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Show RATIONAL VIEWS OF. POPE'S BIBLE COMMISSION We learn by cable that the Tablet, a London newspaper, has made an announcement an-nouncement concerning Roman Catholics Cath-olics and the Bible, which it describes as being of the profoundest interest to the whole Christian world. It is that Pope Leo XIII has appointed a special Pontifical commission for the consideration consider-ation of ail questions connected, with Biblical studies. Catholic scholars ail j the world over will have the fullest opportunity op-portunity of stating their views and difficulties, bringing them to the direct notice of the Holy See. Cardinal Parocchi, Par-occhi, a high authority on all ques- tions connected with Biblical exegesis, 1 will act as president of the commission. commis-sion. Cardinal Segra and Cardinal Vives will be assessors and Father David Fleming secretary. There will also be eleven consultors chosen from different countries. 1 Rome, Jan. 9. The membership of the ! papal commission on modern questions concerning the Holy Writ is officially announced. It consists of Cardinal Parocchi. vice chancellor of the Holy j Roman church, and Cardinals Zegna. prefect of the Vatican archives, and 1 Vives Y. Tuto, as assessor. Among j the consultors chosen from various j countries is Professor Garrigan of the j Catholic university of Washington. j The scope of inquiry is to ascertain the limit of freedom to b allowed the ; Catholic exegetist in Biblical questions ! of the day and to point out definitely what must be maintained and what i must be rejected in the interests of orthodoxy, or-thodoxy, what are allowable and what are left to the individual conscience. The commission, notably the president, presi-dent, is said to represent broad-minded, progressive tendencies. The New- York Sun, with the keen vision which characterizes that great secular journal's observation of the trend of events, -says editorially on the subject: "The announcement that 'the Pope has ' appointed a special pontifical commission "to consider all questions connected with Biblical studies' is of great significance at this time of complete com-plete revolution in the Protestant world, so far as concerns its attitude toward the Bible, the sole source from which Protestantism derives . its religious re-ligious authority. "This' Vatican commission, we are told, is to afford 'Catholic scholars all over the world the fullest opportunity oppor-tunity of stating their views and difficulties diffi-culties and bringing them to the direct notice of the holy see.' The Pope having already championed the absolute abso-lute verity and supernatural inspiration inspira-tion of the Bible as the word of God, such difficulties submitted will be explained ex-plained away .of course, in harmony with that positive and uncompromising Catholic decision. That is. the purpose of the commission Is not to stimulate criticism of the Bible after the fashion now so general in Protestantism, but to silence it and oppose to it the final pontifical judgment. The appointment of the commission, however, seems to suggest that this new criticism has brought' difficulties' to Catholic- scholars, schol-ars, as it has also to the great body of Protestant scholars, if not to them universally, uni-versally, and that the Pope feels impelled im-pelled to remove the stumbling blocks. "Undoubtedly, if Christian theology is to stand at all. belief in the Bible as supernatural inspiration must continue. Even for Catholics belief in the miraculous mirac-ulous authority of tradition also will be sault is on the destruction. The assault as-sault is on the miracles, all supernat-uralism. supernat-uralism. The present critical methods meth-ods applies to the miracles a scientific-test, scientific-test, or a purely natural test, which, necessarily, discards the supernatural as scientifically undemonstrable." .vuuiuuuii ui uuuuia ui supernatural super-natural Biblical authority, however, is essential for Protestantism rather than for Catholicism. The position of the Church of Rome on that subject is determined de-termined already and is irreversible; but in Protestantism, though it has no other foundation than belief in the Bible as absolute and Divine truth, as "the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture." Scrip-ture." to use the words of the Westminster West-minster Confession, there has been-of recent years a very complete rejection of that belief. A school of criticism has arisen which practically reduces the Bible to a human authorship no more inspired than were Shakespeare, Dante and Goethe, and Its seat is in the foremost theological seminaries. That is, it is inside of the Church, and thus wields the profoundest influence in undermining Christian faith. "At this