This was very important to me because the Mormons claimed to be the restored Church of Christ since the Christian Church in Christ's day had apostatized from the truth. I had to know the truth. Although the Catholic Church wasn't organized until 325 A.D., the Catholics claim a direct lineage to Peter using Christ's words to base this claim upon.
Matthew 16:18
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
It is debated as to whether Christ was saying he would base his
Church upon a man, Peter, or upon "this rock" being prophets and "apostles."
Paul told the people of Ephesus in Ephesians 2:20 that Christ's Church
was "...built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief corner [stone]."
Of course, my Catechism instructor and my Catholic friends brushed off King Constantine's claim to being the 13th Apostle of Christ by correctly saying that at the time -- you may recall the "Apostle" Paul (Saul of Tarsus) may have been guilty of this also (see Was Paul an Apostle) - people who regarded themselves and others as very staunch and stalwart disciples of Christ referred to themselves and others as "apostles."
Regardless of whether or not Christ founded His Church on Peter or on Apostles and Prophets is not the real issue. King Constantine's claim to be the 13th Apostle of Christ although, if he would have been a Christian, he would have known Matthias was chosen and ordain as the 13th Apostle of Christ.
Acts 1:26
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
While the word Catholic literally means universal, the dogmas of
the Catholic Church were not so universally Christian for those King Constantine
had killed "for heresy," King Constantine also claimed to be the first
Pope of the Catholic Church, a fact that has been buried beneath piles
of antiquity and "heresy." This dichotomy is also interesting because,
although not organized as such during his life time, the Catholic claims
Peter, the first apostle of Jesus Christ, was the first Pope of the Catholic
Church rather than the head of the Church of Jesus Christ!
Finally, I decided that attending Catechism was creating a plethora of questions instead of answering them, so I gave it up for a lost cause. I would have to find the answers to these several questions on my own and with the help of the Holy Spirit.
I am still troubled how an unbaptized Christian could call himself the 13th Apostle of Jesus Christ when there was not only a 13th Apostle ordained, but some think even a 14th and maybe even a 15th; how an unbaptized Christian could organize the Council of Nicaea and the Catholic Church -- supposedly a Christian Church; murder scores of "heretic" Christians and monks; canonize the beliefs and doctrine of the Catholic Church and call himself the 1st Pope, then all this could be swept under the rug as though it didn't even happen. But then, he was the King of Constantinople and a real embarrassment to the validity of the claims of the Catholic Church.
Muhammad studied Christianity under the auspices of the Catholic before
receiving revelation telling him their claims and doctrines were not right
for Muhammad's people!
David R.W. Wadsworth
Servant of the Most High God
El Santuario Escondido
10387 Tioga Lake Drive
Escondido, CA 92029-5405
(760) 743-5293
drww@themillennialdispensation.org
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