Stephen K. Ray's Blog, page 511

To Corinth

Short Primer on the Mass

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All Have Arrived Excited in Athens

All arrived in Athens Greece tired but excited to walk and sail in the footprints of St. Paul. Great dinner, reverent Mass and to bed. Enjoy the short video.

Tomorrow to Corinth for Mass, exploring and lunch. I will read Acts 18 to the group. We will spend the night in Patras where St. Andrew was crucified on an X shaped cross and where the Battle of Lepanto was fought. More on all this tomorrow.

Reading the Bible

A Little Poem about Bible Context

I supposed I knew my Bible,

Reading piecemeal, hit or miss,

Now a bit of John or Matthew,

Now a snatch of Genesis,

Certain chapters of Isaiah,

Certain Psalms (the twenty-third),

Twelfth of Romans, first of Proverbs —

Yes, I thought I knew the Word!

But I found that thorough reading

Was a different thing to do,

And the way was unfamiliar

When I read the Bible through.

You who like to play at Bible,

Dip and dabble, here and there,

Just before you kneel, aweary,

And yawn through a hurried prayer;

You who treat the Crown of Writings

As you treat no other book,

Just a paragraph, disjointed,

Just a crude, impatient look.

Try a worthier procedure,

Try a broad and steady view;

You will kneel in very rapture

When you read the Bible through.

Writer Amos Wells reflected our need for thorough Bible study in this verse: Leading the Way by Paul Borthwick, Navpress, 1989, p.  139. Galaxie Software. (2002; 2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.

Steve Ray on the Catholic Hack!

Steve Ray was recently interviewed on two podcasts by Joe McClane, the Catholic Hack.

To listen to the first podcast click here; for the second click here.

Visit the the Catholic Hack website here. His site has many great interviews and conversion stories. Thanks for your good work Joe!

Running Tour of Athens! Following St. Paul & more

I think you will enjoy my latest run through Athens early this morning. I put it up with about 70 pictures and 10 videos. It is covered with beautiful Greek music.

I start out running past the 2004 Olympic Stadium, then to Mars Hill (Acts 17) where St. Paul defended the teaching of Christianity to the Areopagites. From their I run up the many steps to the top of the Acropolis to show you the Parthenon and Athens "from the air."

Next I run through the Agora where St. Paul argued, following the example of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle. Then to the Parliament Building in time to video the famous changing of the guards. Then to the Catholic Cathedral built in honor of St. Dionysius the Areopagite, Paul's first convert in Athens and the first bishop.

I try to give you a feel for the city, it's religious life and what it is like to get up and go to work in the morning. I hope you enjoy it.

What Does "Water and Spirit" Mean?

A while ago a Protestant friend tried to prove that Born Again by "water and Spirit" did not mean baptism. Here is one paragraph that he sent me:

In John, chapter 3, Jesus told Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews and a Pharisee, that one must be born 'from above' (Gr. anothen) in order to enter the kingdom of God. Nicodemus asked if one could enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born. But Jesus told him that one must be born 'of the Spirit' in order to enter the kingdom of God. A better translation of John 3.5 would read: "… except a man be born of water—even of the Spirit—he cannot enter the kingdom of God." The little greek word kai is often translated "even"—which I believe better conveys the Lord's meaning here. He is contrasting the water of the womb and fleshly birth, with the water of the Spirit and heavenly birth. Water is often symbolic of the Holy Spirit in scripture (John 4.10-14; 7.37-39; Revelation 22.1, 17; Isaiah 12.3; 44.3; Matthew 3.11; Mark 1.8; Luke 3.16; John 1.33).

So I responded:

Hello Friend

Thanks for your recent e-mail. In reading even the first part of the article you sent I see it is exactly the arguments I used before I realized better and became Catholic. The paragraph referred to is utter nonsense and though the author cites a lot of Scripture, his reasoning and conclusion are blatantly unscriptural. I tried to explain to you the biblical understanding of "born again" when we had lunch but I saw at the time that you either were not listening or it went right over your head — I'm not sure which.

My Comments:

First, the Greek word anothen can and does mean both "born again" or "born from above". They both apply. John frequently uses words with two meanings (eg. pneuma which means both "wind" and "spirit").

