The God of all providence, who in the adorable designs of His love at first elevated the human race to the partici- pation 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 splen- did gift and safeguard — making known to him, by super- natural 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 facihty, 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 ordained man to a supernatural end." ^ This super- natural 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 ji the Holy Ghost, they have God for their author, and as such \ have been dehA/ered to the Church," ^ This belief has^ been perpetually held and professed by the Church in re- gard to the Books of both Testaments; and there are well- knowTi documents of the gravest kind, coming down to us from the earhest times, which proclaim that God, who ' Cone. Vat. sess iii. cap. ii. de reveL * Ibid.
271 \ 272 THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE.
spoke first by the prophets, then by His own mouth, and lastly by the apostles, composed also the canonical Scrip- tures,^ and that these are His own oracles and words ^ — 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.^ If, then, such and so great is the excellence and 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 'I with the defence and elucidation of these divine books I must be excellent and useful in the highest degree.
Now We, who by the help of God, and not without fruit, ,• ""have by frequent Letters and exhortation endeavored to Wpromote other branches of study which seem capable of advancing the glory of God and contributing to the salva- tion of souls, have for a long time cherished the desire to give an impulse to the noble science of Holy Scripture, and t^-iBipart to Scripture stiidy'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 or openly assail the Scriptures, or of those who are led astray into fallacious and imprudent novelties. We are not igno- rant, indeed. Venerable Brethren, that there are not a few Catholics, men of talent and learning, who do devote them- selves with ardor to the defence of the sacred writings and to making them known and better understood."' But whilst giving to these the commendatiOTrthey deserve, We cannot but earnestly exliort others also, from whose skill S. Aug. de civ. Dei. xi. 3.
^S. Clem. Rom. 1 ad. Cor. 45; S. Polycarp. ad Phil. 7; S. Iren. c. haer. ii. 28, 2.
^ S. Chrys. in Gen. horn. 2, 2; S. Aug. in Ps. xxx., serm., 2, 1; S, Greg. M. ad Theo. ep. iv. 31.
THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE. 273 and piety and learning we have a right to expect good re- sults, 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 laborers 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 dihgence and industry in reading, meditating, and explaining it.
Among the reasons for which the Holy Scripture is so worthy of commendation — ^in addition to its o'^m 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. That such was the purpose of God in giving the Scripture to 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 au- thority, and by behef drew to himself the multitude" ^ 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 Phari- sees and retorts from them upon Satan himself when he dares to tempt Him. At the close of His life His utterances are from the 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 pre- cepts, the apostles, although He Himself granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands,^ nevertheless used with the greatest effect the sacred writings, in order to 1 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17, ^^ S. Aug. de util. cred. xiv 32.
s Act xiv. 3.
274 THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE.
persuade the nations everywhere of the wisdom of Chris- tianity, to conquer the obstinacy of the Jews, and to sup- press 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 Testa- ment making in the strongest manner for the new dispen- sation. We find the same things in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. John and in the Catholic Epistles; and, most remarkable of all, in the words of him who "boasts that he learned the law at the feet of GamaUel, in order that, being armed with spiritual weapons, he might after- wards say with confidence, 'the arms of our warfare are not carnal but mighty unto God.'" ^ Let all, therefore, especially the novices of the ecclesiastical army, under- stand how deeply the sacred books should be esteemed, and with what eagerness and reverence they should ap- proach 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 sub- ject of God, the supreme Good and the all-perfect Being, or the works which display His glory and His love. No- where 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.^ In its pages His Image stands out, living and breathing; diffusing everywhere around consolation in trouble, encourage- ment 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." ^ And if we come to morahty and disci- ' St. Hier. de stud. Script, ad Paulin. ep. liii. 3.
" in Isaiam. Prol. ^ in Isaiam liv. 12, THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE. 275 pline, an apostolic man finds in the sacred writings abun- dant 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.
And it is this peculiar and singular power of Holy ScriptX ure, 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} Hence, those preachers are foolish and improvident who, in speaking of religion and proclaim- ing the things of G^d, u se no words but those of h uman science and human prud ence, trusting to their own rea snn- ings rather than to those of God. Their discourses may be brilliant and finSpbut they must be feeble and they must be cold, for they are without the fire of the utterance of God ^ 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.^ But, indeed, 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 under- stood and has abundantly set forth.* This, also, is con- firmed by the best preachers of all ages, who have grate- ^ fully acknowledged that they owed their repute chiefly to the assiduous use of the Bible, and to devout meditation %n its pages.
The Holy Fathers well knew all this by practical experi- ence, and they never cease to extol the sacred Scripture ^ Jerem. xxiii. 29. * De doctr. Chr. iv. 6, 7.
