The sun., 1908-03-24
A JEWISH PLEA FOR ROM.
Modernism . Casting on Of AntIQuated
Theological Labels.

I
Smiths scholarship liberal mindednes' ana
| critical acumen. confess that in his recent
| theological duel with Monsignor Patrick
! Francis 0Hare ! side rather with the
doughty champion OF Roman Catholicism
than With the eloquent advocate Of agnosti.
clsm. / have heretofore, In my public
treatment Of the religious question, scrupu.
lousy respected the theological Monroe
doctrine, but there occur occasions when
ones scientific conscience and sense OF
Justice are stronger than any coIdly pre-.
medtated line OF conduct The splendid
| and dignihed ultimatum which the learned
and genuinely progressive rector OF s..
| Anthony OF Padua sent over the Canadian
frontier 10 the octogenarian British biz.
| torian is responsible for the II admit
strange spectacle Of Jew, belonging u
the extreme left wing OF the synagogue.
taking up the oudges for Rome.
My race has suffered for over a thousand
years At the hands OF the Roman Catholic
Church. represented by Papacy, clergy and
the lay world, cruel persecution and untold
misery compared with which ell the wounds
inflicted by the Mother Church on ns rebel.
lious daughter must appear as harmless and
only skin deep. 10 this day, over In Europe
and above all In my old fstherlsnd, Austria.
! the anti-Semltic rabble is quite openly
shielded and encouraged by part Of the
Catholic Church and its emissaries. n I.
nevertheless, am siding this time With 4
dlFnltary OF Rome. II Ia because he sincerely
wishes o forget the sins Of the past and 10
prepare the way for better religious under.
standing between all children Of God
Goodwin Smith, although layman himself.
seems 10 be still possessed by the old fgro'
ihsolooiout, while the New Divinity, as repre-.
sented in our own country by its most recent
organ. the Hdyrdrd Theological Rerisu. tend'
rather toward smoothing over the petty ron.
fessional differences, finding ts supreme am
billion in the -tranBating Of the message or
the timeless into the dialect Of the present
age We who clearly distinguish between
religion and religions leaving the study of
the latter 70 the historian while cultiyatng
the first with the combined powers Of our
hands and heads aud hearts-we smile az he
wateright Jim Grow compartments which
short sighted and narrow chested priests snd
pastors and rabbis try to keep w between
the sovereign members Of the rehriou'
democracy Of our age.
am a great admirer Of Professor Charles
4. Briggs aud can easily understand thst
hls dream Of a reunion Of Christendcm hss
been cruelty shattered by Plus \ = encyolcsl
against Modernism His recent philippe In
the North American Rsrisr for Februsry
1905. against the ecclesiastic "camsTa of
the Vatican reads almost like that famous
collection Of theses Martin Luther nailed 10
the door Of the church castle OF Wttembere
in 1917. Even Archbishop Ireland, the great
literary champion OF the Papacy IN this
country. has not yet been able 10 muster the
necessary courage 10 tell friend Briggs vhai
he thinks of his fierce arraiRnment Of poor
Plus X. Well Professor William Adams
Brown Of the Mon Theological Seminary.
colleague Of Briggs, fortunately relieved The
Archbishop Of ST. Paul Of any further debate
on this matter by splendid essay In the
first issne ~ the above mentioned Hnrr1ri
Theological Rcricu January March, 1908 m
the essential differences betV cen Protestant.
ism and Catholicism, burrowing deep into
the psychology Of the latter and rendering
Justice even to the vehement attack OF the
present Pope on modern science and modern
progress.
Theology Jewish, Protestant and Catho
lc--is on the steady move, We often laugh
ptyingy at the ancient rabbf who pc
tended that the Torah vac coeval with
the Creation and that Almighty God Hun
sell pondered over the intricacies OF the Law
But how many among my Protestant resd
! eTs arc ANdIe lOdl even lUt great anu uNlN
reformer Martin Luther held that Christian
doctrine bad existed unchanged from the
beginning Of the world and that Adam and
Eve discussed Trluity and Incarnation in ths
Garden Of Eden? FIVE compare with such
a standpoint the platform Of our modern
scientific theology which throws overheard
not only the divinity Of Christ and the IN.
spred character OF the Bible, but frankly
admits the gradual ascent OF man from
primitive stage OF bsrbarism with oil r'
logical consequences. We are inclined 70 hs
rather indugently inclined toward the des
perate efforts OF the Vatican to stick to The
old dogmalics, confident az We are that Rome
has not yet said her last word,
There are. a. Professor Brown reminds u'
two Catholiuisms, essentially different the one
from the other.
Greek Catholicism is the Catholicism Of the Ps''
prldIng Itself upon It's uuchangeabeneSs and neH
uring It's orthodoxy by its inertia. Roman Caho
lcsm is the Catholicism Of the present and Of tf'
future alert adaptable, fertile Ia resources, Quick
20 learn 5SLly e sppl. wha' y hes learned Gts's
Catholicism Is the religion OF Russia and OF m
East Roman Catholicism Is a. home In London am
IN Berlin and l. nowhere more active and vigorou'
than In America the country Of freedom and N
change II anything were needed 10 make ~
really the exclusive possession OF the newer Prot
, esantlsm Il would be the spectacle OF modern
Catholic theolorisns like Losy invoking this ptin.
; cIple agalns, Protestants like Hamsck In support
Of the claims Of the Catholic Church. Yet this
what We are seeing to-day.
one reason why the significance ot this chang
OF position u 50 seldom recognized ls the tenaci'r
Witb which In theory modern Catholicism hold
fast to the principle OF tradition. The Ron'n
Church TO day stln processes to be what II vas ''
the beginning, and carries back It's latest deveiop
rents both In doctrine and practice 70 the days ~
tho Apostles Rut here, A. So often Noids 49,
! misleading The Identity Of the name covers =
y | radical change In the thing signhed tnder ~
, Fulst OF the power to interpret dogma th' Roman
church has asserted her power 10 change II and ~
tho act OF defining has dethroned The tradition 'n'
professes TO venttaN. The nnAl authority oi nc'
& ern Catholicism Is not the tradition Of the pas
| but the uyinG Church speaking through It's NNni
representatyes to the issues aud the neeos ~ ny
n | present and In this tsct Hes its strength
. This Il the real significance Of the dosms 70.
Papal Intallibulty. II Is the public DECLARATION ''
. ,h. emancipation Of the Church from the y ram
Of the past Its the Animation oi la Tis1' Ah'
IN, power Of the Church 10 deal with the ntw que
e lions which the new age has brought, Vi'0o'
belnr fettered By the decisions OF the ages iha'''
son, IL is the contamination Of the p'ort"
d long aFo begun, BY which the seat OF rc.lgoI'
70 ,uthorlty has been shifted from Augustine ono
AouInAs and the fathers OF Trent TO Leo and f'''
!. and the Bishops and Cardinals who are their pres
J.. .nt advisers. The fact that this power ma3 '.
used as We see It being used TO day In the lN'eT''
n of a reactonAry policy. does not lessen th' 'lgn'
!, | ..,ss ~ the change which It's presence iiplN