Also, to those who believe that ONLY the Bible can save your soul: For about 1,500 years after the Birth of Christ, the “Bible” in its present form did not exist, and very, very few Christians had ever come in contact with an actual Bible!
Also, hardly anything was written down, from the First Easter Sunday to at least 10 years after the Resurrection.
When people did begin to write down various books and letters and such, it was rare that one Priest would ever see more than a few different works, in his entire lifetime.
This was true for well over 1,000 years of the early Church history.
“God did NOT write the Bible.Your statement is a bit broad.
Nobody with any real knowledge of Bible history says otherwise.
The Bible is inspired by God, but not written by God.” [excerpt]
¶ And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
Exodus 31:18
“When people did begin to write down various books and letters and such, it was rare that one Priest would ever see more than a few different works, in his entire lifetime.” [excerpt]
I would have to say that, back in the very start of the Church, many of God's holy and royal priesthood did indeed read Paul's letters, considering the fact that they were addressed to them.¶ Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:
Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1st Peter 1:1-2, 2:5, 2:9