Inerrancy and Autographs
- Thread starter Dave_Regenerated
- Start date
Which is still unclear. What is your point??? Please clarify
Agreed, it's always best to read in the original languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
P
ppierac
Guest
Some times I use aids like Greek Interlinear Bibles (NT) here's just one that's easy to use...
Once you get past the cult like issues of the different sites.... The text is not all that bad and helpfull... My Greek kinda suxs so i use aids...
Paul
Except the link is to the Textus ReceptusSome times I use aids like Greek Interlinear Bibles (NT) here's just one that's easy to use...
Once you get past the cult like issues of the different sites.... The text is not all that bad and helpfull... My Greek kinda suxs so i use aids...
Paul
P
ppierac
Guest
I use all tools... I have no problem with the Textus Receptus it's just not superior to the modern text...
In fact, all of our bibles/manuscripts are incorrect in relation to so many things.....
Not long ago... I was putting together a First century New Testament.... after much work... I realised nobody really cared, so I stopped working on it... Let me share my introduction... to that failed venture on my part... then you might begin to see what Man has done to our scriptures...
The modern Christians have not had a complete New Testament in the original manuscript order for over 1,700 plus years. What does this mean? It means the original manuscripts did not contain chapters and verses, and they were arranged in a different order. Why is that important? What if you took a cook book, and started to rearrange it in a different order, what would be the outcome? Could you get different results from what was intended? What if Chefs many years later added to these recipes? You would no longer have the original recipe. This is what has happened to the New Testament, and it’s documented well by our biblical scholars. Just like in a mixed up recipe from an altered cook book could get you incorrect dishes. A rearranged Biblical text with added content along with adding verses to chapters that makes it easier to take meaning out of context. Incorrect interpretation could get you many different Christian denominations that were never intended by the original authors. Christ has only one Ekklesia (Church).
Notice what Dr. Bullinger had to say about our current biblical arrangement.
“Our English Bibles follow the order as given in the Latin Vulgate. This order, therefore, depends on the arbitrary judgment of one man, Jerome (A.D. 382–429). All theories based on this order rest on human authority, and are thus without any true foundation.”
Companion Bible, Appendix 95, p.139
Rene Gregory, a New Testament textual critic, reorganized Biblical manuscripts into an improved classification system, Die griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testaments, used throughout the scholarly world today.
“The order in which we place the books of the New Testament is not a matter of indifference. Every Christian should be familiar with these books, and should know precisely where to find each book. Every New Testament should have the books in precisely the same order, the order of the Greek Church, which in this case is of right the guardian of this ancient literature. The proper order is, I think: First, the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Second, the Book of Acts. Third, the Catholic Epistles: James, First and Second Peter, First, Second and Third John, and Jude. Fourth, the Epistles of Paul: Romans, First and Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First and Second Thessalonians, Hebrews, First and Second Timothy, Titus, Philemon. And fifth, the Book of Revelation…. The Greek order is that which places the Epistle to the Hebrews between Thessalonians and Timothy, and that is the order to which we should hold. The Latin order places Hebrews after Philemon. But we must keep to the old order or we shall have the New Testament turned upside down in connection with every fancied discovery as to authorship and date of books"
Rene Gregory, Canon and Text of the New Testament, pp.467-469,
Professors Westcott & Hort also give a detailed explanation on the order.
