Catholic teachings conflict with the New Testament
It is true that many Catholic teachings conflict with the way many non-Catholic interpret the Bible, but since these people are not in full communion with the Catholic Church, they do not have the Sacred Magisterium; therefore, their interpretation of the Bible is not led by the Holy Spirit into all truth. The question of whether or not Catholic teachings conflict with the Bible, is simply a question of which interpretation of the Bible is correct. Most non-Catholic churches will admit that they do not have an infallible interpretation of the Bible; this means that their teachings are not the infallible teachings of Christ. The Catholic Church does have an infallible interpretation of the Bible, as well as the remainder of God's Word; therefore, they have the infallible teachings of Christ.
We should also consider the fact that it was the Catholic Church that added the New Testament to Sacred Scripture at a Roman Synod in 382. If the teachings of the Catholic Church actually conflicted with the New Testament, it would be pure stupidity to declare such writings as Sacred Scripture. Clearly the Catholic Church did not see any conflicts between itself and the New Testament, and still today there are no conflicts.
Words like "Catholic", "Pope", "Cardinal", "Transubstantiation", "Eucharist", "Canonization", and "Mass" are not in the Bible; therefore they are not Christian
It is true that these words do not appear in the Bible; however, with the exception of cardinal, the definitions of these words do appear in the New Testament. North and South America were not called North and South America until Europeans discovered them. This does not mean that North and South America did not exist before Europeans discovered them, but that these names were not applied to them until that time. Likewise, it was not until a number of years after Christ founded his Church that his followers were first called Christians (Cf. Acts 11:26). This does not mean that Christ's followers before this time were not Christians, but that the name Christian was not yet used to describe them. So it is with many things in Christ's Church. The word Catholic was applied to Christ's Church because of its universal salvation. The word pope was applied to the earthly leader of Christ Church, the first of which was Peter. Transubstantiation is used to describe how the bread and wine are miraculously turned into the Body and Blood of Christ, which is called the Eucharist. The celebration in which this miracle takes place has been given the name the Mass. Canonization is simply the act of making a decree, such as the Council of Jerusalem declaring the doctrine that Christians did not have to follow the Law of Moses.
The word cardinal has been used for a number of different offices in the Church, but it was not until just before the second millennium that the present use of the word became the dominate one. A cardinal is simply a bishop with additional responsibilities. The role of a cardinal is to assist the pope in his liturgical functions, care of the poor, administer papal finances and possessions, and the synodal disposition of important matters.
Mary was a virgin when Jesus was born, but the Bible says she had children after Jesus
There are very few who profess to be Christian, that would deny that Mary retained her virginity during the conception of her Divine Son; many outside the Catholic and Orthodox Churches however, do deny that Mary retained her virginity after the birth of Christ. Both Catholic and non-Catholic Bible scholars agree that the New Testament is silent on this matter, nether confirming nor denying the perpetual virginity of Mary. Those not so scholarly, sometimes make an attempt to disprove the perpetual virginity of Mary using the New Testament. Matthew 1:18 is sometimes translated as "before they came together", though many times it is rendered as "before they lived together"; as well, Matthew 1:25 says, "He had no relations with her until she bore a son". In no way do these statement imply that they had sexual relations after the birth of Christ, but simply stress the fact that Jesus was not conceived by Joseph. In Luke 2:7 we find the term firstborn used, which some claim must imply she had children after, but the term firstborn is actually a legal Jewish term for the child that opens the womb, and does not imply any other children. In fact, archaeologist in the Holy Land discovered a tomb from around the same time as Christ, which commemorates a woman who died giving birth to her firstborn. The main argument used against the perpetual virginity of Mary, is the mentioning of the brothers and sisters of Jesus, in Matthew 12:46, Matthew 13:56, Mark 3:31, Luke 8:19, John 7:3, Acts 1:14, and 1 Corinthians 9:5. Four of these brother are actually named: Joses, Simon, Jude, and James, that last of which became the first Bishop of Jerusalem. They are called brothers and sisters of Jesus, but no where is anyone called a child of Mary except Jesus. Some say that these were the children of Joseph from