I do not agree — for if it is writing God's word, then the writer is merely a scribe, but if the writer writes of his own accord the words are not God's and therefore lack any [divine] authority.
In short, to assemble the books in the Bible.
Again, see the above.
This is what the early Church fathers did using the sacred oral tradition, contemporary sources, and ritual.
Really? I don't like how you elevate tradition and ritual above the word of God, because to do so means that they are of more authority than the Word of God.
Jesus summed up my feelings on this succinctly: Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.
This deposit of authority was not to be spread around to every Tom, Dick and Harry who picks up the Bible and goes on a gallop of his own on how to interpret Scripture.
Really?
It seems to me that you are now denying the Holy Spirit:
(John 16:13)
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
This was to be done by virtue of Petrine authority. Whatsoever, thou shall bind on earth . You get the picture.
Again, you equate God-given authority with divine roles — in fact, not all authority which is God-given is the same.
Samuel and Saul were both appointed to their positions, respectively priest and king, by God — yet the transgression for which God took the kingdom from Saul was when Saul offered sacrifices (which properly belonged to the role of the priest). Thus we see that God giving authority in one area does not mean that authority is given in another.
Well said OWS!
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