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JMJ
January 2009                                                                                       Issue 2.1                                                                                                                                 

Quo Vadis Newsletter
The Church

Why the Church?  By Dr. Kenneth Howell
Catechism Quote of the Month
The Visible, Hierarchical, Apostolic Church ~By Dave Armstrong
Pope Quote of the Month
The Marks of the Church ~Peter Rowe
Did you know?
Book of the Month
Novena of the Month

Why the Church?
By Dr. Kenneth Howell

            Many years ago I had a conversation with an older colleague whom I admired very much. He was an accomplished scholar of the New Testament and especially of St. Paul’s epistles. We were discussing the teaching on the Church in New Testament when he made a statement that took me back. “According to such-and-such a scholar” he said, “every instance of the word ecclesia (church) in the New Testament refers to the local church.” I was astounded at this claim because I knew what he and this other scholar meant by that. For them, the local church was the individual congregation whether it had any institutional connection with other churches or not. They were claiming that there is no justification in the Bible for a church beyond the local congregation (parish).
My mind immediately went to Paul’s treatment of the Church in Ephesians where he speaks of the Church “in the heavenly realms.” I couldn’t help myself. I blurted out, “That sounds to me like a man who had a prior conception of the church in his mind and then thought he found it in the New Testament.”
            Let’s face it. Everyone has preconceptions of the Church when they read the Bible and they think they find support for their thoughts in the New Testament. How can we truly discern the meaning of the Church in the Bible without prejudging its teaching? How can we subject our ideas of the Church to the New Testament in hopes of arriving at its own teaching without imposing our ideas on it? Can we see clearly in the Bible that the Church is necessary? Perhaps an analogy will help.  If you get cold symptoms, you may have a number of things such as bronchitis or influenza. If you go to the doctor, he or she will have to tell whether your symptoms are a result of a bacteria or a virus. If your condition results from a bacterial infection, he or she can prescribe antibiotics to heal the infection. If it is a virus, the doctor can do nothing. Your body has to fight it off. The medicine prescribed corresponds to the nature of the sickness you have. In a similar way, the necessity of the Church of Jesus Christ corresponds to the nature of the Church. If we can truly discern the nature of the Church, we will have an answer to its necessity.
            No writer in the New Testament has a richer teaching on the Church than St. Paul and perhaps none of his letters is so rich in content as Ephesians. The perspective of this letter is unique in its looking at the Church from the point of view of heaven.  This is why Paul says, that God “made us alive with Christ when we were dead in transgressions … and he raised us up and seated us with Christ in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:5,6). Accomplishing salvation in the Paschal Mystery, Christ intended the Church even as he died and rose again. But Jesus did not think of the Church first when he was on earth. Paul assures us that the Church in its mystical reality was planned by God from before the creation. When Paul speaks of God the Father “predestining us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ for himself” (Eph 1:5), he is showing us that God foresaw the Church as the community of all the redeemed who would be in Christ.
            There are many treasures hidden in the bosom of the Church given by Christ Jesus himself. When Paul speaks of us as “God’s poem” in Eph 2:10, he alludes to baptism as the sacrament of the new creation, “For we are God’s poem (poiema means craft, verbally or manually), created in Christ Jesus for good works for whom God prepared them beforehand that we might walk in them.” This idea of baptism as the new creation (cf. 2 Cor 5:17) comes from Jesus himself who stressed to Nicodemus the absolute necessary of having the grace that comes through baptism (see Jn 3:3,5). This is the same grace that Paul declares is our salvation in Ephesians 2:8, “for it is by grace that you have been saved through faith.” So the treasures of grace, without which we cannot be saved, come to us through the sacramental ministry of the Church. That is why the Church is a necessity on this earth.
            The second treasure of the Church is its catholicity. Paul teaches that the Church was planned in eternity and established on earth as the communion (and community) of all peoples in and through Christ. The great privilege of gentile Christians is “we too have been brought near in the blood of Christ” (Eph 2:13). Even though we were “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel” and “strangers to the covenants of promise” and in fact “with hope and God in this world” (Eph 2:12), Jesus’s death on the cross “abolished the dividing wall” between Jew and Gentile. His flesh “destroyed the enmity” (Eph 2:14).  The result was that he “created one new man by making peace.” The new man he created is not simply the individual though our individualistic perspective may be tempted to read it this way. No, the “new man” is the Church which consists of both Jew and Gentile. This is why Paul says elsewhere that in Christ there is not “Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female.” (Gal 3:28). In this new creation of the Church there is “no Greek or Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Sycthian, slave or free because Christ is all and in all.” (Col 3:11). The reason is that the Church possesses catholicity is that Christ intended his salvation for all the world. No one is excluded from his redeeming work and therefore the Church is given as necessary to proclaim and transmit His saving work.
            The third treasure of the Church is its ordered life. Many modern Christians see no real necessity for the structure of the Church but Paul in Ephesians thinks otherwise. The way in which the Church lives out its unity is through its structure. When Paul urges on us the pursuit of unity in Ephesians 4:1-3, he explains our call to unity on the grounds that Christ establishes that unity through the gifts he gave to the Church (see Eph 4:5-8). Those gifts or charisms are the offices he established in the Church. The “apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers” (Eph 4:11) are given for the unity of the body. The diversity of gifts serves the purpose of unity in the Church. The ordered structure of the Church  is necessary for the unity of the Church.
            The Church is necessary because of what Christ made it to be. Grace is necessary to be saved and so he made the Church an instrument (or sacrament) of grace. Catholicity of the Church is necessary because Christ wanted all men to come to the knowledge of the truth and so to be saved. Ordered structure and hierarchy is necessary so that the Church would achieve the status Christ desires for it, that of the “perfect man” (Eph 4:13). There was an ancient maxim expressed by Cyprian of Carthage that runs extra ecclesiam nulla salus (“outside the Church there is no salvation”). This idea was so widely believed among ancient Christians that the early Protestant Reformers also felt an obligation to embrace it. But these teachings about the Church held by the Fathers were rooted in the witness of the New Testament itself.  I believe that a careful study of the doctrine of the Church in the New Testament would lead any honest Christian to realize that the Church is necessary for salvation.

