Fourth, from the appeal of Christ and His apostles to Scripture.
Fourth, from the appeal of Christ and His apostles to Scripture.
§ 442. (IV) From the appeal of Christ and His apostles to Scripture. Whatever is appealed to by Christ and the apostles as to the only rule and norm in controversies of faith, that is the only rule of dogmas and controversies in the Church. But Christ and the apostles appeal only to the written Word of God in controversies of faith. Therefore. The major premise glows with its own light. The Papists call the minor premise into doubt. Caspar Scioppius says, Ecclesiast., c. 90: “It is foolish to ask: ‘Where is this written?’ for this is what the Pharisees ask (John 7:52). Christ, however, did not appeal to the Scriptures but to His own works (John 10:25).” We respond. Christ did not only appeal to His works but also to Scripture. (1) In Matt. 4:4 and Luke 4:4, in His triple battle with Satan, He always appeals to Scripture and overcomes His foe thereby, teaching and instructing us that we should battle against the instruments of the devil (the heretics) with the sword of Scripture. For Scripture is “profitable for reproof, that the man of God may be perfect” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Therefore Scripture is also sufficient for refuting heresies and is the perfect norm for deciding controversies. (2) In Matt. 19:4, in a question concerning divorce, He appeals to the written Word: “Have you not read?” etc. (3) In Matt. 22:29 He proves the article of His resurrection against the Sadducees from Scripture. He says, “You err, not knowing the Scriptures.” Verse[s] 31[-32]: “Concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham’?” etc. (4) Again, in Matt. 22:43 He proves from Ps. 110:1 that the Son of Man in the unity of person is true God and the Lord of David. (5) In Mark 9:12 He responds to the controversy regarding the coming of Elijah: “How is it written of the Son of Man that He should suffer many things?” (6) In Luke 10:26 He responds to the question regarding the way to attain salvation: “What is written in the Law? How do you read?” (7) In Luke 24:26, as He is about to demonstrate that the Messiah must suffer and die contrary to the preconceived notion of the disciples about His kingdom on earth, He appeals to the testimonies of Scripture. (8) In John 5:46 He appeals to the testimony of Moses against the Jews: “If you believed Moses, you would also believe Me, for he wrote of Me.”
The apostles stand faithfully in the example and footsteps of Christ. (1) In Acts 3:[22] Peter appeals to the Mosaic prophecy. (2) In Acts 7:2ff. Stephan puts together an epitome of the Old Testament against the Jews who were opposing him. (3) In Acts 13:33ff. Paul proves the resurrection of Christ from the Scriptures against the Jews. (4) Acts 18:28: “Apollos sharply confuted the Jews, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.” (5) In Acts 26:22 Paul confesses that he said “nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass.” (6) In Acts 28:23 the same apostle instructs his hearers about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the prophets. (7) In his Epistles, the apostle always appeals to the prophetic Scriptures (Rom. 4:3; 1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 3:6; Heb. 8:5; etc.).
The Bereans are praised because “they examined the Scriptures to see if the things that Paul and Silas were teaching were so” (Acts 17:11). Bellarmine responds thus to the example of the Bereans: “It had not become evident to them that Paul was an apostle and could not preach false doctrine. Therefore when Paul proved Christ to them from the oracles of the prophets, they rightly examined Scripture to see if these things were so. But Christians, to whom it is evident that the Church cannot err in her teaching of faith, are bound to accept her” (De verbo Dei, bk. 3, c. 10).
We respond. As the Bereans were able and were obliged to learn from an inspection of the oracles of the prophets that Paul was a genuine apostle and was presenting the true teaching of faith—namely, because he was preaching what was in harmony with the writings of the prophets—so also we are able and are obliged to know the true Church and the true voice of the Church solely from the writings of the prophets and apostles. If the Bereans were allowed to examine the apostle’s teaching according to the norm of the prophetic oracles, and if Paul was not unhappy about this (Acts 26:22), we, too, will be allowed to examine the teaching of the pope according to the norm of the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures. Accordingly, Bellarmine is finally compelled by the power of the truth to confess: “Whoever entertains doubts about the authority of the pope’s church does not do wrongly in scrutinizing and examining to see if the passages of Scripture and the fathers cited by the Council of Trent are really so, provided he does this with the intent of finding rather than of falsifying the truth.” Yet if one may judge from Scripture the decrees of Trent that the fathers of that council are passing off as decrees of the Church, and if one may examine them according to Scripture, then surely Scripture must be the only norm of dogmas and controversies in the Church.