At the earnest solicitation of large numbers of the
religious bodies and laity, we herewith beg leave to
introduce to the public a most convenient edition of the
Sacred Scriptures, approved by his Eminence, the Cardinal
Archbishop of Baltimore, whose recommendation we herewith
append.
The Sacred Scriptures form a part of divine revelation;
the other part being contained in the depository of the
Church, and designated as the unwritten word of God.
This distinction is most happily found couched in the
language of St. Paul (2 Thess. 2. 14), " Wherefore,
brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which you have
learned, whether by word or by our Epistle." The Apostle of
the Gentiles thus gives precedence to the unwritten word of
God presented to man by the Church, whilst she, under the
influence of the Holy Spirit, assumes the office of sole
interpreter of the written word, thereby rendering her the
sole guardian of the deposit of divine revelation in its
twofold form.
On the written revelation, it is highly appropriate that
we should here address a few remarks to our readers.
As the book about to be once more presented to the public
in a new form claims for itself an origin exclusively
divine, we deem it not out of place to furnish, in outline
at least, the grounds of that claim.
The work is divided unequally into two parts, viz., the
Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is a record of
God's relations with man antecedently to the advent of the
incarnate Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. The New
Testament contains a compendium of the lives of our Saviour
and his Apostles, as recorded by the Evangelists and other
Apostles.
As the book about to be once more presented to the public
in a new form claims for itself an origin exclusively
divine, we deem it not out of place to furnish, in outline
at least, the grounds of that claim.
The work is divided unequally into two parts, viz., the
Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is a record of
God's relations with man antecedently to the advent of the
incarnate Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. The New
Testament contains a compendium of the lives of our Saviour
and his Apostles, as recorded by the Evangelists and other
Apostles.
As to the first part, or Old Testament, the version
always recognized by the Church contains many more books
than that used by other than Catholics. The reason of this
discrepancy is that the Church's version, the Septuagint,
the Greek translation fro m the original Hebrew, and which
contained all the writings now found in the Douay version,
as it is called, was the version used by the Saviour and his
Apostles and by the Church from her infancy, and translated
into Latin, known under the title of Latin Vulgate, and ever
recognized as the true version of the written word of God.
Hence the Old Testament, containing as it does all
embraced in the Septuagint, is not only genuine and
authentic, but having the approbation of our Saviour and
Apostles, who quoted it exclusively whilst on earth, has
superadded to it the supreme character of divine
inspiration, which it possesses to the exclusion of all
other versions. It stands, therefore, before the world as
the sole claimant for integrity, genuineness, authenticity,
and inspiration; in a word, as the possessor of every
attribute necessary to constitute what no other work can lay
claim to, viz., a divinely inspired volume.
Of the genuineness and authenticity of the more recent
part of this sacred book, viz., the New Testament, there
exists no doubt; but as to its inspiration, the gravest
doubts may exist unless an infallible witness thereof can be
produced. Whatever grounds may exist vouching for the
inspiration of the Apostles as writers, no security
whatsoever can be forthcoming for the inspiration of the
quotas furnished by Sts. Mark and Luke; the former the
writer of a Gospel; the latter also the writer of a Gospel
and of the Acts of the Apostles; these quotas, forming a
prominent part in the composition of the New Testament,
remain uninspired, their authors not being Apostles. The
only solution to this difficulty is to be found in the
testimony of the Church of Christ, which He commands us to "
hear," and against which He pledges Himself that " the gates
of hell cannot prevail." Her decision, by virtue of the
guaranty of her Founder, exalts the New Testament to the
dignity of a divinely inspired production, and as she
vouches also for the divine character of the Old Testament,
we submit to our readers a work that, alone of all
publications, comprises, with all the evidences of
infallible certitude, the only divine production on earth.
The Church of Jesus Christ, by virtue of her divinely
endowed infallibility, vouches for the divine origin of the
Sacred Scriptures, and as such we respectfully, but
confidently, submit them to the public.
