Does The Bible Disprove The Assumption?

Protestants claim the Bible disproves the Catholic dogma of Mary’s Bodily Assumption in 1 Corinthians 15:22-23. But is this true? Karlo Broussard gives reasons why the answer is no.

Copyright Catholic Answers, Inc. 2016

STAY CONNECTED!

HELP US make more movies like this one!

About Karlo Broussard:

Karlo holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in theology from Catholic Distance University and the Augustine Institute, and is currently working on his masters in philosophy with Holy Apostles College and Seminary. He also worked for several years in an apprenticeship with nationally known author and theologian Fr. Robert J. Spitzer at the Magis Center of Reason and Faith.

Karlo is one of the most dynamic and gifted Catholic speakers on the circuit today, communicating with precision of thought, a genuine love for God, and an enthusiasm that inspires.

Script:

Protestants argue the Bible disproves Mary’s bodily assumption. The passage they appeal to is 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 where Paul teaches every man will rise in Christ “in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

“If only Christ will be resurrected bodily before the Second Coming,” they argue, “then how can Catholics say Mary was already bodily assumed?”

It seems the Protestants have a good argument here. How do we respond?

There are sometimes exceptions to general theological norms in the Bible. A good example of this is Hebrews 9:27, which states, “It is appointed for men to die once.” Now, if we’re talking about death itself, can you think of any characters in the Bible that might be an exception to this? That’s right—Enoch and Elijah. Both were assumed into heaven—Enoch in Gen. 5:24 and Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11.
If we’re talking about how many times a person is to die, we know there are exceptions to that because every person raised from the dead in the Bible would have had to die again, including Lazarus and those who came out their tombs after Jesus’ resurrection in Matthew 27:52-53.

If there can be exceptions to the general norm that all men die once, then it’s at least possible that Mary could be an exception to the general norm that no one is bodily raised before the 2nd Coming of Christ.

So, is she an exception? That’s a question we’ll have to save for another time!

For Catholic Answers, I’m Karlo Broussard. Thanks for watching.