The Catholic Message Board

Biblical scholars regard Hebraisms as a sign of authenticity; they show that

1. The tradition being preserved is very old
2. That the author was so concerned about preserving "the exact words" that he was unafraid of using somewhat awkward Greek if necessary

It is important to understand that Hebrew does not have superlatives, "good, better, best," etc, so when they wanted to say that someone was the best, or the greatest, or whatnot, they would say "blank is blank among the blanks". For example, they couldn't say "Tom Brady is...

And that description also includes several features that are impossible.

I did observe, when I was in Russia some years ago, that the observance of religion by the people was open and apparently devout. I did visit a Catholic church in St Petersburg. Although a bit worn around the edges, perhaps due to age, it was apparently as active and observant as any parish I've se...

The context for me is a conversation with a Dispensationalist who insisted that "unless God fulfills all the OT prophecies to Israel, then we can't trust he will fulfill his promises to us", the unspoken assumption being that all those promises have to be fulfilled in the most dull-minded,...

I have read that article, but it still doesn't really answer my question. I guess that it is a loaded term; people who are against the idea call it 'Replacement theology', people who are more favorable call it other things. The Church teaches that the Church is "the new people of God", but...

It is important to understand that Hebrew does not have superlatives, "good, better, best," etc, so when they wanted to say that someone was the best, or the greatest, or whatnot, they would say "blank is blank among the blanks". For example, they couldn't say "Tom Brady is ...

What exactly is "Replacement Theology," and does the Catholic Church teach it?

It is probably not too far off, Pius X is called "The Pope of frequent communion" but maybe that title really belongs to PIus XII

I forgot about that; it was Pius XII who allowed an evening Mass. Is there a reason for the restriction beyond trying to make it more difficult to go to Mass? It's probably connected to the fast from midnight, if I had to guess. Makes sense, so if the fast is made shorter, then Masses can be held l...

But given the time that daily Mass is usually held, from as early as noon to as late as 5 PM, a daily communicant could be fasting for as much as 18 hours a day. That seems unreasonable. It was also forbidden to celebrate Mass after noon. I forgot about that; it was Pius XII who allowed an evening ...

But given the time that daily Mass is usually held, from as early as noon to as late as 5 PM, a daily communicant could be fasting for as much as 18 hours a day. That seems unreasonable. Tough beans... gotta pack those calories into that 6 hour window then. Get to it! It is practically starvation a...

Obi-Wan Kenobi wrote: ↑Thu Dec 04, 2025 8:49 pm It is widely believed (with evidence) that the current patriarch of Moscow was on the KGB payroll back in the day.

Any prominent person who didn't get sent to the Gulag probably was

In the West during the Middle Ages, there was the "Investiture Controversy", where the Holy Roman Emperor and other secular rulers claimed the right to appoint bishops to invest them with the shepherd's staff and their rings. In claiming this, they were claiming that bishops get both their...

There is 0% probability of that happening. He might as well say he is against Trump raising the dead.

Everyone was invited, and meeting with them was the purpose of the event. The Russian Orthodox were not invited - the Holy See left it up to the Ecumenical Patriarchate to invite the Orthodox. The Russian Orthodox are in schism with the rest of the Orthodox world; they consider themselves to be the...

The difference in the calendars is no obstacle.

April 3, AD 33 is the traditional date, I don't know how far back it goes but the Vatican observed anniversaries in 1933 and 1983.

From the OP, it appears clearly to be a ban on prayer as well as a universal ban on the display of religion. Religion as defined by the State. Stalin would have been proud. A similar ban on various secular belief systems does not seem to have been addressed. So one is banned from anti-abortion opin...

But ONLY AD 33 has a lunar eclipse visible from Jerusalem on that Friday, and we know from the book of Joel that "the sun will give no light and the moon will turn to blood" on "the great day of the Lord", this prophecy is cited by Peter in Acts 2:20 to refer to Good Friday. &quo...

Not that the date is all that important in the grand scheme of things, but I'm in the camp that leans towards a date of 30AD. I think he should go there in 5 years. No, the crucifixion was on April 3, AD 33. That is the only date on which all the scriptural data, including a lunar eclipse, happened...