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 Why do you think that only the four Gospels were chosen out of the many? (13)

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Why do you think that only the four Gospels were chosen out of the many?

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2 points

The church needed to establish power in the early cult of Christ so it decided to make itself the official arbiter of biblical truth. If other accounts were valid, someone could write one that the took power away from the established church (for example Joseph Smith).

So they picked the ones that best justified their earthly powers and said the rest are false.

Saintnow(3684) Disputed
1 point

Yeah, right. The Christians were establishing power by refusing to bow to Ceasar and getting thrown to the lions or used as human torches.

nobodyknows(745) Disputed
1 point

The the biblical canon even begin to be determined by what was to become the Catholic Church until around 400AD which was almost 100 years after Constantine coverted to Christianity. The early Christians were just a cult until they were recognized by the Roman government. Only after that recognition was it able to establish itself as an organized religion. With that organization came a self-interested clergy that used the concept of biblical canon to establish a monopoly on the interpretation of the will of God.

One does not have to be a non-Christian to believe that the Church and the concept of biblical canon are obstacles to true knowledge of the divine will. Is it not consistent to believe that the early church fathers were not infallible? If that is true we should be open minded when we come across religious text that were rejected and skeptical of the ones that were. I don't know about you but I would not let any man tell me what is and is not the true word of God.

2 points

They are the ones that portray Jesus as a divine being and as a perfect human. Meanwhile, you've got books like the Gospel of Thomas that state that Jesus lived and married Mary Magdalene. It is human nature to doubt, and if the Church revealed the other Gospels, it wouldn't have as much control over the world as it does now.

Saintnow(3684) Disputed
1 point

Four were chosen for veracity, the character of the disciples who wrote them known by disciples of the day. Jesus chose His disciples carefully, and they carefully chose their protege and kept Jesus' word when it was a death sentence to be found guilty of being a Christian.

Doubting the truth cannot be justified by "human nature". You won't be excused for rejecting the truth by saying "I'm human, I didn't know sin is wrong".

There is only one gospel, it's the good news, gospel means "good news". The gospel is that God Himself took on Human form to die for our sins and conquered death, rose bodily from the grave and offers forgiveness to all who believe on Him. He died for what you did against Him, against His word, He paid your price and you are forgiven if you will repent of your sin and believe from your heart that God has raised Him from the dead.

You can have a million different stories, a million "gospel of Thomas" books. Why in the world would Christians accept books of lies to be allowed in the Bible?

Jesus is not portrayed in the Bible as "a divine being". He is God in person, the divine One, the only divine being. He claimed to be God in person, he did not claim to be "a divine being" and the gospels portrayed Him as the Living God in human form.

I don't know what you mean by "control over the world". The only "Church" seeking control calling itself Christian is Catholic and if they have control over the world they sure are doing a poor job of it. Jesus Himself will rule the world and overturn the corrupt governments of the world and the Catholic Church will be forever ruined.

Usually when people like you are going off spouting proof of their lack of understanding and using it as justification for being in rebellion against God, it's because you have pet perversions which you don't want to renounce as God is against it and you know it...or you used to know it but have managed to forget for a while.

1 point

It started with the original "writing" by Constantine, who "chose" what HE thought should be included in the book. Other "versions" have further "twisted" his words into what THEY figured a "god" might say to give them MORE control over the masses.

How can there be "versions" of a REAL gods word?? There can only be THE word! "Versions" are just MORE PROOF that "There is a religious nut in the woodpile" (To clean up an old, uncouth, saying!)

Saintnow(3684) Disputed
1 point

Hahaha.......Constantine was a Roman who figured out that continuing persecution of Christians was detrimental to the crumbling Roman Empire. He founded the Roman Catholic Church as an attempt to gain support of Christians and keep the Empire from falling apart. Constantine showed no indication of being what the Bible calls a Christian, and his pagan religion disguised as "Christian" with it's politically sanctioned controls continued persecution of real Christians as it led into the dark ages.

The Bible was around before Constantine. Christians kept it while Constantine did all he could to bury it in Latin by defining it as the Latin Vulgate which was literally pulled out of the trash after it was tossed because it was full of changes and errors like all modern English versions.

And why do you have such a juvenile problem spelling God's name? How childish can you be that you can't spell God's name? Do you think by insulting God you will exempt yourself from His judgement?

God's word in English is the King James Bible. There are no versions. Anything that claims to be a version of God's word is only a version, and it is not God's word.

Where do you people get your education? Cracker Jacks boxes?

1 point

The four that were chosen Matt Luke and John were definate eyewitnesses and Mark is also, although some hold an opinion that Mark wrote for Peter. I see it as Mark is also an eye witness.

I took apart scriptures and outlined perception of an event, by location and perception within the event. And I found that all four fit to a point if they were given as testimony in trial, they would qualify as truthful testimony, because they compliment without contradiction, and they do it accidentally.

That kind of accidental confirmation is like gathering information from four people from different locations on witnessing a crime occur.

If one testimony is from a perspective from standing across the street, at ground level, and standing in close proximity.

The 2nd witness was looking out a 5th floor window with a busy street in between them and the crime.

And the 3rd is from a witness looking back from where they had walked, and watched from a block away.

And a 4th was taken from someone who was closest to the crime scene, because they were with the victim when the crime scene unfolded.

