Catholics contend that the whole world is indebted to the Roman
Catholic church for the existence of the Bible. This is another of their
attempts to exalt the church as an authority in addition to the Bible.
Please notice the following from Catholic sources:
- "If she had not scrutinized carefully the writings of her children,
rejecting some and approving others as worthy of inclusion in the
canon of the New Testament, there would be no New Testament today.
- "If she had not declared the books composing the New Testament to be inspired word of God, we would not know it.
- "The only authority which non-Catholics have for the inspiration of the Scriptures is the authority of the Catholic Church." (The Faith of Millions, p. 145)
- "It is only by the divine authority of the Catholic Church that
Christians know that the scripture is the word of God, and what books
certainly belong to the Bible." (The Question Box, p. 46)
- "It was the Catholic Church and no other which selected and listed
the inspired books of both the Old Testament and the New Testament...If
you can accept the Bible or any part of it as inspired Word of God, you
can do so only because the Catholic Church says it is." (The Bible is a Catholic Book, p. 4).
The Catholic writers quoted above state that one can accept the Bible
as being inspired and as having authority only on the basis of the
Catholic Church. In reality, the Bible is inspired and has authority,
not because a church declared it so, but because God made it so. God
delivered it by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and declared that it
would abide forever. "All scripture is inspired of God..." (2 Tim.
3:16). "...Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
(2 Pet. 1:21). "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not
pass away." (Matt. 24:35). "The grass withered, and the flower has
fallen--but the word of the Lord endures forever." (1 Pet. 1:24-25). The
Catholics are wrong, therefore, in their assumption that the Bible is
authoritative only because of the Catholic Church. The Bible does not
owe its existence to the Catholic Church, but to the authority, power
and providence of God.
It would seem unnecessary for the Catholic Church to make the boastful
claim of giving the Bible to the world when both it and so-called
Protestantism accept the Bible as a revelation from God. However, it is
an attempt to weaken the Bible as the sole authority and to replace it
with their man-made church. If it is true that we can accept the Bible
only on the basis of the Catholic Church, doesn't that make the
Catholic Church superior to the Bible? This is exactly what Catholic
officials want men to believe. Their only problem is that their
doctrine comes from their own human reasoning rather than from God.
Their logic is a classic example of their "circle reasoning." They try
to prove the Bible by the church (can accept the Bible only on the basis
of the Catholic Church) and prove the church by the Bible ("has ever
grounded her doctrines upon it"). Such is absurd reasoning which proves
nothing. Either the New Testament is the sole authority or it is not.
If it is the New Testament, it cannot be the church, and if it is the
church, it cannot be the New Testament.
Notice, again, the following from Catholic sources:
- "Because it never was a Bible, till the infallible Church
pronounced it to be so. The separate treatises, each of them inspired,
were lying, as it were dispersedly; easy to confound with others, that
were uninspired. The Church gathered them up, selected them, pronounced
judgment on them; rejecting some, which she defined and declared not to
be canonical, because not inspired; adopting others as being inspired,
and therefore canonical." (What Is the Bible? p. 6).
- "And since the books of the Bible constituting both the Old and the
New Testament were determined solely by the authority of the Catholic
Church, without the Church there would have been no Bible, and hence no
Protestantism." (The Faith of Millions, p. 10).
In addition to the above, Catholics often boast that the Bible was
written by Catholics, e.g., "All the books of the New Testament were
written by Catholics." (
The Bible is a Catholic Book, p. 14).
When we consider the word "catholic" as meaning "universal," we readily
admit that the writers were "catholic" in that sense; they were
members of the church universal--the church of Christ which is described
in the New Testament Scriptures (Col. 1:18; Rom. 16:16). However, we
firmly deny that the writers of the New Testament were members of the
Roman Catholic Church as we know it today. The Roman Catholic Church was
not fully developed until several hundred years after the New
Testament was written. It is not the same institution as disclosed in
the New Testament. The New Testament books were written by members of
the Lord's church, but they are not its author. God Himself is the
author of the New Testament.
The Catholic officials above claim that without the Catholic Church
there would be no Bible; they argue that mankind can accept the
Scriptures only on the basis of the Catholic Church which gathered the
books and determined which were inspired.
Surely the Catholic Church
cannot claim that it gave us the Old Testament Scriptures. The Old
Testament came through the Jews (God's chosen people of old) who had the
holy oracles entrusted to them. Paul said, "What advantage then
remains to the Jew, or what is the use of circumcision? Much in every
respect. First, indeed, because the oracles of God were entrusted to
them." (Rom. 3:1-2; see also Rom. 9:4-5; Acts 7:38).
