The San Francisco call., 1906-08-13
Papal Biblical Commission
Holds. However, That He
Acted With Inspiration
USEDDOCUMENTS
AND TRADITIONS
Corruptions in the Text,
During Course of Ages,
Admitted by the Fathers
sPEcIAL DISPATCH 10 THE CALL.

SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL.
n TEW YORK. Aug. 12.-That Moses
N did not write with his own hand
Pentateuch and lat they were
not wholly inspired is the gist of the
report Of the biblical commission ap-
pointed by Pope Plus TX shortly after
his accession to the papal throne. The
report has just been translated under
the direction Of DR.. Grammar Of the
Catholic University at Washington. who
was the American member of the com
mission, and has been sent TO biblical
scholars throughout the country. Sew
eral copies reached New York this
week.
The fact that the commission, while
strongly upholding the Mosaic author
ship Of the Pentateuch, has admitted
that il is not wholly inspired in the
proper signihcation Of the word is con-
sioered an attitude which not many
years ago would have created a SEN
sation among the conservatives of the
Catholic church. This concession was
made in answer to one of the doubts
proposed for the solution by the com
mission. The question as put to the
commission follows:
PENTATEUCH NOT ALL MOSES.
Whether it can be CONCEDED without
prejudice to the Mosaic authenticity OF
the Pentateuch that Moses in his work
used sources-that is, written docu-
ments or oral traditions-from which,
TO suit his special purpose and under
the influence Of divine inspiration, he
selected some things and inserted them
IN his own work, either verbally or in
substance, summarized or amplihed?"
The answer written under this ques-
ton IN the report is Yes"
There are no comments. The entire
question, which has been under dis
cussion by biblical scholars for cen
ruries, is conceded. Whether this
means that Moses simply was inspired
to write the Pentateuch or put it to-
gether as a compiler would is another
question that has arisen from the an
swer.
Answering another doubt, the COM
mission says that with due regard to
the judgment Of the church .
It may be admitted that in the long
course Of the ages some notifications
have been introduced into the Penta-
teuch, such as additions after the death
Of Moses. either inserted by an in
spired author or attached to the text
as CLOSES or Interpretations: words and
forms translated from an ancient Ian
guage TO a more recent language; and
finally, the faulty reading may be as
cribed TO errors OF amanuenses, con-
cerning which il is lawful to inves-
ticate and judge according to the laws
Of criticism"
NOT WRITTEN BY MOSES HAND.
Answering the question whether the
Mosaic authenticity necessarily postu-
lates an acceptance OF the whole work
IN the sense that il must be absolutely
held that Moses wrote with his own
hand or dictated to an amanuensis all
and everything contained in it, or
whether Moses conceived the work un-
der the influence Of divine inspiration
and then intrusted the writing of ii to
others?' the commission says no one
need believe that Moses wrote the book
with his own hand, and finds that
while Moses was inspired to write the
book the task fell TO others under his
direction.
The report is long one and is signed
by the secretaries of the commission.
the Benedictine Father Jannssens and
Father FulcranUs Nigereux, both emil
nent biblical scholars.