Prophecy and Authority; A Study in the History of the Doctrine and Interpretation of Scripture (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1919 Excerpt: ...in Irenaeus is essentially a teaching office, and in this passage there is the suggestion that the Bishop, as a teacher, has a special spiritual endowment. It is true that Irenaeus, though a Bishop, did not avail himself of any official protection for his own exegesis. He did not carry out the logic of the theory, the germ of which is found in the above passage. But what he failed to do might be done by others. From this seed-thought of Irenaeus might easily grow up the conviction that the traditional interpretation of the Scriptures is apostolic simply because the apostolic Bishop endued with the charisms of truth says so. In that case the process of manufacturing tradition will become thoroughly organized and dogma will completely supplant history. IV There is one final step in the development of dogma which was to have a sinister, even though an indirect, bearing upon the question of interpretation. In the period with which we have been dealing and the centuries immediately subsequent, the Church was transforming itself into a sacramental institution, the presbyter was becoming a priest. As the dispenser of grace through the sacraments the priest was gradually acquiring the power of the keys, the power to open or close the doors of heaven to the suppliant. The awe which this mysterious sacramental power of the Bishop engenders will naturally be reflected in an increased respect for his dignity as a teacher, and the dogmatic development of the authority of the unwritten tradition, as the norm of interpretation, will be consummated. Irenaeus and Tertullian were to be followed by Hippolytus and Cyprian One citation from Hippolytus must suffice. He claims that heretics cannot be refuted except by " the Holy Spirit bequeathed unto the Church, which the ...