Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 505

Chap. II]

THE INSTRUMENTS OF INSPIRATION

§ 82.

481

animated organism of the Scripture to fully Tliis obliges us, just because we join ourselves assert itself. as closely as possible to the historic Theology of the Reformation, in order to prevent misunderstanding to explain in some detail this very different and multiform character of the multiplicity in the Scripture, first, as it concerns the instruments

tion, to allow tlie

of inspiration,

and then

as

it

concerns inspiration

itself.

The Instruments of Inspiration

§ 82.

Every revelation, which is not involuntary but voluntary and intended, assumes a consciousness in God from which it o-oes out, and a consciousness in man toward which it directs It assumes, in the second place, a content which can itself.

And

take on the form of the conscious.

an instrument or vehicle by which consciousness of sciousness of

him

him who for

is

will reveal himself, into the con-

whom

revelation, therefore, falls

it

assumes brought from the finally it

the revelation

away

if

is

intended.

the consciousness in

All

God

be not taken as its starting-point, and becomes weakened when, though not entirely pantheistically but in a pantheistic manner, one grants that perceptions arise in us, but denies that the fruit of those revelations in our consciousness was beforehand known and intended by God. In the second place,

the essential character of revelation

is

undermined

to be choked in the

when, in a mystical sense, it is left world of our emotions, rather than made to come to its subAnd, thirdly, revelation belimate in our consciousness. comes darkened and clouded when one studies exclusively its point of departure in God and its point of arrival in man, without a due consideration also of the conducting wire or line

along which

it

directed itself to us.

tion after God's image,

we

By

our crea-

are authorized to take, with refer-

ence to this matter, the transmission from the consciousness of one man to that of another as an analogy, and in that case it is certainly true that this transmission is accomplished

most readily and most often by the vehicle of language ; but by no means by this alone. In all sorts of ways also are we able, without ever speaking a word, to convey something

r^

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