T.J. WalsheApologeticsChapter 23

Confirmation from Internal Criteria and from an External Criterion Intrinsic to Religion — Part II: Christ's Exposition and the Origin of His Teaching

IV.—Harmony of the whole body of Christian doctrine.

(a) Supernatural mysteries manifest the supreme goodness of God. Internal communication of the intimate life of God is revealed in the Trinity, and external communication in our elevation to the supernatural order, in the Divine Incarnation, Redemption, Glorification.

(b) A bond of union connects supernatural mysteries. If the Trinity be doubted, the Incarnation and Mission of the Holy Ghost are affected.

The synthesis of Christian doctrine may be written as follows to show that all mysteries and our life proceed from the Trinity and return to their source.

TRINITY


1 Creation	13 Eternal Life.
2 Elevation	12 Communion of Saints.
3 Original sin	11 Charity.
4 Incarnation	10 Faith, Hope.
5 Redemption	9 Grace.
6 Church	8 Mission of the Holy Ghost
7 Eucharist

Sublimity of the Christian Faith is shown by its union of things highest and lowest—riches of Divine mercy and human misery, the supernatural and the natural, the mystical and the practical. St. Paul prays that God may grant us “according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened by His Spirit with might unto the inward man”;—so that we may be able “to comprehend with all the Saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, to know also the charity of Christ which surpasseth all knowledge,” that we may be “filled unto all the fulness of God” (Eph. iii. 16, 18, 19).

Doctrine, endowed with such wonderful characteristics, manifests its Divine origin. The best efforts of human reason could never excogitate a system so original and so sublime.

Art. 2.—Christ’s Exposition of His sublime Doctrine.

A preacher of the Faith should so speak (writes St. Thomas, IIᵃ IIᵃᵉ q. 177 a 1) that the Word of God should 1° enlighten the mind; 2° appeal to the heart; 3° efficaciously move the will to the observance of the Divine precepts.

I.—Illumination.

Christ taught with authority and at the same time with simplicity and humility. He taught as “one having power; and not as their Scribes and Pharisees” (Matt. vii. 29). He spoke in short, clear, moving, sentences. He spoke as Supreme Master: “I speak that which I have seen with my Father” (John viii. 38). His teaching is characterised by simplicity and humility: “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me” (John vii. 16). Christ preached to the poor. “The Spirit of God is possessed without measure” (John iii. 34), but He speaks to men with measure that their weakness may not be oppressed. He recommends humility to His Apostles: “Unless you become as little children, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. xviii. 3). Bossuet wrote: “Christ’s doctrine is both milk for babes and bread for the strong.”

II.—Unction.

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matt. xii. 34). Christ preached constantly the love of God for men. He came “that men might have life and have it more abundantly” (John x. 10). “Come unto Me all you who labour and who are burdened, and I will refresh you” (Matt. xi. 28). His unction is united with salutary austerity: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. xvi. 24). His word is living and effectual: “reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit … a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. iv. 12). In His teaching concerning the Beatitudes, in His last discourse with His Apostles, the unction of Christ is especially shown.

III.—Efficacy.

“The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John vi. 64). How many men and women since the days of Christ have followed His admonitions, great and numerous difficulties notwithstanding? He alone could make His doctrine perennially living and efficacious in accordance with His promise: “My words shall not pass away” (Matt. xxiv. 35). All these characteristics of the preaching of Christ—its power of illumination, of attraction, of efficaciously influencing souls—suggest to us the words of Peter: “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life” (John vi. 68, 69).

Art. 3.—Origin of the Teaching of Christ.

The doctrine taught by Christ was not one excogitated by human genius, nor was it an eclectic system drawn from other forms of religion.

I.—Testimony of Christ and of His contemporaries.

“All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knoweth the Son but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him” (Matt. xi. 27).

John the Baptist testifies: “He that cometh from heaven is above all. What He hath seen and heard that He testifieth: … He whom God has sent speaketh the words of God: God doth not give the spirit by measure” (John iii. 31, 32, 34). In answer to the question: how doth this man know letters, having never learned? Christ replied: “My doctrine is not mine but His that sent me. If any man will do the will of Him: he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory, but he that seeketh the glory of Him that sent him, he is true and there is no injustice in him” (John vii. 16-18). Speaking to His disciples Christ said: “I have called you friends, because all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you” (John xv. 15). The people asked: “How came this man by his wisdom and miracles? Is not this the carpenter’s son?” (Matt. xiii. 54, 55).

