Where We Got the Bible... Our Debt to the Catholic Church

The introduction to this book makes an apology for its style, claiming that it was compiled from lecture notes. I believe this is its greatest strength. The author, who is a Scottish, has a vigorous, learned, no-nonsense style that quickly tackles the major points he wants to cover with common sense quips and asides along the way. The author is a true son of the Church and defends its sole possession over the Bible through the various ages of civilization. This book will arm any Catholic with strong rebuttals against the "Bible-only" camp.

I was looking to get the Catholic view of the Bible and as I read this book I found I didn't care for it at all. The worst part of this book is the author's justification for the execution of William Tyndale. Read that last sentence again and read it slowly. The author justifies the killing of a godly man whose great crime was desiring that all people have a copy of God's word in their homes. The author goes on to belittle Tyndale and cast doubt on his scholarship, ignoring the fact that 70 percent of Tyndale's New Testament is to be found in the masterly King James Bible. Shame on the author.

This was a well written and cited overview of where the Bible came from. This priest did an excellent job citing facts and authors being that it was written in 1911 before the days of internet and social networking. It's interesting how he talks about how evil the days are, and that was 1911. I can't imagine how that compares to now. He makes valid points covering almost every base. You cannot argue your way out of it. It is the truth, and the truth you cannot change just because you don't understand it or agree. If you want firepower and facts, here is a book you need to read. The only downfall is that he does not mention the council of Jamnia which was before the council of Carthage. The council of Jamnia was where the Jews through out the 7 books of the old Hebrew Testament because they did not want to be held accountable for what Christ preached, and he preached heavily from those 7 books as well as Isaiah, Psalms. Therefore, if Christ preached from them, the Jews wanted nothing to do with them so they could do whatever they could to keep denying the resurrection and that Christ was who he said he was, the Messiah. I am a slow reader and it took me about 2 days to read. It's quick. Plus, it really draws you in, I couldn't put it down (until my eyes got blurry).

Indispensable information for answering historical questions posed by both Evangelical Christians and agnostics.

Great book got to learn alot about the early church.

This is a wonderful little book that provides a thorough history of the Bible. Some of the historical facts are probably unknown to many Christians and should help to deepen their faith.

I found it to be very bias...I had to look hard to find truth within its views...No wonder there are so many problems between people pf the same faith.

This is such an informative little book and helps me understand the role the Catholic Church had in writing and preserving "the bible" as we know it today. If only those who are anti-Catholic and "bible only" Christians could read this!

Easy to read explanation of the history of the Bible. Discussed within are the sources for the canon of books of both the Old and New Testaments, along with vital information relative to the Bible in the life of the Church. From Pages 38 - 39 "Who can deny it? The Church existed before the Bible; she made the Bible; she selected it's books, and she preserved it. She handed it down; through her we know what is the Word of God, and what the word of man; and hence to try at this time of day, as many do, to overthrow the Church by means of this very Bible, and to put it above the Church, and to revile her for destroying it and corrupting it - what is this but to strike the mother that reared them; to curse the hand that fed them; to turn against their best friend and benefactor; and to repay with ingratitude and slander the very guide and protector who has led them to drink of the water out of the Saviour's fountains." The book is written by a Scottish minister who later converted to Catholicism. Rt Rev Henry Graham said of himself in the early 1900's that he came from an almost 200 year history of ministerial succession with his father, grandfather and great-grandfather all being ministers of the Established Church of Scotland before him. To convert to Catholicism as a minister in a Protestant religion in those days was a rare event. Beautifully written, easy to read. This is a delightfully informative book/booklet. Some versions of this book have his conversion story included. First printing 1911. There are many re-printings of this book. Well over 30 proving how popular it is.

We have to congratulate the late R. R. Graham for where we got the Bible. Though it would be more accurate if it had been named Where we got the Douay Bible. He writes very little about where we got the Old Testament but maybe he knew very little on its transmission to us.He harps on about how the Catholic Church preserved the Vulgate. But the Vulgate is only one stream of the New Testament text. Disappointingly he makes no mention at all of the debt we owe to the Greek Church for their preservation of the Textus Receptus, which forms a major part of most modern bibles since the 17th century.He refutes the wrongs he believes have been done to the Catholic Church and does much mud slinging himself, which all seem very credible to the non-learned though no doubt has much truth in it.Bearing in mind this was published in 1911 the R. R. Graham would have a fit if he were alive today seeing the proliferation of heretical “bibles” on sale today even those bearing Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur. I have the Douay, Knox, Jerusalem and Revised Standard Catholic Edition. All bear Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur. So, which is the Bible?This book is probably not intended for scholars, but would suit those who believe that the Clementine Vulgate is the word of God (which it is). But it should be remembered that the Greek Textus Receptus is also the word of God. Some thing between these two lies the truth, maybe, but which one we may never know as people are still arguing about it. But it is certainly not the Nestle Aland/ United Bible Societies Greek text, which is the work of man and should be burnt.The author would have had no idea that Codex Sinaiticus is almost certainly a fake, though he makes very little allusion to it. Codex Vaticanus is almost certainly nothing like as old as it is purported to be, though he makes no mention of it at all. Codex Alexandrinus which actually is about fifth century likewise only gets a sideways mention.

Excellent informative historicall accurate read. Well written, arguments solid and inspirational