The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-11-29
LEO XIII. ON THE BIBLE.
(Freeman's Journal.)

! (Freeman'S Journal)
The apostolic letter of Leo XIII, app
pointing commission for promoting
the study of sacred scriptures, trans
! lat1on of which will be found on an
other page, viii be read with great in
terest, as it sets forth the views of the
Holy Father as to the manner in which
! Biblical studies should be pursued
] The appointment Of such a Commits
| sion shows that the church in the
! twentieth century is as .solicitouS to
| preserve the written word of God as
she was in the early dawn of Chris
/ tianity when she carefully guarded the
holy scriptures and transmitted them
from age to age down to our own
times.
Every educated person, though he be
not Catholic, now recognizes the in
estimable service the church has rem
! dered in this matter. He recognizes
also how monstrous is the lie that she
who, for so long time, was the only
| guardian of the Bible, was always it's
most pronounced enemy. That self
1 evident lie. now gains credence only
/ among the most ignorant enemies of
the church.
! In these days, when the so-called
higher criticism" is playing such havoc
with the Bible, the church again throws
/ lOullh II llGI DIOlGCllOll dts otlG OlO III
the past. In doing this she is acting
cOnsistently,1as she has always held the
| scriptures in the highest reverence.
Professionalism, which at one time
stoutly insisted that the holy scrip
| lures were the sole rule of faith, is now
showing q tendency to regard them as
wholly uninspired. and therefore falli-
bic. The result is that skepticism which
is steadily undermining faith is max
inc bGq6W1U the Protestant
Sects.
The Catholic church, through Leo
XIII, once more stands between the
Bible and those who would have men
| believe that it is nothing more than
piece of literature which has no claims
to divine inspiration. That the work
of defending the holy scriptures may be
Systematically carried on, the holy
father has appointed a commission
composed of learned men who will de-
vote themselves exclusively to the eX-
animation and the elucidation of the
biblical texts. His holiness, in his
apostolic letter, thus states his reasons
for appointing the commission:
I'm view of the compleXity of mod
ern studies and the manifold errors
which prevail, it has become impossi-
BILE for individual interpreters of the
sacred books to explain and DEFEND
them as the needs of the hour require.
It has therefore become necessary that
their common studies should receives
assistance and direction under the aus
pices and guidance of the apostolic see.
We think this can be done by adopting
in this matter the same plans we have
followed in promoting other studies.
We are, then, pleased to establish a
species of council or commission, as II
is commonly called, of serious men,
whose duty it viii be to devote their en-
tire energy to insure that the dlVlne
words may receive that more minute
explanation of them demanded by the
time. and may be not only preserved
free from all the faint of error, but
even raised above rash opinions. The
fitting seat for such a council is Rome,
under the very eyes of the supreme
Pontiff himself, that inasmuch as the
CITY is the mistress and guardian OF
Christian wisdom, so the teaching OF
this necessary doctrine may now from
it's center sound and incorrupt,
throughout the whole. boay on the
Christian republic.
Leo XIII lays down certain rules for
the guidance of the commissioners IN
order that the important duties as
signed them may be properly dis
charged. In the first place, they are
enjoined to regard nothing discovered
by modern research as foreign to their
purpose While making use OF these
aids to shed light on the meaning OF
Biblical texts, the commissioners are
not to Hose sight of the fact that the
Catholic church is the final authority
on the Interpretation of the Holy Scrip
lures. To quote from Leo Kills apos-
tolic letter: 1T is hardly necessary
to say that in texts the sense of which
has been determined either by the sa-
cred authors or has been authenucany
declared by the church, men must De
convinced that this is the only inter
probation that can be approved accord
ing to sound hermeneutics.
Outside of these limitations there is
plenty of scope for discussion of Bib
Iical texts in the Interpretation CT
which. to quote once more from the
anostolic letter. doctors of divinity
NAV follow and defend that opinion
which seems to them individually to be
most reasonable
The newly appointed commission is
to hold regular meetings and PUBLISH
reports at stated times. certain por-
ton of the Vatican library mas peeh set
aside for the use of the commissioners,
who will be supplied, by orders of the
holy father with a large collectlon OF
goddess and volumes dealing with BID
lical subjects. In concluding his apos-
tolic letter. Leo XIII gives this express
sion of his confidence in the benehclal
results of the work of the commission:
I'VE have, indeed, full confidence that
this undertaking of ours, inasmuch as
it concerns the preservation of the talth
and the eternal salvation of souls, VIII
be abundantly favored by the divine
goodness, and that through it all Cain
olics who have devoted themselves to |
the Sacred Book will respond with 1ull
and unlimited. obedience to these pre-
scriptions of the apostolic see.
Thus on the threshold of the TWEEN
tieth century does the Bible find its !
stanchest and most influential defender
in the person of the successor of st. |
Peter. To the Catholic church the !
world was originally indebted for the !
priceless gift of the written word OF |
God. To her also future generations
will owe debt of gratitude for the |
great service she is rendering in our
DAYS by defending the Bible against
those who would reduce it to the status
of an ordinary book.
ATcHIsoN. TOPEKA & SAINT FE
PATHWAY COMPANY