Rome's letters of credit cut the other way
Rome adds that Scripture in the Church's hands is like letters of credit: papers that accredit an envoy from a superior, and that send us back to that superior for a fuller account of his mind and will. So they want the Church to present Scripture as a diploma sealing its divine calling and authority, and remitting us to the Church to learn God's will more fully.
But letters of credit do not draw their force from the one who shows them. The opposite is true: the bearer's authority is known and confirmed by the letters. The one who brings the letters is not why we trust the letters; we trust him because of the letters that accredit him.
Latin
XXXIII. Huc accedit quod Pontificii docent Scripturam in manibus Ecclesiae esse instar literarum quas vocant credentiae, hoc est, quibus fides sit alicui qui mittitur ab aliquo superiori, et quibus ad illum remittimur, ut plenius de mittentis mente et voluntate informemur: Sic enim volunt Ecclesiam nobis exhibere Scripturam, tanquam diploma quo ejus divina vocatio et authoritas confirmatur, ac nobis obsignatur. Et quo ad illam remittimur, ut plenius de voluntate Dei edoceamur. At literarum illarum, quas credentiae vocant, authoritas non pendet ab eo qui illas exhibet: sed contra authoritas ejus qui literas exhibet per literas illas nobis innotescit et confirmatur. Et qui affert literas non est causa cur literis credamus: sed illi credimus propter istas literas quibus fides ei sit.
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.