The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-02-16
POPULAR APoLoGETlCs.
Adapted from the German of Rev.
Peter Mikes, s. j., by Rev.
James Watcher.
SECTION v.
THE EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIAN
As. Vicious Circle.

you prove the divine institution of the
Church by the Gospels and their divine
origin, and hence truthfulness of the
Gospels by the divine authority of the
Church. On this false conclusion rests
the whole Christian apologetics.
Answer: Thanks be to God. no;
for no Christian apologist will make
the above false vicious circle. Our
course of augmentation and proof is
totally different.
Let us take as an example an edu-
Gated heather who has never heard
anything of Christianity. If we place
the Gospels before him 1--WE cOnfine
ourselves to the Gospels, because they
suffice TO prove the divinity of
Christi, he will consider them as his
torical books; he knows nothing Of
inspiration, having never heard of it.
The question for him will be: Are
these books, as historical documents,
worthy Of human belief? TO answer
this question we prove to him histori-
cally, by historical criticism, that the
Gospels were written by the Eyange-
lists (genuineness), that they were
handed down to us unchanged, and
finally that the writer's could tell the
truth, even had to tell it (creditably),
all Of which will be treated of in the
near future in these articles.
All this can be proved by human evi-
6cnce with the same certainty as with
;ny other historical work, nay, even
with far greater certainty than with
most historical documents, which his
torical criticism does not dare to call
into question.
Only now we let the heather draw
his conclusions. From the historically
attested fact that Christ claimed to be
a divine messenger, nay, even God
Himself and clearly proved the truth
of His claims by miracles, he con-
cludes correctly that Christ was a di-
vine messenger nay, even God Him
self made man. Our heather also
learns from the same Gospels that
Christ founded church and promised
to keep it from error; hence this
Church is in possession of the truth;
and the, heather concludes further
that he must believe it's doctrines as
those of the diyinely appointed teach
or of mankind. Only through this
Church our heather learns the fact
of the inspiration of the Gospels and
of the rest of the Holy Scriptures.
This course of reasoning and argu-
mentation is absolutely correct ac-
cording to all rules of logic and there
is not trace of vicious circle.
a.. The Gcnuineneos Of the Gospels.
Objection: Who knows whether the
Gospels we're written by the Evange-
lists, or whether they are not Of later
origin? The infidelS of our days doubt
their genuineness. On. B. BY gen
uineness of a book we mean that it
was written by the person to whom it
is ascribed.)
Answer: 0) The genuineness of
the four Gospels is attested by the
Christian writer's of the first centu-
ries: Justin the Martyr (died be-
tween 1913 and 1879, Tatian, his dis
ciple (wrote his Diatessaron, har-
mony of the four Gospels, after 1922,
Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons 1T, died
about 202), Pantaenus (died before
220), Clement of Alexandria tdied be-
fore 215), Origen (183-254), Tertullian
(born about $50 and died after 220).
The testimony Of ST. Irenaeus for
the four Gospels is as follows: Mat
they issued his Gospel among the He
brews in their language at the time
that Peter and Paul announced the
glad tidings in Rome and there found
cd the Church. But after their de-
parture Mark, the disciple and inter
prefer of Peter, gave us in writing
what Peter had preached. But Luke,
a companion of Paul, has marked
down in his work the Gospel preached
Ivy Paul. After that John, the dis
ciple of the Lord who rested on His
q ON, issued his Gospel while staying
Ephesus in Asia" Adversus haeres-
cs III. l, -.
ST. Irenaeus, born between 1870 and
40 after Christ, is known as one of
the most Jealous defenders of the
apostolic tradition; he refers especial
ly to his intimate converse with Poly
carp, who had told him and others
how he had associated with John and
the rest who had seen the Lord and
had received the doctrine from them;
hence his testimony outweighs ever
so many modern critics.
From the testimony of Irenaeus
and the other writer's mentioned above
it follows irrefutably that in the Sec
ond half of the second century the
-four Gospels, invoking the apostolical
traditions, were acknowledged in the
whole then known world We have
the testimony of Irenaeus in Gaul
tmodern Franco, of the Fragmentum
Muratorianum or Muratorian Canon
in Rome (about 1907, of Pantaems
and Clement in Alexandria Egypt
ef Tertullian (old Latin translation
IN Africa, and Of the Syrian transla-
: on in Syria, for all of which see the
catholic Encyclopedia.
The learned Prof. Gutberlet writes
VOL: mo one can deny the fact that
m old work has such testimonies, so
ed and numerous as the Gospels. If
one does not want to be inconsistent,
he can not doubt their genuineness. =
ITO be continued.)
-.