Now that's a 500 year old debate, but the obvious answer is no. The canon of 73 books in the Christian Bible was made official and well documented in the councils of Rome and Hippo in 392 A.D. Subsequent councils have confirmed the same canon and the Bible of the Catholic Church today has the exact same books with no additions or removals. After Luther removed the Septuigent deuterocanonicals and 4 New Testament books, the Council of Trent affirmed again the real and true canon that was first agreed upon in the 4th century. There is no justification whatsoever for Luther to remove books in the German translation, but most Protestants are simply unaware that there is any other Bible than the 66 book version they use and they're unaware of the controversy that ensued from Luther's outrageous actions. The guilt is greatly diminished for today's Protestants.
All I can and will say on that subject is this: Many secrets of the past have been withheld from the masses for various political reasons.
And that means absolutely nothing to me. I'm just glad that there was a push back and today Protestants still have Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation because some of Luther's followers bounced back from his insanity and put those books back in. Ezra, it should also be noted that not all Protestants took part in this. In fact, the very first people to call themselves Protestant, the Anglicans, had in their 1611 authorized King James Bible all the same books as the Catholic Canon. Eventually Luther's actions held sway so that today's KJV is missing those books.
2 Maccabees mentions prayers for the dead. With the controversy of the Church selling indulgences, Luther was very much against Purgatory. An easy way of getting around Maccabees would be to claim that since it was written in Greek and not Hebrew or Aramaic, it can not be valid. So along with Maccabees went the rest of the Dueterocanonical Scriptures.
That was Luther's argument, alright. Ever since the writing of the Septuigent, the Jews were hotly divided among differing canons, many of which excluded all record of the apostacy, a shameful blight on Jewish history. The Church was well aware of the controversies during the canonical councils and made their decision independent of Jewish canons. An important evolution for the Church was the decision that the Jews were no longer the oracles of God and that the chosen vessel of revelation was the Church. What is unseemly is that 1100 years later, Martin Luther, Council of One, decided he knew better than those in closer proximity to the controversy. He chose an argument that was categorically rejected by the canonical councils and made it the prime justification for altering the canon.
Thank you brothers for the input. I am waiting for a Protestant to see his arguemnt. Its funny because everytime I bring such topic up, they run away. But when Saints or the Mother of God are mentioned, they rally.
The communion of saints is certainly a stumbling block for Protestants. Particularly because this forum is so beseiged by the atheists and God haters, I gravitate toward our similarities rather than our differences, because the former greatly outweighs the latter. But if any Protestant wants to better understand my love for the saints and the Blessed Virgin, I'm more than happy to explain. Incorporeal, isn't he Protestant?
I am not sure. I do not see his posts to much. You are right though. It seems though just abotu every other forum I go to the Protestants dont say a word.
Yep! Incorporeal is what you could typically call a protestant. . . Meaning that I am not Catholic. However, my input previously was apparently not sufficient to pass on the message that I am not privy to any of that information that you folks are discussing, so I was hoping to bow out as not being qualified to speak on those subjects. I only have a superficial knowledge of such things as the book of Macabees and even that superficial bit that I know is not worth my getting involved. I have heard that a lot of manuscripts have surfaced in the past 40 years, but have not had the opportunity to study any of them. So, y'all have fun with this one. While I just helicopter around and pick up bits and pieces from your discussion.
Parts of the removed books have are among the dead sea scrolls and written in Aramaic and/or Hebrew. The argument to take them out and keep them out has crumbled.
That is like asking why do idiots want to take "on the origins of species' out of schools? The answer is, as knowledge evolves often religious wingnuts get nervous. many of the old theologies maintained the idea that 'church' leadership rules and the protestors knew better. heck, if all people were catholic, pedophilia would perhap be normal like spartans
Why is it any business of Catholics what Protestants do? Who are Catholics to tell other sects that they are wrong?
The Church of England is not Protestant - it is just the Christian Church as established in Britain (according to legend by Joseph of Arimathea) under the Roman Empire. These 'Romanist/Protestant' games are just perversions based on the Popes' power-games, nothing to do with Christianity.
The Church of England proudly announced themselves as Protestant and were the first to do so. You might want to review your history before you look foolish. Too late.
As if Protestants don't tell Catholics on a daily basis that they're wrong? You've got to be kidding painting us as the aggressors. We don't have Alexander Hislops, Ellen G. Whites, and the many other authors who wrote hateful books about the Catholic Church comparing it to the whore of Babylon, the seat of the antichrist, etc etc. You won't find a single Catholic book that can counterpart the hate from Protestants. We don't hate. It's not in our nature.
Elements in the Church did so under Henry's son, before the extreme-schismatics set up the Romanist Persecution under Mary. I'm afraid I know a great deal more history than you do, child.
There is plenty of nasy business to go around. The question is, what is the original Church of Jesus Christ, and the only answer is that Church that prays and believes as the Early Church prayed and believed. That Church is Catholic. HISTORY proves it. "To be steeped in history is to cease to be Protestant." Cardinal Newman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_Newman
1 Esdras 3 Maccabees 4 Maccabees Wisdom of Solomon Wisdom of Sirach So what of these 5 Books that the Roman Church removed without consulting the other Catholic Churches of the world?