Roman Catholicism through the Centuries
G.D.O'Bradovich III
April 26, 2016
background
Potential Apprentice Adam is an amusing creature. It seems that the Gemini is not content unless he is talking, and to a lessor extent, the center of attention. Clearly, there is a clash of personalities between potential Apprentice Adam and Yours Truly, as I have one. Potential Apprentice Adam has previously expounded the opinion that all of creation should be under the authority of the Prince of the Apostles, and like sheep, Orthodox Christians have gone astray. It is painfully obvious that potential Apprentice Adam is aware of Vatican II's influence on the Roman Church in the Modern Age. Yesterday, he was spouting nonsense about how the Roman Church needs to change, to be relevant, I believe; but I stopped listening when he continued on rambling how Orthodoxy is near extinction due to their refusal to change. Three hundred million Orthodox Christians is as near to extinction as three hundred million protestants are close to extinction, of course, protestants innovate. Lest the Gentle Reader creates a false impression of my opinions of potential Apprentice Adam, I remind the Gentle Reader that Adam is the only person to be honored with the title of “Potential Apprentice”.
our inquiry
The premise that the Roman Church was founded on Saint Peter's successors conveniently ignores that a successor of Saint Peter resides in Antioch. Antioch is the same community were Christians were first named in the Book of Acts of the Apostles. The Roman Church has insisted for many centuries that the Eastern Churches are schismatics and only those Christians in communion with the Roman See correctly interpret and apply Christ's words to Saint Peter. Apostolic succession as practiced in the Roman Church cannot be traced beyond Bishop Rebiba, 1566, for over ninety percent of current Bishops trace their episcopal lineage from him, or Bishop d'Estouteville, died 1483, for a handful of bishops, mostly in France. The lack of documentation and records should not be hindrances for the Gentle Reader to realize that Apostolic Succession is a recent invention of the Roman Church. Interestingly, the Pope is both the successor of Saint Peter and the Vicar of Christ; not the successor and Vicar of Saint Peter, as one would expect.
No one doubts that the Roman Church and Orthodox Church were united in the distant past. As an adherent of the Roman Church, potential Apprentice Adam suggests that the Orthodox Christians left the Church that Christ found on the rock of Saint Peter. If this opinion is true, then the Orthodox are not schismatics, but outright heretics-proclaiming Christ, but not knowing him. Therefore, to substantiate potential Apprentice Adam's claim of the heterodox Orthodox, so called, we will review the developments, or innovations, of the Roman Church that are verifiable in the historical record and compare these developments to the developments in the Orthodox Church.
We list the changes in Roman Catholic Church's dogmas since the year 1500. “Dogma is a belief ... that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted.” By definition, the following list of dogmas, with year of decree, are required beliefs by all Roman Catholics. We have omitted innovations such the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross and Mary as Co-Reedemer, as these practices and beliefs are not, as of this writing, dogmatic.
No one doubts that the Roman Church and Orthodox Church were united in the distant past. As an adherent of the Roman Church, potential Apprentice Adam suggests that the Orthodox Christians left the Church that Christ found on the rock of Saint Peter. If this opinion is true, then the Orthodox are not schismatics, but outright heretics-proclaiming Christ, but not knowing him. Therefore, to substantiate potential Apprentice Adam's claim of the heterodox Orthodox, so called, we will review the developments, or innovations, of the Roman Church that are verifiable in the historical record and compare these developments to the developments in the Orthodox Church.
We list the changes in Roman Catholic Church's dogmas since the year 1500. “Dogma is a belief ... that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted.” By definition, the following list of dogmas, with year of decree, are required beliefs by all Roman Catholics. We have omitted innovations such the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross and Mary as Co-Reedemer, as these practices and beliefs are not, as of this writing, dogmatic.
Purgatory- pre 1517
The Immortal Soul-1512
The Immaculate Conception of Mary -1854
Papal Infallibility-1870
The Assumption of Mary-1950
We list the changes in the Orthodox Church's dogmas since the year 1500:
[This section intentionally left blank.]
The Orthodox Church has not created any additional dogmas since time immemorial. An Orthodox Christian from the year 1500 and one from the year 2000 would have the same beliefs regarding the nature of Christ, the authority of the Bishops, the humanity of Mary and the death of Mary.
Purgatory is listed as an innovation, as the Orthodox Church does not know of this teaching. Therefore, Purgatory must have been an innovation of the Roman Church after she and the Orthodox Church separated, but before the fifth Lateran Council that concluded in 1517.
conclusion
From the limited information provided, we cannot categorically declare that Roman Church left the Orthodox Church of vice verse. However, in consideration of Orthodoxy's conservative practices, as demonstrated by its absence of innovation, it is clear to even the causal reader that this Great Occultist has serious reservations regarding the claims of the Roman Church.
As always, the Gentle Reader will form his own opinions and conclusions
As always, the Gentle Reader will form his own opinions and conclusions