Is the Pope the Head of the Baptist Church?

Jimmy Akin, writing for The National Catholic Register, asks the following question:

“Is the Pope Catholic? Current scholars believe he is the head of the Baptist church, but new evidence points in a Catholic direction.”

Now, if Akin’s question were a real question, it would open the door for an interesting debate. However, I want to assure you that I took the question completely out of context. In addition, Akin’s question is only a rhetorical question used as an illustration to answer some issues raised by Professor Gershon Galil’s translation of the Khirbet Qeiyafa’s inscription.

But imagine if Akin’s question were a real question. The history of the church would have to be completely rewritten.

The reason for introducing Akin’s question is just because I could not resist the irony of this rhetorical question.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary


Tags: Pope

The Pope and the Mob

Time Magazine has an interesting article on the “Pope and the Mob.” The article begins by introducing how Pope John Paul II dealt with the Mob. The article begins as follows:

John Paul II set a powerful precedent for how a Roman Pontiff can take on the Italian Mob. In May 1993, after a high-profile spate of Mafia killings, the Pope denounced the Mob’s “culture of death” in an emotionally charged sermon in Agrigento, Sicily, the home turf of Cosa Nostra. “I say to those responsible: Convert!” he intoned, shaking his clenched fist and index finger. “One day, the judgment of God will arrive!” Two months after the dramatic papal appeal, the Mafia bombed two historic churches in Rome.

Now, you have to read the article to find out how the present Pope, Pope Benedict XVI deals with the Mob.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary


Tags: Benedict XVI, Catholic Church, John Paul II, Pope, Religion

The Canonization of Pope Pius XII

Should Pope Pius XII be canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church?

Ruth Gledhill, the Religion Correspondent for Times Online has written an interesting blog in which she discusses the opposition to his canonization by a group of Christian and Jewish scholars.

Read her blog here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Pius XII, Pope, Religion, Ruth Gledhill

In the News

The following are some of the stories I read this week. These are some of the stories that almost because subjects of a post. However, lack of time did not allow me to blog on them.


Iran envoy defends amputation ‘of the hand that steals’

Iran’s ambassador to Spain has compared chopping off the hands of thieves to a “surgeon amputating a limb to prevent the spread of gangrene.”

Conservative Rabbis to Vote on Resolution Criticizing Pope’s Revision of Prayer

The revision of a contentious Good Friday prayer approved this week by Pope Benedict XVI could set back Jewish-Catholic relations, Conservative Judaism’s international assembly of rabbis says in a resolution to be voted on next week.

The prayer calls for God to enlighten the hearts of Jews “so that they may acknowledge Jesus Christ, the savior of all men.”

God and Politics

Frank Lambert’s “Religion in American Politics,” published last month, traces the interplay between pulpits and the public square through nearly two centuries of U.S. history. Some things, he writes, never change.

Efforts to proclaim the United States a “Christian nation” date at least to 1827, when Calvinist minister Ezra Stiles Ely tried to mobilize a “Christian party in politics” to fight the delivery of mail on Sundays.

The Book of Mormon and Archaeology

Because of many false statements disseminated by members of the LDS Church, such as the one cited above, the Smithsonian Institute was forced to publish a statement concerning these matters. The 1986 statement begins with a denial of the claims put forth by Mormon enthusiasts:

“The Smithsonian Institution has never used the Book of Mormon in any way as a scientific guide. Smithsonian archeologists see no direct connection between the archeology of the New World and the subject matter of the book.” (“Statement Regarding The Book of Mormon.” Smithsonian Institute, Spring 1986).

Enjoy reading.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, God, Islam, Mormons, Politics, Pope

How To Become A Pope

Do you know how a Cardinal becomes a Pope? Most people do not know what happens behind the walls of the Vatican during the election of a Pope.

Now you can know how Cardinals become Pope.

Stephen Haliczer, a retired historian from Northern Illinois University who specializes in Catholic history, has developed a board game, Vatican: The Papal Election Board Game that teaches what happens during the election of a Pope.

The Vatican Board Game follows six cardinals through their early careers as they build their reputations. The games also deals with the death of a Pope and the conclave to elect his successor. The game seems to be a theological version of Monopoly.

To know more about the Vatican Board Game click here and here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Pope, Vatican Board Game

Protestants React To Vatican’s Statement

The Associated Baptist Press has a detailed article about the reaction of some Protestants to the Pope’s statement that other Christians communities are not the church. The following is an excerpt of the news release:

DALLAS (ABP) -- The document issued July 10 by the Vatican was meant to clarify its doctrine of the church. But nearly a week later, its timing and language still leaves some Protestants and Catholics feeling confused or angry.

Much of the document, entitled "Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church," was aimed to clearly define “church.” The part that incited some anger said Christian denominations outside the Roman Catholic Church are not true churches. Instead only those with a direct link to the apostles and that submit to the authority of the pope are genuine. the Vatican said.

The document said Protestant churches suffer from a “profound wound,” causing them to warrant only “Christian community” status, not that of a church. The document said the Roman Catholic Church meets the criteria for a “church” because it can trace its history directly through bishops to the original apostles. It said Eastern Orthodox churches suffer from a lesser “wound” than Protestants because, while they claim apostolic authority, they don’t recognize the primacy of the pope.

