Posted on 01/29/2010 4:41:16 PM PST by NYer
Did Martin Luther save the bible from the Roman Catholic Church? Was John Wycliff the first to translate the Bible into the English language in 1382 so the regular-Joe could read the Bible too?
Many people answer yes to these questions. The same people also commonly accuse the Catholic Church of things like “hiding the Bible from the people.” And not letting the laity read the Bible for themselves in fear that the people would learn how wickedly warped and un-biblical the teachings of the Catholic Church truly were. So, naturally, for these reasons the Catholic Church kept Bibles locked up, hard to find and in languages nobody could understand.
This absolutely ridiculous, academically inept, historically false and blatantly ignorant point of view oozes with irony. Here are just a few reasons why:
1) Throughout much of Church history, if you could read, you could read Latin. The Church translated the Bible into Latin in the first few centuries of its inception so that all who could read would be able to do so.
2) The Church distributed the Bible in every country it was in and in the common language of the people from the 7th down to the 14th century and beyond.
3) “626 editions of the Bible, in which 198 were in the language of the laity, had issued from the press, with the sanction and at the instance of the Church, in the countries where she reigned supreme, before the first Protestant version of the scriptures was sent forth into the world.” (Where We Got The Bible)
4) There were 27 versions of the Bible in the German language before Martin Luther’s version came out.
5) It was almost solely in those countries which have remained most Catholic that popular versions of the Bible had been published; while it was precisely Protestant countries (like England, Scotland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway) that no bible existed when they embraced Protestantism (Dublin Review - Oct 1837). So there is no evidence that access to a Bible in the vernacular caused people to become more protestant. If anything, it made them become more Catholic. It was the spread of such “traditions of men” as private Judgment and Sola Scriptura which caused the spread of Protestantism and further division within the Body of Christ.
The reasons many people still didn’t have access to a Bible was not because of the Catholic Church (The Catholic Church supported access to it). One of the main reasons was the high cost and labor to produce and/or obtain one. That changed drastically with the printing press, of course.
So why then did the Catholic Church reject and forbid the use of protestant “bibles” such as the one published by John Wycliff? It was not because they were in English or another vernacular. It was not because they were being made available to the laity. It was because they were corrupt versions of the Bible. They were bad translations. And were often being used to spread false doctrine. It’s that simple.
If the Catholic Church had wanted to destroy or alter the Bible, it could have done so at just about any time in its long history. The Catholic Church is the reason we even have the Bible today. It is the institution that protected and preserved it. It would have been easy for those in the Church to destroy original documents and come up with something else if they didn’t like what the Bible taught. But they didn’t do that because of their love for Scripture and genuine desire to share it with the entire world.
If you can read, thank a teacher. If you can read a Bible, thank the Catholic Church.
Now there is a typical Catholic response. You likely will get a couple thousand years off pergatory for that, Petronski. Nice.
I’m trying to reply to you in your own idiom. It’s admittedly a difficult task.
If you struggle with trying to understand these deep matters, check with Rome. I hear they are the final word for the sheeple.
Sorry. I’m not Italian.
“The Church distributed the Bible in every country it was in and in the common language of the people from the 7th down to the 14th century and beyond.”
I guess the Roman Church was a little slow getting to England. The Great Bible was the first authorized English language Bible and distributed to the parishes with the instructions: “set up in some convenient place within the said church that ye have care of, whereas your parishioners may most commodiously resort to the same and read it”
It must be pointed out that this was done in 1538 during the reign of King Henry VIII - after the Act of Supremacy
your buddy, Martin Luther was responsible for the loss of more souls than anyone else in history.....very sad
What a load of donkey droppings. What is sad is to keep reading such unfounded, and undocumentable accusation. Empty vile ugly ranting.
And our Rescuer, Jesus Christ, is responsible for saving the only souls that will be saved. But, that will be in spite of the Catholic Church trying their level best to drag them to hell with the organization.
And our Rescuer, Jesus Christ, is responsible for saving the only souls that will be saved. But, that will be in spite of the Catholic Church trying their level best to drag them to hell with the organization.
let’s see now, would you feel safer following the church which Jesus Christ Himself founded on the apostles, or the one that Martin Luther founded based on nothing........Hm-m-m-m Jesus or Martin.....apostles or dissidents, the full (not edited) bible plus 2,000 years of teaching and tradition or 20,000 or so protestant denominations, all of whom believe that they are right....thanks, I’ll stick with Catholocism
What a load of donkey droppings. What is sad is to keep reading such unfounded, and undocumentable accusation. Empty vile ugly ranting
really....he started the protestant revolution (notice I didn’t say reformation) and has led countless protestant christians away from the true church which Jesus founded....I’d say that action caused millions and millions of souls to be in jeopardy. Of course all are not lost, Jesus is very forgiving of those who err through ignorance, but once they are advised of what the truth is, they are expected to return to the true church.....millions have done so, including countless clergymen.
