Great Apostasy - Responses of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy

Responses of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy

Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church contend that they are still in harmony with the teachings and practices Jesus gave the Apostles, and that Jesus' promise has been fulfilled: "On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it." And elsewhere, "I will be with you until the end of the age." Also, "The Father . . . will give you another Advocate to be with you always." And the passages of St. Paul describing the church as Christ's body and as the "pillar and bulwark of the truth." (1 Tim 3:15) They point to their apostolic succession (among other things) as evidence that they are maintaining authentic orthodox Christian teachings. They see claims of a complete apostasy (as opposed to a widespread revolt) as a denial of the promise that Jesus made (as recorded in scripture) to be with his Church "until the end of time". They also claim that their ecclesiastical structure (e.g. the Biblical practice of having bishops) and liturgical practices have their essential roots in the teachings and practices of the Apostles and early Christian community, and are not the result of radical changes introduced by either the imperial government or new converts in the 4th century. Many elements of modern orthodox teachings are traced back to the writings of those known as the Ante-Nicene Fathers. In these writings there is found information about the sacraments, organizational structure, and general Christian lifestyle.

The Catholic Church also believes in a future event termed "The Great Apostasy" based on Biblical teachings. First there is the quote from 2 Thess. 2:3-4 :"Let no man deceive you by any means, for unless there come a revolt first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, Who opposeth, and is lifted up above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself as if he were God" which points to the Great Apostasy happening in the future, during the time of anti-Christ. Furthermore, 2 Thessolonians identifies this with the anti-Christ, who is held back by the Pope: "And now you know what withholdeth, that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity already worketh; only that he who now holdeth, do hold, until he be taken out of the way. And then that wicked one shall be revealed whom the Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of his mouth; and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming, him, Whose coming is according to the working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders" (2 Thess. 2:6-9). This verse clearly shows that a man, whom Catholics believe is the Pope, holds back the anti-Christ, until he is killed. This is due to the fact that the man was already holding back the wicked one, and must be the office of the Pope or otherwise this man has lived for 2000 years. These verses again also show that the Great Apostasy is a future event.

The Early Church Fathers also predicted a future Great Apostasy in the Church, for example Hippolytus: "And the churches too will wail with a mighty lamentation, because neither oblation nor incense is attended to, nor a service acceptable to God; but the sanctuaries of the churches will become like a garden-watcher's hut, and the Holy Body and Blood of Christ will not be shown in those days. The public service of God shall be extinguished." (Third Century)

Protestants claim, however, that the Roman Catholic Church has added to the Deposit of Faith handed down by the Apostles, especially since the time of Reformation, such as the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Mary and Papal Infallibility, though Catholics can point to Biblical support for each. The Orthodox Church also believes in the Assumption (which is termed the Dormition). In the view of Protestants, these are new doctrines and they take Roman Catholicism further from the Protestant understanding of Biblical Christianity, even though Catholics provide the Bibilical citations supporting their views. Roman Catholics also counter that the Dogmas of the Assumption and Immaculate Conception are well-supported in the writings of early Church Fathers (although some Protestants question the way Catholic theologians cite and interpret early Christian writings, or whether they have the same validity as the Holy Scripture), in addition to being supported by Holy Scripture.

Orthodox Churches also note that the Roman Catholic Church has added doctrines since the time of the East-West Schism, which justifies disunity between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. At the same time, both Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy see much of Protestantism as having jettisoned much Christian teaching and practice wholesale, and having added much non-Christian dogma as well. They also accuse Protestants of distorting Scripture itself to support their own claims, whether by faulty translations, misinterpretations, or ignoring passages of Scripture which support Catholicism or Orthodoxy against Protestantism.

While both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches can claim Apostolic Succession, the Orthodox Church claims to be the only Christian church that has remained unchanged since its establishment by Christ and His Apostles. The Orthodox Church sees corruption of doctrine and authority in the Catholic Church just as the Protestants do, they view Protestantism as essentially "throwing the baby out with the bathwater", ultimately separating themselves from the Truth to a larger degree than the Catholics.