Facts of History Which Refute and Contradict Roman Catholic Claims for the Papacy William Webster One of the major issues in the ongoing debate between the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox and Protestant Churches is that of authority. The Roman Catholic Church has long claimed to be the one true Church with an infallible […]
Papalism by Edward Denny In the year 1870, the Roman Catholic Church at the Vatican Council I officially decreed the dogmas of papal jurisdiction and infallibility. These particular dogmas were decreed by the Council to be the essential aspect of the Divine Constitution of the Church established by Jesus Christ, and were thereby defined […]
A Refutation of the Misrepresentations of the Facts of History and of the Writings of William Webster on the Canon by Roman Catholic Apologist, Art Sippo By William Webster Roman Catholic apologist, Art Sippo, has written a response to my article on this web page titled The Canon: Why the Roman Catholic Arguments are Spurious. The following article […]
A Refutation of the Misrepresentations of the Writings of Augustine and William Webster by Roman Catholic, Stephen Ray By William Webster In his rebuttal, Stephen Ray charges that I have misrepresented the teaching of Augustine. In my original response to him, I refer to my book The Matthew 16 Controversy: Peter and the Rock, in which I cite […]
A Refutation of the Misrepresentations of the Writings of William Webster and of the Church Fathers by Roman Catholic, Stephen Ray, in His Book Upon This Rock By William Webster Stephen Ray is a Roman Catholic who has written a biblical and patristic defense of the papacy in a book entitled Upon This Rock. It was published […]
Response to Stephen Ray’s Rebuttal to the Writings of William Webster An Examination of the Fundamentalist Roman Catholic Approach to History and Its Teaching on Unanimous Consent and Authority as Represented by Stephen Ray By William Webster In this section I will be interacting with Steve Ray’s comments from the section of his rebuttal entitled: Historiography: […]
THE EUCHARIST Its Historical Development and Roman Catholic Teaching By William Webster The Roman Catholic position on the Eucharist was first given dogmatic expression at the 4th Latern Council in 1215 A.D. when the Church formally set forth the teaching of transubstantiation as the official teaching of the Church. This was further affirmed by […]
The Old Testament Canon and the Apocrypha Part 3: From Jerome to the Reformation William Webster For the endnote references please refer to Part 3 Endnotes This article provides extensive translations of the writings of many of the major Western theologians from the fifth to the sixteenth centuries on their view of the Canon for […]
The Old Testament Canon and the Apocrypha A Survey of the History of the Apocrypha from the Jewish Age to the Reformation Publisher: Christian Resources (February, 2002)Author: William Webster Paperback: 185 pages (6″ x 9″) Price: $15.00 plus shippingThe subject of the Old Testament canon has been a matter of debate between Protestants […]
AD CATHOLICOS EPISTOLA CONTRA DONATISTAS VULGO DE UNITATE ECCLESIAE LIBER UNUS. [Note: [Col. 0391] Liber de Unitate Ecclesiae castigatus olim per Lovanienses ex collatione Endoviensis manuscripti, et nunc per nos emendatus est denuo ex veteris codicis Floriacensis, ac editionum Am. Er. et Lov. lectione.] [Note: [Col. 0391] Comparavimus praeterea eas omnes editiones initio Retr. […]
De Unitate Ecclesiae: On the Unity of the Church Click here for the full English translation Click here for the full Migne Latin text It is an astonishing fact that this treatise by Augustine has never, before now, been fully translated into English. One can find portions of the letter translated in various scholarly […]
AD CATHOLICOS EPISTOLA CONTRA DONATISTAS VULGO DE UNITATE ECCLESIAE Migne Patrologia Latina MPL 43:0391-0446 Author: Augustine [Col. 0391] AD CATHOLICOS EPISTOLA CONTRA DONATISTAS VULGO DE UNITATE ECCLESIAE LIBER UNUS. [Note: [Col. 0391] Liber de Unitate Ecclesiae castigatus olim per Lovanienses ex collatione Endoviensis manuscripti, et nunc per nos emendatus est denuo ex veteris […]
Scripture and Tradition in the Early Church Tradition As Interpretation The Formal Sufficiency of Scripture William Webster Athird major category of tradition is that of authoritative interpretation. The argument made by Rome is this: since Scripture is obscure and not self interpreting, it is necessary to have an authoritative, infallible interpreter to disclose its […]
The Old Testament Canon and the Apocrypha Part 2: From the Beginning of the Church Age to Jerome William Webster The Bible of the majority of the early Church was the Greek Septuagint. Even the Old Latin version used by the Western Church was a translation of the Septuagint. As we have seen, it […]
