It's irrelevant what I think of it; what's relevant is that you believe it is scripture. I am using your own source of authority.
For those of us who accept the Book of Revelation we recognize the symbolism and correspondence of the 12 judges and 12 tribes, but that does not translate into a view that Gentiles are shut out
Well, you be the judge
You and I have a fundamental difference on who "Israel" is, and what Jesus did
That's obvious, even though my view is based on what you consider infallible scripture.
You deny all (or most of) the verses in which Jesus talks about saving His elect. We have showed you many times
You have been shown the same, even right here and now, and you will come back and say "it's not true."
NO, that is CURRENT day Catechism. Before you even have a hint of getting to me, you must first rip through your Latin brethren
They believe that the Bible, interpreted correctly by the Church, reveals God's inerrant truth. They don't believe that the Bible itself is without human error. They will probably argue that the Catholic version (such as the NAB) is the closest to the true Bible (and I happen to agree with that).
Your side believes that the Bible, as bought in Barnes and Noble, is free from any error because God wouldn't allow any error to "creep in."
The Bible is full of revisions, additions and deletions; many of these are intentional. Many of these have profound theological consequences. Being inspired by God does not mean unable to err.
Our Latin brothers will also tell you that your side's reading of St. Paul is flawed, and their Eastern brothers will fully agree. +Paul is by no means "neglected" in the Apostolic Church. The Reformed Paul is.
Kosta: In the OT, the Spirit of God is equivalent to the Power of God.
FK: No, you appear to be attempting to depersonalize God. The Spirit of God is distinct.
Here Jesus uses the Spirit of God in the Old testament sense, as the power of God given to Him.
It is only later, as the whole Trinitarian revelation became clear to the Apostles, that the Holy Spirit is recognized as a divine Hypostasis, God Himself. "God is spirit" [John 4:24]
St. Paul, however, still clings to the Judaic notion of the Spirit being the power of God" when he says (and this is by no means the only example): "who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord." [Roma 1:4]
In all the earlier examples, one can substitute "the power of God" for the "Spirit."
This can be seen in many Old Testament verses, such as:
Here the Spirit is the "enabler" (the power) of ability, skill and knowledge.
"When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he burned with anger. He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, "This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel." Then the terror of the LORD fell on the people, and they turned out as one man." " [1 Sam 11:5-7]
But not all of the Old Testament God's powers (spirits) were good; some were "evil" [Heb: rah].
It is the Spirit who is the maker, the power that brings things into existence, into life.
So, no, I am not trying to depersonalize God, as you say. LOL! The Bible tells us that the Spirit is God's power, not God Himself. The concept of a separate Hypostasis of one God, the Holy Spirit, was not preached even in the early Gospels.
God as a concept in our imagination". I am speechless.
No doubt. It probably never occurred to you that we have to have a concept of God before we can believe in God. Something has to put the idea of God into our consciousness.
If we can't conceptualize somethng we cannot believe in it; or think about it. It is literally outside of our intellectual realm, intellectually invisible.
Well, you be the judge
Kosta, this is obviously referring to future events. If you interpret this to mean that in the future all Gentiles are shut out, then why are you bothering with Christianity? :) The "temple" probably refers to God's Church, which includes some Gentiles.
They [Latins] don't believe that the Bible itself is without human error.
Some may think that, but that's not what the Catechism says.
Our Latin brothers will also tell you that your side's reading of St. Paul is flawed, and their Eastern brothers will fully agree. +Paul is by no means "neglected" in the Apostolic Church. The Reformed Paul is.
As I have said, then Paul was the most cryptic writer in human history and rarely wrote what he really meant. Perhaps he foresaw that the Fathers would come along later and repair all of his errors.
The Bible tells us that the Spirit is God's power, not God Himself. The concept of a separate Hypostasis of one God, the Holy Spirit, was not preached even in the early Gospels.
No, the Bible is clear that Holy Spirit is a Person. From Got Questions:
We can know that the Holy Spirit is indeed a Person because He possesses a mind, emotions, and a will. The Holy Spirit thinks and knows (1 Corinthians 2:10). The Holy Spirit can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30). The Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8:26-27). The Holy Spirit makes decisions according to His will (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). The Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Trinity. As God, the Holy Spirit can truly function as the Comforter and Counselor that Jesus promised He would be (John 14:16,26; 15:26).