The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-03-02
POPULAR APoLoGETIcS.
Adapted from the German of Rev
Peter Mikes, S. j., by Rev.
James Watcher.
46. Genuineness.

Who knows whether the Gospels have
come down to us as they came from
the hands of the Eyangelists?
Answer: ID Our Gospels are not
hidden and obscure documents, which
after centuries were discovered in
some lonely library, but they are pub
lie documents and records which from
the very beginning till now were read
in public to the faithful
If today a clergyman would falsify
a Sunday Gospel, relate new mira
Gle, for example, that Jesus eXtinguish.
ed a big fire by a mere word or sign,
would not the hearers protest against
this innovation? And can we imagine
that all the clergymen of all nations
would agree to this Interpolation?
Just as impossible it was to falsify
the Gospels in former times. In the
early centuries once Bishop changed
but one word in the history of the
Prophet Jonas by reading "ivy" in
stead of "gourd-tree," Immediately
there was loud protest on the part OF
the people. Still this change was of
no consequence (Cf. st. Augustine,
Ep. II, Migne SO, 242).
Different readings we have also in
the writings of Cicero, Caesar and the
Sother classics. Still we read the real
Norations of Cicero and the history of
Caesars wars, etc. The great Eng
lisf1n, biblical scholars Westcott
Ct 1901 and Hort & 1922, GER
tainly competent judges, estimate,
after eliminating mere writing mis-.
takes and other variants of little i'm
portance, in regard to the text of the
whole New Testament what still re-
mains doubtful at less than the one
thousandth part of the whole. Hence
no exaggerations in this matter,
please!
GU That there was no Justification
or Interpolation of the Gospel texts
from the middle of the second century
can be clearly proven from the manu-
scripts and the writer's of that time.
1t is absolutely certain, barring a few
unessential differences, that we read
the four Gospels the same way as did
the Christians in the early centuries.
Very correctly writes the protestant
biblical scholar Theodor Zahn. (He
writes this especially as to Matth
1918 :, where Christ promises
the Keys to ST. Peter, but it holds true
of the whole New Testament): "HoW
did such pieces get into the Gospels
about the year $50, il they were not a
part Of them in the beginning? How
is it that if they were interpolated
about 159 in a few manuscripts, but
were lacking in most Of the others,
they are in all the manuscripts
that have reached us either directly or
indirectly? How came they into the
italia" (The Oldest Latin translation,
made about the middle of the second
century or even earlier. Large parts
of both Testaments are still in exist
ence), which was no longer new at
Tertullian's time (died after 220),
hence could not have been made later
than 10; into the Oldest Syrian YER
sion (Peshito), which existed before
Tatian (lived in the second century,
as is proved; into the Greek manu-
scripts used by Clement Of Alexander
& 215 or 216), by Irenaeus of Lyons
& Giro. 202); into all the Greek
manuscripts of whose different read
ing Origen Ct 252 or 254) makes
mention, and into all the different
classes of Greek manuscripts which
we have to this day? To imagine
this we must assume that there was a
secret general council held between
100 and 1870 in which was not only
the Bible, valid and official for the
Catholic Church, but alsO-perhapS by
a special commission valid and can
onical text of the Gospels, and these
fabricated interpretations must have
been inserted in all manuscripts or
the other manuscripts must have been
destroyed. But this was not sufficient,
for these interpretations must also have
been inserted into the Latin and Syri-
an translations, not only into the orig
inal Greek. Hence we must assume
that there were councils held for that
puIpOSS dlO1S IlC GupnA dCCo Ill CL1O
Orient and at Carthage in northern
Africa, all adopting these interpola-
lions and falsifications of the general
council All this had to take place
before $50. All these monstrositieS we
must assume to have happened after
the middle of the second century. .
(Forschungen EUR Gesch1chte DIES
neutestamentlichen Kanons-Investi-
cations. of the New Testament Canon
Il. p. 244 8. J..
All this happened, of course, with
out leaving trace in history, without
any objection on the part of Bishops,
the people, or even heretics! A man
who believes this should be locked up
in a padded cell as a dangerous char
acter, for he may. get an attack OF
raYing madness at any moment!
CD We have a number of weighty
reasons to assume that also up to the
middle of the second century no fall
sifications or interpretations took place
and that therefore the Gospels are to-
day essentially the same as they were
written. First of all, the early Chris
tianS did not want to faisify the Cos
pels. Why should they? For as with
- Tox,,r 4Jo OLD Wit h