Replies

"Oral Tradition was the repository of sacred scripture until it was collected into the Bible as defined by the Council of Chalcedon (a Catholic council, since at that time no other church existed!). Since the Holy Spirit protects the oral, teaching Tradition of the Church, from which flowed the Holy Scriptures, Tradition (with a capital "T") enjoys the same inerrancy as Scripture. There are stringent qualifications for doctrines that reside in Tradition that make them infallible.".....

Sorry Geezer, you are way off the mark. We are never going to come into any agreement on the subject. Your faith seems to be rooted in Religion, my faith is rooted in the Word of God. The Old Testament Scriptures were first spoken and then written on scrolls and read in the Temple. Since we ( we, meaning non Jews) no longer meet in the Temple to hear the reading of Scripture, we are very fortunate to have access to the written Word. And that the written Word includes the New Testament also.

You cite the fathers of the Council of Chalcedon who adopted the theology of Leo I. You realize of course, that the fathers you speak of are men. Jesus is the ultimate authority in His Church.

That's the problem with religions. There are many. Jesus never founded a religion. He founded a Church of believers. Those who believe in Him and who He is and what He did. Religions tend to deteriorate over time as human nature seeps in.
I know you believe you have the answers, and I appreciate your hope that your effort was a help to me. That is very kind.

But I have been there and will never return
I know that Jesus lives because His Spirit lives in me. Funny that a council made up of fallible men, can proclaim another fallible man to be infallible. That same group of men attempt to define God. Ironic. The Scriptures are from God to man, not the other way around.
The Gospels are mostly eye witness accounts of those who went before us.
I find the same message in the Catholic Bible, the King James, the NIV, the NAS. Read the Bible, front to back. The questions that arise in one verse, are answered in another. There are no stringent qualifications to meet. The only qualification is an open heart.
Peace be with you.