BIBLE
BASIC R.C. BELIEF
Together with apostolic and ecclesiastical traditions, the rule of faith
and practice of the Roman Catholic Church, as interpreted by the
Magisterium.
The books recognized by the Roman Catholic Church and not by Christians are
Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, I and II Machabees and portions of
Daniel and Esther. These were included in Jerome's Vulgate, but were not
given the sanme standing as the scriptures.
From RADIO REPLIES, Vol I, #560ff. "Protestants have not a true copy. Their
copy contains many mistranslations and omits entire books. The characters
of the translators of the KJV were not such as to command the respect of
men,. A committee of revisers whose names are not known produced what is
known as the Authorized Version in 1611. The Douay Version far surpasses
the AV for accuracy. Pope Clement XI in 1713 condemned the theory that it
is necessary to read scripture in order to attain Christian knowledge.
(Pope Clement's encyclical UNIGENTIUS (9/8/1713) stated, "the holy
obscurity of the Word of God is not sufficient reason for the laity to
excuse themselves from the reading thereof.")
From CATHOLIC RELIGION PROVED FROM THE PROTESTANT BIBLE. "It is
indisputable that the Bible must have an authorized interpreter." (This is
true; He is the Holy Spirit, see John 14:26; I John 2:27.)
From THE BIBLE, Catholic Enquiry Cenbter, page 30, "It is not surprising
that for a time the Catholic Church warned people against the private
reading of the Word of God."
POST VATICAN II
From an address by John Paul II to the WCC, Geneva, 6/12/84, "The Second
Vatican Council affirmed, `It follows that all the preaching of the Church,
as indeed the entire Christian religion, should be nourished and ruled by
sacred Scripture.'"
From the NEW CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA, "The Bible as a literary work had
traditions that included myth" (Vol. 10, page 184). "Some of the miracles
recorded in Holy Scripture may be fictional and include imaginative
literary exaggerations. The episode of Noe and the Ark is imaginative
literary creation." (Vol. 9, page 887). The Gospels are not biographies of
Jesus and still less scientific history" (Vol. 12, page 403).
The Roman Catholic view of the Bible is changing, and Bible studies are
being held. They are often taught that Bible stories are meaningful, but
not literal.
From THE COMPASS, National Catholic Reporter. "As with anything, there is a
danger in the new appreciation of the scripture. This is the evident or
literal approach. Efforts to ground faith in the Bible have led to its
being utilized unintelligently, which has perverted the message and the
spirit of the scripture. Fundamentalism demands little knowledge of the
makeup of the Bible and tends to dismiss revelation as an ongoing force.
From FUNDAMENTALISTS GIVE THE BIBLE A BAD NAME, US CATHOLIC, Sister Ann
Walsh, as quoted in Dick Knolls' prayer letter, May/June, 1980. "`The Bible
is the record of people's human experiences' says Father O'Grady, editor of
the Biblical Theological Bulletin. `It is inspired, it's true, but it's not
perfect.' O'Grady explained that the Bible as a human record of people's
religious experiences is necessarily limited by its human participants. For
that reason, he noted, it's not perfect. In fact, one might conclude that
the biblical writer, though he earns an A+ in theology won't get over a C-
in history, geography or science." Walsh goes on to say that O'Grady
compared Biblical stories to legends in American folklore. "In reality
there was probably neither the Sermon on the Mount or a sermon on the
plain. Probably one evangelist took the teachings of Jesus, perhaps given
over 35 different occasions, and put them all together in one speech. Some
passages of the Bible which are attributed to Jesus might not even have
been Jesus' words."
CHRISTIAN COMMENT
Christians believe that every teaching of man must be biblically examined
(I Thessalonians 5:21; II Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 8:20).
The New Testament scriptures were completed by the end of the first century
and recognized almost immediately as the Word of God. This was long before
the beginning of the Roman Catholic Church. The fact that a local Church
Council (not an ecumenical Council) recognized the same list does not make
it their legislation. (Your correctly identifying the make of a car does
not establish the car's make; it was that when it was assembled.)
