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Who Holds the Keys? (Pope or Prophet) Rebuttal to Barry Bickmore's Opening Statement
The one holy catholic and apostolic Church can support her claims to apostolic succession of the priesthood through the evidence of Holy Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the teaching authority of the successor to Peter and the validly ordained bishops in communion with him. Holy Scripture clearly tells us that Christ left a Church that would continue to teach the Gospel until the end of time. History shows that the Catholic Church has been in existence for almost 2,000 years, teaching the same Gospel as was taught by Jesus Christ to His Apostles and entrusted by them to the whole Church in the "Sacred deposit" of the faith (depositum fidei). On the other hand, the LDS church can only trace her earthly authority as far back as the early 1800's when a series of private revelations from resurrected beings, angels, and messengers from heaven restored the "lost" priesthood to the earth through Joseph Smith and his followers. To begin with, I would like to address Barry's incorrect interpretation that the Catholic Church includes the Orthodox, Anglican, and Monophysite churches. I submit that these churches have all cut themselves off from the Catholic Church through their refusal to accept the primacy and authority of the successor to Peter. How can we tell which is the Catholic Church and which churches, such as the Orthodox, Anglicans, Monophysites, Protestants, and others, have separated themselves from the Mystical Body of Christ? To help answer this question, the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 issued a creed composed by the Council Fathers in response to the Arian heresy. It is commonly called the Nicene Creed and it presents the chief doctrines of the Catholic Faith. The Nicene Creed identifies four marks (qualities or characteristics) which help to identify the true Church of Jesus Christ. The Nicene Creed states, "We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church". Thus we have the four identifying marks or characteristics that we can expect to find in the true Church.
The true Church of Jesus Christ must have a unity in belief, in worship, and in government or leadership. Unity in belief and worship means that the Church of today must hold to the same teachings and traditions that were given to the Twelve Apostles by Christ and subsequently passed on to their successors. The true Church must adhere to the same beliefs today as were practiced by the early Christians. The Bible tells us that there should be one flock (Jews and Gentiles) and one shepherd (John 10:16). Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11 and John 10:14). He entrusted His flock on earth (the Church) to Peter and his successors (John 21:15-17). Jesus knew that there would be contention among His followers so He prayed for unity of His Church "that they may be one" (John 17:11 and John 17:22-23). The unity that Christ prayed for is to be for ALL: ALL nations, concerning ALL doctrines of faith and morals, and for ALL ages to come. 1 The unity of the Catholic Church is to be found under one visible head of government and leadership, the Apostolic College with Peter and his successors as its head. (see also CCC 813) The Church is Holy (CCC 867) The true Church of Jesus Christ must have holiness. Holiness in its founder, holiness in its principles, holiness in its members, and holiness in its miracles. The Bible tells us that Jesus prayed for the holiness of His Church, to "Sanctify them" (John 17:17), "consecrated in truth" (John 17:19). Jesus Christ desires that the Church consist of His own sheep who have been purified for Him as an acceptable people (Titus 2:14). However, we must expect that there will be unworthy members in His Church as well. To demonstrate this, Jesus gave us some parables to help in our understanding. In the parable of the sower of seed, Jesus shows us the good and bad dispositions with which various men hear the word of God (Matthew 13:3-8). In the parable of the weeds and the wheat, He said that we must allow both the weeds and the wheat to grow together in the field until it is time for the harvest (Matthew 13:24-30). In another parable, he likened the kingdom of heaven to a net full of good fish and bad fish which will be separated by the angels at the close of the age (Matthew 13:47-50). Jesus also tells the story of the king who saw one of his guests without a wedding garment. When asked how he got there, the man was speechless and the king had him cast into the outer darkness (Matthew 22:11-14). All of these parables point to the fact that there will be both holy and unholy people together in the Church until the final judgment when the unholy members will be cast out (Matthew 7:16-17). Indeed, scandalous crimes have been committed by some members of the Catholic Church. Sometimes these mistakes have involved not only the laity, but also priests, bishops, and on occasion even a pope. These scandals do not prove that the Catholic Church is false, only that the Church contains sinners as well as saints. Paul's words concerning the Jews also applies to Christians. (Romans 3:3-4) (see also 2 Timothy 2:13) The Church is Catholic (CCC 868) The word "catholic", with a small "c", means general or universal, from the Greek word katholikos. "Catholic" comes from the Greek. "Universal" comes from the Latin. They both mean "all". The word "catholic" first occurs in Christian use in the letter of St. Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrnaeans around A.D. 110: "Wheresoever the bishop shall appear, there let the people be, even as where Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church". The Catholic Church consists of a universality in time and in place. There are two elements to the word "universal": 1) all AND one, and, 2) all IN one. The Catholic Church has consistently been the "universal" Church for the past 2,000 years. The Bible tells us that the gospel will continue to be preached throughout the whole world until the end of time (Matthew 24:14), to the whole creation throughout all the world (Mark 16:15), and by the power of the Holy Spirit to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). The Catholic Church (with a capital "C") is catholic (with a small "c") or universal because it consists of "ALL of Christ's teachings to ALL men at ALL times in ALL places." 2 (see also CCC 830-831) The Church is Apostolic (CCC 869) The true Church must always teach the identical doctrines that were originally delivered to it by Peter and the Apostles. Her ministers must derive their powers from the Apostles by an uninterrupted chain of succession and their teachings must be the same as those of Christ's Apostles. "Consequently, no church can claim to be the true one whose doctrines differ from those of the Apostles, or whose ministers are unable to trace, by an unbroken chain, their authority to an Apostolic source; just as our Minister to England can exercise no authority in that country unless he is duly commissioned by our Government and represents its views." 3 We read in the Bible that Peter is the rock upon which Christ will build His Church (Matthew 16:18). Christ knew that Peter would not live until the end of time, so the promise to protect His Church against the powers of death must have been intended to include Peter's successors as well. Jesus commissioned His disciples to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations. He promised that He would be with them always, to the close of the age (Matthew 28:18-20). Again, since He knew that the disciples would not live until the close of the age, this promise must also apply to their successors. The Church was "built upon the foundation of the Apostles" (Ephesians 2:19-22). "Any church claiming to be Christ's own must be able to trace its lineage in unbroken continuity back to the apostles." 4 (see also CCC 857) Mr. Bickmore is in error when he suggests that the Orthodox, Anglican, and Monophysites fall under the umbrella of the Catholic Church. These churches have all cut themselves off from the Catholic Church primarily through their refusal to accept the primacy and authority of the successor to Peter. The following is a brief summary of these three groups and some of the reasons why they cannot be considered in full Communion with the Catholic Church.
