Were Jesus and the apostles Catholic? In this powerful confrontation, a Protestant challenges Sam Shamoun on Catholicism, the Roman Empire, Church tradition, the Bible, confession, the Rosary, the Eucharist, and whether the early Christians actually identified themselves as Catholic.
Sam Shamoun begins by challenging the assumption that the Catholic Church came from the Roman Empire. Sam Shamoun asks what the word “Catholic” actually means and explains that Catholic simply means “universal.” More importantly, Sam Shamoun points to Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of the apostles, who explicitly used the term “Catholic Church” long before Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
The conversation then turns to the authority of Scripture itself. Sam Shamoun asks the Protestant how he knows Matthew wrote the Gospel of Matthew, how he knows which writings of Paul are authentic, and how Christians received the 27 books of the New Testament. Sam Shamoun argues that the same historic Church being criticized is the Church God used to preserve, transmit, recognize, and interpret the Scriptures.
Sam Shamoun also addresses common objections involving Constantine, the Roman Empire, incense, candles, altars, sacrifice, confession of sins, the Rosary, Mary, and the Eucharist. Sam Shamoun shows how many Catholic practices have biblical foundations and explains why Christians cannot simply argue from silence about what the apostles did or did not practice.
Finally, Sam Shamoun takes the discussion back to Ignatius of Antioch and his Letter to the Smyrnaeans, where Ignatius speaks about the bishop, presbyters, deacons, the proper Eucharist, and famously says that wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. Sam Shamoun challenges Christians to examine the history of the early Church instead of assuming that Catholic Christianity began centuries after the apostles.
⏱️ Timestamps
0:00 Were the apostles Catholic?
0:45 What does the word “Catholic” actually mean?
1:09 How do you know Matthew wrote Matthew?
2:15 Did the Catholic Church come from the Roman Empire?
3:12 Constantine and Christianity before the Roman Empire accepted it
3:51 Ignatius of Antioch used the word “Catholic”
4:26 Incense, candles, altars, and the Eucharistic sacrifice
6:24 Confession, Mary, and the Rosary
7:55 “Can you show me where the apostles called themselves Catholic?”
11:31 Ignatius: “Wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church”
⚠️ Important Disclaimer
I am not Sam Shamoun. This channel edits and shares clips from his teachings with permission in order to make his content more accessible and help spread the Word of God. All credit for the teaching belongs to Sam Shamoun.
