The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-07-31
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

with the creeks may have picked up
Those few common sayings without
delving for them himself in immoral
literature, which was foreign to Phari-
see training. His Greek remains the
Greek of the common people, this
is the fact, in spite of the work of his
letter-Writers and the emendations
of the ages. He manipulated it, how
j ever, as only great genius could.
Furthermore, in his letter to the Cor
| inthians he admits that he did not
preach "in the persuasive words of
human wisdom: howbeit we speak
wisdom among the perfect" In fact,
the Apostles plight was pitiful. He
was best equipped to go among his
own people, and he was rejected by
them; he was humanity speaking
poorly equipped to go to the Gentiles,
and it was to them that he had to go.
/ He converted the Galatians and they
were wheedled away from him
/ with ease; he was the spiritual father
of the Christians at Corinth, but on
account of the cultured Apollo they
were rather tickle in their loyalty
to him. he worked longest in Ephe-
sus, but in his last letter he says:
/ Thou knowest this that all those
that are in Asia are turned away from
me-" (II Tim. /. 81. In fact, he was
lacking in that very culture for which
Newman praises him, and which
| would have been a powerful aid to his
preaching. He is blind to nature. In
his numerous travels he sees neither
i the green foam-girt isles, nor the
| snoW-capped mountains, nor the gor-
| geous sunsets, nor the pleasant val
| leys. He is true to the saying of the
Rabbi: HE who breaks off his medi-
tation on the Law, and says, how
/ beautiful is this tree! how fine this
landscape! is endangering his own
life" (Aboth page 76). st. Paul saw
and the Law. There is an argument
from the life of st. Paul in favor of
culture, but it is not from his Grecian
culture, but from the disadvantages
| which he suffered on account of it's
want. Let us now look at the positive
lside.
Positive Indications of Pharisalo
/ Training.
| The Pharisees were wont to boast.
Our Saviour in the parable introduces
us to typical Pharisee, whose prayer
is narrative of his works and a dis
play of his pride. ST. Paul uses the
word "boast" forty times. The only
other New Testament writer, who
uses 1t, and only twice at that, is st.
James, who was possibly controvert-
ing him. The simple distinction be-
tween natural and supernatural works
j becomes with st. Paul a distinction
between works, which man may
boast of and works, which a man may
; not. When under certain reservations
, he permits himself to boast of his
trials, he shows that he is an adept.
, But, if the Pharisees made their
boast of God" he made his "boast Of
God through Jesus Christ" (Rom. V.
iD. Furthermore, he is so full OF
Rabbinic lore that it unconsciously,
by way of illustration, escapes him.
He knows the names of the magicians,
James and Mambres, who resisted
! Moses (Tim. III. 81; he recalls the
: legend of the stone following the
Jews, from which they drank; he
draws beautiful a fortiori argument
from the resplendent countenance OF
Moses-an argument which is helped
more by the legend than by the strict
. text of Scripture; he breaks out into
blessings after the style of the Rab-
bis; he excommunicates after the style
: of the Synagogue. His infrmity Is
! caused by an angel of Satan, that buff
!, fets him; the reason why women
should wear covering in church is
on account of the angels. Pious
: Pharisee women never uncovered
, their heads "even to the ceiling"
Jewish writer's say that there is no
,, such expression as Hebrew of the
! Hebrews" Perhaps he wished to say
! that his style was Rabbinically Rab-
, binic Nearly one-half of his quota
. tions from Scripture is after the Rab-
binic manner. Omitting other argu-
! ments from his style of writing, we
!, come now to more serious matters.
Pharisaic Law Quoted.
! For what follows we make only one
i | postulate and that is that st. Paul
+ knew what he was talking about, in
! other words, that, when he quotes a
e law, he quotes it exactly. All his edu-
}. cation is guaranty that the grounds
!. for this postulate are solid. He says:
!. q made progress in the Jews religion
VI above many of my equals in my own.
4 nation" He tells. us exactly in what,
!. being more abundantly Jealous for
IA the traditions of the fathers" (Ga1. /.
b 14). Mark well these words: "The
Il traditions OF the fathers" We have
/ seen that these traditions formed the
II Halacha or Pharisaic Law. Now, he
d quotes Scripture" (Gal. III. 81 to
prove the value Of faith; what does
he quote to show the value Of works?
! Here are his words: 1T is written:
. Cursed is everyone that abideth not
l. in all things in the book of the Law to
o do them (Gal.. III. 10).,. 1t looks like
|, Scripture, but it is not. From one end
J of the Bible to the other there is no
l. such curse. The reference in our BIZ
e bles to Deuteronomy is misleading.
n IN Deuteronomy, chapter XVII, Moses
5 gave solemn Injunction to erect an
n altar aa aoon aa the neOrIe crossed