Orthodox (Eastern Christians) have a valid sacramental and hierarchical system but are not in full Communion with the Catholic Church (they do not accept the authority of the Pope as the successor of Peter). The Orthodox Church separated from the Catholic Church almost 1,000 years ago in the "Great Schism" of A.D. 1054. Catholic Christians long for the day when we can be reconciled with our Orthodox brothers and sisters and once again have unity between us according to the mind of Christ. The Anglican (Episcopal) churches came about as a result of the King of England, Henry VIII, severing the English ties with the Catholic Church at Rome, primarily because the Pope refused to grant him a divorce with the right to re-marry. The Catholic Church considers Anglican Holy Orders to be invalid. This is based on a papal pronouncement issued by Pope Leo XIII entitled Apostolicae Curae dated September 13, 1896. The New Advent online Catholic Encyclopedia entry for Apostolic Succession also has a good explanation of why the Anglican claim of continuity through the pre-Reformation Church of England to the Catholic Church is not valid. The Monophysites deny that Jesus Christ has two natures, divine and human. Monophysism is a Christological heresy from the fifth-century. It was condemned at the Second Council of Constantinople in A.D. 553. There is, in fact, a "common ground" between the Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We both agree that:
A careful reading of the Early Church Fathers shows that they consistently teach Catholic doctrines throughout their writings. St. Clement talks about the authority as Bishop of Rome and head of the Church. He also describes the Mass as a sacrifice. St. Gregory I writes that there was a progressive revelation until the death of the Apostles. St. Irenaeus indicates that it has not been possible for the body of revelation either to be augmented or diminished since the death of the Apostles. He also speaks about how the Church was handed down from the Apostles to the bishops through succession and that the Church contains the complete tradition of the Scriptures. He tells us they have been guarded against falsification by the Church and her bishops. Tertullian also tells us not to expect any further revelation other than that which has been received through the Church founded by the Apostles. He says that the truths Christ revealed to the Apostles can only be proven through the same Church founded by the Apostles. St. Athanasius writes that the Catholic Church does not invent new doctrine but rather she infallibly defines the doctrine taught by the Apostles. St. John Chrysostom emphasizes the importance of obedience and faith in following the teachings brought to us from the Apostles. St. Vincent of Lerins has some interesting things to say about those who claim they have knowledge of revealed truths other than that which was entrusted to the Church by the Apostles. He also talks about the importance of guarding "what has been committed" against the ingenuity of private revelation put forth by individuals. St. Cyprian of Carthage writes about how the true Church of Christ can be recognized by certain notes such as "One and Catholic". St. Augustine of Hippo also identifies the four marks of the Catholic Church and states emphatically that she cannot be beaten by the gates of hell. In another letter, St. Augustine of Hippo writes about the unity, holiness, authority, and the succession of priests from the Apostle Peter, which can only be found in the Catholic Church. St. Ignatius of Antioch 6 tells the early Christians that they are subject to the bishop as to Jesus Christ; that they are to maintain union with their bishop because they have obtained their ministry through apostolic succession directly from the Lord; and that nothing should be done without the bishop. These and many other writings from the Early Church Fathers overwhelmingly show that there was a unity of belief and organization in the ancient Church. We have no indication of extraordinary concern for a total apostasy of the Church in any of their writings. Quite to the contrary, we see the Church growing and spreading throughout the world, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ just as she has received it directly from the Apostles. This same Gospel has been protected and preserved for the past 2,000 years by the successors to the Apostles, the bishops of the Catholic Church. It is interesting to note that the Apostles are generally listed ahead of the prophets in the New Testament because of their importance above the prophets (1 Corinthians 12:28-29, Ephesians 2:20, Ephesians 3:5, Ephesians 4:11, and Revelations 18:20). Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the prophesies. The final public revelations from God are made known to us through the Apostles, who gave us their writings (the Bible) and their oral teachings (Sacred Traditions), protected and passed down to us through the Church. The bishops of the Catholic Church are nothing less than the legitimate successors of the Apostles. As such, they alone have the authority to teach in His name. In Sacred Scripture (Matthew 7:24-27), we are told that Jesus is like the wise man who built his house (the Church) on a rock (Peter) (Matthew 16:18). In Matthew 18:15-18, Jesus tells us to take disputes involving religious matters to the Church. To understand Christianity one must look first to its founder Jesus Christ. He must have known that the Church would remain true and continue in its existence until the end of time. The Catholic Church has consistently demonstrated strength, stability, and permanence in teaching the truth for the past 2,000 years. If there was a break in the Church on earth through a total apostasy, when exactly did it happen? When did the Church of Jesus Christ cease to exist and when did the Catholic Church come into existence? I would like to conclude with some interesting comments I read in a recent article in This Rock Magazine, published by Catholic Answers, Inc.. The article was taken from the introduction to a book entitled "The Continuity of the Catholic Church", written by Duane G. Hunt, who was appointed as the Catholic bishop of Salt Lake City in 1937. 