Yes, but the person I am arguing with is NOT a catholic.
2 Timothy 1:16-18,
“May the Lord grant mercy to the house of onesiphorus, because he often comforted me and was not ashamed of my chains; but when he came to Rome, he sought me out diligently and found me. May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And thou knowest very well the many services he rendered me at Ephesus.” ( Onesiphorus is spoken of as now dead; he was an official of the church at Ephsus.)
2 Tim 1:18 The eschatological tone of the verse has created some problems in interpreting it. The difficulty arises because the verse does not explicitly say that Onesiphorus was alive at the time the letter was written; there is therefore a possibility that he could have been dead by that time. This position is supported by verse 16, where a blessing is pronounced on Onesiphorus’ family but not directly on Onesiphorus himself. Furthermore, the blessing pronounced for Onesiphorus is not for the present but for the future, that is, the final day of judgment. Accordingly some interpreters support the position that Onesiphorus was dead when this letter was written. But if this is correct, then how does one take the blessing pronounced on Onesiphorus? If it is taken as a prayer (for the subjunctive form, see discussion on 2 Tim 1:16), **then this would be a prayer for someone who is already dead **from
from the UBS Handbook Series. Copyright © 1961-1997, by United Bible Societies.)
A strong case can be made from NT for sacred oral tradition equal to sacred written tradition therefore what those early church Fathers is absolutely relevant, and if they are wrong from the get go, then everything is up for grabs:
“And after the exhibition, Tryphaena again receives her. For
her daughter Falconilla had died,
and said to her in a dream:
Mother, thou shall have this
stranger Thecla in my place, in
order that she may pray concerning me, **and that I **may be
transferred to the place of the just.”
Acts of Paul and Thecla(A.D. 160),in ANF,VIII:490
"Without delay, on that very night,
this was shown to me in a vision. I
saw Dinocrates going out from a gloomy place, where also there were several others, and he was parched and very thirsty, with a filthy countenance and pallid colour, and the wound on his face which he had when he died. This Dinocrates had been my brother after the flesh, seven years of age? who died miserably with disease…
But I trusted that my prayer would bring help to his suffering; and I prayed for him every day until we passed over into the prison of the camp, for we were to fight in the camp-show. Then was the birth-day of Gets Caesar, and
I made my prayer for my brother day and night, groaning and weeping that he might be granted to me.Then, on the day on which we remained in fetters, this
was shown to me. I saw that that place which I had formerly observed to be in gloom was now bright; and Dinocrates, with a clean body well clad, was finding refreshment. And
where there had been a wound, I saw a scar; and that pool which I had before seen, I saw now with its margin lowered even to the boy’s navel. And one drew water from the pool incessantly, and upon its brink
was a goblet filled with water; and Dinocrates drew near and began to drink from it, and the goblet did not fail. And when
he was satisfied, he went away from the water to
play joyously, after the manner of children, and **I awoke. Then I understood that
he was translated from the place of punishment." The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitias,2:3-4(A.D. 202),in ANF,III:701-702
**"As often as the anniversary comes round, we make
offerings for the
dead as birthday honours." Tertullian,The Chaplut,3(A.D. 211),in ANF,III:94
“[A]
woman is more bound when her husband is dead…Indeed,she prays for his soul,
and requests refreshment for him meanwhie, and fellowship(with him) in the first resurrection;and
she offers (her sacrifice) on the anniversary of his falling asleep.” **Tertullian,**On Monogamy,10(A.D. 216),in ANF,III:66-67
