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Tim O’Neill, the owner of the website History for Atheists, provides a useful summary disproving the claim that the European Wars of Religion were primarily driven by religion, when in fact there were multiple factors that contributed to the conflict. Below are his comments on the subject: To begin with, if the Reformation was supposed […]
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John Oswalt the key of the house of David may have been a literal key of considerable size slung from the shoulder (so Skinner). But equally likely the reference here is symbolic. The authority to admit people to or exclude them from the king’s presence is vested in, or put on the shoulder of (9:5 […]
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Historical Testimony to an Infallible Primacy. Probably the earliest implicit attestation of papal infallibility came from Tertullian after his breach with Rome over the remission of adultery, declared to be valid, by Pope St. Callistus. “An edict has been published,” he protested. “The Pontifex Maximus, that is, the bishop of bishops, has made a decree: […]
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St. Lorenzo da Brindisi was a Franciscan with immense bravery. His most courageous act was charging head-on towards Ottoman forces during the siege of Székesfehérvár, armed only with a crucifix: It was on the occasion of the foundation of the convent of Prague (1601) that St. Lorenzo was named chaplain of the Imperial army [of […]
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Socrates Scholasticus, an early Church historian, wrote the Historia Ecclesiastica, covering the years from the early fourth century to the mid-fifth century. In his work, he includes a chapter on the crucifixion of a Christian boy at the hands of Jews in the town of Inmestar. Below is the relevant chapter. CHAPTER XVI THE JEWS […]
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Benjamin Franklin once wrote of the surprising event of those who return to Indian society in a letter: When an Indian Child has been brought up among us, taught our language and habituated to our Customs, yet if he goes to see his relations and make one Indian Ramble with them, there is no perswading […]
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The eminent Catholic scholar Francis Dvornik was renowned for his work on Byzantine history. One area of study he contributed to was the history of the association with the apostle Andrew with Constantinople. He writes: Many scholars have supposed that because of the impression which the display of the apostolic character of the Roman See […]
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The Jesuit Francis Sullivan was an authority on the Catholic magisterium. In his book, Creative Fidelity: Weighing and Interpreting Documents of the Magisterium, he addresses the issue of the decree Haec sancta, which some have claimed to support conciliarism. Below is the relevant text in his book. Council of Constance (1414-1418) We come now to […]
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The Benedictine priest John Chapman gave a nuanced understanding of the condemnation of Pope Honorius. He corrects the false interpretations given by some Catholic apologists on the heretical Pope: St. Agatho died before the conclusion of the council. The new pope, Leo II, had naturally no difficulty in giving to the decrees of the council […]
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Cardinal John Henry Newman articulated his understanding of the case of Pope Honorius in his typically erudite manner. He wrote: I will not pass from this question of History without a word about Pope Honorius, whose condemnation by anathema in the Sixth Ecumenical Council, is certainly a strong primâ facie argument against the Pope’s doctrinal […]
Eclectic Anecdotes
Writings of all that is interesting