"True. That committee is the Catholic Church, which canonized the Christian oral apostolic tradition."
Well, sort of, anyhow. They canonized part of it, at least. There's lots more that didn't make it into the New Testament, it seems.
The biggest puzzle to me is how the heck they decided to include Revelation. There's an oddity for you.
The RCC assembled the New Testament out of bits and pieces, moving them around and fiddling with them until it matched up with their beliefs at the time. It's a great story, and one that has affected Christianity enormously.
I wonder if the historical Jesus would recognize what has become of his teachings...
You seem to assume that everything that came from under someone's pen in the 1st century was divinely inspired (or as you would probably put it, described the historical Jesus). The early church had to look into the consistencies or lack thereof between documents, its oral tradition and its own, historically developed theological norm. Stuff that got rejected, -- typically the Gnostic writings, -- was at odds with the Epsitles, the earlier Gospels, the common sense, and with some fundamentals of the faith. For example, the notion of Jesus as a supernatural divine being locked in a struggle with the evil Old Testament Jewish God -- while evidence is plentiful that he slept, ate, was tired, irritable, felt pain, and kept a pious Jewish attitude through it all -- is clearly a fantasy.
The Apocalypse comes from a credible source and contains normative Christian eschatology, consistent with the eschatological vision in the Gospel parables. It also correctly predicted the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple and the emergence of the Chruch Triumphant.
I've been wondering why no Christian has asked you about the Old Testament. That is as surprising to me as the calmness your posts evidence.
I may have been like you at one time....maybe not as eloquent, reasoned, or 'convinced'....but close enough. Hey, I tried atheism, ok?...there just weren't enough holidays, know what I mean?
It was the fulfillment of prophecy that changed my mind, got me thinking. I wonder then, I believe you mentioned you know a great deal of scripture (backaways)....what do you make of Nebuchadnezzar's (statue) dream - in Daniel?
I was forced to two conclusions like the one you mentioned re: the New Testament = 'written by committee', or God. The committee conclusion....regarding that particular dream, was just way too untenable. It was not possible for me to wrap my mind around such a conspiracy...so knowledgeable, so accurate....given the timing(date) of the texts. Just curious as to how you might balance the fulfillment of that vision out....how you might explain it. Peace!