7 Bishop Hunt wrote that, "Christianity is both visible and invisible, both physical and spiritual, both body and soul". We know through the writings of the Early Church Fathers, as well as non-Christian historians, that the Catholic Church has been physically visible for the past 2,000 years. We also know through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that He will be with His Church spiritually until the end of time. Bishop Hunt went on to say that "continuity is the measure of validity". Only the Catholic Church can claim 2,000 years of continued existence on the earth with authority derived through apostolic succession directly from the Apostles chosen by Jesus Christ. According to Hunt, "every doctrine of the Catholic Church has been denied by some group of persons at some stage in the Church's long history". Despite all of this, she continues to proclaim the fullness of Christianity. She is the Church of the living God, the "pillar and bulwark" (foundation) of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15).
Revised Standard Version (RSV) - Catholic Edition
Sheed, Frank J., Theology for Beginners, (Ann Arbor: Servant Books, 1981), p.110.
Trese, Leo J., The Faith Explained, (Manila: Sinag-Tala Publishers, Inc., 1991), p.131.
Gibbons, James Cardinal, The Faith of Our Fathers, (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 111th Printing, 1980), p.32.
Trese, Leo J., The Faith Explained, (Manila: Sinag-Tala Publishers, Inc., 1991), p.131.
Jurgens, William A., The Faith of the Early Fathers, 3 vols., (Collegeville, Minnesota, The Liturgical Press, 1970-1979)
The Writings of the Early Church Fathers, Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Duane G. Hunt, Introduction to the Continuity of the Catholic Church, quoted in This Rock Magazine, April 1998. For more information about This Rock Magazine, see the Catholic Answers, Inc. web site. "According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled
master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it.
Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can
any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one
builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw
-- each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because
it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each
one has done." A heresy of the fourth century which asserted that the Son of God was not truly divine but created; that He was not eternal but temporal. It is named from its principal proponent, Arius, a priest of Alexandria. He refused the command of his bishop, Alexander, not to advance these novel opinions and was excommunicated by a synod of Egyptian bishops around A.D. 319. Arius tried to gain popular support through his book, Thalia, and from influential bishops, especially Eusebius of Nicomedia. Because of the unrest caused by this conflict Emperor Constantine called, with papal acquiescence, an ecumenical council in Nicaea in 325. The Council Fathers (about three hundred, mostly from the East) read from Arius's Thalia and declared it unacceptable. The formulation of a positive statement of belief which would reject Arian views was more difficult. The key word of the creed adopted, a forerunner of the Creed used at Mass, was homoousios (consubstantialis, one in being or nature). The creed explicitly anathematized those who denied the eternity of the Son or held Him to be of a different nature from the Father. Constantine enthusiastically accepted this statement, following the advice of his theological adviser, Bishop Hosius of Cordoba. The issue was doctrinally settled but continued to be the subject of fierce conflicts for about fifty years. Constantine wavered in his support of Nicaea and after his death (337) the Arian party waged a persistent campaign against the definition. They were supported by Constantius II, sole emperor after 350. St. Athanasius, present at Nicaea as a deacon with his bishop Alexander, succeeded Alexander, became the leader of the Catholic party, and for his efforts was exiled from his see of Alexandria for much of his life. The various factions of Arians formed three major groups: the most extreme, Anomoeans (anomoios, dissimilar) asserted a difference in nature of Father and Son, with only a moral unity; Homoians (homoios, similar) avoided dogmatic precision; and the Homoiousians (homoiousios, similar in nature) or Semi-Arians wanted to stress both similarity and dissimilarity. After 379 the political situation improved and the theological contributions of the Cappadocians led to a new council at Constantinople (381), which reaffirmed Nicaea and taught the consubstantiality of the Holy Spirit. Arianism is treated as a Trinitarian heresy, but its doctrine has Christological implications. The tendency of Alexandrian Christology was to speak of a union in nature rather than a union of natures (i.e., essential rather than personal union). With their neo-Platonic biases against matter, it is natural that they would question how a transcendent Logos can form one entity with matter. Thus Arianism is linked with the earlier subordinationism of Origen and some of the Apologists and with later Apollinarianism and Monophysitism. Reverend Peter M.J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.L. Our Sunday
Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia. Copyright © 1994, Our Sunday Visitor.
