[Apologetics] Adventist historian Samuele Bacchiocchi

[Stephen Korsman]

Hi

As some of you know, my apologetics area is Adventism, and along the way I've had some dealings with Adventist Prof Samuele Bacchiocchi, the first and only non-Catholic to graduate from Gregorian University in Rome.  His book, "From Sabbath to Sunday", is very influential in Sabbath-keeping circles, which are largely quite actively anti-Catholic.  It is based on his PhD dissertation at Gregorian.  It looks like he's in for some trouble now, after investigations I (very persistently) asked for (and if it were not for Art Kelly, I would never have thought to ask these questions) resulted in a letter being sent from Gregorian University to the USCCB to clarify the issue, and that info has now started spreading in the apologetics/Adventist world.  Which is good news as far as the Sabbatarian attack on Catholicism (and Sunday observance in general) goes.

Bacchiocchi claims the following for his degree and thesis:
  a.. He claims to have obtained his PhD summa cum laude from the Gregorian University in Rome 
  b.. He claims that the Gregorian University Press printed the first edition of his thesis 
  c.. He claims to have been given an imprimatur for that printing 
  d.. He claims to have received a silver and gold medal from Pope Paul VI
These claims can be found on his website on the From Sabbath to Sunday page, and on the About Author page.

Not so many people familiar with Bacchiocchi know that the Gregorian University seems to deny this:

  a.. No summa cum laude 
  b.. No printing of the full thesis, rather only one chapter - the minimum requirement 
  c.. No imprimatur 
  d.. No medals
Other blogs have now taken up the topic of Samuele Bacchiocchi's credentials and the allegations that they are not what he says they are.
So, in total, there are now 5 blogs that are covering this topic.  Including the blog belonging to Spectrum Magazine, which is a well-known publication in Adventist circles.  The posts, some with a lot of comments/discussion, are very interesting.

The blog postings I've found so far are:

  a.. Bacchiocchi's "Gregorian Controversy" [on the XCG blog*] 
  b.. Bacchiocchi's thesis - the Gregorian Controversy [on my Sabbath Keepers blog**] 
  c.. Bacchiocchi's Sabbath to Sunday [on the Hobbes' Place blog***] 
  d.. Is Bacchiocchi Misrepresenting Himself? [on the Spectrum Magazine blog***] 
  e.. National Enquirer: Adventist Edition [on Trevan Osborn's Divergence blog***] 
  f.. Allegations regarding Bacchiocchi's dissertation [on my Sabbath Keepers blog**]
* Catholic author on ex-Worldwide Church of God blog
** Catholic blog (my blog)
*** Adventist blogs

The relevant links on my blog (in sequence) are:
http://www.theotokos.co.za/blog/post/index/200/Bacchiocchis-thesis--the-Gregorian-Controversy
http://www.theotokos.co.za/blog/post/index/276/Allegations-regarding-Bacchiocchis-dissertation
http://www.theotokos.co.za/blog/post/index/280/Bacchiocchis-current-crisis

God bless,
Stephen
--
Stephen Korsman
skorsman at theotokos.co.za
www.theotokos.co.za

IC | XC
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NI | KA
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