The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-08-10
POPULAR APoLoGETIcs.
Adapted from the German of Rev
Peter Mikes, S. j., by Rev. James
Watcher.

acIes of Christ and of the Bible in
general can be explained in a natural
way. People were too credulous In
those DAYS and saw a miracle in every
uneXplainable event.
Answer: The earliest ratiOnallsts,
especially of the first half of the 18th
Century, made the unsuccessful at
tempt, at which we smile in our day.
TO explain the miracles of Holy Scrip
ture in natural way. According to
this newest scientific method" they
said The big draught OF fishes, the
sitting of the storm and the like were
mere accidents. The storm was just
at an end when Jesus commanded it.
AT the multiplication of bread there
was really bread enough at hand;
Christ only gave an example OF en-
COuragement to eat and 10 share with
ones neighbor." Other rationalists
claim that the five loaVes were eX-
ceptiOnally large, SO that one loaf was
enough for thousand people: |
would have liked to see the oven in
which they baked these lOaVeS and the
boy who carried them! Goliath would
have been a mere pigmy beside him.
If each man would have received only
one pound of bread. which is but lit
tie for people who have not had any
thing to eat for a long time, that
would have been five thousand pounds
of bread, not to mention the twelve
baskets full that were left over. If
boys could carry two and half tons,
how much could men carry in those
days?
The heavenly apparitions at the
birth of Christ were explained by
lanterns and will-o'- the-wisps. OF
course, lanterns and such luminaries
resemble angels very much and can
speak and sing!
Great services were rendered inf
deity by the then recently discovered
electricity. The miracles at the bap-
tism of Christ were explained by
means of a thunderstorm, during
which accidently a dove flew by. An
other thunderstorm helped to "eX-
plain the miracles of PentecOst. The
shining face of Moses was evidently
nothing but electricity. Pharaoh and
the Egyptians drowned in the Red
Sea in consequence of thunderstorm
at which the horses became shy.
Thunder and lightning converted Saul
before the gates of Damascus. A
stray thunderbolt opened the prison
door to Peter and broke his shackles.
A man who believes these things
must have had his brains severely
shaken by thunderstorm. Less than
hundred years ago such "eXplana'
tons" were considered the very latest
attachments of biblical criticism. Now
we laugh at them.
With the same natural means they
tried to explain the healing of the
sick They were mostly imaginary
sicknesses, which passed away at an
encouraging word. The lepers were
either no real lepers, or they imagined
that they were healed. Blindness was
only an Inflammation of the eyes, which
was alleviated by a cooling remedy
(e. g. the spittle and clay! All very
natural, Of course, in the time Of
Christ all Inflammation Of the eye was
considered as blindness-the same as
in our days. The healing of the mar
born blind was connected with some
difficulties; but very few rationalists
got gray hair on account of it.
AS was to be expected, the raising
of the dead was explained by appar
ent death or trance. Awkward, how
ever is the smell of putrefaction which
is always considered a sure sign Of
death and which all noticed. Still
more awkward is the fact that chance
is such an obedient servant of Christ
The nationalist professor Paulus
(41851) of Heidelberg in his common
tary on the Gospels says: AT the
moment when Jesus spoke the trance
ceased" And that three times. Ev
cry time chance is the obedient serv
ant of Jesus just when He wants it
That is chasing the miracle out of the
front door and letting it in at the
back door.
This trance theory was also to d.
away with Christ's resurrection
(This will be treated in a future art
icle) The angels in the sepulchrt
were only the shining linen winding
sheets; that is no doubt the reason
why linen hung up to dry looks 81
much like legion of angels. Or an
/ mistaken? The ascension of Chris
after His farewell was only His pass
ing down the other side of the hill
and His deeply moved disciples said
A cloud has taken Him up Accord
ing to this handy theory our infide
friends can go to heaven as often a
they want, if there is hill in tn,
neighborhood.
Today it is incomprehensible how
such abominable trash could pass a
the --latest attainment of science
and that men like Prof. Paulus AM
others of like stamp could be con
sidered scientific men. The Protes
tant political economist Rosche
(T1894) we'll says: LAS soon as mai
begins to quarrel with God, even tn
wisest becomes a fool" and st. Pau
expresses the same idea when h
writes: Processing themselves to b
wise they become fools" from. 1:22)