The Repudiation of the Doctrine of Development as It Relates to the Papacy by Vatican I and Pope Leo XIII William Webster One of the claims being made by present day Roman Catholic apologists is that, as an institution, the papacy was something that developed over time. In his book, Upon This Rock, Steve Ray […]
DID I REALLY LEAVE THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH? The Journey into Evangelical Faith and Church Experience William Webster This article was first published by Moody Press in the book titled, Roman Catholicism: Evangelical Protestants Analyze What Divides and Unites Us in 1994. In light of the recent reversion of Francis Beckwith to Roman Catholicism I felt that […]
The Lutheran/Catholic Joint Declaration on Justification By Robert Sungenis About a year ago, I wrote an article for Our Sunday Visitor’s “The Catholic Answer” on the Lutheran/Catholic Joint Declaration on Justification. Since then, there have been a few significant developments, one being the signing of the Joint Declaration on October 31, 1999 by officials […]
A Refutation of the Misrepresentations of the Facts of History and of the Writings of William Webster on the Canon by Roman Catholic Apologist, Art Sippo By William Webster Roman Catholic apologist, Art Sippo, has written a response to my article on this web page entitled The Canon: Why the Roman Catholic Arguments are Spurious. The following […]
The Reformers and Major Evangelical Theologians on the Necessity for Repentance and Sanctification A Refutation of the Misrepresentations of the Teaching of the Reformation by Roman Catholic Apologists By William Webster It has been the consistent assertion of Roman Catholic apologists from the time of the Reformation up to the present day that the Reformation teaching […]
Saving Faith: How does Rome Define It? Is There a Basis for Unity Between Roman Catholicism and Evangelical Protestantism? by William Webster The Roman Teaching on Saving Faith The Roman Catholic Church teaches that justification is by grace through faith on account of Jesus Christ. This sounds quite orthodox, but on closer examination it becomes […]
Documentation of Roman Catholic Dogmas on Saving Faith from Official Roman Catholic Sources The Sources from which these teachings are documented are The Documents of the Council of Trent, The Documents of Vatican I, The Documents of Vatican II, The Code of Canon Law, Papal Decrees on the Papacy, The Papal Decrees on Mary (Pius […]
The Roman Catholic Teaching on Salvation and Justification by William Webster Return to Gospel Articles Page Roman Catholic theology does not embrace the interpretation of salvation and justification as that presented by Scripture and the Protestant Reformers. The Roman Church does teach that we are justified by grace through faith on account of Christ. […]
Salvation And The Roman Church No Salvation Outside the Church of Rome Pope Boniface VIII (1302 A.D.) So, when the Greeks and others say that they were not committed to the care of Peter and his successors, they must confess that they are not of Christ’s sheep, even as the Lord says in John, […]
The Necessity of Roman Catholic Dogmas for Saving Faith It is important to understand that, according to the Church of Rome, apart from an embracing of its Dogmas there is no salvation. This is clearly seen from the teaching of Vatican I on the meaning of saving faith and the role of the Church […]
A Refutation of the Misrepresentations of the Writings of Augustine and William Webster by Roman Catholic, Stephen Ray By William Webster In his rebuttal, Stephen Ray charges that I have misrepresented the teaching of Augustine. In my original response to him, I refer to my book The Matthew 16 Controversy: Peter and the Rock, in which […]
A Refutation of the Misrepresentations of the Writings of John Chrysostom and William Webster by Roman Catholic, Stephen Ray By William Webster In his rebuttal, Steve Ray gives an extensive refutation of what I have written on John Chrysostom. At the beginning of this response, I need to set the record straight on […]
A Second Response to Steve Ray A Refutation of His Misrepresentations of the Teaching of Cyprian and of the Comments of William Webster By William Webster Steve Ray has responded to a quotation I had posted from Cyprian from the Seventh Council of Carthage in response to the assertion in his book, Upon This Rock, […]
The Papacy: A Third Response to Stephen Ray An Examination of Stephen Ray’s Rebuttal to the Web Page Articles of William Webster and a Refutation of His Misrepresentations of the Teachings of Vatican I and the Writings of Augustine and John Chrysostom By William Webster I recently posted a response on this web […]
The Priesthood The Council of Trent Session XXIII: The True and Catholic Doctrine Concerning the Sacrament of Order Chapter I: On the Institution of the Priesthood of the New Law. Sacrifice and priesthood are, by the ordinance of God, in such wise conjoined, as that both have existed in every law. Whereas, therefore, in […]
