May 25, 2012 – Catechism 1539 – 1547

When you look at the system set out in the Church of the Old Testament, you can see a very similar church to the one set up in the Catholic Church.  You have the High Priest, then the priest from the descendants of Aaron, then the Levites who serve the priest, then the people of Israel.  In the Catholic Church you have the Pope, then the Bishops (from which the Pope is just first among equals), then the priest, then the rest of the Catholic faithful.  I am not sure how they came to have the high priest or how they choose him, but if he had to come from the other priest, that is similar to the Pope having to be a Bishop.  It really makes a lot more sense that the Church founded by Christ would have a similar feel to it as that of the Church of the Old Testament.  What would make no sense is that the new church would be completely dissimilar, with no hierarchy, no structure, no authority. 

I was listening to something about sola scriptura and the issue of authority, and here is something to reflect on.  The founding fathers gave us the Constitution.  No one believed that any single person could read the Constitution and interpret it however they felt was appropriate.  The founding fathers knew that if this were allowed it would lead to division and chaos.  They set up an authority that would interpret what the Constitution means by the words that it uses.  Do sola scriptura believers feel that God could not see the future better than the founding fathers?  If they were able to see that interpretation must come from an established authority or there would be chaos, how much more would God understand there would need to be an authority for the Words He would leave us to guide us?