Catholic Ping
From another source with this url — http://explaining-the-catholic-faith.com/id49.html
I once undertook an experiment: I read from the entire New Testament at the rate of about 20 minutes per day. It took me about six weeks to complete. Jesus spent most of three years, nearly 24/7, with His Apostles. “[R]emember that for three years, night and day, I unceasingly admonished each of you. . . .” [John 20:31]. He obviously said much more to them than 20 minutes per day for six weeks. “There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.” [John 21:25]. So most of what He taught never got written down, but has been passed down to us by word of mouth, as Tradition. Jesus said, “Observe ALL that I have commanded.” This certainly includes everything Jesus taught, which is both in Scripture and outside Scripture. It would seem, logically, that these verses are enough to disprove Sola Scriptura. Matt 24:14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Many verses support this argument that Jesus taught many things that were never recorded in Scripture:
• Mark 4:2: He taught them many things by parables. . . .
• Luke 5:3: He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. [It was not recorded what he taught them]
• Mark 4:33: With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.
• John 4:40-42: When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.” [Nothing is recorded regarding what Jesus taught to them during these two days.]
• Luke: 5:3: He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
• Mark 6:34: . . . He began to teach them many things. [none of these “many things” are recorded here.]
• John 16:12: I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. [These “many things” must have been spoken during Jesus’ post-Resurrection appearances; few of them are recorded.]
• John 20:30: Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book.
• Acts 1:2-3: . . .the apostles. . . to them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. [These are not recorded in the Bible.]
I’ve read part of this and so far it’s like other Catholic writings I’ve read on the same subject - it misuses Scripture. Scripture is just picked out and twisted to confirm what the Catholic priesthood has said. The Catholic Church (meaning the priesthood) puts itself as God (standing in place of Him) over the ordinary believer. What any Christian should really be looking for is how God Himself in any time or place is working. God doesn’t change, but He works all the time, and work changes things and accomplishes things. So we have to ask things like, what was or is God trying to do here, and what does He mean to be permanent and what temporary, and how long is temporary? etc. And the ultimate authority (not only, but ultimate) is His Word, the Bible. So what was happening when, say, Paul wrote to Timothy? There wasn’t the New Testament, but there was the Word of God, through the disciples (and others) who had lived and walked with Jesus and witnessed His Resurrection. The disciples were also Jews, so Cont’d