“Macabees was NOT part of the Hebrew Bible nor was it part of the early Church’s Bible and technically until the Councils of Trent it was not even canon in the Catholic bible.”
Tell that to the Ethiopian Jews. They accept the Septuagint canon.
Not to mention, tell that to the Early Church Fathers who routinely referred to the deuterocanonicals as scripture.
St. Jerome was only one father of the Church, but his judgement was overruled by the general consensus of the fathers and by numerous local councils in the 4th century whose canons were mandated as universally binding by the Council of Trullo in the 7th century.
The Council of Trent happened after Luther. Also, tell your theory to the Eastern Orthodox who don’t believe in indulgences or superogatory works.
I’ve never understood the Protestant ignorance when it comes to the canon. The fact is that Protestants discarded the deuterocanonicals because they contradicted their theology on prayers for the dead, free-will, etc.
—The fact is that Protestants discarded the deuterocanonicals because they contradicted their theology on prayers for the dead, free-will, etc.—
Why were they so against prayers for the dead that they dicarded them for that reason?
Second, The Council of Trullo endorsed the Easter letter of Athanasius of Alexandria written in AD 367, which lists the 27 books we have today as part of the New Testament. It also endorsed the Council of Laodicea which listed 26 books (it excluded the Book of Revelation). The point being that the New Testament is not in question. What is in question is the canon of the Hebrew Bible. The Jewish Council of Jamnia held in 90 AD rejected the Septuagint.
Third, I never accused the Easter Orthodox of selling indulgences. In fact, I didn't mention them at all.
Fourth, the first meeting of the Council of Trent occurred before Luther died though his death occurred before the first Council of Trent was concluded. Following that line of reasoning, it further shows that Luther could not have “removed” any books from the canon as the original post asserted. The Council was an attempt at answering the issues raised by the reformation. Prior to the Council, Luther had presented his arguements and in those writing, he clearly advocated a return to Hebrew Bible for the Old Testement.
Fifth, Jesus said “I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life. No one comes unto the Father but by me.” Thus Jesus is the exclusive and fully sufficient atonement for sin. To cling to the concept of purgatory, one must reject Jesus own words and claim that his is not the one and only way to the father. In essence, purgatory calls Jesus a liar.
I likewise have never understood the Catholic disposition to blindly follow other men and not check the pronouncements against scripture. Further, the ignorance with regards to how the Priests and Popes selectively added books to the canon to justify their money raising operations via the selling of indulgences strikes me as being willful.