276 THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE.
^ ^^^i^'^and its fruits. In innumerable passages of their writings V^ we find them applying to it such phrases as an inexhaust- \ ible treasury of heavenly doctrine,^ or an overflowing fountain of salvation,^ or putting it before us as fertile pas- tures and beautiful gardens in which the flock of the Lord is marvellously refreshed and delighted.' Let us listen to the words of St. Jerome, in his Epistle to Nepo- tian: "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."^ 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." ^ St. Augustine, however, warns us that " vainly does the preacher utter the Word of God exteriorly unless he listens to it interiorly";® and St. Gregory instructs sacred orators " first to find in Holy Scripture the knowl- edge of themselves, and then carry it to others, lest in re- proving others they forget themselves." ' Admonitions such as these had, indeed, been uttered long before by the apostolic voice which had learned 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; he earnest in them. For in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee.^ For the saving and for the perfection of ourselves and of others S. Chrys. in Gen. Horn. xxi. 2; Horn. Ix. 3; S. Aug. de Disc.
Christ, ii.
^ S. Athan. ep. fest. xxxix.
^ S. Aug. serm. xxvi. 24; S. Ambr. in Ps. cxviii, serm. xix. 2.
S. Hier. de vita cleric, ad Nepot.
» S. Greg. M. Regul. past. ii. 11 (al. 22); Moral, xvii. 26 (aL 14).
' S. Aug. serm. clxxix. 1.
' S. Greg. M. Regul. past. iii. 24 (aL 14).
H Tim. iv. 16. 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" 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.
It is in this that the watchful eye of the Church shines forth conspicuously. By admirable laws and regulations, she has shown herself solicitous that "the celestial treasure of the sacred books, so bountifully bestowed upon man by the Holy Spirit, should not lie neglected." 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. 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.
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 »Itad 1, 2.
THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE.
./pfe and sacred learning have given their deep and constant ('attention to Holy Scripture. If we consider the im- mediate disciples of the apostles, St. Clement of Rome, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Polycarp — or the apologists, such as St. Justin and St. Irenseus, we find that in their letters and books, whether in defence of the Catholic faith or in its commendation, they drew 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 interpretaticjn, and the defence of the divine written word. From them came forth numbers of Fathers and writers whose labori- ous 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 persevering labor; from whose numerous works and his great Hexapla almost all have drawn who 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. Basil the Great and the two Gregories, of Nazianzus and Nyssa; Antioch, of St. John Chrysostom, in whom the science of Scripture was rivalled by the splendor of his eloquence. In the Western Church there are as many names as great: Ter- tullian, 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 re- ceived from the Church, by reason of his pre-eminent knowledge of Scripture and his labors in promoting its THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE. 279 use, the name of the "great Doctor."* From this period down to the eleventh century, although biblical studies did not flourish with the same vigor and the same fruit- fulness 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 St. 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 ex- pended fresh labor in securing their integrity, as did St. Peter Damian and Blessed Lanfranc. In the twelfth cen- tury many took up, with great success, the allegorical ex- position 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 list of emendations, which they have left. But they ex- pended their labors 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 demonstra- tion 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 Aquinas.
^ See the Collect on his feast, September 30. 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 honored 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 Vienna 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 store 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 STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE. 281 the labor and solicitude of Catholics have never been Avanting; for, as time went on, eminent scholars have if carried on biblical studies -^ith success, and have defended pHoly Scripture against r ationalism 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 vdW 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.
We must now, Venerable Brethren, as Our purpose demands, impart to you such counsels as seem best suited for carrjdng on successfully the study of bibhcal science.
But first it must be clearly understood whom we have to oppose and contend against, and what are their tactics and their arms. In earher times the contest was chiefly wdth those who, relying on private judgment and repudi- ating the di\ine traditions and teaching office of the Church, held the Scriptures to be the one source of revela- tion and the final appeal in matters of faith. Now W( have to meet the rationahsts, true children and iaheidtoi of the older heretics, who, tmsting in their turn to thei, own way of thinking, have rejected even the scraps an| remnants of Christian belief which had been handed do^ 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 falsehoods of men;^ they set dowm the Scripture narratives as stupid fabl^^ and Ijdng stories: the prophecies and oracles of God are to them either predictions made up after the event or forecasts formed by the fight of nature; the miracles and 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 r^-- A ^"^ 282 A THE STUDY OF HOLY SCPIPTURE.
A •^' C 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 newly invented jree 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 fain be con- sidered both theologians and Christians and men of the Gospel, and who attempt to disguise by such honorable 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 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 every- where; 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, falseh lUed^ may be opposed the ancient and true science vCllMl l'lie-€hureh_lhrough the apostles, has. rPfpivpH frnrn CbxiiJ.) 11,11(1 Ili.li. TTiiiy Scripture may find the champions that are needed in so momentous a battle?
Let our first care, then, be to see that in seminaries and » 1 Tim. iv. 20. academical institutions the study of Holy Scripture is placed on such 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 haphazard 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.
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 appointee 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.
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 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 284 THE STUDY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE.
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 ascer- »J,ained method of imerpretation — and, therefore, the professor should equally avoid the mistake of giving a mere taste of every book, and of dwelling at too great a length on a part of one book. If most schools cannot do what is done in large institutions — 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 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," ^ 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,"^ to quote