It's not a group word or collective word for "the Pope and Bishops."
It's not a committee or body of people at all. (For instance, you couldn't say "The Magisterium is meeting this afternoon at 1:00 p.m.")
It's the office, the authority of the Popes (plural, going back to Peter) and the Bishops in union with those Popes.
For instance, you could say "The Magisterium is the Pope's limited authority to faithfully transmit the Deposit of Doctrine --- that is, to hand it on without any change in its sense and meaning, and to explain it --- and not to rescind it or oppose it."
And you could say, "If the Pope is writing about Friedman's Market Economics or stellar parallax, his opinions are outside of the Papal Magisterium."
And you could also say,"If the Pope is writing to argue with or refute the teachings of his papal predecessors, his opinions are outside of the Papal Magisterium."
Please read these examples of correct usage, and understand that we're talking about an office or authority which has limits and has particular content. We are not talking about particular individuals and their every opinion.
If you ever became a Catholic of a sort, I'd still be disagreeing with you, because you have the makings of an ardent, over-the-top ultramontane Catholic like William Ward.
No. I get what you're saying. But somebody has to articulate this "magisterium"...and that's the pope and bishops of Roman Catholicism.
For instance, you could say "The Magisterium is the Pope's limited authority to faithfully transmit the Deposit of Doctrine --- that is, to hand it on without any change in its sense and meaning, and to explain it --- and not to rescind it or oppose it."
Except, regarding the "Deposit of Doctrine", this has changed numerous times over the centuries....and Rome's own documents attest to that....and if Roman Catholics would objectively evaluate their denomination's history they'd see this.
As a Christian, it's been pretty easy to read Rome's documents objectively and see the changes.
Roman Catholicism continues to labor under the false premise they are "handing down" everything, and nothing more, that the Apostles taught. History shows that just is not the case. The disagreement between just V1 and V2 Roman Catholics illustrates this....as does this current issue with Rome's pope.
And we have on these very threads numerous Roman Catholics, who when confronted when their own documents such as Unam Sanctam, seemingly dismiss them as they don't agree with them. That "magisterium" you're holding up isn't much good is it if Roman Catholics aren't willing to follow their own denomination's teachings.
*********************
Scripture does not change......Roman Catholic "Tradition" has, does and will change again.