"We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker
of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord,
Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God
from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one
in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and
for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit
he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day
he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and
is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to
judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe
in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father
and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He
has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic
Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for
the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen."
The Church is one: she acknowledges one Lord, confesses one
faith, is born of one Baptism, forms only one Body, is given life by the
one Spirit, for the sake of one hope (cf. Eph 4:3-5 "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism,"),
at whose fulfillment all divisions will be overcome. "And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I
must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one
flock, one shepherd." "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down
his life for the sheep." "I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know
me," When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed
my sheep." "And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the
world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which
thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one." "The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them,
that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they
may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent
me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me."
The Church is one because of her source: "the highest exemplar and source of this mystery is the unity, in the Trinity of Persons, of one God, the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit." The Church is one because of her founder: for "the Word made flesh, the prince of peace, reconciled all men to God by the cross, ... restoring the unity of all in one people and one body." The Church is one because of her "soul": "It is the Holy Spirit, dwelling in those who believe and pervading and ruling over the entire Church, who brings about that wonderful communion of the faithful and joins them together so intimately in Christ that he is the principle of the Church's unity." Unity is of the essence of the Church:
universe, one Logos of the universe, and also one Holy Spirit, everywhere one and the same; there is also one virgin become mother, and I should like to call her "Church."
The Church is holy: the Most Holy God is her author; Christ, her bridegroom,
gave himself up to make her holy; the Spirit of holiness gives her life. Since
she still includes sinners, she is "the sinless one made up of sinners." Her
holiness shines in the saints; in Mary she is already all-holy. "Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth." "And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated
in truth." "who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify
for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds." And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out
to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came
and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much
soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but
when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered
away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold,
some sixty, some thirty." Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may
be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping,
his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. So when the
plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants
of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in
your field? How then has it weeds?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'
The servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But
he said, 'No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with
them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will
tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned,
but gather the wheat into my barn.' " "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the
sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and
sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad.
So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate
the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there
men will weep and gnash their teeth." "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man
who had no wedding garment; and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in
here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless.
Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and cast him
into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.' For many
are called, but few are chosen." "You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns,
or figs from thistles? So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree
bears evil fruit." What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness
of God? By no means! Let God be true though every man be false, as it is written, "That
thou mayest be justified in thy words, and prevail when thou art judged." "if we are faithless, he remains faithful -- for he cannot deny himself."
The Church is catholic: she proclaims the fullness of the faith. She bears
in herself and administers the totality of the means of salvation. She is sent
out to all peoples. She speaks to all men. She encompasses all times. She is "missionary of her very nature". "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole
world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come." And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to
the whole creation." "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Sama'ria and
to the end of the earth."
The word "catholic" means "universal," in the sense of "according to the totality" or "in keeping with the whole." The Church is catholic in a double sense: First, the Church is catholic because Christ is present in her. "Where there is Christ Jesus, there is the Catholic Church." In her subsists the fullness of Christ's body united with its head; this implies that she receives from him "the fullness of the means of salvation" which he has willed: correct and complete confession of faith, full sacramental life, and ordained ministry in apostolic succession. The Church was, in this fundamental sense, catholic on the day of Pentecost and will always be so until the day of the Parousia. Secondly, the Church is catholic because she has been sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole of the human race:
This People, therefore, while remaining one and only one, is to be spread throughout the whole world and to all ages in order that the design of God's will may be fulfilled: he made human nature one in the beginning and has decreed that all his children who were scattered should be finally gathered together as one.... The character of universality which adorns the People of God is a gift from the Lord himself whereby the Catholic Church ceaselessly and efficaciously seeks for the return of all humanity and all its goods, under Christ the Head in the unity of his Spirit.
The Church is apostolic. She is built on a lasting foundation: "the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev 21:14 - "And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."). She is indestructible (cf. Mt 16:18 - "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.").
She is upheld infallibly in the truth: Christ governs her through Peter and
the other apostles, who are present in their successors, the Pope and the college
of bishops. "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,
and the powers of death shall not prevail against it." And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always,
to the close of the age." "So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow
citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple
in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God
in the Spirit."
