Understanding the Bible

Dean's World ^ | July 2, 2006 | Dean Esmay

[Dawnsblood]

Would you all please feel free to add to the discussion?

Dean says:

Understanding the Bible Dean In the first few centuries of Christianity, no one had any idea that there was anything called a "Bible." Indeed, at that time, there was no Bible. That didn't happen until the 3rd or 4th century, depending on how you look at it.

Most early Christians were probably illiterate. Indeed, it is very likely that many of the original Apostles were illiterate. There is even evidence in the New Testament that Peter, Paul, and the other apostles were illiterate. Peter and Paul and the other New Testament writers often seem to be dictating to someone rather than writing for themsleves. All you have to do is read the beginnings of most of the New Testament books to see that.

Yet they all had a host of ideas and assumptions that they obviously drew from.

Until Martin Luther in the 1500s said that the Bible was the wellspring of Christianity, no Christian ever believed such a thing about the Bible.

So where do modern American Evangelicals get this idea, do you think?

[Dawnsblood]

Care to enlighten?

Linky here.

[Dawnsblood]

BTW... I have alot of respect for Mr Esmay so please be polite and reply in total Christian kindness.

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

Pretty simple really. No printing press, no Bibles.

[cowtowney]

"Pretty simple really. No printing press, no Bibles."

I hope you are kidding. You don't know that people copied books by hand before presses?

[DannyTN]

Paul was not illiterate. He had the best Jewish education.

Peter did dictate to Mark.

The Jewish culture had literature but was mostly an oral tradition. It was a matter of routine for them to memorize scripture and be able to quote it and teach it word for word to their children.

The gospels are believed to have been written between 16 and 34 years after Jesus' death. The earliest reference we have to the gospels was ignatius who died in 115 A.D. So Mathew was clearly written before then. But since none of the gospels mention the destruction of Jerusalem which Jesus had prophesized. It's believed that they all must have been written prior to AD 70. The gospels are constantly pointing out fulfillment of prophecy, so for them not to include Jerusalem would be grossly out of character.

[Manic_Episode]

"There is even evidence in the New Testament that Peter, Paul, and the other apostles were illiterate."

====================

1 Corinthians 16:21
21-I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.

Galatians 6:11
11See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

Colossians 4:18
I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

2 Thessalonians 3:17
I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write.

Philemon 1:19
I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self.

==============

"The Bible itself never makes claim to the idea that it is the ultimate Word of God."

=======================

2 Timothy 3:16 16-All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

[liliesgrandpa]

"Peter, Paul, and the other apostles were illiterate"

Paul was a Pharisee, one of the top Biblical scholars of his day, Acts 23:6. They read, copied and taught the old testament (the Torah), they were know to memorize huge portions of scriptures. Paul wrote letters to the churches,

1Cor 16;21
Gal 6:11
2Thes 3:17
Phm 1:19
Even with bad eyesight, where he did dictate letters to friends that visited him.

Some of the Apostles were illiterate at first, including Peter and John, but apparently Jesus taught them. Acts 4:13

If you read what they wrote, you will find that they were very intelligent men, who were aided by God the Holy Spirit to write or dictate these words. 2Tim 3:16
Whether written or dictated is totally irrelevant anyway.

[familyop]

Dean is apparently referring only to the New Testament.

Do you really want the historical answers? If so, use the following keywords and years in various combinations to search and begin study.

Early history:

Marcion Irenaeus Eusebius

Canonization of the New Testament:

New Testament canon 367 Bishop Athanasius Alexandria Constantine Council of Rome 382 Augustine Hippo 393 Carthage 397

[Larry Lucido]

So where do modern American Evangelicals get this idea, do you think?

From Martin Luther, obviously. He set more than a few folks straight on the issue since then-church authorities weren't doing their jobs.

[timer]

Do you know the real reason Jesus was crucified?

[Raycpa]

If you are attempting to ask whether the so called lost books of the bible should have equal weight you are not asking the right questions.

[class8601_nuke]

He was falsely accused of blasphemy (He said He was God)

[Raycpa]

The Canon of Marcion the heretic



Return to "Canon of the Bible" Home Page

A. Who was Marcion and when did he live?

1. Marcion was born about 110 AD, being the son of the wealthy Bishop of Sinope in Pontus.
2. By 144 AD, at age 34, Marcion had caused such a stir, that his teachings were the subject of an investigation and condemnation.

