Revelations 22, 19

[Philippe]

Revelations 22, 19 says

[quote]and if anyone takes away from the words in this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city described in this book[/quote]

wat about the deutercanonical?

[phatcatholic]

exactly. although revelations is placed last in the list of the canon of the NT, it was not the last book written. thus, if we take this verse and apply it to the Bible as a whole then we must reject certain books of the NT that we know to be inspired by God. plus, it is only common sense that John had no conception of one collection of all the inspired writings when he wrote these words. thus, it seems rather illogical to me to apply this verse to the bible as a whole, which most protestant apologists are quite fond of doing. it is much more logical to claim that John is referring to the very work he is writing, the book of Revelations.

Edited September 1, 2004 by phatcatholic

[phatcatholic]

actually, i was reading the Navarre Commentary on this verse, and it says that vs. 18-19 can be applied to all divine revelation. if this be the case, and i understand why the commentary takes this position, then the task of the protestant who brings up this verse would be to prove that whatever he is questioning is actually an addition. by "addition" i mean "contradiction." the deuterocanonical books are not additions b/c they too are the word of God. however, the Gospel of Thomas is an addition b/c it contradicts the canon that the Church has already defined.

also note that some of our Catholic beliefs find proof moreso in the Tradition of the Church then in Scripture. for example, the Assumption of Mary has no explicit reference in the Bible. however, a doctrine is considered an addition when it is anti-scriptural, NOT when it is non-scriptural. although it is not explicitly taught in the bible, it is implicit there and it does not contradict anything found in the bible, explicitly or implicitly.

here is the Navarre Commentary on these verses:[list]
[*][b]18-19. [/b]Using language similar to Deuteronomy 4:2 (cf. also Dt 13:1; Prov 30:6), the author warns that nothing in this book may be altered, for the very good reason that it is a revelation from God. No one may tamper with it, no one may add or subtract anything, or if he does God will call him to account. What St John says here is applicable to all divine Revelation. That is why St Paul told the Galatians that anyone--even an angel--would be accursed, excommunicated, who dared to change the Gospel, the message of recieved faith (cf. Gal 1:8).

The Revelation made by Christ has been entrusted to the Church, who guards it faithfully with the aid of the Holy Spirit. As St Vincent of Lerins teaches, "in the catholic Church the greatest care must be taken to keep what has been believed everywhere, always and by all [. . .]. The very nature of religion demands that everything be passed on to children as faithfully as it has been received by parents" ([i]Commonitorium[/i], 2 and 6). The deposit of faith is so inviolable that "true eccumenical activity means openness, drawing closer, availability for dialogue, and a shared investigation of the truth in the full evangelical and Christian sense; but in no way does it or can it mean giving up or in any way diminishing the treasures of divine truth that the Church has constantly confessed and taught" (John Paul II, [i]Redemptor hominis[/i], 6).
[/list]pax christi,
phatcatholic

Edited September 1, 2004 by phatcatholic

[Philippe]

thanks

[MorphRC]

[quote name='Philippe' date='Sep 2 2004, 05:25 AM'] Revelations 22, 19 says



wat about the deutercanonical? [/quote]
From the Book of Revelation.

But as phat said, it could be applied to all Revelation. Although it doesnt seem the case.