Posted on 01/23/2022 5:59:01 AM PST by ADSUM
One of the most common questions about biblical interpretation is how much of the Bible ought to be taken “literally.” That’s a tricky question to answer, because the word literal actually has two distinct (but related) meanings.
When the Catechism of the Catholic Church talks about the literal sense of Scripture, it’s referring to “the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation” (116). It’s in this sense that the Church endorses St. Thomas Aquinas’s adage that “all other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal.” So if we mean literal in this older sense, we should always start by taking Scripture literally. Whatever else the Bible might mean, it means what its authors intended.
AD-SUM! Do you realize how intellectually insulting and inane your constant and consistent "begging the question" recourse is? You are constantly assuming that asserting the very thing that is at issue as being contrary to proof (the authority of your church) settles the issue. Invoking the authority of your church when faced her manifestly perverse commentary on the Bible simply will not refute the charges!
As said, the New Testament presents as literal the very accounts that RC scholarship treats as fables and folk tales! The Holy Spirit refers to such stories as being literal historical events (Adam and Eve: Mt. 19:4; Abraham, Issac, Exodus and Moses: Acts 7; Rm. 4; Heb. 11; Jonah and the fish: Mt. 12:39-41; Balaam and the donkey: 2Pt. 2:15; Jude. 1:1; Rev. 2:14). Indeed “the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety” (2Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9), and if such an account as that of Jonah and the whale is rejected as literally true, then so can the resurrection which the Lord likened to the story of Jonah: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40) And Israel's history is always and inclusively treated as literal.
"Your reputation as an anti-Catholic is apparent, perhaps if you used fewer words and explained your objections to the article with clarity more people would understand your comments."
Actually, since RCs typically deny summations, and such themselves need substantiation, then the latter needs to be provided, even though Catholics typically ignore such and like you, persist in posting the same prevaricating pablum of propaganda that has been repeatedly refuted, by the grace of God.
Obviously many do not believe or accept the words of Jesus that authorized His Catholic church and the baptized Apostles to “ bind and loose”
the Church Fathers recognized that Jesus made Peter the rock on which he would build his Church, that this gave Peter a special primacy, that Peter went to Rome, and that he left successors there.
The church has the authority to declare on the issue, whether it’s faith, morals, discipline. The church declares why, Mt 18 verse 18, “for whatever the church binds on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever she loses on earth is loosed in heaven.” The foundation, really, for all the extraordinary claims of the Catholic church, unique claims of the Catholic church, are rooted here. This is the disposition of God. God willed for us, Jesus, the God-man willed for us to have a visible church that has authority to speak for him. That’s the sense in which we say the church is Jesus Christ extended into the world, so radically so that Jesus could say in Matthew 10:40, Luke 10:16, “If they hear you, they hear me. If they reject you, they reject me. If they receive you, they receive me. If they reject you, they reject me.”
Who did he write it to?
All who want eternal life. The world was the intended receptor but the world knew Him not.
And that position is very true and they camp there on it.
It angers me when they say individuals, or the church wrote it, that is an affront to God. The early church RECEIVED the Bible! That is clear even in Catholic doctrine but forgotten.
But it is ALSO true that God is a living God and hopefully living in us with a direct personal message to us.
If a forgotten letter was found addressed to you from your earthly father, would you let someone else interpret it, tell you what it says? Many do............................
Jer 31:33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the LORD. “I will put My instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.
Jer 31:34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know Me already.....................
God wants a direct relationship with us, not through the church. That is the new covenant. The church is not the authority, God is. But we are still called to assemble.
God destroyed the Temple, old sacrificial system, the priestly system and tore the curtain. Man tends to rebuild it. Why?
The Holy spirit inspired, but it was written by men for all of us so that we may know God and join Him in Heaven.
Why is that important?
The early church including the RC acknowledged it was received from God. FULL STOP - Received from God, no acknowledgement to man.
I'm having trouble finding the literal words of Jesus authorizing the Catholic Church for any actions. Those men present and only those present were authorized. I know the Catholic Church would love to snatch some "stolen valor" to enhance their position in the world but it is not literally in the Bible nor inferred.
Jesus is the Rock (cornerstone) of the Church. And the verse you are about to quote is ambiguous and controversial regarding Peter (the mortal man who denied Jesus three times) as being something more than what he was. Peter was a rock (living stone) as were the other Apostles. Paul did not consider peter greater than himself and rebuked peter for his practice of his hypocrisy when he chose with whom to be seen eating with.
I can only deduce you anger easily. God never forgets those who labor in his name. True the Revelations come from above but man did physically write it and preserve it (some paid for their lives) and a nod to them does no disservice to God. God rewards the faithful and will continue to do so at the Judgment. The Bible is full of examples where a "well done my good and faithful servant" stories and metaphors are employed. My God is a loving merciful One, what about yours?
Chapters and verses please.
And if so, why haven’t they done it? They’ve had 2,000 years to publish an official verse by verse interpretation of the Bible. What’s taking them so long?
I can only deduce you anger easily.
Why is it so important to you to state that “man did physically write it and preserve it”?
Why is that such an important detail?
Because it is the TRUTH. Also that is the way God intended it. Sure, God could have miraculously produced a Bible and gave to Moses or Peter or whomever, but that is not how He operates. God could come down and cure all illnesses. He wants man to become involved and by this involvement witness to others. He wants YOU to stop and help a grandmother change her flat tire as she is stranded by the road. What a great time to witness. God uses people and always has. If you have a problem with that, take it up with Him.
The early church received the scriptures. They acknowledged God’s providence and gave no credit to man.
Do you understand the difference? It changes the flavor quite a bit.
The Lord thy God is a jealous God, all glory and honor is his.
I do not disagree with your points but the TRUTH is God gave us his Word, NOT MAN.
It also helps to realize that each book was a separate letter to a different audience.
Some things just may NOT apply to YOU!
I must have missed this in Scripture.
It was never intended to be read literally.
They acknowledged God’s providence and gave no credit to man. Do you understand the difference?
Not really. Did David slay Goliath or God? The answer is David did with the help of God. With Davids faith, he worked as a team with God to destroy the heathen enemy. His faith deserves to be recognized and acknowledged. Man works with God and if you can't see that then we must agree to disagree and go our separate ways.
I See where the WHOLE church AUTHORIZED this--->
The apostles and elders, your brothers,
To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements:
29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols,
from blood,
from the meat of strangled animals and
from sexual immorality.
You will do well to avoid these things.Farewell.
30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. [34] 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
1 Francis 3:16.
What took them so long?
What were the other reasons??
What have you left out here??
https://www.bible.ca/catholic-apocrypha.htm
Your statement here is proven FALSE.
Wait til the Mormons hear about THIS!
(You can't make this stuff up!)
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