The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-04-19

Il S~~N
so-called Books of Moses, the Jehovist
and the Elohist, were written about
eight hundred years before Christ
mo later than about $50 B. c.; thai
is about six hundred years after Moses
These parts contain mainly myths de
rived from Babylonia, Egypt, northern
Arabia and the Canaanites, and far
fetched traditions of stories abou
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses
etc.
The Deuteronomist was writer
about 64O-610 before Christ, or about
seven hundred years after Moses, ant
was fraud or forgery to fool the
young King Josias to make reforms
in accordance with the ideas of this
book, which he took for a Book OF
Moses.
The Priestly Code was gradually
made up about the time of the Baby
lonian exile and after, or about SOC
to 444 years before Christ, or 800 to
900 years after Moses. The contents
of the Priestly Code are mainly purely
invented genealogies and stories about
the Israelites in Egypt and the deserts
and laws and ritual prescriptions false
ly ascribed to Moses.
These books were gradually com
bined and imposed on the credulous
Jews as the Books of Moses, about 444
before Christ, or about 900 years after
Moses.
These are 'the grand results" OF the
infidel higher criticism of the Books
of Moses. They, of course, ii they
were true, would undermine the very
foundations of Christianity. II the
fall of man, the call of Abraham, etc.
were pure myths or fables there Woulo
not have been any use for redemption
and ST. Paul would have been mis-
taken about what he said OF Adam ano
Eve. But fortunately, the results OF
the infidel higher criticism are only
castles in the air"
Christian Writers Led Astray.
AS long as this infidel Bible criticism
was confined to avowed or pract1ca
infidels it did not attract much at
tention from serious Christians VINO
cared little for this talk. The case
assumed quite different aspect, how
ever, when some Christian apollo
gists'' such as Professor S. R. Driver
of Oxford, England, began, in 1891
with unctious phrases to smuggle this
new "Trojan horse" into the m1ds
of the Christian camp. Serious ant
able Protestant writer's and leaders
promptly rose up in decided protes
against such an abominable attempt.
Unfortunately, also, some Catholic
writer's were led astray by the false
lights of infidel German higher crit
icism and followed the example o
DR.. Driver, trying to smuggle tina
new fTrojan horse" also into the
Catholic Church.
The ChurcF1's Answer.
The answer of the Catholic Church
was prompt and decisive. In the frs
place, the Biblical commission appoint
ed by the Pope decided, June II
1906. that the arguments advanced b!
the infidel critics are of no sucf
weight as % give a right to affirm tina
the Books of Moses did not have
Moses as their author, but are ma1nl!
made up of sources of later date thar
the age of Moses.
Hence, after June q, 1906, no Cath
olic investigator or writer has any RICH
to accept the conclusions of the In
fidel higher critics who claim that thu
Books of Moses were written man!
centuries after Moses, and all books
written by Catholics before the dat
mentioned, accepting the said conclu
sions, should and in conscience ough
to be withdrawn by those concerned
from public circulation, as far as Gil
cumstances will permit. Rom;
locuta. causa finita est" Among Cath
olics there can be no further disput'
on this matter.
Moreover, the Catholic Church ha
commenced in thorough earnest to fir
her too highly critical Jonases over
board. Of seven prominently ono
mentioned as higher critical author
ties among Catholics, two-Loisy an
Lagrange-have had some expel
fence in this line; third on
is reported to have been put "unde
bushel' so that he cannot let hi
critical light shine any more; an
some others may thank their micro
scopic magnitude that they have thu
far escaped a similar fate-but Their
is no telling when the proper search
light will strike them.
AS long ago as 1S76-187S, the infide
, higher criticism of the Books @
|, Moses, under Wellhausen's leader
: ship reached it's highest point G
glory and is Fastening to it's fall. TIL
time seems near when it will shar
the fate of VOLTS famous highe
criticism of Homer's Illiad; both wi
be remembered as literary curiosities
, DR.. James Orr says of infidel highe
criticism, "Nubecula est, quae cit
evanescet; TT is a little cloud tina
| will soon vanish.
The admirers of this grand delusio
/ will gradually have their eyes opene
; when they read some of the grea
works that have been publishe
| and which completely demolis
the card-house of infidel higher crit
) cism To mention only few of thes
, works which the writer happens t
! have at hand: James Orr, D. D.: Tn
Problem of the Old Testament, 1906