The Encyclical
"Providentissimus Deus"
Given by His Holiness Pope Leo XIII
November 18, 1893
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To Our Venerable Brethren, All Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and
Bishops of the Catholic World, in Grace and Communion with the
Apostolic See.
Venerable Brethren, Health and Apostolic Benediction.
The God of all Providence, Who in the adorable designs of His love at
first elevated the human race to the participation of the Divine
nature, and afterwards delivered it from universal guilt and ruin,
restoring it to its primitive dignity, has in consequence bestowed upon
man a splendid gift and safeguard-making known to him, by supernatural
means, the hidden mysteries of His Divinity, His wisdom and His mercy.
For although in Divine revelation there are contained some things which
are not beyond the reach of unassisted reason, and which are made the
objects of such revelation in order "that all may come to know them
with facility, certainty, and safety from error, yet not on this
account can supernatural Revelation be said to be absolutely necessary;
it is only necessary because God has ordinated man to a supernatural
end."(1) This supernatural revelation, according to the belief of the
universal Church, is contained both in unwritten Tradition, and in
written Books, which are therefore called sacred and canonical because,
"being written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they have God
for their author and as such have been delivered to the Church."(2)
This belief has been perpetually held and professed by the Church in
regard to the Books of both Testaments; and there are well-known
documents of the gravest kind, coming down to us from the earliest
times, which proclaim that God, Who spoke first by the Prophets, then
by His own mouth, and lastly by the Apostles, composed also the
Canonical Scriptures,(3) and that these are His own oracles and
words(4) - a Letter, written by our heavenly Father, and transmitted by
the sacred writers to the human race in its pilgrimage so far from its
heavenly country.(5) If, then, such and so great is the excellence and
the dignity of the Scriptures, that God Himself has composed them, and
that they treat of God's marvellous mysteries, counsels and works, it
follows that the branch of sacred Theology which is concerned with the
defence and elucidation of these divine Books must be excellent and
useful in the highest degree.
2. Now We, who by the help of God, and not without fruit, have by
frequent Letters and exhortation endeavoured to promote other branches
of study which seemed capable of advancing the glory of God and
contributing to the salvation of souls, have for a long time cherished
the desire to give an impulse to the noble science of Holy Scripture,
and to impart to Scripture study a direction suitable to the needs of
the present day. The solicitude of the Apostolic office naturally
urges, and even compels us, not only to desire that this grand source
of Catholic revelation should be made safely and abundantly accessible
to the flock of Jesus Christ, but also not to suffer any attempt to
defile or corrupt it, either on the part of those who impiously and
openly assail the Scriptures, or of those who are led astray into
fallacious and imprudent novelties. We are not ignorant, indeed,
Venerable Brethren, that there are not a few Catholics, men of talent
and learning, who do devote themselves with ardour to the defence of
the sacred writings and to making them better known and understood. But
whilst giving to these the commendation they deserve, We cannot but
earnestly exhort others also, from whose skill and piety and learning
we have a right to expect good results, to give themselves to the same
most praiseworthy work. It is Our wish and fervent desire to see an
increase in the number of the approved and persevering labourers in the
cause of Holy Scripture; and more especially that those whom Divine
Grace has called to Holy Orders, should, day-by-day, as their state
demands, display greater diligence and industry in reading, meditating,
and explaining it.
Holy Scripture Most Profitable To Doctrine and Morality
3. Among the reasons for which the Holy Scripture is so worthy of
commendation-in addition to its own excellence and to the homage which
we owe to God's Word-the chief of all is, the innumerable benefits of
which it is the source; according to the infallible testimony of the
Holy Ghost Himself, who says: "All Scripture, inspired of God, is
profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice,
that the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every good work."(6)
That such was the purpose of God in giving the Scripture of men is
shown by the example of Christ our Lord and of His Apostles. For He
Himself Who "obtained authority by miracles, merited belief by
authority, and by belief drew to Himself the multitude"(7) was
accustomed in the exercise of His Divine Mission, to appeal to the
Scriptures. He uses them at times to prove that He is sent by God, and
is God Himself. From them He cites instructions for His disciples and
confirmation of His doctrine. He vindicates them from the calumnies of
objectors; he quotes them against Sadducees and Pharisees, and retorts
from them upon Satan himself when he dares to tempt Him. At the close
of His life His utterances are from Holy Scripture, and it is the
Scripture that He expounds to His disciples after His resurrection,
until He ascends to the glory of His Father. Faithful to His precepts,
the Apostles, although He Himself granted "signs and wonders to be done
by their hands"(8) nevertheless used with the greatest effect the
sacred writings, in order to persuade the nations everywhere of the
wisdom of Christianity, to conquer the obstinacy of the Jews, and to
suppress the outbreak of heresy. This is plainly seen in their
discourses, especially in those of St. Peter: these were often little
less than a series of citations from the Old Testament supporting in
the strongest manner the new dispensation. We find the same thing in
the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. John and in the Catholic Epistles;
and most remarkably of all in the words of him who "boasts that he
learned the law at the feet of Gamaliel, in order that, being armed
with spiritual weapons, he might afterwards say with confidence, `The
arms of our warfare are not carnal but mighty unto God.' "(9) Let all,
therefore, especially the novices of the ecclesiastical army,
understand how deeply the sacred Books should be esteemed, and with
what eagerness and reverence they should approach this great arsenal of
heavenly arms. For those whose duty it is to handle Catholic doctrine
before the learned or the unlearned will nowhere find more ample matter
or more abundant exhortation, whether on the subject of God, the
supreme Good and the all-perfect Being, or of the works which display
His Glory and His love. Nowhere is there anything more full or more
express on the subject of the Saviour of the world than is to be found
in the whole range of the Bible. As St. Jerome says, "To be ignorant of
the Scripture is not to know Christ."(10) In its pages His Image stands
out, living and breathing; diffusing everywhere around consolation in
trouble, encouragement to virtue and attraction to the love of God. And
as to the Church, her institutions, her nature, her office, and her
gifts, we find in Holy Scripture so many references and so many ready
and convincing arguments, that as St. Jerome again most truly says: "A
man who is well grounded in the testimonies of the Scripture is the
bulwark of the Church."(11)And if we come to morality and discipline,
an apostolic man finds in the sacred writings abundant and excellent
assistance; most holy precepts, gentle and strong exhortation, splendid
examples of every virtue, and finally the promise of eternal reward and
the threat of eternal punishment, uttered in terms of solemn import, in
God's name and in God's own words.
