Book Comment: Butler's Lives of the Saints

     Make no mistake, this is a very Roman Catholic book.  The Catholic idea of sainthood seems to Protestants to be at odds with the Bible, especially on two points.

     The eremitical saints renounced the world and went to live alone in caves, in the woods, or up on the tops of tall poles.  Many of the Roman Catholic saints slept with stones as pillows, wore very little clothing regardless of the weather, some wore harsh clothing which irritated their skin, and some physically punished their bodies.  Many practiced extreme asceticism and "mortification of the flesh."  

     Protestants would point out that most of the the saints of the Bible were actively involved in the world, not withdrawn to a cave.   There were a few exceptions such as John the Baptist.

     The other point concerns the Intercession of the Saints.  Protestants believe in the priesthood of the Believer; that each believer may approach Jesus with no need for an intermediary.

     The Bible describes all believers as saints set apart from the world and holy in the eyes of God (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1: Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:1-2; Hebrews 3:1. )

     No matter what your religious persuasion is, you might be surprised to find out how much you would enjoy reading Butler's Lives of the Saints,  which is still in active print after first being published in 1756.  The saints include kings, empresses, hermits, widows, virgins, nurses, scholars, and soldiers from all over the world across the centuries.  They all have one thing in common: their love for God and their willingness to live and often, to die, for Him.