7a-eschatology
<http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/contents.htm> The Bible states in1 Timothy 3:15, "The church is the pillar and foundation of truth."
Cardinal Henery Neuman was a convert from Calvinism to the Anglican Church and finally to the Catholic Church. He stated “to be deep in the study of the History of the church is to cease to be Protestant”. Its Collary is also true, “to be deep in the study of the History of the church is to become Catholic”.
Rules for interpreting Scripture: Established by Pope Leo XIII in Providentissimus Deus (1893) seconded and confirmed by Pope Benedict XV in Spiritus Paraclitus (1920) and by Pope Pius XII in Divino Afflante Spiritu (1943) Pope Pius XII declared in Divino... that Leo’s encyclical Providentisisimus for interpreting the bible to "the supreme guide in Biblical studies"
Four rules for interpreting the Bible for the Catholic Church 1. Always pay attention to the Magisterium the authority of the Church 2. Beguided by what the early fathershad to say about a particular passage.
3. Always to be guided by what the Bible has to say as a whole (not key phrases here and there for defining ones theology and ignoring passages which do not fit one’s theology, see opening quote) 4. Always take the Bible Literally unless it is reasonably unattenable
I will maintain that a anyone who follows the last three rules will well over 90% of the time arrive at the same truths as the Catholic Church!! The true church must be that church which follows the teachings of those immediate successors of the Apostles. These are the Apostolic fathers who learned the faith at the foot of the Apostles. The Catholic church teaches the same things as those taught by the Apostolic fathers. It has not veered to the left or ritght but teaches the same today. If a Church comes a long 1,500 years later and teaches something different how can they have the truth. They claim truth based on their own authority yet teach things that are in contradiction to the Apostolic fathers. While they maintain a portion of the same teachings as the Apostolic teachings professing Christ as redeemer and savior and hence have portion of the Catholic heritage never the less they only have a portion of the loaf of bread. For since the Catholic churche teaches the same as the Apostolic Fathers only they have the complete loaf of bread.
__________________________________________________________________________________________ eschatology. This section will examine the Last Things and End Times of the Church in the faith of the early Church Fathers. The topics will include: Heaven & Hell, Purgatory, Resurrection of the Dead, Particular and Final Judgments.
Heaven and Hell: Documents illustrating the belief of the eternalness and existence of Heaven and Hell Purgatory: Documents illustrating the belief of the existence of Purgatory
Death: The Fathers affirmed that man dies once, followed by judgement and Resurrection. The Fathers unanimously denied reincarnation.
Rise Again: The Fathers affirmed that man will rise again in the flesh from the dead on the last day. Not reincarnation.
Physical Resurrectionof Jesusand theelect: The Fathers affirmed that Jesus rose again in the same physical, material body that was crucified and placed in the tomb. Likewise, the elect will rise from the numerically same material body that died.
Veneration and Invocation of the Saints: The Fathers have venerated the saints in various ways. Veneration included such things as: invoking their intercession in prayer, naming children after them, creating statues and images of the saints, and preserving relics of the saints. According to the Fathers, the invocation and veneration of the saints is a glorification of Christ, since it is Christ who dispenses the grace to the saints. Jerome writes, ’We honour the servants that their honour may be reflected upon their Lord.’(Epistle 109:1). Lastly, the Fathers affirmed that adoration is due only to God Almighty.