Posted on 02/27/2016 11:51:28 AM PST by Salvation
EXCELLENT post, as always.
Lenten Series Ping!
In order to have a distinction between the Church and the Synagogue and to have a distinguishing name from those embracing Judaic and Gnostic errors we find St. Ignatius (50-107 A.D.) using the Greek word “Katholicos” (universal) to describe the universality of the Church established by Christ. St. Ignatius was appointed Bishop of Antioch by St.Peter, the Bishop of Rome. It is in his writings that we find the word Catholic used for the first time. St. Augustine, when speaking about the Church of Christ, calls it the Catholic Church 240 times in his writings.
So from the very beginning Christ’s Church was considered Catholic - Universal.
It was interesting to see that some rejected the Eucharist in the beginning.
And when they had ordained to them priests in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, in whom they believed.” (Acts 14:22).
I can’t find ANY Bible version that says this. Even in the Douay it says:
“Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith: and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.”
If you go to verse 23 it says they appointed “elders for them in every church”. Elders were not “priests”. The Greek word used confirms this (presbyterous).
Jesus’ followers were known as Christians. Catholic was an adjective - not a proper noun - used to signify the whole body of believers. What calls itself THE Catholic church today is far from the one that Christ established.
This is just another antagonistic thread posted to stir up dissension saved for this time of the year. To then complain about “Catholic bashing” is quite disingenuous, I think.
St Ignatius had a much different understanding of the catholic church than the current Roman Catholic Church. St Ignatius saw each church as independent. Each church had one bishop and there was none in the church greater than the bishop. This idea that there is a universal church structure with a supreme bishop that lords over the other bishops was a concept foreign to St Ignatius.
Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans
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.
Chapter IX.-Honour the Bishop
And say I, Honour thou God indeed, as the Author and Lord of all things, but the bishop as the high-priest, who bears the image of God-of God. inasmuch as he is a ruler, and of Christ, in his capacity of a priest. After Him, we must also honour the king. For there is no one superior to God, or even like to Him, among all the beings that exist. Nor is there any one in the Church greater than the bishop, who ministers as a priest to God for the salvation of the whole world.
Ignatius to the Philadelphians
Take ye heed, then, to have but one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup to [show forth] the unity of His blood; one altar; as there is one bishop, along with the presbytery and deacons, my fellow-servants: that so, whatsoever ye do, ye may do it according to [the will of] God.
When one studies the early church leaders, most of their references to Christ’s body were in disputing the gnostic Donatists who rejected Jesus even HAVING a flesh and blood body. The idea of transubstantiation was a later Aquinas creation.
God bless you, bb. You are CERTAINLY entitled to your own opinions.
"Catholic" WAS an adjective. Now it's a noun.
Protestants don't really PROTEST anymore, so that title isn't really relevant anymore, is it?
Lutherans doesn't mean that people believe in Luther, just in his version of Christianity. Ditto with all the Protestant denominations.
Language does alter meanings on occasion.
Are you then claiming the proper noun Roman Catholic church is the “true church” and Protestants, Lutherans and other non-catholic Christians are not part of the body of Christ as this article does?
That's funny. I can't find the word or title *Catholic* anywhere in the Bible that Catholics claim their church wrote.
It's just so convenient that retroactively claim that's what was meant when there's no solid evidence to support it otherwise.
No and please TRY not to read any more (especially negative) into what I wrote. It's MOST disingenuous of you.
Thank you for not showing any chips on your shoulders about what Catholics may post. I don't take things personally on what people write here. Why would I? You DON'T know me and probably never will.
God bless you and yours.
As a recent convert from a protestant upbringing to the Catholic Church, I’ve gotten quite used to all the usual anti-Catholic attacks.
Honestly, why do they feel the need? One of the most refreshing things about the Catholic teaching is that there is one interpretation, as one who spent years listening to different protestant ministers, every one of them has a different interpretation, even within the same denomination.
Douay-Rheims 1899 American edition
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+14%3A22&version=DRA
I disagree.
Early church leaders realized and accepted the Eucharist was the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
Certainly some rejected this as reported in the Gospel.
Welcome home!
Congratulations on your conversion.
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I THINK that the problem, if you would call it that, is that there is NO final authority on morals like we have, the Church and Magesterium.
Protestants are allowed to indulge in "relative morality," like abortion, same-gender marriage, divorce-remarriage, suicide and all the other things that I mentioned earlier in a mega-post of mine.
The Catholic Church has MORAL ABSOLUTES. Priests go to the seminary to learn about the Bible, Apostolic tradition and the moral absolutes which guide our lives.
It takes YEARS to be a priest. No priest has TIME for a marriage and children. It would be an impossible task to be priest, husband AND father. That's why celibacy is a VOW.
I've asked my Protestant friends about what the THEOLOGICAL differences were between the denominations and none have been able to clarify what they were.
Well put.
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