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Was the New Testament in the Dead Sea Scrolls? That's news to me...

So, Scripture starts at Matthew 1:1 for you. That explains a lot.

BTW, the D.S.S. have all of the books found in Catholic "Apocrypha" - which is one of the principle debates on the origins of canon. The Scriptures are not the sole possession of the Catholic Church. The 'New Testament' itself places the preservation of Scripture with the Jews.

So, Scripture starts at Matthew 1:1 for you. That explains a lot. BTW, the D.S.S. have all of the books found in Catholic "Apocrypha" - which is one of the principle debates on the origins of canon. The Scriptures are not the sole possession of the Catholic Church. The 'New Testament' itself places the preservation of Scripture with the Jews.i>

When did I say that?

I said that if you're going to deny the Church the authority to add books to Scripture, than the New Testament is completely unjustified in existing. If you are going to say that the New Testament is justified in existing as part of Scripture, then you must believe in the Catholic Church's authority to add such books to the collection of Scriptures.

If you don't believe that the New Testament is "Scripture," then that's a whole different discussion altogether and your position that only the Hebrew Bible is the authoritative Word of God has some merit. But, if you're going to say that the New Testament is legitimately part of Sacred Scripture, then you must, by necessity, submit that its inclusion was by the authority of the Catholic Church. Otherwise, the Gospel of John has no more right to be included in Sacred Scripture than the Gospel of Mary Magdelene or the Gospel of Thomas. It was the Catholic Church that seperated the "wheat from the chaff" in the formulation of a New Testament canon and that cannot be denied, historically.