Where We Got the Bible... Our Debt to the Catholic Church (Paperback)

~ Henry G. Graham (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Traces the origin and preservation of sacred Scripture. This book includes the conversion story of the author, who converted from Calvinist ministry to Catholicism. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

This is a two-in-one book that exonerates the Catholic Church from the charge of neglecting the Bible, and that shows the truth of the faith can reach even someone reared in a society burdened with centuries of anti-Catholic prejudice. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 153 pages
• Publisher: Tan Books & Publishers; 1st edition (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895551373
• ISBN-13: 978-0895551375
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #244,756 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some Common Misconceptions About the Church Debunked, February 17, 2001

By	Barry E. DeWalt (Redding, CA USA) - See all my reviews

If you believe that the Catholic Church chained bibles to the lectern at churches you would be correct. However, if you believe that it was because the Church wanted to keep the masses ignorant of the Scriptures, you will find yourself dissappointed.

The fact is, as Graham explains, those bibles were handwritten and worth three years' wages for the common man. Graham debunks a lot of other myths about the Catholic Church and the bible. He accurately explains the history of the formation of the canon of scripture. How the Church struggled with many writings and, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, came to the canon of the New Testament which all christians accept.

Graham provides a slew of information about how the scriptures were translated into the vernacular well before Wycliffe took a stab at it. Though these vernacular translations appeared in several languages well before the Reformation, one was in Spanish and authorized by the Spanish Inquisition, they remained rare because they were expensive to make.

Once Gutenberg, a Catholic, invented the printing press the costs reduced substantially. Graham makes the valid point, however, that this didn't really open up the scriptures because the poor were illiterate. Those who could read, could read Latin anyway. They largely learned from sermons and the art at churches which depicted biblical stories.

This is a short book but it is a good overview of how the Church protected the scriptures. I do note, however, that although what Graham says can be verified by other sources, Graham doesn't really provide many citations for his materials.

If you buy this book and you want to do any follow up research, this book will not point you the way to those other resources. Once you find those sources, historical and theological, you will find that Graham was honest in his treatment of the subject. Just don't expect this book to serve as a stand alone research tool.

I'm surprised at how few christians know where the bible came from. This book is a great start in putting some historical flesh on the skeleton of our faith in the inspiration of the Holy Scripture. This book is worth every penny you will spend to acquire it.

70 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Catholic Church gave the world the Bible, March 24, 2000

By	John Pineda (Omaha NE) - See all my reviews

An accurate and concise account on how the Bible came to be. Shows how the Catholic Church has defended holy scripture throughout the ages, despite the accusations of protestants and the Church's enemies. Accurately describes the rise and fall of badly translated protestant Bibles such as Tyndale's Bible (the english translation of Luther's Bible), the sinner's Bible (ommitted the word 'not' from some of the ten Commandments), etc. The English Crown ordered these versions burned or destroyed by decree when the errors were found. Errors and additions that have been handed down until this day (such as the addition of the word 'alone' by Luther to maneuver justification, and the addition of 'for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory.....'). This book is a must have for anyone wishing to learn which books were originally contained in the Canon of scripture and who put them there. Shows why the books of the Septuagint (referred to as the Apocrypha by protestants) are included in the Bible, and were in the Jewish Canon during the time of Jesus.

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good defense of Bible History for Catholics, July 27, 2000

By	V. M Salomon "vinnie70" (Glendale Heights, Il) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a short history of the Bible and how the Catholic Church regarded it. Graham describes how the cannon of the Scripture was formed and the reverence the Catholic Church has had for the Bible since she defined the cannon. He describes the Catholic Church's preservation of the Bible up to the Douay Rheims translation. (Graham's book was written in 1911) Graham takes much time explaining the process of how monks copied Bibles before the printing press. He also defends the Catholic Church against accusations that they hid the Bible to keep people ignorant of it. He uses a good dose of common sense to make his points.

Graham gives reasons why it is hard to find English Bible translations dated before the reformation. He explained that because the Protestants destroyed many Catholic objects in countries where the reformation flourished, Catholic Bibles could not be found in these areas. However, in countries where the reformation did not take foothold, there are many existing vernacular Bibles. I actually went to the Field Museum in Chicago and saw 11th century Spanish Bibles with my own two eyes. It was luck that they were on a tour as I finished the book.

My main complaint about the book is that there are almost no footnotes. He makes bold claims but no way to proof what he says. In order to test his stories, I had to do some footwork myself. For example, I learned that Martin Luther regarded the Epistle of James to be unworthy to remain in the Scriptures (mostly because of James 2:24) but I had to do some searching to verify it.