Well, welcome once
again to Session 2 of
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The Bible Or Tradition.
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Now lets review briefly
what we studied last time.
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We were talking about
the little horn of Daniel 7,
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and we noticed that one of the
characteristics which is often
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ignored when the little horn is
studied, is the fact that it has
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the eyes of a man.
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We also noticed in our
last study that this system is
00:00:52.74\00:00:57.01
called the man of sin,
and the system also has
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the number of a man.
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In other words this is a
system that depends upon man.
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Now what do eyes represent
in Bible prophecy symbolically?
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As we studied we noticed
that eyes represent wisdom.
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But because this little
horn has the eyes of a man,
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It means that it does
not depend on divine wisdom.
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It depends on human wisdom.
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Now I'm going to begin
our study today by asking
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a very important question.
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How can the Roman Catholic
Church justify teachings from
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their belief system commanding
things that are not mentioned
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explicitly, or even
implicitly in Scripture?
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Doctrines such as the following:
the immaculate conception
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of Mary, the Assumption of Mary
bodily to heaven supposedly,
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Mary as the mediatrix
between human beings and God,
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the celibacy of the priesthood,
the sacrifice of the Mass,
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Lent, infant baptism, baptism
by sprinkling, the confessional,
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indulgences, praying for
the dead and to the dead,
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reciting the Rosary, abstaining
from eating meat on Fridays,
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bowing before idols, and keeping
Sunday as the day of rest.
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How can the Roman Catholic
Church justify all of these
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observances and beliefs
that are not found implicitly,
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or explicitly in holy Scripture?
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The answer is simple.
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It is because of the Roman
Catholic view of tradition.
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You see the Roman Catholic
Church does not go exclusively
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by what we find in Scripture.
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Their standard is
not Sola Scriptura.
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Their standard is
the Bible plus tradition.
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And many times tradition
stands over and above Scripture.
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Now in order to
better understand how the
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Roman Catholic Church justifies
this type of belief system,
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and bases many of its
practices and doctrines on human
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traditions instead of on the
word of God, we need to go back
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and understand the
Jewish view of tradition
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in the days of Christ.
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You see the view that the Jews
had on divine revelation in the
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days of Christ, the view
that was held by the scribes
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and the Pharisees in the days
of Jesus, has been replicated
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by the Roman Catholic
Papacy, believe it or not.
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And as the Jewish view of
tradition led to the rejection
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of Jesus Christ, in the
same way Roman Catholicism,
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which has embraced this
identical view as the Jews,
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has led to a rejection of
the Jesus Christ that we find
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in holy Scripture.
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Now we need to realize that in
the days of Christ the view that
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the Jews had of divine
revelation consisted in three
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elements, three
interconnected elements.
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And what we're going to
get into is somewhat technical.
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I'm going to try and explain
it as simply as possible,
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but you're going to find
that even though it's complex,
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it is fundamental to understand
the Roman Catholic view
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of tradition and of Scripture.
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And it's going to help us as
we study along in this series.
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The first element of the belief
system of the Jews of the days
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of Christ was that there
was a deposit of tradition,
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which was composed of two
things: 1. The writings of Moses
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2. Unwritten oral traditions
that were given to Moses,
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but were never
committed to writing.
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This is what they believed
to be the deposit of tradition
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with a large T. In other words,
it was composed of the writings
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of Moses, and then God
supposedly gave Moses many
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oral instructions that
were never committed to writing.
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So the first element of
the Jewish concept of tradition
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is the idea that there was a
deposit of tradition composed
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of the writings of Moses, and
oral traditions that were given
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to Moses, which were
never committed to writing.
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The second element of the
view of tradition that was held
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by the Jews is that there was
needed a transmitting mechanism
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to make sure that
the oral traditions,
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and that the Scriptures
that Moses wrote were passed
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from one generation to
another in a trustworthy way.
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You see it's one thing for God
to have given Moses the writings
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and all these moral traditions,
supposedly, but somehow this
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deposit of tradition had to be
transferred from one generation
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to the next. There had to
be a succession to make sure
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that these traditions,
particularly the oral
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traditions, would be
transmitted in a trustworthy way
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from one generation to another.
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The third element of the Jewish
view of tradition is that at
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each stage, or each generation,
there had to be a living,
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teaching office, or a
magisterium that could
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infallibly explain, apply,
amplify, and bring forth from
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the deposit of tradition truths
that were found in the writings
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of Moses, and also in the
oral tradition that God had
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supposedly given to Moses,
which was never written down.
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And so basically the Jewish
view of tradition was composed
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of three things: 1.
The deposit of tradition
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composed of the writings
of Moses, and of the oral
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traditions that God gave Moses,
which were never written down.
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The second element is
there needed to be a mechanism
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to pass this on from
generation to generation
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in a trustworthy way.
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There had to be a succession
of teachers that could keep
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the tradition pure.
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And then in each generation
there had to be a living
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teaching office that could
infallibly, according to the
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Jewish view, explain, apply,
amplify, and bring forth from
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the deposit of tradition the
truths that were found in the
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writings of Moses, as
well as in the oral traditions
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that God imparted to Moses.
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Now lets amplify these three
different types of views that
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the Jews had. These three
successive steps, you might say,
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of the Jewish view of tradition.
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The scribes and the Pharisees
believed that when God spoke
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to Moses on Mount
Sinai, He not only gave Moses
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what Moses actually wrote.
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They believed that God gave
Moses many other oral traditions
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which Moses did
not commit to writing.
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In their view there was an
original deposit of truth that
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God revealed to Moses, which
was composed of two sources.
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One was the writings of Moses
that we have in the Pentateuch,
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the five books of Moses, and the
book of Job, and also many oral
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traditions that God
gave to Moses on the Mount,
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but Moses never actually
committed them to writing.
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And so basically that was the
idea of the deposit of tradition
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that the Jews had.
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Now at first the written word
and the oral traditions were not
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on the same level.
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Scripture was always higher
at the beginning than the oral
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traditions that were
handed on, supposedly, to Moses.
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But as time passed Scripture
and the oral traditions came
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to be on the same level.
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And in the days of Christ things
had degenerated in a way that
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the oral traditions, which
supposedly God gave to Moses,
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occupied a higher position
than the writings of Moses.
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In other words, they were no
longer of equal value and equal
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authority as the
written Scriptures.
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They were placed above
the written Scriptures.
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Now I'd like to read a statement
from the International Standard
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Bible and Encyclopedia
that explains this idea
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that the Jews had
concerning tradition.
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This is in the International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia,
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and it reads like this:
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So that is the Jewish
view of tradition as it began
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to be passed on from
generation to generation.
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Now, of course, if you
have a deposit of tradition,
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the passing on of the written
Scriptures is not as complicated
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as passing on oral traditions.
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Because you know that in
the process of time traditions
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or ideas that are transmitted
orally have a tendency
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to degenerate with
the passing of time.
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And so the Jews believed that
there needed to be some reliable
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way for these oral traditions to
be passed along from generation
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to generation in
a trustworthy way.
00:10:56.70\00:10:59.53
And, of course, they believed
that the written Scriptures
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could be passed along
quite simply because they had
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been written by Moses.
00:11:06.09\00:11:07.29
But the oral
traditions; it was more complex.
