The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-07-13
POPULAR APoLoGETIcs.
Adapted from the German OF Rev.
Peter Mikes, S. j., by Rev.
James Watcher.
Sc. Testimony of Christ for His
Divinity.

objection: Christ never said: Il
m Cod: the doctrine of His divinity
rose later.
Answer: y Christ said plainly; i
nm the Son of the living God (Cf. No.
53) and claimed divine attributes:
al To be eternal Before Abra-
nam was made, l am" John 8: So;
And now glorify thou me, Father,
with Thyself with the glory which |
had. before the world was, with Thee"
John II: 81;
bl To be of the same nature with
the Father: Il and the Father are
one: the Father is in me, and in the
Father" John 10: 80, &c.,
g To have divine life: "As the
Father hath life in Himself, so He
,ath given TO the Son also to have
.ife in himself John 3: 26):
d. To possess divine knowledge:
All things are delivered to me by my
Father. And no one knoweth the Son,
but the Father: neither doth any one
know the Father, but the Son, and he
10 whom it shall please the Son to
reveal him" (Matth. IL: 2O;
q To have almighty power: All
mower is given to me in heaven and
on earth" (Matth. %: 49,;
fl To possess the power to forgive
sins: Jesus seeing their faith, said
10 the man sick of the palsy: Be OF
good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven
thee" (Matth. 8: p; And he said to
her (the woman who had anointed His
feet: Thy sins are forgiven thee"
duke z: 49,;
q To have the power to raise the
dead 10 life: For as the Father
raiseth up the dead, and giveth life:
so the Son also giveth life to whom
he will" John 5: 2D;
h) To possess the divine Judgment:
"The Son of Man shall come in the
glory of His Father with his angels:
and then will he render to every man
according to his works" tMatth.
16: 2D.
p Christ's actions agree with HIS
words. He dispenses from the law
of the Sabbath and calls Himself the
lord Of the Sabbath: for the Son of
Man is lord even of the Sabbath
CNatth. IL: g; from Peter, Thomas,
the man born blind etc, He accepts
faith and alteration which belong
only to God; He demands following
after Him: IF any man will come
after me, let him deny himself and
take up his cross daily, and follow
NE" Uuke 8: 23); He demands the
highest love which only God can de-
mand: He that lovetn father or
mother more than me, is not worthy
of me" CMatth. 10: 30.*
Right in the beginning Of His Ser
mon on the Mount Christ speaks with
the sovereignty of the lawgiver; on
His own authority He abolishes laws
of the Old Testament; He does not
appeal, like the Prophets of old, to
any given commission: THUS saith
the Lord" but to His own authority:
But l tell you" Like Jehova spoke
to you en- Mount Sinai, speak to you:
But l tell" (Cf. Sermon on the
Mount, Matth. chap. So
By this authoritative bearing, sus
tanned by striking miracles, and the
more and more clear statements about
Himself, Christ by truly divine train.
ing gradually led the Jews, who ad
hered so tenaciOusly to the unity OF
God, to the plurality of persons in the
one God, and that the Son of God
was not only messenger, a faVorite
of God, but the real Son of God ac
cOrding to nature, God like the Fa
Their: Il and the Father are one"
The Apostles and the people soon
acknowledged Him as the promised
Messiah; He often called Himself
the Son Of Man" in reference to
Daniel Z: IS, where this Son of Man
is pictured as the Lord Of all things
CCf. No. so.
Finally Christ put the decisive ques
ton to the Apostles: Whom do men
say that the son of man is?" But
whom do you say m?''-Then Simon
Peter answered: Thou art Christ
the Son of the living God" (Matth
16: 1916. These words of ST. Peter
signify not only any messenger OF
God or Messiah, but the Son of God
by nature For
a. Christ says: Flesh and blood
Gin his studies on Christianity NV