"Born of water and the Spirit": Using the word "even" instead of "and" is NOT a better translation. It is a cop-out. The little Greek word "kai" is the common word for "and" and only if someone has a Fundamentalist doctrinal bias would they try to slip the word "even" into the translation. It is dishonest and I am surprised you would fall for it.

John 3:5 in the best Evangelical Translations of the Bible

Here are you major Protestant translations. Notice NONE of them cheat and use the word "even"! Why not? Because they know something your web author is being dishonest about. Like you said to me, "Please study carefully with an open heart to the Holy Spirit" (and not to denominational bigots who twist Scripture to teach the doctrines of men). This is just one sampling of how I could decimate the whole article if I considered it worthy of my time — which I don't.

The King James Version
The New International Version
Young's Literal Translation
The Revised Standard Version
The New Jerusalem Bible
The Good News Translation
The Contemporary English Version


5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
5 Jesus answered, 'Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born of water, and the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the reign of God;
5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
5 Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born through water and the Spirit;
5 "I am telling you the truth," replied Jesus. "No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
5 Jesus answered: I tell you for certain that before you can get into God's kingdom, you must be born not only by water, but by the Spirit.

So, if the best translation is of kai is actually "even", then why don't the best Protesant translations use "even" instead of "and"? Huh?

The Very First Christians (unanimously!!)

By the way, notice how the very first Christians interpreted John 3:5 below. Look how far you have strayed for the Early Church, the followers of the first apostles and the martyrs and champions of the faith.

St. Justin Martyr (c. 100-c. 165), "Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated [reborn]: in the name of God the Father . . . and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing of water. For Christ said, 'Except you be born again, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven' . . . The reason for doing this, we have learned from the Apostles" (The First Apology 1, 61) (Ante-Nicene Fathers, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1985],1:183).

St. Theophilus of Antioch (died c. 185 A.D.), who first coined the word "Trinity," writes, "Those things which were created from the waters [Gen 1] were blessed by God, so that this might also be a sign that men would at a future time receive repentance and remission of sins through water and the bath of regeneration" (To Autolycus 2, 16) (William Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers [Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1970], 1:75).

Origen (c. 185-c. 254) "The Church received from the Apostles the tradition [custom] of giving Baptism even to infants. For the Apostles, to whom were committed the secrets of divine mysteries, knew that there is in everyone the innate stains of sin, which must be washed away through water and the Spirit" (Commentary on Romans 5, 9) (Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers, 1:209).

St. Augustine (AD 354-430) "Who is so wicked as to want to exclude infants from the kingdom of heaven by prohibiting their being baptized and born again in Christ?" (Pecc. merit. 3, 6, 12) (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, ed. Philip Schaff [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publ., 1971], 5:244). "This [infant baptism] the Church always had, always held; this she received from the faith of our ancestors; this she perseveringly guards even to the end" (Sermon 11, De Verb Apost) (Catholic Encyclopedia, ed. Charles Herbermann, et al, [New York: Robert Appleton, 1907], 2:270).

Protestant Commentators

"Even" (no pun intended) scholarly Evangelical commentators will tell you the truth about this verse:

Baptist commentator George Beasley-Murray wrote in one of the most solid Evangelical commentaries on John's Gospel, "Suggestions like these do not do justice to the text [of John 3:5] and have not commended themselves to scholarly opinion. It would seem that the text relates birth from above to baptism and the Holy Spirit" (Word Biblical Commentary: John, [Waco, TX: Word Books, 1987],36:48).

Protestant commentator R.V.G. Tasker agreed, "In light of the reference to the practice by Jesus of water baptism in verse 22, it is difficult to avoid construing the words 'of water and of the Spirit' conjunctively, and regarding them as a description of Christian baptism, in which cleansing and endowment are both essential elements" (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: The Gospel According to St. John [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publ., 1977], 4: 71).

Look what Martin Luther said!  "Here [John 3:5] Christ is speaking of Baptism, of real and natural water such as a cow may drink. . . . Here Christ also speaks of the Holy Spirit and teaches us to regard Baptism as a spiritual, yes, a Spirit-filled water, in which the Holy Spirit is present and active. . . . And thus the person who has been baptized is said to be born anew. . . . . In this passage Christ declares that whoever is not born anew of the water and the Holy Spirit cannot come into the kingdom of God. Therefore God's words dare not be tampered with. Of course, we are well aware that Baptism is natural water. But after the Holy Spirit is added to it, we have more than mere water. It becomes a veritable bath of rejuvenation, a living bath which washes and purges man of sin and death, which cleanses him of all sin" ("Sermons on the Gospel of St. John" Luther's Works ed. Jaroslav Pelikan [St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publ. House, 1957], 22:283).

