Raymond Brown???

  • Thread starter Thread starter misericordie
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
And yes, I am critical of some of Fr. Browns assertions. Among other critics of Fr. Brown, is ironically, Mr. James Akin.

Mr Akin says of Fr. Brown:
While Fr. Brown is unquestionably a man with great and profound knowledge of the Bible, many of the responses given in the work suffer from a number of inadequacies.
The two most important of these are an uncritical acceptance of overly critical views of Scripture and a lack of forthrightness about the teachings of the Catholic Church. The result of these two tendencies in the responses he gave is that, for many, reading the book would be (and has been) a confusing and frustrating experience that damages rather than strengthens one’s faith.
I agree with Mr. Akin regarding Fr. Brown. http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon14.gif
 
40.png
itsjustdave1988:
Biblereader,

With all due respect to Mr. Akin, he’s not vested with magisterial authority… Mr. Akin is not vested with magisterial authority, whereas, Cardinal Ratzinger is.
Or, could it be that your view of the way the Magisterium operates is too magical, too ordered?

First, I don’t care that Mr. Akin wrote the article. What I care about is that the Council of Vienna *supports *him. And Cardinal Ratzinger is vested with authority, and not mistaken, only if the Holy Father agrees with him. So, YOU may turn out to be the “heretic” on this one, too, anathema-thrower.

Did you know that Pope Liberius, the first pope to not be canonized, articulated a “conditional approval” of the great Arian Heresy, against Athanasius, so that the saying arose, “athanasius against the world,” and then, when Liberius was saved from the custody of Araian soldiers, Liberius*** condemned his own questionable proclamation, and affirmed Athanasius’ analysis.***

There are actually several contradictory expressions of theology, because Magisterial expressions sometimes “mutate” from a “garbled” state.

In my opinion, the Magisterium’s initial blank check approval of Aquinas’ nonsense about the soul is “garble.” The Council of Vienna’s proclamation, and the implications, are the “garble” beginning to be straightened out.

Your in-between non-commitment on ensoulment will ultimately be struck down, and anathematized, in my opinion.

Today, you condemn me, and Father Brown.

Tomorrow, you will. be anathematized, you poor, unrelaxed guy.

Here’s another one of the bits of “garbled” truth, still not straightened out: Jesus’ birth.

The Biblical canon is clearly an expression of the Magisterium. By affirming canonicity and inspiration, the Magisterium made the Biblical canon its own teaching to us.

Now, the Biblical canon affirms in various ways that Mary giving birth to Jesus was like any other birth.

For example, Luke 2:24 infallibly and clearly affirms that Mary and Joseph “came to offer in sacrifice ‘a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,’ in accord with the dictate of the law of the Lord.”

What does that mean?

That means that because Mary was afflicted with a “flow of blood” in giving birth to Jesus, she needed purifying. See Leviticus 12:6-8.

Luke is affirming that because Mary BLED in giving birth, the law of the Lord dictated that that sacrifice of two birds be made.

If Mary had not bled, her actions would have NOT been dictated by the law of the Lord.

She DID BLEED, so the sacrifice WAS DICTATED.

Lo and behold, Luke uses the same two Greek terms used by him to describe John the Baptist’s NON-miraculous birth, gennao and tikto, to describe Jesus’ birth.

And, Jesus describes Jesus’ birth as that of a “first-born male to open the womb.” Technically, probably “open the womb” means that not only was Jesus Mary’s first male, but also Mary’s first child, girl or boy.

But that “first-ness” was described as a child “opening” the womb to describe that “first-ness” with the concept that the first-born was the “womb opener” – the womb “separator” or “burster.”

It is not possible that if Jesus was miraculously born by somehow “beaming down” out of Mary without cutting through her tissues, the Early Church would not have noticed that He failed to fulfill Luke’s description of Jesus’ birth, by not physically “opening” Mary’s womb.

Despite the plainness of these inspired expressions in the unchangeable Biblical canon, the Magisterium has said several times that Mary’s virginity was preserved in partu.

Apparently, to try to escape the consequences of the Magisterium seeming to squarely contradict it’s own inspired, Magisterium-canonized Scriptures in a most alarming way, theologians insist that the Magisterium’s pronouncement be limited to its words – i.e., don’t draw any pictures in your head of how those words were play-out in reality, thus stripping the words of meaningful somatic content.

Because Luke says what he says, in my opinion the Magisterium is going to reverse itself on this one, too.
 
