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#12574 Are There Anglican Sacraments? Early Church and Politics - Joe Heschmeyer

Feb 4, 2026

Guest

Joe Heschmeyer

Joe Heschmeyer, Catholic apologist and author on early Church history and the Eucharist, answers callers on sacrament questions. He debates Anglican sacramental validity and explains why Scripture alone is problematic. He discusses devotionals, early laity and Mass practices, Bible translations for devotion, and how politics shaped East-West divisions.

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INSIGHT

Sola Scriptura Is Self-Refuting

Sola Scriptura is historically and biblically unsupportable because the New Testament developed alongside apostolic authority, not as its sole judge.
Joe Heschmeyer argues the Bible cannot self-authenticate its canon, so an external authority was necessary.

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ADVICE

Explain Devotionals As Optional Helpers

Use the Catechism (¶1670) to explain sacramentals: they prepare us to receive grace but do not confer sacramental grace like the sacraments.
Encourage people to pick devotions that help them grow and avoid treating optional practices as obligations.

insights

INSIGHT

Validity Depends On Priestly Theology

Anglican orders lost sacramental validity when the Edwardian Ordinals rejected sacerdotal priesthood and the theology of offering sacrifice.
Valid apostolic succession requires an ongoing ordination to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice, not merely historical lineage.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Explaining 'Norming the Norm That Cannot Be Normed'

00:31 • 10min

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Debate on Solas and Scripture's Authority

Devotionals, Sacramentals, and Optional Practices

11:57 • 9min

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Sanctification as Lifelong Cooperation with Grace

Why New Testament Lacks Temple's Fulfillment Note

28:25 • 3min

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Could Laity Celebrate the Eucharist Early On?

31:35 • 4min

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Preferred Bible Translations for Devotional Reading

35:24 • 2min

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Would Removing Politics Prevent East-West Schism?

37:27 • 9min

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“What are Anglican sacraments?” This question opens a discussion on the validity of Anglican sacraments, alongside inquiries about communicating the nature of devotionals to non-Catholics and the historical role of laity in the early Church. The conversation also touches on the impact of politics on the split between Orthodox and Roman rites, providing a rich exploration of faith and history.

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Questions Covered:

01:28 – What is “Norming the norm that cannot be normed?”
13:45 – What are some ways to communicate to non-Catholics and fallen away Catholics that devotionals are not obligatory?
21:08 – Why are Anglican sacraments not valid?
28:55 – Why does the New Testament not talk about the fulfillment of the prophecies of the destruction of the Temple?
31:48 – Are there any historical records of the laity in the early church being able to celebrate the Mass?
35:35 – What is Joe’s preferred Bible?
37:41 – If it weren’t for human politics between East and West, would there not have been a split between Orthodox and Roman rites?
46:30 – Does Catholicism have a good answer to modern Biblical scholarship?

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