Their arguments: First, Psalm 119:18: “Give me understanding.”
Their arguments: First, Psalm 119:18: “Give me understanding.”
§ 425. Let us look at Bellarmine’s arguments. His first class he takes from the Scriptures: “Scripture itself bears witness of its own difficulty and obscurity.” (1) Ps. 119:18: “Give me understanding, and I shall search Your Law. Open my eyes, and I shall consider the wondrous things about Your Law.” Our response is clear from those things that we have said earlier about the real state of the controversy. After all, who of us has ever taught that Scripture is clear in that respect and in such a way that there is no need for prayers? Those prayers do not prove the obscurity of Scripture in handing down dogmas, but the innate blindness of our mind. Furthermore, one must distinguish between knowledge of the letter and knowledge of the Spirit. A literal knowledge of the articles of faith is not enough for salvation. Rather, we must attain a spiritual knowledge for which we require the inner illumination of the Holy Spirit, which we must obtain through our devout prayers. Finally, if we did have to seek a true understanding of the Scriptures from traditions, there would be no need for prayers directed to God. Instead, prayers to the pope would be needed, the steward of ecclesiastical traditions.
(2) “Luke 24:27: ‘Christ was interpreting the Scriptures to the disciples.’ Acts 8:35: Philip was explaining Isaiah to the eunuch when the eunuch was asked whether he understood what he was reading. The eunuch answered, v. 31: ‘How can I, unless someone shows it to me?’ “We respond. [a] The minds of both the disciples and that eunuch had been fascinated by a preconceived notion about the earthly kingdom of the Messiah. Thus it was by accident that the prophecies of the prophets about Christ were obscure to them. [b] In fact, Christ’s disciples did not understand His speeches about His suffering because of the same prejudgment. Yet no one can deny that these speeches were clear and obvious. It happened that, when they were overcome with grief, the clearer light of the New Testament had not yet come. [c] And who of us has taught that the Scriptures in all passages are so perspicuous as to claim that the means of interpreting it should be taken away? [d] Nor does this follow: “A prophetic oracle was obscure to this proselyte eunuch; therefore all Scripture in common is obscure to all people.” [e] Christ and Philip interpreted the prophecies of the prophets not on the basis of uncertain traditions but from the Scriptures themselves and from a comparison of the outcome. It is proper for us, too, to urge the same method.