+- The Catacombs (https://thecatacombs.org)
+-- Forum: Publications (https://thecatacombs.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=13)
+--- Forum: The Catholic Trumpet (https://thecatacombs.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=285)
+--- Thread: The Catholic Trumpet: The Latin Vulgate - The Sole Authentic Bible (/showthread.php?tid=6942)
The Catholic Trumpet: The Latin Vulgate - The Sole Authentic Bible - Stone - 03-08-2025
The Latin Vulgate: The Sole Authentic Bible
![[Image: rs=w:1280]](https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/df55e1a9-c854-4d0b-a2a9-94177954436c/IMG_0259.jpeg/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=w:1280)
The Council of Trent (1545–1563), specifically Session IV (April 8, 1546), which issued the infallible decree on the Canon of Scripture and the Latin Vulgate.
The Council of Trent (1545–1563), specifically Session IV (April 8, 1546), which issued the infallible decree on the Canon of Scripture and the Latin Vulgate.
The Catholic Trumpet [Slightly adapted and reformatted, emphasis mine.] | March 6, 2025
"Understanding this first, that no prophecy of scripture is made by private interpretation." (2 Peter 1:20, Douay-Rheims Bible)
Lent has begun, and many of our readers and subscribers will be turning to their Bibles for spiritual nourishment. Given the crisis in the Church, it is critical that Catholics arm themselves with the true, unaltered Word of God. But which Bible should they read?
•The Latin Vulgate is the official and infallibly declared text of the Catholic Church.
•The Douay-Rheims is the only faithful English translation of the Latin Vulgate.
Today, even so-called "traditional" Catholic apologists rely on modernist Bibles drawn from Protestant and Jewish corruptions, betraying the very faith they claim to defend. This confusion did not arise by accident. In 1969, Paul VI’s Nova Vulgata poisoned the Church’s official Bible, abandoning the Vulgate’s purity in favor of Masoretic distortions and modernist textual criticism—an outright defiance of Trent’s infallible decree that the Vulgate alone is authentic Scripture.
Pope Pius XII reaffirmed this truth, stating that the continuous use of the Vulgate in the Church for many centuries proved it to be “free from any error whatsoever in matters of faith and morals” (Divino Afflante Spiritu, §21).
What follows is not our opinion or speculation. We have done nothing special—we have simply compiled the teachings of the Church, the decrees of her Councils, and the irrefutable facts of history. Every Catholic must know the truth: there is only one authentic Bible, and it is the Douay-Rheims, based on the Latin Vulgate.
As we enter Lent, let us arm ourselves with the true Word of God, reject every modernist counterfeit, and hold fast to the only authentic Bible—the Douay-Rheims, the unaltered Word entrusted to the Catholic Church alone.
TIMELINE OF THE BIBLE: FROM DIVINE REVELATION TO MODERN CORRUPTION
"The Church has always held the Latin Vulgate as authentic. But the heretics, following their own spirit, twist the Scriptures to their own destruction."
— Pope Clement VIII, Cum Sacrorum (1592)
1. THE INSPIRED SCRIPTURES BELONG TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ALONE (1400 B.C. – A.D. 100)
1400–400 B.C.: THE ORIGINAL HEBREW SCRIPTURES (PROTO-MASORETIC TEXT)
The Old Testament is written in Hebrew and some Aramaic, consisting of the Law, Prophets, and Writings.
These original texts were not identical to the later Masoretic Text, which was deliberately altered after Christ.
250–100 B.C.: THE SEPTUAGINT (LXX) – THE OLD TESTAMENT OF THE APOSTLES
Seventy-two Jewish scholars in Alexandria translate the Old Testament into Greek for the growing Jewish diaspora.
Includes the Deuterocanonical books (Wisdom, Sirach, Tobit, Judith, Baruch, I and II Maccabees, and additional parts of Daniel and Esther).
This is the version quoted by Christ and the Apostles in the New Testament.
Proof: Christ Himself Uses the Septuagint, Not the Masoretic Text
Luke iv. 18 – Christ reads from Isaias, but His quotation only matches the Septuagint, not the Masoretic Text.
Acts vii. 14 – St. Stephen quotes seventy-five souls entering Egypt (Septuagint), whereas the Masoretic falsely says seventy.
The Septuagint is the true Old Testament used by Christ and the Apostles.
A.D. 30–100: THE NEW TESTAMENT IS WRITTEN BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Apocalypse (Revelation) are written in Greek, fully inspired by the Holy Ghost.
These writings belong exclusively to the Catholic Church—not Protestants, not Jews, not heretics.
Proof: Scripture Declares That the Church, Not the Bible, Has Authority
"The Church is the pillar and ground of the truth." (I Timothy iii. 15)
The Bible was given to the Catholic Church, not private individuals.
2. THE CHURCH INFALLIBLY PRESERVES THE BIBLE (A.D. 100–500)
A.D. 382: THE COUNCIL OF ROME DEFINES THE CANON
Pope Damasus I, at the Council of Rome, issues the first authoritative canon of Scripture.
This canon is later upheld by:
Council of Hippo (A.D. 393)
Council of Carthage (A.D. 397)
Council of Florence (A.D. 1442)
Council of Trent (A.D. 1546)
The Catholic Church alone determines the canon.
A.D. 405: ST. JEROME COMPLETES THE LATIN VULGATE
St. Jerome translates the Bible into Latin, using the Septuagint and Hebrew texts.