4. And it is this peculiar and singular power of Holy Scripture,
arising from the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, which gives authority
to the sacred orator, fills him with apostolic liberty of speech, and
communicates force and power to his eloquence. For those who infuse
into their efforts the spirit and strength of the Word of God, speak
"not in word only but in power also, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much
fulness."(12) Hence those preachers are foolish and improvident who, in
speaking of religion and proclaiming the things of God, use no words
but those of human science and human prudence, trusting to their own
reasonings rather than to those of God. Their discourses may be
brilliant and fine, but they must be feeble and they must be cold, for
they are without the fire of the utterance of God(13) and they must
fall far short of that mighty power which the speech of God possesses:
"for the Word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than
any two-edged sword; and reaching unto the division of the soul and the
spirit."(14) But, indeed, all those who have a right to speak are
agreed that there is in the Holy Scripture an eloquence that is
wonderfully varied and rich, and worthy of great themes. This St.
Augustine thoroughly understood and has abundantly set forth.(15) This
also is confirmed by the best preachers of all ages, who have
gratefully acknowledged that they owed their repute chiefly to the
assiduous use of the Bible, and to devout meditation on its pages.
5. The Holy Fathers well knew all this by practical experience, and
they never cease to extol the sacred Scripture and its fruits. In
innumerable passages of their writings we find them applying to it such
phrases as "an inexhaustible treasury of heavenly doctrine,"(16) or "an
overflowing fountain of salvation,"(17) or putting it before us as
fertile pastures and beautiful gardens in which the flock of the Lord
is marvellously refreshed and delighted.(18) Let us listen to the words
of St. Jerome, in his Epistle to Nepotian: "Often read the divine
Scriptures; yea, let holy reading be always in thy hand; study that
which thou thyself must preach. . . Let the speech of the priest be
ever seasoned with Scriptural reading."(19) St. Gregory the Great, than
whom no one has more admirably described the pastoral office, writes in
the same sense: "Those," he says, "who are zealous in the work of
preaching must never cease the study of the written word of God."(20)
St. Augustine, however, warns us that "vainly does the preacher utter
the Word of God exteriorly unless he listens to it interiorly;"(21) and
St. Gregory instructs sacred orators "first to find in Holy Scripture
the knowledge of themselves, and then to carry it to others, lest in
reproving others they forget themselves."(22) Admonitions such as these
had, indeed, been uttered long before by the Apostolic voice which had
learnt its lesson from Christ Himself, Who "began to do and teach." It
was not to Timothy alone, but to the whole order of the clergy, that
the command was addressed: "Take heed to thyself and to doctrine; be
earnest in them. For in doing this thou shah both save thyself and them
that hear thee."(23) For the saving and for the perfection of ourselves
and of others there is at hand the very best of help in the Holy
Scriptures, as the Book of Psalms, among others, so constantly insists;
but those only will find it who bring to this divine reading not only
docility and attention, but also piety and an innocent life. For the
Sacred Scripture is not like other books. Dictated by the Holy Ghost,
it contains things of the deepest importance, which in many instances
are most difficult and obscure. To understand and explain such things
there is always required the "coming"(24) of the same Holy Spirit; that
is to say, His light and His grace; and these, as the Royal Psalmist so
frequently insists, are to be sought by humble prayer and guarded by
holiness of life.
What the Bible Owes to the Catholic Church
6. It is in this that the watchful care of the Church shines forth
conspicuously. By admirable laws and regulations, she has always shown
herself solicitous that "the celestial treasure of the Sacred Books, so
bountifully bestowed upon man by the Holy Spirit, should not lie
neglected."(25) She has prescribed that a considerable portion of them
shall be read and piously reflected upon by all her ministers in the
daily office of the sacred psalmody. She has ordered that in Cathedral
Churches, in monasteries, and in other convents in which study can
conveniently be pursued, they shall be expounded and interpreted by
capable men; and she has strictly commanded that her children shall be
fed with the saving words of the Gospel at least on Sundays and solemn
feasts.(26) Moreover, it is owing to the wisdom and exertions of the
Church that there has always been continued from century to century
that cultivation of Holy Scripture which has been so remarkable and has
borne such ample fruit.
7. And here, in order to strengthen Our teaching and Our exhortations,
it is well to recall how, from the beginning of Christianity, all who
have been renowned for holiness of life and sacred learning have given
their deep and constant attention to Holy Scripture. If we consider the
immediate disciples of the Apostles, St. Clement of Rome, St. Ignatius
of Antioch, St. Polycarp - or the apologists, such as St. Justin and
St. Irenaeus, we find that in their letters and their books, whether in
defence of the Catholic Faith or in its commendation, they draw faith,
strength, and unction from the Word of God. When there arose, in
various Sees, Catechetical and Theological schools, of which the most
celebrated were those of Alexandria and of Antioch, there was little
taught in those schools but what was contained in the reading, the
interpretation and the defence of the divine written word. From them
came forth numbers of Fathers and writers whose laborious studies and
admirable writings have justly merited for the three following
centuries the appellation of the golden age of biblical exegesis. In
the Eastern Church, the greatest name of all is Origen - a man
remarkable alike for penetration of genius and for persevering labour;
from whose numerous works and his great Hexapla almost all have drawn
that came after him. Others who have widened the field of this science
may also be named, as especially eminent; thus, Alexandria could boast
of St. Clement and St. Cyril; Palestine, of Eusebius and the other St.
Cyril; Cappadocia, of St. $asil the Great and the two St. Gregories. of
Nazianzus and Nyssa; Antioch, of St. John Chrysostom, in whom the
science of Scripture was rivalled by the splendour of his eloquence. In
the Western Church there were many names as great: Tertullian, St.
Cyprian, St. Hilary, St. Ambrose, St. Leo the Great, St. Gregory the
Great; most famous of all, St. Augustine and St. Jerome, of whom the
former was so marvellously acute in penetrating the sense of God's Word
and so fertile in the use that he made of it for the promotion of the
Catholic truth, and the latter has received from the Church, by reason
of his pre-eminent knowledge of Scripture and his labours in promoting
its use, the name of the "great Doctor."(27) From this period down to
the eleventh century, although Biblical studies did not flourish with
the same vigour and the same fruitfulness as before, yet they did
flourish, and principally by the instrumentality of the clergy. It was
their care and solicitude that selected the best and most useful things
that the ancients had left, arranged them in order, and published them
with additions of their own - as did S. Isidore of Seville, Venerable
Bede, and Alcuin, among the most prominent; it was they who illustrated
the sacred pages with "glosses" or short commentaries, as we see in
Walafrid Strabo and St. Anselm of Laon, or expended fresh labour in
securing their integrity, as did St. Peter Damian and Blessed Lanfranc.