Keep an open mind Friend! Come home to where you belong.

What Does Water and Spirit Mean?

A while ago a Protestant friend tried to prove that Born Again by "water and Spirit" did not mean baptism. Here is one paragraph that he sent me:

In John, chapter 3, Jesus told Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews and a Pharisee, that one must be born 'from above' (Gr. anothen) in order to enter the kingdom of God. Nicodemus asked if one could enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born. But Jesus told him that one must be born 'of the Spirit' in order to enter the kingdom of God. A better translation of John 3.5 would read: "… except a man be born of water—even of the Spirit—he cannot enter the kingdom of God." The little greek word kai is often translated "even"—which I believe better conveys the Lord's meaning here. He is contrasting the water of the womb and fleshly birth, with the water of the Spirit and heavenly birth. Water is often symbolic of the Holy Spirit in scripture (John 4.10-14; 7.37-39; Revelation 22.1, 17; Isaiah 12.3; 44.3; Matthew 3.11; Mark 1.8; Luke 3.16; John 1.33).

So I responded:

Hello Friend

Thanks for your recent e-mail. In reading even the first part of the article you sent I see it is exactly the arguments I used before I realized better and became Catholic. The paragraph referred to is utter nonsense and though the author cites a lot of Scripture, his reasoning and conclusion are blatantly unscriptural. I tried to explain to you the biblical understanding of "born again" when we had lunch but I saw at the time that you either were not listening or it went right over your head — I'm not sure which.

My Comments:

First, the Greek word anothen can and does mean both "born again" or "born from above". They both apply. John frequently uses words with two meanings (eg. pneuma which means both "wind" and "spirit").

"Born of water and the Spirit": Using the word "even" instead of "and" is NOT a better translation. It is a cop-out. The little Greek word "kai" is the common word for "and" and only if someone has a Fundamentalist doctrinal bias would they try to slip the word "even" into the translation. It is dishonest and I am surprised you would fall for it.

John 3:5 in the best Evangelical Translations of the Bible

Here are you major Protestant translations. Notice NONE of them cheat and use the word "even"! Why not? Because they know something your web author is being dishonest about. Like you said to me, "Please study carefully with an open heart to the Holy Spirit" (and not to denominational bigots who twist Scripture to teach the doctrines of men). This is just one sampling of how I could decimate the whole article if I considered it worthy of my time — which I don't.

The King James Version
The New International Version
Young's Literal Translation
The Revised Standard Version
The New Jerusalem Bible
The Good News Translation
The Contemporary English Version


5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
5 Jesus answered, 'Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born of water, and the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the reign of God;
5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
5 Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born through water and the Spirit;
5 "I am telling you the truth," replied Jesus. "No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
5 Jesus answered: I tell you for certain that before you can get into God's kingdom, you must be born not only by water, but by the Spirit.

So, if the best translation is of kai is actually "even", then why don't the best translations use "even" instead of "and"? Huh?

The Very First Christians (unanimously!!)

By the way, notice how the very first Christians interpreted John 3:5 below. Look how far you have strayed for the Early Church, the followers of the first apostles and the martyrs and champions of the faith.

St. Justin Martyr (c. 100-c. 165), "Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated [reborn]: in the name of God the Father . . . and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing of water. For Christ said, 'Except you be born again, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven' . . . The reason for doing this, we have learned from the Apostles" (The First Apology 1, 61) (Ante-Nicene Fathers, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1985],1:183).

St. Theophilus of Antioch (died c. 185 A.D.), who first coined the word "Trinity," writes, "Those things which were created from the waters [Gen 1] were blessed by God, so that this might also be a sign that men would at a future time receive repentance and remission of sins through water and the bath of regeneration" (To Autolycus 2, 16) (William Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers [Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1970], 1:75).

Origen (c. 185-c. 254) "The Church received from the Apostles the tradition [custom] of giving Baptism even to infants. For the Apostles, to whom were committed the secrets of divine mysteries, knew that there is in everyone the innate stains of sin, which must be washed away through water and the Spirit" (Commentary on Romans 5, 9) (Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers, 1:209).