He initially doubts the Deuterocanonical books but ultimately submits to Church authority.
The Latin Vulgate becomes the official Bible of the Catholic Church.
Proof: The Council of Trent Later Confirms the Latin Vulgate as the Sole Authentic Scripture
"If anyone rejects the books of the Latin Vulgate as not authentic, let him be anathema." (Council of Trent, Session IV)
The Latin Vulgate is the only true Catholic Bible.
3. HERETICS CORRUPT THE BIBLE (A.D. 500–1600)
A.D. 500–1000: THE MASORETIC TEXT CORRUPTS THE OLD TESTAMENT
Jewish scribes systematically alter the Old Testament to remove references to Christ.
1. Psalm xxi. 16 – The Pierced Hands and Feet
Septuagint/Vulgate:
• “They have pierced my hands and my feet.”
• This is a Messianic prophecy directly fulfilled in Christ’s Crucifixion (John 20:27). The piercing of Christ’s hands and feet is a key detail of His Passion, confirming His role as the Suffering Servant.
Masoretic Text:
• “Like a lion are my hands and my feet.”
• A deliberate distortion—there is no reference to Christ’s Crucifixion. This alteration obscures the prophecy’s fulfillment in Jesus Christ and removes the Messianic context altogether.
• Deliberate distortion aimed at removing Christ from the prophecy, as it was too clearly fulfilled in the Crucifixion.
The Septuagint/Vulgate preserves the Messianic prophecy pointing to Christ’s Crucifixion, while the Masoretic Text distorts it to remove Christ as the fulfillment.
2. Daniel ix. 24-27 – The Prophetic Timing of Christ’s Arrival
Septuagint/Vulgate:
• The prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 provides a clear timeline for the arrival of the Messiah and details His ministry and suffering.
• The Vulgate faithfully preserves this prophetic timeline, marking the exact time of Christ’s Passion and pointing directly to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the prophecy.
Masoretic Text:
• The Masoretic Text removes the clear reference to the Messiah’s timing and obscures the prophecy. The passage becomes vague and non-specific, no longer pointing clearly to Christ.
• The Masoretic Text distorts the prophetic fulfillment, making it difficult to connect the prophecy to the coming of Christ.
The Septuagint/Vulgate maintains the original, precise timeline pointing to Christ’s arrival and ministry, while the Masoretic Text distorts the prophecy, removing Christ’s clear identity.
The Masoretic Text: A Post-Christian Corruption of the Old Testament
The Masoretic Text is a post-Christian distortion of the Old Testament Scriptures. After the time of Christ, Jewish scholars altered key passages to remove references to Christ as the Messiah and Savior. These changes, particularly in Psalm xxi and Daniel 9, show evidence of a deliberate effort to obscure Messianic prophecy in order to deny Jesus Christ’s fulfillment of these prophecies.
In contrast, the Septuagint/Vulgate remains the true and faithful transmission of the Old Testament, as it was translated centuries before Christ and preserves the original Messianic intent that points directly to Christ’s coming, death, and resurrection.
A.D. 1516: ERASMUS’ GREEK TEXT (TEXTUS RECEPTUS) BECOMES THE BASIS FOR PROTESTANTISM
Erasmus, a Catholic humanist, compiles a Greek New Testament but relies on late Byzantine manuscripts.
Later, Luther, Calvin, and Protestants misuse this text to attack Catholic doctrine.
The Protestant Reformation was built on a man-made, incomplete biblical text.
A.D. 1522–1534: MARTIN LUTHER REMOVES SEVEN BOOKS AND FALSIFIES ROMANS III. 28
Luther removes Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), Baruch, I and II Maccabees.
He adds the word “alone” to Romans iii. 28 to justify his doctrine of sola fide.
The Protestant Reformation was a deliberate attack on Sacred Scripture.
4. MODERNIST ATTACKS ON THE BIBLE (A.D. 1600–2025)
A.D. 1611: KING JAMES BIBLE INITIALLY INCLUDES DEUTEROCANONICALS, LATER REMOVED IN 1885
The original 1611 KJV included the Deuterocanonical books.
Protestants later removed them in 1885, proving that their rejection was not part of the Reformation.
Protestant Bibles are man-made distortions.
A.D. 1881: WESTCOTT AND HORT CONSTRUCT A NEW GREEK TEXT, REJECTING CATHOLIC TRADITION
These Anglican modernists favor Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, leading to doctrinal omissions in Protestant Bibles.
Modern Protestant Bibles (RSV, NIV, ESV) are built on false manuscripts.
A.D. 1947: DEAD SEA SCROLLS CONFIRM THE SEPTUAGINT, EXPOSING THE MASORETIC TEXT AS CORRUPT
A.D. 1969: PAUL VI’S NOVA VULGATA UNDERMINES TRENT BY ADOPTING MASORETIC READINGS
The Vatican issues a new “Vulgate” which incorporates Masoretic readings, contradicting Trent.
Vatican II’s new “Bibles” are modernist distortions.
ONLY THE DOUAY-RHEIMS IS AUTHENTIC
The Masoretic Text is a Jewish corruption.
The Textus Receptus is a man-made Protestant compilation.
The KJV, NIV, ESV, RSV, and all modern Bibles are heretical distortions.
The Vatican II Church betrayed Trent by adopting modernist Bible translations.
Only the Latin Vulgate, declared authentic by the Church, contains the infallible Word of God, and the Douay-Rheims is the only true English translation of it.