In the twelfth century many took up with great success the allegorical
exposition of Scripture. In this kind, St. Bernard is pre-eminent; and
his writings, it may be said, are Scripture all through. With the age
of the scholastics came fresh and welcome progress in the study of the
Bible. That the scholastics were solicitous about the genuineness of
the Latin version is evident from the Correctoria Biblica, or lists of
emendations, which they have left. But they expended their labours and
industry chiefly on interpretation and explanation. To them we owe the
accurate and clear distinction, such as had not been given before, of
the various senses of the sacred words; the assignment of the value of
each "sense" in theology; the division of books into parts, and the
summaries of the various parts; the investigation of the objects of the
writers; the demonstration of the connection of sentence with sentence,
and clause with clause; all of which is calculated to throw much light
on the more obscure passages of the sacred volume. The valuable work of
the scholastics in Holy Scripture is seen in their theological
treatises and in their Scripture commentaries; and in this respect the
greatest name among them all is St. Thomas of Aquin.
8. When our predecessor, Clement V., established chairs of Oriental
literature in the Roman College and in the principal Universities of
Europe, Catholics began to make more accurate investigation on the
original text of the Bible, as well as on the Latin version. The
revival amongst us of Greek learning, and, much more, the happy
invention of the art of printing, gave a strong impetus to Biblical
studies. In a brief space of time, innumerable editions, especially of
the Vulgate, poured from the press and were diffused throughout the
Catholic world; so honoured and loved was Holy Scripture during that
very period against which the enemies of the Church direct their
calumnies. Nor must we forget how many learned men there were, chiefly
among the religious orders, who did excellent work for the Bible
between the Council of Vienne and that of Trent; men who, by the
employment of modern means and appliances, and by the tribute of their
own genius and learning, not only added to the rich stores of ancient
times, but prepared the way for the succeeding century, the century
which followed the Council of Trent, when it almost seemed that the
great age of the Fathers had returned. For it is well known, and We
recall it with pleasure, that Our predecessors from Pius IV. to Clement
VIII. caused to be prepared the celebrated editions of the Vulgate and
the Septuagint, which, having been published by the command and
authority of Sixtus V. and of the same Clement, are now in common use.
At this time, moreover, were carefully brought out various other
ancient versions of the Bible, and the Polyglots of Antwerp and of
Paris, most important for the investigation of the true meaning of the
text; nor is there any one Book of either Testament which did not find
more than one expositor, nor any grave question which did not
profitably exercise the ability of many inquirers, among whom there are
not a few - more especially of those who made most use of the Fathers -
who have acquired great reputation. From that time downwards the labour
and solicitude of Catholics has never been wanting; for, as time went
on, eminent scholars have carried on Biblical study with success, and
have defended Holy Scripture against rationalism with the same weapons
of philology and kindred sciences with which it had been attacked. The
calm and fair consideration of what has been said will clearly show
that the Church has never failed in taking due measures to bring the
Scriptures within reach of her children, and that she has ever held
fast and exercised profitably that guardianship conferred upon her by
Almighty God for the protection and glory of His Holy Word; so that she
has never required, nor does she now require, any stimulation from
without.
How to Study Holy Scripture
9. We must now, Venerable Brethren, as our purpose demands, impart to
you such counsels as seem best suited for carrying on successfully the
study of Biblical science.
10. But first it must be clearly understood whom we have to oppose and
contend against, and what are their tactics and their arms. In earlier
times the contest was chiefly with those who, relying on private
judgment and repudiating the divine traditions and teaching office of
the Church, held the Scriptures to be the one source of revelation and
the final appeal in matters of Faith. Now, we have to meet the
Rationalists, true children and inheritors of the older heretics, who,
trusting in their turn to their own way of thinking, have rejected even
the scraps and remnants of Christian belief which had been handed down
to them. They deny that there is any such thing as revelation or
inspiration, or Holy Scripture at all; they see, instead, only the
forgeries and the falsehoods of men; they set down the Scripture
narratives as stupid fables and lying stories: the prophecies and the
oracles of God are to them either predictions made up after the event
or forecasts formed by the light of nature; the miracles and the
wonders of God's power are not what they are said to be, but the
startling effects of natural law, or else mere tricks and myths; and
the Apostolic Gospels and writings are not the work of the Apostles at
all. These detestable errors, whereby they think they destroy the truth
of the divine Books, are obtruded on the world as the peremptory
pronouncements of a certain newly-invented "free science;" a science,
however, which is so far from final that they are perpetually modifying
and supplementing it. And there are some of them who, notwithstanding
their impious opinions and utterances about God, and Christ, the
Gospels and the rest of Holy Scripture, would faro be considered both
theologians and Christians and men of the Gospel, and who attempt to
disguise by such honourable names their rashness and their pride. To
them we must add not a few professors of other sciences who approve
their views and give them assistance, and are urged to attack the Bible
by a similar intolerance of revelation. And it is deplorable to see
these attacks growing every day more numerous and more severe. It is
sometimes men of learning and judgment who are assailed; but these have
little difficulty in defending themselves from evil consequences. The
efforts and the arts of the enemy are chiefly directed against the more
ignorant masses of the people. They diffuse their deadly poison by
means of books, pamphlets, and newspapers; they spread it by addresses
and by conversation; they are found everywhere; and they are in
possession of numerous schools, taken by violence from the Church, in
which, by ridicule and scurrilous jesting, they pervert the credulous
and unformed minds of the young to the contempt of Holy Scripture.
Should not these things, Venerable Brethren, stir up and set on fire
the heart of every Pastor, so that to this "knowledge, falsely so
called,"(28) may be opposed the ancient and true science which the
Church, through the Apostles, has received from Christ, and that Holy
Scripture may find the champions that are needed in so momentous a
battle?
11. Let our first care, then be to see that in Seminaries and
Academical institutions the study of Holy Scripture be placed on such a
footing as its own importance and the circumstances of the time demand.
With this view, the first thing which requires attention is the wise
choice of Professors. Teachers of Sacred Scripture are not to be
appointed at hap-hazard out of the crowd; but they must be men whose
character and fitness are proved by their love of, and their long
familiarity with, the Bible, and by suitable learning and study.
12. It is a matter of equal importance to provide in time for a
continuous succession of such teachers; and it will be well, wherever
this can be done, to select young men of good promise who have
successfully accomplished their theological course, and to set them
apart exclusively for Holy Scripture, affording them facilities for
full and complete studies. Professors thus chosen and thus prepared may
enter with confidence on the task that is appointed for them; and that
they may carry out their work well and profitably, let them take heed
to the instructions We now proceed to give.