00:11:07.32\00:11:11.07
Because oral traditions have a
tendency, as I mentioned before,
00:11:11.38\00:11:15.44
to degenerate in
the course of time.
00:11:15.47\00:11:17.68
So the idea was, how can we
keep the transfer of these oral
00:11:17.71\00:11:22.86
traditions pure
from degenerating?
00:11:22.89\00:11:26.01
Now, after all, we know
that with the passing of time,
00:11:26.04\00:11:30.06
things that are passed
on orally are distorted
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and they become unreliable.
00:11:32.94\00:11:34.64
So the rabbi's affirmed that
there needed to be an accurate
00:11:34.67\00:11:40.02
and a faithful
transmitting agent.
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And so they believed that
there was a teaching office
00:11:43.80\00:11:49.24
that passed on these oral
traditions from generation
00:11:49.27\00:11:53.41
to generation in
a trustworthy way.
00:11:53.44\00:11:56.28
And so the Pharisees believed
and taught that the written
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Scriptures, as well as
the unwritten traditions,
00:11:59.89\00:12:03.47
were passed on from generation
to generation in an unbroken
00:12:03.50\00:12:08.06
succession of spiritual leaders
who were aided by God's Spirit
00:12:08.09\00:12:12.08
to keep the written Scriptures,
and the oral traditions pure
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in the process of transmission.
00:12:16.74\00:12:18.88
Now I want to read a statement
that we find in the Interpreters
00:12:18.91\00:12:23.02
Bible Dictionary that explains
this process of transmission.
00:12:23.05\00:12:28.02
I'm going to
mention the word Talmud.
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Now the Talmud is a book that
contains all of the traditions
00:12:32.72\00:12:37.01
that was codified
after the times of Christ.
00:12:37.04\00:12:40.92
All of these oral traditions
were placed down in written form
00:12:40.95\00:12:43.72
that had been transferred from
generation to generation orally.
00:12:43.75\00:12:47.64
So this statement says:
00:12:47.67\00:12:49.91
Which is a
compilation of the oral laws.
00:12:51.30\00:12:53.78
In other words besides
the five books of Moses,
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Remember these words are
very important, handed down.
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And now it says:
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And therefore they were written
in what is known as the Talmud.
00:14:02.97\00:14:07.72
Interesting, the process
of transmission, isn't it?
00:14:07.75\00:14:12.05
Now Flavius Josephus,
who was himself a Pharisee,
00:14:12.08\00:14:15.95
had something interesting to
say about this process as well.
00:14:15.98\00:14:20.27
In the book, Antiquities of
the Jews, he says the following:
00:14:20.30\00:14:24.47
Now I want you to remember this
terminology, because we're going
00:14:33.36\00:14:35.95
to come back to this terminology
later on in this series.
00:14:35.98\00:14:39.06
Notice once again:
00:14:39.09\00:14:40.12
Are you understanding
what's happening here?
00:14:52.21\00:14:53.87
In other words, there's an
oral tradition that according
00:14:53.90\00:14:56.37
to this, is handed
down and passed on.
00:14:56.40\00:14:58.92
Incidentally, Flavius Josephus
was born in the year 37 A.D.
00:14:58.95\00:15:02.82
He was born shortly after the
death of Christ on the cross.
00:15:02.85\00:15:06.17
And he was a Pharisee, who he
knew very well how the scribes
00:15:06.20\00:15:09.50
and the Pharisees
passed on this information.
00:15:09.53\00:15:12.35
Now Marcel Simon wrote a
very captivating book called,
00:15:12.38\00:15:17.49
Jewish Sects, and he explains
that the Pharisees would go
00:15:17.52\00:15:22.32
beyond the written text.
00:15:22.35\00:15:23.62
Now I want to
read this statement.
00:15:23.65\00:15:24.97
It's found in his book,
Jewish Sects, pages 34 and 35.
00:15:25.00\00:15:29.63
This is what he says
about what the Pharisees did
00:15:29.66\00:15:32.99
with the written
texts of Scripture.
00:15:33.02\00:15:34.29
They didn't stick
to the written text.
00:15:34.32\00:15:36.29
They went beyond it
and they expanded upon it.
00:15:36.32\00:15:38.71
And they actually believed that
they were drawing out truths
00:15:38.74\00:15:41.50
that were under the
surface of the writings.
00:15:41.53\00:15:44.16
Now this is what Simon says:
00:15:44.19\00:15:47.69
That is in the
eyes of the Pharisees.
00:15:47.72\00:15:50.18
In other words in qualifying
and expanding upon the text.
00:15:54.31\00:15:57.63
That is far from
opposing the writings of Moses.
00:16:00.01\00:16:04.49
According to the
Jews of Christ's day.
00:16:11.96\00:16:15.22
In other words these oral
traditions, they said that all
00:16:19.84\00:16:22.06
this goes back to Moses
just like the writings of Moses.
00:16:22.09\00:16:24.64
He continues saying:
00:16:24.67\00:16:26.92
That's a key word.
00:16:36.39\00:16:37.42
Are you understanding the
mechanism? the deposit of truth,
00:16:41.08\00:16:44.73
the writings of Moses, and
then the oral things that God
00:16:44.76\00:16:48.80
revealed to Moses.
00:16:48.83\00:16:49.86
And then you have this mechanism
of handing it from generation
00:16:49.89\00:16:53.18
to generation; handing
it down, or passing it on
00:16:53.21\00:16:55.92
to succeeding generations.
00:16:55.95\00:16:57.56
Now the process of transmission
was very, very interesting.
00:16:57.59\00:17:02.86
It was believed that it was
passed on from one generation
00:17:02.89\00:17:07.77
to another in
unbroken succession.
00:17:07.80\00:17:10.62
In other words, one generation
of leaders passed it on to
00:17:10.66\00:17:14.11
the next, and the next, to
the next in unbroken succession
00:17:14.14\00:17:17.40
all of these oral traditions.
00:17:17.43\00:17:19.27
I want to read from the Talmud,
Avoth, which means the fathers,
00:17:19.30\00:17:24.74
chapter 1, verses 1, 2.
00:17:24.77\00:17:27.13
This is the way that the Talmud,
which is the Jewish codification
00:17:27.16\00:17:32.14
of all of these
oral laws, explains it.
00:17:32.17\00:17:35.02
The Great Synagogue,
according to Jewish tradition,
00:17:52.42\00:17:55.46
had its origin after the
Babylonian captivity with Ezra.
00:17:55.49\00:17:58.50
They believed Ezra was the
founder of what is known as
00:17:58.53\00:18:01.23
the Great Synagogue.
00:18:01.26\00:18:02.29
Now it's interesting to notice
that according to Marcel Simon
00:18:02.32\00:18:06.64
these words from the Talmud
in chapter 1, and verses 2-13,
00:18:06.67\00:18:12.25
are followed by a list of pairs
of scholars through which this
00:18:12.28\00:18:19.01
process of
transmission was made.
00:18:19.04\00:18:21.53
I want to read what he has
to say on page 35 of his book.
00:18:21.56\00:18:25.20
He says, after mentioning
several of these pairs
00:18:25.23\00:18:28.83
of leaders that lived
in different generations,
00:18:28.86\00:18:31.29
in succeeding generations.
