Facts and myths about the rosary
Buddhist ‘Rosary’ (Pixabay)
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami posted the following in 2022:
The Bible on a string’ Facts about the rosary: How it developed, why it matters
October 26, 2022
The “Poor Man’s Breviary,” it’s been called. But a better nickname for the rosary might be “the Bible on a string.”
For millions, the rosary is the heart of personal devotion. Those 59 beads retell the lives of Jesus and Mary, illuminating their special relationship to each other – and to us.
In appearance, the rosary is a necklace of beads – wood, glass, crystal or other materials – with a cross as a pendant. But its name is drawn from the Latin word rosarium, or “rose garden,” an old term for a collection of literary works.
The rosary does hold a library of several important Church prayers including:
- The Apostles’ Creed, summarizing foundational Christian beliefs in the triune God, the virgin birth, the death and resurrection of Jesus, and his return.
- The Our Father, or the Lord’s Prayer, voicing faith in God, his daily provision and his lordship over the universe.
- The Doxology, glorifying the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- Salve Regina, an anthem to the “Holy Queen, mother of mercy.”
The prayers include five decades, or 10 recitations each, of the Hail Mary prayer, with the Lord’s Prayer before each and the Doxology afterward. …
In 2002, St. Pope John Paul II made a historic addition: the luminous mysteries. …
Since 1917, many Catholics also have added a prayer after each decade for the conversion of souls. That was a request of the apparitions of Mary at Fatima, Portugal, who announced herself as “the Lady of the Rosary.”
As familiar as the rosary has become, its origins are lost in history. A popular tradition says that an apparition of Mary gave it to the 14th century St. Dominic. He then used it as a tool of evangelization, especially to counter the Albigensian heresy of the time. …
Dominic the Carthusian, in the 15th century, promoted a series of 50 Hail Marys and 50 Vita Christi clauses (references to the life of Christ). Also in the 15th century, Alanus de Rupe founded a brotherhood to spread the practice of rosary prayer.
Pope Pius V gave the devotions a big boost in 1571. He called for Catholics to pray the rosary before a battle between Christian and Turkish Muslim navies. Called the Battle of Lepanto, the conflict dealt defeat to the Muslims and safeguarded European Christendom. A grateful Pius declared October 7, the day of the battle, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Nowadays, all of October is regarded as the Month of the Holy Rosary, and nearly all popes have strongly recommended praying it.
“I invite you to pray the rosary, and to carry it in your hands or in your pockets,” Pope Francis has said. “The recitation of the rosary is the most beautiful prayer we can offer to the Virgin Mary and is a weapon that protects us from evils and temptations.” https://www.miamiarch.org/CatholicDiocese.php?op=Article_16667939627316
Before going further, it should be noted that, “The Apostles’ Creed, summarizing foundational Christian beliefs in the triune God” was NOT, according to even Roman Catholic scholars, the original creed–the one that they point to did not come until 380/381.
That creed was declared a required belief in 380 by Emperor Theodosius:
Theodosius … Out of political as well as religious motives, he energetically undertook to bring about unity of faith within the empire. His position was improved by the fact that during 379 the followers of the Nicene Creed gained ground, whereupon Theodosius on February 28, 380, without consulting the ecclesiastical authorities, issued an edict prescribing a creed that was to be binding on all subjects. (Lippold A. Theodosius I Roman emperor. Encyclopedia Brittanica, accessed online 09/16/19)
A year later, the Nicene creed was formally adopted at the Council of Constantinople that Theodosius called.
Consider that Demophilus was the Patriarch of Constantinople from 370-380 (List of Patriarchs of Constantinople. Patriarchate of Constantinople, http://patriarchateofconstantinople.com/list-of-patriarchs.html accessed 07/21/21). The current Nicene creed, that was adopted at the 381 Council of Constantinople met resistance before acceptance. Theodosius removed Demophilus from being the Patriarch of Constantinople because he would NOT accept the Emperor’s trinitarian Nicene Creed:
Immediately therefore he intimated his desire to Demophilus, who presided over the Arian party, and inquired whether he was willing to assent to the Nicene creed, and thus reunite the people, and establish concord. Upon Demophilus’s declining to accede to this proposal, the emperor said to him, “Since you reject peace and unanimity, I order you to quit the churches.” (Socrates Scholasticus. THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF SOCRATES. London, 1853, p. 266)
Therefore, it should be understood that: 1) trinitarianism was not the position of the patriarchy of Constantinople, 2) Arian meant Semi-Arian above, 3) that political considerations, not theological, looks to have been the reason to push trinitarianism, and 4) that creed did not come from the apostles.