40.png
itsjustdave1988:
Biblereader,

With all due respect to Mr. Akin, he’s not vested with magisterial authority. The magisterial documents he cites say nothing about when and how the magisterium has expressly committed itself to an affirmation of a philosophical nature such as when the body first receives a rational soul. The moment of conception is indeed that moment when the rational soul is infused in the body. The Church remains uncommitted as to when that occurs. If not, please show me the magisterial text, something published in the Acta Apostolica Sedis that expressly confirms when the rational soul is infused into the body.

Mr. Akin stated: “As modern medicine has shown, conception in humans occurs almost instantaneously, as soon as the sperm and the ovum unite.” He’s correct. But as the magisterium affirms, science cannot tell us when the rational soul is created and infused by God into the body that science is referring to. This is a philosophical problem that science cannot solve. Neither have you or Mr. Akin shown that the magisterium has expressly committed itself to an affirmation on this philosophical problem. In other words, the precise moment God infuses the rational soul into the human body remains speculative.

Do you have a magisterial document you can cite rather than an article from another layperson? As much as I enjoy reading Mr. Akin’s articles, Cardinal Ratzinger possesses magisterial authority when he affirmed with approval from Pope John Paul II in 1987 that "The Magisterium has not expressly committed itself to an affirmation of a philosophical nature"

As I see it, Mr. Akin makes a good argument, but he is merely among the many authors that the 1974 instruction describes as being in disagreement over a ***philosophical problem from which our moral affirmation remains independent. ***Mr. Akin is not vested with magisterial authority, whereas, Cardinal Ratzinger is.
Red herring, Dave, and your smart enough to realize it, which suggests to me that you are not being honest.

That Mr. Akin wrote the article isn’t the point, is it?

What is the point?

Come on – you can admit to it!

The point is that THE COUNCIL OF VIENNA IS VESTED WITH MAGISTERIAL AUTHORITY, and probably exceeds the authority of Cardinal Ratzinger, especially since the pope reigning at the time of the Council of Vienna probably signed off on the Council’s declarations.

Additionally, it is not relevant that science gives us no guidance on the timing of ensoulment. Science can’t tell us that Mary was immaculately conceived, can it? Science can’t tell us that Mary was assumed, can it? One of the *purposes * of the Magisterium is to tell us what science can’t.

Infallible teaching frequently initially comes forth in a garbled state. For example, Pope Liberius iinitially issued a questionable conditional approval of the Arian heresy, contrary to trhe condemnation of Athanasius, leading to the saying, “Athanasius against the world.” Then, when he was saved from the custody of Arian soldiers, Pope Liberius condemned his own statement about the Arian heresy.

Today
the teaching may be in enough of a state of flux so that you can get away with hedging on Aquinas.

In my opinion, very shortly, what you are so strongly and stubbornly committing yourself to, so that you can merely only appear to have grounds to ignore the Council of Vienna, and appear to barely save yourself from appearing wrong, will be carefully declared to be against Catholic teaching, and subject to an anathema.

Tomorrow, then, we’ll be able to fire the anathema * back* at you, anathema thrower, full of strong judgments.

Do you get the idea?

Leave poor Fr. Brown alone. Today, because the truth is still coming out garbled, you get to play Grand Inquisitor. Tomorrow, the Inquisition tells you, “YOUR VIEW IS ANATHEMA!!!”
 
40.png
misericordie:
Two points: 1. Believe me, Brown is no saint Thomas Aquinas. 2. When they CANONIZE Brown and declare him a DOCTOR of the Church, then we can put hin par on par a little bit lower than Aquinas.
**## Point 1, is God’s business. **

**If you would rather hear of the Servant of God J-M. Lagrange O.P. - well, there he is; he was in more disfavour with Rome than ever Father Brown was. **