Dr. Howell is the theological advisor for the Coming Home Network International and has authored the recent book “Ignatius of Antioch: A New Translation and Theological Commentary.”

Catechism Quote of the Month
"The Church" is the People that God gathers in the whole world. She exists in local communities and is made real as a liturgical, above all a Eucharistic, assembly. She draws her life from the word and the Body of Christ and so herself becomes Christ's Body.  CCC 752

The Visible, Hierarchical, Apostolic Church
By Dave Armstrong

In the Nicene Creed, which is accepted by most Christians, the Christian Church is described as being "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic." These are known as the four marks of the Church. The notions of holiness and catholicity are not much in dispute. The mark of holiness may be defined as the possession, and dissemination of the sublime, holy, Christ-centered moral code of Christianity (as best exemplified by saints or otherwise great, godly figures). All parties - while disagreeing on many particulars - concur that this is a central function of the Church. Catholicity simply means universal. Here Protestants and Catholics disagree only on the nature of that Church which is to be considered universal and all-encompassing.

This brings us to the oneness and apostolicity of the Church, where the disagreements are great indeed. Most Protestants (especially evangelicals) see unity and oneness subsisting primarily or solely in the inner, invisible, spiritual unity of those who are in fact in Christ by virtue of being justified, or born again, or regenerated (with or without baptism, depending on denomination). For them, the church consists of the Spirit-filled, predestined elect, who will persevere and are saved, now and in eternity.

The Catholic Church has always proclaimed this unifying characteristic also, under the broad and rich concept of the Mystical Church (under which it acknowledges Protestantism), yet it doesn't pit the Mystical Church against the institutional, or visible Church, as most evangelicals do. For Catholics, then, the issue of oneness is substantially related to organizational and practical aspects of ecclesiology. Catholics believe that the Church is both organism and organization, not merely the former. The Mystical and visible "churches" are like two circles which largely intersect, but which are not synonymous. They exist together - somewhat paradoxically and with tension - until the "end of the age." But what kind of organization is this Church, which includes within itself these two aspects (as well as many others)?

At this point in the discussion Catholics appeal to the hierarchical, or episcopal (that is, under the jurisdiction of bishops) nature of Church government. Furthermore, Catholics maintain that this form is divinely-instituted and biblical, therefore not optional or of secondary theological importance.

Finally, Catholics believe that bishops are - by the intention of Jesus Christ - the successors of the Apostles (the concept of apostolic succession). This is the methodology whereby the Catholic Church traces itself back historically in an unbroken succession to the Apostles and the early Church. Catholicism thus greatly emphasizes both historical and doctrinal continuity, whereas evangelical Protestants are more concerned with maintaining the passion and intense commitment and zeal of the Apostles and early Christians, and are less interested in governmental forms or doctrines which are now regarded as Catholic "distinctives." They tend to see clearly in the Bible and early Church those doctrines with which they agree, but overlook those which are more in accordance with Catholicism, such as the episcopacy, purgatory, and apostolicity.

We shall examine the marks of the Church with which Protestants (despite many exceptions) largely disagree: its visibility, the hierarchy of bishops, apostolic succession, and related issues such as ordination, the duties of priests, and sectarianism. Most of these questions are concerned ultimately with authority per se. Protestants emphasize biblical authority, and Catholics ecclesiastical and episcopal leadership, and Tradition. But if the Bible points to and encourages submission to the latter, then the two types of authority cannot (biblically) be
opposed.

One of the undeniable aspects of unity and oneness in the Bible is the constant warning (especially in the writings of St. Paul) against (and prohibition of) divisions, schism, and sectarianism, either by command, or by counter-example (Matthew 12:25, 16:18, John 10:16, 17:20-23, Acts 4:32, Romans 13:13, 16:17, 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 3:3-4, 10:17, 11:18-19, 12:12-27, 14:33, 2 Corinthians 12:20, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 4:3-6, Philippians 1:27, 2:2-3, 1 Timothy 6:3-5, Titus 3:9-10, James 3:16, 2 Peter 2:1). This is clearly no trifling matter. Our Lord even makes unity a means by which the world might believe that the Father sent the Son (John 17:21,23), and prays that it will be as profound as the unity of the Trinity itself (John 17:21-22). St. Paul makes stirring up division a grounds for virtual exclusion from the Christian community (Romans 16:17), and says that divisions (in effect) divide Christ (1 Corinthians 1:13). This has always been one of the strengths of the Catholic position over against Protestantism, and Protestants are themselves increasingly alarmed over what they consider to be a scandalous concurrence between denominationalism and sectarianism, which all agree is condemned in Scripture.