How can something that was NOT agreed to as proper by the Patriarch of Constantinople be original?
Obviously, because it was not.
Notice what an Orthodox priest wrote about that creed:
The Nicene Creed, which was formulated at the Councils of Nicaea in 325 and of Constantinople in 381, has been recognized since then as the authoritative expression of the fundamental beliefs of the Orthodox Church. The Creed is often referred to as the “Symbol of Faith.” (Fitzgerald T. Teachings of the Orthodox Church. Copyright @2006 Saint Mary Romanian Orthodox Church. http://www.stmaryro.org/en/default.asp?contentid=704)
Despite priests and scholars being aware of the truth, it is sad that many of the Orthodox believe that they have not changed doctrine and that their 4th century creed was original–but it is not.
As far as the rosary goes, it is not ” a weapon that protects us from evils and temptations.”
It puts a major, and improper focus, on Mary.
There is NO example in the Bible or of early Christians praying to Mary–praying to Mary is NOT part of the “faith once for all delivered to the saints” that Christians are to “contend for” (Jude 3).
Of course, only Jesus is our intercessor/mediator:
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5, NKJV).
For there is one God, one also mediator of God and men, man Christ JESUS (1 Timothy 2:5, RNT).
Thus any others who claim to be a mediator clearly contradict the Bible (from both the Greco-Roman Catholic and Protestant translations) and CANNOT BE OF GOD.
Notice the following:
The prayers that essentially compose the Rosary are arranged in sets of ten Hail Marys with each set preceded by one Lord’s Prayer and followed by one Glory Be. During recitation of each set, known as a decade, thought is given to one of the Mysteries of the Rosary, which recall events in the lives of Jesus and Mary. Normally, five decades are recited in a session. Other prayers are sometimes added after each decade (in particular, the Fátima Prayer) and before (in particular, the Apostles’ Creed), and after (in particular, the Hail, Holy Queen) the five decades taken as a whole. The rosary as a material object is an aid towards saying these prayers in the proper sequence. (Rosary. Wikipedia, accessed 11/03/16)
And one or more of those prayers often contain one or more statements that are in biblical error (e.g. that the dead should pray for the living in the case of the ‘Hail Mary’ prayer). Furthermore, although we should continue to pray regularly, Jesus also warned against the use of ‘vain repetition’ type prayers:
7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. (Matthew 6:7-8)
Thus, even though the outline of prayer Jesus gave in Matthew 6:9-13 gives us priorities and certain specifics to pray about, true Christians do not just repeat those words in rote multiple times in a row as those that recite the rosary do.
The Archdiocese of Miami article mentioned the so-called ‘Lady of Fatima,’ which showed itself to three young children in Portugal on May 13, 1917, urged people to pray the rosary. Few seem to realize the origin of the rosary. The rosary is not mentioned in the Bible but was added because of a “private Roman Catholic prophecy” to the Roman Catholic church over 1000 years after it was founded (Dupont, Yves. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973, p.9).
Some feel that the rosary either came from St. Dominic or later Dominicans as the result of an apparition:
Some histories of the rosary claim this tradition, too, originated with Saint Dominic. One legend holds that the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Dominic in the church of Prouille, in 1208, and gave the rosary to him. However, other sources dispute this attribution and suggest that its roots were in the preaching of Alan de Rupe between 1470-1475. (Saint Dominic. New World Encyclopedia. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Saint_Dominic viewed 06/29/11 )
Here is information from The Catholic Encyclopedia on the development of the rosary:
Impressed by this conspiracy of silence, the Bollandists, on trying to trace to its source the origin of the current tradition, found that all the clues converged upon one point, the preaching of the Dominican Alan de Rupe about the years 1470-75. He undoubtedly was the one who first suggested the idea that the devotion of “Our Lady’s Psalter” (a hundred and fifty Hail Mary’s) was instituted or revived by St. Dominic. Alan was a very earnest and devout man, but, as the highest authorities admit, he was full of delusions, and based his revelations on the imaginary testimony of writers that never existed (see Quetif and Echard, “Scriptores O.P.”, 1, 849).
So, the one who claimed that Dominic came up with the rosary was considered to be delusional by top Catholic authorities.
Also notice some interesting facts from Priest P.A. Duffner:
We do not have any historical documents dating from that period expressly referring to St. Dominic and the Rosary…We have to remember that in the time of St. Dominic:
1. The HAIL MARY did not exist as we pray it today . . . The word JESUS was not added until the 14th century, and the second half of the prayer came later still.
