.... dates are approximate.| OF ALL THE HUMAN TRADITIONS taught and practiced by the Roman Catholic Church, which are contrary to the Bible, the most ancient are the prayers for the dead and the sign of the Cross. Both began 300 years after Christ. | 310 |
| Wax Candles introduced in church | 320 |
| Veneration of angels and dead saints | 375 |
| The Mass, as a daily celebration, adopted | 394 |
| The worship of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the use of the term, "Mother of God", as applied to her, originated in the Council of Ephesus | 431 |
| Priests began to dress differently from the laity | 500 |
| Extreme Unction | 526 |
| The doctrine of Purgatory was first established by Gregory the Great | 593 |
| The Latin language, as the language of prayer and worship in churches, was also imposed by Pope Gregory I. 600 years after Christ The Word of God forbids praying and teaching in an unknown tongue. (1st Corinthians 14:9). | 600 |
| The Bible teaches that we pray to God alone. In the primitive church never were prayers directed to Mary, or to dead saints. This practice began in the Roman Church. (Matthew 11:28; Luke 1:46; Acts 10:25-26; 14:14-18) | 600 |
| The Papacy is of pagan origin. The title of pope or universal bishop, was first given to the bishop of Rome by the wicked emperor Phocas. This he did to spite Bishop Ciriacus of Constantinople, who had justly excommunicated him for his having caused the assassination of his predecessor emperor Mauritius. Gregory 1, then bishop of Rome, refused the title, but his successor, Boniface III, first assumed title "pope." Jesus did not appoint Peter to the headship of the apostles and forbade any such notion. (Luke 22:24-26; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; 1st Corinthians 3:11). Note: Nor is there any mention in Scripture, nor in history, that Peter ever was in Rome, much less that he was pope there for 25 years; Clement, 3rd bishop of Rome, remarks that "there is no real 1st century evidence that Peter ever was in Rome." | 610 |
| The kissing of the Pope's feet It had been a pagan custom to kiss the feet of emperors. The Word of God forbids such practices. (Read Acts 10:25-26; Revelation 19:10; 22:9). | 709 |
| The Temporal power of the Popes When Pepin, the usurper of the throne of France, descended into Italy, called by Pope Stephen II, to war against the Italian Lombards, he defeated them and gave the city of Rome and surrounding territory to the pope. Jesus expressly forbade such a thing, and He himself refused worldly kingship. (Read Matthew 4:8-9; 20:25-26; John 18:38). | 750 |
| Worship of the cross, images and relics was authorized This was by order of Dowager Empress Irene of Constantinople, who first caused to pluck the eyes of her own son, Constantine VI, and then called a church council at the request of Hadrian I, pope of Rome at that time. Such practice is called simply IDOLATRY in the Bible, and is severely condemned. (Read Exodus 20:4; 3:17; Deuteronomy 27:15; Psalm 115). | 788 |
| Holy Water, mixed with a pinch of salt and blessed by the priest, was authorized | 850 |
| The veneration of St. Joseph began | 890 |
| The baptism of bells was instituted by Pope John XIV | 965 |
| Canonization of dead saints, first by Pope John XV Every believer and follower of Christ is called saint in the Bible. (Read Romans 1:7; 1st Colossians 1:2). | 995 |
| Fasting on Fridays and during Lent were imposed Imposed by popes said to be interested in the commerce of fish. (Bull, or permit to eat meat), some authorities say, began in the year 700. This is against the plain teaching of the Bible. (Read Matthew 15:10; 1st Corinthians 10:25; 1st Timothy 4:1-3). | 998 |
| The Mass was developed gradually as a sacrifice; attendance made obligatory in the 11th century. The Bible teaches that the sacrifice of Christ was offered once and for all, and is not to be repeated, but only commemorated in the Lord's Supper. (Read Hebrews 7:27; 9:26-28; 10:10-14). | |
| The celibacy of the priesthood was decreed by Pope Hildebrand, Boniface VII Jesus imposed no such rule, nor did any of the apostles. On the contrary, St. Peter was a married man, and St. Paul says that bishops were to have wife and children. (Read 1st Timothy 3:2,5, and 12; Matthew 8:14-15). | 1079 |