One of the sincere and seemingly reasonable grounds for forming a new sect is the desire to separate from sinners and sin, which may be infecting the group left. Yet the Bible clearly teaches that the Church (especially in its institutional sense) is comprised of both saints and sinners, good and bad. We see this most indisputably in several parables of Jesus about the kingdom of heaven (that is, the Church), such as the wheat and the weeds (or tares), where Jesus says that they will grow together until the final Judgment, or harvest time (Matthew 13:24-30; cf. Matthew 3:12). He compares the Church to a fishnet which draws good and bad fish, ultimately separated (Matthew 13:47-50), and a marriage banquet, from which one guest was cast out into the outer darkness (Matthew 22:1-14). This parable ends with the famous phrase, "Many are called, but few are chosen," which may be interpreted as the distinction between lukewarm, or dead, or nominal Christians and the actual elect who will be saved in the end. Both are present in the Church, according to Jesus. A similar state of affairs is seen in the parables of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) and the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). And Jesus' description of Christians and the Church as a city set on a hill (Matthew 5:14; cf. 5:15-16), is an obvious reference to the visibility of the Church. In no way can this city be regarded as invisible.

Jesus chose Judas as His disciple, even though He knew the future, and he was truly an Apostle (Matthew 10:1,4, Mark 3:14, John 6:70-71, Acts 1:17). Likewise, St. Paul, in addressing elders (Acts 20:17) states that the Holy Spirit Himself has made them bishops (RSV, guardians, Greek, episkopos - Acts 20:28), yet from among these very same men, heretics and schismatics would arise (Acts 20:30). He echoes this thought in the parable-like verse 2 Timothy 2:20 (see also 2:15-19).

Protestants often cite Jesus' analogy of sheep and shepherd (John 10:1-16; cf. 2 Timothy 2:19, 1 John 2:19), who know each other (10:14), as evidence that the Church consists of the elect only. Yet the analogy breaks down when we find that Scripture also applies the term sheep to the unsaved reprobate (Psalm 74:1), the straying (Psalm 119:176), Israel as a nation (Ezekiel 34:2-3,13,23,30), and, indeed, all men (Isaiah 53:6).

Other passages which presuppose a visible, identifiable, "concrete" Church include Matthew 18:15-17, in which believers are exhorted by our Lord to take errant and obstinate brothers to the church, which will then determine the appropriate verdict. It would be contrary to the tenor of the New Testament if this were a reference to a local church alone - even apart from the utterly impractical consequences of such a scenario (where the sinner would simply attend another denomination and move on with his life, as is tragically all too often the case today).

And St. Paul, in 1 Timothy 3:15, describes the "church of the living God" as "the pillar and bulwark of the truth." This statement is similarly almost nonsensical in the context of competing and often contradictory denominations. Where would a sincere, uninformed, unsophisticated religious seeker go to find this certain truth? Only within the sphere of a serious attempt at actual visible oneness of doctrine can this verse attain any pragmatic possibility.

It is also incorrect to regard St. Paul as some kind of spiritual "lone ranger," on his own with no particular ecclesiastical allegiance, since he was commissioned by Jesus Himself as an Apostle. In his very conversion experience, Jesus informed Paul that he would be told what to do (Acts 9:6; cf. 9:17). He went to see St. Peter in Jerusalem for fifteen days in order to be confirmed in his calling (Galatians 1:18), and fourteen years later was commissioned by Peter, James, and John (Galatians 2:1-2,9). He was also sent out by the Church at Antioch (Acts 13:1-4), which was in contact with the Church at Jerusalem (Acts 11:19-27). Later on, Paul reported back to Antioch (Acts 14:26-28).

The New Testament refers basically to three types of permanent offices in the Church (Apostles and Prophets were to cease): bishops (episkopos), elders (presbyteros, from which are derived Presbyterian and priest), and deacons (diakonos). Bishops are mentioned in Acts 1:20, 20:28, Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:1-2, Titus 1:7, and 1 Peter 2:25. Presbyteros (usually elder) appears in passages such as Acts 15:2-6, 21:18, Hebrews 11:2, 1 Peter 5:1, and 1 Timothy 5:17. Protestants view these leaders as analogous to current-day pastors, while Catholics regard them as priests. Deacons (often, minister in English translations) are mentioned in the same fashion as Christian elders with similar frequency (for example, 1 Corinthians 3:5, Philippians 1:1, 1 Thessalonians 3:2, 1 Timothy 3:8-13).

As is often the case in theology and practice among the earliest Christians, there is some fluidity and overlapping of these three vocations (for example, compare Acts 20:17 with 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:1-7 with Titus 1:5-9). But this doesn't prove that three offices of ministry did not exist. For instance, St. Paul often referred to himself as a deacon or minister (1 Corinthians 3:5, 4:1, 2 Corinthians 3:6, 6:4, 11:23, Ephesians 3:7, Colossians1:23-25), yet no one would assert that he was merely a deacon, and nothing else. Likewise, St. Peter calls himself a fellow elder (1 Peter 5:1), whereas Jesus calls him the rock upon which He would build His Church, and gave him alone "the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 16:18-19). These examples are usually indicative of a healthy humility, according to Christ's injunctions of servanthood (Matthew 23:11-12, Mark 10:43-44).

