Hello everyone, my name's Scott. I wrote the following notes as a response to another set of notes, which were handed out in a Catholic Apologetics class I attended at St. Martha's Catholic Church in Murrieta. I think it might be helpful by giving a glimpse of a Catholic's perspective of the Bible, as well as some ready answers to certain questions. I've tried to present it in question answer format for ease of use. God bless you all, amen.
Question 1:
Since you use the Bible as your sole rule of faith, then can you tell me where the Bible came from?
A Protestant’s Response:
The bible is an integrated message system consisting of 66 books by over forty authors, which has been written over a period of thousands of years and, ultimately, comes from a source that is outside our time domain (i.e. God).
Catholic response:
“The canon of scripture was given to us and determined by the
Catholic Church at the councils of Hippo in 393 and Carthage (397)”
Inquiry of Catholic Response:
1a.
According to the Catholic response, the “Catholic Church” is the authority by which scripture is determined. The inevitable question that follows is, “who determines the authority of the Catholic Church?”. Only God is qualified to grant such authority. As such if any person or thing other than God has bestowed this authority on the Catholic Church, the said authority of said church is invalid.
1b.
If God determined the authority of the Catholic Church, how can the layperson determine that for his or her self? After all, scripture commands us –
“1Th 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
1c. If we are to be in obedience to Holy Scripture, we must prove the authority of the Church, but how do we do it?
Scripture provides us with the answer-
2Ti 3:16All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Scripture tells us that scripture itself is profitable for reproof. In other words, we should use it in reproving things. So we should use it as our reference in determining the validity of the authority of the Catholic Church.
2a In terms of the authority of the Church in relation to the authority of Holy Scripture, there is an important question to be asked. “Is the bible our final authoritative reference, or does the Church (clergy) have the final say?”
What does scripture tell us on this point?
Act 17:11These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
In this passage, Luke explicitly states that it is “more noble” to search the scriptures to test apostolic authority.
Furthermore, we read in Galatians 1:8-
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”
In this passage, Paul does not explicitly extol the authority of scripture, yet it is implied.
He speaks of a “Gospel” being “that which we have preached unto you” and he proclaims a curse on anyone who preaches a gospel other than that already preached by the apostles. This is obviously a reference to apostolic authority, yet he states that if he (or the other apostles) or even an angel from heaven were to preach some other gospel, that man or angel is to be cursed. (“anathema”)
What does this have to do with scriptural authority? Very much, when taken in conjunction with 1 Corinthians 15, which states-
“1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand”
Here Paul details the very gospel he refers to in Galatians (“which I preached unto you”). (To say it were a different Gospel would require either a contradiction in scripture, or a spiritual curse on the apostle himself.) The first point is that this gospel is an aspect of Holy Scripture (being written in one of his earliest epistles) and thus when Paul declares his spiritual curse, he not only gives authority to holy scripture, but gives scripture pre-eminence over the authority of himself, the other apostles, and even angelic ministers (vis Galatians 1:8).
Naturally, this isn’t a particularly solid foundation for the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. Nevertheless, it is there. Further, in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul continues-
“1Cr 15:3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Cr 15:4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
Here, Paul (an apostle of Jesus Christ, under the inspiration of the holy spirit no less) after referring to the gospel, which he preached, refers us to “the scriptures” as his authority.
Jesus Christ appeals specifically to scripture 24 times in the gospels and the angel Gabriel refers Daniel to the scriptures in relation to a prophecy, which he gives to Daniel and interprets for him.
This is the list of specific appeals to the authority of the scriptures where the “scriptures” word itself is explicitly used-
Dan 10:21, Mat 21:42, Mat 22:29, Mat 26:54, Mat 26:56, Mar 12:10, Mar 12:24, Mar 14:49, Mar 15:28, Luk 4:21, Luk 24:27, Luk 24:32, Luk 24:45, Jhn 2:22, Jhn 5:39, Jhn 7:38, Jhn 7:42, Jhn 10:35, Jhn 13:18, Jhn 17:12, Jhn 19:24, Jhn 19:28, Jhn 19:36, Jhn 19:37, Jhn 20:9, Act 1:16, Act 8:32, Act 8:35, Act 17:2, Act 17:11, Act 18:24, Act 18:28, Rom 1:2, Rom 4:3, Rom 9:17, Rom 10:11, Rom 11:2, Rom 15:4, Rom 16:26, 1Cr 15:3, 1Cr 15:4, Gal 3:8, Gal 3:22, Gal 4:30, 1Ti 5:18, 2Ti 3:15, 2Ti 3:16, Jam 2:8, Jam 2:23, Jam 4:5, 1Pe 2:6, 2Pe 1:20, 2Pe 3:16
An exhaustive list of references to scripture in the bible may exist, but it may be pertinent to mention a quote from the Greek, Hebrew, English Interlinear bible, published by green.
“While on earth in the body, ten percent of the daily [recorded] conversation of Jesus consisted of Old Testament words, quoted literally.
Consider the following interesting facts:
1. His use of it and reliance upon it in daily life. Note: The four Gospels contain the recorded words he spoke.
The Gospel of Mathew:--
Contains 1181 verses. 603 verses are Jesus’ words. This is 51%. 83 of these verses are old testament quotations. This is 14%.
The Gospel of mark:--
Contains 609 verses. 275 of these are quotations of Jesus. This is 45%. 34 of these, or 13%, are Old Testament quotations.
The Gospel of Luke:--
Contains 1251 verses of which 570 are His words. This is 45%. 42 of these verses, or 7% of his quotations, are from Old Testament.
The Gospel of John:--
Contains 879 verses. 417, or 49%, are quotations from Jesus. 20 of these quotations are from the Old Testament.
The Four Gospels:--
Contain 3920 verses. 1865 of these are His words recorded. This is 48%. Of his quoted conversation, 179 verses are literal Old Testament words.
In summary:
The scripture is not only held as an authority in the scripture, but it is never placed below any other authority, including god himself. This seems only natural, as it is god’s word that we are dealing with. Furthermore, the scriptures are held as pre-eminent relative to the authority of the apostles, the church, angelic ministers, etc..
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