Category: Composition of the Bible

In 2 Machabees, we have the reference cited by the Catholic Church to support Purgatory. 12:43 And when he had made a gathering throughout the company to the sum of two thousand drachms of silver, he sent it to Jerusalem to offer a sin offering, doing therein very well and honestly, in that he was mindful of the resurrection: 12:44 For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should have risen again, it had been superfluous and vain to pray for the dead. 12:45 And also in that he perceived that there was great favour laid up for those that died godly, it was an holy and good thought. Whereupon he made a reconciliation for the dead, that they might be delivered from sin. Protestants do not…

Who chose the books of the New Testament? https://youtu.be/Vf1VN65dJPI The New Testament used by Christians also contain the books that were accepted by the community during Jesus’ time. How were the books of the New Testament chosen? We noted earlier that they were circulated during the time when the eyewitnesses of Jesus were still alive. These people could verify with their own experiences whether what the New Testament writers wrote were true or false. They would accept a writing as authentic only when they knew that the reports concerning Christ were true. The early church also knew who the disciples or subsequent apostles of Christ were. Only their teachings were regarded as authentic. At a very early date it appears that the 4 gospels were united in one collection. This…

It is true that the church had come up with lists of books that were accepted as Scripture. The earliest known list was in AD 393. However, the accepted books were not decided by these communities. The committees merely stated formally what was already accepted by the community. As stated above, we have evidence from as early as Jesus’ days that the Old Testament we have is accepted by the community. We also have evidence from as early as the second century that the books we have in the New Testament have been accepted by the community. Not only that, we also have in possession complete copies of manuscripts of the Bible -  Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus - which were written 40 to 50 years before the even 393…

What is the apocrypha? [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVbYNmKj_Zk[/embed] Today, the most noticeable difference between Catholic and Protestant versions of the Bible is the absence of seven whole books and parts of two others from the Protestant version. These are Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiaticus, Baruch, I & II Machabees. These books are what we call the apocryphal and it refers to certain books whose authenticity and authority were debated throughout the centuries. They were first declared to be Scripture by the Roman Catholic Church in the fourth century though the Protestant Church still rejects any divine authority attached to them. Roman Catholics who attribute divine authority to these books and advocate them as Scripture argue that the writers of the New Testament quote mostly from the Septuagint (Greek Translation of the Hebrew Bible), which…