B. What did Marcion believe that made him a dangerous heretic:

1. Marcion believed that the God of the Old Testament was an evil creator god that Jesus came to destroy.
2. Marcion believed that this evil god did in fact reveal his will through the Old Testament. Thus he believed in the "inspiration" of the Old Testament from divine sources, although from an evil source.
3. Marcion’s canon
4. : Luke + Paul’s writings. Marcion accepted only the gospel of Luke to the exclusion of the other three gospels. He also accepted all of Paul’s writings but he would "cut out" any Old Testament quote or anything else that contradicted his theological views. He rejected all other books of the Bible except Luke + Paul’s writings. "It is usually said that Marcion "rejected" the Old Testament and accepted in its place only his own canon of Luke plus Pauline Epistles, edited to remove all allusions to the Old Testament. This, however, obscures two important points. First, Marcion's rejection of the Old Testament was indeed total, in that he regarded it as completely alien to the revelation of salvation brought by Jesus and recorded in the New Testament documents he accepted. But this was not because he did not believe that the God of the Old Testament actually existed, or thought that the Old Testament itself was a purely human invention, pseudo-oracles of an imaginary god. On the contrary, Marcion firmly believed that the Old Testament God did exist, and that he was the Creator of the world. The problem was that his creation was evil, and he himself therefore a malign being; it was precisely the role of Jesus, and of the Unknown God now revealed in him, to deliver humankind from the malice of the evil Creator. Furthermore, the creator-god really had spoken the words attributed to him in the Old Testament: these were fully true and accurate oracles, not a human invention. They truly expressed the thoughts of the maker of the universe, and there could be no question of suggesting that they had been falsified in any way or contaminated by human intervention. "The Jewish Scriptures represent a true revelation of the Creator, but they do not speak of or for the God whom alone Christians ought to worship."" Marcion's "rejection" of the Old Testament thus needs to be qualified."" (Lee Martin McDonald, James A. Sanders, Editors: The Canon Debate; John Barton, Marcion Revisited, p 344, 2002)
5. "Marcion, we may conclude, was important for two reasons. He rejected the Old Testament as the document of an alien religion; and he taught that Jesus had come to save humankind from the control of the evil Creator to whom the Old Testament witnesses. These are precisely the two aspects of his work on which patristic condemnations, from Tertullian onwards, focus. In the process he denied the validity of allegorical interpretation of the Old Testament, which he saw as a means of accommodating it to Christian belief; this too is picked up by Tertullian. In short, Marcion was not a major influence on the formation of the New Testament; he was simply a Marcionite." (Lee Martin McDonald, James A. Sanders, Editors: The Canon Debate; John Barton, Marcion Revisited, p 354, 2002)

C. Others quickly identified Marcion as a dangerous heretic:

1. At any rate, it is clear that Tertullian was not the first to realize that there was a problem with Marcion's Bible and try to answer his claims. (Lee Martin McDonald, James A. Sanders, Editors: The Canon Debate; Everett Ferguson, Factors Leading to the Selection and Closure of the New Testament Canon, p 311, 2002)
2. Tertullian too contrasted Marcion's reductionism with what he considered Valentinus's expansion of the gospel material: ‘Of the scriptures we have our being before there was any other way, before they were interpolated by [heretics]. . . . One man perverts the scriptures with his hand, another their meaning by his exposition. For although Valentinus seems to use the entire volume, he has nonetheless laid violent hands on the truth only with a more cunning mind and skill than Marcion. Marcion expressly and openly used the knife, not the pen, since he made such an excision of the scriptures as suited his own subject-matter. Valentinus, however, abstained from such excision, because he did not invent scriptures to square with his own subject-matter ... and yet he took away more, and added more, by removing the proper meaning of every particular word....’ (Praescr. 38) (Lee Martin McDonald, James A. Sanders, Editors: The Canon Debate; Everett Ferguson, Factors Leading to the Selection and Closure of the New Testament Canon, p 312, 2002)