“We have followed recent editors in abandoning the Hieronymic order [Jerome’s], familiar in modern Europe through the influence of the Latin Vulgate, in favour of the order most highly recommended by various Greek authority of the fourth century, the earliest time when we have distinct evidence of the completed Canon as it now stands. It differs from the Hieronymic [Jerome’s] order in two respects. First, the Acts are immediately followed by the Catholic Epistles. The connexion between these two portions, commended by its intrinsic appropriateness, is preserved in a large proportion of Greek manuscripts of all ages, and corresponds to marked affinities of textual history. This connexion is not sacrificed in the arrangement found in the Sinai manuscript and elsewhere, by which the Pauline Epistles are placed next to the Gospels. The Sinaitic order has the undoubted advantage of keeping together those books of the New Testament which were most decisively invested with a scriptural character in the earlier ages. But there is a manifest incongruity in placing the Acts in the midst of the Epistles; and moreover, since the choice lies between what are after all only rival traditions, strong reasons would be needed to justify us in forsaking the highest ancient Greek authority, in accordance with which the Pauline Epistles stand after the Catholic Epistles [Jewish]. Secondly, the Epistle to the Hebrews stands before the Pastoral Epistles [Paul’s]. It is certainly not satisfactory to ourselves personally to separate what we believe to be genuine writings of St Paul from the bulk of his works by an epistle in which we cannot recognize his authorship. But no violence has, we trust, been here done to truth in deferring throughout to the most eminent precedent, since the Epistle to the Hebrews is on all hands acknowledged as in some sense Pauline, and St Paul’s epistles addressed to single persons [the four Pastoral Epistles: 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon] may very well be placed by themselves. We have therefore been content to indicate the existence of three groups in the table prefixed to the whole Pauline collection [the nine epistles to the Seven Churches of Paul, the Book of Hebrews, and the Pastoral Epistles].”
Introduction to the New Testament in the Original Greek
Many many textual scholars know that the arrangement by Jerome, whom was employed by the church in Rome, was designed to exalt the “Gentile” epistles of the New Testament into a higher position over those which had “Jewish” characteristics. The actual manuscripts show that Jerome’s order of the New Testament books do not represent any original arrangement. Yet many would agree Jerome’s Latin Vulgate translation was a political attempt to increase the political power of the western church over the rest of Christendom.
Yet, in spite of these reasons for placing Paul’s letters before the seven Catholic (“Jewish”) Epistles, the known proper order of the New Testament books has been maintained by the majority of early Greek manuscripts. And this is exactly how the New Testament books should be positioned today. This one of the main reasons this New Testament is being created. The world needs the original New Testament arrangement without verses. The scriptures should be preserved as close to originally intended without the distractions of verses used through out biblical history to destroy the context and message.
So, why is it important to have the correct manuscript arrangement?
As part of our education system it is known that the best way to instruct people is to begin with the easy aspects of a subject and then proceed to the more advanced. We can find this in the arrangement of the early New Testament books. The early writings were placed first to give the “kindergarten” books. Then progressed to the “grade school” books, then to the “high school” books, followed by the “college level” books, and so on.
This scaffolding can be seen in the writings of the apostle Paul. His first book in the New Testament, the book of Romans, represents a kind of kindergarten level of Christian doctrine for those with little knowledge about the plan of salvation. You notice Paul had not been to Rome before he wrote the book to a church that he states needed to “be established” (Romans 1:11). Paul then continues to give the Romans the kindergarten doctrinal teachings of Christianity. This is why the Book of Romans comes first in the canonical epistles of Paul.
Next come First Corinthians. Unlike the Romans whom Paul had never taught, He spent many months with the Corinthians. Paul’s focused on corrective matters as to spiritual infants. The epistle shows how new and immature the Corinthians were in their Christian faith.
“And I brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk: for hitherto you were not able to bear it, neither yet now are you able.” 1 Corinthians 3:1–2
The Corinthians at that stage in their Christian development were only capable of receiving elementary teachings from Paul. Not only were they acting like “children” (seen by reading further in 1 Corinthians 14:20), but their spiritual performances were more like baptized heathens. Paul demanded that they grow up and behave like mature Christians. Thankfully, the Corinthians learned some vital lessons by the time Paul wrote his second epistle, but in spite of their progress, Paul still said in 2nd Corinthians: “I speak unto you as children” (2 Corinthians 6:13).
Part 1
Sorry Going to take 3 post...
Paul
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P
ppierac
Guest
Part 2
As for the Galatians, the next book in the canonical order after the two to the Corinthians, Paul was upset with them for returning so quickly to an “infancy” in Christ, and resorting to the rule of the “schoolmaster” (the Mosaic law, Galatians 3:24–29; 4:1–10). The Galatians were reinstituting “elementary” teachings (Galatians 4:9). They were going back to a “grade school” type of instruction in Christ, returning to the lowest level of Christian development—to the keeping of the Law in order to “earn” salvation. The Galatians were retreating into Mosaic rules and trying to live like the Jewish people in Palestine: observing weekly and annual Sabbath days, new moons and months, and sabbatical years. These doctrines were intended for spiritual children who were in “grade school,” and not (as Paul looked at it) befitting mature Christians.
