Scripture's witness outranks the Baptist's — and today's pastors
Sacred Scripture also has, on every side, greater authority among believers than the Church's pastors do.
Their testimony today is no greater than John the Baptist's once was. Yet Scripture's testimony was greater than the Baptist's — as Christ our Lord teaches plainly (John 5), where he sets Scripture's witness to himself above John's. "You sent to John," he says, "and he has borne witness to the truth; yet I have a testimony greater than John's."
He then names a threefold witness greater than John's: first the miracles he worked — "the works the Father gave me to accomplish testify that the Father has sent me"; next the Father's voice from heaven — "the Father who sent me has himself borne witness of me"; and last sacred Scripture. He adds: "Search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me."
Latin
XXX. Adde quod Scriptura sacra majorem ex omni parte apud fideles authoritatem habet, quam testimonium Pastorum Ecclesiae. Etenim testimonium Pastorum Ecclesiae non est hodie majus quam erat olim Joannis Baptistae testimonium. At Scripturae testimonium testimonio Joannis Baptistae majus erat: ut manifeste docet Christus Dominus noster, Joan. cap. 5. ubi testimonium illud quod ipsi Scripturae sacrae perhibebant, anteponit Joannis Baptistae testimonio. Misistis, inquit, ad Joannem, et testimonium dedit veritati, ego autem habeo testimonium majus Joannis testimonio. Et postea affert triplex testimonium testimonio Joannis majus: et primo quidem opera miraculosa quae patrabat. Opera enim, inquit, quae dedit mihi Pater, ut ea perficerem, testantur de me quod Pater miserit me. Deinde vocem Patris e coelo attestantem, Et qui misit me Pater ipse testatus est de me. Ac denique Scripturae sacrae testimonium. Subjungit enim, Scrutamini Scripturas, quia vos putatis in ipsis vitam aeternam habere, et illae sunt quae testificantur de me.
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.