D. Marcion’s canon was much less than what was already accepted as scripture by Christians in general.

1. Marcion's concern was to exclude books that he disapproved of from his "canon." He was not assembling a collection of Christian books, but making a (very restricted) selection from the corpus of texts which already existed and which must already have been recognized as sacred by many
2. in the church-otherwise he would not have needed to insist on abolishing them. (Lee Martin McDonald, James A. Sanders, Editors: The Canon Debate; John Barton, Marcion Revisited, p 342, 2002) The New Testament books, or at any rate the central "core" of the Gospels and the Pauline and Catholic Epistles, were already used very widely in the time before Marcion
3. , and continued to be so used after him. (Lee Martin McDonald, James A. Sanders, Editors: The Canon Debate; John Barton, Marcion Revisited, p 343, 2002) In his attitude to the Old Testament Marcion really does look more like an innovator than he was in his "canonization" of the New Testament. Nevertheless it is unlikely that his theology seemed so new to him. Rather, he regarded it as the continuation of a central theme in Paul: the supersession of the law by the gospel. Paul "spoiled" the novelty of this theme by continuing to quote the Old Testament as though it were authoritative for Christians, and Marcion accordingly had to expurgate even the Pauline letters that he retained. (Lee Martin McDonald, James A. Sanders, Editors: The Canon Debate; John Barton, Marcion Revisited, p 351, 2002)

D. Roman Catholic and Orthodox get Marcion wrong:

Father James Bernstein, an Orthodox church leader wrote: "The first person on record who tried to establish a New Testament canon was the second-century heretic, Marcion. ... Many scholars believe that it was partly in reaction to this distorted canon of Marcion that the early Church determined to create a clearly defined canon of its own." (Which Came First: The Church or the New Testament?, Fr. James Bernstein, Orthodox churchman, 1994, p 7)

Refutation of James Bernstein (Orthodox):

1. It is clear from our documentation that most scholars today reject the idea that Marcion had any direct influence on the development of the canon. But the Orthodox church wants to desperately to believe that there was no Bible till the 4th century and that church tradition was the rule of the day.
2. The consensus of scholars is the Marcion started with a larger list of New Testament books and from this list of universally known inspired books, started removing books from the list.
3. Marcion clearly proves that all the writings of Paul were considered inspired and universally distributed. The Orthodox church practices countless things the contradict the writings of Paul.



Conclusion:

1. When we study Marcion, it should be obvious that the vast majority of New Testament books were already recognized as part of the New Testament canon.
2. Marcion’s specific removal and denial of many New Testament books from his own canon, including all of Peter, James and John, proves they were already in use between 125-144 AD and widely accepted as scripture.

[Lucky Dog]

The question of illiteracy is a relative one, depending upon which language one is supposed to be reading and writing. The New Testament was written in Greek. The Old Testament was entirely in Hebrew until after 200 BC when the Septuagint came into existence in Alexandria. Since books were hand-copied in that era, the initial spread of the Greek version of the Old Testament was probably limited to those places where Jews commonly spoke Greek. The Dead Sea Scrolls, some copied during this era, are in Hebrew. Consequently, it is safe to conclude that the Old Testament Scriptures were probably still read and studied in Hebrew by ordinary Jews during the first century.

In Israel of the first century, we know from direct quotations of Christ on the cross in the New Testament that common Jewish speech of the era was Aramaic, a close linguist cousin of Hebrew. Additionally, it is recorded in the New Testament that Christ read and taught from the Old Testament in the synagogues. These readings, as noted above, were, most likely, in Hebrew. Therefore, we can conclude that both the Reader and His listeners understood Hebrew as well as Aramaic.

In the passages where Christ is recorded as having read from the Old Testament, there is no comment that a non-priest, in fact, a simple carpenter, should be found as an unusual source of literacy. From the lack of comment it would seem that Hebrew literacy was common, if not universal, among ordinary Jews at the time. Since it is unremarkable that a carpenter should have been literate in Hebrew, it is probably equally unremarkable that fishermen, tax collectors, or physicians, etc., should have, likewise, been literate.

As additional evidence of widespread literacy, in one New Testament instance, an Ethiopian eunuch was reading the Old Testament and Steven explained his readings to him. Again, it is not remarked upon as unusual that either of them were literate in Old Testament Hebrew. Consequently, it seems logical to conclude that the apostles and a large number, if not all, of the early Jewish converts (which, prior to Peter’s and Paul’s missionary trips, were all converts) were literate in Hebrew.