00:18:31.32\00:18:32.81
He says after these:
00:18:32.84\00:18:34.72
And I would add, in
the days of Jesus Christ.
00:18:52.96\00:18:55.74
So, in other words, there's
this idea that there were pairs
00:18:55.77\00:18:59.54
of leaders in
succeeding generations,
00:18:59.57\00:19:02.93
and each pair passed on
these oral traditions in a
00:19:02.96\00:19:07.72
reliable way to the
next pair, and the next pair
00:19:07.75\00:19:10.94
to the next pair, all the
way from the days of Moses
00:19:10.97\00:19:14.11
to the days of Jesus Christ.
00:19:14.14\00:19:16.39
Now in order to make sure that
these traditions were kept pure,
00:19:16.42\00:19:23.11
you not only need the
transmission mechanism,
00:19:23.14\00:19:25.75
but you also needed a
living teaching office at each
00:19:25.78\00:19:29.57
generation that could certify
that these oral traditions
00:19:29.60\00:19:34.06
were really the ones that
had been passed on by Moses.
00:19:34.09\00:19:37.32
In other words, there needed to
be a living voice, or a teaching
00:19:37.35\00:19:39.91
office in each generation
that could identify a genuine
00:19:39.94\00:19:44.70
tradition that could
authoritatively interpret that
00:19:44.73\00:19:48.82
tradition, explain it, and
apply it to contemporary life.
00:19:48.85\00:19:53.55
And so according to Marcel
Simon, and I read once again
00:19:53.58\00:19:58.20
from his book,
Jewish Sects, pages 35, 36.
00:19:58.23\00:20:02.27
He said that this idea...
00:20:02.30\00:20:04.11
So, in other words, this
idea that in each generation
00:20:25.05\00:20:28.12
there was a living teaching
office composed of theological
00:20:28.15\00:20:32.52
experts that could certify that
this was a genuine tradition.
00:20:32.55\00:20:35.97
And they could explain it, and
they could apply it to the lives
00:20:36.00\00:20:39.35
of the people
in that generation.
00:20:39.38\00:20:40.81
They believed that that was a
living teaching office in that
00:20:40.84\00:20:45.35
period that kept
the tradition pure.
00:20:45.38\00:20:47.46
Now George Foot
Moore, who wrote a monumental
00:20:47.49\00:20:52.27
word called Judaism.
00:20:52.30\00:20:53.59
It comes in two volumes, and it
has a lot of interesting details
00:20:53.62\00:20:57.86
about Judaism in
the days of Christ,
00:20:57.89\00:20:59.44
and also contemporary
Judaism, had this to say.
00:20:59.47\00:21:02.60
This is in Volume 1 of his
book, Judaism, page 30. He says:
00:21:02.63\00:21:08.24
In other words, the writings
of Moses were final law,
00:21:15.55\00:21:19.25
but they were not a
finished law. Then he explains:
00:21:19.28\00:21:22.72
In other words, many of the
binding things that the Jews
00:21:32.02\00:21:34.42
celebrated were not contained
in the writings of Moses.
00:21:34.45\00:21:36.90
He continues saying:
00:21:36.93\00:21:38.48
And so many of these
traditions they would say,
00:21:56.28\00:21:58.66
No, these traditions come from
Moses, and they come through
00:21:58.69\00:22:01.95
Ezra, and they come through the
prophets, and they come through
00:22:01.98\00:22:05.04
the men of the Great
Synagogue, and they come through
00:22:05.07\00:22:07.83
the latter elders.
00:22:07.86\00:22:08.89
You see, it's the idea of
succession, unbroken succession,
00:22:08.92\00:22:13.70
in the transmission
of these oral traditions.
00:22:13.73\00:22:16.93
Now George Foot Moore also has
this to say in Volume 1, page 31
00:22:16.96\00:22:22.65
of his monumental work. He says:
00:22:22.68\00:22:25.30
Shammai and Hillel were two
rabbi's in the days of Christ.
00:22:32.21\00:22:35.99
So in the process of
transmitting this from Moses to
00:22:36.02\00:22:38.56
Shammai and Hillel
then he innumerate's:
00:22:38.59\00:22:41.80
Are you following
the argument here?
00:23:21.90\00:23:24.00
In other words, the idea is that
you have the writings of Moses,
00:23:24.03\00:23:28.51
and you have the oral traditions
that God supposedly gave
00:23:28.54\00:23:31.70
to Moses, and then you have this
transmitting mechanism from one
00:23:31.73\00:23:35.50
generation to the next; unbroken
succession from one group
00:23:35.53\00:23:39.84
of leaders to another group
of leaders, all the way from the
00:23:39.87\00:23:42.94
days of Moses to
the days of Christ.
00:23:42.97\00:23:44.99
And in each generation you have
this living, teaching office
00:23:45.02\00:23:48.91
that makes sure
that at each stage
00:23:48.94\00:23:51.96
the oral tradition is kept pure.
00:23:51.99\00:23:54.84
That's very
important to realize.
00:23:54.87\00:23:57.52
Now the question is
how were these practices,
00:23:57.55\00:24:03.23
and these doctrines
passed on from the times of
00:24:03.26\00:24:06.77
the Great Synagogue after the
captivity to the days of Christ.
00:24:06.80\00:24:10.67
Well, George
Foot Moore explains:
00:24:10.70\00:24:13.66
That is the successors of
the men of the Great Synagogue,
00:24:26.15\00:24:28.55
after the captivity.
00:24:28.58\00:24:29.61
And so you have the men of
the Great Synagogue transferring
00:24:36.03\00:24:40.19
this to the seforim, or the
elders, and then they transfer
00:24:40.22\00:24:44.55
it to the rabbi's
of the days of Christ.
00:24:44.58\00:24:47.74
Thus in the minds of
the compilers of the Talmud,
00:24:47.77\00:24:52.03
which is the compilation of
all of the oral law of Judaism,
00:24:52.06\00:24:55.37
there was an unbroken
succession from Moses to Joshua,
00:24:55.40\00:25:00.23
to the elders, to the earlier
prophets, to Haggai, Zachariah,
00:25:00.26\00:25:04.28
and Malachi, to the men of the
Great Synagogue, of which Ezra
00:25:04.31\00:25:08.14
supposedly was the
originator, to the seforim,
00:25:08.17\00:25:11.57
or the later elders,
and finally, to the rabbi's
00:25:11.60\00:25:15.02
of Christ's day in
unbroken succession.
00:25:15.05\00:25:18.37
In fact Moore underlines
the fact that to be of any use
00:25:18.40\00:25:25.20
such a chain of tradition most
possess unbroken continuity.
00:25:25.23\00:25:32.10
Now you say, Well, what does
this have to do with the Bible
00:25:32.13\00:25:35.72
or tradition today?
00:25:35.75\00:25:36.78
You're going to find that Roman
Catholicism has the identical
00:25:36.81\00:25:41.42
view of tradition as the
Jews had in the days of Christ.
00:25:41.45\00:25:45.07
They used the identical
terminology, and they justify
00:25:45.10\00:25:49.46
all of the practices that
are not mentioned implicitly
00:25:49.49\00:25:52.74
or explicitly in
Scripture on the basis of
00:25:52.77\00:25:55.64
their view of tradition.
