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Show IHE INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE Catholic Definition of Inspiration Difficulties I Presented by the Higher Critics of the ! American Bible League. Tlir living controversy of the age is between rr;, ii mid revelation. What lias been always held :i- suTC'd is submitted 1o the most severe test. Be-; Be-; laws and usages consecrated by time are irl iing 10 the oxorgeneics of the limes. Only reel re-el inly has the American Bible society reiiaxcd its li-M rule of adherence 1o printing 'only the au-version, au-version, i. e.. that of King James. For J the tirst time in the history of the society, now I jMiirly ninety years old, ihe demand of the higher I i-:in has been complied with, the revised edition I ;i- been given tn iho public, and its adoption by J evangelicals, in preference to the authorized vor-fion vor-fion is becoming popular. Some of the mistransla- ii.ns of ihe old vorions arc corrected, and its in-triimhitions in-triimhitions are eliminated. The eeffet on the minds o fihe higher critics and others who realize I they have been imposed upon since 1011 by ae- I ccpti'.ig as the word of God what was never dietat-j dietat-j cil by ill- Spiritof ruth, is disastrous in many rc-I rc-I sp-'cts. Commenting on the matter, the New York Sun says': "At ihis time, when the new revision is made Mi'horitative, there is throughout Christendom a -ri: ii'js.iii of the Scriptures which goes far beyond ill-'mere 'imperfections of any translation. It v-iirlis in the balance and rejects even the authenticity authen-ticity and authority of the Bibliean originals iln -liiselves. The Bible emerges from its testing furnace no longer the word of God. but ihe words of men fallible, legendary, contradictorry. de-fit de-fit ced by frauds, and limited by an ignorance of the natural laws of the universe which betokens a human hu-man authorship at periods when superstitions swayed the minds and governed the religious con-vpt con-vpt ions of men. he decision in by the Brit- i-ii and Foreign Bible society and by the American T.ilile society in 1W4 to put forth both ihe newly i revised version and the old version of 1611 as au- I y ill! rifative translations of the Scriptures is. there- f-.'f of grave importance at a time of religious i. v-Auii-ni due to new conceptions of the Bible." Ilf it be true, as it is now generrally admitted, tl.iit the King Janice version issued" in 1 Gil contain- many glaring inaccuracies and interpolation-, how are the members of the American Bible Iridic to meet the arguments of. the higher critics wlio proclaim that the Bible is not the inspired wnr-1 of (!od, but '"the words of men fallible, le-pniiary. le-pniiary. contradictory, defaced by frauds?" We pro u,i iliat "orrcr is harmless where truth is free tn combat it." Tn opposing the errors of Ihe higher high-er critics the American Bible league stands convict,., con-vict,., of error in their staple article of defense. Error opposed by error can only give zero. It has h'T'ii deary demonstrated that the question of the i i-piraf i-.n of the Bible from a Protestant print, i .. ,,n ihe principle of private interpretation, is :in --pen question ami unprovable. Every argu- ; inent adduced would apply "with equal forcp, to oilier books for which a claim to inspiration is set itv. Fur every inspired document God is the pri-i::.-ry author, whilst the inspired writer is only the '-oii-Iary author, whom God uses as an instrument 1 - produce the inspired work. On this question of j in o'vaiion the Cathlic position, as defined bv the I V..";cflii Council, is clear. It says: ""These '"ks'i the church regards as sacred and connon-):!, connon-):!, ! ot because they were composed by mere hu-i hu-i industry,- and subsequently approved by its :;!!, ority; nor because they contain a revelation Mi:houi error; but because, being written by the iii-i'irniion of ihe Holy Ghost, they have God as ' ;r author, ai.d as such has been intruslod to the :;rj." T here i no mistaking here the church's i-'-a of insipration. namely, lhat Cod is the author of v ry inspired book, not in the sense that God i- :i.e auihor of all ihings. but in the strict and j r -' v-te.l sense of ihe word as applied to any re- -; .!!-;'.. !o writer who is the auihor of the book - ii le;us Ids name, l i order lhat God may be credited with the au- ' liip of .i document wrillen by man. it needs " 'imt lie exercise a supernatural influence upon " :i,ie!ect and will of his human avent, so that ' "titer may conceive and leign the doiMinient mi-n-l. -l by God. This divine influence is a suf- i ' ' guaraulcc for immunity from error. I W i ; ,,;s divine- influence interferes with the ' ! mi of ih'-iiispired wriler depends on the na-' na-' - - f the divine impulse, also the subject matter ; ' : i G..d wishes to reveal. The inspired writer : n-ii necessarily be conscious of the superna-i superna-i ' . ' aciiou (.f God." All that is needed for an in- - ! doeutnent is that both Wore and during the v i'i'ii: i!ir writer is under the influence of tin; '? ',) wi'l v.: such a nu.uner that it vpn be truly -i thn iid Himself is tin 4'fbVient ami ctiica- - eau-e of what has Ik'ccii wnltcu. From this '" oii--v ihr.t resolutions or apjirovals arc not j . ,- if iii , liivc an inspired character to anv do-- do-- i nt. ,; ,-i verl-iil dictation on ib part of God ' - :- U - ae. inspired l-k. Herein lies the Aveak-l Aveak-l 3 - 'A' i!m American Bible league in cbiniiug in- l s: ' !..i i'-u f..r Bible, and lv contrary argtmient. : rrcponding strength of the higher critics in ' : ,;,..i:ii,o their crilicisors. or, as the Xew York i s 'ii - xjircsscs il. "he Bible emerges from its test- i' fu;mi'.'e no "longer the work of God, hut the j v !s i , men fallibb. legendary, contradictory, j -'ai-d lv jiauds." Is not nil, in part, admitted i tiooug!)' the convctioii of errors, a difference in 1 o i:-ii-u and the cliniination of certain passages. i 'i li newly accepted edition is still tile work of fal- l hl.lc mi ii. How pro-.-, that, it is the real inspired v-..:-d of God." or inspired at alii The difficulties I T-i-seiif'.-d bv the higher critics still remain, and the f ( h'istii!,, faJth suif rs. ' " F. D. |