13. At the commencement of a course of Holy Scripture let the Professor
strive earnestly to form the judgment of the young beginners so as to
train them equally to defend the sacred writings and to penetrate their
meaning. This is the object of the treatise which is called
"Introduction." Here the student is taught how to prove the integrity
and authority of the Bible, how to investigate and ascertain its true
sense, and how to meet and refute objections. It is needless to insist
upon the importance of making these preliminary studies in an orderly
and thorough fashion, with the accompaniment and assistance of
Theology; for the whole subsequent course must rest on the foundation
thus laid and make use of the light thus acquired. Next, the teacher
will turn his earnest attention to that more fruitful division of
Scripture science which has to do with Interpretation; wherein is
imparted the method of using the word of God for the advantage of
religion and piety. We recognize without hesitation that neither the
extent of the matter nor the time at disposal allows each single Book
of the Bible to be separately gone through. But the teaching should
result in a definite and ascertained method of interpretation-and
therefore the Professor should equally avoid the mistake of giving a
mere taste of every Book, and of dwelling at too great length on a part
of one Book. If most schools cannot do what is done in the large
institutions-that is, take the students through the whole of one or two
Books continuously and with a certain development-yet at least those
parts which are selected should be treated with suitable fulness; in
such a way that the students may learn from the sample that is thus put
before them to love and use the remainder of the sacred Book during the
whole of their lives. The Professor, following the tradition of
antiquity, will make use of the Vulgate as his text; for the Council of
Trent decreed that "in public lectures, disputations, preaching, and
exposition,"(29) the Vulgate is the "authentic" version; and this is
the existing custom of the Church. At the same time, the other versions
which Christian antiquity has approved, should not be neglected, more
especially the more ancient MSS. For although the meaning of the Hebrew
and Greek is substantially rendered by the Vulgate, nevertheless
wherever there may be ambiguity or want of clearness, the "examination
of older tongues,"(30) to quote St. Augustine, will be useful and
advantageous. But in this matter we need hardly say that the greatest
prudence is required, for the "office of a commentator," as St. Jerome
says, "is to set forth not what he himself would prefer, but what his
author says."(31) The question of "readings" having been, when
necessary, carefully discussed, the next thing is to investigate and
expound the meaning. And the first counsel to be given is this: That
the more our adversaries contend to the contrary, so much the more
solicitously should we adhere to the received and approved canons of
interpretation. Hence, whilst weighing the meanings of words, the
connection of ideas, the parallelism of passages, and the like, we
should by all means make use of such illustrations as can be drawn from
apposite erudition of an external sort; but this should be done with
caution, so as not to bestow on questions of this kind more labour and
time than are spent on the Sacred Books themselves, and not to overload
the minds of the students with a mass of information that will be
rather a hindrance than a help.
Holy Scripture and Theology; Interpretation; the Fathers
14. The Professor may now safely pass on to the use of Scripture in
matters of Theology. On this head it must be observed that in addition
to the usual reasons which make ancient writings more or less difficult
to understand, there are some which are peculiar to the Bible. For the
language of the Bible is employed to express, under the inspiration of
the Holy Ghost, many things which are beyond the power and scope of the
reason of man-that is to say, divine mysteries and all that is related
to them. There is sometimes in such passages a fulness and a hidden
depth of meaning which the letter hardly expresses and which the laws
of interpretation hardly warrant. Moreover, the literal sense itself
frequently admits other senses, adapted to illustrate dogma or to
confirm morality. Wherefore it must be recognized that the sacred
writings are wrapt in a certain religious obscurity, and that no one
can enter into their interior without a guide(32); God so disposing, as
the Holy Fathers commonly teach, in order that men may investigate them
with greater ardour and earnestness, and that what is attained with
difficulty may sink more deeply into the mind and heart; and, most of
all, that they may understand that God has delivered the Holy
Scriptures to the Church, and that in reading and making use of His
Word, they must follow the Church as their guide and their teacher. St.
Irenaeus long since laid down, that where the charismata of God were,
there the truth was to be learnt, and that Holy Scripture was safely
interpreted by those who had the Apostolic succession.(33) His
teaching, and that of other Holy Fathers, is taken up by the Council of
the Vatican, which, in renewing the decree of Trent declares its "mind"
to be this - that "in things of faith and morals, belonging to the
building up of Christian doctrine, that is to be considered the true
sense of Holy Scripture which has been held and is held by our Holy
Mother the Church, whose place it is to judge of the true sense and
interpretation of the Scriptures; and therefore that it is permitted to
no one to interpret Holy Scripture against such sense or also against
the unanimous agreement of the Fathers."(34) By this most wise decree
the Church by no means prevents or restrains the pursuit of Biblical
science, but rather protects it from error, and largely assists its
real progress. A wide field is still left open to the private student,
in which his hermeneutical skill may display itself with signal effect
and to the advantage of the Church. On the one hand, in those passages
of Holy Scripture which have not as yet received a certain and
definitive interpretation, such labours may, in the benignant
providence of God, prepare for and bring to maturity the judgment of
the Church; on the other, in passages already defined, the private
student may do work equally valuable, either by setting them forth more
clearly to the flock and more skilfully to scholars, or by defending
them more powerfully from hostile attack. Wherefore the first and
dearest object of the Catholic commentator should be to interpret those
passages which have received an authentic interpretation either from
the sacred writers themselves, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost
(as in many places of the New Testament), or from the Church, under the
assistance of the same Holy Spirit, whether by her solemn judgment or
her ordinary and universal magisterium(35) - to interpret these
passages in that identical sense, and to prove, by all the resources of
science, that sound hermeneutical laws admit of no other
interpretation. In the other passages, the analogy of faith should be
followed, and Catholic doctrine, as authoritatively proposed by the
Church, should be held as the supreme law; for, seeing that the same
God is the author both of the Sacred Books and of the doctrine
committed to the Church, it is clearly impossible that any teaching can
by legitimate means be extracted from the former, which shall in any
respect be at variance with the latter. Hence it follows that all
interpretation is foolish and false which either makes the sacred
writers disagree one with another, or is opposed to the doctrine of the
Church. The Professor of Holy Scripture, therefore, amongst other
recommendations, must be well acquainted with the whole circle of
Theology and deeply read in the commentaries of the Holy Fathers and
Doctors, and other interpreters of mark.(36) This is inculcated by St.