00:25:55.67\00:25:56.78
They have the same three
identical elements as the Jews
00:25:56.81\00:26:00.45
in the days of Christ.
00:26:00.48\00:26:01.51
The idea of a deposit of
tradition, which they believed
00:26:01.54\00:26:04.54
is the written Scriptures,
as well as oral information
00:26:04.57\00:26:08.45
that was given to
Peter and to the apostles,
00:26:08.48\00:26:10.32
and they believed that
there is an unbroken process
00:26:10.35\00:26:14.04
of transferring this information
from one generation to the next.
00:26:14.07\00:26:18.49
It's known as
apostolic succession.
00:26:18.52\00:26:20.48
And that in each stage there
is a living teaching office,
00:26:20.51\00:26:24.89
or magisterium that
keeps the traditions pure.
00:26:24.92\00:26:29.07
It is virtually an identical
copy of the view of tradition
00:26:29.10\00:26:34.48
that existed in
the days of Christ.
00:26:34.51\00:26:36.60
Now it's interesting, Moore
points out, (and by the way,
00:26:36.63\00:26:41.56
he's an expert in Judaism),
that oral law came to be
00:26:41.59\00:26:46.00
venerated even more
than the written revelation,
00:26:46.03\00:26:50.03
than the writings of Moses.
00:26:50.06\00:26:51.39
And I'm reading now
from his book, Volume 1,
00:26:51.42\00:26:53.64
pages 33 and 34. He says:
00:26:53.67\00:26:56.67
That is the oral tradition.
00:27:03.24\00:27:05.04
So says George Foot
Moore in his monumental work.
00:27:32.39\00:27:35.88
In other words, the oral
traditions in the days of Christ
00:27:35.91\00:27:39.97
were considered not only
of equal authority as the
00:27:40.00\00:27:42.75
Scriptures, but they were also,
in many cases, considered to be
00:27:42.78\00:27:46.80
higher than the
authority of Scripture.
00:27:46.83\00:27:49.03
Now in our next study
together we're going to
00:27:49.06\00:27:51.81
take a look at Mark 7.
00:27:51.84\00:27:53.84
And we're going to see how
this idea, Jesus had to battle
00:27:53.88\00:27:58.06
against it in the
issue having to do with the
00:27:58.09\00:28:01.37
washing of the hands.
00:28:01.40\00:28:02.60
So you won't want to miss the
living example of this concept
00:28:02.63\00:28:06.06
in our next study together.
00:28:06.09\00:28:07.93
Now the Jews of Christ's
day believed that there rabbi's
00:28:07.96\00:28:13.53
spoke with the voice of God.
00:28:13.56\00:28:16.36
Dr. John Cunningham
Geikie, in his very good book,
00:28:16.39\00:28:21.38
which is an old book
from over a hundred years ago,
00:28:21.41\00:28:26.73
it's called The Life and
Words Of Christ, had this to say
00:28:26.76\00:28:30.38
about the veneration
that the rabbi's were held
00:28:30.41\00:28:34.26
in the eyes of the Jews in the
days of Christ. He says there:
00:28:34.29\00:28:39.25
Interesting! And
then he continues saying:
00:28:53.45\00:28:57.89
In other words, the
interpretations of the rabbi's,
00:29:18.89\00:29:21.48
and their passing on
these oral traditions,
00:29:21.51\00:29:23.98
was considered to be infallible.
00:29:24.01\00:29:27.20
Does that sound familiar?
00:29:27.23\00:29:29.67
Now in the
teachings of the rabbi's,
00:29:29.70\00:29:33.56
they were considered
practically infallible.
00:29:33.59\00:29:36.66
And I want to read from Geikie,
once again, where he states
00:29:36.69\00:29:42.55
this very fact. He says
in his book, once again,
00:29:42.58\00:29:46.07
The Life and Words of Christ,
00:29:46.10\00:29:48.77
And the word law,
it's not talking about the
00:29:57.12\00:29:59.51
ten commandments; it's
talking about the writings
00:29:59.54\00:30:00.94
of Moses, the Torah.
00:30:00.97\00:30:02.49
He continues explaining:
00:30:02.52\00:30:04.60
Notice the key
word, transmission.
00:30:05.69\00:30:07.95
Unchangeable and
infallible, in other words. So:
00:30:26.89\00:30:32.00
So in other words people
would give the impression
00:30:44.10\00:30:46.91
that they were following them,
but there were all kinds of
00:30:46.94\00:30:49.45
ways in which they
could escape obeying them,
00:30:49.48\00:30:52.13
while at the same time saying
that they were obeying them.
00:30:52.16\00:30:54.81
And we're going to notice
this in our next lectures.
00:30:54.84\00:30:56.96
It's very interesting.
00:30:56.99\00:30:58.02
Now the role of the
teaching office went far beyond
00:30:58.05\00:31:02.72
explaining and
applying the writings of Moses,
00:31:02.75\00:31:05.36
even the oral revelations
that had been passed along.
00:31:05.39\00:31:10.56
The rabbi's frequently brought
forth religious practices
00:31:10.59\00:31:13.91
and beliefs which were
not implicitly, and much less
00:31:13.94\00:31:17.71
explicitly, contained
in the written revelation.
00:31:17.74\00:31:20.50
When the rabbi's did this were
they claiming that they were
00:31:20.53\00:31:25.02
bringing a new truth that had
not been previously revealed?
00:31:25.05\00:31:28.66
Not at all! They taught that
these truths were part of the
00:31:28.69\00:31:33.16
deposit of unwritten traditions
which God had given to Moses.
00:31:33.19\00:31:38.37
They believe that though these
traditions had not previously
00:31:38.40\00:31:42.14
been brought to light or
written, they had been preserved
00:31:42.17\00:31:45.19
in the process of
oral transmission.
00:31:45.22\00:31:47.68
And they were merely discovering
these gems of truth from
00:31:47.71\00:31:52.67
the oral traditions that
had been passed along from
00:31:52.70\00:31:55.51
generation to generation.
00:31:55.54\00:31:56.87
You start to catch the view that
in Roman Catholicism the way
00:31:56.90\00:32:02.66
that all of these practices
that are anti-Biblical,
00:32:02.69\00:32:06.88
and contrary to the
Bible, are justified.
00:32:06.91\00:32:09.40
It's because of the Roman
Catholic's view of tradition.
00:32:09.43\00:32:13.82
Now this brings us to
the issue of authority.
00:32:13.85\00:32:17.45
The Pharisees believed that
only an elite cadre of carefully
00:32:17.48\00:32:22.62
trained theological
experts, guided by God,
00:32:22.65\00:32:27.77
could bring to light, explain,
interpret, an apply the written
00:32:27.80\00:32:34.35
Scriptures, as well as
the unwritten traditions.
00:32:34.38\00:32:38.03
In other words, the
common populous could not really
00:32:38.06\00:32:40.74
understand the Scriptures
or the oral traditions.
00:32:40.77\00:32:43.08
They had to have
theological experts.
