Scripture is better known among the faithful than the Church herself
Their error is answered from this: among believers Scripture is better known than the Church herself.
Every Christian body agrees, at least on the chief books, which writings are true Scripture. Greeks, Armenians, Ethiopians, Pontificii, Protestants, and whatever other Christian parties remain today all acknowledge as Canonical the books our churches hold Canonical. Rome adds certain Old Testament books to its Canon; on the books we count Canonical it still agrees with us.
Those who denied or despised Scripture outright — as the Libertines are remembered to have done in our fathers' day — were few, obscure, and soon gone. Which Church is the true one is not settled the same way: each party claims to be it. The Greek, Armenian, and Ethiopian churches neither take Rome for God's true Church nor bind themselves to its authority.
Latin
XXVII. Inde vero error illorum refellitur quod Scriptura est aliquid apud fideles notius quam sit ipsa Ecclesia. Et hoc quia inter omnes Christianos constat quae sint verae Scripturae, saltem quoad partes praecipuas, ut patet per inductionem. Etenim Graeci, Armeni, Aethiopes, Pontificii, Protestantes, et si quae sint adhuc hodie Christianorum sectae, communi consensu agnoscunt libros, quos Ecclesiae nostrae pro Canonicis habent, revera Canonicos esse. Addunt quidem Pontificii quosdam alios libros ad Canonem veteris Testamenti: sed de illis quos Canonicos censemus nobiscum consentiunt. Quod si qui Scripturas in totum negarunt, vel contempserunt, quod patrum nostrorum memoria putantur fecisse Libertini, paucissimi fuerunt, nec ullius nominis, et cito defierunt. At non constat quae sit vera Ecclesia: sed unaquaeque secta pertendit se esse veram Ecclesiam. Nec Ecclesiae Graecae, Armeniacae et Aethiopicae Romanam Ecclesiam pro vera Dei Ecclesia habent, aut illius authoritate ullo modo se obstringi putant.
About this text
Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu - Sedan Theological Theses, newly rendered from the 1675 London Latin. Covers De Theologia through Angelorum & Hominum Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII and Pars Secunda (Reformata) I-XL. Not the collected folio.
English follows locked Pitt Latin through Imaginum CLOSED + Sanctorum Cultu Romana CLOSED + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL. 1675 PDF ~384-390 (book ~370-376); Vision OCR + pdftotext + tess. No modern English. This slice densifies Sanctorum Pars Secunda I-XL. Next: Pars Secunda XLI–fin (~CI). Claim stays claimed (book densify not done).
Catalogue & scope
ESTC R17887; Wing L802. IA bub_gb_eOkHAW4G0-wC (+ EEBO 1675 for gap leaves). Densify through Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL (Pars Secunda not closed; not whole folio).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Theologia I-XLIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive PDF of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
- Checked print pdftotext of De Theologia pages (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive DjVu OCR of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Fide I-XXII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Authoritate Scripturae Pars I I-XLVII + Pars II I-XXXV + Pars III I-VIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Scripturae plenitudine densify (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.