II.—The doctrine of Christ is not a syncretism of Judaism, Oriental religions and ancient philosophy.

(A) The teaching of Christ was not borrowed from Jewish doctors. Though Christianity is related to the Mosaic religion as the perfect to the imperfect, there were so many differences that, for the transit, a special intervention of God was necessary.

1° Mosaic religion was for the Jews; Christianity is for all men.

2° The Jews expected a temporal Messiah; Jesus came—a spiritual Messiah.

3° The fundamental doctrines of Christianity—the Trinity, Incarnation, Redemption through the cross, justification by Faith and good works—were unknown explicitly to the Jews.

4° The teaching of Christ regarding internal dispositions and internal justice differed from the tradition of Jewish elders and Pharisees.

5° The Gospel was not preached by the Baptist. His work was preparatory.

6° The Essenes, stressing as they did legal observances, refusing to be associated with Gentiles, rejecting matrimony, were in opposition to Christian teaching.

(B) The teaching of Christ was not borrowed from Greek or Latin sources.

(a) Pagan teachers had no knowledge of the Trinity, Incarnation, Redemption, etc. Some doubted the immortality of the soul, and the action of Divine providence. These doubts are expressed in the writings of Cicero, who preceded Christ, and in those of Seneca who lived later (Cf. G. Boissier, “La Religion Romaine,” Vol. II., Book II., c. 3-4).

(b) The ethical pagan system differs absolutely from Christianity which is founded on the love of God, and of one’s neighbour for God’s sake. Many pagan philosophers sought and found in their benefactions nothing beyond a certain individual satisfaction. Humility they despised. Pride, in the opinion of the Stoics, was a virtue.

(c) Pagan philosophy cared not for the well-being of the people. The words of Horace are well known: “Odi profanum vulgus et arceo.” Christ’s teaching was accounted folly in the pagan world. When St. Paul preached in the Areopagus concerning the resurrection of the dead “some indeed, mocked: but others said, we will hear thee again concerning this matter” (Acts xvii. 32). St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “The Jews require signs and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified; unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block and unto the Gentiles the foolishness, but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. i., 22, 23, 24).

Gunkel (Zum religionsgeschichtlichen Verständnis des neuen Testaments) holds that Christianity is a syncretism, whose principal part is pagan mysticism. It is true that, in the First Century of the Christian era, there existed a pagan syncretism of Greek and Eastern cults, in which were worshipped Zeus, Bacchus, Serapis and Mithra.

But Gunkel can show but few and merely external resemblances between this syncretism and Christianity. There is a resemblance in the death and resurrection of some god, some resemblance as to the symbolism of the rite of initiation and that of baptism, as to sacred banquets, whereby pagans were supposed to have communion with Mithra or Dionysus.

1° But Pagan rites appeal merely to the imagination and the emotions, and were not unfrequently obscene.

2° The teaching of pagan mystics is polytheistic or pantheistic or dualistic or fatalistic.

3° Uncompromising opposition always existed between Christians and Pagans. St. Paul wrote: “Bear not the yoke with unbelievers. What participation has justice with injustice? What fellowship has light with darkness? What concord hath Christ with Belial? … What agreement has the temple of God with idols? You are the temple of the living God” (2 Cor. vi. 14-16).

4° Pagan mysticism has had no moral effect.

Conclusion:

The teaching of Christ: 1° is distinguished by perfection, harmony, sublimity; 2° was preached with authority, simplicity, humility, unction and efficacy; 3° owed its origin to no human source. Such teaching is with moral certitude declared to be supernatural. It has already been shown that man cannot, without supernatural help, discover all the truths of Natural Religion. A fortiori one man, Jesus of Nazareth, who never studied in the schools of knowledge, could not without extraordinary help from God discover a body of religious teaching, which satisfies perfectly the aspirations of human nature, which unites harmoniously things highest and lowest, supernatural and natural, justice and mercy, contemplation and action, things old and new—teaching too which so profoundly affected and affects the minds and souls of mankind and which renovates society.

It is metaphysically impossible that Divine Providence should permit teaching so salutary to have been founded in error regarding its Divine origin.