00:32:43.11\00:32:45.45
They had to have theologians
that could tell them,
00:32:45.48\00:32:48.44
this is the meaning
of the written text,
00:32:48.47\00:32:50.88
and this is an oral
tradition that was passed along,
00:32:50.91\00:32:53.60
which wasn't written, but we're
taking it out of the deposit
00:32:53.63\00:32:57.02
of oral tradition.
00:32:57.05\00:32:58.08
Now the Jerome Bible Commentary,
which is a Roman Catholic Bible
00:32:58.11\00:33:01.91
Commentary, interestingly
enough, had this to say about
00:33:01.94\00:33:06.23
the word
cathedra in Matthew 23:2.
00:33:06.26\00:33:11.33
You know, there Jesus said that
the Scribes and the Pharisees
00:33:11.36\00:33:14.38
sit on Moses' seat.
00:33:14.41\00:33:15.67
Have you ever read
that statement there?
00:33:15.70\00:33:18.26
The scribes and
Pharisees sit on Moses' seat?
00:33:18.29\00:33:20.62
Now what does that mean
that they sit on Moses' seat?
00:33:20.65\00:33:23.16
Well, we need to
know what the word is.
00:33:23.19\00:33:24.99
The word seat there
is the word cathedra.
00:33:25.02\00:33:28.92
That's an interesting word.
00:33:28.95\00:33:32.10
In other words, the
scribes and the Pharisees
00:33:32.13\00:33:35.14
sat on Moses' cathedra.
00:33:35.17\00:33:37.53
And you say, Why
is that significant?
00:33:37.56\00:33:40.16
Well, it's significant
because Roman Catholicism has
00:33:40.19\00:33:45.59
an interesting way of
describing the teachings of the
00:33:45.62\00:33:49.52
Pope when he speaks with
absolute and complete authority.
00:33:49.55\00:33:52.78
Do you know how
they say that he speaks?
00:33:52.81\00:33:54.93
He speaks excathedra.
00:33:54.96\00:33:57.13
In other words the
word cathedra means throne.
00:33:57.16\00:34:00.34
So when he speaks from
the throne, his teachings are
00:34:00.37\00:34:04.30
absolutely
infallible is the idea.
00:34:04.33\00:34:06.88
And that's the very word that
is used here for the scribes and
00:34:06.91\00:34:10.87
Pharisees sitting on
the cathedra of Moses;
00:34:10.90\00:34:13.61
on Moses seat. Now notice
how the Jerome Bible Commentary
00:34:13.64\00:34:16.49
which is a Roman
Catholic Commentary,
00:34:16.52\00:34:18.70
explains the
idea of the cathedra.
00:34:18.73\00:34:21.31
In other words,
because they sat...
00:34:31.99\00:34:33.31
It wasn't, by the way,
it wasn't a literal seat.
00:34:33.34\00:34:35.57
You know, like in the
Roman Catholic church.
00:34:35.60\00:34:38.25
You know the Pope, it's not...
00:34:38.28\00:34:39.31
Cathedra doesn't mean
that he's sitting on a throne.
00:34:39.34\00:34:42.74
What it means is that he
has authority to teach because
00:34:42.77\00:34:45.73
he's the king of the church.
00:34:45.76\00:34:47.74
In other words he rules
the church. And so it says:
00:34:47.77\00:34:51.06
And then the Roman
Catholic Commentary says:
00:35:11.30\00:35:14.93
So it's unhistorical
when it applies to the Jews.
00:35:19.51\00:35:22.88
But it's not unhistorical
when it applies to the
00:35:22.91\00:35:26.02
Roman Catholic Church.
00:35:26.05\00:35:27.10
Now when the Pharisees and
the scribes spoke excathedra,
00:35:27.13\00:35:31.78
that is from the
throne, their word was to be
00:35:31.81\00:35:35.63
accepted as final.
00:35:35.66\00:35:37.06
The general populous
was required to accept these
00:35:37.09\00:35:41.76
rabbinical views and
interpretations, and obey them
00:35:41.79\00:35:45.50
without any question.
00:35:45.53\00:35:46.71
Thus the genuine meaning
of both the written word,
00:35:46.74\00:35:52.66
as well as the unwritten
traditions, were only to be
00:35:52.69\00:35:56.89
determined by the rabbi's.
00:35:56.92\00:35:58.19
And the general populous had
nothing to say about the matter.
00:35:58.22\00:36:02.59
George Foot Moore, once
again, in Volume I of his work,
00:36:02.62\00:36:06.18
pages 40 and 41, explains how
the theological experts had a
00:36:06.21\00:36:12.94
stranglehold on the information
that the people were required
00:36:12.97\00:36:16.59
to accept and to believe.
00:36:16.62\00:36:18.15
This is what he says:
00:36:18.18\00:36:20.54
Do you remember our
study last night? Interesting!
00:37:33.80\00:37:37.11
In other words, the
experts are the ones that can
00:37:37.14\00:37:39.82
understand Scripture.
00:37:39.85\00:37:41.01
They are the interpreters,
the theologians are.
00:37:41.04\00:37:44.20
The common people, you
know, they have their jobs.
00:37:45.76\00:37:46.79
They're not able to understand
Scripture for themselves,
00:37:46.82\00:37:49.18
and so they must accept the
interpretations that are given
00:37:49.21\00:37:52.67
by the theologians who
quote other theologians.
00:37:52.70\00:37:55.84
In this way the religious
leaders had absolute control
00:37:55.87\00:38:00.87
over every person and sphere
of private and public life.
00:38:00.90\00:38:05.85
Whoever questioned the opinion
or authority of the rabbi's
00:38:05.88\00:38:09.96
was in danger of being
cast out of the synagogue,
00:38:09.99\00:38:13.33
as we can see from the story
of the man that was born blind.
00:38:13.36\00:38:16.42
Do you remember that
his parents said, Ask him,
00:38:16.45\00:38:21.66
because they were afraid that
they were going to be thrown
00:38:21.69\00:38:23.42
out of the synagogue.
00:38:23.45\00:38:24.60
Now Jesus, in Matthew 23:13,
had something to say about
00:38:24.63\00:38:29.98
the scribes and
the Pharisees. He said:
00:38:30.01\00:38:32.74
Now how did they do this?
00:38:48.39\00:38:50.16
How did the scribes and
the Pharisees shut the heavens
00:38:50.19\00:38:53.68
so that people could not go in?
00:38:53.71\00:38:54.99
They wouldn't go in
themselves, and so that other
00:38:55.02\00:38:57.22
people could not go in?
00:38:57.25\00:38:58.41
Luke 11:52 has the
answer to that question.
00:38:58.44\00:39:01.76
Luke 11:52 says that they had
taken away the key of knowledge.
00:39:01.79\00:39:07.67
You see, they
believed that they had the key
00:39:07.70\00:39:09.66
to unlock the Scriptures.
00:39:09.69\00:39:10.82
Common people did not
have any right to do that.
00:39:10.85\00:39:14.67
They had to accept the
interpretations, so to speak,
00:39:14.70\00:39:17.89
of the church and
of the theologians.
00:39:17.92\00:39:20.39
It says there in Luke 11:52:
00:39:20.42\00:39:23.43
And, by the way, this
is not lawyers like we
00:39:25.12\00:39:27.34
understand them today.
00:39:27.37\00:39:28.40
These are experts
in the law of Moses.
