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ConfusedTim
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If there was no Scriptrue at all for at least 10 years after Christ died how can Christianity now be based exclusively on the bible? I simply dont get it?
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abucs
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Very fair question.
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PadraigPearce
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Well, it’s not entirely accurate to say Christianity is “based on the bible”, at least the ancient forms of it. The Church was founded after Christ’s death, and operated by oral tradition for many years before finally writing down the scriptures. It might be more accurate to say the bible is based on the Church rather than the Church being based on the bible.
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ConfusedTim
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Not according to my protestant friends.
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Randy_Carson
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You are right to be confused by this “tradition of Protestant men”.
Another way of putting it is this: Did any of the apostles practice sola scriptura?
Nope!
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ConfusedTim
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It shows my gross ignorance and also that of my protestant friends. For ever i just assumed (as a result of never really thinking about it) that Christianity was the bible and if you cant quote a scripture verse you dont have any basis for your beliefs.
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Mark77
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**Your Protestant friends surely love Jesus, but they are just plain ignorant of the Truth!
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It is our job as Catholics, to evangelize and share the Fullness of the Truth that we have been given!
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, Ora Pro Nobis Peccatoribus!
mark
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BigDave31
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AMEN!! from a former protestant.
I would agree with this, with the qualification that by “The Church” in the last sentence, you are talking about the apostolic era.
Guess my catechesis wasn’t very good, because I hadn’t ever heard it this way. I can’t quote a scripture verse that says “trinity”, or “real presence”, or even “Lord’s Prayer”. The creeds aren’t in any scripture verse, nor is the Augsburg Confession.
Maybe I’m just not a good Protestant anymore.
Maybe I never was.
Jon
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ConfusedTim
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I read on another thread a protestant saying “the book of Acts shows you how a church should act”. And in other posts there are people saying "show me the bible verse where it says purgutory, Pope, etc. But the fact that the church existed without scripture highlights the fact that tradition and the magestrium are as important to Christianity as scripture i.e. the Catholic churches position.
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ufamtobie
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Hi Tim,
So true, but as you know, it was more than 10 years without the new testament scripture, it was 300 or so years after Jesus Christ death that it was compiled by the Church Jesus Christ founded
Imagine what would the Protestants do without the new testament Scripture for 300 years or so, who would they have to obey and learn from to become a Christian? “The Catholic Church!”
This is why Jesus Christ wanted to build a Church, not a Bible. IT is the Church who teaches us about the Turths of the Bible, the one church that the Gates of hell cannot prevail over it, the Church the one and only Church that is guided by the Holy Spirit in all truths. Amen
We are blessed to be Catholic. Thank you Jesus Christ, Amen
Ufam Tobie
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BrianH
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Adonia
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There was no New Testament Scriptures in the early Church, but there still was the Torah. Did not the Apostles still read the Torah?
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BrianH
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The very early letter from Clement to Corinth is FULL of references to the OT and quotes as well. Yes, good catch.
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happilycatholic
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happilycatholic
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Of course they did, they were obedient Jews. But they did not preach the Gospel from it. Rather they preached the Gospel according to Jesus who came to fulfill the prophesies that were written the the OT.
Oops, this should have been a response to adonia, however, in respnse to your post: There are still references to the OT in our Mass readings. There will always be references to the OT Scriptures, they are sacred to Christinaity.
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Bill_Pick
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Tim, can you see how protestant is spill its protesting . that may help you they are protesting because they need to get it right, they are just like your first name confused LOL
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Contarini
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Christianity is based on the Word of God. The Protestant claim is that the Word of God can be found in its entirety in the Bible as we now have it, not that at every point in salvation history this was the case.
Edwin
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ConfusedTim
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The protestant case seems very weak:
- No scripture at all for 10 years at least
- lots of dubious (as well as inspired writings) in circulation for another 300 years so there must have been confusion about what writings are inspired
- rejection of the body (the Catjtholic Church) the Holy Spirit guided to canonise the bible
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Snerticus
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I’m confused, why do you say there was no Scripture at all? Jesus himself quoted Scripture, which was at that time taken from what we now know as the Old Testament.
Second, how is Christianity based on the Bible? It is based on Christ, thus the name. It is not called Scriptianity or Biblianity.
Third, Catholicism - the “original” Christian religion - is not based on the Bible. Tradition itself brought the Bible about. Tradition, which is spoken of in the New Testament, came before the Bible. It is what Peter, Paul and the Apostles (and subsequently their successors) taught and did while here on Earth. That is why Scripture and Tradition cannot be separated and why there is potential danger and error in those that follow Scripture alone. Scripture cannot be correctly interpreted without Tradition because that’s how Christian Scripture was formed.
To take one element away from the whole is to only get one view of it, not it’s fullness. Scripture without Tradition therefore, is only seeing one side of the full picture. (As well as taking Tradition without Scripture - let’s be fair here.)
Snert
This is just a basic understanding of it, you can get more in depth by reading Church history such as the Early Church Fathers.
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