THE HOLY BIBLE
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST. JOHN
Chapter 22 verses 16 -2116. I Jesus have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root and stock of David. The bright and morning star.
17. And the spirit and the bride say: Come. And he that heareth, let him say: Come, and he that thirsteth, let him come: and he that will, let him take the water of life, freely.
18. For I testify to everyone that heareth the words of prophecy of this book: If any man shall add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues written in this book.
19. And if any shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from these things
that are written in this book.
20. He that giveth testimony of these things, saith, Surely I come quickly: Amen, Come Lord Jesus.
21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
THE BIBLE
way or other, it came to us just as it is from heaven. Others think that it was written by
God Himself. Again some believe that it existed previous to the Church and that the
Church rests on it as upon a foundation.
The Bible means a collection of books or volumes. Far from being the foundation of the
Church, it was the Church that collected these volumes together and gave them to us as
the Bible. Why, then, you may ask, have I been quoting the Bible all along the substantiate
the divinity of Christ and the Church? In so quoting, I was using the Bible as an
authentic historical document, not as an inspired record. There are many historical document,
not as an inspired record. There are many historical documents which are not in
the Bible. They have their value just as any true document has. In that sense and no other
was Scripture appealed to in our demonstration.
But the Bible, as the Church regards it, is more than a historical document, it is an inspired
record. Once you admit it is inspired, there is no need of arguing about the divinity of
Christ or the Church, for that is plainly stated in the Bible, which if inspired, is its own
proof. We showed from a historical and critical investigation that the Christian foundation
is true. The Catholic argument does not depend at all on the Bible as an inspired
book.
But the Bible does depends upon the Church for its genuineness as an inspired record.
ask the average Protestant where the Bible comes from. Perhaps he never thought of that.
Well, it was the Catholic Church that, so to speak, made the Bible. That is she gathered
together the different parts, sifted the genuine from the spurious, ans then by her authority
declared which was the inspired Scripture.
There were no Bible in Christ's time, none in the apostles' time. It came latter when the
Church, seeing that the inspired letters of the apostles to the various churches, and the
gospels written by the inspired evangelists were being tampered with, and spurious ones
foisted on the people, examined all the writings claiming to be sacred and designated those
as inspired which had as authors the apostles, evangelists, and prophets. These she put
together in one collection and called it the Bible. That is the Bible.
The infallible and authoritative gave it to us. The infallible and authoritative Church existed
before the Bible, and independent of it, and after giving it to us, safeguarded it down
through all the ages.
Protestantism, with its platform of the Bible, and the Bible only, has now virtually discarded
the Bible as the inspired word of GOD. On the other hand, the catholic Church,
which was abused for its lack of appreciation to the Bible, in now the upholder and protector
as an inspired record. Protestants call it the word of GOD, but their leading teachers
treat is as the word of human moralist, accepting some parts, discarding others. If
they would not dare tamper with it as they do.
The Catholic Church is consistent. It gave it to us as the inspired word of GOD, it holds
It as such. It realizes that on account of its sacredness and sublimity it needs official explanation
when there is question as to its meaning.
We do not trust the interpretation of the Constitution of the United States to an individual,
no matter how learned he may be. If a question arises as to its meaning, there is but
one authoritative declaration, and that is by the Supreme Court. The Bible may be considered
the Constitution of the world-wide Catholic Church. Why should an individual
take liberties with it, which he cannot take with a human document? The Church alone,
the Voice of GOD, may, in case of doubt, declare truly the meaning of the Bible. Why
should not she who, in collecting the material of the Bible, discriminated between the true
and the false, not also decide what is the true or false meaning of a particular passage ?
Protestants began by individual interpretation, and they are now concluding by wholesale
Rejection. The Reformers rejected whole chapters if it suited their purpose. To-day their
Descendants reject doctrine after doctrine according to their fancy. Suppose we did that
with the Constitution of the United States! There would very soon be no law or order.
And that is precisely the condition of Protestantism to-day.
Outside the Catholic Church all is chaos. Can we imagine the religion of Jesus Christ
being such an assemblage of contradictions? No wonder that intelligent Protestants lament
their sad state, and that so many reject all religion turning away from their own disrupted
church.
It is for such souls that these pages are written, in hope that, seeing the wonderful unity
and consistency and perpetuity of the Catholic Church, the may recognize in her the Pillar
and Ground of Truth, the bride of Christ, the religion of GOD.
GOD AND MYSELF Douay-Rheims Bible
The Holy Bible
By; Martin J. Scott S.J. www.drbo.org/