a previous wife that had died, but there is absolutely no evidence of this, and church tradition maintains Joseph's perpetual virginity. The correct way to understand who these brothers and sisters of Jesus were is to look at the Hebrew and Aramaic words for brothers and sisters. In Hebrew and Aramaic, there is no word for cousin, the words brother and sister are used to describe any degree of relationship. The New Testament was written in Greek, which does have a word for cousin, but it would be natural for the writers of the New Testament, who came from a Hebrew environment, to use the words brother and sister when talking about any relative. If you look at the Greek word used for sister in Matthew 13:56, you will see the same word used in John 19:25, which is sometimes translated as cousin because you would not find two sisters with the same name, Mary. In the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the same word used in the New Testament to describe the brothers of Jesus is used to describe Abraham's kinsman in Genesis 24:48, and the relationship between Jacob and Laban in Genesis 29:12. In both cases, the word brother is used with the Hebrew and Aramaic literally definition, to describe a close family relationship. This definition does include the relationship between the children of the same parents, but in these two cases it is obviously not intended to describe this. The same Hebrew and Aramaic backgrounds of the translators of the Septuagint is shared with the writers of the New Testament, and they would both use the words brothers and sisters the same way. In John 19:26-27, Jesus gives his mother to John for him to take care of her, this is an act of an only child of a widow; if Mary had other children, or even if she was step-mother to Joseph's children, these other children would care for her. We could not say that these other children would not care for Mary because they were not believers, because it is quite clear that those mentioned as brothers and sister of Jesus were believers. Many early Christian writers prove that the perpetual virginity of Mary was believed at a very early date, such as St. Irenaeus, St. Ignatius of Antioch, and St. Polycarp, who was an associate of St. John the apostle and others who had seen Christ. St. Siricius, who was Pope from 384 to 399, condemns those who say Mary had other children, and calls it a denial of faith. Obviously this very early belief of the Mary's perpetual virginity could not have developed if her children were prominent Christian, one of whom was Bishop of Jerusalem. No, the early Church believed in Mary's perpetual virginity because it was a fact.
Mary is not honoured in the New Testament
To not honour Mary, one dishonours Christ, as Christ chose Mary among all his creatures for the highest honour possible, to be his mother. In the New Testament we see how Mary is honoured by all other creatures. If you look at all the occasions that angels speak to anyone, they always give them orders, and they do not show any honour or respect to humans. Sometimes the angels are even sarcastic, such as in Acts 1:11 when the angels said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?" The tone that the Archangel Gabriel uses when addressing Mary is entirely different; he says, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you." (Luke 1:28). No where is it found that an angel gives this kind of honour to another creature. In fact, the only other person described as "full of grace" is Christ in John 1:14. A little later, Elizabeth gives honour to Mary and says, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" And, "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." (Luke 1:42-45). Elizabeth could see that Mary was the most blessed of all creatures, and considered it an honour to have Mary come and visit her. Just after this, Mary prophesies how true believers can be recognized in the future, "Behold, generations to come will call me most blessed." (Luke 1:48). Mary herself could see that she was the most blessed of all creatures. Anyone who does not call Mary the most blessed of all creatures is not a true follower of Christ. To deny that Mary is the most blessed and honoured of all creature, is to deny the Divinity of Christ. It was actually this passage in Luke 1:48, that made me realize that the Catholic Church may not be as wrong as I had thought. As well, in Acts 2:14 we read, "All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers." Mary is not included with the other women, but because of her special place in the Church, was specifically named. Revelation 11:19-12:2 says, "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a violent hailstorm. