Fourth, from the dignity of the divine mysteries.
Fourth, from the dignity of the divine mysteries.
§ 413. The fourth rational argument is taken from the dignity of the divine mysteries. “Mysteries require silence. It is not proper for them to be explained in the Scriptures, which the entire world reads. Hence the Lord interpreted His parables to the disciples separately from others (Luke 8), and the apostle says, ‘We speak wisdom among the perfect’ (1 Cor. 2:6).”
We respond. (1) He has taken his argument from the school of ancient heretics, as is clear from Irenaeus (bk. 3, c. 2). (2) The majesty of the divine mysteries loses nothing through writing. Otherwise God would not have taken care to put into writing those greatest mysteries of the Christian religion concerning the Trinity, the incarnation of the Son, the work of redemption, etc. (3) But who could dream that the Papist traditions contain mysteries more sublime than those that are set forth to us in the Scriptures, some of which we have named? (4) Bellarmine argues that “traditions are called ‘unwritten doctrine’ not because they have never been written but because they were not written by their original author” (De verbo Dei, bk. 4, c. 2). But if traditions lose nothing of their majestic dignity by being written by someone else, then also the dignity of the mysteries loses nothing by being written by their original author. (5) The dignity of the divine mysteries consists in their revelation rather than in their concealment, for the greatest praise of divine goodness is that God has come forth from the secret seat of His majesty, has revealed Himself to men, and wanted to bestow the saving knowledge of Himself in His Word on all without any favoritism. (6) Christ explained His parables separate from others because of the disdainful contempt of the rest, who would leave as soon as they had heard the story and who would neither wait nor ask for an interpretation from Christ. Against the Papists one should note that when Christ explained His parables, not only the disciples were present but also certain others from the common crowd. Mark 4:10: “When He was alone, those who were about Him with the twelve asked Him.” (7) In 1 Cor. 2:6 the apostle is speaking about the doctrine of the Gospel, as is evident from the entire sequence of the context. This, however, is not an unwritten tradition but a doctrine set forth in the Holy Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:2).
65 pari pietatis affectu. A quotation of session 4 of the Council of Trent.
66 Read manere instead of manare.
67 Corpus Iuris Civilis, Digesta 1.3.33