Jerome, and still more frequently by St. Augustine, who thus justly
complains: "If there is no branch of teaching, however humble and easy
to learn, which does not require a master, what can be a greater sign
of rashness and pride than to refuse to study the Books of the divine
mysteries by the help of those who have interpreted them?"(37) The
other Fathers have said the same, and have confirmed it by their
example, for they "endeavoured to acquire the understanding of the Holy
Scriptures not by their own lights and ideas, but from the writings and
authority of the ancients, who in their turn, as we know, received the
rule of interpretation in direct line from the Apostles."(38) The Holy
Fathers "to whom, after the Apostles, the Church owes its growth-who
have planted, watered, built, governed, and cherished it,"(39) the Holy
Fathers, We say, are of supreme authority, whenever they all interpret
in one and the same manner any text of the Bible, as pertaining to the
doctrine of faith or morals; for their unanimity clearly evinces that
such interpretation has come down from the Apostles as a matter of
Catholic faith. The opinion of the Fathers is also of very great weight
when they treat of these matters in their capacity of doctors,
unofficially; not only because they excel in their knowledge of
revealed doctrine and in their acquaintance with many things which are
useful in understanding the apostolic Books, but because they are men
of eminent sanctity and of ardent zeal for the truth, on whom God has
bestowed a more ample measure of His light. Wherefore the expositor
should make it his duty to follow their footsteps with all reverence,
and to use their labours with intelligent appreciation.
15. But he must not on that account consider that it is forbidden, when
just cause exists, to push inquiry and exposition beyond what the
Fathers have done; provided he carefully observes the rule so wisely
laid down by St. Augustine-not to depart from the literal and obvious
sense, except only where reason makes it untenable or necessity
requires;(40) a rule to which it is the more necessary to adhere
strictly in these times, when the thirst for novelty and unrestrained
freedom of thought make the danger of error most real and proximate.
Neither should those passages be neglected which the Fathers have
understood in an allegorical or figurative sense, more especially when
such interpretation is justified by the literal, and when it rests on
the authority of many. For this method of interpretation has been
received by the Church from the Apostles, and has been approved by her
own practice, as the holy Liturgy attests; although it is true that the
holy Fathers did not thereby pretend directly to demonstrate dogmas of
faith, but used it as a means of promoting virtue and piety, such as,
by their own experience, they knew to be most valuable. The authority
of other Catholic interpreters is not so great; but the study of
Scripture has always continued to advance in the Church, and,
therefore, these commentaries also have their own honourable place, and
are serviceable in many ways for the refutation of assailants and the
explanation of difficulties. But it is most unbecoming to pass by, in
ignorance or contempt, the excellent work which Catholics have left in
abundance, and to have recourse to the works of non-Catholics - and to
seek in them, to the detriment of sound doctrine and often to the peril
of faith, the explanation of passages on which Catholics long ago have
successfully employed their talent and their labour. For although the
studies of non-Catholics, used with prudence, may sometimes be of use
to the Catholic student, he should, nevertheless, bear well in mind-as
the Fathers also teach in numerous passages(41) - that the sense of
Holy Scripture can nowhere be found incorrupt outside of the Church,
and cannot be expected to be found in writers who, being without the
true faith, only gnaw the bark of the Sacred Scripture, and never
attain its pith.
16. Most desirable is it, and most essential, that the whole teaching
of Theology should be pervaded and animated by the use of the divine
Word of God. This is what the Fathers and the greatest theologians of
all ages have desired and reduced to practice. It was chiefly out of
the Sacred Writings that they endeavoured to proclaim and establish the
Articles of Faith and the truths therewith connected, and it was in
them, together with divine Tradition, that they found the refutation of
heretical error, and the reasonableness, the true meaning, and the
mutual relation of the truths of Catholicism. Nor will any one wonder
at this who considers that the Sacred Books hold such an eminent
position among the sources of revelation that without their assiduous
study and use, Theology cannot be placed on its true footing, or
treated as its dignity demands. For although it is right and proper
that students in academies and schools should be chiefly exercised in
acquiring a scientific knowledge of dogma, by means of reasoning from
the Articles of Faith to their consequences, according to the ules of
approved and sound philosophy - nevertheless the judicious and
instructed theologian will by no means pass by that method of doctrinal
demonstration which draws its proof from the authority of the Bible;
"for (Theology) does not receive her first principles from any other
science, but immediately from God by revelation. And, therefore, she
does not receive of other sciences as from a superior, but uses them as
her inferiors or handmaids."(42) It is this view of doctrinal teaching
which is laid down and recommended by the prince of theologians, St.
Thomas of Aquin;(43) who, moreover, shows - such being the essential
character of Christian Theology - how she can defend her own principles
against attack: "If the adversary," he says, "do but grant any portion
of the divine revelation, we have an argument against him; thus,
against a heretic we can employ Scripture authority, and against those
who deny one article, we can use another. But if our opponent reject
divine revelation entirely, there is then no way left to prove the
Article of Faith by reasoning; we can only solve the difficulties which
are raised against them."(44)' Care must be taken, then, that beginners
approach the study of the Bible well prepared and furnished; otherwise,
just hopes will be frustrated, or, perchance, what is worse, they will
unthinkingly risk the danger of error, falling an easy prey to the
sophisms and laboured erudition of the Rationalists. The best
preparation will be a conscientious application to philosophy and
theology under the guidance of St. Thomas of Aquin, and a thorough
training therein - as We ourselves have elsewhere pointed out and
directed. By this means, both in Biblical studies and in that part of
Theology which is called positive, they will pursue the right path and
make satisfactory progress.