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she laboured to give birth." The Catholic Church calls Mary the Ark of the Covenant, because for nine months God dwelt within her, just as he dwelt in the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament. In this passage from Revelation, Mary is shown to be the Ark of the Covenant. Some may argue that the Ark of the Covenant was shown first and then Mary was shown. In this case, they would have to admit that the Ark of the Covenant was a precursor to Mary. If this is too much to admit, there is one thing about this passage cannot deny: Mary is honoured above all creatures. Mary is clothed with sun, which is a symbol of God; the moon is under her feet, which symbolizes that she is above all other creature; and she is crowned with a crown of twelve stars, which symbolize that she is the queen of the twelve tribes of Israel, and queen of the Church of the twelve apostles. To deny that this passage speaks of Mary, would be to deny that her son Jesus was "destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod." (Revelation 12:5). In John 19:26-27 we read, "When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, 'Woman, behold, you son.' Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother.'" Why is this account given? Why does John refer to himself as the disciple Christ loved? Churches without the complete Word of God do not have answers to these questions, but the Catholic Church does. There are three meanings to this passage. First the literal one, of John taking care of Mary, who was a widow, and had no other children to care for her. Second, Mary is a symbol of the Church, and the disciple that Christ loved are all the disciples of Christ. The Catholic Church is the mother of all Christians, as well as all mankind. The third meaning is this: in John's gospel, John refers to himself at the disciple that Christ loved so we can substitute ourselves into the life of Jesus, as we too are disciples that Christ loves. When we do this we see that Christ gives Mary to us, to be our mother. As our mother, Mary loves and prays for us, and as her children we honour her. To not honoured Mary, one dishonours Christ.
"Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven" (Matthew 23:9)
Of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said, "All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honour at banquets, seats of honour in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.' As for you, do no be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:5-12). Many translations use the word 'Teacher' instead of 'Master'. Jesus has told us not to call anyone 'Master', and 'Teacher', except for himself, and not to call anyone 'Father' except for God the Father. Christ is using hyperbole here, as He does other places, such as when He tells us to cut off our foot or hand, or to gouge out our eye if they causes us to sin (Matthew 18:8-9), or to let the dead bury the dead (Matthew 8:22, Luke 9:60). Surely Christ is not telling us to mutilate our bodies or to not honour our parents by giving them a proper burial, which would contradict the commandment to honour father and mother (Exodus 20:12). He was simply making the point, through hyperbole, not to seek titles. If He were not using hyperbole, what are we to call our masters, teachers, and fathers? For father, we cannot use the word 'Dad', 'Daddy', 'Papa', or even 'Pop' because these are just different translations of the word 'father'. We can use the term 'husband of my mother', but if there is a divorce, or a death and a re-marriage, this term is no good. What do we call these people? Obviously, this passage is not forbidding the application of these words to people, but condemns seeking earthly honour and titles. This is not limited to the words 'Master', 'Teacher', and 'Father', but to any titles that honour is given, including the titles 'Minister', 'Evangelist', 'Elder', 'Deacon', 'Bishop', and any other titles. The use of these titles is not wrong, and it is not wrong to want to fill these positions, what is wrong is to fill these positions with the intent of receiving honour and praise. The correct attitude is to serve the people that are below these positions. In the Catholic Church, priests are called 'father', or 'padre', and the word 'pope' also means father, but the word 'father' is not a part of these titles. The words 'father', 'padre', and 'pope' are titles of affection and not official titles. The actual title of the pope is this: Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Province of Rome, Sovereign of the State of Vatican City, Servant of the Servants of God. In this title, we see what the offices of the Pope and the priests mean, the Pope is the Servant of the Servants of God, and priest are the Servants of God. The real meaning of these offices is exactly what Christ said, "The greatest among you must be your servant." The first time that the word 'father' is recorded as referring to a Servant of God in the Catholic Church is in 1 Corinthians 4:15, where Paul said, "I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel." As well, John addresses those with the title 'father' in 1 John 2:13 and in verse 14, while at the same time, he also refers to God as 'the Father' in verse 13. From the first century until the present, the people that serve God's people have been affectionately called 'father', and this in no way takes any glory away for God our Father.
