Petrus Johannis Olivi Quotes
Three mountains separated by two valleys will strike a man who sees them from a great distance as a single mountain.... Then, when he stands on the first mountain, he will see the first valley and two mountains, and when he stands on the second mountain he will see two valleys and three mountains. Just so, the Jews before Christ's first advent, like one standing before the first mountain, did not distinguish the first from the later ones, but took the first for all. Christians before the sixth period of the church distinguished between the first and the others because they stood on the first and saw an intervening space ... between the first and final advents, but did not commonly distinguish between the two advents in the sixth period and in final judgment... .
Olivi was a brilliant scholar who ran afoul of the religious authorities on several occasions. He was accused of being a heretic for his writings, but was exonerated after intensive trials and debates. In this quotation, he attributed the religious error of Jews and others, not to the anti-Christ, human venality, or even fault of character, but from a difference in human perspective. He was a pioneering original thinker, who while not well appreciated in his lifetime, had a significant cult following including several cardinals of The Church that arose after his death. However, other conservative forces then decided that he was a heretic after all. They burned his writings and destroyed his tomb. Today, there is a street in France named for him.
Petrus Johannis Olivi, 1247-1298, French Franciscan Theologian and Educator, Explanation of Religious Error, Apocalypse Commentary
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Saint Benedicta was born and brought up as a Jew and converted to Catholicism. She and a few other leading German Catholics spoke out forcefully against Nazi crimes and immoralities. She was one of the few German Catholics who wanted the Pope to act more forcefully in Germany. The most controversial aspect of the Pontificate of Pius XI was his relative silence and failure to use the powers of the church and excommunication to condemn and control the Nazi rise to power and their, aggression, discrimination, and atrocities including mass murders. The Pope did occasionally speak out condemning the worst of the German Nazi outrages to morality, but he did not do so very vigorously or order the German Cardinals and other bishops to do so. Supporters of Pius XI point out that the entire Catholic Church in Germany was in peril. The Nazis might have shut down their churches, jailed or murdered priests and seize church property. Many of the German Catholics, including the clergy, were Nazi party members or supporters, and he feared a political schism of German Catholics as well. And Italy, surrounding the Vatican was then under the control of the Italian Fascists who were allies of the Nazis, The Vatican itself and its staff were themselves vulnerable and could have been easily occupied. Apologists for Pius XI observe that the entire Church and its leadership could have been wiped out had they ignored the practicality that the Fascists were in control and would tolerate the Church just so far. Saint Teresa and other Catholics who were outspoken, along with the few Protestant Lutheran Clerics who opposed the Nazis, were indeed arrested and Saint Teresa was finally murdered at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Even that did not galvanize Pope Pius XI to assertive anti Nazi action. The records of the Vatican for that period have not been opened for public study so it is not known for sure that the Pope even saw Saint Teresa’s letter or it was intercepted by the strong pro Nazi faction in the Vatican. That year, Pius signed a Concordat (agreement) with the Nazi Government which many in the Vatican naively believed would control and limit the worst of the Nazi actions. But by 1937, Pius condemned the “violations” of the Concordat and Nazi anti-Semitism as well (encyclical written in German, Mit brennender Sorge (With Burning Anxiety). His critics observe that he went no further, even with the Catholic Nazi clerics and other Catholics. The Carmelite order tried to protect Saint Teresa who was then just a non and leading Catholic intellectual (she had a PhD in philosophy) by sending her to a Carmelite facility in Holland. But the Germans overran the Netherlands, arrested her and sent her to Auschwitz where she was martyred. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1987.
This is another example of a major weakness of many fundamentalist Islamic scholars, clerics and experts. They have studied their subject extensively but rarely have studied other theologies, history, archeology or many other subjects which Western clerics and religious experts generally do. Nawfal does not seem to recognize the role of the New Testament Book of Revelations or the Mormon Prophecies having to do with the rebuilding of Solomon’s Temple. It is true that there are many Christians who believe in the prophesy that the Jews will rebuild the Temple of Solomon before the second coming of the Messiah, but most do not; and the Jews do not at all. As a matter of fact the Israeli Jewish authorities of Israel have forbidden any Jews to even consider the rebuilding of the Temple. Nor does he recognize that the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built on the ruins of the Jewish Temple of Solomon. Nawfal believes (see {588663}) that Solomon and King David were ancestors of the Arabs.
In what may have been amongst the lowest intellectual discussions regarding religion, the mores of the time was that slaves belonged to the slave owners and just as the owner had all power over the slave, he could also select the religion of the slaves as well. From a Christian point of view, freedom to be a Christian was critical, so what was to be the position and law regarding non-Christian slave owners, especially the Jews. Should property rights be dominant as was the tradition or should the Church have the right to dictate the religion of slaves? At no point in the discussion was the possibility even considered that the individual slave might have the right to select his/her religion. As a practical matter, at the time there were relatively few Jewish slave-holders, but as the Jews integrated into Christian society many assimilated—especially the wealthy who also traded and bartered with slaves. Muslims were not a problem as the newly emerging religion prohibited Muslims from holding other Muslims as slaves—although Christians and Jews could be held in servitude and were.
At the time, Luther was very favorable towards Jews. Later, he became disappointed. He could understand why the Jews would not accept Christ as their Savior when they had to do so according to the laws and rules of the Roman Catholic Church, but he was disappointed when after he offered the non corrupt version of Christianity, the Jews for the most part did not convert.
Saint Benedicta was born and brought up as a Jew and converted to Catholicism. She and a few other leading German Catholics spoke out forcefully against Nazi crimes and immoralities. She was one of the few German Catholics who wanted the Pope to act more forcefully in Germany.
Prior to that there were few celebrations of Christ's birth and there was no official date agreed upon. there is no Biblical support for the notion that Christ was conceoved and crucified on the same day of the year and it is not known how this ideo originated, but it was part of of 4th century Chritian belief. December 25 is by no means a histotical date woth amy accuracy. These is some evdence to suggest that Chrsit was not even born iin December.
He offended the Rabbis ofr Amsterdam by extolling the concept of salvation and Jesus Christ, and he offended the Priests with the last sentence. Much of his theology also offended the Muslims. Spinoza’s ideas were considered so radical and dangerous that he was the only man in history who was excommunicated by the Catholics, the Jews and the Muslims.
Pope Innocent Iii was an interesting combination of primitive traditional Church inhumanity and intolerance for dissent and modern Christian views at the same time. Consider {45387} and {45384} for his proactive tolerance and protection of Jews and {45383} for his intolerance of Muslims and {45382} for his persecution of heretics.
This quotation which appears on the surface to be simply a petulant Pope overreacting to some criticism about the church doctrine and custom of holy communion, was the trigger for one of the most momentous events in Western history—the schism between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church." Bruno of Egisheim-Dagsburg (German)
Karol Jozef Wojtyla
