Jesus said MUCH more than "this is my body"
Did He, perhaps, say someplace else "Eh, wait. It is not my body after all. Just kidding"?
spelling out their developed doctrine over those words until well over a THOUSAND years after the last of the Apostles all died
I cited Sts Ireneaus, Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr vehemently defending the doctrine of Real Presence (i.e. it is His body) on this thread. They are Catholic authorities of the 2 Century. Another reason to really despise the Protestant theorizers is their inability to face historical facts.
"not by faith alone are ye saved" You cannot find THAT passage anywhere in Scripture
That's a s good one.
ορατε τοινυν οτι εξ εργων δικαιουται ανθρωπος και ουκ εκ πιστεως μονονDo you see that by works a man is justified; and not by faith only? (Douay)
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. (KJV)
My quote was from memory. Did I not remember it right?
God insists that bishops or overseers and elders shepherd and feed God's flock
Right. Now you paraphrase. You paraphrase is correct. They shepherd the Church and they feed it. Here's the original:
προσεχετε ουν εαυτοις και παντι τω ποιμνιω εν ω υμας το πνευμα το αγιον εθετο επισκοπους ποιμαινειν την εκκλησιαν του κυριου και θεου ην περιεποιησατο δια του ιδιου αιματος (Acts 20:28)I italicized the "bishop rule" part. "Episcop", or similar is the word for "bishop" in most languages; in fact, "bishop" derives from it also. Yes, it means "overseer".
"ποιμαινω" is indeed a complex meaning (Liddell-Scott) matching both "govern", "guard" and "tend" in application to sheep. It is, in other words, the work of a shepherd. Can you think of a better metaphor for authority than what a shepherd has over the sheep? So now please find where the scripture says something about Bible alone ruling the Church.
This is a straw man argument. No one on either side of this debate contends there is no divinely appointed human authority exercised in the churches. We do disagree in that we contend the authoritarian monarchy centered in Rome, complete with an intermediate echelon of priests exerting sacerdotal power over the laity, has no basis in Scripture, at least if you think Peter's view matters:
1Peter 5:1-4 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
Here Peter sweetly echoes the command Jesus gave him to feed His sheep. But notice what I have bolded. Peter accounted Himself an elder. Why did he not assert the status of bishop? Then a few words later notice that he is telling the same elders of verse 1 they are to take *oversight* of the flock, επισκοπουντες, the verbal form of episkopos, which as a noun some prefer to translate "bishop," but which is closer to it's native meaning simply as "overseer."
So the presbyters and the overseers are not rigidly separate and distinct roles, at least not here. And no one argues they exercise authority. But what sort of authority, and what relationship does such authority have to the enscripturated word of God?
Those are fair questions to ask, because there is a heavenly reward for good shepherding and almost every elder I know or have ever known was serious about trying to get it right:
1Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
Peace,
SR