It is true that the clergy of the Catholic Church are given honour and respect, and the higher one is in the Catholic hierarchy, the more respect and honour they receive. This is no different than the respect and honour give to the apostles, and those they ordained as bishops, priests, and deacons. It is good that those who are ordained to server Christ's people receive respect; however, it is wrong that these positions are sought in order to receive respect and honour. There have been a number of men that seek these positions for the wrong reasons; this includes some of the popes. It would have been better for these men to have never succeeded to these positions, for the more responsibility one receives, all the more is expected of them. (Cf. Luke 12:47-48). Someone that has been given great responsibility and does not fulfill what is expected, is judged harder than someone with little responsibility. God expects those called 'father' in the Catholic Church, to server the ones that are given into their care.
The Catholic Church has Priests when the Bible says all Christians are "a holy community of priests" (1 Peter 2:9)
The Bible says all Christians belong to a "holy priesthood" (1 Peter 2:5), and "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9); and the Catholic Church teaches the same. This is a quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1546 Christ, high priest and unique mediator, has made of the Church "a kingdom, priests for his God and Father." (Revelation 1:6, Revelation 5:9-10, 1 Peter 2:5, 1 Peter 2:9) The whole community of believers is, as such, priestly. The faithful exercise their baptismal priesthood through their participation, each according to his own vocation, in Christ's mission as priest, prophet, and king. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation the faithful are "consecrated to be... a holy priesthood" (Lumen Gentium 10§1)
Why then does the Catholic Church have an ordained priesthood that is set apart from the priesthood of the all Christians? The confusion here is in the translation from Greek to English. The Greek word use to describe the priesthood of all Christians, Christ as the high priest, and the priesthood of Melkizadech, is the same word used to describe Jewish and pagan priests. This word is completely different from the word use to describe Christian priests. The Greek word ἱερεύς (hiereus) is used for a Jewish or pagan priest, whereas the Greek word πρεσβύτερος (presbuteros) is use for a Christian priest. The reason both of these Greek words are translated into the same English word "priest" is understood when we look at the history of this word. The Greek word πρεσβύτερος had no equivalent in English, and so the actual Greek word was corrupted into the new English word "priest". This is the same as the Greek word Χριστός (Christos) being corrupted into the new English word "Christ." Since the role of a ἱερεύς in the Jewish Church is similar to the πρεσβύτερος in the Christian Church, the word ἱερεύς was not corrupted into a new English word, but literally translated into the existing English word "priest". It would be correct to say that the translation of πρεσβύτερος into "priest" is more correct than the translation of ἱερεύς into "priest." Any English dictionary that defines the origins of words will give the Greek word πρεσβύτερος as the origins of the word "priest," and it will not mention the Greek word ἱερεύς. The priesthood of all Christians is described with the word ἱερεύς, whereas the priesthood of the Catholic Church described with the word πρεσβύτερος. The priesthood of all Christians and the priesthood of the Catholic Church are two different priesthoods that do not share the same semantical heritage.