The Church is apostolic because she is founded on the apostles, in three ways:
That body of Eastern Christian believers identified as possessing and maintaining a valid sacramental and hierarchical system but separated from full Communion with the Catholic Church by remaining independent of the Pope. Orthodoxy as a theological construct surfaced with the decisions of the early ecumenical councils, primarily Nicaea I (325), Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon (451), to distinguish Churches that accepted true teaching (orthodoxy) from the believers of false doctrine (heresy). The definitive date on which most historians agree marks the separation of the Orthodox and (Roman) Catholic Churches is July 16, 1054, when Cardinal Humbert, the head of a papal delegation in Constantinople, placed a document of excommunication on the altar of Hagia Sophia, the cathedral church of Constantinople. The official reasons for this were the removal of the filioque from the Creed; the practice of married clergy and some liturgical errors (for example, the use of leavened instead of unleavened bread for the Eucharist). This historic act resulted in a schism between the Eastern and Western Churches which still exists. A symbolic gesture of reconciliation by the late Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I in 1966 lifting the anathemas of 1054 occurred and has advanced ecumenical dialogue. The patriarch of Constantinople remains the acknowledged, honored head of Orthodoxy, while for all practical purposes the Orthodox Church is now distinguished along national lines with many autonomous Churches. One can thus speak of the Greek, Russian, Bulgarian, Rumanian, Albanian, Ukrainian and Syrian Orthodox Churches, among many others. Some important differences between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches include the acceptance by the Orthodox of only the first seven ecumenical councils, their rejection of any single supreme head of the Church, the remarriage of divorced individuals and the questioning of such Catholic dogmas as purgatory, papal infallibility and the Immaculate Conception. There is a great richness of forms of the spiritual life in the Orthodox Church, exemplified in its monasticism and in its concept of complete renunciation of the life of this present world. Mysticism of the highest order marks the spiritual theology of the Orthodox. An important common element between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches is a shared and abiding love of the Mother of God.
Reverend Peter M.J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.L. Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1994, Our Sunday Visitor. The Anglican Church is not synonymous with "The Church of England" but is an organization of many member churches which form the worldwide Anglican Communion. In places where the British Empire once held sway, the Anglican Church was formerly the established church. The Anglican Church of Canada, the Anglican Church of Hong Kong and the Anglican Church of South Africa are examples. Today, the Anglican Church is still the state or government-supported Church in England and is popularly referred to as "The C of E" (The Church of England). The separation from the Roman Catholic Church began in the sixteenth century, when King Henry VIII declared himself head of the church and rejected papal claims to universal spiritual jurisdiction. Anglican doctrine has always been comprehensive, for historical reasons. After the time of Henry VIII, doctrine swayed back and forth between Calvinistic positions and more moderate, even Catholic ones. The Book of Common Prayer, or Prayer Book, has always been a focus for Anglican worship and it underwent various revisions in the sixteenth century and in the twentieth century. Traditionalist Anglicans in the twentieth century prefer the 1928 version, opposing emendations brought in during the 1960s. This is perhaps more for the question of language than for the content. The official version for the United States was adopted in 1979. The British monarch no longer has supreme authority as such in spiritual matters in the Anglican Church. The monarch and parliament have a legal relationship of governorship over the church in the United Kingdom. Supreme authority is to be found in the General Synod of the Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the nominal or symbolic head of the Anglican Churches, even though he has no power to enforce binding doctrine or moral practice. After the American Revolution, the church became known as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA), later simplified by dropping the word "Protestant" (ECUSA). However, as late as 1990 the "President's church" in Washington, D.C., St. John's, continued to show the words "Protestant Episcopal" on its outdoor advertisement. Symbolically, the Oxford Movement began July 14, 1833. This intellectual "renaissance" produced ferment in the Anglican Church. Some Anglicans, such as John Henry Newman, joined the Roman Catholic Church as a result. Others, notably Edward Pusey and John Keble, remained Anglicans and were content with the Branch Theory. This was an ecclesiology which held that there were equal sister churches - Roman, Greek and English - which could all be considered "Catholic." The divisions since 1054 were not regarded as touching the essence of catholicity. From the Oxford Movement's influence there finally crystallized three principal schools of thought within Anglicanism. They are still popularly known as the "high," the "low," and the "broad" churches. The high church was originally an emphasis on the authority of the bishop and the church as an institution; later, this group was identified with solemn ritual and pageantry. The low church was evangelical and its theological roots were Calvinistic. The broad church became a kind of vague description for Anglicans who were middle-of-the-road and considered themselves rather all-embracing and tolerant. Perhaps the most famous Anglican apologist of our time was Clive Staples Lewis, who died November 22, 1963. His defense of Christianity continues to influence the English-speaking world. But the cultural climate which developed after his death proved devastating to Anglicanism in England and North America, especially in terms of moral erosion. Already in 1930 the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops had approved of artificial contraception within Christian marriage. Sixty years later, some Anglican clergy were openly espousing sterilization, abortion, divorce, euthanasia and homosexuality. The ordination of women recently has been perhaps the most controversial issue in the Anglican Communion. In 1975, the first women were ordained to the Episcopal priestly ministry in the United States. Later, Barbara Harris was ordained the first Episcopal female bishop as suffragan to the bishop of Massachusetts. These ordinations have caused schisms of varying proportions and ecumenical friction with the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox. The Continuing Anglican Movement was formed after 1975 and other groups have reorganized themselves to try to remain Anglican without approving of the actions of the main body. One such group, the Episcopal Synod of America, was formed when two thousand persons met in Fort Worth in June of 1989. This organization was concerned about the inroads made by radical feminism into the church's liturgy and theology. Official sources admit that in the United States alone the Episcopal Church has lost at least a quarter of a million adherents in the second half of the twentieth century. It has also been indicated that more former Roman Catholics (clergy and laity) join the Anglican Communion than vice versa. Vitality in the Anglican Church today is evidenced principally by two facts. The "low" or evangelical church, which at times resembles Fundamentalism, has a coherent morality and a clear doctrinal program. It is thriving in the First World, though remains relatively small alongside other evangelical or fundamentalist denominations. In the Third World, the Anglican churches in the developing nations of Asia and Africa, remnants of the colonial past, are alive and prospering. Observers have noted that today there are more non-white Anglican bishops than white ones, the most famous being Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Cape Town, South Africa.