The Old Testament books were gathered into one volume and were
translated from Hebrew into Greek long before Christ came to earth. The
Septuagint Version
was translated by seventy scholars at Alexandria, Egypt around the
year 227 B.C., and this was the version Christ and His apostles used.
Christ did not tell the people, as Catholics do today, that they could
accept the Scriptures only on the basis of the authority of those who
gathered them and declared them to be inspired. He urged the people of
His day to follow the Old Testament Scriptures as the infallible guide,
not because man or any group of men has sanctioned them as such, but
because they came from God. Furthermore, He understood that God-fearing
men and women would be able to discern by evidence (external and
internal) which books were of God and which were not; thus, He never
raised questions and doubts concerning the gathering of the inspired
books.
If the Bible is a Catholic book, why does it nowhere mention the
Catholic Church? Why is there no mention of a pope, a cardinal, an
archbishop, a parish priest, a nun, or a member of any other Catholic
order? If the Bible is a Catholic book, why is auricular confession,
indulgences, prayers to the saints, adoration of Mary, veneration of
relics and images, and many other rites and ceremonies of the Catholic
Church, left out of it?
If the Bible is a Catholic book, how can Catholics account for the
passage, "A bishop then, must be blameless, married but once, reserved,
prudent, of good conduct, hospitable, a teacher...He should rule well
his own household, keeping his children under control and perfectly
respectful. For if a man cannot rule his own household, how is he to
take care of the church of God?" (1 Tim. 3:2, 4-5). The Catholic Church
does not allow a bishop to marry, while the Bible says "he must be
married." Furthermore, if the Bible is a Catholic book, why did they
write the Bible as it is, and feel the necessity of putting footnotes at
the bottom of the page in effort to keep their subject from believing
what is in the text?
The following list give a summation of what we have been trying to emphasize. If the Bible is a Catholic book,
- 1. Why does it condemn clerical dress? (Matt. 23:5-6).
- 2. Why does it teach against the adoration of Mary? (Luke 11:27-28).
- 3. Why does it show that all Christians are priests? (1 Pet. 2:5,9).
- 4. Why does it condemn the observance of special days? (Gal. 4:9-11).
- 5. Why does it teach that all Christians are saints? (1 Cor. 1:2).
- 6. Why does it condemn the making and adoration of images? (Ex. 20:4-5).
- 7. Why does it teach that baptism is immersion instead of pouring? (Col. 2:12).
- 8. Why does it forbid us to address religious leaders as "father"? (Matt. 23:9).
- 9. Why does it teach that Christ is the only foundation and not the apostle Peter? (1 Cor. 3:11).
- 10. Why does it teach that there is one mediator instead of many? (1 Tim. 2:5).
- 11. Why does it teach that a bishop must be a married man? (1 Tim. 3:2, 4-5).
- 12. Why is it opposed to the primacy of Peter? (Luke 22:24-27).
- 13. Why does it oppose the idea of purgatory? (Luke 16:26).
- 14. Why is it completely silent about infant baptism, instrumental
music in worship, indulgences, confession to priests, the rosary, the
mass, and many other things in the Catholic Church?
Please notice further quotes from Catholic sources:
- "During those early times parts of the Bible were scattered among
the various churches, no one of which had the complete Bible as we have
it now. Then in A.D. 390, at the Council of Hippo, the Catholic Church
gathered together the various books which claimed to be scripture,
passed on the merits and claims of each and this council decided which
were inspired and which were not. The Catholic Church put all the
inspired books and epistles together in one volume and THAT is the
Bible as we have it today. The Catholic Church therefore gave to the
people and the World, the Bible as we have it today." (From a magazine
advertisement published by the Knights of Columbus bearing the title, "Who Gave the Bible to the People?"
- "It was not until the Council of Hippo in 390 that the Church
gathered these gospels and epistles, scattered about in different
churches, and placed them within the covers of a single book, giving the
Bible to the world." (The Faith of Millions, p. 152).
- "Indeed, when you accept the Bible as the Word of God, you are
obliged to receive it on the authority of the Catholic Church, who was
the sole Guardian of the Scriptures for fifteen hundred years." (The Faith of Our Fathers, p. 68).
-
- "When were all these writings put together? The Catholic Church put all of them in one book between the years 350 and 405." (A Catechism for Adults, p. 10).