Upon closer observation, clear distinctions of office appear, and the hierarchical nature of Church government in the New Testament emerges. Bishops are always referred to in the singular, while elders are usually mentioned plurally. The primary controversy among Christians has to do with the nature and functions of both bishops and elders (deacons have largely the same duties among both Protestants and Catholics).

Catholics contend that the elders/presbyters in Scripture carry out all the functions of the Catholic priest:

1) Sent and Commissioned by Jesus (the notion of being called): Mark 6:7, John 15:5, 20:21, Romans 10:15, 2 Corinthians 5:20.

2) Representatives of Jesus: Luke 10:16, John 13:20.

3) Authority to "Bind" and "Loose" (Penance and Absolution): Matthew 18:18 (compare Matthew 16:19).

4) Power to Forgive Sins in Jesus' Name: Luke 24:47, John 20:21-23, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, James 5:15.

5) Authority to Administer Penance: Acts 5:2-11, 1 Corinthians 5:3-13, 2 Corinthians 5:18, 1 Timothy 1:18-20, Titus 3:10.

6) Power to Conduct the Eucharist: Luke 22:19, Acts 2:42 (compare Luke 24:35, Acts 2:46, 20:7, 1 Corinthians 10:16).

7) Dispense Sacraments: 1 Corinthians 4:1, James 5:13-15.

8) Perform Baptisms: Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38,41.

9) Ordained: Acts 14:23, 1 Timothy 4:14, 5:23.

10) Pastors (Shepherds): Acts 20:17,28, Ephesians 4:11, 1 Peter 5:1-4.

11) Preach and Teach: 1 Timothy 3:1-2, 5:17.

12) Evangelize: Matthew 16:15, 28:19-20, Mark 3:14, Luke 9:2,6, 24:47, Acts 1:8.

13) Heal: Matthew 10:1, Luke 9:1-2,6.

14) Cast Out Demons: Matthew 10:1, Mark 3:15, Luke 9:1.

15) Hear Confessions: Acts 19:18 (compare Matthew 3:6, Mark 1:5, James 5:16, 1 John 1:8-9; presupposed in John 20:23).

16) Celibacy for Those Called to it: Matthew 19:12, 1 Corinthians 7:7-9,20,25-38 (especially 7:35).

17) Enjoy Christ's Perpetual Presence and Assistance in a Special Way: Matthew 28:20.

Protestants - following Luther - cite 1 Peter 2:5,9 (see also Revelation 1:6) in order to prove that all Christians are priests. But this doesn't exclude a specially-ordained, sacramental priesthood, since St. Peter was reflecting the language of Exodus 19:6, where the Jews were described in this fashion. Since the Jews had a separate Levitical priesthood, by analogy 1 Peter 2:9 cannot logically exclude a New Testament ordained priesthood. These texts are concerned with priestly holiness, as opposed to priestly function. The universal sense, for instance, never refers to the Eucharist or sacraments. Every Christian is a priest in terms of offering the sacrifices of prayer (Hebrews 13:15), almsgiving (Hebrews 13:16), and faith in
Jesus (Philippians 2:17).

Bishops (episkopos) possess all the powers, duties, and jurisdiction of priests, with the following important additional responsibilities:

1) Jurisdiction over Priests and Local Churches, and the Power to Ordain Priests: Acts 14:22, 1 Timothy 5:22, 2 Timothy 1:6, Titus 1:5.

2) Special Responsibility to Defend the Faith: Acts 20:28-31, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, Titus 1:9-10, 2 Peter 3:15-16.

3) Power to Rebuke False Doctrine and Excommunicate: Acts 8:14-24, 1 Corinthians 16:22, 1 Timothy 5:20, 2 Timothy 4:2, Titus 1:10-11.

4) Power to Bestow Confirmation (the Receiving of the Indwelling Holy Spirit): Acts 8:14-17, 19:5-6.

5) Management of Church Finances: 1 Timothy 3:3-4, 1 Peter 5:2.

In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), episkopos is used for overseer in various senses, for example: officers (Judges 9:28, Isaiah 60:17), supervisors of funds (2 Chronicles 34:12,17), overseers of priests and Levites (Nehemiah 11:9, 2 Kings 11:18), and of temple and tabernacle functions (Numbers 4:16). God is called episkopos at Job 20:29, referring to His role as Judge, and Christ is an episkopos in 1 Peter 2:25 (RSV: "Shepherd and Guardian of your souls").

The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-29) bears witness to a definite hierarchical, episcopal structure of government in the early Church. St. Peter, the chief elder (the office of pope) of the entire Church (1 Peter 5:1; cf. John 21:15-17), presided and issued the authoritative pronouncement (15:7-11). Then James, bishop of Jerusalem (kind of like the host-mayor of a conference) gives a concurring (Acts 15:14), concluding statement (15:13-29). That James was the sole, "monarchical" bishop of Jerusalem is fairly apparent from Scripture (Acts 12:17, 15:13,19, 21:18, Galatians 1:19, 2:12). This fact is also attested by the first Christian historian, Eusebius (History of the Church, 7:19).