The one upclose may miss some details because of being so close, and then also have other details because of being so close. And the same applies for the other witnesses.

There should be a detectable diffirence between their account if truely eye witneses. And the main 4 have this characteristic.

Pieces each fit, when the pieces are applied as if looking from the the eyes of the witnesses. The witnesses are looking at the scene, and the truth fits making the picture of their testimonies more rounded, more revealing, and confirmed by each other without fabrication. Because it shows confirmation without trying to calabarate.

Each witness would tell the same story, and their individual prespective and view point from their location would logically fit. Yet each testimony, to be proven to be true, would have to have inconsistencies that would be limited or expansive by their location in reference to the event.

The best part in the Gospels to work this test would be the trial to the burial of Jesus. Because the twelve were scattered, disbanded, each of them were telling this course of events from seperate locations while hiding sneeking and looking around interpretively for their whole world was crumbling in front of them, everything they lived for, their lives and future was in the balance.

So this section showed me where they were standing, their emotion, and mental anguish, or their management of it.

After outlining all four Gospels, I could reconstruct the event from four physical positons, and four individual prespectives of mental state and their surroundings.

These four were chosen because out of a few hundred religious leaders, these four were identified as a standard of authenticity. They each met all measures, and had achieved agreement among men who in many ways disagreed in theology. The history of Jewish wtiting are Christian heritage.

The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.

And the Old Testament has the New Testament hidden within.

First you have to understand the emphasis in severity of transcribing Jewish scriptures throughout Jewish history. And even the oracle of the Word. The Word was the Word written and unwritten. God commanded accuracy and precision to integrity of every letter of every word.

So when comparing text to text, as example, two copies of one similar time period in comparison to later or earlier copies show a degree of accuracy that is unheard of.

God wrote in a way that 1st was kept by a custodian of His Word, His people, that He brought forth the Messiah. And He wrote in a manner that you could know God's will and purpose, and find the truth of the Messiah if even by only a piece of His Word or by a complete manuscript.

1 point

The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.

And the Old Testament has the New Testament hidden within.

First you have to understand the emphasis in severity of transcribing Jewish scriptures throughout Jewish history. And even the oracle of the Word. The Word was the Word written and unwritten. God commanded accuracy and precision to integrity of every letter of every word.

So when comparing text to text, as example, two copies of one similar time period in comparison to later or earlier copies show a degree of accuracy that is unheard of.

God wrote in a way that 1st was kept by a custodian of His Word, His people, that He brought forth the Messiah. And He wrote in a manner that you could know God's will and purpose, and find the truth of the Messiah if even by only a piece of His Word or by a complete manuscript.

And the consistent continuity of His message, mode of action, direction of purpose, and self defining with confirmations of authorship by fulfillments. Since hindsight is 20/20, God says it, creates it, appoints it all and then builds a narrative for us to give us understanding of Him.

If you have understanding then you are connected to the source of His Word. He draws us and saves us, He calls out His Word, and His own know it. So if you are connected, then you will know the difference between what is the Shepherds voice, and also what is not.

He makes each portion of His Word contain multi-dimensional depths of His message, His laws, His Holiness, His Sacrafice, His Resurection, and it is so folded in and layered, that its tamper proof to the elect.

Even tampering can't hinder God's Word, or His pupose of which His Word was sent. So, if God does exist, and if He created all things, then could He have dictated His Word to be recorded?

Could God have given revelation and understanding to a designated people purposely to schedule and appoint all things, and to fullfill His will through, and also record a written document, as well so His children can confirm every detail He speaks into our spirits in writing?

Both in the Old Testament and Jesus said, "out of two or three witnesses all facts are confirmed." God doesn't want blind faith. He wants faith that is evident, and the word of our testimony is also a witness.

Blind lead blind both fall into the pit. Instead we are to confirm, and afirm, test spirits, measure, and compare what is written, be diligent with truth, and identify false teachers. He is judicial and orderly.

Our faith is evidence, and with the evidence of His Word and His Spirit, and His people is enough to confirm the facts of God. Shown is in full weight of scales tipped with a measure, that can only temporarily be denied.

Because at final judgement the weight of evidence will crush those who remain guilty, while the ransomed are free indeed.

Before any written contract existed, God authored His written Word. It is contractual. He gives evidence, bears witness, gives testimony of witnesses, He reasons, debates, argues, defends, and He uses just weights and measures, and requires fulfillment of the entire law. And that payment was made in ransom exchange life for life.

What won't be forgiven? Man fell to judgement, but to be double judged is to have a 2nd judgement, 2nd death.

Die in death, or die in Christ. Be born again.

Born once in flesh, the cycle of death. Born dust to die dust. Judged according to fathers sins, inherited judgement, passed down. Born once then born again, breaks cycle of death, born spirit to spirit. Sins of the father can be broken, and forgiven. Personal response is either a seal to final sentencing, or a seal of redemption to eternal life.

If God is Judicial and brings order, could He have managed His Word, and kept His original writting according to His will? Keep in mind, not all things are revealed in every time. So if there are times prophesy is hidden, they are times we follow in the dark.

Though I walk through the

1 point

The books of the New Testament were decided by the Council of Nicea. They chose the books that they believed to be the true ones and rejected the ones that they thought were false. There is also the theory that the Holy Spirit chose which books would be included in the New Testament so it chose the ones with the most truth.

Which ones were the most reliable and most accepted by early churches?