Like most other churches, the Catholic Church has a hierarchy of offices to serve and shepherd its members. In the hierarchy of the Catholic Church there are three orders: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate. The episcopate office is commonly known as the office of bishop; they are chosen from the presbyterate order, and are successors of the apostles. From what we know about the first century, there were few bishops to begin with, as there were only twelve apostles plus St. Paul. As the apostles died, and Christianity spread outside the communities of the Jews, more bishoprics were established. One of the first bishops was James, the brother of the Lord, who was not one of the Twelve Apostles. Paul says in Galatians 1:18-19, that he saw Peter in Jerusalem and none of the other apostles, but he does mention James the brother of the Lord. Obviously James was an important person in the Jerusalem Church. In Galatians 2:9, Paul lists James before Peter, this is an exception to the rule, the reason for this maybe because Peter had left Jerusalem, and James was the leader of the Jerusalem Church, that is the Bishop of Jerusalem. Acts 21:18 shows James as the leader, or bishop, of the Jerusalem Church. James was consecrated as Bishop of Jerusalem, and after this other bishoprics were established, such as in Asia Minor. Other bishops found in the New Testament are Timothy and Titus, both of which were consecrated by Paul. Timothy was Bishop of Ephesus, and Titus was Bishop of Crete. In the letters Paul wrote to these men, it is quite obvious that they were the men of authority in these communities, and these letters are filled with instruction in how Timothy and Titus were to exercise their office as bishop. Paul writes in Titus 1:5, "For this reason I left you in Crete so that you might set right what remains to be done and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you." This verse confirms that Paul placed Titus as the authority in Crete, and that one of his responsibilities as bishop was to appoint priests in every town under his jurisdiction. By the beginning of the second century, there were a number of bishops throughout the Church. Most of the evidence we have of early bishops is in a number of writings found at end of second century, which include lists of the successors of several important bishoprics, such as Rome and Jerusalem. There are also earlier writings that confirm the early institution of bishops, such as the writings of St. Clement of Rome around the year 95. The second order of the Christian hierarchy is that of the presbyterate, which through the centuries had come to be known as the office of priest. Most good dictionaries indicate that the word priest comes from the Greek word πρεσβύτερος (presbuteros), and is defined as an elder or overseer. The oldest evidence we have of this office in found in the New Testament: Acts 11:30, Acts 14:23, Acts 15:2, Acts 15:22, Acts 20:17, Acts 20:28, Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 1 Timothy 4:14, 1 Timothy 5:17-19, Titus 1:5-9, James 5:14. The third order of the Christian hierarchy is that of diaconate, which is also found in the New Testament: Acts 6:1-6, Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Unlike priests and bishops (a bishop is fullness of the priesthood), deacons do not have the same authority as priests, but assist the priests. From the beginning of the Christian Church, priests have always been the servants and shepherds of God's people.
We also have evidence of bishops outside of the Bible. St. Irenaeus wrote sometime between the years 180 and 199: "Polycarp, however, was instructed not only by the Apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna, by the Apostles in Asia. I saw him in my early youth; for he tarried a long time, and when quite old he departed this life in a glorious and most noble martyrdom. He always taught those things which he had learned from the Apostles, and which the Church had handed down, and which are true. To these things all the Churches in Asia bear witness, as do also the successors of Polycarp even to the present time." St. Clement of Alexandria wrote sometime between the years 190 and 210: "After the death of the tyrant, the [Apostle John] came back again to Ephesus from the Island of Patmos; and, upon being invited, he went even to the neighbouring cities of the pagans, here to appoint bishops, there to set in order whole Churches, and there to ordain to the clerical estate such as were designated by the Spirit." St. Cyprian of Carthage wrote in the year 250: "From that time the ordinations of bishops and the plan of the Church flows on through the changes of times and successions; for the Church is founded upon the bishops, and every act of the Church is controlled by these same rulers. Since this has indeed been established by divine law."
The church of Christ would deny this, but it too has a clergy set apart from the laity. The hierarchy of this clergy is very small, and does not extend outside each individual congregation, as each congregation is independent. The hierarchy consists of Elders, which oversee all activates of the congregation; Ministers or Evangelists, which teach the congregation; and possibly Deacons, which assist the Elders. This is a very small hierarchy, and usually there is never one individual that supervises all of the others, but this is still a clergy that is set apart from the laity.
There is no hierarchy of Pope, cardinals, bishops, priests, and deacons in the New Testament
In the New Testament we find the hierarchy of Pope, apostles, priests (presbyter), and deacons. Cardinals became necessary much later, and are just bishops with additional responsibilities. Bishops are the successors of the apostles. The hierarchy of the Catholic Church is the same today as it was when the New Testament was written.
