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Unmasking Catholicism Mary Ann Collins, a former Catholic nun |
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Chapter 12 The Roman Catholic Church claims that it gave us the Bible. However, as we shall see, this claim does not stand up to the test of history. The Old Testament was written by God's inspired prophets, patriarchs, psalmists, judges and kings. It was faithfully copied and preserved by Jewish scribes. The Old Testament of modern Protestant Bibles contains the same books as the Hebrew Bible. The New Testament was written by Christian apostles. None of them were Catholics, because there was no Roman Catholic Church at the time. This was over two centuries before Constantine's "conversion" and the formation of the Roman Catholic Church in 314 A.D. (See the chapter, "Was the Early Church Roman Catholic?") The early Church did not have the New Testament as we know it. Rather, individuals and local congregations had portions of it. They would have one or more of the Gospels, some of the letters that Apostles had written, and perhaps the Book of Acts or the Book of Revelation. Why weren't all of these books collected in one place? Look at what the books themselves say. Individual apostles wrote them for specific audiences. The Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts were written for Theophilus. (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1) Most of the Epistles were written to specific churches or to specific individuals. (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:2; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; Philemon 1:1-2; 3 John 1:1) The early Christians expected that Jesus would return for His Church at any moment. As a result, they didn't see the need for long-term planning for future generations. Furthermore, Christians were persecuted by the Romans. When your life is in constant danger, it is difficult to collect writings that are scattered all over the Roman Empire. So it took time to collect all of these writings, decide which ones were authoritative Scripture, and make complete sets of them. By the time of Origen (185-254 A.D.), there was general agreement about most of the New Testament. However, there was disagreement as to whether the following six epistles should be part of the New Testament: Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude. This was 60 years before the "conversion" of Emperor Constantine and the formation of the Roman Catholic Church.1 The Council of Carthage was held in 397 A.D. By then, there was general agreement as to which books belonged in the New Testament. The Council made a list of these books. It described the books that had already been accepted as being authoritative Scripture. In other words, the Council of Carthage did not create the canon of the New Testament. Rather, it just described the canon that already existed.2 The Catholic Church did not give us the Bible. However, Catholic monks helped preserve the Bible by copying it. As we will see, the Catholic Church kept the Bible in Latin. This prevented people from reading the Bible in their own language. Most people didn't know Latin. Therefore, they had to depend on priests to read the Bible for them and explain it to them. They were not able to check what the priests taught against Scripture. The Catholic Church changed the Bible. In 1548, at the Council of Trent, it added the Apocrypha to the Bible. The apocryphal books contain passages that are used to justify some Catholic doctrines, such as praying for the dead. (The Apocrypha are discussed later in this chapter.) Keeping the Bible in Latin Under Roman rule, Latin became a universal language. So when the Bible was originally translated from Greek and Hebrew into Latin, that made it more available to people. However, with the collapse of the Roman empire, Latin was spoken less and less. In time, only scholars understood it. The vast majority of people no longer spoke it. Starting about 1080, there were many incidents where the Pope, Church councils, or individual bishops prohibited the translation of the Bible into the language of the common people (the vernacular). Laymen and Laywomen were forbidden to read the Bible in their native language, unless a bishop or an inquisitor gave them permission in writing. (You can read about this online.)3 Men such as William Tyndale were burned as heretics for translating the Bible into English. Men and women who were caught reading the translations were also burned. (Information about this is online.)4 Laymen were not even allowed to read the Bible in Latin. Reading the Bible was considered to be proof that someone was a heretic. Men and women were burned at the stake for reading the Bible in Latin.5 People were so hungry to know what the Bible said that, when an English translation of the Bible was finally made available, crowds of people filled the church where it was kept. Men took turns reading the Bible out loud. As long as there was daylight, men kept reading the Bible out loud, while the crowds listened. (This is online.)6 Struggling with Latin When I became a Catholic, the Mass was still in Latin. I knew some Latin, because I had studied it for three years in college. At High Mass, portions of the Bible were sung in Latin. The Bible was a large, ornate book. The priest would cover it with incense, bow before it, and sing the Scripture verses in Gregorian chant. The music was beautiful and the ceremony was impressive. However, I could not understand the Scripture verses that were sung. With my three years of college Latin, I could sometimes understand the meaning of a word or a phrase. However, that did not enable me to