In summary, it appears that the article’s author may have been overstating his case in asserting that the apostles were illiterate, at least in Hebrew.

[Raycpa]

The writer who wrote about 1/3 of the new testament begins as follows:

Luke 1
Dedication to Theophilus
1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. Luke, writing before 70AD, was refering to other writings that existed and is providing a written account for another that has already been instructed.

From the text above, shows that at the time Luke wrote this there was both a written and oral tradition. It was also early enough that eyewitnesses to events that Luke refers to will be around to refute or support Luke's writings.

If Luke's gospel contradicted the writings and oral tradition or the witnesses that were still alive, the book would have been fully discredited by the Christian community at the time.

[Raycpa]

Ignatius of Antioch (born ? -- died (apparently martyred) ~110 CE in Rome)   

This icon is taken from Orthodox Byzantine Icons. The artist and date are unknown. A larger version is available.

Ignatius, bishop of Antioch in Syria, is known mainly as the author of 7 letters that had exceptional influence in the early church. A Catholic Encyclopedia article is online at St. Ignatius of Antioch. He was apparently anxious to counteract the teachings of two groups: the Judaizers, who did not accept the authority of the New Testament (although the NT did not really exist at that time); and the Docetists, who held that Christ's sufferings and death were only apparent. The letters have often been cited to determine what beliefs were held in the early church. These letters are:

Writing	Abbrev.	English Translation(s)
Letter to the Ephesians	Eph.	[Richardson] , [LHH] , Noncanonical Homepage , Christian Classics Ethereal Library , CCAT Public Archive
Letter to the Magnesians	Mag.	[Richardson] , [LHH] , Noncanonical Homepage , Christian Classics Ethereal Library , CCAT Public Archive , Athenaeum of Christian Antiquity
Letter to the Trallians	Trall.	[Richardson] , [LHH] , Noncanonical Homepage , Christian Classics Ethereal Library , CCAT Public Archive , Athenaeum of Christian Antiquity
Letter to the Romans	Rom.	[Richardson] , [LHH] , Noncanonical Homepage , Christian Classics Ethereal Library , CCAT Public Archive
Letter to the Philadelphians	Phil.	[Richardson] , [LHH] , Noncanonical Homepage , Christian Classics Ethereal Library , CCAT Public Archive , Athenaeum of Christian Antiquity
Letter to the Smyrnaeans	Smyr.	[Richardson] , [LHH] , Noncanonical Homepage , Christian Classics Ethereal Library , CCAT Public Archive , Athenaeum of Christian Antiquity
Letter to Polycarp	Poly.	[Richardson] , [LHH] , Noncanonical Homepage , Christian Classics Ethereal Library , CCAT Public Archive

Ignatius does not refer to older Christian writings by name, but his letters have quotations (of approval) from these writings:

• Gospel according to Matthew
• Gospel according to Luke
• Acts
• Romans
• I Corinthians
• Ephesians
• Colossians
• I Thessalonians

Ignatius is held in high regard in the West Syrian Church (an independent Christian Church). Every patriarch since 1293 bears the surname "Ignatios" in his honor. The present (1982) patriarch, Ignatios XXXIX Jacob III, rules from Damascus over 11 metropolitans and 3 bishops and over the Syrian Orthodox Church in Malabar.

The quotations below follow [Richardson]. For a summary of this evidence see the Cross Reference Table.

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Ignatius quotes the Gospel according Matthew

Ignatius		Matthew
Eph. 14:2	No one who professes faith falls into sin, nor does one who has learned to love hate. "The tree is known by its fruit". Similarly, those who profess to be Christ's will be recognized by their actions. For what matters is not a momentary act of professing, but being persistently motivated by faith.	12:33
Smyr. 6:1	Let no one be misled: heavenly beings, the splendor of angels, and principalities, visible and invisible, if they fail to believe in Christ's blood, they too are doomed. "Let him accept it who can". Let no one's position swell in his head, for faith and love are everything -- there is nothing preferable to them.	19:12
Poly. 2:2	In all circumstances be "wise as a serpent", and perpetually "harmless as a dove". The reason you have a body as well as a soul is that you may win the favor of the visible world. But ask that you may have revelations of what is unseen. In that way you will lack nothing and have an abundance of every gift.	10:16

