Chapter 1093: Chapter 1032: The Angel’s Question
As everyone held their breath, preparing to listen to Horn continue his narrative, Archbishop Campbell’s calm and resonant voice rang out.
"Protest."
Quivarin leaned on his cane, seated sideways: "Does the Falan Church have anything to say?"
"According to the original agenda of the meeting, the second topic is not ’Divine Creation Theory’ and ’Divine Governance Theory.’
There are still debate topics like ’Theodicy’ and ’Whether Humans Have Self-Identity’ to follow.
Please, Mr. Gallar, do not use language traps to guide the monks’ thoughts. If we need to jump to this topic, please discuss it with us first."
By reasonable standards, Archbishop Campbell’s words are quite reasonable.
However, Grandiva’s side bases their arguments and counterarguments on these topics along the cornerstone of "Saint Rania’s Life."
The issue is not that there are no other theoretical bases, but that once the main theoretical base is overturned, the remaining logic becomes invalidated and needs to be rebuilt.
Looking at the seven remaining debaters, they were all chattering around Grandiva, tearing their hair out in handfuls.
What is there left to struggle for?
Campbell’s intention was quite obvious; he simply didn’t want Horn to complete his speech uninterrupted and completely take control of the rhythm.
Although it was a delay, Campbell intended to stall!
"This is a reasonable request," Quivarin spoke slowly, "However, I can only allocate you a quarter of an hour. If new arguments are not submitted within that time, we will proceed according to the guideline provided by Mr. Gallar."
Campbell had no objection, merely lifted his robe and walked towards Grandiva, who was raised on the stand.
Seeing the confident Campbell approaching, Grandiva seemed as exhilarated as a dog, hungry for three days upon spotting hot excrement.
However, many monks present couldn’t care less; they chanted directly: "Let’s set aside the debate for a moment, Your Grace, could you first tell us what this is all about?"
What is the Great Duke Council, or not the Great Duke Council? At this rate, theology ceased to exist!
At this moment, the elderly scholars who had fainted earlier finally regained consciousness.
Upon awakening, the first thing they did was struggle to push aside the students, surging towards the front of the venue.
With disheveled white hair, disordered black-purple robes, and white shawls slanting across their necks.
They appeared frantic, raising the books in their hands and yelling at Rang Buluo and Horn.
"How could the Saint Master be wrong? It must be you who are mistaken, you haven’t understood."
"Though there are large loopholes here, logic was created by the Holy Father, why must the Holy Father adhere to logic?"
"Such circumstances must have already been foretold by the Saint Master in the past, further proving the greatness of the Saint Master!"
It can’t be fake, absolutely cannot be fake!
Who does Horn think he is, daring to claim there are falsehoods in the "Gospels?"
If it really is fake, then shouldn’t the church and the priests all cease to exist?
Wouldn’t this render their entire lives meaningless?
With one swipe of Horn’s shovel, not only Grandiva, but these theologians too were left without roots.
Listening to the roaring voices one after the other, Horn felt as though he were hearing dogs barking, even went so far as to clean his ears.
"Can we continue, esteemed hosts?"
Xie Li stood up at this point: "Please, just a moment more, and we will continue our communications with the Falan Church."
Horn could only wait, casting another look at those frenzied monks and scholars, he sighed softly.
Fake books being regarded as core scriptures and passed down for millennia—such situations weren’t unheard of in the history of Horn’s hometown.
In the Empire here, millennia-old documents were expertly disproven by Horn and Rang Buluo at once. Is it because these two are smarter than all theologians?
Not at all!
Was the disproof of "Saint Rania’s Life" particularly difficult? Was it hard to gather information?
For ordinary people or junior scholars, somewhat.
But for mature old scholars, even those assisted by a multitude of Miracle Priests, not really.
Even without Miracle Priests, for academic groups with countless precious books behind them, as long as they don’t fight alone, research could advance rapidly.
Why hadn’t such a simple problem been validated by the church over thousands of years?
The reason is simple enough.
Because the church fundamentally never pointed out the "empirical" path in the technology tree, or rather, never pointed out a systemic empirical technology tree!
But present-day Imperial scholars, in their research, never explore from where past texts acquired their truths, only explaining why they are correct.
How can truth be doubtful, how can sacredness be desecrated?
This is why Grandiva is convinced that, in theological debates, whoever has the largest database and most thorough preparation wins.
Because, essentially, everything is correct, just a matter of who is more correct; a competition in quantity suffices.
The essence of theological debate ceased to exist long ago.
Some Holy Sect and radical theologian scholars often refer to modern Imperial theological debates as "two dogs growling at each other in a mud pit."
Horn, on the other hand, calls it "blowing-theological-bull," a contest of who can blow the most and win the most.
You win, I win better.
Why continue questioning further? Because the presence of the supernatural in this world leads belief to overwhelm rationality.
Angels truly descend, Divine Art truly heals, do you dare claim the scriptures are false?
Moreover, Horn is certain that in the Empire’s history, people have surely discovered the clues before.
Among those who discovered the clues, there certainly exist individuals brave enough to uncover them.
But the reason they haven’t voiced this is simply because there is no suspicion, is because they dare not suspect.
How can one suspect when the Holy Father and Saint Master are so infallibly correct?
Yet suspicion is precisely the foundation of rationalism, where rationality and experience construct the methodological basis for scientific revolutions.
Horn aims to have the church’s intellectual class, who possess knowledge, be skeptical, to move from the entirely unknowable revelation to the rational and experiential limited knowability.
The world is understandable!
Meanwhile, Grandiva drove away all debaters.
He leaned forward, stuck out his rear, and whispered to Archbishop Campbell.
"Archbishop Campbell, this isn’t my issue..."
"I know it’s not your issue, it’s that Horn is too cunning," Archbishop Campbell, forehead densely covered with sweat.
"And now...?"
"Shut up, listen to me," Campbell interrupted, "First, you are the Pope, you must establish faith, once your faith is gone, everyone will really believe what Horn says.
Second, while Horn’s actions seem to uproot our foundation, in reality, they are filled with fervor, overlooking the most important thing—monks.
Horn is pushing the monks to the absolute opposing side, unless... alas, no ’unless’!
You must stand on the monks’ side, opposing Horn, understand?
Finally, regarding the issue of counterattack, you only need to ask one question, one simple question to completely rebut him!"
"What?"
Just as Horn was feeling bored, suddenly a bell chime rang out, overwhelming all chaotic sounds.
"It is now noon." Quivarin slammed the ground with his cane heavily, glancing disdainfully at the monks, "Anything else you’d like to say, Mr. Grandiva?"
"Regarding this topic, we have no objections, only a final point unrelated to the debate, regarding this analytical critique, could Mr. Horn possibly answer?"
"Considering your level, I encourage you to inquire."
The muscles at the corner of Grandiva’s eye twitched, he had never in his life seen someone so arrogant, "blocked" he nearly blurted out.
But glancing at Campbell, whose face remained stern, he restrained himself and with kindness and benevolence, smiled:
"What I wish to ask is, if ’Saint Rania’s Life’ is a forgery, why did the Saint Master not bestow a revelation or dispatch an Angel to rectify it?"