**It is irrelevant to the use of historical criticism and of non-traditional methods that a Saint who has been controversial in his own time, has been recognised to be a Saint. I referred to Friar Thomas because Aristotelian dialectic was as under a cloud as historical criticism used to be. My point does not depend on the sanctity of Friar Thomas. All the distaste for theologians and scholars so often expressed on these boards, tells as much against Friar Thomas, professor at the University of Paris, as it does against any theologian or interpreter today. If Thomas’s approach were to be treated as those which Fr.Brown used have been - we might well be deploring the pride and arrogance of Friar Thomas for thinking that he could possibly add to the imperishably legacy of the church before his time by having the gall to use Aristotelian methods. After all, the East does not - it finds Plato more congenial. Aristotle was used by that heretic John Philoponus. Aristotle was transmitted by schismatic Orientals, and patronised by those Muslim infidels. Why, Friar Thomas drew upon schismatics, Jews, Muslims, heathens - how could he have anything worth saying ? That is what we could so easily have been saying. It would have been easier to prove his method a cesspool of godlessness and unbelief and evil. And the same kind of indignant rejection that met his ideas in some quarters, met and meets untraditional approaches to the Biblical texts. This no more proves all critical utterances infallibly true, than the fortunes of Thomism prove it to be infallibly true. But it does warn us not to condemn what is new or unappealing or problematic, merely on the strength of its being those things. **

Point 2, is irrelevant to the point I was making.

**AFAIK, there are no canonised Catholic chemists, geographers, neuro-surgeons, astrophysicists, or Egyptologists. But who thinks that these - very “untraditional” - pursuits are “unCatholic”, or opposed to the Faith ? Must a branch of learning be adorned with Saints and Doctors before it is safe for Catholics ? Do these pose no dangers or temptations for Catholics ? They do - “so let us ignore them”, some might say: but if so, then it well never be adorned with them - someone, somewhere, has to be the first Catholic to study Egyptology, or Assyriology, or Aristotelian dialectic; and such study is not possible except on earth, where saints are not Saints until they are dead. **

Nobody wants Catholics to be scandalised - nobody wants to cause any pain or anguish to those who are convinced that Balaam’s jenny was endowed with the power of speech, or that Noah died at the age of 950, or that the star mentioned as leading the Magi to where the Christ-child was, did so, and that it stood over the house where He lay when it did so. If they wish so to believe - fair enough. The texts do after all say these things; whether that is what they nean, or the whole of their meaning, is another matter

**However, those who think otherwise are no less Catholics than they; they are studying the same texts, just as they are allowed to do: for historical criticism has been encouraged by recent Popes, along with other methods and approaches.These raise questions which have not been answered before as they often answered nowadays, because for mouch of the Church’s history it has not been possible or necessary to do so. If men have no reason to doubt that “Darius the Mede” succeeded “Belshazzar” as king of Babylon - then this Darius will not be a problem. If they do not know of what stars are made - the star in the Gospel will not be a problem. **

[continued]
 
[continued, ended]

**Unfortunately, there seems not to be a way of avoiding discomfort to those who read their Bible in the “traditional way” when they come across “non-traditional” methods. Some shock at the difference may be unavoidable - but what can be done, is for Catholics who use these different readings and methods to make known their concerns to each other. It’s desperately important for us all to be good listeners, and to avoid any rash judgements - so many things are important, in this matter. One could of course drop the “non-traditional” methods entirely; one of the problems with doing so, is that it would cut off Catholic scholarship from non-Catholic, not in the study of Scripture alone, but in all sorts of others as well; for there is a great deal of overlapping between the Bible, and other nations and cultures. **

**Is it necessary to set “traditional methods” against “new methods” ? Why can they not be mutually enriching ? St. Thomas’ vision was very new, and untraditional and alien in method once - is that a sufficient reason to reject it ? So why should an equally new method, which is equally controversial, be rejected ? And if it is rejected - what are its rejecters going to put in its place ? And, how will the rejecters (so to call them) explain the fact the Popes and the other bishops allow these methods ? This is what is especially worrying - the logic of some Catholics seems to require that the entire hierarchy should be negligent or worse. It is exactly this sort of logic which encourages sects - that which says “the Pope and the other bishops are heretics, and we alone have the faith”. Neither ancients nor moderns have the whole truth; they need each other to be complete, so historical-critical methods and older ones need not be in conflict: for neither claims to be final or perfect. Both can contribute to the health of the Church. Therefore, the bishops - who are not ignorant of theology, and are probably at least as well equipped for their calling as their critics - should not be accused of negligence or of error for allowing non-traditional methods. ## **
 
Well, you guys are way over my head.

But I still recommend reading Fr Brown.

Let’s pray for the repose of his soul.

Best
 
40.png
MrS:
I am enjoying your work on this thread… very well done.
With any luck, you will convince some here who are either too biased to see Brown’s serious deficiencies, or too blind. Thanks for your efforts at presenting the facts.
MrS,

I enjoy Dave’s work, too. Very intelligent, educated and well-reasoned - as are the posts of some of those who disagree with him.