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Ignatius quotes I Thessalonians

Ignatius		I Thessalonians
Eph. 10:1	"Keep on praying" for others too, for there is a chance of their being converted and getting to God. Let them, then, learn from you at least from your actions.	5:17

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Ignatius quotes I Colossians

Ignatius		Colossians
Eph. 10:2	Return their bad temper with gentleness; their boasts with humility; their abuse with prayer. In the face of their error, be "steadfast in the faith". Return their violence with mildness and do not be intent on getting your own back.	1:23

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Ignatius quotes I Corinthians

Ignatius		I Corinthians
Eph. 18:1	I am giving my life (not that it's worth much!) for the cross, which unbelievers find a stumbling block, but which means to us salvation and eternal life. "Where is the wise man? Where is the debater?" Where are the boasts of those supposedly intelligent?	1:20
Trall. 1:3	Those too who are deacons of Jesus Christ's "mysteries" must give complete satisfaction to everyone. For they do not serve mere food and drink, but minister to God's Church. They must therefore avoid leaving themselves open to criticism, as they would shun fire.	4:1
Trall. 12:3	Out of love I want you to heed me, so that my letter will not tell against you. Moreover, pray for me. By God's mercy I need your love if I am going to deserve the fate I long for, and not prove a "castaway".	9:27
Rom.5:1-2	Even now as a prisoner, I am learning to forgo my own wishes. All the way from Syria to Rome I am fighting with wild beasts, by land and sea, night and day, chained as I am to ten leopards (I mean to a detachment of soldiers), who only get worse the better you treat them. But by their injustices I am becoming a better disciple, "though not for that reason am I acquitted". What a thrill I shall have from the wild beasts that are ready for me! I hope they will make short work of me. I shall coax them on to eat me up at once and not to hold off, as sometimes happens, through fear.	4:4
Rom. 6:1	Not the wide bounds of earth nor the kingdoms of this world nor the kingdoms of this world will avail me anything. "I would rather die" and get to Jesus Christ, than reign over the ends of the earth. That is what I am looking for -- the One who died for us. That is whom I want -- the One who rose for us.	9:15

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Ignatius quotes Romans

Ignatius		Romans
Eph. 20:2	I will do this especially if the Lord shows me that you are all, every one of you, meeting together under the influence of grace that we owe to the Name, in one faith and in union with Christ who was "descended from David according to the flesh" and is Son of man and Son of God. At these meetings you should heed the bishop and presbytery attentively, and break one loaf, which is the medicine of immortality, and the antidote which wards off death but yields continuous life in union with Jesus Christ.	1:3

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Ignatius quotes Acts

Ignatius		Acts
Mag. 5:1	Yes, everything is coming to and end, and we stand before this choice -- death or life -- and everyone, will go "to his own place". Once might say similarly, there are two coinages, one God's, the other the world's. Each bears its own stamp -- unbelievers that of this world; believers, who are spurred by love, the stamp of God the Father through Jesus Christ. And if we do not willingly die in union with his Passion, we do not have his life in us.	1:25

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Ignatius quotes Gospel according to Luke

Ignatius		Luke
Smyr. 3:1-2	For myself, I am convinced and believe that even after the resurrection he was in the flesh. Indeed, when he came to Peter and his friends, he said to them, "Take hold of me, touch me and see that I am not a bodiless ghost.". And they at once touched him and were convinced, clutching his body and his very breath. For this reason they despised death itself, and proved its victors. Moreover, after the resurrection he ate and drank with them as a real human being, although in spirit he was united with the Father.	24:39

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Ignatius quotes Ephesians

Ignatius		Ephesians
Poly. 1:2	God grant I may never forget it! By the grace which you have put on, I urge you to press forward in your race and to urge everybody to be saved. Vindicate your position by giving your whole attention to its material and spiritual sides. Make unity your concern -- there is nothing better than that. Lend everybody a hand, as the Lord does you. "Out of love be patient" with everyone, as indeed you are.	4:2
Poly. 5:1	Tell my sisters to love the Lord and to be altogether contented with their husbands. Similarly urge my brothers in the name of Jesus Christ "to love their wives as the Lord loves the Church".	5:25,29

[dmw]

Looking at it from a worldly standpoint, I suppose you could say that. But according to the scriptures, Jesus died on the cross "voluntarily" because this was God's plan for man's salvation. John 3:16, in a nutshell, pretty much gives the reason for Jesus dying on the cross.