2. The OUR FATHER and the GLORY BE TO THE FATHER were not then part of the Rosary.
3. The Mysteries of the Rosary…The fifteen mysteries in use today were officially established by Pope Pius V in 1569.
4. There was no pendent (the cross and five extra beads) as we have now.
5. The very word “Rosary” taken from the Latin word “rosarium” meaning rose garden, or bouquet of roses, was not used in the time of Dominic as applied to this devotion. (Duffner PA Priest. IN DEFENSE OF A TRADITION. The Rosary Light & Life – Vol 49, No 5, Sep-Oct 1996. http://www.rosary-center. org/ll49n5.htm 11/21/10)
Thus, the rosary as it now exists was not an original tradition as it did not come into being until well over a thousand years after the last of the original apostles died.
Roman Catholic saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Monfort essentially wrote that Alan de la Roche claims that he saw Dominic in a dream, that in 1214 Dominic had seen a “Lady” after he had beat himself into a coma, that the use of the rosary was sort of lost, but that Alan de la Roche later reintroduced it (Montfort L. The Secrets of the Rosary. Translated by Mary Barbour. Nihil Obstat: Guliemus F. Hughes, Imprimatur: Thomas E. Molloy, 1954. Montfort Publications, 1965. Original from the University of Virginia, Digitized Oct 20, 2008, pp. 18-24).
Even presuming he is correct, it should be abundantly clear that the rosary was NEITHER from the Bible nor an apostolic tradition. The rosary and the current “Hail Mary” were late innovations.
Based upon Roman Catholic teachings about the origin of the rosary, it apparently came from either someone in a coma (when the modern “Hail Mary” was not part of the rosary) or later from one who was delusional (and had other problems as well). How can anyone claim that the “Lady of the Rosary” could possibly be Mary, mother of Jesus?
While Roman Catholics tend to believe that the expression, “Hail Mary, full of grace,” is straight from the Bible, that is not literally correct. More literal translations of that portion of scripture would be:
‘Rejoice, you who enjoy favour! (Luke 1:28, NJB)
Rejoice, highly favored one (Luke 1:28, NKJV)
Also, the Bible (DRB, NJB, NKJV) never calls Mary “holy” as the Hail Mary prayer does.
When the Fatima apparition appeared on May 13, and then July 13, 1917, Lucia (the oldest of the three children to see it) claimed that it said:
Pray the Rosary every day, in order to obtain peace for the world, and the end of war. (Santos L. Fatima in Lucia’s Own Words, 14th edition. Priest L
Kondor ed. Translated by Dominican Nuns of Perpetual Rosary. Imprimatur Fatimae, Junii 2003 + Seraphinus, Episc. Leir-Fatimensis, Ravengate Press, September 2004, p. 176)pray the Rosary every day in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary, in order to obtain peace for the world, because only she can help you. (Ibid, p. 178)
The idea that only the Lady of the Rosary could help the children leaves God completely out of the picture and makes the Lady more powerful than God. This is not theologically proper. It is blasphemous.
The Continuing Church of God is pleased to suggest two videos on our YouTube channel called Bible New Prophecy which explains some of the risks associated with Marianism:
On May 13, 1917, a Lady appeared in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis had his pontificate consecrated to ‘Mary’ on Monday, May 13, 2013. Prophecies in Isaiah 47 and Revelation 18 tell of a woman involved with signs and enchantments. Could you be affected by Marian apparitions? The more Pope Francis promotes his version of Mary, the bigger the risks to the world falling for it.
16:48Could end time prophecies be fulfilled by apparitions? May 13, 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of a ‘Lady’ that appeared before three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. The Vatican announced that Pope Francis will declare them Catholic saints on the 100th anniversary–how did the children describe what they saw? Is it possible that Jesus’ mother Mary appeared at Fatima? Could signs and lying wonders come from apparitions? How could the Fatima hype be setting the world up for the end? Did the old Radio Church of God teach about Fatima? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.
The Marian-claimed apparitions are relevant to us, because despite repeated warning from the Roman Catholic Church as well as warnings in the Bible, people have overlooked its errors and dangers. So much so, that possibly and partially because of them, many people on earth will be deceived about accepting the coming Beast power (cf. Revelation 13:1-4, 8; 18:23; Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22; Isaiah 47:5, 12; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12).
The Bible warns of a “virgin” that uses enchantments who is also called the Lady of Kingdoms–and those are titles that some have used related to “Mary” or Marian apparitions:
1 Come down, sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne for the daughter of the Chaldeans, for thou shalt no more be called delicate and tender…4 Our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel. 5 Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called the lady of kingdoms. 6 I was angry with my people, I have polluted my inheritance, and have given them into thy bend: thou hast shown no mercy to them: upon the ancient thou hast laid thy yoke exceeding heavy.
