Moving forward by moving backwards

"To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant." - John Cardinal Henry Newman

Those words shocked me when I first read them, but as I spent time evaluating the claims of the Catholic Church I came to not only understand what Venerable Newman meant, I also ended up consenting to his argument that hinges upon and around this brief sentence.

But what about other ancient faiths? The Coptic and Eastern Orthodox Christians would also lay claim to being deep in history.

Was Newman's claim leaving the door open to saying that to be deep in history, one might just as easily come to hold to the Orthodox faith? Or was he as an Englishman grappling with the standard English options; namely, Protestantism vs. Catholicism?

Regardless of what Newman has said or not said of Orthodoxy, I am here to make the following claim, with no regard for fame:

"To be deep in history is to be a Catholic."

I use quotes here, for indubitably no one will quote me, except for me. Regardless of this trivium, what of its claim? It argues that to be deep in history, one will NOT be Orthodox or Coptic.

How will I go about showing that this is true? For my first set of posts, I will consider the ecumenical councils that we share as Apostolic Churches. We will lose the Copts at Chalcedon, and by 1054 unity will be lost between East and West.

Where will that leave us? If my mission is successful, we will be at the place where Newman's thesis is clarified to specify that one who cares about history will care about Rome's Apostolic See, in a way that comports with Catholicism's claims. We will see that the See of Rome has the right to say "Contradictur" and have teeth backing their cry, and that as such, Eastern Orthodoxy and Coptic Christianity do not show themselves to be truly tenable positions.

By moving backwards, beyond the Robber Council of 449 where contradictur was first uttered, we will gain an even deeper appreciation of history, and as I am saying, we will move towards Catholicism.

I write these words with fear and trembling, for I love and respect those who too seek a faith that is deep in history. But try as I might, my conscience leaves me captive to the narrative that says that Peter and his successors were given a special charism that was not to die, become vacant, or wasted.

And so, let's begin with a spirit of love and hope.

Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior save us!

the source of my inspiration

There must be many sources where one can learn more about the Robber Council of Ephesus which took place in 449. Just two years prior to the Council of Chalcedon, that great bastion of orthodox Christianity, I had heard murmurs of a different sort of council that did not shine the truth so brightly.

At the same time, I had heard of a book in defense of the papacy by Vladimir Soloviev, who inspired Dostoyevsky to create the character of Alyosha Karamazov. Soloviev's thoughts on the Catholic Church led him to leave the Russian Orthodox Church, and while some say he recanted of his Catholicism on his death bed, Catholics have regarded his writings on Rome as among the most powerful defenses of Rome.

His work was edited and translated into English, and subsequently published as "The Russian Church and the Papacy", which you can order online here.

As I will explain in more detail, it was this book that led me to hear the first echo of a cry that cannot be silenced. Indeed, it was not silenced, and its forcefulness was able to silence the heretical cries of its day.

seeing contradictur without saying the word

This link discusses how the word contradictur packs such a strong punch. It does so without saying the word, however......Read more here!

Contradictur - Prelude

Google this word: "contradictur".

When I did so this morning only 55 results emerged. Perhaps after posting this blog there will be 56 responses, but you will still get my drift if you find the number 55 is not accurate.

This simple Latin word, meaning "it is contradicted", may not be well-known given the lack of popularity seen through Google and Latin in general.

But like many of the greatest stories, phrases, and words, contradictur is a great gem in the history of this world. I am on a journey to grasp the full meaning of this word, and its place in this world. If you'd like, you can join me.