The Assumption of the Virgin Latin Narrative of Pseudo-Melito Melito, servant of Christ, bishop of the church of Sardis, to the venerable brethren in the Lord appointed at Laodicea, in peace greeting. I remember that I have often written of one Leucius, who, having along with ourselves associated with the apostles, turned aside through […]
Purgatory The Council of Trent Decree Concerning Purgatory: Since the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has, following the sacred writings and the ancient tradition of the Fathers, taught in sacred councils and very recently in this ecumenical council that there is a purgatory, and that the souls there detained are aided by […]
Penance and Confession A Biblical and Historical Analysis of the Roman Catholic Doctrine of Penance and Confession By William Webster The Council of Trent teaches that Christ instituted the priesthood for two primary functions: to forgive sins and to administer the sacrament of the eucharist. It declares that through confession of sin to a priest, […]
An Ecumenical Council Officially Condemns a Pope for Heresy Historical Facts Proving That the Bishops of Rome Are not Infallible and Were Never Considered So by the Early Church By William Webster The Roman Catholic Council of Vatican I in 1870 is renowned for its dogmatic teaching that the Bishops of Rome, when teaching ex […]
The Papacy: Primacy and Infallibility Primacy The Bull Unam Sanctam by Pope Boniface VIII (1302 A.D.) Boniface, Bishop, Servant of the servants of God. For perpetual remembrance: Urged on by our faith, we are obliged to believe and hold that there is one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. And we firmly believe and profess that outside of […]
The Church Fathers’ Interpretation of the Rock of Matthew 16:18 A Historical Refutation of the Claims of Roman Catholicism Includes a Critique of Jesus, Peter and the Keys By William Webster Matthew 16:18 is the critical passage of Scripture for the establishment of the authority claims of the Roman Catholic Church. It is upon the interpretation of […]
The Marian Dogmas The Immaculate Conception The Decree of Pope Pius IX on the Immaculate Conception of Mary From the Bull Ineffabilis Deus (1854 A.D.). Since we have never ceased in humility and fasting to offer up our prayers and those of the Church to God the Father through his Son, that he might deign to […]
The Mass The Council Of Trent Session XXII: Doctrine on the Sacrifice of the Mass Chapter I: On the Institution of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass Foreasmuch as, under the former Testament, according to the testimony of the Apostle Paul, there was no perfection, because of the weakness of the Levitical priesthood; there […]
The Roman Catholic Teaching on Grace And Merit Ludwig Ott The God–Man Jesus Christ, by His vicarious atonement and His merit in the Redemption, achieved the reconciliation of humanity with God in principle and objectively. The Objective Redemption must be accepted by each man so that thereby he may bring to fruition in himself the […]
The Lutheran-Roman Catholic Joint Declaration on Justification An Analysis Includes a Critique of the Comments of Roman Catholic, Robert Sungenis, on the Joint Declaration By William Webster The full text of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Joint Declaration can be accessed here. The Lutheran–Roman Catholic Joint Declaration on Justification has fueled much speculation that the […]
Final Proposal LUTHERAN – ROMAN CATHOLIC JOINT DECLARATION ON THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION Preamble 1. The doctrine of justification was of central importance for the Lutheran Reformation of the sixteenth century. It was held to be the “first and chief article”[note]The Smalcald Articles, II,1; Book of Concord, 292.[/note] and at the same time the “ruler and […]
Rome’s New and Novel Concept of Tradition Living Tradition: (Viva Voce – Whatever We Say) A Repudiation of the Patristic Concept of Tradition by William Webster In the history of Roman Catholic dogma, one can trace an evolution in the theory of tradition. There were two fundamental patristic principles which governed the early Church’s approach […]
The Biblical Teaching of Justification By William Webster One of the great truths of salvation is that of justification. But what is justification? The heart of the Reformation controversy was over the meaning of this word and despite the impression given by ECT, the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches are still very much at […]
Justification and the Sacraments The Roman Catholic Church teaches that justification is a cooperative work between God and man. It explicitly condemns the truth of the imputed righteousness of Christ himself as the basis for justification. But scripture teaches that man is justified by the righteousness of God (Rom. 3-5; 10:1-4; Phil 3:8-10). This […]
Justification The Contrast Between the Biblical Teaching and Roman Catholicism By William Webster The Biblical Teaching of Justification The Roman Catholic Teaching on Salvation and Justification
