III, PAPE

ENCYCLICAL LETTER

OF Our Holy Father The Pope Leo XIII ON THE STUDY OF HOLY WRIT.

To our Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates,

Archbishops, and Bishops of the Catholic World in Grace and Communion

mith the Holy Nee.

LAO XIIL POPE VENERABLE DRETHREN,

HEALTH AND APOSTOLIC BENEDIGTION,

The Most Provident God, Who, by an admirable counsel of charity, raised mankind in the beginning to a participation ^n the Divine nature, and then, alter they had been freed from a common stain and rom destruction, restored them to their pristine dignity, has also conferred upon them the singular saleguard of laying open to them in a supernatural vay the mysteries of His divinity, wisdom, and merey, For although there are also included in Divine Revelation things which are not inaccessible to human reason, so revealed to men that they ean be understood by all quickly with firm certainty and without any admixture of error, yet not for this

reason is Revelation to be said to be absolutely necessary, but because God in His Infinite goodness designed man for a supernatural end (Cone, V

"at.

sess, III, cap. 2, de Revel.)

This supernatural revelation, according to the belief ol the Universal Church, is contained both in unwritten conditions and also in written hooks, which are called

saered and canonical, because,

being written with the insplration of the Holy Ghost, they have God for their Author, and as such they were given to the Church (Ibid). This, indeed, the Church has always held and openly professed with respect to the both Testaments ; and those most Important documents of the ancients are known, in which it is announced that God spoke first throu phets, then through Himselfand alterward through the apostles ; that He also provided the Scriptures, Which are called canonical (St. Aug. de Civ. Dei, Xl. 8); that these are oracles and Divine utterances : that writings were given by the IIeavenly Father to the human race wandering far from their latherland, and were transmitted by sacred authors (5. Clem., Rom. I ad Cor., 45: S. Polyearp ad Phil, 7 : S. Iren, c, Haer, 11, 28, 2), Now, such being the excellence and dignity of the Scriptures, that bein composed (conlectoe) hy God Author, they embrace [Tis highest mysteries and works, it follows that part of Sacred Theology which is concerned with the preservation and interpre. lation of these Divine Books Is also of the greatest excellence and utility. Whilst, therefore with the aid of God, We have taken care, and hot Iruitlessly, that certain other kinds of learning—namely, those Which appear to be most elective for the increase of the Divine Glory and of man's welfare -should be promoted by means ol lrequent letters and exhortation, We have been thinking long lating, commending, and

books of

gh the pro-

Himself as their

since ol stimualso directing more in

accor inost truth ol Ou open tion 1 of th injure draw city o bring unaw lew € zealot Books and u dilige but n learni matte that is numb maint:

that t] Grace

with readin writin For to the study lies in sure a "All § to rep mun « good Y tures Y |

lutely negoodness one, Vat., ural reve- Universal onditions d sacred 1 the inslor their ^ Church Vays held books of int docuich it is the prothrough riptures, Civ. Dei, erances ; y Father latherthors (5, Phil, T:

‘ing the at being is their 168 and y Which nterpregreatest vith the itlessly, those rease of uld be | exhor- | stimu.

ore in

accordance with the requirements of the times, this most noble study of the sacred writings We are in truth moved and most impelled by the solicitude of Our Apostolieal position not only to desire to open up this beautiful fountain of Catholic Revelation more safely and abundantly for the advantage of the faithful, but also to prevent it from being injured in any part by those who are manifestly drawn to the Holy Seriptures by an impious audacity or who fallacionsly and imprudently attempt to bring to light certain novelties. We are not indeed unaware, Venerable brethren, that there are not a lew Catholics, men ol great ability and learning, who zealously undertake the defence of the Divine Books, and the work of making them better known and understood. But whilst rightly praising their diligence and the fruits of their labors We cannot but most earnestly exhort others also whose skill, learning, and piety give the greatest promise in this matter to merit the same praise by their efforts— that is to say, We wish and are anxious that a larger number should duly undertake and constantly maintain the protection of the Divine Writings; and that they especially who have been called by Divine Grace to Holy Orders should devote themselves with daily increasing diligence and industry to reading, meditating on, and explaining those same Writings,

For apart of their beauty and the obedience due to the Word of God, the principal reason why this study appears to be so deserving of commendation lies in the manifold utility which We know on the sure authority of the Holy Spirit will How trom it : ^ AI] Scripture inspired of God is profitable to teach, (0 reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice that the man of God may be perfectly furnished to every good work" (ii Tim, iii, 16,17) That the Scripfures were indeed given by God to men with such

Lord and the \postles. For He who « procured authority procured authorit: by miracles, secured laith by authority, and atiracted the multitude by faith " (S. Ang, de util. ove l. xiv., 32), was wont to appeal to the Sacred writings in fulfilling His sacred embassy : lar occasionally He evt

'i points out from them that He was si nt by God and is God : He draws arguments lroin them to tea and to confirm His doctrine ; their testimonies He both vindieates from the ealumnies of disparagers and Opposes to the Saducees viet them, and He turns them against Satan himself When audaciou lv tempting Him : and towards the very end of His life When Ile had "sen again He made use of these Writings and explained them to His disciples— until He ascended to the wlory of the Father. Now the Apostles, who were trained by His voice and His precepts, although he gave “sign's and wonders to he done by their hands” (Act, 8), still drew great power from the Divine hooks in bringing home Christian wisdom to peoples lar and wide, in breaking down the obstinacy of the Jews, and in repressing the heresies that

ch the disciples

and Pharisees to con-

arose, This is plain—and especially in the case of Nt Peter—from their discourses which they wove for the most part by the words of the Old Testament into a inost firm argument in favor of the New Law ; and the same Is manifest from the Gospels of Matthew and John and from the lipistles which are called Catholie : but it is most clearly evident

from the testimony of Him who “boasts that he had ]

learned the Law of Moses and the Prophets at the feet of Gamnaliel, so that armed with spiritual Weapons he afterwards said confidently " The arms of our Watrlure are not of flesh but the power of God,” (S. Hier. de Studio Seript, ad Paulin ap. LIII, 8). Let all.

therefore, and especially young soldiers in

the sacred warfare,

an intention is shown by the examples of Christ Our

learn i post [he si what armor have amont:

there luller nost reflect to the Ore 4 in the right} ignora stands Io, Ir Hiilig'a thh HIN Is eon races ineroui Inents truly testime the CI be ma pline a ver 1h suppor soned à examp hesides OST il ol puni It is "eriptu

‘hrist Our

procured secured lutude by Wont to lis sacred out from God: He disciples ones He Sparagers S tO con- |i himself vards the wah He them to ry of the ined by 'e “sions ( Aet, 3), )io0ks in | lar and lo Jews, This is [rom Ost. part ost firm he sane id John itholie : nony of Law of nliel, so rwards are not Studio ‘relore, rarfare,