ROME AND THE BIBLE
by Erick Rothbeck
Out of the estimated 800 million Roman Catholics in the world today, it
should be stated that over 90% do not realize what the official stand of
the Roman Catholic Church is towards the Bible
Rome will l tell the world she treasures the Bible and accepts it as
God's Holy Word, but history and facts speak quite the contrary.
In 1179 pope Alexander III forbade the Waldensians to preach, which
preaching they were doing with a common-language translation of parts of
the Bible.
Inn 1184, at the Synod of Verona, Italy, pope Lucius III decreed the ex-
communication of all Bible-believing "heretics."
In 1199, pope Innocent III condemned the translation into French of the
Psalms, the Gospels and Paul's letters. Any copies found were burned by
Cistercian moinks.
In 1211, by order of pope Innocent III, Bishop Bertram of Metz organized
a crusade against all people reading the Bible in the vernacular, and all
such Bibles found were duly burned.
In 1215 the first threee canons of the Fourth Lateran Council were
directed against heretics who dared to preach. The Dictionnaire de
Theologie Catholique recognizes that this measure was aimed mainly at the
Waldenses, who were preaching with common-language Bibles.
In 1229, Canon 14 of the Council of Toulouse states, "We forbid the
laity to have in their possession any copy of the books of the Old and New
Testament, except the Psalter, and such portions of them as are contained
in the Breviary; and we most strictly forbid even these works in the
vernacular.
In 1559 pope, Paul IV said that no Bible in the vernacular may be
printed nor kept without permission of the Holy Office.
In 1564, pope Pius IV stated, "Experience has shown that if reading of
the Bible in the vulgar tongue is permitted indiscrimately, due to the
rashness of men, more harm than good arises."
In 1590 pope Sixtus V stipulated that no one could read the Bible in a
common language without special permission from the Apostolic See.
In 1836, pope Gregory XVI issued a warning to all Catholics that the
fourth rule of ther Index published in 1564 by Pius IV was still valid.
In 1897, in his Apostolic Constitution Officiorum, pope Leo XIII said,
"All native language versions, even those published by Catholics, are
absolutely prohibited unless they have been approved by the Apostolic See
or edited under the supervision of bishops, with explanatory notes taken
from the Church Fathers and learned Catholic writers."
Today Catholics enjoy more freedom in reading the Bible, but lest they
forget, it can still only be interpreted and understood in the light of
official church teachings and forms only a part of a divine revelation, the
other being held in unwritten oral church Tradition. Proverbs 30:5,6:
"Every word of God is pure: he is a shield to them that put their trust in
him. Add thou not to his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a
liar."
CATHOLIC JOURNALS
THE SEVEN VERSES OF SCRIPTURE AUTHORITATIVELY INTERPRETED BY ROME (from
DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER, 3/29/90, page 10.) "Father (Francis X.) Cleary
(S.J.), scripture scholar and professor in the Department of Theological
Studies of St. Louis University, specializes in biblical theology of the
Old Testament, writes, `Many people think that the Church has an official
"party line" about every sentence in the Bible. In fact, only seven
passages have been definitely interpreted. Even in these few cases, the
Church is only defending traditional doctrine and morals.
"For example, Jesus' teaching in John 3:5 that we must be born of water
and of the Spirit" means that real ("natural") water must be used for a
valid baptism. When Jesus, after instituting the Eucharist, commanded His
disciples to "Do this in memory of me" (Luke 22:19; I Corinthians 11:24),
he meant to confer priestly ordination.
"Again, the power conferred on the apostles to bind and loose sins (see
John 20:23) authorized them and their successors in the priestly office to
forgive sins in God's name. These authoritative interpretations emphasize
the biblical origins of sacramental life. (The three other defined texts
are John 20:22; Romans 5:12 and James 5:14)."
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