Forgeries and the Papacy The Historical Influence and Use of Forgeries in Promotion of the Doctrine of the Papacy By William Webster In the middle of the ninth century, a radical change began in the Western Church, which dramatically altered the Constitution of the Church, and laid the ground work for the full development […]
The Patristic Exegesis of the Rock of Matthew 16:18 Compiled by William Webster The Most Extensive Documentation of the Patristic Understanding of the Rock of Matthew 16 in the English Language, Spanning the Third to the Eighth Centuries Numerous Quotations Given for the First Time from the Original Latin and Greek Documentation from the […]
ECT 2 THE GIFT OF SALVATION “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16, […]
The Eucharist The Council of Trent Session XIII: Decree Concerning the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. Chapter I: On the Real Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. In the first place, the holy Synod teaches, and openly and simply professes, that, in the august sacrament […]
Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium The following statement is the product of consultation, beginning in September 1992, between Evangelical Protestant and Roman Catholic Christians. Appended to the text is a list of participants in the consultation and of others who have given their support to this declaration. Introduction We […]
The ECT Accords: A Betrayal of the Gospel in the Name of Unity Why the Accords are Unacceptable and Are a Fundamental Denial of the Truth of the Gospel By William Webster In March of 1994 the ECT Accord, spearheaded by Evangelical, Chuck Colson, and Roman Catholic, Richard John Neuhaus, was released to the public. And […]
The Canon Why the Roman Catholic Arguments for the Canon are Spurious By William Webster It is often asserted by Roman Catholic apologists that Protestants must rely on their tradition in order to know which books ought to be included in the Biblical Canon. The argument says that since there is no “inspired table […]
The Canon The Council of Trent The holy, ecumenical and general Council of Trent…clearly perceives that these truths and rules are contained in the written books and in the unwritten traditions, which, received by the Apostles from the mouth of Christ Himself, or from the Apostles themselves, the holy Ghost dictating have come down […]
Confession and Penance The Council of Trent Sixth Session: Decree on Justification; Chapter XIV. As regards those who, by sin, have fallen from the received grace of Justification, they may be again justified, when, God exciting them, through the sacrament of Penance they shall have attained to the recovery, by the merit of Christ, […]
Is Sola Scriptura a Protestant Concoction? A Biblical Defense of Sola Scriptura by Dr. Greg Bahnsen (Transcribed from a taped lecture by David T. King and edited for the WWW by James Anderson) The issue of Scripture and Scripture Alone (or what Protestants have come to call the principle of sola Scriptura) is a matter that divides […]
Baptism The Council of Trent On Justification: Chapter IV: By which words a description of the Justification of the impious is indicated—as being a translation, from that state wherein man is born a child of Adam, to the state of grace, and of the adoption of the sons of God, through the second Adam, […]
THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY A Roman Catholic Dogma Originating with Heretics and Condemned as Heretical by 2 Popes in the 5th and 6th Centuries. By William Webster The Roman Catholic doctrine of the assumption of Mary teaches that she was assumed body and soul into heaven either without dying or shortly after death. This […]
The Old Testament Canon and the Apocrypha William Webster INTRODUCTION The subject of the Old Testament canon has been a matter of debate between Protestants and Roman Catholics for centuries. Many relegate such a dispute to little more than an academic issue. But, in reality, the subject is one of the highest significance and […]
Endnotes for The Old Testament Canon and the Apocrypha Part 3: From Jerome to the Reformation 96 This is the twenty-second work of God. Jewish and Christian exegetes say that God performed twenty-two works. Out of which we counted a little earlier twenty-one works in six days. The twenty-second is the prepared kingdom of the […]
The Old Testament Canon and the Apocrypha A Survey of the History of the Apocrypha from The Jewish Age to the Reformation William Webster The subject of the Old Testament canon has been a matter of debate between Protestants and Roman Catholics for centuries. In the sixteenth century, the Council of Trent officially accorded […]
The Old Testament Canon and the Apocrypha Conclusion William Webster The canonical Scriptures are God’s inspired revelation to man. This is the testimony of the Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ. As such, they alone are authoritative in all matters of faith. Rome claims that the Apocrypha should be considered a part of the […]