Roland's posts prompt me to contribute bits & pieces on the History of the
Catholic Church.
If we go by Vatican approved accounts, the Church comes out as a model,
almost flawless institution.
So it is vital to look at independent sources in order to discover the real
Church, warts and all.
INTRODUCTION
The first thing to bear in mind is that the Church we are talking about is
an EUROPEAN INSTITUTION - ENTIRELY: in liturgy, doctrine & clerical
structure. Brown and Black people have had nothing to do with it; their
advice & ideas were never sought. However, their numbers were welcomed by
the Vatican as they added to the global Catholic population.
THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
It fell to a few European clerics of the time to sift through existing
documents and decide which to regard as authoritative or 'inspired' - a
highly arbitrary and undemocratic decision, especially as the chosen books
were to constitute the Bible (with no further additions or deletions) for
all time and all cultures. Let us look at some of the historical
developments.
1. An influential church leader Marcion (who lived in the second century CE)
decided that the Old Testament God was "fickle, despotic, cruel (and) had
nothing in common with the God of Jesus Christ." He therefore advocated the
rejection of the OT entirely.
2. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon (178-200) opposed Marcion and defended the
Jewish scriptures and recommended that the Christian canon should include
the Acts, John’s Gospel and Paul’s writings as well as other pastoral
letters.
3. Certain material was judged to be inappropriate for the general
congregation. Thus only the four gospels were included in the canon and not
the gospels of Peter, Mary, Thomas, Philip or Judas. For example, Peter's
gospel asserted that Jesus never really suffered - he was considered wholly
divine. So although Peter was close to Jesus, his gospel was rejected.
4. The Gnostic texts were more philosophical and were opposed by the early
church fathers. The canon had to have a wide appeal within the Roman empire.
The gospels of Thomas, though popular, had an eastern appeal and was
rejected.
** THE BOOKS OF THE JEWISH SCRIPTURES (39 books)**
TORAH (The Law) 5 books
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
[The NAME Torah is also loosely for all the 39 books.]
PROPHETS (21 books)
Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings,
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the Twelve Minor Prophets.
WRITINGS (13 books)
Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Song of Songs, Ruth,
Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel,
Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 & 2 Chronicles.
** CHRISTIAN OLD TESTAMENT**
THE LAW or PENTATEUCH (5)
The same five books of the Jewish scriptures
HISTORICAL BOOKS (12 Catholic & Protestant)
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings,
1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther,
#Judith, #Tobit, #1 & 2 Maccabees. (Catholic 4)
WISDOM BOOKS (5 Cath & Prot)
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesistes, Song of Songs,
#Eccesiasticus (Sirach), #Wisdom of Solomon (Cath 2)
PROPHETS (17 Cath & Prot + Cath 1)
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, #Baruch,
Ezekiel, Daniel, the Twelve Minor Prophets.
Note: The seven books marked # are the Apocrypha (secondary canon) and are
found in the Catholic Bible only.
So the Old Testament consists of 39 books (Protestant) and 39+7 (Catholic).
The New Testament has 27 books, both Catholic and Protestant.
References
1. Anthony Milner, The Bible and Conflict, Scripture Bulletin, vol35 (July
2005), pg 86
2. BBC4, the Lost Gospels, 20 & 23 December 2006
3. J W Miller, The Origins of the Bible (Paulist Press 1993)
