Five Orations Given in Padua by Lelio Della Torre

On the Necessity of Combining Philosophical and Theological Studies: A Speech Read at the Grand Oratory of the German Rite on November 10, 1829, for the Inauguration of the Institute of the Rabbinical Seminary

It is undeniable that philosophy, or human reason, when left to itself, requires the celestial light of revelation, which saves it from the snares of any errors that all of us can easily fall into. Into how many pernicious snares do the leaders of philosophy fall, against their will or in their studies, despite the superhuman aid offered by revelation? This is especially so in the case of metaphysics. How many strange conjectures have these produced, and into how many empty opinions did these not lead us?

But, some will counter, the philosophical sciences, the spirit of research infused by those who practice them, can harm, as is evident to all, true belief in theological truth. It is unfortunately true that the excessive and negative freedom of judging everything, which some false philosophers of the past century introduced, has had detrimental consequences for religion and has caused grave harm to healthy philosophy, to customs and the social order, perverting every sacred principle, giving themselves the right to pass temerarious judgment on anything which they have barely meditated on nor understood. This, however, is not, nor is there anyone who ignores this, that castigated and true philosophy taught in public schools, especially those of the Austrian states, the only philosophy worthy of the name, which is the true knower of things and which gives to reason that which belongs to reason and to faith that which belongs to faith. In fact, I will say that it is important to religion that at least its pastors possess the true and healthy philosophical spirit so that to the degree that human intellect is capable of penetrating its recesses and knowing it better so as better to allow their brothers to know it and, not ignoring the travesties of human reason and knowing the arms of the impious, fighting in the wars of the Lord they can refute and contain them.