The Authority of Holy Scripture; Modern Criticism; Physical Science
17. To prove, to expound, to illustrate Catholic Doctrine by the
legitimate and skilful interpretation of the Bible, is much; but there
is a second part of the subject of equal importance and equal
difficulty - the maintenance in the strongest possible way of its full
authority. This cannot be done completely or satisfactorily except by
means of the living and proper magisterium of the Church. The Church,
"by reason of her wonderful propagation, her distinguished sanctity and
inexhaustible fecundity in good, her Catholic unity, and her unshaken
stability, is herself a great and perpetual motive of credibility, and
an unassailable testimony to her own Divine mission."(45) But since the
divine and infallible magisterium of the Church rests also on the
authority of Holy Scripture, the first thing to be done is to vindicate
the trustworthiness of the sacred records at least as human documents,
from which can be clearly proved, as from primitive and authentic
testimony, the Divinity and the mission of Christ our Lord, the
institution of a hierarchical Church and the primacy of Peter and his
successors. It is most desirable, therefore, that there should be
numerous members of the clergy well prepared to enter upon a contest of
this nature, and to repulse hostile assaults, chiefly trusting in that
armour of God recommended by the Apostle,(46) but also not unaccustomed
to modern methods of attack. This is beautifully alluded to by St. John
Chrysostom, when describing the duties of priests: "We must use every
endeavour that the `Word of God may dwell in us abundantly'(47) and not
merely for one kind of fight must we be prepared-for the contest is
many-sided and the enemy is of every sort; and they do not all use the
same weapons nor make their onset in the same way. Wherefore it is
needful that the man who has to contend against all should be
acquainted with the engines and the arts of all-that he should be at
once archer and slinger, commandant and officer, general and private
soldier, foot-soldier and horseman, skilled in sea-fight and in siege;
for unless he knows every trick and turn of war, the devil is well
able, if only a single door be left open, to get in his fierce bands
and carry off the sheep."(48) The sophisms of the enemy and his
manifold arts of attack we have already touched upon. Let us now say a
word of advice on the means of defence. The first means is the study of
the Oriental languages and of the art of criticism. These two
acquirements are in these days held in high estimation, and therefore
the clergy, by making themselves more or less fully acquainted with
them as time and place may demand, will the better be able to discharge
their office with becoming credit; for they must make themselves "all
to all,"(49) always "ready to satisfy every one that asketh them a
reason for the hope that is in them."(50) Hence it is most proper that
Professors of Sacred Scripture and theologians should master those
tongues in which the sacred Books were originally written; and it would
be well that Church students also should cultivate them, more
especially those who aspire to academic degrees. And endeavours should
be made to establish in all academic institutions - as has already been
laudably done in many - chairs of the other ancient languages,
especially the Semitic, and of subjects connected therewith, for the
benefit principally of those who are intended to profess sacred
literature. These latter, with a similar object in view, should make
themselves well and thoroughly acquainted with the art of true
criticism. There has arisen, to the great detriment of religion, an
inept method, dignified by the name of the "higher criticism," which
pretends to judge of the origin, integrity and authority of each Book
from internal indications alone. It is clear, on the other hand, that
in historical questions, such as the origin and the handing down of
writings, the witness of history is of primary importance, and that
historical investigation should be made with the utmost care; and that
in this matter internal evidence is seldom of great value, except as
confirmation. To look upon it in any other light will be to open the
door to many evil consequences. It will make the enemies of religion
much more bold and confident in attacking and mangling the Sacred
Books; and this vaunted "higher criticism" will resolve itself into the
reflection of the bias and the prejudice of the critics. It will not
throw on the Scripture the light which is sought, or prove of any
advantage to doctrine; it will only give rise to disagreement and
dissension, those sure notes of error, which the critics in question so
plentifully exhibit in their own persons; and seeing that most of them
are tainted with false philosophy and rationalism, it must lead to the
elimination from the sacred writings of all prophecy and miracle, and
of everything else that is outside the natural order.
18. In the second place, we have to contend against those who, making
an evil use of physical science, minutely scrutinize the Sacred Book in
order to detect the writers in a mistake, and to take occasion to
vilify its contents. Attacks of this kind, bearing as they do on
matters of sensible experience, are peculiarly dangerous to the masses,
and also to the young who are beginning their literary studies; for the
young, if they lose their reverence for the Holy Scripture on one or
more points, are easily led to give up believing in it altogether. It
need not be pointed out how the nature of science, just as it is so
admirably adapted to show forth the glory of the Great Creator,
provided it be taught as it should be, so if it be perversely imparted
to the youthful intelligence, it may prove most fatal in destroying the
principles of true philosophy and in the corruption of morality. Hence
to the Professor of Sacred Scripture a knowledge of natural science
will be of very great assistance in detecting such attacks on the
Sacred Books, and in refuting them. There can never, indeed, be any
real discrepancy between the theologian and the physicist, as long as
each confines himself within his own lines, and both are careful, as
St. Augustine warns us, "not to make rash assertions, or to assert what
is not known as known."(51) If dissension should arise between them,
here is the rule also laid down by St. Augustine, for the theologian:
"Whatever they can really demonstrate to be true of physical nature, we
must show to be capable of reconciliation with our Scriptures; and
whatever they assert in their treatises which is contrary to these
Scriptures of ours, that is to Catholic faith, we must either prove it
as well as we can to be entirely false, or at all events we must,
without the smallest hesitation, believe it to be so."(52) To
understand how just is the rule here formulated we must remember,
first, that the sacred writers, or to speak more accurately, the Holy
Ghost "Who spoke by them, did not intend to teach men these things
(that is to say, the essential nature of the things of the visible
universe), things in no way profitable unto salvation."(53) Hence they
did not seek to penetrate the secrets of nature, but rather described
and dealt with things in more or less figurative language, or in terms
which were commonly used at the time, and which in many instances are
in daily use at this day, even by the most eminent men of science.
Ordinary speech primarily and properly describes what comes under the
senses; and somewhat in the same way the sacred writers-as the Angelic
Doctor also reminds us - `went by what sensibly appeared,"(54) or put
down what God, speaking to men, signified, in the way men could
understand and were accustomed to.
19. The unshrinking defence of the Holy Scripture, however, does not
require that we should equally uphold all the opinions which each of
the Fathers or the more recent interpreters have put forth in
explaining it; for it may be that, in commenting on passages where
physical matters occur, they have sometimes expressed the ideas of
their own times, and thus made statements which in these days have been
abandoned as incorrect. Hence, in their interpretations, we must
carefully note what they lay down as belonging to faith, or as
intimately connected with faith-what they are unanimous in. For "in
those things which do not come under the obligation of faith, the
Saints were at liberty to hold divergent opinions, just as we ourselves
are,"(55) according to the saying of St. Thomas. And in another place
he says most admirably: "When philosophers are agreed upon a point, and
it is not contrary to our faith, it is safer, in my opinion, neither to
lay down such a point as a dogma of faith, even though it is perhaps so
presented by the philosophers, nor to reject it as against faith, lest
we thus give to the wise of this world an occasion of despising our
faith."(56) The Catholic interpreter, although he should show that
those facts of natural science which investigators affirm to be now
quite certain are not contrary to the Scripture rightly explained, must
nevertheless always bear in mind, that much which has been held and
proved as certain has afterwards been called in question and rejected.