“This is nothing but a naked attempt by Pope Benedict to ‘own’ Jesus by virtue of the Catholic Church considering the apostle Peter as its leader,” said American talk-show host Roland Martin. He told CNN July 13 that the Vatican document divides the community of faith rather than supports it.

There's little new in the Vatican document, however. Most of the contentious statements were also included in “Dominus Iesus,” a document issued in 2000 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he became the current pope, Benedict XVI. According to Reuter’s, the purpose of July 10 document was to correct “erroneous or ambiguous” interpretations of the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s, which opened the door for ecumenical dialogue with non-Catholic Christian bodies.

Some critics say the divisive nature of the latest document is ironic, since Pope Benedict has portrayed himself as a supporter of Christian unity. The day after he was elected pope, he delivered a speech in which he said God will judge him for what he does to foster Christian unity.

One key Protestant leader added his criticism of the document, which he said "makes us question the seriousness with which the Roman Catholic Church takes its dialogues with Reformed family and other families of the church." Rev. Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, offered that view in a letter to Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, according to Catholic World News.


Read the news release in its entirety by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Catholic Church, Church, Pope, Protestants, Vatican

Pope Declares: Other Christians Are Not the True Church

Pope Benedict XVI has declared in a document issued by the Vatican, that other Christians communities are not the true church. According to the Pope, Christ established only one church, the Catholic Church. The Pope said that Orthodox churches are “defective” and that Protestants and other Christian denominations are “not true churches but merely ecclesial communities” and for this reason, they do not have the “means of salvation.”

Below is the news release published by the Associated Press:

Pope Benedict XVI has reasserted the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says Orthodox churches were defective and that other Christian denominations were not true churches.

Benedict approved a document from his old offices at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that restates church teaching on relations with other Christians. It was the second time in a week the pope has corrected what he says are erroneous interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that modernized the church.

On Saturday, Benedict revisited another key aspect of Vatican II by reviving the old Latin Mass. Traditional Catholics cheered the move, but more liberal ones called it a step back from Vatican II.

Benedict, who attended Vatican II as a young theologian, has long complained about what he considers the erroneous interpretation of the council by liberals, saying it was not a break from the past but rather a renewal of church tradition.

In the latest document - formulated as five questions and answers - the Vatican seeks to set the record straight on Vatican II's ecumenical intent, saying some contemporary theological interpretation had been "erroneous or ambiguous" and had prompted confusion and doubt.

It restates key sections of a 2000 document the pope wrote when he was prefect of the congregation, "Dominus Iesus," which set off a firestorm of criticism among Protestant and other Christian denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the "means of salvation."

In the new document and an accompanying commentary, which were released as the pope vacations here in Italy's Dolomite mountains, the Vatican repeated that position.

"Christ 'established here on earth' only one church," the document said. The other communities "cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense" because they do not have apostolic succession - the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ's original apostles.

The Rev. Sara MacVane of the Anglican Centre in Rome, said there was nothing new in the document.

"I don't know what motivated it at this time," she said. "But it's important always to point out that there's the official position and there's the huge amount of friendship and fellowship and worshipping together that goes on at all levels, certainly between Anglican and Catholics and all the other groups and Catholics."

The document said Orthodox churches were indeed "churches" because they have apostolic succession and that they enjoyed "many elements of sanctification and of truth." But it said they lack something because they do not recognize the primacy of the pope - a defect, or a "wound" that harmed them, it said.

"This is obviously not compatible with the doctrine of primacy which, according to the Catholic faith, is an 'internal constitutive principle' of the very existence of a particular church," the commentary said.

Despite the harsh tone of the document, it stresses that Benedict remains committed to ecumenical dialogue.

"However, if such dialogue is to be truly constructive, it must involve not just the mutual openness of the participants but also fidelity to the identity of the Catholic faith," the commentary said.

The document, signed by the congregation prefect, U.S. Cardinal William Levada, was approved by Benedict on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul - a major ecumenical feast day.

There was no indication about why the pope felt it necessary to release the document, particularly since his 2000 document summed up the same principles. Some analysts suggested it could be a question of internal church politics, or that it could simply be an indication of Benedict using his office as pope to again stress key doctrinal issues from his time at the congregation.

The whole issue for the Catholic church is the issue of “apostolic succession.” If a church is unable to “trace their bishops back to Christ's original apostles,” then that church cannot be considered a true church. The fact is, that it is only through some manipulation of historical facts that the Catholic church can trace itself back to Peter.

The Pope said that the Catholic church is still “committed to ecumenical dialogue.” But ecumenical dialogue must be under the Pope’s terms: “However, if such dialogue is to be truly constructive, it must involve not just the mutual openness of the participants but also fidelity to the identity of the Catholic faith.”

To the Pope and to the Catholic church, the Protestant and other Christian “ecclesial communities” reinterate Luther’s words:

“Unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.”

And then, those words that made Luther famous, if he indeed spoke them:

“Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me, Amen!”

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Apostolic Succession, Benedict XVI , Catholic Church, Church, Pope