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Garry Wills on Augustine and the Real Presence
Garry Wills is the author of “Why I am a Catholic,” but also of “Why Priests?” and “Papal Sins: Structures of Deceit.” His “Lincoln at Gettysburg” won a Pulitzer Prize. He also wrote a biography of Augustine, St. Augustine (a Penguin Lives Biography). So, it might be good for folks to pay attention when he says…
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Michuta on Augustine on the Canon – Some Mistakes Corrected
One of the faults of Gary Michuta’s “Why are Catholic Bibles Bigger,” is its apparent uncritical reliance on a number of secondary sources, especially Breen’s “General and Critical Introduction,” (here is one problem that came from that) and Gigot’s “General Introduction.” In the section on Augustine, Michuta seems to draw mostly from Charles J. Costello’s…
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Hoffer – Real Presence and Transubstantiation
Paul Hoffer had posted some responses in our on-going dialog regarding Augustine and transubstantiation, which included the following kind of comment: Before we begin addressing errors and omissions specific to Turretinfan’s commentary on Sermon 272, I would refer the reader to Part I where I have already addressed Mr. Fan’s apparent confusion between the term…
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Trent, Augustine, Scripture, and Justification
Trent makes a number of explicit claims about justification. Of this Justification the causes are these:the final cause indeed is the glory of God and of Jesus Christ, and life everlasting;while the efficient cause is a merciful God who washes and sanctifies gratuitously, signing, and anointing with the holy Spirit of promise, who is the…
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Roma Locuta Est – Causa Finita Est – Debunked Some More
Advocates of the papacy frequently allege that Augustine said, “Roma locuta est, causa finita est.” Augustine did not say this. My friend Dr. White debunked this urban legend some time ago. Others have also debunked it. I’d like to add my own two cents. After all, I’ve recently encountered a couple of advocates of the…
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Waltz, Nicaea and Shea
David Waltz (no great fan of mine, if memory serves correctly) has nevertheless provided a helpful two-part post in response to my rebuttal to Shea’s post on Nicaea. Mr. Waltz has, I suspect, read more about the Nicene and early post-Nicene period than most people ever will. So, I appreciate that he took the time…
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Nicaea Was Local Council, Arianism Not Settled Controversy, Implies Shea
I admit that I’ve never had a high view of Mark Shea’s scholarship, yet a mixture of surprise and amusement washed over me as I took in Shea’s breathtakingly ignorant response to a reader’s question regarding Augustine and Sola Scriptura. A reader had pointed out to Shea that Augustine, in responding to the Arian heretic…
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Augustine’s Letter 36 and Transubstantiation
Another passage where Augustine describes the Lord’s Supper can be found in one of his many letters. Augustine writes: But, he who says that the old things have passed away, so that in Christ altar yields to altar, fire to prayers, animal victims to bread, blood to the chalice, does not know that the word…
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Augustine’s Sermon 227 and Transubstantiation
As with Sermon 272 (which we have already discussed), some folks who allege that Augustine shared modern Rome’s view of the Eucharist like to point to Sermon 227. It is easy to confuse the two sermons, since the numbers are so similar. Additionally, both sermons are short. Given the brevity of this sermon, it will…
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Augustine’s Sermon 272 and Transubstantiation
Some folks who allege that Augustine shared modern Rome’s view of the Eucharist like to point to Sermon 272. Since this sermon is quite short, it will be possible for me to go through the sermon from beginning to end, with my comments interspersed. SERMON 272 ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST TO THE INFANTES, ON…