And if writers on physics travel outside the boundaries of their own
branch, and carry their erroneous teaching into the domain of
philosophy, let them be handed over to philosophers for
Inspiration Incompatible with Error
20. The principles here laid down will apply cognate sciences, and
especially to History. It is a lamentable fact that there are many who
with great labour carry out and publish investigations on the monuments
of antiquity, the manners and institutions of nations and other
illustrative subjects, and whose chief purpose in all this is too often
to find mistakes in the sacred writings and so to shake and weaken
their authority. Some of these writers display not only extreme
hostility, but the greatest unfairness; in their eyes a profane book or
ancient document is accepted without hesitation, whilst the Scripture,
if they only find in it a suspicion of error, is set down with the
slightest possible discussion as quite untrustworthy. It is true, no
doubt, that copyists have made mistakes in the text of the Bible; this
question, when it arises, should be carefully considered on its merits,
and the fact not too easily admitted, but only in those passages where
the proof is clear. It may also happen that the sense of a passage
remains ambiguous, and in this case good hermeneutical methods will
greatly assist in clearing up the obscurity. But it is absolutely wrong
and forbidden, either to narrow inspiration to certain parts only of
Holy Scripture, or to admit that the sacred writer has erred. For the
system of those who, in order to rid themselves of these difficulties,
do not hesitate to concede that divine inspiration regards the things
of faith and morals, and nothing beyond, because (as they wrongly
think) in a question of the truth or falsehood of a passage, we should
consider not so much what God has said as the reason and purpose which
He had in mind in saying it-this system cannot be tolerated. For all
the books which the Church receives as sacred and canonical, are
written wholly and entirely, with all their parts, at the dictation of
the Holy Ghost; and so far is it from being possible that any error can
co-exist with inspiration, that inspiration not only is essentially
incompatible with error, but excludes and rejects it as absolutely and
necessarily as it is impossible that God Himself, the supreme Truth,
can utter that which is not true. This is the ancient and unchanging
faith of the Church, solemnly defined in the Councils of Florence and
of Trent, and finally confirmed and more expressly formulated by the
Council of the Vatican. These are the words of the last: "The Books of
the Old and New Testament, whole and entire, with all their parts, as
enumerated in the decree of the same Council (Trent) and in the ancient
Latin Vulgate, are to be received as sacred and canonical. And the
Church holds them as sacred and canonical, not because, having been
composed by human industry, they were afterwards approved by her
authority; nor only because they contain revelation without error; but
because, having been written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost,
they have God for their author."(57) Hence, because the Holy Ghost
employed men as His instruments, we cannot therefore say that it was
these inspired instruments who, perchance, have fallen into error, and
not the primary author. For, by supernatural power, He so moved and
impelled them to write-He was so present to them-that the things which
He ordered, and those only, they, first, rightly understood, then
willed faithfully to write down, and finally expressed in apt words and
with infallible truth. Otherwise, it could not be said that He was the
Author of the entire Scripture. Such has always been the persuasion of
the Fathers. "Therefore," says St. Augustine, "since they wrote the
things which He showed and uttered to them, it cannot be pretended that
He is not the writer; for His members executed what their Head
dictated."(58) And St. Gregory the Great thus pronounces: "Most
superfluous it is to inquire who wrote these things-we loyally believe
the Holy Ghost to be the Author of the book. He wrote it Who dictated
it for writing; He wrote it Who inspired its execution. "(59)
21. It follows that those who maintain that an error is possible in any
genuine passage of the sacred writings, either pervert the Catholic
notion of inspiration, or make God the author of such error. And so
emphatically were all the Fathers and Doctors agreed that the divine
writings, as left by the hagiographers, are free from all error, that
they laboured earnestly, with no less skill than reverence, to
reconcile with each other those numerous passages which seem at
variance-the very passages which in great measure have been taken up by
the "higher criticism;" for they were unanimous in laying it down, that
those writings, in their entirety and in all their parts were equally
from the afflatus of Almighty God, and that God, speaking by the sacred
writers, could not set down anything but what was true. The words of
St. Augustine to St. )erome may sum up what they taught: "On my part I
confess to your charity that it is only to those Books of Scripture
which are now called canonical that I have learned to pay such honour
and reverence as to believe most firmly that none of their writers has
fallen into any error. And if in these Books I meet anything which
seems contrary to truth, I shall not hesitate to conclude either that
the text is faulty, or that the translator has not expressed the
meaning of the passage, or that I myself do not understand."(60)
22. But to undertake fully and perfectly, and with all the weapons of
the best science, the defence of the Holy Bible is far more than can be
looked for from the exertions of commentators and theologians alone. It
is an enterprise in which we have a right to expect the co-operation of
all those Catholics who have acquired reputation in any branch of
learning whatever. As in the past, so at the present time, the Church
is never without the graceful support of her accomplished children; may
their services to the Faith grow and increase! For there is nothing
which We believe to be more needful than that truth should find
defenders more powerful and more numerous than the enemies it has to
face; nor is there anything which is better calculated to impress the
masses with respect for truth than to see it boldly proclaimed by
learned and distinguished men. Moreover, the bitter tongues of
objectors will be silenced, or at least they will not dare to insist so
shamelessly that faith is the enemy of science, when they see that
scientific men of eminence in their profession show towards faith the
most marked honour and respect. Seeing, then, that those can do so much
for the advantage of religion on whom the goodness of Almighty God has
bestowed, together with the grace of the faith, great natural talent,
let such men, in this bitter conflict of which the Holy Scripture is
the object, select each of them the branch of study most suitable to
his circumstances, and endeavour to excel therein, and thus be prepared
to repulse with credit and distinction the assaults on the Word of God.
And it is Our pleasing duty to give deserved praise to a work which
certain Catholics have taken up-that is to say, the formation of
societies and the contribution of considerable sums of money, for the
purpose of supplying studious and learned men with every kind of help
and assistance in carrying out complete studies. Truly an excellent
fashion of investing money, and well-suited to the times in which we
live! The less hope of public patronage there is for Catholic study,
the more ready and the more abundant should be the liberality of
private persons-those to whom God has given riches thus willingly
making use of their means to safeguard the treasure of His revealed
doctrine.