Much historical and patristic evidence also exists for the bishopric of St. Peter at Rome. No one disputes the fact that St. Clement (d.c.101) was the sole bishop of Rome a little later, or that St. Ignatius (d.c.110) was the bishop at Antioch, starting around 69 A.D. Thus, the "monarchical" bishop is both a biblical concept and an unarguable fact of the early Church. By the time we get to the mid-second century, virtually all historians hold that single bishops led each Christian community. This was to be the case in all Christendom, east and west, until Luther transferred this power to the secular princes in the 16th century, and the Anabaptist tradition eschewed ecclesiastical office either altogether or in large part. Today many denominations have no bishops whatsoever.

One may concede all the foregoing as true, yet deny apostolic succession, whereby these offices are passed down, or handed down, through the generations and centuries, much like Sacred Tradition. But this belief of the Catholic Church (along with Eastern Orthodoxy and Anglicanism) is also grounded in Scripture:

St. Paul teaches us (Ephesians 2:20) that the Church is built on the foundation of the apostles, whom Christ Himself chose (John 6:70, Acts 1:2,13; cf. Matthew 16:18). In Mark 6:30 the twelve original disciples of Jesus are called apostles, and Matthew 10:1-5 and Revelation 21:14 speak of the twelve apostles. After Judas defected, the remaining eleven Apostles appointed his successor, Matthias (Acts 1:20-26). Since Judas is called a bishop (episkopos) in this passage (1:20), then by logical extension all the Apostles can be considered bishops (albeit of an extraordinary sort).

If the Apostles are bishops, and one of them was replaced by another, after the death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ, then we have an explicit example of apostolic succession in the Bible, taking place before 35 A.D. In like fashion, St. Paul appears to be passing on his office to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:1-6), shortly before his death, around 65 A.D. This succession shows an authoritative equivalency between Apostles and bishops, who are the successors of the Apostles. As a corollary, we are also informed in Scripture that the Church itself is perpetual, infallible, and indefectible (Matthew 16:18, John 14:26, 16:18). Why should the early Church be set up in one form and the later Church in another?

All of this biblical data is harmonious with the ecclesiological views of the Catholic Church. There has been some development over the centuries, but in all essentials, the biblical Church and clergy and the Catholic Church and clergy are one and the same.

The historical evidence of the earliest Christians after the Apostles and the Church Fathers is quite compelling as well: there exists virtually unanimous consent as to the episcopal, hierarchical, visible nature of the Church, which proceeds authoritatively down through history by virtue of Apostolic Succession.

St. Clement, bishop of Rome (d.c.101), teaches apostolic succession, around 80 A.D. (Epistle to Corinthians, 42:4-5, 44:1-3), and St. Irenaeus is a very strong witness to, and advocate of this tradition in the last two decades of the 2nd century (Against Heresies, 3:3:1,4, 4:26:2, 5:20:1, 33:8). Eusebius, the first historian of the Church, in his History of the Church, c.325, begins by saying that one of the "chief matters" to be dealt with in his work is "the lines of succession from the holy apostles . . ." (tr. G.A. Williamson, Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1965, 31).

With regard to the threefold ministry of bishop, priest (elder/presbyteros), and deacon, St. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, offers remarkable testimony, around 110 (Letter to the Magnesians, 2, 6:1, 13:1-2, Letter to the Trallians, 2:1-3, 3:1-2, 7:2, Letter to the Philadelphians, 7:1-2, Letter to the Smyrnaeans, 8:1-2 - the last also being the first reference to the "Catholic Church"). St. Clement of Rome refers to the "high priest" and "priests" of Christians around 96 (1 Clement, 40). Other prominent early witnesses include St. Hippolytus (Apostolic Tradition, 9) and St. Clement of Alexandria (Stromateis, 6:13:107:2), both in the early third century.

Even John Calvin, contrary to many of his later followers, taught that the Church was visible and a "Mother" (Institutes of the Christian Religion, IV,1,1; IV,1,4; IV,1,13-14), the wrongness of sectarianism and schism (IV,1,5; IV,1,10-15), and that the Church includes sinners and "hypocrites" (IV,1,7; IV,1,13-15 - he cites Matthew 13:24-30,47-58). His difference with Catholics here is that he defines the visible Church as his own Reformed Church.

Dave Armstrong is a Catholic apologist who has written many books and articles defending the Catholic faith. Some of his titles include A Biblical Defense of Catholicism, The One-Minute Apologist and The Church Fathers Were Catholic Patristic Evidences for Catholicism. Please visit Dave's website at http://www.biblicalcatholic.com for more information on the books he has written (icons permanently on the top of the blog's front page, including a package e-book deal) and to discover his numerous writings on apologetic topics.

Pope Quote of the Month
The entire activity of the Church is an expression of a love that seeks the integral good of man: it seeks his evangelization through Word and Sacrament, an undertaking that is often heroic in the way it is acted out in history; and it seeks to promote man in the various arenas of life and human activity. Love is therefore the service that the Church carries out in order to attend constantly to man's sufferings and his needs, including material needs.
Pope Benedict XVI Deus Caritas Est, 19. 

The Marks of the Church
By Peter Rowe

In the Nicene Creed we say as Catholics every Sunday, we profess belief in “one holy catholic and apostolic Church.” 1 What do these marks mean? Where do they come from? Where are they found in Scripture? Where are they in the writings of the Church Fathers?

