BIBLE, WHICH IS HOLY?

Hugh Fogelman

 

Which Bible is "THE Bible"―the Holy Bible―the “Real Bible?”

Which did God intend mankind to have: a Hebrew Bible; a Catholic bible, or a Protestant bible?   

I am sure that if a Jew, a Catholic, and a Protestant were asked that question the expected response would be "MINE!"

THE BIBLES OF JEWISH, CATHOLIC, AND PROTESTANT COMMUNITIES CONTAIN CERTAIN BOOKS THAT FALL INTO FOUR BASIC CATEGORIES

TANAKH (Hebrew Bible)

The Christian Old Testament.

New Testament

Apocrypha

Below is a breakdown of the three basic Bibles:

Hebrew Bible or Tanakh: translated into the Greek Septuagint

Catholic Bible: Greek Old Testament, New Testament, Apocrypha

Protestant Bible: Greek (Septuagint) Old Testament, New Testament

Notice, that all three faiths (Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant) are all in agreement that the Tanakh (The Jewish Bible) is an inspired document, but that is where the agreement stops. Notice also that the Catholic and Protestant communities are in agreement that the New Testament is inspired, but not the Jewish community. But only the Catholic community considers the Apocrypha in the same category as the Tanakh and the New Testament.

The Bible as Jesus knew it, consisted of some twelve to twenty scrolls of different sizes. Remember, the New Testament that did not exist at that time. Jesus’ bible would have been the SOURCE DOCUMENT, the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh. It was not until the fourth century that Christianity had a defined orthodoxy ― anything kin to a New Testament.

The writings Christians call the New Testament are grouped into the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Epistles, and the book of Revelation. One Christian tradition maintains that about five years after the resurrection of Jesus the apostle Matthew wrote an original life story of Jesus in the Hebrew language. The story was then copied into Greek and other languages.

Most of the works attributed to Paul were in circulation prior to the writing of the four Gospels. Paul's letters began to exercise a powerful influence upon Christian life and thought. Nevertheless, it was a long time before Paul's letters were publicly read in the church or considered EQUAL to the words of the Tanakh. Paul's letters were the first step in creating the New Testament canon!  By the year 200 C.E. a great variety of canons were in use, some fairly well defined others more informal. Each reflected "local beliefs and traditions.”

Besides relying on the Scriptures, the Gentile leaders of the Christian community, particularly Irenaeus and Tertullian, did irreparable damage to "the faith" by relegating the Scriptures to "second place" in matters of doctrine and authority.

Tertullian developed a universal antidote for all heresy in his argument which cuts off heretics at the outset. He denied every right of appeal to the Holy Scriptures on the grounds that the Holy Scriptures were entrusted to the church of Christ and only in her (Gentile Christian Church) and by her, can they be rightly understood. For your information this violates Christian scripture, for in Romans 9:4 the apostle Paul states: "Who are Israelites (notice he did not say Christians); to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the services of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen."

Did you notice that Paul contradicts Tertullian by saying the Scriptures were given to Israel and from Israel would come the Scriptures teaching concerning covenants, law or commandments, services (worship), promises (again allusion to Scripture), and who has been established as the "authority" over all flesh by God―Israel!

Tertullian is an example of "replacement" theology which is so violently contrary to the Scripture of the Bible.

 

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