“You are ok betting your salvation on a self authenticating document? Wow.”
What’s wrong with that? The Koran is poorly written fiction that gets facts and history wrong, stealing straight from the Bible. The Book of Mormon is poorly written fiction that has been changed more than 3,000 times, with Trinitarian verses being removed and replaced to satisfy Smith’s evolving views on the number of gods.
Only the Holy Scriptures have stood the test of time. And, certainly, Ignatius, Polycarp, and Irenaeus were all appealing to Holy Scripture in all of their teachings, and not on their own authority. They didn’t need a church council in the 1st and 2nd centuries to determine what was and wasn’t scripture, and considering just how heavily they quoted from virtually all of the New Testament as well, goes to show how widespread the scripture had circulated within a relatively short period of time.
At best, all your making is an argument that the Pharisees could have made, claiming that they created and compiled the Old Testament, when really it was Moses and the Prophets, and therefore they (the Pharisees) are the only ones who have the right to interpret scripture.
Beautifully said!
FWIW, in one of the courses I've taken to be better at evangelizing to muslims I read Ron Rhodes book, "Reasoning from the Scriptures with Muslims". I noted in this book that he points out that in the Apostolic Era and the generations immediately following:
"there are enough quotations, from the early church fathers that, even if we did not have a single manuscript copy of the Bible, scholars could still reconstruct all but 11 verses of the New Testament from material written within 150 to 200 years after the time of Christ." (p.205)
Christians guided by the Holy Spirit were able to discern what was inspired by God and what wasn't well before any councils of appointed theologians were convened. Taking credit for something that is clearly the work of God doesn't strengthen a position, it weakens it.