Catholic Biblical Apologetics

Apologetics without apology!

What does the Roman Catholic Church teach about ...? ... and why?

This website surveys the origin and development of Roman Catholic Christianity from the period of the apostolic church, through the post-apostolic church and into the conciliar movement. Principal attention is paid to the biblical basis of both doctrine and dogma as well as the role of paradosis (i.e. handing on the truth) in the history of the Church. Particular attention is also paid to the hierarchical founding and succession of leadership throughout the centuries.

This is a set of lecture notes used since 1985 to teach the basis for key doctrines and dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church. The objectives of the course were, and are:

To present the biblical basis for the origin and development of the Roman Catholic Church.
To present the development of the canon of Scripture and evolution of biblical teaching in the Church.
To understand the role of paradosis/tradition in the oral transmission of revelation.
To study the Council of Jerusalem, described in the 15^th chapter of The Acts of the Apostles and its role in the development of doctrine in the conciliar movement in the Church.
To understand the revelation, doctrinal development and practice of the sacramental life in the history of the Church.
To study the role of the Holy Spirit as teaching authority in the Church.
To study the revelation and development of hierarchical authority in the Church.
To understand the hierarchy of truths in the Church as well as the role of private devotion and personal growth in holiness.

The course grew out of the need for the authors to continually answer questions about their faith tradition and their work. (Both authors are active members of Catholic parish communities in the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Robert Schihl was a Professor and Associate Dean of the School of Communication and the Arts at Regent University. Paul Flanagan is a consultant specializing in preparing people for technology based changes.) At the time these notes were first prepared, the authors were spending time in their faith community answering questions about their Protestant Evangelical workplaces (Mr. Flanagan was then a senior executive at the Christian Broadcasting Network), and time in their workplaces answering similar questions about their Roman Catholic faith community. These notes are the result of more than a decade of facilitating dialogue among those who wish to learn more about what the Roman Catholic Church teaches and why.

Healing/Anointing of the Sick

Roman Catholic Christians have always believed in and practiced the anointing/healing of the sick. Before Vatican Council II the rite was called "extreme unction" or last anointing and referred principally to the anointing which took place when a believer was close to death. The sacrament has been restored to the role it had in the Apostolic Church.

Jesus healed people according to the Gospels.

Mk 1:41: Moved with pity, he (Jesus) stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made clean."
Mk 8:23: Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on him and asked, "Do you see anything?"

The Apostles followed the example of Jesus and carried out his teaching. They anointed the sick for healing.

Mk 6:13: They (the Twelve) drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Ja 5:14-15: Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint (him) with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.
Ja 2:14: What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

The constant faith of the Church and the teaching Magisterium attest to the existence of the sacrament from the early Church.

In the first two centuries, there are no commentaries extent on the Epistle of James. Indeed, the canon of the New Testament to include the Epistle was not firm until the local Councils of Hippo and Carthage (393 and 397 AD).

The early Fathers of the Church did not systematically comment on all aspects of the life of the Church. It must be noted that in the early Church, emphasis was not given to the need of anointing/healing. It was a practice of Christians to be baptized at the end of life.

Many allusions are found in later Fathers of the Church both in the use of the rite of anointing for the sick, and for obtaining healing of both soul and body:

Origen (Alexandria, 185 - 254),
Tertullian (Rome, 160 - 220),
Athanasius (Alexandria, 293 - 373),
Gregory (Nazianzus, 329 - 389),
John Chrysostom (Antioch, 349 - 407),
Ambrose (Tier, 340 - 397),
Augustine (Numidia, 354 - 430),
etc.

The Council of Trent defined that the sacrament of extreme unction/anointing of the sick was listed among the seven sacraments.

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