Reverend Peter M.J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.L. Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1994, Our Sunday Visitor. The validity of Holy Orders in the Anglican Church was a disputed question among Catholics for centuries until it was settled by Pope Leo XIII in the papal pronouncement entitled Apostolicae Curae (September 13, 1896). With that decree, the Pope declared that Anglican orders were considered invalid for two basic reasons: defect in the form of the Rite of Ordination and defect in the intention of the ordaining bishop. At the present time this pronouncement is still in force.
Reverend Peter M.J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.L. Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1994, Our Sunday Visitor.
This fifth-century Christological heresy has been attributed to Eutyches, but it probably had many contributors. It repudiated the two natures of Christ as expounded by the Council of Chalcedon, holding instead that Christ had but one composite nature. While a case can be made that the original dispute was perhaps merely terminological, the Monophysites became schismatic when they rejected the authority of councils to formulate any doctrine which was contrary to their thinking on the matter. Following their condemnation at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553, their formal sect fell into decline, although Monophysite sentiment lingered for nearly one thousand years, especially in the East.
Reverend Peter M.J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.L. Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1994, Our Sunday Visitor. "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth;
for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak,
and he will declare to you the things that are to come." Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is
like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is
the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs
and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its
branches." He (Eli'jah) said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." And the LORD said to him, "Go,
return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, you
shall anoint Haz'ael to be king over Syria; and Jehu the son of Nimshi you
shall anoint to be king over Israel; and Eli'sha the son of Shaphat of A'bel-meho'lah
you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And him who escapes from the
sword of Haz'ael shall Jehu slay; and him who escapes from the sword of Jehu
shall Eli'sha slay. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees
that have not bowed to Ba'al, and every mouth that has not kissed him."
The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zeb'edee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Simon whom he surnamed Peter; James the son of Zeb'edee and John the brother of James, whom he surnamed Bo-aner'ges, that is, sons of thunder; Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Then he went home;
And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles; Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.
For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his habitation become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it'; and 'His office let another take.' So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us -- one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.
Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic utterance when the council of elders laid their hands upon you.
Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands;
until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus;
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
From the beginning until "the fullness of time," the joint mission of the Father's Word and Spirit remains hidden, but it is at work. God's Spirit prepares for the time of the Messiah. Neither is fully revealed but both are already promised, to be watched for and welcomed at their manifestation. So, for this reason, when the Church reads the Old Testament, she searches there for what the
Spirit, "who has spoken through the prophets, wants to tell us about Christ.
What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
717 "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John." John was "filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb" by
Christ himself, whom the Virgin Mary had just conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Mary's visitation to Elizabeth thus became a visit from God to his people.
The word "Christ" comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew Messiah, which means "anointed." It became the name proper to Jesus only because he accomplished perfectly the divine mission that "Christ" signifies.
In effect, in Israel those consecrated to God for a mission that he gave were
anointed in his name. This was the case for kings, for priests and, in rare
instances, for prophets. This had to be the case all the more so for the Messiah
whom God would send to inaugurate his kingdom definitively. It was necessary
that the Messiah be anointed by the Spirit of the Lord at once as king and
priest, and also as prophet. Jesus fulfilled the messianic hope of Israel in
his threefold office of priest, prophet, and king.
65 "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son." Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father's one, perfect, and unsurpassable Word. In him he has said everything; there will be no other word than this one. St. John of the Cross, among others, commented strikingly on Hebrews 1:1-2:
66 "The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ." Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries. 67 Throughout the ages, there have been so-called "private" revelations,
some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do
not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve
or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by
it in a certain period of history. Guided by the magisterium of the Church,
the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations
whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.
God has revealed himself fully by sending his own Son, in whom he has established his covenant for ever. The Son is his Father's definitive Word; so there will be no further Revelation after him.
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it; that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
Everything that I command you you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to it or take from it.
I warn every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,
and if any one takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God. And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of a great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away. And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men. Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God. And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest -- because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God -- because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.
My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong) -- and which I should join. I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: "They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof."
We must recognize that the knowledge had by our spiritual fathers increased with the passage of time. For Moses was more learned in the knowledge of Almighty God than Abraham was, the Prophets more than Moses, and the Apostles more than the Prophets. If I do not err, the Scripture itself says: "Many shall pass over, and knowledge shall be manifold" (Daniel 12:4)
The preaching of the Church truly continues without change and is everywhere the same, and has the testimony of the Prophets and the Apostles and all their disciples. ... That in which we have faith is a firm system directed to the salvation of men; and, since it has been received by the Church, we guard it. Constantly it has its youth renewed by the Spirit of God, as if it were some precious deposit in an excellent vessel; and it causes the vessel containing it also to be rejuvenated. ... In the Church, God has placed apostles, prophets and doctors, and all the other means through which the Spirit works; in all of which none have any part who do not conform to the Church. On the contrary, they defraud themselves of life by their wicked opinion and most wretched behavior. For where the Church is, there is the Spirit of God; and where the Spirit of God, there the Church and every grace. The Spirit, however, is Truth.
