C
Chris-WA
Guest
Again I will say that in order to demonstrate apostacies in the Old Testament, one would have to show where the priesthood authority was lost/taken away at the end of each “dispensation,” (as the Mormons would call it). As far as I can tell, the priesthood was never completely lost, nor had to be restored, in the Old Testament and was in fact passed on from generation to generation despite the numerous shortcommings of Israel. Furthermore, this is how the old covenant was maintained between God and Israel throughout all of Old Testament history. To lose the priesthood authority also means to lose the covenant at various times, which I am unaware of ever happening, even in the darkest times of Israel’s disobedience and rejection of God. If a Mormon could demonstrate from the Old Testament instances where the priesthood was completely removed and restored, I would have to rethink some of this.
Even Jesus recognized the priestly authority of the Jews when he spoke of them still sitting in the seat of Moses during his public ministry. Furthermore, as a child Jesus entered into the old covenent through circumcision, which was performed by a priest in the temple. So we know the Jews could still exercise priesthood authority during the time of Jesus. Of course at some point this authority had to transfer from them to the Apostles, which I think us Catholics believe to have occurred at the Last Supper.
But what seems absent here is any indication of a succession of various apostacies wherein God completely removed the priesthood authority from his people. We do know that God removed the priesthood from all the tribes except the Levites at the Golden Calf incidient. But even in this situation the priesthood survived and was passed on through the Levites. So did apostacy occur? Of course it did–apostacy was always going on and always will go on. Did the priesthood authority disappear? No, I cannot find any evidence of this. Even in times of terrible apostacy in the Old Testament, the priesthood remained and was passed on.
I think this goes to show one very important difference between Mormons and Catholics in this regard. For Mormons, the existence of priesthood authority is dependent on the obedience of the people. If they disobey to a great enough degree, God takes authority completely away and the people wander in darkness cut off from the Lord. For Catholics, the authority is not dependent on the conduct of individuals. Regardless of how good or bad they are, the office they hold continues through some sort of succession whether it be father to son (or simply God appointing someone else) in the Old Testament or via the office of bishop in the New Testament.
Even Jesus recognized the priestly authority of the Jews when he spoke of them still sitting in the seat of Moses during his public ministry. Furthermore, as a child Jesus entered into the old covenent through circumcision, which was performed by a priest in the temple. So we know the Jews could still exercise priesthood authority during the time of Jesus. Of course at some point this authority had to transfer from them to the Apostles, which I think us Catholics believe to have occurred at the Last Supper.
But what seems absent here is any indication of a succession of various apostacies wherein God completely removed the priesthood authority from his people. We do know that God removed the priesthood from all the tribes except the Levites at the Golden Calf incidient. But even in this situation the priesthood survived and was passed on through the Levites. So did apostacy occur? Of course it did–apostacy was always going on and always will go on. Did the priesthood authority disappear? No, I cannot find any evidence of this. Even in times of terrible apostacy in the Old Testament, the priesthood remained and was passed on.
I think this goes to show one very important difference between Mormons and Catholics in this regard. For Mormons, the existence of priesthood authority is dependent on the obedience of the people. If they disobey to a great enough degree, God takes authority completely away and the people wander in darkness cut off from the Lord. For Catholics, the authority is not dependent on the conduct of individuals. Regardless of how good or bad they are, the office they hold continues through some sort of succession whether it be father to son (or simply God appointing someone else) in the Old Testament or via the office of bishop in the New Testament.