The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-05-10
The Bible Never Was Intend.
ed As A "TeXt Book"
Bible Holds The Same ReIa.
tiOn To The Church
That The Constitution Does
To The Country

The subject of the lecture last ev-
ening at st. Vincent de Paul's church
was THE Bible: Its Use and Abuse"
The speaker began by stating clear
ly the respective Catholic and Pro-
testant rule of faith. The Catholic
rule he said, sis the Bible, the writ
ten word of God, both preserved and
interpreted by that living Church
which Christ Himself established. at
the head of which was to he the body
of the Apostles and their legitimate
successors down through the cen
turies, and which He pledged Himself
to keep IN the way of truth. The
Protestant rule of faith is the Bible
alone, read and interpreted by the
Holy Spirit
The difference in the rule of faith,
he maintained, is the fundamental
difference between Catholicism and
Protestantism-the cause of all the
other differences.
In what l say this evening" he
said, God forbid that l should lessen
oy one iota the love and respect
which you .have for tle Bible. On
the contrary, would that l could in
crease it a tnousandfold. Catholics
look upon the Bible as the very word
of God 1t is defined doctrine of
the Catholic Church that the Bible
the whole Bible, Old Testament and
New, taken as whole and in all its
parts. is the inspired word of God.
in such a sense that God may be truly
called it's author Catholic writings
at all times are replete with passages
from the Scripture, showing famil-
arity with the Scriptures which would
put most writer's OF the preseit day
| to shame
The principal occupation OF the
monks all during the midle ages was
to transcride books, the chief of
which was the Bible.
Though printing had been invent
ed but a short time, when Luther's
Bible appeared in Germany, there
had already been 14S editions OF the
Catholic Bible printed in Latin and
1913 in the modern languages. Oi
the latter 20 were in Italian. 26 in
French. l9 in Flemish. = in Spanish, :
in Bohemian. IN Slavonic. and &c
in German.
Catholics are strongly exhorted tc
read the Bible, provided they read al
approved version and the text be ac
companied with explanatory notes.
In fact the Catholic church ha:
always shown the greatest love anC
respect for the Bible. But sacred a:
the Bible is. we must give it its prop
er plaoe-the place which God Him
self intended it 90 have in the Chris
tian religion. He who gives it tina
place is the truest friend of the Bible
While he who does not give it tina
place, no matter what his persona
: love and respect for the Bible Nigh
be. is in reality an enemy OF tn
Bible"
The speaker then proceeded L
point out the following facts:
l. Christ did not write the New
Testament.
, .. Christ did not commission tn
Apostles to write the New Testament
, 8. Most of the Apostles left us n
writings. Fully half of the Ne'
Testament was written not by Apo:
ties, but by Disciples of the Apostle:
4. The New Testament was neSe
intended to contain the fulness of tn
teachings and doings of Christ
shown from the way in which the val
ious parts came into existence
5. The Bible never intended as
f text book" OF religion.
8. Last portion of the New Test;
ment not written till end of first Gel
! tury. Only in the fourth centur
|, Councils of Hippo and Carthasel di
the church fix the cannon of the Ne
Testament
d Z. Printing not invented till th
fifteenth century. Up TO that tim