7 And thou hast said: I shall be a lady forever: thou hast not laid these things to thy heart, neither hast thou remembered thy latter end.
8 And now hear these things, thou that art delicate, and dwellest confidently, that sayest in thy heart: I am, and there is none else besides me: I shall not sit as a widow, and I shall not know barrenness.
9 These two things shall come upon thee suddenly in one day, barrenness and widowhood. All things are come upon thee, because of the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great hardness of thy enchanters. 10 And thou best trusted in thy wickedness, and hast said: There is none that seeth me. Thy wisdom, and thy knowledge, this hath deceived thee. And thou best said in thy heart: I am, and besides me there is no other. 11 Evil shall come upon thee, and then shalt not know the rising thereof: and calamity shall fall violently upon thee, which thou canst not keep off: misery shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know. 12 Stand now with thy enchanters, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, in which thou hast laboured from thy youth, if so be it may profit thee any thing, or if thou mayst become stronger. 13 Thou hast failed in the multitude or thy counsels: let now the astrologers stand and save thee, they that gazed at the stars, and counted the months, that from them they might tell the things that shall come to thee. (Isaiah 47:1, 4-7, 11-13, DRB)
Interestingly, the second of the seven wonders of the ancient world has been called, “Babylon the Great, the Lady of the Kingdoms, the glory of the whole earth“ (and the fourth wonder was called the temple of Diana of the Ephesians). The Bible also seems to connect the Lady’s haughty comments in verses 7 & 8 with those of the harlot of Revelation 17:1, 18; 18:7-8, 11 and the city in Zephaniah 2:15.
As the photo at the beginning of this post suggests, pagan religions also use rosaries.
Jesus taught:
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24)
Many think that it does not matter what or how they worship, only that they make some attempt. That is not what Jesus said that the Father wants.
Jesus also taught:
8 “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:8-9)
The rosary is a false tradition of men.
Praying the rosary will not protect us–all need to worship God in truth.
The truth is that the rosary was not from God nor was it a belief of the original catholic church.
Some items of related interest may include:
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?
What Was the Original Apostles’ Creed? What is the Nicene Creed? Did the original apostles write a creed? When was the first creed written? Are the creeds commonly used by the Eastern Orthodox or Roman Catholics original? Here is a link to a related video: The Original Apostle’s Creed?
Fatima and Pope Francis Could end time prophecies be fulfilled by apparitions? May 13, 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of a ‘Lady’ that appeared before three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. The Vatican announced that Pope Francis will declare them Catholic saints on the 100th anniversary–how did the children describe what they saw? Is it possible that Jesus’ mother Mary appeared at Fatima? Could signs and lying wonders come from apparitions? How could the Fatima hype be setting the world up for the end? Did the old Radio Church of God teach about Fatima? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more. This is a video.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions Do you know much about Mary? Are the apparitions real? What happened at Fatima? What might they mean for the rise of the ecumenical religion of Antichrist? Are Protestants moving towards Mary? How do the Eastern/Greek Orthodox view Mary? How might Mary view her adorers? Here is a link to a YouTube video Marian Apparitions May Fulfill Prophecy. Here is a link to a sermon video: Why Learn About Fatima?
The ‘Lady’ of Guadalupe: Any Future Ramifications? It is claimed that a female apparition appeared near Mexico City on December 12, 1531. How has it affected the world? What might it suggest about the future? A video of related interest is titled: The ‘Lady of Guadalupe’ and Prophecy.
Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy? Pope Francis has taken many steps to turn people more towards his version of ‘Mary.’ Could this be consistent with biblical and Catholic prophecies? This article documents what has been happening. There is also a video version titled Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?
Feast of the Immaculate Conception? Did early Christians teach Mary had an immaculate conception and led a sinless life?
Origin of the Marian Dogmas: Where Do Catholic Scholars Say The Four Dogmas of Mary Came From?
Fatima Shock! What the Vatican Does Not Want You to Know About Fatima, Dogmas of Mary, and Future Apparitions. Whether or not you believe anything happened at Fatima, if you live long enough, you will be affected by its ramifications (cf. Isaiah 47; Revelation 17). Fatima Shock! provides concerned Christians with enough Roman Catholic-documented facts to effectively counter every false Marian argument. In addition to the print version, there is a Kindle version of Fatima Shock! which you can acquire in seconds.
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