with all due respect....
This can't be overstated, Jesus was a Jew, he didn't start Christianity. The council of Nicea saw the first Cannon of the bible, Constantine, the Roman emperor of the day decided for political reasons to align his empire to one religion and chose Christianity for what looks like solely political reasons, i.e. its popularity was on the rise. Those present then vied for inclusion of their own beleifs sighting many documents of the day, again politics and even foul play are indicated in which parties triumphed. Christian mysticism faired particularly badly, as has been shown by the Nag Hamadi codex, Dead sea scrolls and the like.
The New Testament is a treasure, but we should always remember that it was first pulled together in 325AD, and then changed over the centuries, usually for political reasons. it included what men thought it should include, much of what was included can be corroberated in other non Bible documents, much cannot. What was included has been both translated and in many cases interpreted, again by men. There is no, Gospel according to Jesus, so his words are as recounted by other men. If you have a King James version (1611), then again that was translated and 'formalised' according to the instructions of King James, who wanted to make sure everyone understood he was still King of his kingdom, on this earth.
For these reasons we need to be very carefull when we say something is the word of..., or something is infalliable, men certainly are not.
What's the answer? For me it's to take it into my heart and test it there, wisom doesn't belong to anyone, who said it matters little compared to what was said, that so much of such quality has been attributed to Jesus tells us he was indeed exceptional.
With all due respect to Holmsey...and at the risk of turning this thread into a debate...which none of us want!...there are some inaccuracies in your comments:
You are right to say that Jesus did not start Christianity. Jesus claimed to be the One promised throughout the Hebrew Scriptures to be the ultimate, eternal deliverer, savior, refuge, ransom, healer of souls, counselor, righteous king, (too many to list!): the Messiah, or Mashiah, (the Anointed One) which translated from the Greek (Cristos) into English is Christ. He invited people to believe in Him and, therefore, enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (synonymous with the Kingdom of God), an eternal, spiritual kingdom. The belief which Jesus taught was based on verifiable facts. It is faith that begins with understanding His claims, moves to personal reality in the heart, and moves out through ones life.
Christian was a label, intended to be somewhat derogatory, given to believers of Christ by unbelievers in Antioch (in todays Turkey) in the first century A.D. Christian means little Christ. These followers of Jesus were considered to be a new sect of Judaism, since they taught about Jesus Christ by using the Hebrew Scriptures, and since the first followers were almost all Jews.
Down through history, powerful men sought to force people to adhere to the religion of Christianity. Though some of these men believed in Jesus Christ, they acted contrary to His teachings. However, throughout the millennia since Jesus left planet earth, there have been believers who have followed the teachings of Jesus Himself, not an organization. These people constitute the church, which is what Jesus called those who believed in Him.
The writings that were later included in the New Testament, were all written by the end of the first century...within 70 years of Jesus death, resurrection, and ascension. They were circulated throughout the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Europe. There were many people alive to refute the truth of these writings if they were not true. No one did. Historians of that day only confirmed their truth, never disproved it.
The church leaders met in council from the beginning, as documented in the NT book, the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 15. At the church council in Carthage in A.D. 397, 27 writings were officially listed (or canonized) in the NT. The criteria for inclusion were basically three: 1) only writings of those who were eyewitnesses of the resurrected Jesus, i.e. the Apostles; 2) only writings in full agreement with the Apostles teachings; and
3) only those accepted universally by the early church as inspired by God.
Archeological discoveries have shown that the current translations of the 66 books (the Bible) have only a .0001 degree of disagreement, and only grammatical differences, none that effect doctrinal truth. There are many accurate English translations which have been translated from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages of the Bible.
One more thing...regarding the discussion on hell (or hades)...I'll add to my previous comment...that while the Hebrew Scriptures (OT) don't have a lot to say on the subject...Jesus talked more about hell than He did heaven. Again, the Biblical teaching is that it is
separation from God. NT Scripture gives many pictures to emphasize the horror of that decision by human beings.
Again, I have no desire to debate, but to clarify the history of Christianity and, thereby, challenge our beliefs...a continual practice of mine! I pray no one is offended.