The true gnosis is the doctrine of the Apostles, and the ancient organization of the Church throughout the whole world, and the manifestation of the body of Christ according to the successions of bishops, by which successions the bishops have handed down the Church which is found everywhere; and the very complete tradition of the Scriptures, which have come down to us by being guarded against falsification, and which are received without addition or deletion; and reading without falsification, and a legitimate and diligent exposition according to the Scriptures, without danger and without blasphemy; and the pre-eminent gift of love, which is more precious than knowledge, more glorious than prophecy, and more honored than all the other charismatic gifts.
From this, then, we draw up our demurrer: if the Lord Jesus Christ sent the Apostles to preach, no others ought to be received except those appointed by Christ. For no one knows the Father except the Son, and him to whom the Son gives a revelation. Nor does it seem that the Son has given revelation to any others than the Apostles, whom He sent forth to preach what He had revealed to them. But what they preached, that is, what Christ had revealed to them - and here again I must enter a demurrer - can be proved in no other way except through the same Churches which the Apostles founded, preaching in them themselves viva voce as they say, and afterwards by their Epistles. If these things are so, then it follows that all doctrine which agrees with the apostolic Churches, those nurseries and original depositories of the faith, must be regarded as truth, and as undoubtedly constituting what the Churches received from the Apostles, what the Apostles received from Christ, and what Christ received from God. And indeed, every doctrine must be prejudged as false, if it smells of anything contrary to the truth of the Churches and of the Apostles of Christ and God. It remains, then for us to demonstrate whether this doctrine of ours, of which we gave the rule above, accords with the tradition of the Apostles, in which case all other doctrines proceed from falsehood. We communicate with the apostolic Churches because there is no diversity of doctrine: this is the witness of truth.
[The Fathers of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea], without prefixing consulate, month, and day, wrote concerning Easter: "The following has been decided." And it was at that time decided that all should comply. But concerning matters of faith, they did not write: "It has been decided," but "Thus the Catholic Church believes." And thereupon they confessed how they believed. This they did in order to show that their judgment was not of more recent origin, but was in fact of Apostolic times; and that what they wrote was no discovery of their own, but is simply that which was taught by the Apostles.
Faith, therefore, is unhesitating assent, in the fullest conviction of their truth, to the things heard in what is, by God's grace, proclaims. ... Plainly it is a falling away from faith and an offense chargeable to pride, either to reject any of those things that are written or to introduce things that are not written.
"Through whom we have received grace and Apostleship for obedience unto faith." (Romans 1:5) He does not say "for questioning and reasoning," but "for obedience." We were not sent, he says, to argue, but to give what was entrusted into our hands. For when the Master makes some declaration, those who hear are not to bluster about and be meddlesome about what is told them; they have only to accept it. It was for this reason that the Apostles were sent; to tell what they had heard, not to add to it anything of their own; and that we, for our part, should believe.
To announce, therefore, to Catholic Christians something other than that which they have received has never been permitted, is nowhere permitted, and never will be permitted. And to anathematize those who announce anything other than that which has been received once and for all has never been unnecessary, is nowhere unnecessary, and never will be unnecessary.
"Guard," he says, "what has been committed." (1 Timothy 6:20) What does it mean, "what has been committed"? It is what has been faithfully entrusted to you, not what has been discovered by you; what you have received, not what you have thought up; a matter not of ingenuity, but of doctrine; not of private acquisition, but of public Tradition; a matter brought to you, not put forth by you, in which you must be not the author but the guardian, not the founder but the sharer, not the leader, but the follower. "Guard," he says, "what has been committed." Keep the talent of the Catholic Faith inviolate and unimpaired. What has been faithfully entrusted, let it remain in your possession, let it be handed on by you. You have received gold, so give gold. For my part I do not want you to substitute one thing for another; I do not want you impudently to put lead in place of gold, or, fraudulently, brass. I do not want the appearance of gold, but the real thing. O Timothy, O priest, O interpreter, O teacher, if a divine gift has made you suitable in genius, in experience, in doctrine to be the Beseleel of the spiritual tabernacle, cut out the precious gems of divine dogma, shape them faithfully, ornament them wisely, add splendor, grace and beauty to them! By your expounding it, may that now be understood more clearly which formerly was believed even in its obscurity. May posterity, by means of you, rejoice in understanding what in times past was venerated without understanding. Nevertheless, teach the same that you have learned, so that if you say something anew, it is not something new that you say.
