Joe Castello - The Joe Public Guide to the Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church is the original church of Christianity.

Because its the oldest, its the Church from which all other Christian denominations are derived.

The Roman Catholic Church has over 1.2 billion adherents.

Along with these facts, it is also the most structured and by far the wealthiest church.

This book was written in 2019 by a non-Catholic for the benefit of other non-Catholics who have a natural curiosity regarding powerful and long-lasting institutions which have been very influential over so many peoples lives.

Along with other books in The Joe Public Guide series, it reduces a complex subject down to a summary of headlines which make for easy reading. Its purpose is to give an overview. There are of course thousands of books that can give greater knowledge to those whose appetite is merely whetted by this publication.

Sources of information include:

• The news magazine THE WEEK.

• INTRODUCING CHRISTIANITY, by Anthony OHear and Judy Groves.

• THE GUIDE TO THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, by Edmund Hartley.

• WIKIPEDIA.

• THE CASE OF THE POPE, by Geoffrey Robertson QC.

• IN GODS NAME, by David Yallop.

• COSA NOSTRA, by John Dickie.

• CATHOLICISM FOR DUMMIES by Rev. John Trigilio PhD, ThD and Rev. Kenneth Brighenti PhD.

• THE VATICAN EXPOSED by Paul L Williams.

Jesus Christ, also known as Jesus of Nazareth, was born over 2,000 years ago.

It is therefore totally understandable that some of the information about him may be rather vague and sometimes contradictory.

He was born in Palestine which at that time, was part of the Roman Empire.

His home town was Nazareth in Galilee which is north of Judea.

He died around 3033 AD at age 33 in Jerusalem, which is located in Judea.

The cause of his death was crucifixion which was a particularly unpleasant form of execution that was reserved for non-Roman criminals. His death was witnessed by his mother.

His parents were Mary and Joseph and it is believed by Christians that Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit in Marys womb when she was still a virgin but at a time when she was betrothed to Joseph of Nazareth.

The virgin birth is central to the Christian belief system.

When Joseph was troubled by Marys pregnancy, he was said to have had 3 dreams, during the 1st of which, an angel assured him that Marys baby was Gods work.

The Nativity (birth) story was only referred to in the Gospels by Matthew and Luke.

Matthews version claims that 3 wise men from the East, following a star, brought gifts to the baby Jesus and recognised him as King of the Jews.

On hearing of Jesus birth, King Herod wanted him dead and ordered the killing of all male infants in Bethlehem who were 2 years or under. This became known as the massacre of the innocents. But it is believed that an angel warned Joseph of this danger in his second dream, and so the family fled to Egypt later to return and live in Nazareth.

In this version, there is no manager, no stable, no census and no shepherds.

In Lukes version of the nativity, Mary learned from the angel Gabriel that she would conceive and bear a child called Jesus through the action of the Holy Spirit. When Mary was due to give birth, she and Joseph travelled from Nazareth to Josephs ancestral home in Bethlehem to register in the census ordered by Caesar Augustus. Whilst there, Mary gave birth to Jesus, and, as they had found no room in the inn, she placed the new-born in a manger. Legend has it that an angel announced the birth to local shepherds who left their flocks and went to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus and that they then subsequently spread the news.

After the presentation of Jesus at the temple, Joseph, Mary and Jesus returned to Nazareth in Galilee.

In this version, there is no star, no wise men and no flight to Egypt.

Jesus was born a Jew of Jewish parents. It follows that he was circumcised when he was 8 days old.

He went on to be the elder brother of James, Joseph, Judas, Simon and his unnamed sisters.

Jesus is the central figure of Christianity, whom the teachings of all Christian denominations believe to be the Son of God. The term Christian is used to define one who owes allegiance to the person Christ or is simply a follower of Christ.

Christianity regards Jesus as the awaited Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) and refers to him as Jesus Christ, a name that is also used in non-Christian contexts.

Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed historically, and historians consider that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the best sources for investigating the biography of historical Jesus.

These gospels are 4 accounts, each written by a different author. They often differ in content and in the ordering of events, although there is a greater similarity between Matthew, Mark and Luke. They were written over the following time-lines:

• The Gospel of Mark (written 6075 AD)

• The Gospel of Matthew (written 6585 AD)

• The Gospel of Luke (written 6595 AD)

• The Gospel of John (written 75100 AD)

Most scholars agree that Jesus was a Galilean Jewish rabbi who preached his message orally in the Aramaic language, was baptised by John the Baptist, and was crucified by the order of the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate.