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THE Church has taught for ages that between the truths of
revelation and the truths of science there can be no conflict. The
Vatican Council has solemnly repeated this teaching. On the other
hand some men famed for scientific learning and some famed for
unscientific bluster proclaim that between faith and science no
reconciliation is possible. Educated Catholics may well ask, How
are such assertions possible? Still it is not hard to find the
explanation. If we could ascertain at once what are the truths of
science and what are the truths of revelation their comparison
would end the controversy. But what are the truths of science?
Science has no infallible mouthpiece. The ablest and sincerest men
of science may be mistaken. Generations of scientists have fought
in defence of error. For hundreds of years they taught that the sun
moves and the earth is at rest. For centuries they spoke of heat
and light as imponderable substances. Linnaeus taught that species
were immutable; Lamarck, the contrary. Cuvier, Von Baer. and
Agassiz returned to the teaching of Linnaeus, and now Darwin and
Haeckel, reviving the views of Lamarck, proclaim the mutability of
species. Who is right? Linnareus or Lamarck? Cuvier or Haeckel When
does a scientific theory become a scientific theorem, a scientific
truth? Can one great name safeguard us against error? There is not
a distinguished scientist alive who will say in cold blood, "I
cannot err." Is the consensus of all men of science a guarantee
that their teaching is scientific truth? The history of Ptolemy's
theory bids us be prudent in our answer. Surely it is more than
hazardous to maintain that a theory or view against which are
raised some of the weightiest voices in science is, without
possibility of error, the scientific truth. And what are the truths
of revelation? Some scientific oracles, not content with defining
the truths of science, insist upon defining for us the truths of
religion. No doubt they are very kind; but really we must decline
their Grecian gifts. We look to the Church to tell us what are
revealed truths. Reasonable men will find this reasonable. When the
Church has spoken, we know what revealed truth is. But there are
hundreds of opinions on dogma and morals which the Church has
neither approved nor condemned; there are thousands of Biblical
texts the meaning of which she has not defined. To be sure, we have
the opinions of theologians, we have what is called the received
interpretation of the Scriptures, which is often but another word
for theological opinion. But the views of theologians, however
learned and holy, are not, of necessity, revealed truths. For
scholars, who are not controversial scientists, it is not always
easy to decide what are the truths of revelation. Since, then, it
is neither easy to find the truths of science nor to find the
truths of revelation in every case, it follows that it is difficult
to compare them with each other. The prudent scholar, therefore,
will not commit himself hastily to the proposition that there is
between them an irrepressible conflict. Where religion and science
seem to be at variance and during the past half century scientists
(not science) have propounded many views seemingly at variance with
Scripture-he will first ascertain whether the dicta of scientists
are the truths of science, and next whether the assumed meaning of
the Bible has been officially set forth by the Church. The former
he will ascertain by inquiring whether the views in question are
unanimously held by all reputable authorities in science or whether
weighty voices are raised in contradiction; the latter he will
easily ascertain by an appeal to Church History. If he finds that
the Church has defined nothing in the premises, he may examine what
is the most probable and the best supported theological opinion.
This Is A New Release Of The Original 1900 Edition.
The object has been to sum up the points of doctrine and to
condense them in such a manner that the preacher may go over them
all, in the pulpit, within the space of four years at most, as the
spiritual well-being of his congregation may require; to avail
myself of the assistance of the most accredited Catechists, such as
Noel, Cambournac, Guillois, Couturier, Guillet, Canisius,
Bressenvido, Reinerie, etc., and to support myself on the
contemporary theology of Gousset and Gury; to set forth the truths
and to give the practical details with simplicity, clearness, and
method, in order to put them within the compass of the most
ordinary intelligences; finally to dispose the form of my
instructions in such a manner that, by the unity of the subject,
the connection of the ideas, and an uniformity of style, they may
serve as well for sermons as for catechetical instructions. Such
has been my programme and my end. I shall be happy, indeed, if I
have succeeded in fulfilling the former and attaining the latter.
My readers shall judge, and the future shall tell me. What inspires
me with a little confidence, is the favorable judgment of the"
Committee on Books" which took such great care in examining my
manuscript, and, especially, the high approbation of Monseigneur
Delalle, our well-beloved prelate, who, by his learning and
accomplishments, occupies a distinguished rank in the French
episcopate.
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book
may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages,
poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the
original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We
believe this work is culturally important, and despite the
imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of
our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works
worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in
the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book
may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages,
poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the
original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We
believe this work is culturally important, and despite the
imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of
our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works
worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in
the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This
IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced
typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have
occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor
pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original
artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe
this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections,
have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing
commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We
appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the
preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger
Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain
imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed
pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we
have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting,
preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger
Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and
hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger
Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain
imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed
pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we
have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting,
preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger
Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and
hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!
1900. Or answer to difficulties in the historical, didactic,
sapiential and prophetical books of the Old Testament, Part 2.
Includes discussion relative to the following Books of the Bible:
Josue; Judges, Samson; Kings and of Paralipomena; Tobias; Judith;
Esther; first and second books of Machabees; Job; and Proverbs.
Also found within is discussion relating to: Samuel, David, King
Josias and the High Priest Helcias; the Psalms; Ecclesiastes;
Canticle of Canticles; Book of Wisdom; The Prophets: authenticity
of the second part of the prophecies of Isaias; Jeremias; Baruch;
Ezechiel; Daniel; authenticity of the Deuterocanonical parts of the
Book of David; and the minor prophets, Osee, Jonas and Zacharias.
This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such
as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.
Or answer to difficulties in the historical, didactic, sapiential
and prophetical books of the Old Testament, Part 2. Includes
discussion relative to the following Books of the Bible: Josue;
Judges, Samson; Kings and of Paralipomena; Tobias; Judith; Esther;
first and second books of Machabees; Job; and Proverbs. Also found
within is discussion relating to: Samuel, David, King Josias and
the High Priest Helcias; the Psalms; Ecclesiastes; Canticle of
Canticles; Book of Wisdom; The Prophets: authenticity of the second
part of the prophecies of Isaias; Jeremias; Baruch; Ezechiel;
Daniel; authenticity of the Deuterocanonical parts of the Book of
David; and the minor prophets, Osee, Jonas and Zacharias.
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