Thus, the epistles of Paul to the Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians in the regular canonical order of the manuscripts were designed for people just coming into a knowledge of Christ. And note:
The message in the Book of Romans was for people Paul had never instructed before,
His teaching to the Corinthians was for those whom he had taught for months, and
The epistle to the Galatians was designed for those who had been taught the Gospel for several years.
In all of these first four epistles, the messages of Paul were intended for spiritual children. But when it comes to the next three epistles of Paul in the New Testament canon (Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians), they were designed to give instruction to mature and fully developed Christians. In Ephesians the subjects are directed to those who are “no more children.”
The teachings of Paul in these three epistles were advanced doctrinal discourses. Note that Paul spoke to these people in a mature language.
“For the perfecting [maturing] of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man [a fully mature man], unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.”
There could hardly be any plainer teaching. The readers of these latter epistles were far advanced in spiritual knowledge than the early Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians. Paul was even able to write the latter three epistles in very sophisticated language.
Paul’s letters to the first three churches in the canonical order of the manuscripts (Romans, Corinthians, Galatians) were arranged to provide the ABCs of doctrinal teaching, while the teaching in the latter three epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians) provided the XYZs of one’s knowledge in Christ.
The next book in the manuscript order is Hebrews. It is very mature teaching. Paul even stated that this treatise (rather than a “letter”) was intended for very mature Christians. Note what Paul stated in regard to the mature message that he was giving in the Book of Hebrews. “Leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection” (Hebrews 6:1–2). Its commentary explains how the Temple and physical rituals were types of things to come, but how the reality is found in Christ. It discusses the true kingdom of God which is to appear on earth. Emphasis is also given to “the Sabbath to come”—the millennial age (Hebrews 4:9) and the new Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22–23).
In Hebrews Paul also states that the elementary Christian doctrines of repentance, faith, baptisms, laying on of hands, the resurrection, and the judgment (which Paul discussed thoroughly in Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians) were to be left behind, and only subjects dealing with perfection were then appropriate for him to discuss (Hebrews 5:11–14; 6:1–3).
The remaining four books in Paul’s canon as shown by the manuscripts were instructions for the pastoral duties of ministers. Obviously, these later teachings are most mature. After all, they were written from one professional minister to other professional ministers. The teaching contained in them was hardly for spiritual infants.
Finally, the manuscripts have the Book of Revelation last of all. This book covers all aspects of the end of the age. Its contents pertain to the whole world, not only to the Christian church (as the two to the Thessalonians do). It is the most mature and difficult book to understand. It comes last, and is a fitting conclusion not only to the New Testament but also to the Bible as a whole.
Paul
As for the Galatians, the next book in the canonical order after the two to the Corinthians, Paul was upset with them for returning so quickly to an “infancy” in Christ, and resorting to the rule of the “schoolmaster” (the Mosaic law, Galatians 3:24–29; 4:1–10). The Galatians were reinstituting “elementary” teachings (Galatians 4:9). They were going back to a “grade school” type of instruction in Christ, returning to the lowest level of Christian development—to the keeping of the Law in order to “earn” salvation. The Galatians were retreating into Mosaic rules and trying to live like the Jewish people in Palestine: observing weekly and annual Sabbath days, new moons and months, and sabbatical years. These doctrines were intended for spiritual children who were in “grade school,” and not (as Paul looked at it) befitting mature Christians.
Thus, the epistles of Paul to the Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians in the regular canonical order of the manuscripts were designed for people just coming into a knowledge of Christ. And note:
The message in the Book of Romans was for people Paul had never instructed before,
His teaching to the Corinthians was for those whom he had taught for months, and
The epistle to the Galatians was designed for those who had been taught the Gospel for several years.
In all of these first four epistles, the messages of Paul were intended for spiritual children. But when it comes to the next three epistles of Paul in the New Testament canon (Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians), they were designed to give instruction to mature and fully developed Christians. In Ephesians the subjects are directed to those who are “no more children.”
The teachings of Paul in these three epistles were advanced doctrinal discourses. Note that Paul spoke to these people in a mature language.