time a Presbyterian commission com-mission is engaged in an attempt to revise the Westminster Confession in response to a demand which had its origin in the skepticism induced by the scholarly criticsm of the Bible called the 'higher. Of course, the effort will be vain, for the general assembly in appointing the commission timidly avoided the essence of the question in controversy, or the authority of the Bible, whether it is Divine or human. But that pivotal question will yet have to be met by Protestantism as j squarely as it has been met by the Pope. Mere verbal changes in creeds built wholly on the theory of the inspired in-spired and inerrant authority of the Bible, as child's play at a time when religious thought has been revolutionized revolution-ized by destructive criticism of the validity va-lidity of that authority by Protestant Iheol-igians and scholars of world-wide repute, men whose teachings are not repudiated and anathematized by their churches, but who are suffered to remain re-main in the ministrv without renrot'eh. "It is not the Pope. then, but the great churches of Protestantism, w hich need to appoint a commission, or commissions, com-missions, 'for the consideration of all questions connected with Biblical studies.' The time is coming, if, indeed, in-deed, it has not come already, when these churches must take their stand definitely and decidedly on the question ques-tion whether the Bible is of God or only of man. As it is now. the Pope is the sole bold, positive and uncompromising uncompro-mising champion of the Bible as the Word of God." Thus, at the beginning of the twentieth twen-tieth century, the Church which has been misrepresented for 400 years as the enemy of the inspired Scriptures, shows itself resolute to vindicate, safeguard safe-guard and correctly interpret them, when Protestantism is abandoning faith in them under the assault of the so-called higher criticism. the position of professor of - i. :,. .j scripture at the university in Ivm. ' Everyone connected with tiv versity is delighted with th" a i, ,;ru. ment. not only because of th.' r-, s. nition of the university, hut a!-, :,. .. cause of Professor Grannan s ...... personal merit. The appoint i, . ,,t must be regarded as espe-i.i lly nificant and important in the nition of scholarship in the Ch un n :, America. The right reverend r-. t Bishop Comity, felt highly e!ar-. a ' the news, and in an interview Si, j.j "The Catholic university is ,u, jj, .i .. proud of the distinction Pr ,; Grannan has gained. We f-f i ,, that the Holy Father not onl i-..,. nizes his eminent scholarship. i also honors the university by s. ! as one of the commission a pr .; - ., occupying with us so prominen-. ; important a place in our work questions to be considered by !;. , -, J mission are fundamental. far-rM, t, , and important. Professor Iratiriai, i" such questions will repres.-nt . scholarship of the Church in Ani-: : t and we have no doubt that his sei-vi, will be invaluable. Th- fact Ukt ,,,, American scholar should be hos.-ii ,, a member of so learned a commissi:, is of no small significance. It .h , ; that the work of the Catholi. s, !,,,; ,,. ship of America is worthy of (1,lt:, and receives a very decided rei-r, tuition. tui-tion. The EnKlish-spea kinc world ;.. represented on the commission by Professor Pro-fessor Grannan of this uni crsit v. ,.. Rev. Robert F. Clark. I. I;.. ,,' rh. archdiocese of Westminster, Kngl-i'i'!. and by Rev. David Fleming. . f y of Rome, an Irish scholar, who is ir present superior general of the Fri!. ciscan Order. I am delighted beyoi, ? measure at this new proof of the II .' Father's recognition of the Cath'.h. university, whose interests are carefully cherished by his pateni.' care." The following is the full list of th J-commission: J-commission: Cardinal Parocchi, vi. chancellor of the Holy Roman Chun-h and Cardinals Segna. prefect of ti,.. Vatican archives, and Vives y Tur as assessors, and the following "as cit suitors: Very Rev. Charles P. Grannan, Gran-nan, D. D.. of the Catholic Universir-of Universir-of America. Washington. D. ('.; In. Van Hoonacker. professor of scripture at the University of Louvuln. Belgium: Dr. Fracassini. professor at the seminary. sem-inary. Perugia, Italy: Dr. Jorio, professor pro-fessor at Valencia. Spain: Dr. Esstr secretary of the Congregation of th.' Index: Dr. Vigouroux. professor at the Catholic institute. Paris. France-Dr. France-Dr. de Hummellauer. at the Gregorian university. Rome; Dr. P. A. Amelli. ( i. S. B.. prior of the monastery of Mont-Cassino, Mont-Cassino, Italy; Dr. Robert F. Clarke priest of the diocese of Westrr inter England: Dr. A. Poels. Holland: Pr' David Fleming. O. F. M.. superior general gen-eral of the Franciscan Ortier ar secretary sec-retary of the commission. |