00:39:28.43\00:39:30.09
These are religious lawyers.
00:39:30.12\00:39:31.43
And so the religious
leaders had a stranglehold
00:39:42.89\00:39:46.40
upon the common populous.
00:39:46.43\00:39:49.00
And the rebuke of Jesus against
the scribes and the Pharisees
00:39:49.03\00:39:52.90
was very, very strong.
00:39:52.93\00:39:54.73
In fact, in Matthew 23, Ellen
White says that He was trying
00:39:54.76\00:39:58.50
to break this stranglehold
so that people would study
00:39:58.53\00:40:01.46
the Scriptures for themselves,
and not accept the mere
00:40:01.49\00:40:05.13
interpretations of the so
called experts and theologians.
00:40:05.16\00:40:08.67
George Foot Moore,
in Volume I of his work,
00:40:08.70\00:40:11.41
page 43, had this to say:
00:40:11.44\00:40:13.62
Now this is important.
00:40:25.76\00:40:26.99
Now we know why it
was so difficult for Jesus
00:40:40.75\00:40:43.62
to get through to the people.
00:40:43.65\00:40:44.79
It was because they had high
regard and respect for their
00:40:44.82\00:40:49.55
theologians, for the scholars,
for the experts in the law.
00:40:49.58\00:40:52.96
They said, How can this man
contradict such a long tradition
00:40:52.99\00:40:56.82
of teaching in Judaism?
00:40:56.85\00:40:58.42
Flavius Josephus, who I
previously mentioned was a Jew,
00:40:58.45\00:41:02.46
and a Pharisee, had this to say
about the Pharisees. He said:
00:41:02.49\00:41:07.34
Are you understanding this now?
the principles involved here?
00:41:14.87\00:41:18.57
So in other words the Sadducees
said, No, we only go by written
00:41:44.02\00:41:47.06
Scripture, whereas the scribes
and the Pharisees said, No,
00:41:47.09\00:41:50.18
we go by written Scripture as
interpreted by the theological
00:41:50.21\00:41:54.28
experts, by the rabbi's,
and we also allow the rabbi's
00:41:54.31\00:41:57.94
to tell us what is a genuine
tradition, and to take out
00:41:57.97\00:42:01.24
observances and beliefs from
the deposit of oral tradition.
00:42:01.27\00:42:04.92
Josephus continues saying:
00:42:04.95\00:42:07.07
It almost sounds like
the Roman Catholic Church
00:42:23.17\00:42:26.31
during the 1260 years.
00:42:26.34\00:42:29.27
Ellen White
concurred with this view.
00:42:29.30\00:42:32.86
In the book, Desire of
Ages, pages 611 and 612,
00:42:32.89\00:42:36.69
she speaks about the authority
that the scribes and the
00:42:36.72\00:42:40.03
Pharisees had over the people.
00:42:40.06\00:42:41.61
This is what she says:
00:42:41.64\00:42:42.72
Are you starting
to catch the picture?
00:43:32.36\00:43:35.16
You know, as we study
this view of Jewish tradition,
00:43:35.19\00:43:38.71
it's amazing if you've done any
studies into Roman Catholicism,
00:43:38.74\00:43:42.65
how Roman Catholicism is a
virtual copy of the view of
00:43:42.68\00:43:47.06
tradition that was held by
the Jews in the days of Christ.
00:43:47.09\00:43:49.74
Is it just possible then that
the rejection of Christ by the
00:43:49.77\00:43:54.94
Jews in the days of Jesus, will
be repeated at the end of time,
00:43:54.97\00:44:00.50
because of the view that
is sustained by the church
00:44:00.53\00:44:04.51
regarding
tradition at the end of time?
00:44:04.54\00:44:07.06
I believe the
answer to that is yes.
00:44:07.09\00:44:09.90
Now from extant sources
we know that much of the
00:44:09.93\00:44:14.09
scholarship of Christ's day
consisted in quoting from the
00:44:14.12\00:44:18.19
previous rabbi's and fathers,
and what they had said about
00:44:18.22\00:44:22.13
Scripture and tradition, rather
than quoting Scripture itself.
00:44:22.16\00:44:26.27
Thus the opinions of men took
the place of the word of God.
00:44:26.30\00:44:30.70
Theological works of the scribes
were saturated with quotations
00:44:30.73\00:44:36.56
from previous
scholars, and what they had said
00:44:36.59\00:44:39.50
about the Biblical text.
00:44:39.53\00:44:41.04
The more they quoted the
reputable scholars of the past,
00:44:41.07\00:44:44.98
the more authority they
were considered to have.
00:44:45.01\00:44:48.07
You know, it's very interesting.
00:44:48.10\00:44:50.40
Many of you might know that I
belong to the committee that is
00:44:50.43\00:44:56.48
studying the issue
of women's ordination.
00:44:56.51\00:44:58.71
And, you know, as I look at some
of the papers that have been
00:44:58.74\00:45:01.98
submitted by some of the
scholars, you know you have
00:45:02.01\00:45:04.59
like probably maybe 15 or 20
pages of text, and then you have
00:45:04.62\00:45:09.11
15 or 20 pages of footnotes
referring to what different
00:45:09.14\00:45:12.58
scholars have
said about the text.
00:45:12.61\00:45:14.27
Very, very interesting!
00:45:14.30\00:45:16.39
Very similar to what
happened in the days of Christ.
00:45:16.42\00:45:19.06
You know, the
scholars, they didn't really
00:45:19.09\00:45:21.01
actually study Scripture.
00:45:21.04\00:45:22.14
What they did was accumulate
all of the previous wisdom about
00:45:22.17\00:45:26.97
what all of the experts had said
about that text of Scripture,
00:45:27.00\00:45:31.18
and then they shared it as
if it was Scripture itself.
00:45:31.21\00:45:35.07
Regarding this
teaching method of the rabbi's,
00:45:35.10\00:45:38.21
Ellen White makes this
very telling statement.
00:45:38.24\00:45:41.14
This is found in the Review
and Herald, August 22, 1907.
00:45:41.17\00:45:46.66
She says:
00:45:46.69\00:45:48.22
Fables and childish traditions!
00:45:55.62\00:45:59.13
We're going to see that
in our next study together
00:45:59.16\00:46:01.56
when we deal with
Mark 7. Very interesting!
00:46:01.59\00:46:04.00
You know, if you really
want to know how this worked out
00:46:04.03\00:46:06.61
in practical terms, you've
got to come to the next lecture.
00:46:06.64\00:46:09.52
Because there I'm
going to take a living
00:46:09.55\00:46:11.25
example from the gospels.
00:46:11.28\00:46:12.63
Mark 7, the issue of
the washing of hands.
00:46:12.66\00:46:14.79
And you're going to see that
this very terminology that we've
00:46:14.82\00:46:17.44
studied is used there in Mark 7.
00:46:17.47\00:46:19.88
And you're going to
see why Jesus was rejected,
00:46:19.91\00:46:22.68
and why they hated Him so much.
00:46:22.71\00:46:24.06
In fact after that episode
the Bible says that they were
00:46:24.09\00:46:27.95
seeking how they could destroy
Him, because He did not fit
00:46:27.98\00:46:31.55
with their view of tradition.