“For the perfecting [maturing] of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man [a fully mature man], unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.”
Ephesians 4:12–14
There could hardly be any plainer teaching. The readers of these latter epistles were far advanced in spiritual knowledge than the early Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians. Paul was even able to write the latter three epistles in very sophisticated language.
Paul’s letters to the first three churches in the canonical order of the manuscripts (Romans, Corinthians, Galatians) were arranged to provide the ABCs of doctrinal teaching, while the teaching in the latter three epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians) provided the XYZs of one’s knowledge in Christ.
The next book in the manuscript order is Hebrews. It is very mature teaching. Paul even stated that this treatise (rather than a “letter”) was intended for very mature Christians. Note what Paul stated in regard to the mature message that he was giving in the Book of Hebrews. “Leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection” (Hebrews 6:1–2). Its commentary explains how the Temple and physical rituals were types of things to come, but how the reality is found in Christ. It discusses the true kingdom of God which is to appear on earth. Emphasis is also given to “the Sabbath to come”—the millennial age (Hebrews 4:9) and the new Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22–23).
In Hebrews Paul also states that the elementary Christian doctrines of repentance, faith, baptisms, laying on of hands, the resurrection, and the judgment (which Paul discussed thoroughly in Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians) were to be left behind, and only subjects dealing with perfection were then appropriate for him to discuss (Hebrews 5:11–14; 6:1–3).
The remaining four books in Paul’s canon as shown by the manuscripts were instructions for the pastoral duties of ministers. Obviously, these later teachings are most mature. After all, they were written from one professional minister to other professional ministers. The teaching contained in them was hardly for spiritual infants.
Finally, the manuscripts have the Book of Revelation last of all. This book covers all aspects of the end of the age. Its contents pertain to the whole world, not only to the Christian church (as the two to the Thessalonians do). It is the most mature and difficult book to understand. It comes last, and is a fitting conclusion not only to the New Testament but also to the Bible as a whole.
Paul
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ppierac
Guest
Part 3
Another important reason to read the New Testament in its original order is to see the progression of revelation revealed in scripture. Paul’s wrote that Salvation is always first for the Jews. When Jesus was alive and preaching on this Earth, the same was true. Even the testimony and teaching of Jesus Christ was only given to people who were of the House of Israel. Matthew 10:5 He said, Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, Then we read about the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15 who kept crying out saying, "Have mercy on me “ but Jesus did not answer her a word. Even the disciples came and asked Him to send her away. Then Jesus tells her, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Yet she kept begging "Lord, help me!" and Jesus replied "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Only then did Jesus help her.
It’s clear, even from this passage that Jesus was only teaching and preaching to the house of Israel. It’s hard for many to accept but for the first 15 to 20 years only Jews were becoming Christians. To understand this fact one must start at the beginning of Christ’s Ekklesia (Church). Many scholars accept that the church first began on the day of Pentecost. Who was at Pentecost? Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost was entirely Jewish, [Act 2:5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven.] The 3000 people who were saved that day would have been all Jewish. Act 2:22 "Men of Israel, listen to these words… (See Acts 2:1-41). They met regularly in the Temple, where Gentiles were excluded (Acts 2:46). Peter and John went to the Temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. (Acts 3:1). That means they were observant Jews, going there at 3pm when sacrifices were being made. When Peter had healed a lame man, an audience gathered and he addressed them as "Men of Israel" (Acts 3:12). Then he ends his speech like this: "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." (Acts 3:25-26). This is the first indication from any of the Apostles that the Word would spread to the Gentiles, but as we shall see later, Peter still hadn't really grasped it.
Then there was the problem of the daily distribution to the widows. The Greeks were complaining against the Hebrews because they were being neglected. These were Greek-speaking Jews, not Gentiles. It would appear that the Greek-speaking Jews were considered to be inferior, and not as observant as the Hebrew-speaking Jews, so they were neglected and the situation had to be rectified. (Acts 6:1).
