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Re-post of a good video outlining the historical development of the Bible and the Catholic Church's role in making it all happen.

Those silly silly atheists. They spend so much time trying to prove "problem passages" in the Bible. A little hint...The Catholic Church put the Bible together. We know the passages are there!  With no Theology to apply toward the scriptures, people often try and make any particular passage say what they want it to say and mean what they want it to mean. Sorry folks, it's not that easy. Not even close. If it were that easy, what the heck am I doing at the seminary trying to learn this stuff?!  I still consider myself a beginner (maybe advanced beginner;)  when it comes to interpreting sacred scripture and I can assure you many parts of the Bible are quite complex theologically.  There are more than a few things to consider when interpreting sacred scripture. How about .....How does the Church that put the Bible together and has taught sacred scripture for thousands of years interpret things? Makes sense doesn't it? How about maybe asking a Jewish scripture scholar? Now which interpretation of scripture should I pay attention to, the atheist or the Catholic Church and Jewish scholar? Pretty easy question to answer. The New Testament authors were Catholic. Why not ask the author of the book (Catholic Church) what the book means? Sounds reasonable.

I love studying Sacred Scripture and I am sure there are many folks that don't realize everything that is involved in interpreting correctly the compilation of gospels, psalms and letters we call the Bible.  How about learning Hebrew and Greek?  Well, thankfully the work of translation has already been done for us by The Catholic Church throughout the ages.  It would be wise to learn a bit of Church history and Theology before trying to tackle the concepts contained in scripture. Theology often uses language and concepts that need further developing beyond what appears on the surface level. This can't be emphasized enough. Even very intelligent atheists can sound quite foolish when tackling Theological issues in which they obviously have little understanding of.

You have to understand the words of the Bible in the light of the meaning the authors intended to convey. You can make up your own 21st century version of what the scriptures mean but there is no authority in that. It's really quite foolish to go about things this way. There is a proper way to interpret scripture. To do this you have to understand the historical context that the authors were writing in. You need to understand the Theological themes they were writing about. The audience that the authors were writing to is important. For example, St Paul might quote from the Old Testament when preaching to the Jews and then use philosophical arguments and language when speaking to a pagan audience. If your personal interpretation of scripture is different than the Church that put that scriptures together, you are simply wrong. If your personal interpretation of scripture is different than the Church Fathers and how they understood it, you are simply wrong. The Church Fathers were the first Christians (Catholic) that sat at the feet of the apostles or disciples of the apostles. 

There are several ways in which the Catholic Church interprets Sacred Scripture. It's not merely literal interpretation from Genesis to Revelation. No no no. There is the literal interpretation but there is also allegorical and spiritual. Knowing which method to apply to any particular book, author, or passage of the Bible takes study.  You need to consider the many different literary devices being used by the various authors of scripture. You need to study the different cultures and societal frameworks that existed at the time the scriptures were written. These are just some of the basic principles involved in studying scripture properly.

The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ Himself  The scriptures of the new testament were written by the first Catholics under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Outside of the authority of the Catholic Church, any personal interpretation of Sacred Scripture is mere opinion.  Who wants opinion?  I would rather learn to interpret sacred scripture the way it was intended to be interpreted as taught by the Church who has the historical claim of authority over it.

peace.

Learn about the origin of the Bible and the role the Catholic Church had in producing it. As mentioned before, this is a locally produced video from http://realcatholictv.com/   This video is found in the premium features. You have to be a paid memeber to access the premium features.

Hey, isThat Royal Oak in the first few minutes?

*Video removed but will repost upon request.

Do you know? Do you know?  The answer is the Catholic Church!  But wait, that's just the quick and easy answer. Watch this exciting and professionally produced (locally) video to learn more.

 Here is part two of a three part series produced by MIchael Voris and RealCatholictv.com.  Part one deals more with the development of the canon of scripture(list of the books in the Bible) and the Catholic Churches role in putting it together into what we call today the Bible. Part two deals with a lot of the questions and misinformation I often  hear about interpretation of scripture. It also covers the errors of Martin Luther's Theology and why protestant Bibles have seven less books than authentic Catholic Bibles.

*Reposted* for a friend. (43:00)
*Video removed but will repost upon request.

" Why did the Catholic Church add seven books to the Bible?" This is a question I have been asked several times by Protestant (non Catholic Christian) friends and co-workers.  When I hear this question asked, I know that a little teaching is needed in regards to what the Bible is and who put it together.  Many people with whom I have had discussions with on this topic were genuinely surprised to find out that it was the Catholic Church who decided which books belong in what we now call the Bible. This list of books in the Bible referred to as the canon of Sacred Scripture was decided upon by a series of Church councils in the 4th and 5th centuries.  Thus the contents (canon) of the Bible was settled for all of Christendom a long long time ago. It wasn't until 1100 years or so later when Martin Luther Came on the scene that there was any dispute about the canon of scripture. Martin Luther subtracted 7 books from the Bible on nothing more than his own authority. Thus the Protestant Bible is incomplete by 7 books.  The Catholic Church didn't add books to the Bible. The Church originally decided the canon of scripture long before Luther came around. The 7 books in question were always there. Martin Luther took them out in his version.

Martin Luther and other like minded reformers also developed the novel teachings of Sola Scriptura and Sola Fides. These two teachings are false. Sola Fide is a bit complicated so I'll skip that one for now. Sola Scriptura basically means "the Bible alone".  This teaching would have its followers believe that everything a Christian needs to know about the faith and everything they need for their salvation is found in the Bible alone. Personal interpretation of scripture becomes the highest authority. The end result of this false teaching can be seen in the splintering of Christianity outside of the Catholic Church to the level of 35,000 or so different Protestant denominations or "Bible Church" faiths. Many sincere and good Christians simply don't know the history involved in the development of the Bible and the errors Martin Luther and other reformers taught. These erroneous teachings are now being followed by thousands if not millions of Christians. Give this video a look. Its well done.

Peace.


This video addresses many of the issues I hear in discussion with Protestant friends in regards to the Bible. This is part 2. Part 1 goes through more of the history of how the various books of sacred scripture were assembled into what we now call the Bible. I can post part 1 if anyone wants to check it out.

*Video removed but will repost if requested.