Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 496

472

INSPIRATION OF THE

§80.

NEW TESTAMENT

[Div. Ill

no question here of a mechanical compulsion. The apostles had no thought of preparing a book which, under the seal of their name and common authority, was to be handed down to

posterity.

between

this

The tie braided new Scripture and

itself

entirely

organically

the ever broader circle of

It was the Holy Spirit Himself who on one side caused the component parts of this Scripture to originate, and on the other side secured the choice of these docu-

believers.

ments

in the churches.

number

The

hesitancy, which arose with

shows with what unanimity the others obtained an immediate entrance, and reference to a

how

of these documents,

conscientiously the

that such a second

work was undertaken.

The

idea

Scripture must come encountered no

but was alive in the heart as an idea and a it showed itself above the horizon. Orthodox and heterodox united in this Scripture-idea, and opposition,

presumption, before

the result was, that in proportion to the measure in which

the oral tradition changed color and the spread of the church

threatened

its

unity, the significance of this second Scripture

was more and more

felt, until at length there was a complete documentation, not only of the shadows (o-Acmt ) but also of the fidfilment (yXrjpcoa-L';'), which was acknowledged by the churches in all parts of the earth as clothed with Divine

authority.

This acknowledgment implied that the authority New Testament was understood in the same

assigned to the

sense as the authority attached

To

ment.

by Christ

to the

Old Testa-

the sense of faith both soon formed one organic

whole. Whatever dominion the Old Testament had, that was the dominion that was attributed to the

And though it

New

Testament.

Tim. and similar utterances, were written with exclusive reference to the Old Testament, yet the Church was entirely

.

iii.

/

/

entirely true, in the strict sense, that 2

16,

right I

is

when

it

applied this as a matter of fact to the

New

Testament as well, since indeed, after the organic fusion of both, one and the same life flowed through both parts of the Scripture, and in both the Divine Word was communicated unto us. No mistake was made even when they went farther and in the treatment of the organic life of the ;

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