BTW, why do you suppose that the Holy Father or someone in authority in Rome doesn’t condemn what you call FATHER Brown’s “serious deficiencies?”

Best wishes
 
40.png
CharlesT:
MrS,

I enjoy Dave’s work, too. Very intelligent, educated and well-reasoned - as are the posts of some of those who disagree with him.

BTW, why do you suppose that the Holy Father or someone in authority in Rome doesn’t condemn what you call FATHER Brown’s “serious deficiencies?”

Best wishes
Maybe because:

His time is short, and more pressing problems are taking his attention
His “advisors” have not informed him
His confidence in posters here is sufficient for revealing FATHER Brown’s serious defieciences.

or

The pope is not perfect.
 
40.png
MrS:
Maybe because:

His time is short, and more pressing problems are taking his attention
His “advisors” have not informed him
His confidence in posters here is sufficient for revealing FATHER Brown’s serious defieciences.

or

The pope is not perfect.
You may be right, MrS.

But I think that the critics of Fr Brown often fail to distinguish the difference between historicial criticism and theology - and therein lies a lot of the misunderstanding and dispute on this thread…

Best
 
Gottle of Geer:
**## Point 1, is God’s business. **

**If you would rather hear of the Servant of God J-M. Lagrange O.P. - well, there he is; he was in more disfavour with Rome than ever Father Brown was. **

**It is irrelevant to the use of historical criticism and of non-traditional methods that a Saint who has been controversial in his own time, has been recognised to be a Saint. I referred to Friar Thomas because Aristotelian dialectic was as under a cloud as historical criticism used to be. My point does not depend on the sanctity of Friar Thomas. All the distaste for theologians and scholars so often expressed on these boards, tells as much against Friar Thomas, professor at the University of Paris, as it does against any theologian or interpreter today. If Thomas’s approach were to be treated as those which Fr.Brown used have been - we might well be deploring the pride and arrogance of Friar Thomas for thinking that he could possibly add to the imperishably legacy of the church before his time by having the gall to use Aristotelian methods. After all, the East does not - it finds Plato more congenial. Aristotle was used by that heretic John Philoponus. Aristotle was transmitted by schismatic Orientals, and patronised by those Muslim infidels. Why, Friar Thomas drew upon schismatics, Jews, Muslims, heathens - how could he have anything worth saying ? That is what we could so easily have been saying. It would have been easier to prove his method a cesspool of godlessness and unbelief and evil. And the same kind of indignant rejection that met his ideas in some quarters, met and meets untraditional approaches to the Biblical texts. This no more proves all critical utterances infallibly true, than the fortunes of Thomism prove it to be infallibly true. But it does warn us not to condemn what is new or unappealing or problematic, merely on the strength of its being those things. **

Point 2, is irrelevant to the point I was making.

**AFAIK, there are no canonised Catholic chemists, geographers, neuro-surgeons, astrophysicists, or Egyptologists. But who thinks that these - very “untraditional” - pursuits are “unCatholic”, or opposed to the Faith ? Must a branch of learning be adorned with Saints and Doctors before it is safe for Catholics ? Do these pose no dangers or temptations for Catholics ? They do - “so let us ignore them”, some might say: but if so, then it well never be adorned with them - someone, somewhere, has to be the first Catholic to study Egyptology, or Assyriology, or Aristotelian dialectic; and such study is not possible except on earth, where saints are not Saints until they are dead. **

Nobody wants Catholics to be scandalised - nobody wants to cause any pain or anguish to those who are convinced that Balaam’s jenny was endowed with the power of speech, or that Noah died at the age of 950, or that the star mentioned as leading the Magi to where the Christ-child was, did so, and that it stood over the house where He lay when it did so. If they wish so to believe - fair enough. The texts do after all say these things; whether that is what they nean, or the whole of their meaning, is another matter

**However, those who think otherwise are no less Catholics than they; they are studying the same texts, just as they are allowed to do: for historical criticism has been encouraged by recent Popes, along with other methods and approaches.These raise questions which have not been answered before as they often answered nowadays, because for mouch of the Church’s history it has not been possible or necessary to do so. If men have no reason to doubt that “Darius the Mede” succeeded “Belshazzar” as king of Babylon - then this Darius will not be a problem. If they do not know of what stars are made - the star in the Gospel will not be a problem. **

[continued] Can you state were??? And what proof that J.M. La Grange was once dispised etc by ROME??
 
