[kosta50]

It sounds like your or the Orthodox view (or both) is that any individual book of the Bible could be riddled with error, but that the Bible taken as a whole is nevertheless still "God's inspired word"

Just as the First (Old) Covenant was not protected from corruption, nothing else that deals with us is. God knew that mankind would become awful and that He would have to bring His people back on track through select individuals. By allowing evil, He allows corruption by definition.

Even if we are acceptable to God (made righteous) we are not made perfect. We are simply forgiven.

Spirit moves (motivates) us. Leaders motivate people, but they don't do their homework.

[Forest Keeper]

FK: "It sounds like your or the Orthodox view (or both) is that any individual book of the Bible could be riddled with error, but that the Bible taken as a whole is nevertheless still "God's inspired word"."

Just as the First (Old) Covenant was not protected from corruption, nothing else that deals with us is. God knew that mankind would become awful and that He would have to bring His people back on track through select individuals. By allowing evil, He allows corruption by definition.

I take from this that you see "the Church" as being the only infallible earthly authority. This would appear to put the writings of the Apostles on a par with those of the individual Fathers, sometimes right, sometimes wrong. Only the Church decides which are true. This tends to confirm my hypothesis that the Orthodox put the Church WAY above scripture. It's black and white, the Church is never wrong, but parts of the scripture are.