understand the Scripture passages. The end result reminds me of the Andy Warhol painting of a can of Campbell's tomato soup. You can read about it. You can study the picture. If you are an artist, you can paint a copy of it. You can do everything except eat the soup. But why does Campbell's make tomato soup? So that people will eat it. And why did God give us the Bible? So that people will read it, understand it, and be transformed by it. Translating the Bible The first English translation of the Bible was made in 1382 by the followers of John Wycliffe, with his help and inspiration. An improved version was completed in 1388. Wycliffe's followers were known as Lollards. They were severely persecuted. Wycliffe's translation of the Bible had to be copied by hand, which is a slow process. Most of the copies of Wycliffe's English Bible were destroyed. (Information is online.)7 A century and a half later, the Tyndale-Coverdale Bible was published in 1535. William Tyndale and Bishop Miles Coverdale translated the original Greek and Hebrew texts into English. Their Bible was published in Germany, where Tyndale had taken refuge. The printing press had been invented. This enabled Tyndale and his followers to produce copies of their English Bible faster than they could be found and destroyed. Tyndale was burned at the stake.8 Forty-seven years later (1582), the first Catholic translation of the New Testament into English was published. The Catholic translation of the Old Testament was published in 1609. These translations were not from the original Greek and Hebrew. Rather, they were from a Latin translation of the Bible.9 Condemning Bible Societies In 1846, and again in 1849, Pope Pius IX officially declared that Bible societies are "crafty enemies" of the Catholic Church and of humanity in general. Why? Because they translate the Bible into the language of the common people, and they give Bibles to anybody who wants them. (These encyclicals are online.) On September 3, 2000, Pope Pius IX was beatified. This is the last step before becoming a canonized saint. (You can read about this online.)10 In 1864, Pope Pius IX officially declared that the idea that people have a right to freedom of conscience and freedom of worship is "insanity," "evil," "depraved," and "reprobate." He also declared that non-Catholics who live in Catholic countries should not be allowed to publicly practice their religion. In 1888, Pope Leo XIII declared that freedom of thought and freedom of religion are wrong. (These encyclicals are online.)11 According to the Catholic doctrine of infallibility, these are infallible statements. (This is online.)12 Therefore, they cannot be reversed. This is not ancient history. My great-great-grandparents were alive in 1864. Adding Tradition to Scripture The Roman Catholic Church officially states that Catholic tradition is equal in authority to the Bible. (You can see this online.)13 Catholic tradition is difficult to define. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that it is the various expressions of worship and belief of the Catholic people. (This is online.)14 But what does that mean? The religious beliefs and practices of modern Catholics are quite different from those of Catholics in the Middle Ages. (Do you know any modern Catholics who wear relics in order to ward off demons, or who pay money for indulgences to get their loved ones out of Purgatory?) Yet the Catholic definition of tradition encompasses all of these beliefs and practices. Let's narrow it down to modern Catholics in the United States, which is where I live. I know Catholics who devoutly believe that wearing a Brown Scapular at all times (even in the shower) will get them into Heaven. I know other Catholics who consider that to be superstitious nonsense. Using the pious practices of the Catholic people for a standard is like measuring things with a rubber band. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for putting tradition on a level with Scripture. He said that they nullified the Word of God for the sake of their traditions. Jesus said:
The Apostle Paul didn't think much of the traditions of men, either. He warned the Christians of his day:
Forbidding People to Interpret According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Catholics are required to find out how the Catholic bishops interpret Scripture passages, and they are to accept what the bishops teach "with docility," as if it came from Jesus Christ Himself. In other words, they are not allowed to believe what they read in the Bible without first checking it out with the Catholic Church. They are not allowed to use their own judgment, or to follow their own conscience. They are required to believe whatever the bishops teach, without questioning it. (You can read this online.)15 This attitude is exemplified by a statement that was made by Cardinal Hosius, who presided over the Council of Trent (1545-1564). Hosius wrote that, apart from the authority of the Catholic Church, the Bible would have no more importance than Aesop's Fables. (You can read this online.)16 The Apocrypha The Apocrypha are books that occur in Catholic Bibles, but not in Protestant ones. They were never part of the Hebrew Bible. The Jews never considered them to be canonical. In 1548, the Council of Trent declared that the Apocrypha are canonical (part of inspired Scripture) and it anathematized anybody who believes otherwise.17 Jesus and the Apostles quoted from the Old Testament hundreds of times, but they never treated any of the apocryphal books as being authoritative. The apocryphal books themselves never claim to be the Word of God. The books of Tobit and Judith contain serious historical inaccuracies. (Some