Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 620

;

596

§ 92.

LIBERTY OF SCIENTIFIC THEOLOGY

[Div. Ill

may speak as a philosopher. He who chooses another that of theology and consequently goes out from than object and investigates agreeably to another principium, another method, may still be a man of learning, but he is no longer a

that he

But even this must be left to the free operation The persistent heretic must be banished from the of minds. Church a professor, whose presence is a menace to the liighest interests of a school, must be dismissed; but from the

theologian.

;

field of

his

theology no one can disappear, unless he leaves it of He may do this consciously by the open free will.

own

declaration

:

I

am no longer a theologian

;

or,

again, the results

may bring it about, that at length nobody numbers him any more among theologians. But so long as it of his investigations

him to pose as a theologian, no one can prevent him even when he has undermined, as far as he was able, succesHowsively, the object, principle and method of theology. when from the ever just, therefore, the people's protest is, pulpit a theologian attacks the confession of the Church v.hich he serves, or when from the platform a professor antagonizes pleases

ought

the standards of the school for whose principles he to

make propaganda,

may

not be tolerated

of the

man

of science.

that protest becomes unwarranted and

when

it

directs itself against the liberty

Expression

may

be given to the indig-

nation which smarts under an assault on sacred things but in his personal liberty the man of science must be respected. ;

And when

he shows that for the sake of his scientific conviction there is no sacrifice too great for him, so that he bravely defies opposition from every quarter, praise must not be withheld from him for such heroic strength of character. This

must be withheld from the man who, for the sake of saving his position, sacrifices his Church or his school but it is due to those titanic spirits who show, indeed, that they do praise

;

not contend for their position, but simply for the liberty of science and the liberty of their deepest conviction. This absolute liberty is, moreover, indispensable, if theology is to discharge her duty to the confessional life of the Church.

Not that the Church should yield summarily to every criticism of her confession. The Church may not modify her

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