The Savannah morning news., 1903-12-30
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS: TUESDAY. DECEMBER 20, 1903

ton likely to provoke controversy, l
only remark on the Examiners refer
ence to the impossibility of the church
anthenticating the scriptures, that the
| question, whether the Holy Bible as
| we possess it to-day is the inspired
word of God, and free from substantial
errors, is one of such great impor-
lance that I decline to accept the die
tum of the writer, that there is no GER
tain way of determining the question
| AS / write, there lies before me an
| account of a council held in Rome III
| 494 and to the canon of the Ola ana
New Testament, I find this preface:
THE order of the books of the Ola
Testament which the holy and Catho-
lie Roman Church receives and vene-
rates, arranged by blessed Gelasius
l., Pope together with seventy Dish
OPS" The catalogue of both tes-
taments is then given as we have them
| to-day.
1--WE have in recent years had new
version of the English Bible. Schol-
ars of different denominations joined
in the work. This fact does not make
the book a Protestant book. 1t Is an
honest endeavor. by competent men,
to get just as close as possible to the
meaning of the originals. The Ro-
manist scholars should have joined in
this endeavor, but did not. 1t is not
for them to mock at this work by
calling it sectarian and Protestant. 1t
is not. 1t is for all who wish to read
the Bible in English. Whether it is
right and wise to read the Bible in the
public schools is another question; but
we ought to resent the effort to eX-
clude it by stigmatizing it as sectarian.
We shall have yet better TRANSACTIONS,
through the growth of knowledge. ana
scholarship, and through the determi-
nation to have the most exact version
of the perfect originals.
1t has been so long since have heard
a word of the revised version of the
English Bible. that l welcome 1t as
sort of returned prodigal. No one,
assume. questions the sincerity. the
scholarship or the patience of the re-
visers. but it is a fact that so far
as the acceptance by the people OF TINS
version is concerned. it was COM
plete failure. 1 never heard of Catho-
lies working at the work. Doubt
less, it gave rise to some harmless
humorous thrusts in view of some
rather radical innovations. The re-
Vising board was composed entirely OF
Protestant gentlemen. 1t is not USED
or acceuted by Catholics. How then
should it be known? II is not for Eng |
lish speaking Catholics, most assured
ly for we do not recognize 1t. Par
enthetically it might be we'll to sug-
gest to the Examiner that gentlemen |
do not use the word Romanlsts IN |
speaking of Roman Catholics. | sus-
pect the Examiner is a religious pap |
er.
Our belief with regard to the Holy |
Scriptures, was well expressed py the
late Pope. Leo XIII.
1T is not at all impossible that copy
lists may have, while TRANSFERRING, MADE
mistakes, a matter which is to be duly
weighed and to be admitted only aft
er strongest proofs. 1t may even hap
pen that the genuine meaning of some
passages is doubtful, in which case the
safest rules of Interpretation are to be
our guide But it would be absolutely
wrong to limit inspiration to some
few portions of Scripture, or to as
sert that the inspired writer was him.
self at fault. 1t would exceed all the
bounds of liberation to sanction the
view of those, who in order to get
rid of the above difficulties, boldly af-
firm that divine Inspiration is concern
ed solely with doctrinal and moral
facts, and that when there is ques-
ton of the real meaning we are to in
veStigate not so much what God has
said as why He said it.
For all the books in their entirety
which the church accepts as inspired
and canonical haveebeen with all their
parts written unQer the direction Oh
the Holy Spirit. ash
These are the words of the Vatican
Council. The books of the Old and
New Testament, whole and entire, with
all their parts as enumerated in the
decree of Trent and found in the Latin
Vulgate, are to be received as inspired
and canonical. The church holds them
as inspired and canonical, not because
they have been compiled by human in
dustry and afterwards approved by
her authority, nor because they con-
tain an errorless revelation, but be-
cause they have been written under
the dictation of the Holy Ghost and
have God as their author"
This at least has the merit of clear
ly Stating fact and as dearly putting
the reason for a belief. Sincerely
yours, Benjamin J. Kelley,
Bishop of Savannah.