One of the major issues dividing Catholics and Protestants is the Bible. Catholic Bibles have seven Books that Protestants reject: Protestants call these Books “the Apocrypha,” while Catholics call them “the Deuterocanon.” This dispute matters, because it’s hard to agree on what Scripture says if we can’t even agree on what Scripture is, on which Books are… Continue reading Four Surprising Facts About John Calvin and the “Apocrypha”
Tag: ECFs
Did Tertullian Deny the Real Presence?
In the comments to this post, a Protestant calling himself “meyu” claimed that there wasn’t any consensus in the early Church on the Real Presence. Since I’ve actually written on this subject before, I challenged him on this. After all, I’ve shown Church Fathers explicitly affirming the Real Presence in the first and second century,… Continue reading Did Tertullian Deny the Real Presence?
The First- and Second-Century Papacy: An Answer to Eamon Duffy
One of the most surprising attacks on the papacy has come from Eamon Duffy, a professor of the history of Christianity at Cambridge University. Duffy’s argument is that not only was the Bishop of Rome not considered the pope in the early days of Christianity, but that there was no Bishop of Rome for nearly… Continue reading The First- and Second-Century Papacy: An Answer to Eamon Duffy
The Time Machine Challenge
There are certain Church Fathers (mostly St. Augustine) that are loved by both Protestants and Catholics. And we Catholics are inclined to point out that these Church Fathers were Catholics then, and if they were roaming the earth these days, would be Catholics now. They were members of the Catholic Church, and they held to… Continue reading The Time Machine Challenge
Where is the Papacy in the Bible?
To celebrate the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis, here is a copy of a talk that I gave at lunch today on the Scriptural origins of the papacy: ““Where is THAT in the Bible: The Pope” Sharing the Catholic faith with non-Catholics, even non-Catholic Christians, can seem overwhelming at times. There are just so… Continue reading Where is the Papacy in the Bible?
Your Heart and Soul are Made for God: Why Settle for Less?
St. Francis de Sales’ Introduction to the Devout Life, which I have been reading lately, arose out of correspondence he had with a woman who was looking for help in living out the life of a Christian amidst the secular world. If anything, the book has become only more valuable since then, as secular culture… Continue reading Your Heart and Soul are Made for God: Why Settle for Less?
The Case for Calling Mary “Mother of God”
Modern Protestants often balk at Catholics referring to the Virgin Mary as “the Mother of God.” One Protestant apologetics website argues that “Mary most certainly isn’t the mother of God,” since “God is eternal, Mary was not.” The author concludes that calling Mary the Mother of God is thus “a serious blasphemy attacking the very… Continue reading The Case for Calling Mary “Mother of God”
Does Saint Jerome Endorse the Protestant Canon?
In response to last week’t two–part series on the canon of Scripture, my Lutheran friend Rev. Hans wrote: Guercino, St Jerome in the Wilderness (1650) I am curious about the view St. Jerome has on the Deuterocanonical books. I have read that he questioned these books and separated them from the Old Testament Canon. You brought… Continue reading Does Saint Jerome Endorse the Protestant Canon?
Why Not 66: Answering Brian Edwards’ Arguments for the Protestant Canon (Pt. I)
Brian Edwards In continuing my search for a principled basis for the Protestant canon of Scripture, I found what looked to be the perfect fit. It’s a talk called “Why 66?,” an hour long presentation by the Evangelical theologian Brian Edwards, which sought to answer, for a Protestant audience: (I, 6:37). “So what is the… Continue reading Why Not 66: Answering Brian Edwards’ Arguments for the Protestant Canon (Pt. I)
Do Scripture and the Church Fathers Depict the Eucharist as a Sacrifice?
A Protestant reader wrote to me, asking how we Catholics could rectify the Sacrifice of the Mass with Hebrews 10:8-14, which describes Christ’s Sacrifice on Calvary as once-for-all: When he said above, “Thou hast neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he… Continue reading Do Scripture and the Church Fathers Depict the Eucharist as a Sacrifice?