The one event that made ministry to the Gentiles possible was Peter's vision and his visit to the house of Cornelius (Acts 10). Contrary to popular opinion, Cornelius was not a Hellenized Gentile, ignorant of the Torah. He was:
A devout man and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always. (Acts 10:2)
... a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews... (Acts 10:22)
Peter had his vision and went to visit Cornelius, sometime between these dates 35-40 AD. The word got round that Peter had been to the house of a Gentile (even though a semi-Judaized "God-fearer"). The Judaizing controversy began and Peter had to explain himself. (Acts 11:1-18)
As a result of this, the church began to slowly consider including the Gentiles, but with restrictions. The dates are important because it shows the Spirit setting up the 12 apostles for the acceptance of Paul’s initial radical new teaching concerning the Law and Gentiles.
When Paul and Barnabas went out on their first evangelistic journey, there was no general agreement among the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem about the question of circumcision of the Gentiles. Their work was constantly hindered by this question, leading to Paul's heated letter to the Galatians. He later returned to Jerusalem to discuss it again with the Council, an event that is described in detail in Acts 15. Then he set out on his second journey and revisited the Galatian churches with the encouraging news that there was no requirement for the Gentiles to be circumcised, but a minimal observance would be required, particularly with regard to the food laws so that the Jewish and Gentile Believers could continue their communal meals together.
One thing we learn from these dates is the time it took for the Judaizing Controversy to be resolved. When the Church first began in 30AD, it was entirely Jewish, and evangelization of the Gentiles was not considered. It took 20 years for them to accept the Gentiles into the church without requiring them to fully convert to Judaism.
Sometime around 63 C.E., something different occurred. A brand new revelation came to Paul and other apostles that drastically changed even this “New Covenant type” of Christianity in which all Christians were reckoned as “Israelites.” The apostle Paul called it,
“The mystery of Christ that in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as [the Spirit] now reveals it unto his holy apostles and prophets ... which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God.” Ephesians 3:4–5, 9, paraphrasing
“The mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.” Colossians 1:26
Before 63 C.E., Paul said the Mystery “has been hid in God” (Ephesians 3:9). God had kept it a secret from the knowledge of anyone (human or angel) even from the foundation of the world - long before the creation of Adam. Paul said, “From the beginning of the world it [the Mystery] has been hid in God” (verse 9). Paul spoke of it as:
“The mystery of Christ which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is NOW revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” Ephesians 3:4–5
When reading the scriptures in the correct First Century Order you can see the progression of teaching. If you move the books around in different order you get a confusing mess that leads to confusion of why James seems to teach different than Paul concerning the law when we know both ultimately taught the same… Jam 2:8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well. Paul taught the same... Gal 5:14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Now you know why I Stopped... just look at the replys that are headed this way...
Paul
Another important reason to read the New Testament in its original order is to see the progression of revelation revealed in scripture. Paul’s wrote that Salvation is always first for the Jews. When Jesus was alive and preaching on this Earth, the same was true. Even the testimony and teaching of Jesus Christ was only given to people who were of the House of Israel. Matthew 10:5 He said, Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, Then we read about the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15 who kept crying out saying, "Have mercy on me “ but Jesus did not answer her a word. Even the disciples came and asked Him to send her away. Then Jesus tells her, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Yet she kept begging "Lord, help me!" and Jesus replied "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Only then did Jesus help her.
It’s clear, even from this passage that Jesus was only teaching and preaching to the house of Israel. It’s hard for many to accept but for the first 15 to 20 years only Jews were becoming Christians. To understand this fact one must start at the beginning of Christ’s Ekklesia (Church). Many scholars accept that the church first began on the day of Pentecost. Who was at Pentecost? Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost was entirely Jewish, [Act 2:5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven.] The 3000 people who were saved that day would have been all Jewish. Act 2:22 "Men of Israel, listen to these words… (See Acts 2:1-41). They met regularly in the Temple, where Gentiles were excluded (Acts 2:46). Peter and John went to the Temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. (Acts 3:1). That means they were observant Jews, going there at 3pm when sacrifices were being made. When Peter had healed a lame man, an audience gathered and he addressed them as "Men of Israel" (Acts 3:12). Then he ends his speech like this: "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." (Acts 3:25-26). This is the first indication from any of the Apostles that the Word would spread to the Gentiles, but as we shall see later, Peter still hadn't really grasped it.