40.png
itsjustdave1988:
Gottle,

I’m not living in Aquinas’ day. Today, he is a saint and Doctor of the Church. If Fr. Brown is made saint and doctor, I’ll take him more seriously. For now, he’s just another scholar whose exegesis is no different than Protestant exegesis.
Well, I sort of agree with that, but I’m not even that enthusiastic about that. Brown said that his writing would undoubtedly be superceded in the next edition of the NJBC. He said he discarded a lot of what was in the original edition, and that much that was in his edition would undoubtedly be thrown out.

His history of the NT developments conspicuously climaxes with Rudolf Boltman who NJBC and Erdmann’s History of Christianity pronounce to be the most influential Biblical scholar of the 20th century. Boltmann’s classic thesis is that the NT has to be “de-mythologized” – a task which has not been finished in Boltmann’s lifetime or in decades since.

My personal criticism of Brown and Boltmann is that their viewpoints have not really brought any great insights into NT exegesis, except skepticism. I just don’t find much practical application for that in discussing the Bible – we might as well just pack ourselves in and watch the ball game.
 
Or, could it be that your view of the way the Magisterium operates is too magical, too ordered?
Not magical, just official. I think its important for Catholics to know doctrine from opinion, as to the former we owe our religiosum obsequium (*Lumen Gentium *25), but to the latter we do not.
First, I don’t care that Mr. Akin wrote the article. What I care about is that the Council of Vienna *supports *him.
I don’t think you even know what the Council of Vienna asserted. Mr. Akin refers to this paragraph in Denzingers Enchiridion Symbolorum, #481. I’ve read it, have you? I can post it here if you’d like to read it. It says nothing regarding the moment the rational soul is infused in the body. What is declares can be read in CCC 365 (the bold print is what Vienna declares):
365 The unity of soul and body is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the “form” of the body:234 i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.
In like manner, St. Thomas explicitly describes the intellectual soul as the form of the body in his *Summa Theologica *I, 76, 1. So I don’t see the Aquinas’ “error” on the matter.
And Cardinal Ratzinger is vested with authority, and not mistaken, only if the Holy Father agrees with him.
You are mistaken.

Firstly, the commentary I quoted from was approved by Pope John Paul II and published in the Acta Apostolica Sedis (Act of the Apostolic See). Secondly, Cardinarl Ratzinger, as an ordained bishop, is vested with magisterial authority. So, even if the above commentary was not approved by the Roman Pontiff, it would have the magisterial authority of a cardinal and prefect of the Roman Pontiff . Obviously, the pope’s approval gives it increased authority. In neither case is it an exercise of the *solemn magisterium, *but that of the ordinary magisterium, to which we owe our religious submission of intellect and will.

In the final analysis, your attempt to discredit St. Thomas does nothing to build up Fr. Brown.
 
40.png
CharlesT:
MrS,

I enjoy Dave’s work, too. Very intelligent, educated and well-reasoned - as are the posts of some of those who disagree with him.

BTW, why do you suppose that the Holy Father or someone in authority in Rome doesn’t condemn what you call FATHER Brown’s “serious deficiencies?”

Best wishes
MrS / CharlesT,

Thank you.

I think Fr. Hans Kung and Fr. Charles Curran have much more serious deficiencies than Fr. Brown. I’m thinking these serious deficiencies often go unchecked due to a shift to a more ‘pastoral’ approach by the Holy See, begun by Pope John Paul II’s predecessors.

Furthermore, Fr. Brown was a difficult person to criticize while he was alive, because he was academically ‘connected’. When Fr. Miguen’s wrote something critical of Fr. Brown’s work, he didn’t receive tenure at the American Catholic University (yet Fr. Charles Curran did receive tenure???). It’s a 'good ‘ole boy’ network. Those that agreed with Fr. Brown were in, those that didn’t were out. Other scholars have privately admitted that they disgree with Fr. Brown’s scholarship, but they were too concerned about their academic standing to take a stand against him.

Vatican II didn’t issue any anathemas. This was the first ecumenical council not to issue anathemas in 2000 years. The Church is trying something new, trying to be more “pastoral” versus “dogmatic.” In doing so, it relies upon scholarly “peer review” to expose and ultimately dispose of poor scholarship. This peer review works OK in theory, when it is allowed to happen. But in practice, lousy scholarship sometimes lingers past its expiration date merely because of political and academic connections. Those connections are now fading for Fr. Brown’s ‘school of thought’ and ‘academic freedom’ ought to be allowed to do what it needs, in order to give Fr. Brown’s work the serious critique that has only recently begun.

