Authority

Class date: 6/3/18

 Beginning Apologetics 1: pp 14-17 “Apostolic Authority, Peter and the Papacy” Quick Answers: Don’t Revelation 3:7 and Isaiah 22 point to Christ – not Peter – as having the keys of David? Articles and Tracts: Peter’s Authority (Scripture) ** Tract: Peter and the Papacy – No Rocks Required (Scripture) ** Stewards of the Kingdom (History) […]

Class date: 01/21/18

In the OT, when God established His covenant with Israel, he also established a living, continuing authority in the Mosaic priesthood. This authority did not end when the OT was written down, but rather continued to safeguard and interpret the Sacred Scriptures.

Similarly, when Christ established His Church, what St. Paul calls the "New Israel," He established a living authority to continue to teach, govern, and sanctify in His name. This Church is called Apostolic because it began with the 12 Apostles and continues with their successors. Its purpose is to preserve and authentically interpret the Revelation of Jesus Christ, maintaining it in its fullness and purity until the end of time. This same authority determined the canon of Scripture.

Beginning Apologetics 1: p 13 "The Bible Alone?"

If you missed class and want to catch up:

• The Protestant Achilles Heel by Tim Staples **

Quick Answers:

• If Jesus didn't believe the Bible was the sole rule of faith, why did he quote it in his disputes with the Jewish leaders?
• Since we have God's written Word, why so much emphasis on oral tradition?

Articles & Tracts:

Class date: 1/7/17

For class date: 12/17/17

Beginning Apologetics 1: pp 10-12 "The Canon of the Bible"

Articles / Tracts:

• Defending the Deuterocanonicals by Jimmy Akin **
• The Old Testament Canon - quotations of deuterocanonical books by the Fathers **
• The Old Testament Canon article by a non-Catholic, looking at the history of the OT Canon
• The Septuagint - article from 1912 Catholic Encyclopedia

Short Answers (Quick Questions from Catholic Answers):

 Beginning Apologetics 1: pp 14-17 “Apostolic Authority, Peter and the Papacy” Quick Answers: Don’t Revelation 3:7 and Isaiah 22 point to Christ – not Peter – as having the keys of David? Articles and Tracts: Peter’s Authority (Scripture) ** Tract: Peter and the Papacy – No Rocks Required (Scripture) ** Stewards of the Kingdom (History) […]

Beginning Apologetics 1: p 13 "The Bible Alone?"

If you missed class and want to catch up:

• The Protestant Achilles Heel by Tim Staples **

Quick Answers:

• Prayer: Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit

1. 1. Objection 8: (from a Protestant site) When it came to the Old Testament, three important facts were considered: 1) The New Testament quotes from or alludes to every Old Testament book but two. 2) Jesus effectively endorsed the Hebrew canon in Matthew 23:35 when He cited one of the first narratives and one of the last in the Scriptures of His day. 3) The Jews were meticulous in preserving the Old Testament Scriptures, and they had few controversies over what parts belong or do not belong. The Roman Catholic Apocrypha did not measure up and fell outside the definition of Scripture and has never been accepted by the Jews.

• Prayer: Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit

1. Summary / recap - Last time, we discussed how we know what belongs in the Bible.
   1. Both the contents of the Old and the New Testaments were debated in the early Church. Some NT books, including Hebrews, 2 Peter, 2 & 3 John, and Revelation were disputed. Other books eventually excluded from the canon were thought by some Christians to be inspired, including Clement's First Letter and the Didache.
   2. In essence, we depend on the authority of the Catholic Church to know which books belong in the NT as well as the OT.
   3. Echoes of the Septuagint – e.g.