The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-06-14
THE BIBLE AND ITS AUTHOR.

In a recent talk on "The Bible and
it's Author" Rev. Walter Drum, S. j.,
said in part:
1--WE have shown that the Protest
ant accepts the Bible, when he accepts
it, by a mere emotional act of faith.
His reason does not enter into this act
of faith. If it did, he would realize
how hopelessly unreasonable is the
Protestant position in regard to the
Bible as Gods own word. Who tells
the Protestant that the Bible is Gods
own word? No one. No one, unless
the Catholic Church or Martin Luther.
If the Protestant reasons about the
thing at all, he has to come to one of
those two conclusions. He believes
in the inspiration Of Scripture either
because the Catholic Church had this
belief before Professionalism began, and
Professionalism borrowed the belief
from the Church; or because Martin
Luther said that the Bible was Gods
word, and all Professionals accepted the
infallibility of Martin Luther in pref
erence to the infallibility of the teach
ing body established by Christ.
This is the opinion of that loyal
New College, Edinburg, in his Bross
Lectures, delivered at Lake Forest
College, the stronghold of Presbyterian
ism in the Middle West. DR.. Dods
says If you ask a Protestant why he
believes that just these books bound
up together in his Bible are canonical,
and neither more nor fewer, I fear
that SO Professionals out of 100 could
give no answer that would satisfy a
reasonable man. The Protestant
scorns the 'Romanist,' because he re-
lies on the authority of the Church,
but he cannot tell you on what au-
thority he himself relies. The Prot
estant watchword is the Bible, the
whole Bible and nothing but the
Bible; but how many Protestants are
there who could make it quite clear
that within the boards of their Bible
they have the whole Bible and nothing
but the Bible?' This is plain, honest
speech from a Protestant leader. He
admits that Professionals cannot give a
reason for the faith that is in them.
There is no reason for that faith.
That faith is not of the reason at all !;
it is entirely an emotional accept
ance of that which reason makes no
attempt to establish. At best, it is
reasoning as one of the Two Gentle
men of Verona is made by Shakes
peare discourteously to dub of the
feminine gender:
have no other but woman's reason
think it so, because think it so.
"And how does Professor Dods, the
great Scripture scholar satisfy his rea-
son as to the nature and content of
the Bibfe?4 By Calvin's test. God re-
veals to the reader of the Bible that
this is the Bible: The Protestant ac-
cepts the Scripture as the Word of
God, because God tells him SO. The
Protestant believes it to be the Word
of God, because through it God has
spoken to him in such sort as to con-
vince him that it is God who here
speaks
"Out upon such an assumption! 1t
has led to the blasphemies of Prot
estant professors in our great univer.
stiles. Take Yale as an instance 1t
has it's school for Biblical surgery.
In the clinical department of that
school is one Dr.. Torrey, a Baptist.
He is Yale's Professor of Evangele-
otomy for the Evisceration of the Cos
pels. At first he was satisfied to vilify
the Gospels. Now he has taken up