Absentis

This Was Not An Easy Book To Write Because For Many People It May Contradict Their Long-Held Beliefs. Intense Feelings Are Invoked In Almost All Discussions Of Biblical Interpretation. Catholics Will Probably Accuse The Author Of Trying To Take Rome Out Of Roman Catholicism. In A More Simplistic Sense It Might Be Likened To Spitefully Informing A Minor That There Is No Santa Claus. Worse It Is Purports To Suggest That Over A Billion People Are Wrong In Their Beliefs And The Author Is Right. Perhaps It Might Be Argued It Would Be Better If The Subject Matter Which May Be Harmless Tradition And An Edifying Myth Is Best Left Undisturbed. After All It Is Always Possible We Are Missing One Vital Piece Of Information That Would Prove The Catholic Church Was Correct All Along In Believing That St Peter Was Martyred In Rome. However The Facts Would Seem To Suggest Strongly Otherwise.Then There Is The Matter Of The Belief In A Continuing Apostolic Succession Which Is Exceptionally Difficult To Prove (Unless The Unsatisfactory Defense Is Tradition And Blind Faith). Thus The Battleground Of This Contentious Enquiry Rests Mainly On Tradition And Faith Versus (Only Partially Verifiable) Facts. So In The End It Is Doubtful The Enquiry Will Change Many Minds. But If It States Its Case Pro And Con Honestly Enough To Let People Judge For Themselves Then That Is Probably Sufficient.