Posted on 03/18/2013 5:39:54 PM PDT by Steelfish
Interactive Graphic: The Story of Every Pope In History, From Saint Peter To Pope Francis
View this interactive graphic with details of every pope in history, from Saint Peter, the first Bishop of Rome and one of the twelve apostles, to the new Pope Francis, appointed on Wednesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
you wrote:
“I suspect that a lot of antipathy toward the Roman Church is that others do not have a verifiable 2,000 ear history that has been documented.”
Just two hours agi I was discussing the exact same idea with a former Protestant minister who is now a Catholic!
EARLY HISTORY OF THE BIBLE
...Before translating the Bible into Latin, St. Jerome had already translated into more common languages enough books to fill a library. (Saint Jerome, Maisie Ward, Sheed & Ward; A Companion to Scripture Studies, Steinmuller.)
In the year 383, he revised the Latin New Testament text in accordance with some Greek manuscripts. Between the years 390 and 406 he translated the Old Testament directly from the Hebrew, and this completed work is known today as the “Old Latin Vulgate”. The work had been requested by Pope Damasus, and Copies of St. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate appeared uncorrupted as late as the 11th century, with some revisions by St. Peter Damian and Lanfranc. (Catholic Encyclopedia, “Place of the Bible in the Church”, C.U.A.)...
http://www.cathtruth.com/catholicbible/earlyhis.htm
The History of the Latin Vulgate
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=7470
Pope St. Damasus I
...St. Jerome was also his (Pope Damasus) confidential secretary for some time. (Ep. cxxiii, n. 10)...
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04613a.htm
A 2000 yr history leaves lots of opportunities for soundbites today but when one reads the history one finds it amazing how they protected the faith through the centures - it could only have been achieved by the Holy Spirit. Pope Damasus had to deal with an (Arian) anti-Pope contingent along with a few other heresies, Apollinarianism, Macedonianism, and probably others...
In matters of nobility, royalty, and succession: In a word, YES. Claims to succession require proof as a matter of course, else it is not succession. Papers, please.
I am surprised by the attack on what is considered to be TRUE history of the Church. Today at the installation mass of new Pope Francis, there were representatives from other Christian churches which ought to be viewed as a WONDERFUL sign that the King of Kings, Jesus Christ is working in the power of both the Heavenly Father and Holy Spirit to bring all the Christians back together in accords to John Chapter 17.
Thank-you for your scripture-based sharing.
A few questions I have is this:
If you say that the history of Rome is fiction, WHY are non-Catholic Christians come into the Church each year?
Could it be that it is realizing the great prayer of Jesus as in John 17 that all Christian believers shall be ONE?
The folks I know who have been among the elect have left Catholicism to follow Jesus.
Perhaps if non-revisionist, party history were a part of the RCC culture, more folks would realize the fraud that Rome is. The history of those who have been given faith reaches back to Abel. So I suppose that means we predate your organization by, what, 10,000 years? Check Hebrews 11...Rome is the Johnny-come-lately.
Finally, a picture of the staff inside the Vatican.
The lineage of the Gospel of Grace begins with Abel (Heb. 11) and the faith which he was given by God. Evidently we predate Rome by some 10,000 years.
That Rome relies upon a string of men which include John XII (16 year old boy) and Benedict IX (11 year old boy) to find significance demonstrates that it does not understand salvation as a gift of God.
Just 10 minutes ago I was visiting with a man who escaped the chains of Rome...and was grateful to Jesus that he was now saved.
Because many of the so-called believers (as in I Cor.) are not really believers at all. That is, they have never understood the Gospel of Jesus Christ because they were more interested in religion, feeling better, community, or big organizations. None of these things are the Gospel. However, they are certainly attractions to Rome.
The Gospel begins with Christ choosing someone before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1). He then adopts the person and grants them faith. In doing so, He rescues them from their sins and begins to open their eyes to His work and His glory. Slowly (or sometimes more quickly), the person begins to recognize that all of this experience of salvation is actually the work of God...not themselves. The truths Paul wrote about in Eph. 2 come alive.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, that no one should boast."
People all over the world are discovering this, but the numbers are not as impressive as those who join Islam or the RCC. Nevertheless, just as pagans outnumbered believers in Jesus during the first century (perhaps 10,000 to 1), believers in Jesus don't look at numbers. We look at truth. And the truth is in Him...not Rome. He can set one free from religion if He chooses. If that person is you, then what does it matter if 100,000,000 become Muslims or Catholics?
I am saved by faith in Jesus, yet I am still Catholic as well as Christian.
The Evangelical Christians ought to be pleased that the RC Church has a Pope who believes in the importance of faith in Jesus.
Keep a close eye on the global south, the Christian faith, Catholic, Anglican, and Evangelical is GROWING.
There are no mediators between God and man, other than the Man-Messiah Jesus. When a man states that he is the Vicar of Christ, the substitute for Jesus on earth, he is pronouncing a blasphemous remark. You may very well be a believer in Christ...that would be by His doing in spite of Rome, not because of it.
Rome is not the “Johnny come lately”.
THANK the RC Church for giving to the world the Bible.
The Pope is the servant of the servants of God, Jesus is the King of Kings. Would it surprise you that a number of Christian church communites sent reps to the installation? A sign of the growing unity between Christians and Christian communities, a wonderful sign of the growing unity of believers as Jesus prayed for in John 17.
[The lineage of the Gospel of Grace begins with Abel]
And what your point? According to Hebrews 11, it went from Abel to Christ. Christ founded the Church and the Apostolate. Those he chose ordained others.
[There are no mediators between God and man, other than the Man-Messiah Jesus. When a man states that he is the Vicar of Christ, the substitute for Jesus on earth, he is pronouncing a blasphemous remark.]
The Pope is not a mediator, nor is he a substitute for Jesus.
My point is that faith has been Paul's point. Faith has always been the element God has used to tie together those who are members of Christ's Body even back when all they had was Proto Evangeliam. The whole thing that Rome cooked up (along with other errant pretenders) is that the central idea is the "Church".
If Rome would read the Book it claims to have delivered to the world (again falsely) they would find no such word as "Church" in the Scriptures. This is a manufactured term to explain "gatherings" or "assemblies", a common term used all over the world. Rome added the capital letter and morphed the word "kirk" into Church.
But, the real tie, the Body of Christ, began with the faith granted to Abel (or perhaps Adam) and reaches right through history to today. Rome has appointed itself the keeper of this with no Scriptural support. Read the Book...Rome is not central to anything.
There is no pope in there, there are no indulgences, there are no sacraments, there is no purgatory, there is no sacerdotalism, there is no "Roman Catholic Church". The Roman organization has appointed itself, just as falsely as Islam has appointed Mohammad.
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