The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-06-17
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THE CHURCH AND THE BIBLE.

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THE CHURCH AND THE BIBLE.
we'll before John Wycliffe was born as
SINCE" observed Foxe. At any rate,
West-Saxon and Lindisfarne Gospels
not to speak of other documents known
to history, are sufficient to prove that
all along the centuries, as far back as
the time of Venerable Bede, if any
man desired to render Holy Scripture
into his mother-tongue he was at lib
erty to do so.
Abuses of Scripture Reading by
Heretics.
But surely at no time could the
Catholic Church allow, in principle or
in practice, the contention of Protes-
tants that the Bible alone is the rule
of faith, or that individual Christians
must get their religion by reading it's
pages. Moreover, if the Church held,
as she does hold, that Scripture is the
written Word of God, she was bound
to protect it from heretical and pro-
fame handling. AS I have quoted one
Protestant, Canon Henson, in defense
of the Oxford Synod, which dealt with
Wycliffite translations, I will quote
another, the late J. A. Froude, in illus
tration of Sir Thomas More.
First, as regards Tyndale's YER
sion," Froude remarks, "The offense
was less in the rendering of the words
than in the side-notes, prefaces, and
commentaries" yet even the words"
had many of them to be corrected by
and by, and always in Difference to
Catholic criticism, so that the Author
lied Version of 1911, which is now be-
ing glorified, bears upon it large traces
of the Rheims New Testament where
Tyndale is supplanted Again, as
Froude tells us, I'm 1889 appeared
Taverner's Bible, with a summary at
the commencement of things contain
ed in Holy Scripture in which Protes-
tantism of an audacious kind was
openly professed. The priesthood was
denied; Masses and purgatory were
4 ignored; the Sacramento were de-
scribed as nothing but outward signs;
and the Eucharist as a memorial sup
per- without sacrifcial character, fig
urative or real How could any Cath
Ollie Bishops endure this? Henry VIII
|, was even compelled to forbid under
penalties the original annotated edi-
tions of Tyndale in 1543. "The Bible,
as edited by Cranmer," says Froude on
this event, twas left untampered with;
but a temporary limitation was i'm
: posed, perhaps wisely, on it's indis-
criminate use." We have all read
, Henry's words to his Parliament in
!, 1889: Il am very sorry to know and
, hear how unreverently that most
precious jewel, the Word of God, is
; disputed, rhymed, sung, and tangled in
every alehouse and tavern" He had
intended his loving subjects to use
: the commodity of the reading of the
I Bible humbly, meekly, reverently, and
: obediently," but quite other conse-
, quences speedily became visible, and
! private judgment started on it's career
, towards the goal of unbelief which we
: now see it is attaining.
J These are considerations that throw
! light upon the DEGREES of the Council
, of Trent and the discipline long pre-
) valent in face of religious anarchy.
4 But history shows that the Catholic
! Church first preserved Holy Scripture,
j has always protected it, and was will
| ing to have 1t rendered into all Ian
+ guages, on condition that it should be
! devoutly handled and rightly inter
J preted. Amy other reading Of her ac-
) ton is false, ungrateful, and I hest
i tate not to say malicious I leave,
: however, to ADLER pens the explana-
: ton and defense of Catholic policy
) after the great Revolt. It is enough
t for me, IL have proved that until Pro
r testants by abusing the reading of the
| Bible had made 1t pretext for here
> sizes and divisions beyond counting,
the first thought of ecclesiastics was
to sanctify the printing press, and to
employ 1t In the multiplication not
only of the Latin vulgate, but OF trans
7 lations from IL I'm the spoken Ian
lguages of Christendcm.