There is no celibate clergy in the New Testament
There was celibate clergy in the New Testament: St. Paul was celibate and he encouraged others to remain celibate. In the beginning of the Church, celibacy was not required, as the first Pope was married, as were many, if not all of the Twelve Apostles. By the beginning of the fourth century, the example and encouragement of St. Paul resulted in celibacy among the clergy to be the norm. From the documents of the Council of Elvira, sometime between 300 and 324, we have the oldest positive ecclesiastical ordinance concerning the celibacy of the clergy, and again at the First Council of Nicaea in 325, we have the same. Most are only familiar with the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, which requires celibacy among the bishops and priests; however, many of the other rites have married priests, though most bishops are celibate due to extra responsibilities and travel. Some married men are allowed to the diaconate in the Roman Rite; although, this is left up to the local bishop to decide if there is a married diaconate in his diocese. Though celibacy among the clergy was not the norm in New Testament times, through the example and encouragement of St. Paul and Christ (Matthew 19:12), it became the norm after a couple of centuries.
Deacons and elders must be the husband of one wife: 1 Timothy 3:2, 1 Timothy 3:12, and Titus 1:6
Since the word priest comes from the word presbyterate and is defined as an elder or overseer, these three verses are often used against the celibacy of priests and deacons in the Catholic Church. Although celibacy is not always required of priests and deacons, it is the norm. If we look closely at these verses, we will see that marriage is not a requirement, but that remarriage is not allowed in the clergy. 1 Timothy 3:2 says, "married only once"; 1 Timothy 3:12 says, "Deacons may be married only once"; and Titus 1:6 says, "married only once". It is quite obvious that these verses do not say that these men must be married, but that if they are married, they must be "married only once". This phrase is very specifically stating that a man who has had more than one wife because of remarriage after either a divorce or the death of his first wife, cannot become a priest or deacon. These three passages were written by St. Paul, who like the other apostles was a priest and bishop, but unlike the others, was not married. It would be ridicules to think that St. Paul, who was celibate (Cf. 1 Corinthians 7:7), and the many he encouraged to be celibate (1 Corinthians 7:32-35), could not meet his own requirement of the presbyterate and diaconate. St. Paul would very much want the shepherds of God's people to give "propriety and adherence to the Lord without distraction"(1 Corinthians 7:35). It would also be ridicules not to allow the shepherds of God's people to follow Christ's example and his words to have "renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it." (Matthew 19:12). The Bible makes it clear that priests and deacons do not have to be married, and that it is better for priests, deacons, and all the people of God not to marry.
It is very revealing that, aside from the Orthodox Churches, most heretic churches do not encourage celibacy, and in fact look down upon it, especially within the clergy. This goes directly against the example and words of St. Paul and Christ.
Paul was not an elder because he did not have a wife
Some refute the last two points by stating that St. Paul was not an elder (bishop). The only evidence to support this is that fact that Paul was celibate, which supposedly disqualifies him because of 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6. This means that the erroneous belief that Paul was not an elder is only supported by an erroneous interpretation of 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6. It is only logical to assume that as an apostle (1 Corinthians 15:9), Paul was an elder just as the other apostles were elders. In addition to this logical assumption, there is also evidence in the New Testament that suggests that St. Paul was an elder. One of the duties of an elder (bishop) is to ordain other elders (priests and bishops) and deacons (Cf. Titus 1:5). Ordination requires that the elders lay their hands on the one being ordained (Acts 6:6, 1 Timothy 4:14). Not only did St. Paul ordain elders in Acts 14:23, but he identifies himself in 2 Timothy 1:6 as one of the elders that laid his hands on Timothy during his ordination. St. Paul was an elder, or more correctly, a bishop.
It should be noted that many incorrectly use 1 Peter 5:1, 2 John 1, and 3 John 1 to prove that the apostles, with the exception of Paul, were elders in the ecclesiastical sense (presbyter). In these verses, the word elder is actually used in its secular sense as senior in the community. The apostles were priests (presbyters) because they received the commission from Jesus to "Do this for a commemoration of me" in Luke 22:19.
NOTE:
Lumen Gentium is not one of the books in the Catholic Bible, nor is it considered Sacred Scripture. Lumen Gentium is the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, proclaimed by Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964. It can be found here:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html