Fifth, they have not come from Christ and the apostles.
Fifth, they have not come from Christ and the apostles.
§ 399. (V) They have not come from Christ and the apostles. Bellarmine argues in De verbo Dei, bk. 4, c. 11: “Generally, the apostles preached to all people those things that were simply necessary, but they did not tell all other things to everyone. Rather, they told some matters to everyone that were useful to everyone, and some things to prelates, bishops, and presbyters alone, such as the manner of governing the Church, the administration of the sacraments, refuting heresies, etc.” To this he applies the apostle’s statement: “We speak wisdom among the perfect” (1 Cor. 2:6). In c. 4 of the same book he argues: “Because there are two things in Scripture—both the written words and the meaning contained therein—all people have the words, but they do not all have the meaning, unless tradition is added.”
Bellarmine, however, will be unable to persuade any judicious person of this, for: (1) It was the practice of heretics to affirm that Christ and the apostles taught some things to all but some matters only to some people in secret. Irenaeus writes in this way about the Carpocratians: “They say that Jesus spoke separately in a mystery to His disciples and apostles and demanded that they hand these things down separately to the worthy and assenting” (bk. 1, c. 24). Tertullian, De praescript.: “(Heretics) have the custom of saying that the apostles did not know everything, or that they did know everything but did not hand down everything to everyone.” Also, one should note carefully that, according to Irenaeus (bk. 3, c. 2), Marcion and Valentinus wanted to demonstrate this from the same apostolic statement, namely, 1 Cor. 2:6. Bellarmine does not escape by means of the distinction between the mysteries of heretics and those of Catholics: that the former are hidden because of their shamefulness, for they fear the light, and the latter are hidden either because there is no need for all people to know them or because all people do not have the capability of knowing them. It is not characteristic of true catholics, properly speaking, to hide divine mysteries. Rather, it is characteristic of the heretics, as is evident from the cited testimonies of Irenaeus and Tertullian, who censure heretics with this accusation. But who would want to believe Bellarmine, that the mysteries hidden in traditions are more sublime than those that are revealed in Scripture?
(2) Christ expressly commands the apostles: “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, proclaim upon the housetops” (Matt. 10:27). Bellarmine adds the limitation: “if there is need.” It is absurd, however, to say that what Christ commands absolutely is sometimes not necessary. Moreover, Christ showed by His own example that nothing in the mysteries of faith is to be hidden, provided there be those who wish to hear. John 18:20: “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple where they come together from every place; I have said nothing secretly.” Therefore Bellarmine adds another exception, saying: “The meaning of Christ’s words is this: ‘I have said nothing that cannot be said everywhere, as far as the truth and purity of the statements is concerned.’ Nevertheless this conflicts not at all with His having explained some things to His disciples separately.” This interpretation, however, does not agree with the aim [of the question]. The high priest was questioning Christ about His disciples and His teaching (John 18:19), and Christ answers that He had said nothing in secret. Therefore people should listen to those who heard Him, for He had explained everything to them openly. Imagine that Christ had taught His apostles some matters that they were not to divulge to all people. Christ’s answer, then, would not apply to the aim [of the question]—may this never be!
(3) Concerning the manner of governing the Church, the apostle instructs Timothy in the first letter he wrote to him: “I am writing these instructions to you so that you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God” (1 Tim. 3:14-15). These things, however, are in the hands of all people. What Paul said to the bishops of Ephesus in Acts 20:18ff. is still extant in Scripture today. The institution of the Sacraments prescribes the form for administering the same. Heretics can and should be refuted only from the Scriptures.
(4) To separate the sense of Scripture from the written words is to claim that Scripture is a dead letter that must receive its life from another source. That is Schwenkfeldian.
(5) Just as Christ made known to the apostles all that He heard from the Father (John 15:15), so, in turn, they did not shrink from declaring to their hearers the whole counsel of God about their salvation (Acts 20:27). What they heard and saw they declared and wrote (1 John 1:1-2). Therefore it is false to say that they communicated some things to prelates and bishops alone that were to be handed down to posterity by oral tradition.