St. Augustine (AD 354-430) "Who is so wicked as to want to exclude infants from the kingdom of heaven by prohibiting their being baptized and born again in Christ?" (Pecc. merit. 3, 6, 12) (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, ed. Philip Schaff [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publ., 1971], 5:244). "This [infant baptism] the Church always had, always held; this she received from the faith of our ancestors; this she perseveringly guards even to the end" (Sermon 11, De Verb Apost) (Catholic Encyclopedia, ed. Charles Herbermann, et al, [New York: Robert Appleton, 1907], 2:270).

Protestant Commentators

"Even" (no pun intended) scholarly Evangelical commentators will tell you the truth about this verse:

Baptist commentator George Beasley-Murray wrote in one of the most solid Evangelical commentaries on John's Gospel, "Suggestions like these do not do justice to the text [of John 3:5] and have not commended themselves to scholarly opinion. It would seem that the text relates birth from above to baptism and the Holy Spirit" (Word Biblical Commentary: John, [Waco, TX: Word Books, 1987],36:48).

Protestant commentator R.V.G. Tasker agreed, "In light of the reference to the practice by Jesus of water baptism in verse 22, it is difficult to avoid construing the words 'of water and of the Spirit' conjunctively, and regarding them as a description of Christian baptism, in which cleansing and endowment are both essential elements" (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: The Gospel According to St. John [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publ., 1977], 4: 71).

Look what Martin Luther said!  "Here [John 3:5] Christ is speaking of Baptism, of real and natural water such as a cow may drink. . . . Here Christ also speaks of the Holy Spirit and teaches us to regard Baptism as a spiritual, yes, a Spirit-filled water, in which the Holy Spirit is present and active. . . . And thus the person who has been baptized is said to be born anew. . . . . In this passage Christ declares that whoever is not born anew of the water and the Holy Spirit cannot come into the kingdom of God. Therefore God's words dare not be tampered with. Of course, we are well aware that Baptism is natural water. But after the Holy Spirit is added to it, we have more than mere water. It becomes a veritable bath of rejuvenation, a living bath which washes and purges man of sin and death, which cleanses him of all sin" ("Sermons on the Gospel of St. John" Luther's Works ed. Jaroslav Pelikan [St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publ. House, 1957], 22:283).

Keep an open mind Friend! Come home to where you belong.

All Safe and Quiet for Cruise

Even though Turkey and Greece have been in the news lately, all is well. We are currently in the heart of Athens and I have been running through the city to keep up my miles.

My agents and friends in both countries confirm their is no problem for tourists and both countries are full of pilgrims and tourists.

If any signed up for pilgrimage are concerned, call Corporate Travel at 800-727-1999 or me (they'll give you my cell number here in Athens).

Our cruise is set and ready to go and the sites are all spectacular and biblical, food is exceptional, accommodations very nice and I'm ready to lead you in the footprints of St. Paul!

For those not going, watch for our videos right here!

Purgatory? Doesn't that Deny the Work of Christ?

What's the Deal with Purgatory?

by Steve Ray

Isn't the finished work of Christ sufficient? Didn't he pay for all my sins? Why the heck do Catholics teach that we have to suffer in Purgatory for our sins? Plus, the Bible never mentions purgatory so it must be an unbiblical doctrine, right.

Wow! Sounds like me back  in my old days — before I discovered the fullness of the Faith in the Catholic Church. I used to argue like this against Catholics because my Baptist tradition told me so.

(Picture at left: Communion of Saints with the Mass in the center: 1) above the Church Triumphant in heaven; 2) middle the Church Militant on earth, and 2) below the Church suffering — being purified in Purgatory.)

After converting to the Catholic Church an a Baptist asked me why we believe in Purgatory so I wrote an explanation using many examples like hitch hiking in the Alps, driving off the road and more.

Plus, from my old Baptist tradition, what could St. Paul possibly mean when he said he suffers to "fill up that which is lacking in the sufferings of Christ" (Col. 1:24)? That was one of the verses I had to "blip over" when I was a Baptist–many don't even see the verse!

Anyway, for my response to the Baptist antagonist and other helpful information on Purgatory . . .

-For my letter explaining Purgatory, click here.

-For Jimmy Akin's explanation, click here. For Catholic Answers, click here.

-Patrick Madrid's article, click here.

-For more such articles and letters, click here.