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To: Forest Keeper

All of Orthodox theology contains an element of "synergia" -- God acting, inspiring, and guiding, and man cooperating.

It is clear that man does not always act in synergia with God. When St. Peter was drifting into Judaizing and teaching things that were doctrinally wrong in that regard, St. Paul confronted him on this. So had St. Peter written down those particular teachings that St. Paul confronted him on and corrected him on, they would self-evidently not have been Scriptural.

In Orthodoxy, you will generally find a "both-and" approach. St. Luke's Gospel and his writing of the Acts were both a specific response to a requested account by Theophilus *and* they were written because God wanted them to be written, and to be written in that way.

Likewise, the compiling of the Scriptures into a definitive canon is the result of the inspiration of men by God. This was both the result of the leaders of the early church realizing that they needed to expend effort and care to discern between true and false writings *and* the result of the Holy Spirit guiding that process.

This entire process is a great mystery, and the resulting Scriptures are the words of eternal life, like no other writings that ever were or ever will be again.


5,421 posted on 05/02/2006 5:59:50 PM PDT by Agrarian
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To: Agrarian
In Orthodoxy, you will generally find a "both-and" approach. St. Luke's Gospel and his writing of the Acts were both a specific response to a requested account by Theophilus *and* they were written because God wanted them to be written, and to be written in that way.

Thanks for your comments. Just out of curiosity, is there any teaching you are aware of about Theophilus? Who was this most excellent fellow? :) My Bible says his name means "dear to God", but that he is otherwise unknown.

5,747 posted on 05/05/2006 2:34:54 PM PDT by Forest Keeper
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