Thus, Catholics argue that since the Council of Hippo in 390 A.D.
proclaimed which books were actually inspired and placed them in one
volume, all are indebted to the Catholic Church for the New Testament
and can accept it only on the authority of the Catholic Church. There
are several things wrong with this. First, it cannot be proven that the
church which held the Council of Hippo in 390 A.D. was the same church
which is now known as the Roman Catholic Church. For example, the
church of 390 had no crucifixes and images because, "The first mention
of Crucifixes are in the sixth century" and "The whole tradition of
veneration holy images gradually and naturally developed" (
Catholic Encyclopedia,
Vol. VII, p. 667). The church of 390 took communion under both kinds
because that was the prevailing practice until it was formally abolished
in 1416 A.D. (See
Lives and Times of the Roman Pontiffs, Vol. I, p. 111). The church of 390 was a church altogether different from the Roman Catholic Church today.
Furthermore, in the proceedings of the Council of Hippo, the bishops
did not mention nor give the slightest hint that they were for the first
time "officially" cataloging the books of he Bible for the world. It
was not until the fourth session of the Council of Trent (1545-1563)
that the bishops and high ranking officials of the Catholic Church
"officially" cataloged the books they thought should be included in the
Bible and bound them upon the consciences of all Catholics. (See
Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, pp. 17-18).
Secondly, God did not give councils the authority to select His sacred
books, nor does He expect men to receive His sacred books only because
of councils or on the basis of councils. It takes no vote or sanction
of a council to make the books of the Bible authoritative. Men were
able to rightly discern which books were inspired before the existence
of ecclesiastical councils and men can do so today. A council of men in
390 with no divine authority whatever, supposedly took upon itself the
right to state which books were inspired, and Catholics argue, "We can
accept the Bible only on the authority of the Catholic Church." Can we
follow such reasoning?
Thirdly, it cannot be proven that the Catholic Church is solely
responsible for the gathering and selection of the New Testament books.
In fact, it can be shown that the New Testament books were gathered
into one volume and were in circulation long before the Catholic Church
claims to have taken its action in 390 at the council of Hippo. In the
following we list some of the catalogues of the books of the Bible
which are given by early Christian writers.
- 326. Athanasius, bishop at Alexandria, mentions all of the New Testament books.
- 315-386. Cyril, bishop at Jerusalem, gives a list of all New Testament books except Revelation.
- 270. Eusebius, bishop at Caesarea, called the Father of
ecclesiastical history, gives an account of the persecution of Emperor
Diocletian whose edict required that all churches be destroyed and the
Scriptures burned. He lists all the books of the New Testament. He was
commissioned by Constantine to have transcribed fifty copies of the
Bible for use of the churches of Constantinople.
- 185-254. Origen, born at Alexandria, names all the books of both the Old and New Testaments.
- 165-220. Clement, of Alexandria, names all the books of the New
Testament except Philemon, James, 2 Peter and 3 John. In addition we are
told by Eusebius, who had the works of Clement, that he gave
explanations and quotations from all the canonical books.
- 160-240. Turtullian, contemporary of Origen and Clement, mentions all the New Testament books except 2 Peter, James and 2 John.
- 135-200. Irenaeus, quoted from all New Testament books except Philemon, Jude, James and 3 John.
- 100-147. Justin Martyr, mentions the Gospels as being four in number
and quotes from them and some of the epistles of Paul and Revelation.
- Besides the above, the early church fathers have handed down in
their writings quotations from all the New Testament books so much so
that it is said that the entire New Testament can be reproduced from
their writings alone.
Thus, the New Testament books were in existence in their present form
at the close of the apostolic age. As a matter of fact, the apostles
themselves put their writings into circulation. "And when this letter
has been read among you, see that it be read in the church of the
Laodiceans also; and that you yourselves read the letter from Laodicea."
(Col. 4:16). "I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to
all the holy brethren." (1 Thess. 5:27). The holy Scriptures were
written for all (1 Cor. 1:2; Eph. 1:1) and all will be judged by them
in the last day (Rev. 20:12; John 12:48). Jesus said that His Word will
abide forever (Matt. 24:35; 1 Pet. 1:23-25).
Fourthly, the Catholic claim of giving the Bible to the world cannot be
true because they have not been the sole possessor of the Bible at any
time. Some of the most valuable Greek Bibles and Versions have been
handed down to us from non-Roman Catholic sources. A notable example of
this is the
Codex Sinaiticus which was found in the monastery
of St. Catherine (of the Greek Orthodox Church) at Mount Sinai in 1844
and is now in the British Museum. It contains all of the books of the
New Testament and all but small portions of the Old Testament. Scholars
are certain that this manuscript was made early in the fourth century,
not later than 350 A.D. This manuscript found by a German scholar
named, Tishendorf, who was a Protestant, and this manuscript which is
the most complete of all has never been in the hands of the Roman
Catholic Church.
Another valuable manuscript that has never been possessed by the Roman Catholic Church is the
Codex Alexandrianus.