That’s my 2 cents, any ways.
 
DAVE: I don’t think you even know what the Council of Vienna asserted. Mr. Akin refers to this paragraph in Denzingers Enchiridion Symbolorum, #481. I’ve read it, have you? I can post it here if you’d like to read it. It says nothing regarding the moment the rational soul is infused in the body. What is declares can be read in CCC 365 (the bold print is what Vienna declares):

DAVE QUOTING THE CCC:

Quote:
365 The unity of soul and body is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the “form” of the body:234 i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.

BIBLEREADER: My understanding, anathema-thrower-who-read-DS, is that it means this line, ratified by the CCC…

i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body.

Akins’ argument was that since, from the moment of conception, the conceptus may be regarded as a separate LIVING human entity, and since, according to the Council’s declarations, signed-off on by the reigning pope, and re-ratified in the CCC, the infused spiritual soul gives it the quality of a LIVING human body, the Council, not Dave, was implying that the human conceptus was ensouled. In other words, the thing your misinterpreted statement, Questio de Abortu (1974), carefully said nothing about is part of the implicit logical substructure of the Vienna Council’s magisterial declaration.

As I said elsewhere, the job of the Magisterium is not to tell us only what science can know (See the explanation, in the 1974 instruction, for “hedging”: “It is not within the competence of science to decide between these views, because the existence of an immortal soul is not a question in its field.”). It is also to teach us, with authority, what science CAN’T know.

Do you think that science can know whether Mary was immaculately conceived? Do you think that science can know whether Mary was assumed?

I think that, very shortly, in response to artificial insemination and cloning and abortion-pill technology, *your current position, anathema thrower, is going to be declared “anathema.” * I think that Akins’ argument is a good one, and that your current love of Aquinas on ensoulment, and criticism of Fr. Brown, is pride in motion, and that you need to

calm down

and

love

and

question your own position, more.

You treat papal pronouncements with conscience-abandoning rigor.
 
Biblereader,

In none of my posts have I resorted to name calling. I think I’ve treated you with charity, even though I cannot agree with you. Whereas it seems you feel the need to resort to name calling. I suggest you take your own advice and calm down.

One thing you should keep in mind. I am not bound to agree with you. That is not an uncharitable act. I have never been uncalm throughout this entire discussion, but it seems you are having difficulty in this area.

I’m a catechist. In my effort to be a better catechist, I began a post-graduate Master’s degree program in Catholic religious studies. It was then that I learned that the Church is still uncommitted as to when the spiritual soul is infused into the human body. You can disagree with me if you like. But I’m gonna go trust the magisterial texts I’ve already provided.

I have not condemned you (I don’t have that power) or labeled you in any way. I have merely pointed out where your assertions regarding the supposed lack of proofs of the existence of God are heretical. Notice that I’ve not called you a name, but described your assertions as heretical (which means, not in accord with Catholic Dogma). Thus, I’ve criticized your ideas, not you as a person. Understand the difference? You are free to rebut. But why resort to name calling?

As for this assertion …

" it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body"

… all I can say is **Amen! **Human life begins when the spiritual soul is infused in the body. I’ve already explained this. I’ve never asserted anything to the contrary. Yet, your challenge was to cite the magisterial text that is contrary to St. Thomas’ theory on delayed ensoulment. I’m still waiting. And if my post-graduate research is correct, I will keep waiting forever, as the Magisterium will likely never ***expressly commit itself to an affirmation of a philosophical nature. ***The magisterium doesn’t need to. The magisterium’s authority to condemn abortion at any stage of fetal development does not rely upon committing itself to an affirmation of a philosophical nature.

Is Akin’s argument more probable than Aquinas’ with respect to ensoulment? Most certainly. However, you charged Aquinas with having to recant of his ensoulment theory, which implied that in his lifetime, it was contrary to magisterial doctrine. On the contrary, Aquinas was clearly in accord with that which the magisterium up to his time had expressly and formally affirmed as part of the constant faith of the Catholic Church. Moreover, I’ve demonstrated this is still a matter of free opinion.