00:46:31.58\00:46:32.94
And so she continues saying:
00:46:32.97\00:46:35.37
Now notice what
their authority was.
00:46:39.85\00:46:41.73
Notice: theories of men.
00:46:58.16\00:47:00.36
Remember in our
last study together?
00:47:00.39\00:47:01.90
You know, the eyes
like the eyes of a man?
00:47:01.93\00:47:04.65
Meaning that this system bases
its teachings, and its practices
00:47:04.68\00:47:08.52
on human wisdom, and
not on divine wisdom.
00:47:08.55\00:47:11.87
Ellen White further
states, and this is found in
00:47:11.90\00:47:15.37
the Spirit of
Prophecy, Volume 2, page 176.
00:47:15.40\00:47:18.65
Do you understand what
that means, cold and formal?
00:47:25.19\00:47:28.63
Have you ever listened
to a Roman Catholic Mass?
00:47:28.66\00:47:33.16
You know, what does the priest
do in Roman Catholic Mass?
00:47:33.19\00:47:38.15
Does he expound upon the
word of God with a freshness,
00:47:38.18\00:47:41.22
and with living
color? Absolutely not!
00:47:41.25\00:47:44.82
He has this book in front of
him and he just basically reads.
00:47:44.85\00:47:48.75
Even the Pope when he appears
at that window in Vatican City,
00:47:48.78\00:47:53.22
you know, he
always has a podium.
00:47:53.25\00:47:54.83
And he has something that he
just repeats, and he reads there
00:47:54.86\00:48:00.21
from the text. Very
little life! And so she says:
00:48:00.24\00:48:03.78
What does that
mean, learned by rote?
00:48:10.04\00:48:11.73
Learned from memory.
00:48:11.76\00:48:13.42
Perhaps this is the reason why
when Jesus told a parable which,
00:48:31.96\00:48:36.55
by the way,
we're going to study.
00:48:36.58\00:48:38.04
It'll be our last study in
this series: the famous parable
00:48:38.07\00:48:42.29
of the man who built his house
on the rock, and the man who
00:48:42.32\00:48:46.01
built his house upon the sand.
00:48:46.04\00:48:47.77
After Jesus told that
story and, by the way,
00:48:47.80\00:48:53.36
that was the conclusion
also of the sermon on the Mount.
00:48:53.39\00:48:55.72
So that's the concluding story
of the sermon on the Mount.
00:48:55.75\00:48:58.95
We find this very telling
description in Matthew 7:28, 29,
00:48:58.98\00:49:06.05
and I'm reading from the
New International Version,
00:49:06.08\00:49:08.50
which I believe is
clearer. It says there:
00:49:08.53\00:49:13.08
When He finished
the sermon on the Mount.
00:49:15.91\00:49:17.41
What were they amazed about?
00:49:20.99\00:49:22.98
They were
amazed at His teaching.
00:49:23.01\00:49:26.14
Did Jesus repeat His teachings
from memory, I mean, la la la,
00:49:26.17\00:49:31.26
without any
life in them? No! No!
00:49:31.29\00:49:33.71
Jesus presented the
truth with freshness,
00:49:33.74\00:49:36.85
and He took stories to
illustrate Biblical truths.
00:49:36.88\00:49:40.95
He made the truth
come alive, and He inspired
00:49:40.98\00:49:44.17
the hearts of people.
00:49:44.20\00:49:45.23
That's the reason why
you had thousands of people
00:49:45.26\00:49:48.06
that followed Jesus.
00:49:48.09\00:49:50.48
You know, and they would sit
on a hillside all day without
00:49:50.51\00:49:55.38
eating, and they didn't
even get hungry, you know.
00:49:55.41\00:49:59.18
And Jesus at the end of the day
would say, Now wait a minute.
00:49:59.21\00:50:01.39
We can't send
these people away hungry.
00:50:01.42\00:50:03.58
You know, we already
gave them the spiritual food,
00:50:03.61\00:50:06.01
but we've got to give
them physical food too.
00:50:06.04\00:50:08.42
And so Jesus fed the
5,000, and He fed the 4,000,
00:50:08.45\00:50:12.93
because the people loved Jesus.
00:50:12.96\00:50:15.84
They loved His teaching, because
it was fresh and it was alive.
00:50:15.87\00:50:19.11
It wasn't just repeating
what other rabbi's had said.
00:50:19.14\00:50:22.12
In fact, in our fourth
study together, I'm going to go
00:50:22.15\00:50:25.50
through the gospels, and
I'm going to show you that Jesus
00:50:25.53\00:50:28.00
not once ever quoted
another theological expert.
00:50:28.03\00:50:32.27
He always quoted from Scripture.
00:50:32.30\00:50:34.53
His answer was always
based on written Scripture.
00:50:34.56\00:50:39.18
He never appealed to oral
tradition to defend any view,
00:50:39.21\00:50:43.39
or to correct
people who had gone astray.
00:50:43.42\00:50:46.35
And so it says here:
00:50:46.38\00:50:47.79
What law is this talking about?
00:51:08.78\00:51:11.66
Is it talking about
the Ten Commandments? No.
00:51:11.69\00:51:14.33
The word law in
Hebrew would be the Torah.
00:51:14.36\00:51:18.06
That is the writings of Moses.
00:51:18.09\00:51:21.19
So, in other words, what
this is saying is that Jesus
00:51:21.22\00:51:25.52
taught with authority, because
we're going to see that He
00:51:25.55\00:51:29.80
actually based His
teachings upon Scripture,
00:51:29.83\00:51:32.11
whereas the teachers of
law, they simply repeated
00:51:32.14\00:51:36.93
things from memory, and
therefore had no authority.
00:51:36.96\00:51:40.34
And they were quoting
other human beings and what they
00:51:40.37\00:51:42.79
had said about Scripture.
00:51:42.82\00:51:44.50
And so we return to the
question that we had at the very
00:51:44.53\00:51:48.66
beginning of our study together.
00:51:48.69\00:51:50.54
How can the Roman
Catholic Church justify teaching
00:51:50.57\00:51:57.17
doctrines, and commanding
observances, that are not found
00:51:57.20\00:52:01.64
in the Bible either
explicitly, or implicitly?
00:52:01.67\00:52:06.69
Doctrines such as the
immaculate conception.
00:52:06.72\00:52:10.19
Do you know what that means?
00:52:10.22\00:52:12.12
The idea that Mary was conceived
without a sinful nature?
00:52:12.15\00:52:15.82
The assumption of Mary.
00:52:15.85\00:52:19.05
The idea that Mary
ascended to heaven bodily.
00:52:19.08\00:52:22.93
She died and
resurrected the third day,
00:52:22.96\00:52:25.17
and she ascended
to heaven bodily.
00:52:25.20\00:52:28.05
The idea that Mary
is the mediator between
00:52:28.08\00:52:31.63
the Father and us.
00:52:31.66\00:52:34.25
Actually, you know, we go to
Jesus, and Jesus goes to Mary,
00:52:34.28\00:52:38.48
and then Mary
goes to the Father.
00:52:38.51\00:52:40.08
She's a mediatrix.
00:52:40.11\00:52:42.56
What about the idea of celibacy?