[Raycpa]

Polycarp of Smyrna (born ~70 -- died (martyred) ~155 in Rome)   

This icon is taken from Holy Transfiguration Monastery. A larger version is available.

Polycarp, Greek bishop of Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey) was the leading 2nd-century figure in Roman Asia by virtue of his intermediary position between the apostolic and patristic ages and his work during the initial appearance of the fundamental theological literature of Christianity. A Catholic Encyclopedia article is online at St. Polycarp.

His major writing, The Letter to the Philippians, is intimately connected with the epistles and martyrdom of Ignatius. About 110 CE, while en route to Rome where he suffered martyrdom, Ignatius passed through Smyrna and was warmly greeted by the church and its bishop. Subsequently he was taken by his guards to Philippi, where local Christian leaders visited him. After his departure they wrote to Polycarp requesting him to send them copies of the epistles that Ignatius had written to him and to several churches in Asia Minor. This he did, adding a covering letter of his own. In it Polycarp urges the reader to stand fast in the faith, to avoid heretical teachings, to look to the examples of martyrdom suffered by Ignatius and others, and to persevere in philanthropy and good works. He concludes by saying that he is sending them copies of the epistles of Ignatius as they requested, and asks them to send him the latest news about Ignatius and his companions.

By his letter, and by his widespread moral authority, Polycarp combated the Marcionites (from Rome) and frustrated their attempts to establish Churches in Roman Asia. That sect advocated a rejection of the Hebraic Old Testament deity for the New Testament God. He also struggled against the Valentinian communities, esoteric Gnostic groups that claimed religious salvation exclusively through their arcane spiritual knowledge. Polycarp's anti-Gnostic thesis, an exemplary statement of post-apostolic theology, refuted the sectarian argument that God's incarnation in Christ, his death, and Resurrection were all imaginary phenomena of purely moral or mythological significance.

Despite the proximity in time between Ignatius and Polycarp, as well as the obvious affinity of their spirits in Christian fortitude, one recognizes in Polycarp a temperament much less oriented to ecclesiastical polity and possessing a much wider acquaintance with the New Testament. Proportionate to the length of what they wrote, Polycarp has two or three times more quotations and reminiscences from the New Testament that does Ignatius. Of 112 Biblical reminiscences, about 100 are from the New Testament with only a dozen from the Old Testament. Polycarp does not refer to older Christian writings by name, but The Letter to the Philippians has quotations (of approval) from these writings:

• Gospel according to Matthew
• Gospel according to Mark
• Gospel according to Luke
• Acts
• I Corinthians
• II Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• I Thessalonians
• II Thessalonians
• I Timothy
• II Timothy
• Hebrews
• I Peter
• I John
• III John

In fact, The Letter to the Philippians is a mosaic of quotations from both Old Testament and Christian writings. The letter is important for its early testimony to the existence of various other New Testament texts. English translations of the letter are in the books [LHH] and [Richardson] , and online at Noncanonical Homepage and Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The quotations below follow [Richardson]. For a summary of this evidence see the Cross Reference Table.

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Polycarp and the Gospel according to Matthew

Polycarp		Matthew
2:3	"Judge not, that you be not judged; forgive and you will be forgiven; be merciful, that you may be shown mercy; the measure you give will be the measure you get"....	7:1,2
7:2	..."to lead us not into temptation"...	6:13
7:2	..."The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak".	26:14
12:3	..."for those who persecute and hate you"	5:44

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Polycarp and the Gospel according to Mark

Polycarp		Mark
5:2	...."a servant of all"....	9:35

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Polycarp and the Gospel according to Luke

Polycarp		Luke
2:3	...."blessed are the poor and those persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of God".	6:20