information is online.)18, 19 Following is a summary of the main events in the Book of Tobit. (You can read it online.)20 My references to chapters and verses are those of the Revised Standard translation of Tobit. There is a wide variation in translations of Tobit, including differences in essential matters. There are also historical and geographical inaccuracies in the Book of Tobit. For example, Sennecherib was not the son of Shalmaneser. (Tobit 1:15) He was the son of Sargon the Usurper.21 Summary of the Book of Tobit One night, Tobit slept outdoors, with his face uncovered. He slept by the courtyard wall. There were sparrows on the wall and bird droppings fell into Tobit's eyes. As a result, a white film formed over his eyes and he became blind. The physicians were unable to help him. (Tobit 2:9-10) A maiden named Sarah was reproached by her maids, who accused her of strangling seven husbands before they consummated their marriage with her. This was attributed to a demon named Asmodeus. (Tobit 3:8) The angel Raphael was sent to heal Tobit's eyes, to bind the demon Asmodeus, and to give Sarah in marriage to Tobias, the son of Tobit. (Tobit 3:17) Tobias (Tobit's son) was traveling with the angel Raphael (who appeared in the form of a Jewish man named Azarias). A fish leaped up from the river and tried to swallow Tobias. Then the angel told Tobias to catch this fish. He caught it and threw it on the land. Then the angel told Tobias to cut the fish open, and to keep the heart and liver and gallbladder. He said that smoke from the heart and liver would drive demons and evil spirits away. He also said that, if a man's eyes are covered with white films, then having them be anointed with the fish gall would heal him. (Tobit 6:1-9) Tobias was afraid to marry Sarah, because seven husbands had died in her bridal chamber. The angel told him to take burning incense, and to put the heart and liver of the fish on it, in order to make a smoke. He said that when the demon smelled the smoke, he would flee and never return. (Tobit 6:11-17) Tobias married Sarah. He put the heart and liver of the fish upon burning incense. When the demon smelled the odor, he fled, and the angel bound him. Tobias and Sarah went to sleep. Sarah's family was greatly relieved the next morning when both of them were still alive. (Tobit, chapters 7 and 8) Tobias and his new wife went to Tobit's home. The angel Raphael told Tobias to take the fish gall with him and to rub it on his father's eyes. Tobias followed the angel's instructions and Tobit's eyes were healed. (Tobit 11:2-16) Comments on Tobit Does this sound like inspired Scripture to you? Does it reveal God's nature and character, and His ways of dealing with His people? Does it inspire you to want to know God better? Does it give you strength and courage to be a faithful Christian? If the Book of Tobit was added to the Bible, would that increase your confidence in the rest of the Bible? Would it help you trust the reliability and authority of Scripture? Would it increase your motivation for reading the Bible? The Catholic Church and the Bible God gave us the Bible—not the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has been double-minded about the Bible. On the one hand, Catholic monks helped preserve it by copying it during the Middle Ages. On the other hand, the Catholic Church kept the Bible in Latin, and it killed scholars who translated the Bible into the language of the common people. In addition, it changed the Bible by adding the Apocrypha to it. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Catholics are not supposed to interpret the Bible for themselves. Rather, they are supposed to accept "with docility" whatever their bishops tell them about it. This is treating the Bible as if it is too dangerous for ordinary men and women to read, unless their understanding of it is constantly filtered through the lens of Catholic doctrine and official explanations. The Bible is a Priceless Treasure I live in America, where Bibles are plentiful and inexpensive. It is easy to take them for granted. However, right now, while you are reading this, there are Christians who are risking their lives to give Bibles to people. The ministry Open Doors has couriers who daily risk their lives to smuggle Bibles into countries where Christians are persecuted. I recently read about a man who was sentenced to death, because he gave a Bible to a Muslim. Courageous men and women paid for the Bible with their blood. William Tyndale was burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English. Men were burned at the stake for teaching their children to say the Lord's Prayer in English. Men and women were burned at the stake for possessing an English translation of the Bible. We cannot comprehend the price that was paid to give us the Bible in our own language, or the great privilege of being able to read it without fear. Here is what the Psalms say about the Bible. When you read the terms, "the law of the Lord," "the testimony of the Lord," "the statutes of the Lord," and "the judgments of the Lord," remember that these are Old Testament terms for the written Word of God. May God give us this kind of passion for the Bible! Look at the love and loyalty and gratitude in these Scripture passages:
According to Strong's Concordance, the word "offend" in Psalm 119:165 means an enticement, or a stumbling-block. It is something that ruins people, or causes them to fall. So according to this Scripture verse, if we love the Word of God, then it will bring us peace, and it will protect us from temptation and destruction. The Bible is indeed a priceless treasure! |
Copyright 2003, 2007 by Mary Ann Collins. All rights reserved. |