Summary
23. In order that all these endeavours and exertions may really prove
advantageous to the cause of the Bible, let scholars keep steadfastly
to the principles which We have in this Letter laid down. Let them
loyally hold that God, the Creator and Ruler of all things, is also the
Author of the Scriptures - and that therefore nothing can be proved
either by physical science or archaeology which can really contradict
the Scriptures. If, then, apparent contradiction be met with, every
effort should be made to remove it. Judicious theologians and
commentators should be consulted as to what is the true or most
probable meaning of the passage in discussion, and the hostile
arguments should be carefully weighed. Even if the difficulty is after
all not cleared up and the discrepancy seems to remain, the contest
must not be abandoned; truth cannot contradict truth, and we may be
sure that some mistake has been made either in the interpretation of
the sacred words, or in the polemical discussion itself; and if no such
mistake can be detected, we must then suspend judgment for the time
being. There have been objections without number perseveringly directed
against the Scripture for many a long year, which have been proved to
be futile and are now never heard of; and not unfrequently
interpretations have been placed on certain passages of Scripture (not
belonging to the rule of faith or morals) which have been rectified by
more careful investigations. As time goes on, mistaken views die and
disappear; but "truth remaineth and groweth stronger for ever and
ever."(61) Wherefore, as no one should be so presumptuous as to think
that he understands the whole of the Scripture, in which St. Augustine
himself confessed that there was more that he did not know, than that
he knew,(62) so, if he should come upon anything that seems incapable
of solution, he must take to heart the cautious rule of the same holy
Doctor: "It is better even to be oppressed by unknown but useful signs,
than to interpret them uselessly and thus to throw off the yoke only to
be caught in the trap of error. "(63)
24. Such, Venerable Brethren, are the admonitions and the instructions
which, by the help of God, We have thought it well, at the present
moment, to offer to you on the study of Holy Scripture. It will now be
your province to see that what we have said be observed and put in
practice with all due reverence and exactness; that so, we may prove
our gratitude to God for the communication to man of the Words of his
Wisdom, and that all the good results so much to be desired may be
realized, especially as they affect the training of the students of the
Church, which is our own great solicitude and the Church's hope. Exert
yourselves with willing alacrity, and use your authority and your
persuasion in order that these studies may be held in just regard and
may flourish, in Seminaries and in the educational Institutions which
are under your jurisdiction. Let them flourish in completeness and in
happy success, under the direction of the Church, in accordance with
the salutary teaching and example of the Holy Fathers and the laudable
traditions of antiquity; and, as time goes on, let them be widened and
extended as the interests and glory of truth may require-the interest
of that Catholic Truth which comes from above, the never-failing source
of man's salvation. Finally, We admonish with paternal love all
students and ministers of the Church always to approach the Sacred
Writings with reverence and piety; for it is impossible to attain to
the profitable understanding thereof unless the arrogance of "earthly"
science be laid aside, and there be excited in the heart the holy
desire for that wisdom "which is from above." In this way the
intelligence which is once admitted to these sacred studies, and
thereby illuminated and strengthened, will acquire a marvellous
facility in detecting and avoiding the fallacies of human science, and
in gathering and using for eternal salvation all that is valuable and
precious; whilst at the same time the heart will grow warm, and will
strive with ardent longing to advance in virtue and in divine love.
"Blessed are they who examine His testimonies; they shall seek Him with
their whole heart. "(64)
25. And now, filled with hope in the divine assistance, and trusting to
your pastoral solicitude - as a pledge of heavenly grace and a sign of
Out special goodwill - to you all, and to the Clergy and the whole
flock entrusted to you, We lovingly impart in Our Lord the Apostolic
Benediction.
Given at St. Peter's, at Rome, the 18th day of November, 1893, the
eighteenth year of Our Pontificate.
LEO XIII
REFERENCES:
1. Conc. Vac. sess. iii. cap. ii. de revel.
2. Ibid.
3. S. Aug. de civ. dei xi., 3.
4. S. Clem. Rom. I ad. Cor. 45; S. Polycarp. ad Phil. 7; S. Iren. c
haer. ii. 28, 2.
5. S. Chrys. in Gen. hom. 2, 2; S. Aug. in Ps. xxx., serm., 2, I; S.
Greg. M. ad Theod. ep. iv., 31.
6. 2 Tim. iii., 16-17.
7. S. Aug. de util. cred. xiv. 32.
8. Act xiv., 3.
9. St. Hieron. de stud. Script. ad. Paulin. ep. liii. 3.
10. In Isiam Prol.
11. In Isaiam liv., 12.
12. i Thess. i., 5.
13. Jerem. xxiii., 29.
14. Hebr. iv., 12.
15. De door. Chr. iv., 6, 7.
16. S. Chrys. in Gen. Hom. xxi., 2; Hom. lx., 3; S. Aug. de Disc.
Chrisc., ii.
17. S. Athan. ep. fest. xxxix.
18. S. Aug. serm. xxvi., 24; S. Ambr. in Ps. cxviii., serm. xix, 2.
19. S. Hier. de vita cleric. ad Nepot.
20. S. Greg. M., Regul. past. ii., II (al. 22); Moral. xviii., 26
(a1.14).
21. S. Aug. serm. clxxix., I.
22. S. Greg. M. Regul. past., iii., 24 (al. 48).
23. i Tim. iv., 16.
24. S. Hier. in Mic. i., 10.
25. Conc. Trid. sess. v. decret. de reform, I.
26. Ibid. 1-2.
27. See the Collect on his feast, September 30.
28. I Tim. vi., 20.
29. Sess. iv., decr. de edit. et usu sacr. libror.
30. De door. chr. iii., 4.
31. Ad Pammachium.
32. S. Hier. ad Paulin. de studio Script. ep. liii., 4.
33. C. haer. iv., 26, 5.
34. Sess. iii., cap. ii., de revel.; cf. Conc. Trid, sess. iv. decret
de edit. et usu sacr. libror.
35. Conc. Vat. sess. iii., cap. ii., de fide.
36. Ibid. 6, 7.
37. Ad Honorat. de util. cred. xvii., 35.
38. Rufinus His2 eccl. ii., 9.
39. S. Aug. c. Julian. ii, 10, 37.
40. De Gen. ad lift. I, viii., c. 7, 13.
41. Cfr. Clem. Alex. Strom. vii., 16; Orig. de print. iv., 8; in Levit.
hom. 4, 8; Tertull. de praescr. 15, seqq.; S. Hilar. Pict. in Matth.
13, I.
42. S. Greg. M. Moral xx., 9 (al. II).
43. Summ. theol. p. i., q. i., a. 5 ad 2.
44. Ibid. a. 8.
45. Conc. Vat. sess. iii., c. iii. de fide.
46. Eph. vi., 13, seqq.
47. Cfr., Coloss. iii., 16.
48. De sacerdotio iv., 4.
49. I Cor. ix., 22.
50. I Peter iii., 15.
51. In Gen. op. imperf. ix., 30.
52. De Gen. ad lift. i. 21, 41.
53. S. Aug. ib. ii., 9, 20.
54. Summa theol. p. I, q. lxx., a. I, ad 3.
55. In Sent. ii., Dist. q. i., a. 3.
56. Opusc. x.
57. Sess. iii., c. ii., de Rev.
58. De consensu Evangel. 1. I, c. 35.
59. Praef. in Job, n. 2.
60. Ep. lxxxii., i. et crebrius alibi.
61. 3 Esdr. iv., 38.
62. ad lanuar. ep. lv., 21.
63. De door. chr. iii., 9, 18.
64. Ps. xviii., 2. |
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