=CEAbbott;7893718]Hi there again folks,
Got another message from my FaceBook Baptist friend regarding the Catholic Church not being the Church Christ established. Before I post it here for your help, I want to thank each and every one of you who wrote to help me debate her accusations against the Church with Catholic apologetics.
Here is the new message she sent me this morning…:
**"The truth is that the Catholic church was started by emperor Constantine 4 century’s after the death and resurrection of Christ. I’d like to add that if you are familiar with the book of Revelation, 7 churches are discussed therein as being the “seat” of Christianity. NOWHERE is mentioned the "church of Rome **
The amazing thing to me is that THEY MIGHT actually bleieve what they are saying:shrug:
The problem with this point is that [putting religion asside for a second], the position is HISTORICALLY inaccurate and can be proven as such, by secular historians:
Cyprian of Carthage
“The Lord says to Peter: ‘I say to you,’ he says, ‘that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. . . . ’ [Matt. 16:18]. On him [Peter] he builds the Church, and to him he gives the command to feed the sheep [John 21:17], and although he assigns a like power to all the apostles, yet he founded a single chair [cathedra], and he established by his own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. . . . If someone [today] does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he [should] desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?” (The Unity of the Catholic Church 4; first edition **[A.D. 251]). **
St. Irenaeus
“The blessed apostles [Peter and Paul], having founded and built up the church [of Rome] . . . handed over the office of the episcopate to Linus” (Against Heresies 3:3:3 **[A.D. 189]). **
Tertullian
“[T]his is the way in which the apostolic churches transmit their lists: like the church of the Smyrneans, which records that Polycarp was placed there by John, like the church of the Romans, where Clement was ordained by Peter” (Demurrer Against the Heretics 32:2 **[A.D. 200]). **
The Little Labyrinth
“Victor . . . was the thirteenth bishop of Rome from Peter” (The Little Labyrinth
[A.D. 211], in Eusebius, Church History 5:28:3).
Eusebius of Caesarea
“Paul testifies that Crescens was sent to Gaul [2 Tim. 4:10], but Linus, whom he mentions in the Second Epistle to Timothy [2 Tim. 4:21] as his companion at Rome, was Peter’s successor in the episcopate of the church there, as has already been shown. Clement also, who was appointed third bishop of the church at Rome, was, as Paul testifies, his co-laborer and fellow-soldier [Phil. 4:3]” (Church History 3:4:9–10 **[A.D
312]). **
St. Ignatius became the third bishop of Antioch, succeeding St. Evodius, who was the immediate successor of St. Peter. He heard St. John preach when he was a boy and knew St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. Seven of his letters written to various Christian communities have been preserved. Eventually, he received the martyr’s crown as he was thrown to wild beasts in the arena.
“Consider how contrary to the mind of God are the heterodox in regard to the grace of God which has come to us. They have no regard for charity, none for the widow, the orphan, the oppressed, none for the man in prison, the hungry or the thirsty. They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, the flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His graciousness, raised from the dead.”
"Letter to the Smyrnaeans", paragraph 6. circa 80-110 A.D
ALL of these Pre-date the Great Constantine
It almost seems the more absurd the ststement the more traction it get’s
Just keep posting here and send her what you discover.
God Bless,
Pat**