Then there was the problem of the daily distribution to the widows. The Greeks were complaining against the Hebrews because they were being neglected. These were Greek-speaking Jews, not Gentiles. It would appear that the Greek-speaking Jews were considered to be inferior, and not as observant as the Hebrew-speaking Jews, so they were neglected and the situation had to be rectified. (Acts 6:1).
The one event that made ministry to the Gentiles possible was Peter's vision and his visit to the house of Cornelius (Acts 10). Contrary to popular opinion, Cornelius was not a Hellenized Gentile, ignorant of the Torah. He was:
A devout man and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always. (Acts 10:2)
... a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews... (Acts 10:22)
Peter had his vision and went to visit Cornelius, sometime between these dates 35-40 AD. The word got round that Peter had been to the house of a Gentile (even though a semi-Judaized "God-fearer"). The Judaizing controversy began and Peter had to explain himself. (Acts 11:1-18)
As a result of this, the church began to slowly consider including the Gentiles, but with restrictions. The dates are important because it shows the Spirit setting up the 12 apostles for the acceptance of Paul’s initial radical new teaching concerning the Law and Gentiles.
When Paul and Barnabas went out on their first evangelistic journey, there was no general agreement among the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem about the question of circumcision of the Gentiles. Their work was constantly hindered by this question, leading to Paul's heated letter to the Galatians. He later returned to Jerusalem to discuss it again with the Council, an event that is described in detail in Acts 15. Then he set out on his second journey and revisited the Galatian churches with the encouraging news that there was no requirement for the Gentiles to be circumcised, but a minimal observance would be required, particularly with regard to the food laws so that the Jewish and Gentile Believers could continue their communal meals together.
One thing we learn from these dates is the time it took for the Judaizing Controversy to be resolved. When the Church first began in 30AD, it was entirely Jewish, and evangelization of the Gentiles was not considered. It took 20 years for them to accept the Gentiles into the church without requiring them to fully convert to Judaism.
Sometime around 63 C.E., something different occurred. A brand new revelation came to Paul and other apostles that drastically changed even this “New Covenant type” of Christianity in which all Christians were reckoned as “Israelites.” The apostle Paul called it,
“The mystery of Christ that in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as [the Spirit] now reveals it unto his holy apostles and prophets ... which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God.” Ephesians 3:4–5, 9, paraphrasing
“The mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.” Colossians 1:26
Before 63 C.E., Paul said the Mystery “has been hid in God” (Ephesians 3:9). God had kept it a secret from the knowledge of anyone (human or angel) even from the foundation of the world - long before the creation of Adam. Paul said, “From the beginning of the world it [the Mystery] has been hid in God” (verse 9). Paul spoke of it as:
“The mystery of Christ which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is NOW revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” Ephesians 3:4–5
When reading the scriptures in the correct First Century Order you can see the progression of teaching. If you move the books around in different order you get a confusing mess that leads to confusion of why James seems to teach different than Paul concerning the law when we know both ultimately taught the same… Jam 2:8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well. Paul taught the same... Gal 5:14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Now you know why I Stopped... just look at the replys that are headed this way...
Paul
I hear what you're saying, but would take it a step further since there was no NT order or NT collection to speak of in the first century
P
ppierac
Guest
I
Based on what? Paul died around 65 AD… so you saying there was no cannon before 100AD? You think P46 was a first draft... or Tischendorf found the original draft of the Codex Sinaiticus?
Notice what Dr. Bullinger had to say about our current biblical arrangement.
“Our English Bibles follow the order as given in the Latin Vulgate. This order, therefore, depends on the arbitrary judgment of one man, Jerome (A.D. 382–429). All theories based on this order rest on human authority, and are thus without any true foundation.”
Companion Bible, Appendix 95, p.139
Rene Gregory, a New Testament textual critic, reorganized Biblical manuscripts into an improved classification system, Die griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testaments, used throughout the scholarly world today.