00:52:42.59\00:52:45.44
The idea of the sacrifice of the
Mass; that really the Mass is
00:52:45.47\00:52:51.89
the death of
Christ all over again.
00:52:51.92\00:52:53.64
The idea of Lent. And, by the
way, there's an Adventist church
00:52:53.67\00:52:58.38
in Northern California
that is celebrating Lent.
00:52:58.41\00:53:02.60
And they had a Roman Catholic
scholar preach just, I believe,
00:53:02.63\00:53:06.31
last week in their church.
00:53:06.34\00:53:09.07
And they had a Lutheran pastor
who had the Scripture reading
00:53:09.10\00:53:12.12
in their church;
celebrating Lent.
00:53:12.15\00:53:15.07
Where does the
idea of Lent come from?
00:53:15.10\00:53:17.27
Is that found anywhere
in Scripture? Well, no.
00:53:17.30\00:53:19.89
It comes from a long
process of oral tradition.
00:53:19.92\00:53:22.55
What about baptizing infants?
00:53:22.58\00:53:24.75
What about
baptism by sprinkling?
00:53:24.78\00:53:28.04
What about the idea
of confessing your sins
00:53:28.07\00:53:31.00
to a sinful priest?
00:53:31.03\00:53:32.12
What about the
idea of indulgences?
00:53:32.15\00:53:35.51
What about the idea
of praying for the dead,
00:53:35.54\00:53:38.14
and praying to the dead?
00:53:38.17\00:53:40.34
What about the idea
of reciting the rosary?
00:53:40.37\00:53:43.14
Where in the Bible do you find
the idea of reciting the rosary?
00:53:43.17\00:53:46.11
Jesus said, Don't
pray repetitious prayers
00:53:46.14\00:53:49.29
like the religious leaders.
00:53:49.32\00:53:51.65
What about the idea of
not eating meat on Fridays?
00:53:51.68\00:53:56.00
Now where does that come from?
00:53:56.03\00:53:58.57
Is there any text in the
Scripture that says you can't
00:53:58.60\00:54:01.10
eat meat on Friday's?
00:54:01.13\00:54:02.27
There's no place in
Scripture that would say that.
00:54:02.30\00:54:05.50
What about bowing before idols?
00:54:05.53\00:54:07.94
You now, does the Bible
condemn bowing before idols?
00:54:07.97\00:54:11.76
The second commandment
says don't bow before them.
00:54:11.79\00:54:15.22
How does the Roman
Catholic Church justify
00:54:15.25\00:54:17.62
bowing before idols?
00:54:17.65\00:54:19.18
How do they justify
the observance of Sunday
00:54:19.21\00:54:23.45
as the day of rest
when the Bible explicitly
00:54:23.48\00:54:26.57
says it's the Sabbath?
00:54:26.60\00:54:27.78
It's because of the
reverence that they have for the
00:54:27.81\00:54:32.73
tradition of the church; the
oral traditions that have been
00:54:32.76\00:54:36.20
passed on from one generation
to the next, supposedly by an
00:54:36.23\00:54:40.27
unbroken succession of religious
leaders; the threefold idea
00:54:40.30\00:54:45.04
that I shared at the
beginning of our study.
00:54:45.07\00:54:47.42
1. A deposit of tradition.
00:54:47.45\00:54:49.93
They say the first deposit
is the written Scriptures.
00:54:49.96\00:54:53.20
The second is the oral
traditions that had been handed
00:54:53.23\00:54:56.76
down all the time
from the days of Peter,
00:54:56.79\00:54:59.33
till the days of
the church today.
00:54:59.36\00:55:01.31
They believe that in an unbroken
succession these truths,
00:55:01.34\00:55:06.38
both from written Scripture
and from oral tradition,
00:55:06.41\00:55:09.05
have been passed along in
unbroken succession from one
00:55:09.08\00:55:13.66
generation to the next in
what they called the process
00:55:13.69\00:55:16.96
of apostolic succession.
00:55:16.99\00:55:18.83
And they believe that in each
generation there is a living
00:55:18.86\00:55:23.19
teaching office of the
theological experts who are the
00:55:23.22\00:55:27.00
ones that define, explain,
and bring forth from the oral
00:55:27.03\00:55:31.41
tradition practices and beliefs
that perhaps were not explicitly
00:55:31.44\00:55:36.64
contained in the
written Scriptures,
00:55:36.67\00:55:38.59
but they were contained
in the oral traditions,
00:55:38.62\00:55:42.17
and they're simply bringing
these things out from the
00:55:42.20\00:55:45.07
deposit of oral tradition.
00:55:45.10\00:55:47.10
The view is virtually identical.
00:55:47.13\00:55:50.97
And all this might
appear to be academic,
00:55:51.00\00:55:52.92
but I believe that the best way
to approach the Roman Catholic
00:55:52.95\00:55:55.96
view is to see the view that
was held in the days of Christ.
00:55:55.99\00:55:58.93
Because if it's a replication
of what we have in the days of
00:55:58.96\00:56:02.40
Christ, it means that the
religious world today is in the
00:56:02.43\00:56:05.90
same situation
that it was back then.
00:56:05.93\00:56:08.95
Incidentally, we're
going to have two studies
00:56:08.98\00:56:12.06
on the issue of the Sabbath.
00:56:12.09\00:56:14.89
Later on in this series we're
going to discuss the Sabbath
00:56:14.92\00:56:19.35
in the days of Christ.
00:56:19.38\00:56:20.59
You see the Sabbath of
the Pharisees was not the
00:56:20.62\00:56:22.90
Sabbath of the Lord.
00:56:22.93\00:56:23.96
It was the Sabbath that
was based on human tradition.
00:56:23.99\00:56:27.02
It was a counterfeit Sabbath.
00:56:27.05\00:56:28.82
And the only difference between
then and now is that in the days
00:56:28.85\00:56:33.33
of Christ they kept the
Sabbath in the wrong way,
00:56:33.36\00:56:36.10
whereas at the end of
time Christians are going to
00:56:36.13\00:56:38.64
keep the wrong day.
00:56:38.67\00:56:39.70
But the principle, we're
going to find, is the same.
00:56:39.73\00:56:43.07
And so we have very
exciting things to study.
00:56:43.10\00:56:46.09
We still have eight more
in this series of lectures
00:56:46.12\00:56:49.62
on the Bible or Tradition, and
I hope that we were all able to
00:56:49.65\00:56:53.11
understand what we
studied this evening.
00:56:53.14\00:56:55.14
Raise your hand if you
understood what we studied
00:56:55.17\00:56:57.52
this evening, the Roman
Catholic view of tradition.
00:56:57.55\00:56:59.70
Praise the Lord! And the Jewish
view of tradition as well.
00:56:59.73\00:57:02.98
So in our next session together
we're going to take a look at
00:57:03.01\00:57:07.58
Mark 7, the first few
verses of the chapter,
00:57:07.61\00:57:11.93
and we're going to see how
this view of tradition plays out
00:57:11.96\00:57:16.95
in a practical encounter of
Jesus with the religious leaders
00:57:16.98\00:57:20.64
leaders of His day.
00:57:20.67\00:57:21.99
So don't miss the
next exciting episode.
00:57:22.02\00:57:24.49