The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-04-09
Scriptures Discarded.
Continued from Page 1.

fact that book written by an Apostle how
can such reasoning apply to all books of the New
Testament; for instance, the Acts, the Gospels OF
st. Mark and st. uLke, ETC.? Is it any wonder than
that Professionalism, with Its vague and varying
views regarding inspiration, it's narrowing of in
spration to certain parts of the Bible It's admission
of error in the sacred writings its inadequate
proofs for the fact of inspiration, and the right of
a book to be on the canon-is it any wonder it Is
powerless to resist the attacks of the railroads.&c.
Higher Criticism, which would fam strip the ord
of God of its Divine characters
Many who, though outside the Catholic fold, re-
we're the Bible, have to recognize the Catholic
Church It's only adequate and rational defender.
No matter what difficulties the unbelievers raise
against the inspiration of the Scriptures, Cath
olics can always ground our certain faith In them
on the infallible authority of Gods Church. 1t is
the old argument of ST. Augustin, who said, 81
would not believe the Gospel, unless the authority
of the Church moved me thereto"
Why are not all permitted to interpret Holy
Scripture as they like9 Q)-Because all are not
qualified, not knowing the languages in which the
various books of Holy Writ were originally written.
(2)-Because God has given only some to be Apos-
ties, some Prophets, some evangelists, and some
pastors and teachers (II Eph, iv, .. (3)-Because
the sense of Scripture is to be sought from those
who were sent to teach from the lips of the priest
who shall keep knowledge, and from whose mouth
they shall require the law (Afal. H. y. (4)-Be-
cause the Apostles assure that in Holy Writ, and
notably in the Epistes "are certain things hard to
be understood which the unlearned and unstable
wrest-as they do also other Scriptures, to their
destruction" III Peter, ill., 49,.
Are not religious disunon and disintegration
the direful result of private Interpretation of the
Holy Scripture9 Do not all the three hundred and
sects claim to be the true religion on the au-
thority of Holy Writ interpreted according to their
private conviction? What could be more cutting
than the way in which Luther speaks of those of his
day who followed their Interpretation of the
Bible? "This one" he says, "will not hear of bap-
tism that denies the Sacrament, another puts
a world between this and the last day, some teach
that Christ is not God, say this, say that
there are about as many sects and creeds as there
are heads. No pumpkin is so rude, but when he has
dreams and fancies, he thinks himself inspired by
the Holy Ghost, and must be a prophet"
Such was the confusion of doctrine brought
about by the individual Interpretation of the Sa-
cred writings that he is compelled to decIare-"If
the world endureth much longer, we shall be forced
by reason of the contrary interpretations of the
Bible which preail,v to adopt again, and take
refuge in the DEGREES of the Councils (of the Cath
olic church, if we have mind to maintain unity
of faith"
But used not the Bible to be chained in the
Cathedrals and monasteries in the Middle Ages2
And if so, why so?
Yes, the usual practice was to attach one end
of an iron chain to ring set in the cover of the
Bible and the other to a staple firmly fixed in the
wall. Thus the reader could draw the precious vol
ume from the shelf, and turn it and open it Just
as he wished, while, at the time, it prevented
him from either mislaying it, or even walking away
with it altogether. Nowadays, thanks to the inyen-
ton of printing the entire Bible may be purchased
for few shillings. In the Middle Ages. when it
was the custom to chain the Bibles in our Churches
a single copy of the Bible was worth over e2OO.
Whole Libraries were chained in this way both in
England and on the Continent of Europe. Listen
to decree of the Canons of Aelfric issued in the
year 950:-"Every Priest, before he is ordained
must have the belonging to his spiritual work
that is the holy books viz the Psalter the Book
of Epistles and the Book of Gospels, the MissaI
ETC." Again, in the Constitutions of Reculfus of
Scissors, the Bishop writes to his Clergy. eve
admonish you to be careful to have Missal a Leo
tionary, Book of the Gospels Psalter. etc.
Then he adds, IF, however, any one of you is I'M
able to obtain all the Books of the Old Testament,
at the very least let him diligently take pains to
transcribe for himself the first Book of the whole
sacred history, which is Genesis by reading which
he may to understand the creation of the
world" The Rule of st. Pachomius DEGREES that
there shall be no one whosoever in the monastrv
who shall not learn to read and get by heart some
parts of the Scriptures, at the very least the New
Testament and the Psalms" How many. we might
ask OF those who re proach us with our disregard
of the Bible, "get the whole of the New Testament
by hear" to say nothing of the Psalms The Eighth
Council of Toledo A D. 835, requires that each
Bishop should, at stated periods, make regular
inquiry throughout his Diocese for the purpose Of
ascertaining (among other things) whether every
priest could rightly interpret the Epistes and Cos
pels, and whether he knew the whole of the Psalms
by heart" In the life of Wilfrid, we read that he
LEARNED the four Gospels by heart and that as
Venerable Bede remarks, twas nothing unusual. -
but, according to the general custom. It il fnr-
Their asked, Are not you Catholics opposed to the
reading of the Bible in the State Schools9 Most
certainly, if faulty translation be used and if
number of Books are left out Moreover wa
strongly object to its being read and coromented an
by men and women of every and no creed, who often
know little or nothing of its meaning, and even "a
gard it mere huma book
The gravest of the grave charges made against
us concerning the inspired pages are
O-That we Catholics have always UNDERMINED
the Bible '''i''o
(2)-That the study of the Bible was never en-
couraged among the Clergy, whilst the Catholic
people.
(9)-That in fact, until the time of Luther. in