In order to properly explain something from Scripture and the Fathers, we must know what we are explaining. I will predominately use the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Compendium to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Encyclopedia.

Unity, Sanctity, Catholicity and Apostolicity. The First Council of Constantinople was where these marks were first enumerated. 2 The Church teaches that one can see these marks through faith alone. 3

Unity

Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Encyclopedia explains well the meaning of unity. Unity is one in belief, Sacramental life and government. 4 The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “Above all, charity “binds everything together in perfect harmony.” But the unity of the pilgrim Church is also assured by visible bonds of communion: - profession of one faith received from the Apostles; -common celebration of divine worship, especially of the Sacraments; apostolic succession through the sacrament of Holy Orders, maintaining the fraternal concord of God’s family.” (CCC 815).

What is the source of Unity? The Compendium to the Catechism of the Catholic Church declares, “The Church in one because she has as her source the unity of the Trinity of the Persons in one God. As her Founder and Head, Jesus Christ re-established the unity of all people in one body. As her soul, the Holy Spirit unites all the faithful in communion with Christ. The Church has but one faith, one sacramental life, one apostolic succession, one common hope, and one and the same charity.” 5

Before the discussion of ecumenism and its relationship to Church unity, something must be very clearly explained: the Catholic Church is one, and this unity is fundamental and irrevocable. 6 In the year 2000, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a directive called Dominus Iesus touching on the subject of Church unity. The document states, “…Furthermore, the promises of the Lord that he would not abandon his Church and that he would guide her by his Spirit mean, according to Catholic faith, that the unicity and the unity of the Church- like everything that belong to the Church’s integrity-will never be lacking.” 7

In fact, the document that is in a sense the charter for the involvement of the Catholic Church in ecumenism states that unity is a gift that can never be lost by the Church. 8

Unity in the Scriptures 9

The notion of a unified Church is fundamental to the New Testament. Scripturally, there are several references to the unity proclaimed by the Church. But I will defend Scripturally each of the four aspects – common charity, common sacraments, common faith and common government.

Common charity: The New Testament Church shared in one charity. Love, says the Apostle, is the bond of perfection. 10 We all share in the love God has for us. 11

Faith: The faith the early Church had was common. 12 The first Christians shared the Apostolic teaching. 13 The Apostles taught one Gospel, 14 that commanded to be preached by Christ. 15

The early Church had a common Sacramental life. They had two great sacraments – Baptism and Eucharist, but the other Sacraments are present in the Scriptures as well. The Baptism the Apostles administered was the very baptism that was promised by St. John the Baptist that Christ would bring. 16 The Apostles practiced baptism as the first of all Sacraments. 17 The Eucharist was also a fundamental part of the life of the early Church. 18 The beginnings of the other sacraments appear in the Scriptures. 19

The Unity of the Church in the Fathers

The Church is one in Faith. St. Irenaeus writes, “She also believes this points [of doctrine] just as if she had but one soul, and one and the same heart, and she proclaims them, and teaches them, and hands them down, with perfect harmony, as if she possessed only one mouth.” 20

The Church has one sacramental life. St. Cyprian writes, “Does he who strives against and resists the Church trust that he is in the Church, when moreover the blessed Apostle Paul teaches the same thing, and sets forth the sacrament of unity…?” 21

The Church is one in government as well. In the same place St. Cyprian says, “… that He might set forth unity, He arranged by His authority the origin of that unity, as beginning from one.” St. Cyprian would also write, “Peter speaks there, on whom the Church was to be built, teaching and showing in the name of the Church, that although a rebellious and arrogant multitude of those who will not hear and obey may depart, yet the Church does not depart from Christ; and they are Church who are a people united to the priest, and the flock which adheres to its pastor.” 22

Lastly, one of the greatest Scripture scholars in history, St. Jerome, would write to Pope Damasus, “As I follow no leader save Christ, so I communicate with none but your blessedness, that is with the chair of Peter. For this, I know, is the rock on which the Church is built! This is the house where alone the paschal can be rightly eaten.” 23

Sanctity

Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Encyclopedia states that the mark of sanctity is characterized by the holiness of her Founder, resulting in holy teachings and the call of holiness to the members of the Church. 24 It must be remembered that though the Church is holy, this holiness is not complete 25 and her members must be converted. 26 The saints are representative of the holiness of the Church. 27 In the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Church has reached the perfection of sanctity. 28

The Sanctity of the Church in Scripture

Christ, by His death, sanctified the Church. 29 The Faith of the Church is holy. 30 The members of the Church are saints. 31 The Church also has holy members in the Church triumphant called saints in the Book of Revelation. 32 The Church has a communion with these saints. 33

The Fathers
The sanctity of the Church, clearly the teaching of Scripture, is also the teaching of the Fathers. In the Church we find sanctity: St. Ireneaus writes, “For where the Church is, there is the Spirit of God; and where the Spirit of God, there is the Church, and every kind of grace.” 34 Sanctity is a mark of the Church in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. 35 Her doctrine is holy: St. Augustine says, “This Church is holy, the one Church, the true Church, the Catholic Church, fighting as she does against all heresies.” 36 St. Cyprian says simply, “He can no longer have God for his Father, who has no longer the Church for his mother.” 37

The Catholicity of the Church

The Catholic Church considers that her fundamental trait is Catholicity, that is, that it is universal. The universality of the Church means that, unlike the many Protestant confessions, it is not limited to one culture, one area, one nation.  The Compendium to the Catechism says, “The Church proclaims the fullness and the totality of the faith; she bears and administers the fullness of the means of salvation; she is sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole of the human race” (Q. 166).

