Is Catholicism Even Biblical?

Introduction:

That is a question posed by Ana Munley, sent to me by a friend who sent the Facebook Reel link below with the text "I'd like your thoughts on this.."

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1151555717074951

Transcript:

Is Catholicism even biblical? That's probably the most common phrase that Catholics get from Protestants. And the short answer is yes, obviously. But without the Catholic Church, would you even have a Bible to begin with? For the first 400 years of Christianity, there was no neatly bound New Testament. Christians relied heavily on the authority of the church to know which writings were inspired. It was Catholic bishops at councils like Hippo and Carthage who declared the canon of scripture, the very Bible that Christians use today. Now, what about Catholic practices? Are they biblical? Absolutely. Thanks for asking. The Eucharist in John 6, confession in John 20, baptism in Acts, and the idea of tradition alongside scripture can be found in 2 Thessalonians. Even the mass itself is straight out of scripture, readings, prayers, sacrifice, and communion. So when someone asks, "Is Catholicism biblical?" The real question is this. Without the Catholic Church, would you even know what the Bible is? The church didn't come out of the Bible. The Bible came out of the church.

Background:

First, I am not a Roman Catholic or Protestant. I am a non-denominational Christian. Second, I have never personally heard anyone ask the question "Is Catholicism even biblical?" That does not mean she has not heard this. I'm simply writing to reply to a friend's request for my thoughts on her video.

Ana Asks:

But without the Catholic Church, would you even have a Bible to begin with?

Ana uses the word "Catholicism." I must assume, which I hate to do, that she is referring to Roman Catholicism and not simply the term "catholic," which means universal. I assume this because my friend defines himself as a "cradle Catholic" and believes the Roman Catholic church is the one true church.

Short Answer:

The Old Testament obviously already existed. Therefore, we are talking about the New Testament. The answer is, yes, the New Testament would have come into being regardless of denomination, and it did. At the time of the New Testament writings there were no denominations as we would recognize them today. There were only Christians.

Details:

Ana states that the Bible was brought together by the Catholic Church, meaning Roman Catholic, not simply the universal church as it existed at the time.

I learned the Bible and theology long before the days of the internet and Artificial Intelligence. However, I try to double check what I was taught by consulting the web and AI. I asked three primary AI's the following: Were the Bishops who brought the Bible together Roman Catholic?

See Gemini The term "Roman Catholic" as a distinct denomination didn't exist in the 4th and 5th centuries.

See ChatGPT Short answer: No — not in the modern sense of “Roman Catholic.”

See Grok see below:

The bishops who played key roles in compiling the Bible, particularly during the councils that defined the canon (like Hippo in 393 CE and Carthage in 397 CE), were not "Roman Catholic" in the modern sense. At that time, the Christian Church was still largely unified, before the East-West Schism (1054 CE) that split it into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches. These bishops were part of the broader "Catholic" (meaning universal) Church, which included various regional traditions but was not yet distinctly Roman Catholic.

The process of canonization involved bishops from across the Mediterranean, including North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, under the leadership of figures like Augustine of Hippo. While some were from Rome or aligned with its growing influence, the Church was more decentralized, and the term "Roman Catholic" only became meaningful centuries later. So, they were Catholic in the sense of the early universal Church, but not specifically Roman Catholic as we understand it today.

Grok's view aligns with what I have always believed based on my studies before the internet or AI. The other two AIs say essentially the same thing, but I added links in case you want to read more detail or perspective.

Ana then states:

It was Catholic bishops at councils like Hippo and Carthage who declared the canon of scripture, the very Bible that Christians use today.

An interesting note, according to Grok, there is no evidence that the Bishop of Rome was in attendance at the Council of Carthage or Hippo that Ana alludes to. ChatGPT and Gemini agree. Therefore, if the Bishop of Rome did not attend, then the question would be "What did the Roman Church have to do with it?" Rome was simply a meeting place for the other Bishops to meet, much like New York City is where the United Nations meets.

Next, the councils didn’t create the New Testament but codified a collection that had organically developed over centuries. Early Development (1st–2nd Century): By the late 1st century, many New Testament texts (e.g., Paul’s epistles, the four Gospels) were written and circulated among early Christian communities. By the mid-2nd century, figures like Justin Martyr and Irenaeus referenced the Gospels and Paul’s letters as scripture, indicating their growing authority. The first century spans the years 1 through 100 AD, while the second century covers the years 101 through 200 AD.

Ana then states:

The church didn't come out of the Bible. The Bible came out of the church.

On that point, we agree. So does ChatGPT and the other AIs.

Final Thoughts

The bigger and richer an institution becomes, the more temptation and opportunity usually appear, and the harder it is to maintain the original ethos. If Protestant theology had become the norm in the early church, it would have run the same risks of corruption. Power, money, and influence has a tendency to corrupt.

The Catholic Church (medieval and early modern periods) began as a persecuted sect, became the dominant institution of Europe. By the 15th–16th centuries, widespread corruption (sale of indulgences, simony, nepotism, lavish papal courts) contributed directly to the Protestant Reformation.

At the same time, we see it today in the Evangelical Protestant movement. Some modern megachurches and televangelist empires started as small revival movements; many grew into multi-million-dollar enterprises marked by private jets, sexual scandals, and financial opacity (e.g., Jim Bakker in the 1980s, more recent cases like Hillsong’s global network).

This also happens in non-religious institutions. I was a Teamster when I was young before entering the military. The unions once served a noble purpose, but later became corrupt. Recently in the news, we have seen certain civil rights or environmental NGOs exposed. Not to mention Ivy League schools. Many are now criticized as hedge-fund–backed gatekeepers of privilege, legacy admissions scandals, and grade inflation to protect tuition-paying customers.

The Bible teaches us that man is sinful. The Bible contains the words of Jesus, the Apostles, and others who not only teach us about the faith but also about the pitfalls mankind faces. This is the whole point of Jesus coming to earth to die for our sins. We are corrupt sinners, and only He is worthy and able to forgive our sins. That is the Gospel in a nutshell. It is not a denomination. It is the plain, simple truth.