Blog
Welcome to the Catholic Answers Shop Blog! This is a great place to dive deep into a popular topic and gain insights about many of our titles. Happy reading.
How Do We Know Which Books Early Christians Used in Liturgy?
As Valeriy Alikin of St. Petersburg Christian University explains,“Christians began to read apostolic epistles in their gatherings at the latest from the middle of the first century onwards.” At the end of his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul instructs,“I adjure you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brethren”(5:27). And after the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15, the leaders of theChurchsend Paul and St. Barnabas to Antioch with a letter addressed to“the brethren who are of
…
Mar 21st 2022
Demonstrating the Existence of God
In the thirteenth century, Thomas Aquinas added to Christian theology by applying principles of Greek philosophy to the explanation and defense of the Christian faith. One of his most famous works is the Summa Theologiae, which was intended to be an introductory theology text. Because of this, Aquinas’s famous Five Ways of proving the existence of God only comprise a few pages of text. As such, they must be compared with Aquinas’s thought as a whole to be fully effective. In this sample lesson
…
Mar 17th 2022
A Prophetic Claim to Messianic Kingship
Did you ever wonder why twelve apostles and only twelve? Good rule of thumb for future reference? Numbers in the Bible (especially the number twelve) are almost never a coincidence.Let's start at the very beginning.“And when day was come, he called unto him his disciples; and he chose twelve of them (whom also he named apostles): Simon, whom he [later] surnamed Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John [the sons of Zebedee], Philip and Bartholomew [Bar Tolomais, that is, our own Nathanael],
…
Mar 14th 2022
Why Do Disputes with the Pharisees Take Up So Much Space in the Gospels?
Large portions of those sacred books can, at times, seem like little more than a series of unpleasant encounters with the existing religious authorities—not most people’s idea of inspirational reading. To the casual student, Jesus almost seems to be deliberately antagonizing them, arranging times and circumstances for his miracles that were certain to provoke not just debate but opposition.In Luke’s Gospel, our Lord chooses the twelve apostles, then sets out immediately on a veritable crime wave
…
Mar 8th 2022
How Many Miracles Did Jesus Perform?
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impedimentand begged him to lay his hand on him.He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s earsand, spitting, touched his tongue;then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,“Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”)And immediately the man’s ears were opened,his speech impediment was removed,and he spoke plainly. - Mark 7:31-37Before Jesus did any teaching at all, he did miracles.Isaiah had promised
…
Feb 10th 2022