Catholics, Evangelicals and Jews

[mrs_abbott]

What a combination, eh?
I was wondering why the True Church is said to be Catholic, instead of Jewish, since Jesus was a Jew? I’m sure this has been addressed before on this forum but I apologize because I missed it.
Why are the four gospel writers called evangelists? Why aren’t Catholics evangelists then if we believe what they wrote to be true? When I ask “why aren’t Catholics evangelists”, I’m asking why we don’t follow the Evangelical religion?

 

[b_justb]

mrs_abbott:

What a combination, eh?
I was wondering why the True Church is said to be Catholic, instead of Jewish, since Jesus was a Jew? I’m sure this has been addressed before on this forum but I apologize because I missed it.

Indeed, I saw “Catholics, Evangelicals and Jews” and thought it was one of those “A Catholic, an Evangelical and a Jew walked into a bar …” deals.

Jesus was indeed a Jew. His linage is drawn by Matthew and Luke. The Savior of Scripture is the Jewish Savior, With the exception of Luke, all the other biblical authors were Jewish. The Church when it started (historically in AD 30 or 33, depending on your time reference) fell under the prevue of Judaism and was given legitimacy by the Roman Government as a licit religion because of that. Christianity was known as Va’Derek (Hebrew for “The Way’). In AD 49 the Church in Antioch petitioned to have non-Jews join The Way without formal circumcision, a serious break with Jewish custom and Law. Paul granted their wish with artful theological treatise recorded in Scripture. The allowance really ruffled the feathers of many in The Way. It matter had to be settle by Ecumenical Council in Jerusalem later the same year. As recorded in Acts, Peter gives the decree that Gentiles do not have to be circumcised to join The Church. This event breaks Christianity with Judaism, a relationship already well strained. In AD 64 Old Rome burns (most likely at the hands of Nero himself) and the Christians get blamed. Christianity now becomes an illicit religion in the Roman Empire and the official persecution of all Christians begins. The Apostle James (the Elder) is already dead. The remaining Apostles are hunted down and all of them with the exception of John are martyred in the next 3 years. AD 70 has the Roman Empire finishing off the Jews with the full destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and the Jewish Diaspora. In AD 85 the Rabbinic Council of Jamnia is allowed to take place and it sets out what is and is not allowed as sacred writ for the Jewish faith, further severing any ties between Christians and Jews. Fast forward to the time of Constantine the Great and in AD 311 we have the Edict of Milan that re-legalizes the Jewish and Christian religions. As Constantine II (Constantine’s Grandson) comes into power as Roman Emperor and makes Christianity the State Religion, Jewish persecution is back on the rise. Jews were not allowed to secure property, not compensated for property taken from them, taxed more than other groups of people, no allowed to have Christian servants. The demarcation between the two groups just continued to grow and grow until more recent times.

 

[b_justb]

mrs_abbott:

Why are the four gospel writers called evangelists? Why aren’t Catholics evangelists then if we believe what they wrote to be true? When I ask “why aren’t Catholics evangelists,” I’m asking why we don’t follow the Evangelical religion?

See: newadvent.org/cathen/05645a.htm for a good short article on the evangelists question.

As Catholics we are evangelical in nature, by word and deed. Or should be at any rate.

I don’t follow the modern Protestant Evangelical Christian Movement because it is lined in the heresies of Gnosticism and Arianism just to name two. I cannot chose what others believe. I can only choose to follow fully that faith that has been handed down by Christ to His Apsotles.

 

[BlestOne]

mrs_abbott:

What a combination, eh?
I was wondering why the True Church is said to be Catholic, instead of Jewish, since Jesus was a Jew? I’m sure this has been addressed before on this forum but I apologize because I missed it.
Why are the four gospel writers called evangelists? Why aren’t Catholics evangelists then if we believe what they wrote to be true? When I ask “why aren’t Catholics evangelists”, I’m asking why we don’t follow the Evangelical religion?

Mrs Abbott,
We consider our faith to be the logical progression of Judism. Our jewish brothers and sisters are our roots. Once Jesus the Christ came for our redemption, the jews that recognised him in this role became the first christians. Those first christians were led by Jesus himself, who at the time of his last days on earth, named Peter as his rock upon which he would build his church…the Catholic Church(apostolic progression). Granted it was not given this name at first, just as christians weren’t called christians at first…they were kinda thought of as renegade jews. In the same respect, evangelists are those who spread the good news of the Christ, they are not referring to a religion (i.e. Evangelicals) Evangelicals came about as a offshoot of Protestants and it is just their name much like a Baptist or Methodist…it is just a name they assigned to identify themselves. The Catholic Church is evangelical (note the small “e”) by nature. We are not a part of the Evangelical church because they broke away…we are the originals, The True Chuch that Christ created on earth.

 

[mrs_abbott]

Ok. Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut, everyone! I had so many thoughts running through my head and one was why aren’t we Jewish since Jesus was.
Thanks for the explanations.