It, too, is now on exhibit in the manuscript room of the British
Museum in London. It was a gift from the Patriarch of Constantinople
(of the Greek Orthodox Church) to Charles I in 1628. It had been in
possession of the Patriarchs for centuries and originally came from
Alexandria, Egypt from which it gets its name. Scholars are certain
that this manuscript was also made in the fourth century and, along
with the
Codex Sinaiticus, is thought to be one of the fifty Greek Bibles commissioned to be copied by Constantine.
In the light of the foregoing, the boastful claim of the Roman Catholic
Church that it has been the sole guardian and preserver of the sacred
Scriptures down to the present, is nothing but pure falsehood. The
Bible is not a Catholic book. Catholics did not write it, nor does
their doctrines and church meet the description of the doctrine and
church of which it speaks. The New Testament was completed before the
end of the first century, A.D. The things in it do not correspond to the
Catholic Church which hundreds of years after the death of the
apostles slowly evolved into what it now is. The Catholic Church is not
the original and true church, but a "church" born of many departures
and corruptions from the New Testament church. Even if the Catholic
Church could prove that it alone is the sole deliverer of the
Scriptures to man today, it still remains that the Catholic Church is
not following the Bible and is contrary to the Bible. Furthermore, even
if the Catholic Church could show conclusively that it alone is
responsible for gathering the books, it does not prove that the
Catholic Church is infallible, nor does it prove that it is the author
of the Bible. God has at times used evil agencies to accomplish His
purpose (Jer. 27:6-8; 43:10; Hab. 1:5-11; John 11:49-52).
We have studied, therefore, that the Catholic Church argues that since
one of its councils in 390 selected the sacred books, one can accept
them only on the basis of its authority. We have answered by showing:
(1) The Bible is inspired and has authority, not because a church
declared it so but because God made it so. (2) Jesus did not teach the
people in His day that they could accept the Old Testament Scriptures
only on the basis of those who placed the books into one volume. (3) It
is a mere assumption that the Council of Hippo in 390 was a Council of
the church which is now the Roman Catholic Church. (4) God did not
give councils the authority to select His sacred books, nor does He
expect men to receive His books only on the basis of councils. (5) The
Catholic Church is not solely responsible for the gathering and
selection of the New Testament books. (6) The Catholic Church has not
been the sole possessor of the Bible at any time. (7) Even if it could
be proven that the Catholic Church gathered the books into one volume,
it still remains that it is not following the Bible today.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A Catechism For Adults, William J. Conan, ACTA Publications, Chicago, Illinois, 1959.
Catholic Encyclopedia, Knights of Columbus, (Fifteen Volumes), The Encyclopedia Press, Inc., New York, 1913.
Canons and Decrees of he Council of Trent, H.J. Schroeder, B. Herder Book company, St. Louis, London, 1950.
Lives and Times of the Roman Pontiffs, Chevalier Artand De Montor, D & J Stadler & Co., New York, 1869.
Question Box, Bertrand L. Conway, The Columbus Press, New York, N.Y., 1913.
Question Box, New Revised Edition, Bertrand L. Conway, The Paulist Press, New York, N.Y., 1929.
The Bible is a Catholic Book, Knights of Columbus Religious Information Bureau, St. Louis, 1948.
The Faith of Millions, John A. O'Brien, Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Ind., 1938.
The Faith of Our Fathers, James Cardinal Gibbons, John Murphy Co., Baltimore, Md., 1917.
What is the Bible? W.H. Anderson, International Truth Society, Brooklyn, New York, 1962.
Who Gave the Bible to the People? Knights of Columbus Religious Information Bureau, St. Louis, 1948.
CATHOLIC TRANSLATIONS
Confraternity-Douay Version, Timothy Press, Chicago, 1959
Douay-Rheims Version, Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York, 1945.
Catholic Edition-Revised Standard Version, Published by Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd for the Incorporated Catholic Truth Society, London, 1966.
By David J. Riggs
Catholics Assembled Canon?
- the Syriac and Coptic versions were translated from the Greek in the second century
- Latin Version was translated from Greek in the 2nd century in 375 the Gothic Version was translated by Ufilas
- Jerome stated that in his work of revising the Old Latin he used a
Greek Bible which belonged to Origen who lived in the early part of the
third century
- Constantine, the emperor of Rome, at the end of the third century, ordered fifty copies of the Bible transcribed
- Origen, born A.D. 185 and died A.D. 254, named all the books of the Bible in his writings
- Eusebius, 270 A.D., lists all of the books of the NT
- Cyril, 315 A.D. to 386 A.D., lists all NT books, except Revelation
- Both the Vatican Manuscript and the Sinaitic Manuscript date back earlier than 390 A.D.