Could Fr. Brown say the same? The doctrine of the Church, expressly and formally affirmed by the magisterium before and during Fr. Brown’s lifetime stated that the Bible is without ANY error. *Dei Verbum, Divino Afflante Spiritu, Providentissiumus Deus, *and other magisterial texts explicitly affirm that "“it is absolutely wrong and forbidden … to admit that the sacred writer has erred… This is the ancient and constant faith of the Church.

What did Fr. Brown assert? "If one has a priori view … that forbids a religious error in the Bible … [or] historical and scientific errors… This approach, in my judgment, is an unmitigated disaster" … “critical investigations … point to religious errors in the Bible”.

If Fr. Brown was merely affirming something heterodox but still within the realm of free opinion, one should certainly be less critical of him. This, however, was not the case. He attempted to assert his Biblical theories *contra *magisterial affirmations of the past 2000 years, including those of Paul VI’s Dei Verbum. Those who read Fr. Brown’s works ought to know this.

Would you like to discuss Fr. Brown or do you still insist upon proving Saint Thomas a heretic? In either case, if you could refrain from further name-calling, that would be most appreciative.
 
DAVE: In none of my posts have I resorted to name calling. I think I’ve treated you with charity, even though I cannot agree with you. Whereas it seems you feel the need to resort to name calling. I suggest you take your own advice and calm down.

BibleReader: You’re deceiving the folks here, David. You are nasty in another form: You throw the Church’s “anathemas” at them, don’t you? Why don’t you leave this to the Church, my deceitful friend?
 
40.png
itsjustdave1988:
MrS / CharlesT,

Thank you.

I think Fr. Hans Kung and Fr. Charles Curran have much more serious deficiencies than Fr. Brown. I’m thinking these serious deficiencies often go unchecked due to a shift to a more ‘pastoral’ approach by the Holy See, begun by Pope John Paul II’s predecessors.

Furthermore, Fr. Brown was a difficult person to criticize while he was alive, because he was academically ‘connected’. When Fr. Miguen’s wrote something critical of Fr. Brown’s work, he didn’t receive tenure at the American Catholic University (yet Fr. Charles Curran did receive tenure???). It’s a 'good ‘ole boy’ network. Those that agreed with Fr. Brown were in, those that didn’t were out. Other scholars have privately admitted that they disgree with Fr. Brown’s scholarship, but they were too concerned about their academic standing to take a stand against him.

Vatican II didn’t issue any anathemas. This was the first ecumenical council not to issue anathemas in 2000 years. The Church is trying something new, trying to be more “pastoral” versus “dogmatic.” In doing so, it relies upon scholarly “peer review” to expose and ultimately dispose of poor scholarship. This peer review works OK in theory, when it is allowed to happen. But in practice, lousy scholarship sometimes lingers past its expiration date merely because of political and academic connections. Those connections are now fading for Fr. Brown’s ‘school of thought’ and ‘academic freedom’ ought to be allowed to do what it needs, in order to give Fr. Brown’s work the serious critique that has only recently begun.

That’s my 2 cents, any ways.
Although not an expert, based on what I know about Frs Kung and Curran, I agree with your assessment about them.

I still think you are too hard on Fr Brown.

For crying out loud, as I noted on an earlier post he was named to the PBC twice by two different Popes. It’s hard for me to believe that the Papacy was ignorant of or indifferent to his writing on the topic.

And if the Church is indeed “trying something new,” then let’s try along with them.

My points remain:
  1. Fr Brown was a scholar highly repsected both inside and outside the Church.
  2. His writing was as a scholar of the new testament, not as a theologian or apologist.
  3. The Church has not repudiated his writings in any way. On the contrary he has been afforded a great deal of recognition and accolade by the Church.
  4. He’s a darn good writer, by the way. His faith and enthusiasm shine through.
  5. In short, to the poster who started this thread, it’s OK to read Fr Brown’s work.
Best.
 
40.png
CharlesT:
I still think you are too hard on Fr Brown . . .
JMJ + OBT​

Dear CharlesT,

There has been such a flurry of activity in this thread, you may not have seen the following post, which I contributed a couple of days ago, and the one immediately below it:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=431284#post431284

Or, you may have chosen to ignore it. In any case, in light of the statements you just made, I kindly ask you to consider and respond specifically to the references I’ve provided, as I believe they are precise examples of the “teaching” and “conclusions” of Fr. Brown which many of us object to so strongly.

Thank you.

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

IC XC NIKA
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top