“The order in which we place the books of the New Testament is not a matter of indifference. Every Christian should be familiar with these books, and should know precisely where to find each book. Every New Testament should have the books in precisely the same order, the order of the Greek Church, which in this case is of right the guardian of this ancient literature. The proper order is, I think: First, the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Second, the Book of Acts. Third, the Catholic Epistles: James, First and Second Peter, First, Second and Third John, and Jude. Fourth, the Epistles of Paul: Romans, First and Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First and Second Thessalonians, Hebrews, First and Second Timothy, Titus, Philemon. And fifth, the Book of Revelation…. The Greek order is that which places the Epistle to the Hebrews between Thessalonians and Timothy, and that is the order to which we should hold. The Latin order places Hebrews after Philemon. But we must keep to the old order or we shall have the New Testament turned upside down in connection with every fancied discovery as to authorship and date of books"
Rene Gregory, Canon and Text of the New Testament, pp.467-469,
Professors Westcott & Hort also give a detailed explanation on the order.
“We have followed recent editors in abandoning the Hieronymic order [Jerome’s], familiar in modern Europe through the influence of the Latin Vulgate, in favour of the order most highly recommended by various Greek authority of the fourth century, the earliest time when we have distinct evidence of the completed Canon as it now stands. It differs from the Hieronymic [Jerome’s] order in two respects. First, the Acts are immediately followed by the Catholic Epistles. The connexion between these two portions, commended by its intrinsic appropriateness, is preserved in a large proportion of Greek manuscripts of all ages, and corresponds to marked affinities of textual history. This connexion is not sacrificed in the arrangement found in the Sinai manuscript and elsewhere, by which the Pauline Epistles are placed next to the Gospels. The Sinaitic order has the undoubted advantage of keeping together those books of the New Testament which were most decisively invested with a scriptural character in the earlier ages. But there is a manifest incongruity in placing the Acts in the midst of the Epistles; and moreover, since the choice lies between what are after all only rival traditions, strong reasons would be needed to justify us in forsaking the highest ancient Greek authority, in accordance with which the Pauline Epistles stand after the Catholic Epistles [Jewish]. Secondly, the Epistle to the Hebrews stands before the Pastoral Epistles [Paul’s]. It is certainly not satisfactory to ourselves personally to separate what we believe to be genuine writings of St Paul from the bulk of his works by an epistle in which we cannot recognize his authorship. But no violence has, we trust, been here done to truth in deferring throughout to the most eminent precedent, since the Epistle to the Hebrews is on all hands acknowledged as in some sense Pauline, and St Paul’s epistles addressed to single persons [the four Pastoral Epistles: 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon] may very well be placed by themselves. We have therefore been content to indicate the existence of three groups in the table prefixed to the whole Pauline collection [the nine epistles to the Seven Churches of Paul, the Book of Hebrews, and the Pastoral Epistles].”
Introduction to the New Testament in the Original Greek
Many many textual scholars know that the arrangement by Jerome, whom was employed by the church in Rome, was designed to exalt the “Gentile” epistles of the New Testament into a higher position over those which had “Jewish” characteristics. The actual manuscripts show that Jerome’s order of the New Testament books do not represent any original arrangement. Yet many would agree Jerome’s Latin Vulgate translation was a political attempt to increase the political power of the western church over the rest of Christendom.
You missed the point… it was the textual scholars that claim the order was changed… I just agreed
Correct. The books of the New Testament were in circulation during the first century but had not yet been collected and assembled into what we call the New Testament today
NetChaplain
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That the Critical Text does not contain the entire Word is the primary point (Mat 4:4); but the interpositions and transpositions are just as misleading as the omissions, because it changes what the Word of God says, and that's Satan's "modus operandum" against God's Word in the beginning. "Yea, hath God said," putting doubt in peoples minds that it's really His Word! If you don't have all the Word, it's not the Word at all!
As I've said before, one believer's "omissions" are another believer's "additions." There is sincere disagreement over this among believers.
Bob Carabbio
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And since the Bibles we have ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT PERFECT, then the argument is over. Problem solved.
The Author, of course, is always available for comment - when you seek wisdom single-mindedly.
EarlyActs
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He might mean 100% about the originals.
I would still steer you toward the in-person delivery of original Christian message in the 40 days of Christ's teaching from the Resurrection to Pentecost. We have the texts referred to and the general claim about what was going on, twice.
P
ppierac
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You have my attention... tell me what you know about the coming kingdom... (Act 1:6)
Paul
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