Preliminary background: the filioque (Latin for “And the Son”) is the theological notion that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, Jesus. This clause is included in the Nicene Creed — seen as a legitimate development — in the Western Catholic Church, but not in the Eastern Orthodox Church, which regards it as a late corruption and heresy. It was not really a matter of controversy until the time of Photius in the second half of the 9th century,... Read more
The following evidence documents papal presence (personally or through legates) at the first seven councils: 1) Nicaea, 325 [papal legates; possibly including Hosius or Ossius, who presided] The recommendation for a general or ecumenical council . . . had probably already been made to Constantine by Ossius [aka Hosius], and most probably to Pope Silvester as well . . . Ossius presided over its deliberations; he probably, and two priests of Rome certainly, came as representatives of the Pope. (Dr.... Read more
Sin in the Church and Dreher’s Inadequately Explained Rejection of Catholic Doctrine Rod Dreher, over at The American Conservative, wrote on 2-12-18: For a TAC review, I re-read Ross Douthat’s forthcoming book To Change The Church: Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism. It really holds up, and as this papacy falters further—now the sex abuse scandal has directly touched the Pope, in the mess with the Chilean bishop—Douthat’s book is a must-read for understanding how Francis gets into these messes, and what it... Read more
Why would there be a leader of the Church only for the lifetime of Peter? No other offices of leadership work that way. Someone commented on my Facebook page: Protestants always say that just because Peter was the leader, doesn’t mean that the leadership was passed down, because there is no mention in the Bible of Peter or his successors on how to transfer power. Here’s my reply to that: One of the apostles (Judas) was replaced with another (Matthias)... Read more
I converted precisely for the reasons that I have explained in my four or five different accounts. It wasn’t because I was ignorant of evangelical Protestantism. It wasn’t because I despised or hated same or came to regard it as worthless. It wasn’t because I was disenchanted with where I was. My journey began out of simple intellectual curiosity about why Catholic believed certain things that I thought were exceedingly strange and puzzling (particularly, the ban on contraception, and infallibility).... Read more
A Lutheran wrote, in response to my paper, “Gratefulness For My Evangelical Protestant Background and its Wonderful Teachings and Blessings”: “It is comforting to know that you still have respect and good memories from your years in the Evangelical Protestant church.” I’m delighted that this was edifying for him. I’m not an exception to the rule, by any means. I would venture to guess that probably 90% (if not even more) of Catholic converts have essentially positive feelings and great fondness... Read more
The Catholic rule of faith has always been the “three-legged stool” of Scripture-Tradition-Church. *** Words of Pastor Ken Howes (LCMS) will be in blue. *** 553 is when the fifth Great Council [Constantinople II] said that tradition was an independent basis of doctrine. You beg the question with your assertion that Roman teaching was the apostolic doctrine–that is exactly the issue, and can’t just be resolved by the assertion that it is so. It is at 553 that there is a... Read more
It’s amazing what can be found in Holy Scripture, if you dig deep enough. *** Nicholas Cardinal Wiseman (1802-1865) made the following brilliant argument: Acts 2:41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. We read, in the Acts of the apostles, of three, or five, and more thousands, being converted in one day, and admitted to baptism. Does this possibly allow us to imagine, that they were all instructed... Read more
From one of my papers on the topic: Examples of second-class relics (objects that came into contact with holy people) are also clearly found in passages about the prophet Elijah’s mantle, which parted the Jordan River (2 Kings 2:11-14), and Peter’s shadow (Acts 5:15-16) and Paul’s handkerchief (Acts 19:11-12), used by God to heal sick people and to cast out demons. If all of this is “magic,” then it is a sort of “magic” directly sanctioned by God Himself. Protestant... Read more
Veneration of an angel occurs in this passage: if it is Michael, as Augustine & Jerome thought. *** Joshua 5:13-15 (RSV) When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood before him with his drawn sword in his hand; and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” [14] And he said, “No; but as commander of the army of the LORD I have... Read more
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