[maryz]

Of course, we have only the words of Jesus clearly and specifically. What weight does that have compared to later day invented "tradition"?

Don't you have that backwards? We have the words of Jesus only because the Church preserved them and passed them along with the rest of tradition (including the NT). The Church and the practice of the Eucharist predate the NT.

[stfassisi]

We have the words of Jesus only because the Church preserved them and passed them along with the rest of tradition (including the NT).

That is correct!Without the Church telling us what is in the NT the following is an example of what the naysayers have as proof of the existence of scriptures..

Mere fragments like this....

;

little do some people realize when they are reading the Bible-it is a TRADITION they hope is from the ORIGINAL based upon what the Catholic Church says is based on the original. It's not because they ever seen the original since all we have is fragments

[OLD REGGIE]

Don't you have that backwards? We have the words of Jesus only because the Church preserved them and passed them along with the rest of tradition (including the NT). The Church and the practice of the Eucharist predate the NT.

The New Testament existed long before the written versions appeared. And that Church predates the Roman Catholic Church.