Chapter XXXVIII.—Harmony of the Church and the Scriptures. Heretics Have Tampered with the Scriptures, and Mutilated, and Altered Them.  Catholics Never Change the Scriptures, Which Always Testify for Them.

Where diversity of doctrine is found, there, then, must the corruption both of the Scriptures and the expositions thereof be regarded as existing. On those whose purpose it was to teach differently, lay the necessity of differently arranging the instruments of doctrine.400    By the instrumenta doctrinæ he here means the writings of the New Testament. They could not possibly have effected their diversity of teaching in any other way than by having a difference in the means whereby they taught. As in their case, corruption in doctrine could not possibly have succeeded without a corruption also of its instruments, so to ourselves also integrity of doctrine could not have accrued, without integrity in those means by which doctrine is managed. Now, what is there in our Scriptures which is contrary to us?401    [Our author insists on the precise agreement of Catholic Tradition with Holy Scripture. See valuable remarks on Schleiermacher, in Kaye, pp. 279–284.] What of our own have we introduced, that we should have to take it away again, or else add to it, or alter it, in order to restore to its natural soundness anything which is contrary to it, and contained in the Scriptures?402    We add the original of this sentence, which is obscured by its terseness: “Quid de proprio intulimus, ut aliquid contrarium ei et in Scripturis deprehensum detractione vel adjectione vel transmutatione remediaremus?” What we are ourselves, that also the Scriptures are (and have been) from the beginning.403    That is, teaching the same faith and conversation (De la Cerda). Of them we have our being, before there was any other way, before they were interpolated by you. Now, inasmuch as all interpolation must be believed to be a later process, for the express reason that it proceeds from rivalry which is never in any case previous to nor home-born404    Domestica. with that which it emulates, it is as incredible to every man of sense that we should seem to have introduced any corrupt text into the Scriptures, existing, as we have been, from the very first, and being the first, as it is that they have not in fact introduced it who are both later in date and opposed (to the Scriptures). One man perverts the Scriptures with his hand, another their meaning by his exposition. For although Valentinus seems to use the entire volume,405    Integro instrumento. he has none the less laid violent hands on the truth only with a more cunning mind and skill406    Callidiore ingenio. than Marcion. Marcion expressly and openly used the knife, not the pen, since he made such an excision of the Scriptures as suited his own subject-matter.407    That is, cutting out whatever did not fall in with it (Dodgson). Valentinus, however, abstained from such excision, because he did not invent Scriptures to square with his own subject-matter, but adapted his matter to the Scriptures; and yet he took away more, and added more, by removing the proper meaning of every particular word, and adding fantastic arrangements of things which have no real existence.408    Non comparentium rerum. [Note, he says above “of them, the Scriptures, we, Catholics, have our being.” Præscription does not undervalue Scripture as the food and life of the Church, but supplies a short and decisive method with innovaters.]

CAPUT XXXVIII.

Maxime cum illis non possit succedere corruptela doctrinae sine corruptela instrumentorum, usurpata in Scripturis detractione, vel adjectione, vel transmutatione, et interpolatione, qua alius manu Scripturas, alius sensus expositione intervertit.

Illic igitur et Scripturarum et expositionum adulteratio 0051C deputanda est, ubi diversitas doctrinae invenitur. Quibus fuit propositum aliter docendi, eos necessitas coegit aliter disponendi instrumenta doctrinae. Alias enim non potuissent aliter docere, nisi aliter haberent per quae docerent . Sicut illis non potuisset succedere corruptela doctrinae sine corruptela instrumentorum ejus; ita et nobis integritas doctrinae non competisset sine integritate eorum, per quae 0052A doctrina tractatur. Etenim quid contrarium nobis in nostris? quid de proprio intulimus, ut aliquid contrarium ei quod esset in Scripturis deprehensum, detractione, vel adjectione, vel transmutatione remediaremus? Quod sumus, hoc sunt Scripturae ab initio suo; ex illis sumus, antequam aliter fuit , antequam a vobis interpolarentur. Cum autem omnis interpolatio posterior credenda sit, veniens utique ex caussa aemulationis, quae neque prior, neque domestica unquam est ejus quod aemulatur, tam incredibile est sapienti cuique, ut nos adulterum stylum intulisse videamur Scripturis, qui sumus et primi et ex ipsis , quam illos non intulisse, qui sunt et posteri et adversi. Alius manu Scripturas, alius sensus expositione intervertit. Neque enim si Valentinus integro 0052B instrumento uti videtur, non callidiore ingenio, quam Marcion, manus intulit veritati . Marcion enim exerte et palam machaera, non stylo usus est; quoniam ad materiam suam caedem Scripturarum confecit. Valentinus autem pepercit; quoniam non ad materiam Scripturas, sed materiam ad Scripturas excogitavit: et tamen plus abstulit, et plus adjecit, auferens proprietates singulorum quoque verborum, et adjiciens dispositiones non comparentium rerum.