Biblically, this is clear from the scriptures: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Notice the word all. Because of this authority, Christ directs His apostles, His disciples, His entire Church, to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matt. 28: 18-20). “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24: 46-47). “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1: 8). The Catholicity of the Church is also witnessed by the grace of justification given to all who have faith 38 in Christ, Jew or Greek 39 40. God sent His Son for the salvation of the world. 41

The Catholicity of the Church in the Fathers

St. Ignatius was to write, “Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church” 42 Christ is the shepherd of the Catholic Church throughout the world. It is of said of the early martyr St. Polycarp, “For, having through patience overcome the unjust governor, and thus acquired the crown of immortality, he now, with the apostles and all the righteous [in heaven], rejoicingly glorifies God, even the Father, and blesses the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of our souls, the Governor of our bodies, and the Shepherd of the Catholic Church throughout the world.” 43 St. Cyril of Jerusalem writes of the Church, “It is called Catholic then because it extends over all the world, from one end of the earth to the other; and because it teaches universally and completely one and all the doctrines which ought to come to men’s knowledge, concerning things both visible and invisible, heavenly and earthly; and because it brings into subjection to godliness the whole race of mankind, governors and governed, learned and unlearned; and because it universally treats and heals the whole class of sins, which are committed by soul or body, and possesses in itself every form of virtue which is named, both in deeds and words, and in every kind of spiritual gifts.” 44 He then tells his listeners, “And if ever thou art sojourning in cities, inquire not simply where the Lord’s House is (for other sects of the profane also attempt to call their own dens houses of the Lord), nor merely where the Church is, but where is the Catholic Church. For this is the peculiar name of this Holy Church” 45

Apostolicity

The fourth mark of the Church is finally Apostolic. There are three ways the Church is apostolic: origin, teaching, and structure (which is also the source of the doctrine of Apostolic succession).

That the Church is Apostolic in origin is to make a confession of Faith that is very controversial: the Apostles taught properly Who Christ was and what He taught. In modern times, a hermeneutic of suspicion is often placed upon the Apostles, that they – especially Paul and to some degree of Peter, manipulated the teachings of Christ. In this view, many people have invented the “real” Christ – who suspiciously looks like a good American liberal, but definitely not the Divine Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity that Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and traditional Protestants believe in.

The Catholic Church accepts what St. Paul taught, and the other Apostles taught, as true and accepts 13 (and in some traditions, that include Hebrews as Pauline) 14 letters of his as inspired, inerrant Scripture. The Church believes her doctrine to be Apostolic, and from this doctrine it believes that her teaching must be true.

The apostolic nature of the structure of the Church is in its essentially three levels of Holy Orders – Bishop, Priest, and Deacon, with the Pope, as Bishop of Rome and successor of St. Peter, as Supreme Bishop. Most important though is the notion that the Bishops continue in the succession of the Apostles.

The notion that the Church’s doctrine is Apostolic is based upon belief in Scripture. All orthodox Christians – that is Christians from the Catholic, Orthodox and traditional Protestant traditions – believe that the Scriptures authentically represent the teachings of Christ and His first followers. The Catholic Church believes that these teachings, both transmitted by Scripture and tradition (and equally so 46), are to be held and respected as true.

Biblically speaking, the Apostolic nature of the Church’s teaching is found in the Great Commission in Matthew 28: 18-20 and in the affirmations of Paul. 47

The beginning of the Apostolic succession with the Papacy, we have the supremacy of Peter in Matthew 16: 17-19; Luke 22: 32 and John 21: 15-17. As far as the government of the Church by bishops we find the writings of the Church fathers are of special help, but because they continue in Apostolic authority the Scriptures on the authority of the Apostles’ teaching can be referred to 48.

Apostolicity in the Fathers

Most of this will come from the writing, Against Heresies by St. Irenaeus.

In Book 3, St. Irenaeus gives us a clear witness of the doctrine of the Apostolic nature of the Church and of Apostolic succession. Starting in chapter 3:
“It is within the power of all, therefore, in every Church, who may wish to see the truth, to contemplate clearly the tradition of the apostles manifested throughout the whole world; and we are in a position to reckon up those who were by the apostles instituted bishops in the Churches, and [to demonstrate] the succession of these men to our own times; those who neither taught nor knew of anything like what these [heretics] rave about. For if the apostles had known hidden mysteries, which they were in the habit of imparting to “the perfect” apart and privily from the rest, they would have delivered them especially to those to whom they were also committing to the Churches themselves. For they were desirous that these men should be very perfect and blameless in all things, whom also they were leaving behind as their successors, delivering up their own place of government to these men; which men, if they discharged their functions honestly, would be a great boon [to the Church], but if they should fall away, the direst calamity.
            Since, however, it would be very tedious, in such a volume as this, to reckon up the successions of all the Churches, we do put to confusion all those who, in whatever manner, whether by an evil self-pleasing, by vainglory, or by blindness and perverse opinion, assemble in unauthorized meetings; [we do this, I say,] by indicating that tradition derived from the apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; as also [by pointing out] the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of the bishops. For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its preeminent authority, that is the faithful everywhere, inasmuch as the apostolical tradition has been preserved continuously by those [faithful men] who exist everywhere.” 49

