Fr.Z: "We must deny to Protestantism any right to use the Bible..."

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Pitcairn17

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So in his Dec. 27 post, Fr.Z approvingly quotes this statement - twice - which was apparently made by a Cardinal Wiseman in 1850. I’m no fan of Fr. Z, but even for him, surely this sentiment is beyond unacceptable. So what is he proposing: laws that would prevent anyone but Catholics from owning a Bible? Breaking into Protatant churches and seizing their Bibles? In what kind of society would such a law be acceptable - a Catholic version of Saudi Arabia? I’m embarrassed that a Catholic priest in this day and age would hold such a sentiment.
 
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What are they going to do, claim that it’s a violation of the Catholic Church’s 300 AD copyright? I’m pretty sure it passes into the public domain after 1700 years.

This seems silly.
 
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He didn’t advocate for law making. I think you’re taking the quote by st john out of context. I think it’s more like saying, their interpretations can’t dissuade us

Bokbok
 
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On a related note, I think that Catholic outreach to Protestants should absolutely hammer like crazy at the relationship between the Bible and the authority of the Catholic Church. As a non-Catholic considering the Church, one of the things that I just can’t come up with a Protestant explanation for is the authority of Scripture. If the Protestant table of contents is the authoritative version, then were all Christians prior to Luther heretics for considering the Deuterocanonical books inspired? If that’s not the case, why can’t we throw out other books in the Bible? Or were the Deuterocanonicals inspired until the 1500s, then suddenly became uninspired?
 
Without knowing the specifics here, sometimes uber-traditionalists like to find and approvingly quote extreme sounding passages from church history. It’s hard to tell sometimes how much they actually endorse it vs how much is just establishing traditionalist and trying to seem “edgy.”
 
What is the entire quote? I am not familiar
with what the Cardinal said?
 
Here’s the passage Fr. Z quoted, including the part the OP left out:
“The doctrine and practice of the Church must not be allowed to be impugned by those who have no claim at all to Scripture, and who can prove neither the canon, its inspiration, nor its primary doctrines, except through that very authority which they are questioning, and through treacherous inconsistency with the principles on which they are interrogating it. When many years ago this ground was boldly adopted, it was charged with being an attempt to throw Protestants into infidelity, and sap the foundations of the Bible. Years of experience, and observation not superficial, have only strengthened our conviction, that this course must be fearlessly pursued. We must deny to Protestantism any right to use the Bible, much more to interpret it. Cruel and unfeeling it may be pronounced by those who understand the strength of our position, and the cogency of the argument; but it is much more charitable than to leave them to the repeated sin of blaspheming God’s Spouse, and trying to undermine the faith of our poor Catholics.” [The Catholic doctrine on the use of the Bible, 1853]
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I don’t think this means what the OP thinks it means.
 
I found the article you are referencing and from my reading it seems those words need to be read in this context…
The doctrine and practice of the Church must not be allowed to be impugned by those who have no claim at all to Scripture, and who can prove neither the canon, its inspiration, nor its primary doctrines, except through that very authority which they are questioning, and through treacherous inconsistency with the principles on which they are interrogating it.
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I think it is like @HopkinsReb stated in his post…
HopkinsReb said:
one of the things that I just can’t come up with a Protestant explanation for is the authority of Scripture.
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In that light I understand what he is saying.

The way I see it is if it is “beyond acceptable” to say that someone else shouldn’t be allowed to misinterpret the Sacred Writings so they don’t have to follow the Catholic Church, then that same person should very easily be able to prove that their interpretation is the authoritative interpretation.

God Bless

PS. Although many believe it to be true, claiming one is indwelled by the Holy Spirit is not evidence of authority.
 
Thanks Fauken for providing the rest of the quote and more to put it into context.
I wonder what the reaction was to the Cardinal’s statement at the time.
 
Pitcairn17 said:
So what is he proposing: laws that would prevent anyone but Catholics from owning a Bible? Breaking into Protatant churches and seizing their Bibles? In what kind of society would such a law be acceptable - a Catholic version of Saudi Arabia? I’m embarrassed that a Catholic priest in this day and age would hold such a sentiment.
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Good grief, he doesn’t say any such thing! Take a deep breath and read the whole post, not just the headline.
 
Do Protestants think of themselves as heretics or “protesters”?
 
I kind of figured the OP was trying to trick us when he intentionally cut off the quote with an ellipsis in the title, failed to provide the cite or any context, and proceeded with wild accusations.

Thanks @Fauken for providing the necessary context.
 
I remember once when a man came to my front door trying to evangelize in favor of some unfamiliar sect. He was carrying a bible in his hand. After letting him go on for awhile, I asked to see his bible, turning it over curiously in my hands. “Where did you get this book?” I asked. I don’t remember his exact reply, but my follow up comment was, “I think you got it from the Catholic Church.”
 
This is the sort of thing that kicked off the reformation. We should be closing the gap not widening it
 
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I understand that it means that the Protestant approach on the biblical texts must not be given credit because most of their interpretations are concentrated on attempting to prove the Catholic dogma wrong.
This also means that an Eccumenical dialogue with the Protestants on the Bible on the grounds that they might be right is to be severely discouraged?
 
I don’t think the protestants were planning on listening to us on that score anyway…
 
Pitcairn17 said:
So what is he proposing: laws that would prevent anyone but Catholics from owning a Bible? Breaking into Protatant churches and seizing their Bibles?
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Don’t be silly. He’s merely pointing out that we know which documents are divinely inspired only because of the authority of the Catholic Church, and so anyone who rejects that authority can’t blithely presume on it. Before they quote from the Bible, they have to independently determine what it is in a way that’s coherent with their theology - but none of them have ever done that (and adherents of sola scriptura have, in principle, no way to do it at all).
 
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