Posted on 04/22/2015 11:50:07 AM PDT by NYer
Question: I had a former theology teacher at my parish’s school tell me that Vatican II changed the Church’s teachings on Adam and Eve and that the first few chapters of Genesis are to be considered as myths. Is that true?
Answer: No, it is not. Below are nine teachings of the Church regarding the first three chapters of Genesis. These teachings can be found in a document which was issued by the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and confirmed by Pope St. Pius X in 1909. These teachings have been the constant teachings of the Church throughout the centuries, and the Pontifical Biblical Commission expounded them in 1909 as a response to the errors of the Modernists that had developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Modernists were, among other things, denying the reality of Adam and Eve.
Now, you might say, “John, this was before Vatican II, the question is: didn’t Vatican II change all of this?” No, it did not. We can find every single one of these nine teachings of Pope St. Pius X, as expounded by the 1909 Pontifical Biblical Commission, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) that was published in 1994.
So, here they are, the nine teachings of the Church regarding chapters 1-3 of Genesis, as expounded in the 1909 document from the Pontifical Biblical Commission, followed each time by the paragraphs of the 1994 Catechism that carry the corresponding teachings:
1. The creation of all things out of nothing by God at the beginning of time...and including time; CCC #’s 296-299
2. The special creation of man; CCC #’s 355-359
3. The creation of woman from man [Eve was created from Adam’s rib — well, the Church doesn’t say that it absolutely happened in exactly that way, but it does teach that woman was created from man in some manner]; CCC #371
4. That all of humanity is descended from an original pair of human beings — Adam and Eve; CCC #’s 54-55, 359-360, 375, 390-392, 402-405, 407, 416-417
5. That Adam and Eve were created in an original state of holiness, justice, and immortality; CCC #’s 374-379, 384, 398, 415-416
6. That a Divine Command was laid upon man to prove his obedience to God “Thou shalt not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” - again, exactly what that means, we don’t know. Was it really a tree with fruit that they weren’t supposed to eat? Probably not, but we don’t really know. But we do know that there was some command from God, laid upon man, to prove his obedience.]; CCC #’s 396-397, 399
7. The transgression of that Divine Command at the instigation of Satan; CCC #’s 379, 390-392, 394-395, 397-398, 413-415
8. The loss of the state of holiness, justice, and immortality of our 1st parents, because of their disobedience — Adam and Eve were kicked out of Paradise; CCC #’s 379, 390, 399-400, 410
9. The promise of a future Redeemer, a Savior — Gen 3:15, the protoevangelium, the first “good news”; CCC #’s 410-411
I doubt anyone will contend that the Catechism is pre-Vatican II. So, if the teachings of the 1909 Pontifical Biblical Commission on Adam and Eve are also found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, then it is obvious that Vatican II did not change the Church’s teachings in regard to Adam and Eve.
Last year we got a thread from a Catholic apologist addressing the same question (Did Adam and Eve Really Exist?) in which the author argued that Catholic doctrine allows for two distinct individual homo sapiens ("Adam and Eve") which could be identified existing within a broader population of co-existing, co-evolving former-primates, and that it was these two individuals who sinned and cursed all of the other evolving former-primates and thus the entire emerging human race.
Even when Catholics "defend" Genesis they wind up ripping it to shreds.
That's strange; G-d provided a book that describes exactly what happened. Perhaps you should obtain a copy and read it sometime?
So you, a venerable WWII veteran, also believe this "evolving primate" stuff?
As I have often stated, evolutionism in the Catholic Church is nothing new.
Prepare to be ignored!
You just proved my point with that sentence.
nice dodge...so now answer the question posed to you...
I wonder for how long, in the Catholic view, that Adam and Eve retained their muzzles and body hair after they became "ensouled"?
Gen 1:14.
others want the Church to revert to Latin only liturgies
for the record, I am one of those...
They simply chose their own ideas of how to do this, rather than that of the holy men who honestly were trying to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.
the question is why anyone seemed to think the services of the Holy Spirit (which let’s face it, as the Church defines it today can be anything anyone wants it to be) were needed to fix something that wasn’t broken...the seminaries and Catholic schools are certainly bustling places today compared to the ‘50’s, aren’t they...
I believe what John 6 says. Jesus went on to say, "Do this in REMEMBERANCE of me." Unfortunately for you, it doesn't mention saying 'hocus pocus" over bread and turning it into Christ body.
It is also why my bride decided that our children will go to an LCMS school.
Which surprised me. She was on bed rest for four months with our youngest, and had alot of time to think.
SOME seminaries are. :-)
On the other hand, many Catholic schools are no longer spiritually Catholic...sadly.
___________________________
I fully believe that God will reveal His great mercy in the coming year...as we see more and more what living without honoring Him is really brings.
Then why does it view the six days as symbolic?
“it is simply the writing of men and subject to change”
Wrong.
“All the world’s evils are due do lukewarm Catholics”.
~ Pope Pius V
Look for the Nihil Obstat and the imprimatur in the front of the book..as you well know, it indicates that the book is without significant error
5th grade sentence diagramming
do this (that's a complete imperative sentence issueing a command)
In memory of Me...that's the reason to "do this"
THIS is the object of the sentence....."you" is the subject(you is understood) " do" is the verb or predicate of the sentence
You do this...is a complete sentence and a command
In memory of Me is why you do this
"THIS" is the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ!!!
do you understand now?????
sure it is
Boy, you just proved my original post. You feel free to eliminate one of Jesus’ words to make your point. Just like a liberal with the constitution.
what word???
What's that???
How so?
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