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Polycarp and Acts

Polycarp		Acts
1:2	... "whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of Hades".	2:24
2:1	...."judge of the living and the dead",...	10:42

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Polycarp and Romans

Polycarp		Romans
6:2	... "everyone shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ and each of us shall give an account of himself".	14:10,12

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Polycarp and I Corinthians

Polycarp		I Corinthians
4:3	... "the secrets of the heart".	14:25
5:3	... "neither fornicators nor the effeminate nor homosexuals will inherit the Kingdom of God", ...	6:9,10
10:1	... "steadfast and immovable" ...	15:58
11:3	... "do we not know that the saints will judge the world", as Paul teaches?	6:2

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Polycarp and II Corinthians

Polycarp		II Corinthians
2:2	For "he who raised him from the dead will raise us also", ...	4:14
4:1	... let us arm ourselves "with the weapons of righteousness", ...	6:7
6:1	...but "always taking thought for what is honorable in the sight of God and men" ...	8:21
10:1	...in "the gentleness of the Lord preferring one another", and despising no one.	10:1

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Polycarp and Galatians

Polycarp		Galatians
3:3	... -- "which is a mother of us all", ...	4:26
5:1	... "God is not mocked", ...	6:7
12:3	...and in "his Father who raised him from the dead".	1:1

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Polycarp and Ephesians

Polycarp		Ephesians
1:3	... "you are saved by grace, not because of works", ...	2:5,8,9
3:1	... "the word of truth".	1:13
12:1	... as it is said in these Scriptures "be angry but sin not" and "let not the sun go down on your anger".	4:26
12:3	"Pray for all the saints".	6:18

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Polycarp and Philippians

Polycarp		Philippians
2:1	... "to whom he subjected all things, whether in heaven or on earth", ...	3:21
9:1	... "did not run in vain",..	2:16
12:3	..."the enemies of the cross",..	3:18

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Polycarp and I Thessalonians

Polycarp		I Thessalonians
11:2	"Shun evil of every kind".	5:22

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Polycarp and II Thessalonians

Polycarp		II Thessalonians
11:4	..."do not consider such persons as enemies",...	3:15

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Polycarp and I Timothy

Polycarp		I Timothy
4:1	But "the love of money is the beginning of all evils".	6:10
4:1	... "we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out", ...	6:7
12:3	"Pray also for emperors and magistrates and rulers", ...	2:1

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Polycarp and II Timothy

Polycarp		II Timothy
5:2	..."we shall also reign with him"...	2:12
9:2	For they "loved not this present world", ...	4:10
11:4	"May the Lord grant them true repentance".	2:25

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Polycarp and Hebrews

Polycarp		Hebrews
6:3	So then let us "serve him with fear and all reverence", ...	12:28
12:2	May God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and "the eternal High Priest" himself, the Son of God Jesus Christ, build you up in faith and truth and in all gentleness ...	6:20, 7:3

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Polycarp and I Peter

Polycarp		I Peter
1:3	In him, "though you have not seen him, you believe with inexpressible and exalted joy", -- ...	1:8,12
2:1	"Therefore, girding your loins, serve God in fear" ...	1:13
2:1	... "believing on him who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and gave him glory" ...	1:21
2:2	... "not returning evil for evil or abuse for abuse", ...	3:9
5:3	... "every passion of the flesh wages war against the Spirit", ...	2:11
7:2	... "watching unto prayer" ...	4:7
8:1	..."who bore our sins in his own body on the tree, who committed no sin, neither was guile found on his lips"....	2:24
10:1	..."loving the brotherhood"....	2:17
10:1	..."cherishing one another"....	3:8

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Polycarp and I John

Polycarp		I John
7:1	For "whosoever does not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is antichrist", and whosoever does not confess the testimony of the cross "is of the devil"; ...	4:2,3 3:8

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Polycarp and III John

Polycarp		III John
10:1	... "fellow companions in the truth"; ...	1:8

[Gotterdammerung]

A Baptist pastor preached "we don't build on tradition; we don't build on liturgy, we build on scripture". That's fine but what if the Bible is a liturgical book? What if you can't separate the Bible from tradition, from liturgy. The elements of the Mass can be found in the Apocalypse.

[Keli Kilohana]

The Bible is the Word of God whether anyone reads it or not.