Protestants: The Bible is a Catholic construct, why do you trust it?

Question

And before I begin, I hold no animosity towards Catholics or Protestants.

But I would be ignorant of history to be unaware of the animosity felt between some protestant denominations and Catholicism.

So I'm asking those protestants why they continue to use the Bible when it was Catholics who chose what to include, who chose what to exclude, and who transcribed it, one copy to another, for about 1400 years before Protestants appeared?

Why assume it is the word of God when those who were responsible for its creation and preservation are the ones you distrust?

Grammy: According to Catholics, the Church started with Peter and was faithfully perpetuated by every Pope that followed him.

Eric Brame: When King James approved his version, there were four different English translations in existence. That was what his council addressed. Given the politics of the time, I often wonder how much politics played a role in the choices made.

Before selecting a best answer, I direct the reader to review Taranto's answer, as he provides a very good, abbreviated, history of the construction of the Christian bible (and had he answered my question, my choice would him).

Answer 1

it's all the knowledge we have of God.

Answer 2

It is pretty pompous to think there were no protestants for 1400 years and that everyone was Catholic. If you really knew anything about history you would know there were those that followed the truth throughout all of history even when there was thought to be nobody around that did. IF you really want the truth of the matter, there were no Catholics for many years and Peter was not a Pope and would have cringed at the very thought that he would be set up as the head of such a pompous organization being called a Pope. There was not a Catholic until the second century, nor was there a Pope but later in one of their councils, they came up with the idea to put Peter as the first Pope. It is all in the history books if you will just read them. The Old Testament was written long before there was a thought of a Catholic as Jesus read from the Scripture and as for the bible as we know it today, it was not done solely by the Catholic church as you state but by many scholors that got together to transcribe the words that are put in. That is why there are two versions of the same book, the Catholic version and the King James version. In the former they included many books that are not considered inspired that the King James does not include. They just do not fit and are contradictions to the rest of it. Most bibles will have a brief history of how it was done if you care to read it and it does not say a thing about any Catholics that did anything with it so best read up on your history before claiming things that are just not so. By the way, I was a Catholic for many years so I know what they teach.

Answer 3

It amazes me how ignorant most Protestants are of the history of their own religions. It is an undeniable fact that it is Catholics who decided which books were to be considered the Holy Word of God and which books were not.

Even if Grammy were right that the Catholics came into being in the 3rd century (which is not correct) -- she still doesn't have a point, since the books of the Bible were set at the Council of Rome in the 4th century. The Catholic Bible has remained unchanged since then.

At any rate, the four Gospels were declared to be the holy word of God by St Irenaeus -- who is a second century Catholic Saint.

Martin Luther did decide that certain books were not the holy word of God & deleted them from the Bible. Most Protestants use this expurgated version.

Answer 4

Actually the SEPTUAGINTA, is the catholic version of the bible and is what is used as a bases of catholic faith. Secondly the Christians were running for their lives, and the catholic church was hunting them down.

King James was the first Englishmen that work over 10 years getting the bible translated from the original texts.

There is allot more research to do.

Answer 5

The Bible is not something constructed by man (i.e. Catholics or Protestansts), but it is God's Word, His thoughts. For 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 sates: "All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work." Thus, it shows here that the Bible originates with God. Yes, 40 men did write the Bible, but by means of His holy spirit. Also, God used them to write His Word. They wrote down God's thoughts, and not their own. So, the Bible is true, for it's impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18).

Answer 6

How can you call the Bible a Catholic construct, since most of it was written before the Catholics came into being, which is about the 3rd of 4th Century?

Answer 7

There are ways available to us to determine what books and texts are part of the Bible, and what books are not.
1. The Dead Sea Scrolls
2. The Jewish faith (which covers the before Christ birth on earth).
As a matter of fact, the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah comes from 1 Maccabees 4.(part of the Catholic Bible).

Answer 8

Scrolls and manuscripts have been found in other places besides the Catholics archives. Yes they protected the Bible for centuries, but other copies was around. That was good for comparing reasons. With what all the Bible went through to be with us today. it is still very accurate.

Answer 9

You must be entirely illiterate. or reading too many DeVinci Code books.

The bible began in 2500 B.C. with God speaking to Moses, long before Catholics.
Even the new Testament was begunaround 60 A.D.
Get a Life and learn some historical facts before you display ignorance.

Answer 10

There is a Catholic Bible used for the Catholic religion. But there are other Bibles that are used, not just that religion.

The Word of God is the only words I trust.

Answer 11

Protestant's don't have a problem with the Bible - Protestants protest the Roman Catholic Church's interpretations.