The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-07-31
SAUL THE PHARIsEE.
Ninth Lecture for the Biblical Section
Of the carrolIton Club by Rev.
James c. Byrne.

! We have learned from our Cate
chism that those living before Christ
could be saved by believing in a
Redeemer to come and by keeping the
Commandments. The Old Testament
is in accord with this teaching. We
open it and we find that the form of
worship by sacrifice, from Abel to
Christ, carried the great truths of
God, of sin, of divine Justice and
Mercy, of hope, and of reconciliation,
while it pointed to more perfect
eacrifce to come. The historical por.
tions of the Old and New Testaments
how us great saints, who by this Cod
given dispensation became saints. In
dividuals, at least, seem to grow in
sanctity with the ages In the last
days we find those, who were pre-
eminently just Joachim, Anna, Zach
ary, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna the
prophecies, Joseph, John the Baptist,
not to mention Mary, who lived under
the old and the new dispensation, and
who, performed all things according
| ly to the law of the Lore" (Luke III,
59). Finally, Our Lord says that He
came not to destroy but to fulfill.
We feel, therefore, somewhat of a
shock, as if there were contradic-
tfon both to teaching and to his
tory, when we read in st. Paul:
'The Law worketh wrath" (Rom TX,
150; ''The Law entered in that sin
might abound" (Rom. v. 20); 1--WE are
loosed from the Law, wherein we
we're detained (Rom. VII. 81; when
the commandment came sin revived
and l died." "Sin taking occasion by
the commandment seduced me and by
it killed me" (Rom. VII. 9-1D: God
hath concluded all in unbelief that he
may have mercy upon all (Rom. XII.
32); CAS- many as are of the works
of the Law are under a curse" (Gal.
III. 10); "Christ hath redeemed us
from the curse of the Law (Gal III.
13): all this comes with shock, /
repeat, if indeed the Apostle is talking
of the Law of Moses, as all writer's
without single exception say. /
think that there must be an oversight
here. For, contrariwise, that Law
was to work peace, to lessen sin,
to promote life; it was, after the
Gospel, Gods greatest blessing to
mankind; the saints living under it
we're not in unbelief. The need Is
evident to search for st. Paul's
viewpoint. In searching for it, we
shall be guided by the principle, that,
whatever the Higher Criticism may
be, the highest criticism is to inter
pret Scripture in subordination to the
uniform teaching of the Church as
given in the Catechism. We take
liberties only where divergent views
force us to take liberties, il we are
to express an opinion of all.
How Different Judgments May anc
May Not Be Reconciled.
| If, of two men, one says that Ger
tain flower is black and the other thai
it is red, and both are truthful men
and we know nothing more about
them, or the flower, we have prob
lem that is unsolvabIe. Certainly i
is a waste of time to expend ingenuit,
in trying to show how black may bt
red, But, if the former man tells u!
that he is color-blind, so that what
| ever is not white is black to him, W.
can reconcile their statements. Fol
while the latter says that the howel
is red, the former only says, equiva
lently, that it is not white. Now st
Paul tells us that he is the son o
Pharisees," !" that ''he lived a blamelesi
Pharisee," that he was educated II
Jerusalem, the hot-bed of Pharisaism
at the feet OF Gamaliel, respected
Pharisee. He tells us, furthermore
that he received nothing from tn,
Apostles. The light that came to him
therefore, came to the mind of |
Pharisee, and the light, that came
from his mind, was tinged with iti
human source. The same air is played
on an organ and then on violin b!
the same musician, yet who canno
distinguish in that sameness a differ
ence, since while the melody is wholly
from the musician, it is wholly ais.
from the instrument? Inspired men
Just as they were, learned in Egyptian
lore as Moses, with poetic phantas.
like David, or with vigilant eye TO
detail, like Peter, we're inspired b.
the Holy Ghost, that is, they becam
His instruments, and their works. re
feet the jurist, the poet, or the fisher
man. Why should not st. Paul's writ
fngs reflect the Pharisee? And IL the.
z do, and If he has over and over agail
2 assured us that he had been a PhaI
T fsee like his parents before him, is
? not our fault, If we assume that h
, had not been, and 90 on proving tha
1 black il red? Let us take glance a
t both the negative and the positive In
? fiuences, that Pharisaism exercised d
I his writings.
4 Negative influence.
y Newman's rhapsodies over St Paul
3 knowledge Of Greek culture are witt
1 lout solid foundation. Father Prat, VIII
! thus far il the best writer on ST. Pau
! is right in judging that the three Qut
E tations from Greek poets prove notf
!. ling. A man may quote Shakespear
: as saying: There are more things /
d Heaven and earth than in your philoi
r ophys and he may never have opene
Shakespeare. Italian peasants, VII