Expert: Todd Tyszka - 6/15/2010

Question
Hello again, Mr. Tyszka,

The last subject I wrote to you about was the authenticity of Paul the Apostle.

I am a former Catholic. I simply cannot reconcile it anymore, so I have put it behind me to follow the biblical Christ. It hasn't been easy as my whole family is Catholic.

I got into a bit of an argument with someone who is wishy-washy about God. He states he is a "man of faith" to which I repeatedly asked, "In what?" But in this discussion, he defended Catholicism saying it was they who wrote the bible (while first telling me that the bible can't be trusted). I've heard this many times, but recently heard a fellow Christian say that the bible was written hundreds of years before the Catholic Church. I am not Anti-Catholic in the sense that I encourage hate or revulsion against them- I believe they must've started out well, but somehow got corrupted along the way- but I simply cannot reconcile anymore things like praying to Jesus' mom.

Can you give me the TRUE and REAL breakdown of where the bible comes from, and how Catholicism figures into its history?

Thank you for your time. As always I remain grateful.

Sincerely,

David

Answer
Hi David,
Well, there are a lot of books on the true origin of the Bible and many reputable books by Biblical scholars and experts reveal the clear unbiased evidence. The Old Testament was obviously assembled way before the Catholics, and according to the Bible, the New Testament started with the apostles (e.g. Col. 4:16 and 1 Thess. 5:27) and history proves it was assembled way before the Catholic claim (At the Council of Hippo in A.D. 390). The New Testament books were in existence in their present form at the close of the apostolic age and many people wrote about the New Testament canon. Here's some I found with a quick Google search:

   * 326. Athanasius, bishop at Alexandria, mentions all of the New Testament books.
   * 315-386. Cyril, bishop at Jerusalem, gives a list of all New Testament books except Revelation.
   * 270. Eusebius, bishop at Caesarea, called the Father of ecclesiastical history, gives an account of the persecution of Emperor Diocletian whose edict required that all churches be destroyed and the Scriptures burned. He lists all the books of the New Testament. He was commissioned by Constantine to have transcribed fifty copies of the Bible for use of the churches of Constantinople.
   * 185-254. Origen, born at Alexandria, names all the books of both the Old and New Testaments.
   * 165-220. Clement, of Alexandria, names all the books of the New Testament except Philemon, James, 2 Peter and 3 John. In addition we are told by Eusebius, who had the works of Clement, that he gave explanations and quotations from all the canonical books.
   * 160-240. Turtullian, contemporary of Origen and Clement, mentions all the New Testament books except 2 Peter, James and 2 John.
   * 135-200. Irenaeus, quoted from all New Testament books except Philemon, Jude, James and 3 John.
   * 150-190. The 'Muratorian Fragment' It is unfortunately mutilated at the beginning, but it evidently mentioned Matthew and Mark, because it refers to Luke as the third Gospel; then it mentions John, Acts, 'Paul's nine letters to churches and four to individuals (Philemon, Titus, 1 and 2 Timothy), Jude, two Epistles of John, and the Apocalypse of John and that of Peter.' The Shepherd of Hermas is mentioned as worthy to be read (i.e. in church) but not to be included in the number of prophetic or apostolic writings.
   * 140. Marcion, a heretic, had what is thought to be the first list
   * 100-147. Justin Martyr, mentions the Gospels as being four in number and quotes from them and some of the epistles of Paul and Revelation.
   * 115 Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, refers to 'The Gospel' as an authoritative writing, and it may well be that by 'The Gospel' he means the fourfold collection which went by that name.
   * Besides the above, the early church fathers have handed down in their writings quotations from all the New Testament books so much so that it is said that the entire New Testament can be reproduced from their writings alone.

Also, there are several key manuscripts that were never in the possession of the Catholic church (e.g. the Codex Sinaiticus and the Codex Alexandrianus) so their claims to not only author but also to have given the world the Bible, is a complete lie.

Lastly, the Catholic church completely contradicts numerous New Testament concepts and so it is clear that it did not author it. Some examples:

   * 1. Why does it condemn clerical dress? (Matt. 23:5-6).
   * 2. Why does it teach against the adoration of Mary? (Luke 11:27-28).
   * 3. Why does it show that all Christians are priests? (1 Pet. 2:5,9).
   * 4. Why does it condemn the observance of special days? (Gal. 4:9-11).
   * 5. Why does it teach that all Christians are saints? (1 Cor. 1:2).
   * 6. Why does it condemn the making and adoration of images? (Ex. 20:4-5).
   * 7. Why does it teach that baptism is by immersion rather than pouring? (Col. 2:12).
   * 8. Why does it forbid us to address religious leaders as "father"? (Matt. 23:9).
   * 9. Why does it teach that Christ is the only foundation and not the apostle Peter? (1 Cor. 3:11).
   * 10. Why does it teach that there is one mediator instead of many? (1 Tim. 2:5).
   * 11. Why does it teach that a bishop must be a married man? (1 Tim. 3:2, 4-5).
   * 12. Why is it opposed to the primacy of Peter? (Luke 22:24-27).
   * 13. Why does it oppose the idea of purgatory? (Luke 16:26, Hebrews 9:27).
   * 14. Why is it completely silent about infant baptism, instrumental music in worship, indulgences, confession to priests, the rosary, the mass, and many other things in the Catholic Church?

I hope this short summary helps and I encourage you to read reputable books by reputable experts such as Dr. F.F. Bruce and Dr. Bruce Metzger for more information. As you can see, it's clear that the Catholics are not responsible for the Bible.

Best,
Todd