
epend either upon the future action
men or upon the direct action of AL I
lightly God, to whom all things are {
'esent.
An examination of the books of the 1
Id and New TeStaments will reveal
any such prophecies, which were full
led to the very letter. Thus Moses 6
Id the Israelites that God would work .
any wonders in their favor if they
manned faithful 10 His lava pre-
ction which was verified in the re- G
arkable achievements of Joshua, 2
UNISON, Gideon and Ezechias. On the +
her hand, He declared that if they c
belled against God they would be t
sited with the severest Aastisement; 7
at they would be exiled from their a
tive land, reduced to slavery and t
-r1arSad owen tIo +I,o -