You have written also that on my account the Church now has
a portion of itself in a state of dispersion. In truth, the whole people
of the Church are collected together and made one and joined to each other
in an indivisible harmony. They alone have remained outside who, were they
within, would have to be ejected. ... And the Lord too, in the Gospel, when the disciples abandoned Him while He was speaking, turned to the twelve and said, "And do you too wish to go away?" Peter answered Him, saying, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the word of eternal life: and we believe and know that you are the Son of the Living God." (John
6:68-70)
This Church is holy, the one Church, the true Church, the Catholic Church, fighting as she does against all heresies. She can fight, but she cannot be beaten. All heresies are expelled from her, like the useless loppings pruned from a vine. She remains fixed in her root, in her vine, in her love. The gates of hell shall not conquer her. (Matthew 16:18)
In the Catholic Church, not to speak of that purest wisdom, to the knowledge of which a few spiritual men attain in this life, in such a way that, in its least part only, for they are but men, they know it without any doubting, while the rest of the multitude finds its greatest safety not in lively understanding but in the simplicity of believing, - not to speak, I say, of that wisdom which you do not believe is present in the Catholic Church, there are many other things which, most properly, can keep me in her bosom. The unanimity of peoples and nations keeps me here. Her authority, inaugurated in miracles, nourished by hope, augmented by love, and confirmed by her age, keeps me here. The succession of priests, from the very see of the Apostle Peter, to whom our Lord, after His resurrection, gave the charge of feeding His sheep, up to the present episcopate, keeps me here. And at last, the very name of Catholic, which, not without reason, belongs to this Church alone, in the face of so many heretics, so much so that, although all heretics want to be called Catholic, when a stranger inquires where the Catholic Church meets, none of the heretics would dare to point out his own basilica or house.
The Apostles received the gospel for us from the Lord Jesus
Christ; and Jesus Christ was sent from God. Christ, therefore, is from God,
and the Apostles are from Christ. Both of these orderly arrangements, then,
are by God's will. Receiving their instructions and being full of confidence
on account of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and confirmed in
faith by the word of God, they went forth in the complete assurance of the
Holy Spirit, preaching the good news that the Kingdom of God is coming. Through
countryside and city they preached; and they appointed their earliest converts,
testing them by the spirit, to be the bishops and deacons of future believers.
Nor was this a novelty: for bishops and deacons had been written about a
long time earlier. Indeed, Scripture somewhere says: "I will set up
their bishops in righteousness and their deacons in faith."
Chapter II. - Be Subject to the Bishop, Etc.
For, since ye are subject to the bishop as to Jesus Christ, ye appear to me to live not after the manner of men, but according to Jesus Christ, who died for us, in order, by believing in His death, ye may escape from death. It is therefore necessary that, as ye indeed do, so without the bishop ye should do nothing, but should also be subject to the presbytery, as to the apostle of Jesus Christ, who is our hope, in whom, if we live, we shall [at last] be found. It is fitting also that the deacons, as being [the ministers] of the mysteries of Jesus Christ, should in every respect be pleasing to all. For they are not ministers of meat and drink, but servants of the Church of God. They are bound, therefore, to avoid all grounds of accusation [against them], as they would do fire. Chapter III. - Honour the Deacons, Etc.
In like manner, let all reverence the deacons as an appointment of Jesus Christ, and the bishop as Jesus Christ, who is the Son of the Father, and the presbyters as the sanhedrin of God, and assembly of the apostles. Apart from these, there is no Church. Concerning all this, I am persuaded that ye are of the same opinion. For I have received the manifestation of your love, and still have it with me, in your bishop, whose very appearance is highly instructive, and his meekness of itself a power; whom I imagine even the ungodly must reverence, seeing they are also pleased that I do not spare myself. But shall I, when permitted to write on this point, reach such a height of self-esteem, that though being a condemned man, I should issue commands to you as if I were an apostle? Roberts, Alexander and Donaldson, James, Ante-Nicene Fathers: Volume I, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1997.
Chapter I. - Praise of the Bishop. Which bishop, I know, obtained the ministry which pertains to the common [weal], not of himself, neither by men, nor through vainglory, but by the love of God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ; at whose meekness I am struck with admiration, and who by his silence is able to accomplish more than those who vainly talk. For he is in harmony with the commandments [of God], even as the harp is with its strings. Wherefore my soul declares his mind towards God a happy one, knowing it to be virtuous and perfect, and that his stability as well as freedom from all anger is after the example of the infinite meekness of the living God. Chapter II. - Maintain Union with the Bishop. Wherefore, as children of light and truth, flee from division and wicked doctrines; but where the shepherd is, there do ye as sheep follow. For there are many wolves that appear worthy of credit, who, by means of a pernicious pleasure, carry captive those that are running towards God; but in your unity they shall have no place. Chapter III. - Avoid Schismatics. Keep yourselves from those evil plants which Jesus Christ does not tend, because they are not the planting of the Father. Not that I have found any division among you, but exceeding purity. For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ are also with the bishop. And as many as shall, in the exercise of repentance, return into the unity of the Church, these, too, shall belong to God, that they may live according to Jesus Christ. Do not err, my brethren. If any man follows him that makes a schism in the Church, he shall not inherit the kingdom of God. If any one walks according to a strange opinion, he agrees not with the passion [of Christ.]. Roberts, Alexander and Donaldson, James, Ante-Nicene Fathers: Volume I, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1997.
Chapter VIII. - Let Nothing Be Done Without the Bishop. See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the presbytery as ye would the apostles; and reverence the deacons, as being the institution of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything that is done may be secure and valid. Roberts, Alexander and Donaldson, James, Ante-Nicene Fathers: Volume I, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1997.
Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.
And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her! [Back to the Previous Page] [HOME] * [Catholicism]
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