Pitting the WAY against Catholicism

[philipmarus]

A protestant family member gave me a book on DAVID as a gift. Unfortunately its written by a Dispensationalist preacher.
In one part, the author writes quotes

John 14:6

“I am the way the Truth and the Life no comes through the Father except by me”

Then he proceeds to say:

1. The above verse is is dead end street to every cult, liberal or Legalistic church.
2. Christianity was never called Christianity at the beginning. It was Not ROMAN CATHOLICISM, Baptists, Methodists, etc The Bible name at the beginning was ho hodus meaning “the Way”. He then proceeds to quote ACTS 9:1-2 where Saul/Paul
   looks for those were of “the way”

Then Saul still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of THE WAY, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem Acts 9:1-2

3, Concluding, he writes Paul didn’t (in ACTS 9) say he was looking for Christians, believers, or even “SAINTS” but only those who were of “the Way”.

It seems to me he trying to infer the earliest Christians were of “the Way” connect this thought to the use of the word WAY in John 14:6 “the way truth and the life” to Paul’s search for followers of the way as opposed to members of any church especially the Catholic Church.

Any Thoughts?

 

[PinoyCatholic]

I would say:

Could you please read the Didache? I hear that was written by the earliest Christians. It talks about the Way. Could you pit that against Catholicism please?

 

[Church_Militant]

1. Christianity was never called Christianity at the beginning.

He’s ignoring Acts 11:26 And they conversed there in the church a whole year; and they taught a great multitude, so that at Antioch the disciples were first named Christians.

It was Not ROMAN CATHOLICISM, Baptists, Methodists, etc The Bible name at the beginning was ho hodus meaning “the Way”. He then proceeds to quote ACTS 9:1-2 where Saul/Paul
looks for those were of “the way”

3, Concluding, he writes Paul didn’t (in ACTS 9) say he was looking for Christians, believers, or even “SAINTS” but only those who were of “the Way”.

It wasn’t called the Catholic Church huh? He’d better get out his Greek lexicon and Greek NT and look up Acts 9:31, where it says, ἡ μεν ουν εκκλησια καθ᾽ ὁλης της ιουδαιας και γαλιλαιας και σαμαρειας ειχεν ειρηνην οικοδομουμενη και πορευομενη τω φοβω του κυριου, και τη παρακλησει του ἁγιου πνευματος επληθυνοντο.

That is “ekklesia kath olos”, essentially Catholic Church and is rightly translated “the church throughout all” or “the universal church”

It seems to me he trying to infer the earliest Christians were of “the Way” connect this thought to the use of the word WAY in John 14:6 “the way truth and the life” to Paul’s search for followers of the way as opposed to members of any church especially the Catholic Church.

They may have called themselves “the way” at some point, but that’s not the name that stuck. He’s projecting his own interpretations onto the text.

 

[zian]

yes, and “The Way” was “universal”, and hence, “Catholic”.

 

[philipmarus]

Thank You, especially Church Militant for the excellent answer.

 

[Hastrman]

You might consider that it’s difficult to find The Way without someone who Points the Way.

Now who do we know who’s called Hodogetria around here?