M
Maria1212
Guest
I agree with Sixtus
There is a key difference with the way we read the Bible however. Catholics take into account, not only what the passage says, but the historical context within which it was said etc. We do not read the passages in isolation. ( It is hard for me to explain what I want to say. Amils said it much better on a former post, that I think was wiped out in the summer 06 computer crash.)
For me, the Catholic interpretation of Scripture is the only interpretation that does not contain any contradictions. Once I sat down with a good study Bible, read the background within which the chapter was put together, with explanations on translation and vocabulary, I began to have a much better undestanding of the Bible.
One such example is the use of the term brother. Adventists, and some other Protestants, read it in the literal sense, and as a result, believe Jesus had actual blood-related siblings. But the cultural norm at the time tells us that the term brother was also used in a more broad sense.
Catholics also take into acount the writings of early Christians who succeeded the apostles (early Church Fathers) and oral teachings which have been passed down (Tradition).
On the other hand, some Adventists, however unwittingly, read the Bible through the intellectual lens of Ellen White (see the SDA Clearwood Bible). As a result, even when they read a “Catholic” version of the Bible, they are still seeing it in the way it was taught to them in the Adventist Church, which brings a certain bias to their interpretation.
Scott Hanh remarked in many of his books that after he converted to Catholicism, he realized he had only been reading “parts” of the Bible. He always focused on the same passages, while subconciously skimming over, some of the other parts. When he looked back to old study Bibles of his, he noticed that the same parts were always highlighted, and the same parts were not.
When I read Galatians, I often think of Adventists, and I am sure they think of us.
Catholics and Protestants (including Adventists) can argue until “the cows come home” but we won`t convince each other due to the different resources we use when interpreting the Bible. I just hope that our Adventists friends can come away with this forum understanding why Catholics believe what they believe, and recognize that in many cases, they have been misinformed on what, and why, the Catholic Church teaches.
Sincerely,
Maria1212
s post in that it is very easy to take passages of Scripture, often out of context, and use them to prove your point, or your churchs particular doctrine. We seen this done all the time with “proofs” that people represent to us on these threads. Often, the Scripture is taken out of context or reinterpreted. This isn`t done with misintent. The poster genuinely believes that is what it means.There is a key difference with the way we read the Bible however. Catholics take into account, not only what the passage says, but the historical context within which it was said etc. We do not read the passages in isolation. ( It is hard for me to explain what I want to say. Amils said it much better on a former post, that I think was wiped out in the summer 06 computer crash.)
For me, the Catholic interpretation of Scripture is the only interpretation that does not contain any contradictions. Once I sat down with a good study Bible, read the background within which the chapter was put together, with explanations on translation and vocabulary, I began to have a much better undestanding of the Bible.
One such example is the use of the term brother. Adventists, and some other Protestants, read it in the literal sense, and as a result, believe Jesus had actual blood-related siblings. But the cultural norm at the time tells us that the term brother was also used in a more broad sense.
Catholics also take into acount the writings of early Christians who succeeded the apostles (early Church Fathers) and oral teachings which have been passed down (Tradition).
On the other hand, some Adventists, however unwittingly, read the Bible through the intellectual lens of Ellen White (see the SDA Clearwood Bible). As a result, even when they read a “Catholic” version of the Bible, they are still seeing it in the way it was taught to them in the Adventist Church, which brings a certain bias to their interpretation.
Scott Hanh remarked in many of his books that after he converted to Catholicism, he realized he had only been reading “parts” of the Bible. He always focused on the same passages, while subconciously skimming over, some of the other parts. When he looked back to old study Bibles of his, he noticed that the same parts were always highlighted, and the same parts were not.
When I read Galatians, I often think of Adventists, and I am sure they think of us.
Catholics and Protestants (including Adventists) can argue until “the cows come home” but we won`t convince each other due to the different resources we use when interpreting the Bible. I just hope that our Adventists friends can come away with this forum understanding why Catholics believe what they believe, and recognize that in many cases, they have been misinformed on what, and why, the Catholic Church teaches.
Sincerely,
Maria1212
