The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-04-08

"A. d. 7S1, on the seventh day of
the first month, being Sunday. Writ
ten by Lu-Situ-yen, secretary of the
Council, whilst the Bishop Nieng-shu
had charge OF the Illustrious Congre
cation in the Orient
Besides the Chinese text on the face
Of the monument, there are inscrip-
tions in Syriac here and there. on the
face and on the sides of the slab, con-
tanning the names Of Christian pre-
lates, missionaries and founders of
the monument.
A Record of Christianity.
This then, is the record of a far
distant past, standing in the open
field near Sian-fu, which through the
zeal of Mr.. Holm, is now safely lodged
where, as he says, it will no longer
be exposed to wind and weather and
will be able to fight a long, long bat
tie against age and time.
This record takes us back to the
days of the 9Th and 7th centuries
when the HISTORIAN Church flourished
in Persia and sent out it's missionaries
into other lands. sect it was in
deed, separated from the allegiance
and the full truth of the center and
head of Christianity but nevertheless
a Christian sect which in the days Of
it's youth and strength, had more Of
truth than of error. The distinctive
theological errors of NestorianiSm
were not understood by the mass Of
the believers. Professor Marucchi
the learned archeologist says, The
first heraldS of the good tidings in
China were, it is true, Christians who
had fallen into some dogmatic errors;
but, all their errors Notwithstanding,
they ySt preserved a great pare of~The
treasure of the ancient common be-
liefs, as their inscription witnesses
for us. Their theological errors were
not understood by the people. They
have left a trace among the inhabi-
tants of the great Chinese empire,
whilst the Christianity which they in
troduced, remained to facilitate the
work of later missionaries who were
in union with the true Church.
These were the courageous sons of
Francis of Assist, of Dominic Of GuZ-
man and of Ignatius of Loyola, who
prosecuted the great work of the
Christian Apostolate through periods
of toleration and of persecution, and
who sealed the faith with their blood"
The HISTORIAN monument therefore,
as will be seen from it's inscription,
is in no wise a record of HISTORIAN
doctrine The text is a simple state
ment of the great truths of Christian
| faith, the Trinity, Creation, Mans Fall,
| the Incarnation and Virgin Birth, the
Redemption, the Sacred Scriptures,
and other particulars of Christian
| doctrine and practice and principles
of Christian morality. 1t is especial
ly noteworthy that the HISTORIANS re-
tanned from the ancient Church, from
which they had separated themselves,
the Eucharistic Sacrifice and also
prayers for the dead.
NestoriUs and His Heresy.
Nestorius, once a monk of Antioch,
was chosen Bishop and Patriarch of
Constantinople He was not the chief
exponent in theological writings of
the opinions which he had received
from his masters in the theological
school of Antioch and for which he
was condemned. But he preached
them with extraordinary eloquence
and his exalted position made him the
chief representative of those opinions,
as his deposition made his name the
rallying cry of an heretical sect.
The errors called Nestorianism
concern chiefly the doctrine of the In
carnation. Our Lord Jesus Christ is
both God and man, true God and true
man. He has two natures, divine and
human, in one divine Person. Thus
the Second Person of the Blessed
Trinity suffered and died for our re
demption. His redeeming work is
both human and divine. He is, in
that work, truly the representative OF
mankind, and at the same time His
redeeming work has the infinite value
that comes from His divinity.
To us of the present day, no other
doctrine seems possible. But wher
we remember that the correct state
ment in human language of SO great
a mystery has been attained only
after long years of feeble human effort
when we sound the depths OF thi!
profound theological study, and wher
we recall that in the day of Nestoriu!
the correct Technology had not ye
been fixed, we can understand how hi
came to his error.
! Nestorius was so much concerned
t lest due emphasis be not given to boil
| the human and the divine natures il
. the Redeemer, he was so fearful les
\ the divinity be emphasized at the eS
! pense of the humanity, as had beel
$ done in the earlier heresy of Apo
: linaris, that he went to the eXtrem
r of separating the human and the d
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