Cool.
But the Bible was declared to be "Inspired" by the Church wasn't it? And then the Church is said to be Inspired because the Bible said so (I'm assuming?)... but then again the Bible is only Inspired because the Church said it was... :rollseyes
Can you explain that? Where did the Church get the Authority to say the Bible was Inspired from if it has to rely on the Bible to declare itself inspired in the 1st place?:?
hola Malaikah,
Jesus told St. Peter that he (Jesus) would build his Church under Peters leadership (he calls him his "Rock"). He promises that the Gates of Hell canot prevail against it...
18"I also say to you that you are (A)Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of (B)Hades will not overpower it. (Matthew 16:18)
and
he also tells the rest of the disciples that he will be with them always until the end of the age... so we believe that he is with the apostolic successors within the Church, any Holy See is a bishopric that extends back to an apostle... these are the cornerstones of the Church, but the bishopric of Rome which comes from St. Peter is the bedrock and the leader of the whole Church.
20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, (A)I am with you always, even to (B)the end of the age." (Matthew 18:20)
the authority of the Church comes from these two verses in the Bible, also as a matter of tradition the Church has always held this authority, that is shown in Acts when the leaders of the Church (the disciples) held a Council to determine whether St. Paul was being unorthodox having gentiles not be circumcized, and with the promulgation of the Didache, then again in acts when the Church excommunicates people
If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed Maranatha. (1 Corinthians 16:22)
and all through the first three century Synods (like a Council) to the Councils and into the modern era...
so it is because we have always done this and that is because we were told to in the Bible.
as for the Bible... i think you are taking this too far... the first texts like the four gospels and major books of the OT were always the gospel of the Christians... there was no time where they were "accepted" or even questioned... they simply always were...
its only around the 3rd and 4th centuries that mysterious gospels appeared from nowhere with no history or mythological histories and attached to strange mystery religions... in certain locations they became popular so the Church investigated these books to see if they were actually true gospels that had been forgotten or unknown, but invariably they were all false books...
there was no time that the four gospels were unknown or not accepted... they are the gospels (in oral and then written form) that the Church preached from the very beginning... conversely there are times where we know that the "Gospel of Judas" "Gospel of Thomas" and "Gospel of the Hebrews" were not universally known, accepted by some strange religion like ebionites, or something like that... only those books were tested and investigated by the Church through its gospel-given time tested authority...
Dios te bendiga