Scripture verses extra Biblical Traditions

[Katholikos]

[quote name='rich lk 11 28' date='Oct 21 2004, 03:36 PM']
Scripture is the Word of God. in Eph 6:17 we are told that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God, not the Traditions of God.[/quote]
"Scripture" cannot be defined without having recourse to the table of contents established by the Catholic Church. That the list is extra-biblical is evident. There is no "inspired table of contents."

The Church tells us what Scripture is (the inspired Word of God) and what is Scripture (the writings that belong in the Bible).

What reason would there be for believing that the Epistle to Philemon, a slave owner, is "the inspired Word of God" and the Epistle of Barnabas is not, other than the authority of the Church founded by Christ? The Church canonized 27 writings out of some 200.

[i]The History of the Church[/i], written 314-324 by Eusebius, Bishop of Caesaria, records that those writings "recognized as scripture" included Clement's Epistle to the Corinthians dated 96 A.D. (Clement was the fourth Bishop of Rome (after Sts. Peter, Linus, and Cletus -- the fourth pope.) Writings which were "disputed" included Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude, and Revelation.

The canon was unsettled until the Catholic Church decreed which writings were Scripture and which were not in 382. Clement didn't make the cut, and all of the "disputed" books were canonized.

Without the authority of the Church, it's anybody's guess which early Christian writings, if any, are the "inspired Word of God." Draw straws, hold a lottery, or pull the names out of a hat.

The Church speaks for Christ: "He who hears you hears me . . ." (Luke 10:16).

JMJ Likos

[Benedict]

See Rich, I told you.