The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-01-04
asxzo1I!oN11 ~
IDOcTRINAL.. JasSH2sgtg LiTURGICAL.
81
places Acts, Chaps. % and 26, l Cor.

IIol lietth WOulU llhC W ILIdht 10 DC-
lieve that st. Paul puts all these appar-
itions lin the same class" that is,
makes them internal conceptions or
imaginations. Where the apostle
makes this classification under one
head Harnack does not tell us. We
do not find this place anywhere; Har-
mack has not found it either, otherwise
he certainly would have pointed it
out.
If st. Paul in his letter to the Gala
-tians (1:15 y lays special stress
on the inward revelations which he re-
ceived regarding the nature of the
Son of God Cit pleased him :. to
reveal his Son in me''), it is plain
from the purpose of the letter st.
Paul defends himself against those
who would cast suspicion on his apos-
tolic calling and proves himself equal
to the other Apostles. 1t is said of ST.
mon Peter: Flesh and blood hath
not revealed it to thee, but my Father
who is in heaven (Matth. 16:1O, in
the same way 1T has pleased God to
reveal his Son in me" by inward en-
lightenment. He does not thereby
deny to have seen Christ, just as lit
tie as it is denied of st. Peter. The
conversion of st. Paul without the Res
direction of Christ would be an insolv-
able psychological riddle; before a
man like st. Paul breaks with his
whole past to the Numerically oppo
site, he must have the best of proofs.
What has been proved against the
Resurrection of Christ? Nothing. alb
solutely nothing The additional re-
mark that the grave was found empty
on the third day is not historically
certain and is connected with "evident
legendary traits is no certain proof,
but only Harnacks assertion.
If lawyer can bring no better
proofs in a law suit he has surely lost
his case
What a nuisance-to use one OF Har-
nacks eXpressions--it is to conjure
away a well-establis fact of history
on the strength of such preteXts!
What a nuisance to accuse us Chris
tians of carelessness if we believe
ses, who went to death for their con
viction! What a nuisance-and sc
say all believing Protestants with us
for a professor of theology to abuse
his prestige and learning to undermine
the convictions Of the fundamental
Christian truths in the hearts of un-
sophisticated youth!
In his "Wesen des Christentums" (p.
10D-Eng. title What Is Christian
ity?''-Harnack distinguishes between
the Easter-message of Christ's bodily
resurrection and the Easter-behef in
the spiritual survival Of the ideas Of
Christ and the victory of His doctrine
The Easter message he rejects, Of.
course, because he is bound by the
bonds of rationalism that miracles
are impossible He says: THE story
of the (unbelievinS1 Thomas is
brought in expressly for the purpose
to inculcate that one should have
surely and reliably the Easter-belief
without the personal conviction of the
Easter-message:' Blessed are they
who have not seen and still believe!"
Here contraband is struggled in
Harnack's "Easter-message" is the
Christians Easter-belief: but Har-
nack's "Easter-belief' should be called
Easter-unbelief, because he denies the
corporal resurrection Of Christ. The
story of Thomas has for it's end to
inculcate the corporal resurrection of
Christ (Halnack calls it Easter-mes-
sage. For this purpose Christ shows
Thomas His wounds and gives him the
personal conviction of the Easter-mes-
sage. Then Christ adds that not every
one can convince himself with his own
eyes of the Easter-message but must
be satisfied with the divinely attested
testimony OF others. BLESSED are they
who do not see but on the testimony
of others and still believe the corporal
resurrection Of Christ"
Where is there syllable Of Har-
nack's so-called Easter-belief, which in
reality is only unbelief, denying the
corporal resurrection Of Christ?
We have here a disagreeable di-
lemma: Either Hanack's art of per-
version is conscious (Which we do not
like to assumed, or it is unconscious
(Which does no credit to his scholar
ship. Who can help us out of this
dilemma? The same trick he tries
with the disciples at Emmaus.
The narratives of the contemporary
les of Jesus, Of Matthew, Mark, Luke,
John, and Paul, remain true-in spite
Of Harnack! The tomb Of Christ is
found empty on the third day by
friend and enemy-in spite of Har-
mack! Christ has truly risen from the
dead-in spite of Harnack. Christ is
therefore God blessed forever" (Rom:
9:5)-in spite Of Harnack. Hence His
doctrine and Church are divine and
must be believed-in spite of Har-
nacki