Did they publish a reformed Egyptian version?
See now somebody told you there was only ONE church, whereas Revelation says there are seven. AND only two of the seven have what is required as their 'doctrine' as what is required in passing that 'salvation' test. AND whether or not a 'soul' in the flesh vessel seeks that 'truth' also know as the double edge sword that cuts from 'left to right' is up to them.
You really think and believe that our Heavenly Father would give Luther the kind of power that would cost 'souls' the opportunity to salvation.... Somebody is feeding you churchitis. See you are 'green' enough to state the obvious teaching of your church that the more refined memebers willingly leave out of their missionary work.
You really think and believe that our Heavenly Father would give Luther the kind of power that would cost ‘souls’ the opportunity to salvation.... Somebody is feeding you churchitis. See you are ‘green’ enough to state the obvious teaching of your church that the more refined memebers willingly leave out of their missionary work.
well well...even Jesus himself was tempted by the devil. Maybe it was lucifer himself who convinced Martin to leave the church AND TAKE MILLIONS WITH HIM....see, that’s kind of the way he works. He did it again with Muhammed and later with Joseph Smith..The bible warns about false prophets and I think I may have hit upon three of them.
It was Peter that wrote, "A dog returns to its vomit..."
What revisionous tripe! The Roman Catholic Church owes a unilateral apology to the countless persecuted through the ages because of their desire to have the Bible in their own language - not the least of which, William Tyndale who was systematically TORTURED by papal decree.
What revisionous tripe! The Roman Catholic Church owes a unilateral apology to the countless persecuted through the ages because of their desire to have the Bible in their own language - not the least of which, William Tyndale who was systematically TORTURED by papal decree.
What revisionous tripe! The Roman Catholic Church owes a unilateral apology to the countless persecuted through the ages because of their desire to have the Bible in their own language - not the least of which, William Tyndale who was systematically TORTURED by papal decree
oh yeah...the bible in their own language throughout the years.....do you realize (I’m sure you don’t) that before Gutenberg invented the printing press, virtually everything was hand written. The bible itself would have never survived except by word of mouth and tradition were it not for the CATHOLIC priests and monks of the day. These dedicated men spent their lives sitting at easels copying in great detail, word for word, beautiful caligrophy, and beautiful bindings....Let’s see now, I want a copy of the bible in my language....let’s say French....where do I go to get it????? virtually noone can read, the books themselves are prohibitively expensive, there may or not be an authentic French translation. If the bible exists in it’s original, true, inerrant form, it is because the Catholic church, which has nothing to fear, preserved, copied, translated, and passed it on to all you dissident protestants who now condemn the true church for not following their idea of correct interpretation. Now that may make sense to some of you fallen away Catholics, but it makes no sense to me at all!!!
What revisionous tripe! The Roman Catholic Church owes a unilateral apology to the countless persecuted through the ages because of their desire to have the Bible in their own language - not the least of which, William Tyndale who was systematically TORTURED by papal decree
when you proposed and taught heresy in those days, that was your penalty..Tyndale was a revisionist (polite term for heretic,) and the powers that were there eliminated a problem....middle age solutions for middle age problems......the Moslems still do it....still not very pretty
Considering the fact that I study Scripture in the original languages, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, you cannot lie to me about who is revisionist or not. I can see with my own two eyes the perversions of the translators. Tyndale was a GIANT in terms of being a faithful handler of the Word. But feel free to keep perpetuating the lies. Oh, and I am an observer in Christianity’s internicene fight - I am neither Protestant or Catholic - just a seeker of truth.
I am neither Protestant or Catholic - just a seeker of truth.
well you are almost there.....either pick one of the 20,000 or so protestant denominations or come home to the Catholic Church where you belong. I cannot believe that someone who studies scripture in its’ original languages would have any doubt whatsoever as to what was the true church. With some of the most learned religious figures in history, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure etc following Catholocism, it becomes apparent, over the centuries, that until Martin and the rest of them came along, basically the entire Christian world was Catholic.....were they all wrong??
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