Further on, St. Irenaeus tells us, “Since therefore we have such proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth: so that every man, whosoever will, can draw from her the waters of life. For she is the entrance to life; all others are thieves and robbers. On this account are bound to avoid them, but to make choice of the things pertaining to the Church with the utmost diligence, and to lay hold of the tradition of the truth. For how stands the case? Suppose there arise a dispute relative to some important question among us, should we not have recourse to the most ancient Churches with which the apostles held constant intercourse, and learn from them what is certain in clear in regard to the present question? For how should it be if the apostles themselves had not left us writings? Would it not be necessary, [in that case,] to follow the course of the tradition which they handed down to those whom they did commit the Churches? 50

To finish quoting the Church Fathers in this manner I will quote Optatus of Milevis, (this quote is not, however, in the limited Hendrickson series’ of the Church Fathers).

“You cannot deny that you are aware that in the city of Rome the episcopal chair was given first to Peter; the chair in which Peter sat, the same who was head-that is why he is also called Cephas-of all the Apostles; the one chair in which unity is maintained by all. Neither do other Apostles proceed individually on their own; and anyone who would set up another chair in opposition to that single chair would, by that very fact, be a schismatic and a sinner.” 51

Conclusion

Due to limitations of space (and time!), there are many aspects of the marks of the Church I was unable to cover. Mainly these are the relationships between marks of the Church and ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. I would recommend consulting good Catholic works on these matters, especially the Catechism of the Catholic Church 52 and the Question and Answer Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church 53. Articles in the Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Encyclopedia and Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Encyclopedia of Catholic Doctrine on the Marks of the Church are good references. For even further reading, four Vatican II documents can be consulted, The Document Constitution on the Church: Lumen Gentium; Decree on Ecumenism: Unitatis Redentegratio; Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity: Ad Gentes Divinitus;  Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions: Nostra Aetate; Redemptoris Missio: On the Permanent Validity of the Church’s Missionary Mandate, Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical on Missionary activity; and Ut Unum Sint: On Commitment to Ecumenism, Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical on Ecumenism are two other source documents that can be consulted. Lastly, but not leastly, Dominus Iesus: On the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church, a document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, written by Pope Benedict when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Prefect of that Congregation is an important read.

Did you know?
Worldwide, members of the Catholic Church number over 1 billion.

Book of the month
Ignatius of Antioch: A New Translation and Theological Commentary
By Dr. Kenneth J. Howell #3116
Ignatius of Antioch is an intriguing figure of the early church whose wisdom is relevant even today.  Ignatius’s seven letters are included in this powerful book along with Dr. Howell’s insightful commentary.  Pick up this book and discover the richness of Ignatius’s teaching on subjects such as church unity, the Eucharist and the governmental structure of the church.  Let Saint Ignatius’s words give you a glimpse of beauty of the early church.
Available from the Coming Home Network for $10.95

Novena of the Month
Novenas are an ancient practice in the Catholic Church.  Novenas are usually said for 9 consecutive days for a particular intention.  The novena for January is a pro-life novena to commemorate the anniversary of Roe v Wade on January 22.  Roe v Wade was the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. 

Pro-Life novena taken from http://www.wf-f.org/NovUnb.html
O Heavenly Father, Creator and Giver of all life, Author of Justice, Source of love and mercy: Although it is deserving of your anger and punishment, look with mercy on our nation which has offended you by condoning the killing of millions of innocent children, Thy precious sons and daughters, who, like all of us, were created in your image and likeness, and whose only offense was their very existence. Amen.
O Blessed Lord Jesus Christ, Our Redeemer, whose inestimable gift of self-sacrificing love provided the means of Salvation for all mankind through the shedding of your innocent blood: grant that all may come to know you, serve you and love you, and thus may know the meaning of true freedom and true liberty which never destroys, but always serves and protects life. Amen.
O Holy Spirit, source of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety and holy fear: inspire us with these gifts. Fill the hearts of the leaders of this nation, especially those who have the temporal power and the grave responsibility to make and interpret and execute laws, with the desire to do God's Will, to restore justice and to establish laws which govern the people of this land in conformity with the Divine Law -- laws which will preserve, protect and defend the lives of all sons and daughters of God, from their earliest beginnings until death. Amen.
O Mary, Mother of Jesus, entrusted to be the mother of God's only-begotten Son, Our Savior, through thine obedient consent to God's Will, and who thus became for all people and all time the model of faith and of the self-giving love and devotion of Motherhood: take into your motherly arms all the babies who are victims of abortion that they may receive eternally the comfort of a mother's love. May your example and intercession open the hearts of all who reject God and His holy laws, comfort all those who suffer remorse because of abortion, and restore to hope in Christ those mothers and fathers who grieve and repent the killing of their children. Amen.
All Angels and Saints: may your guidance and example show fallen humanity the way to perfect joy and freedom and peace found only in unity with God in obedience to His Will through Salvation in Christ Jesus; and may your constant prayers be joined by those of all the little children -- the "slaughtered innocents" -- as a "cloud of witnesses" interceding for sinful man. Amen.