Posted on 03/29/2024 8:27:53 PM PDT by Morgana
In a recent “sermon,” false teacher Ashley Wilkerson, the self-described “pastor” of Pacific Coast Church posited an extraordinary claim—that the early church was teeming with female apostles whose names were subsequently altered in Scripture to mask their identities and contributions as women. This assertion, while striking, is completely absurd and crumbles under the weight of scriptural fidelity, historical scrutiny, and orthodox understanding.
Firstly, the apostolic office, as delineated in the New Testament, is not a title bestowed lightly. It is marked by direct commissioning by Christ Himself or, as seen in Paul’s case, a clear, divine calling. The primary roles of an apostle included witnessing Christ’s resurrection and teaching with authority conferred by Jesus. To suggest a widespread alteration of Scripture to exclude women from this office is just silly. The office is God-ordained, not humanly manipulated.
Secondly, the historical transmission of the biblical texts does not support Wilkerson’s assertion. The painstaking process of copying manuscripts across centuries was undergirded by a reverence for the Word’s sanctity and an understanding of its divine inspiration. While no historical process is perfect, the suggestion of a deliberate, systematic effort to alter apostolic names and genders lacks both evidence and credibility. The reliability of the scriptural manuscripts, confirmed by countless scholars and textual critics, stands in direct opposition to the idea of such conspiratorial alterations.
To imply that recognition of women’s roles requires altering scriptural identity is to overlook the profound contributions of women as recorded in the Scriptures themselves. Women like Phoebe and Priscilla were indeed important contributors to the early church’s growth and vibrancy. Their roles as supporters and servants are just as important within the New Testament without the need for alteration or misrepresentation.
Wilkerson’s error lies not in acknowledging the significant contributions of women to the early Christian church but in proposing a narrative of deliberate scriptural alteration that undercuts the integrity of the biblical text and the providence of its preservation. Such claims detract from the unity and truth of the gospel and women such as Wilkerson who pervert the gospel, undermine the integrity of God’s word, and make such outlandish claims should be marked and avoided.
VIDEO ON LINK
The “falling away” continues unabated
Jezebel spirit in action. I hope she isn’t related to Dave Wilkerson.
Mental illness and a pulpit are dangerous combinations.
Why? In post 36, you told us "Most of the bible is nothing more than a story book. I am not saying it is true or not true, but it is nothing more than a story book." Seems you want it both ways. Authoritative when you think it helps your argument and not authoritative otherwise.
According to, that mean he did not write it. It is a retold story.
"According to" refers to the source of the information. It could include retold stories from eye witnesses or direct testimony from an eye witness. You're twisting the phrase to question the credibility of the writings. Faithful retelling of the stories from first-hand sources, direct testimony, and faithful transcription would result in reliable evidence. A retold story does not necessarily mean that it is corrupted. An account of the event can be accurately conveyed in its retelling.
Attempts to manipulate the Scriptures is not new. Over 150 years ago there was an attempt to move the scene of the bible from the Middle East to Scotland, claiming one of the major cities there was the actual Jerusalem.
The collection of the New Testament was mostly settled long before Constantine. The only additions were the few books at the back. James, Jude, 2nd Peter, Revelation, Hebrews. 2nd and 3rd John. Hebrews is an excellent writing on why the Jews should not “draw back” as they did in the Desert and had to sit 40 years for the old generation to die off. From the death of Christ to the destruction of the Sacrificial system and Temple, by the Romans was also almost 40 years.
Lots of fake “gospels” and Apocalypses were written in those years. You can read about them in The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden. One reading and you can see why they were left out as tall tales.
For the Bible to be just a book of fairy tales and myths it sure causes Kings and rulers to become unnerved by it.
Antiochus Epiphanes sent his troops to destroy the Jews and especially their bible. What was in the book that shook him up? It’s just myths and fables!
Three hundred years later the Caesars sent the Legions of Rome to destroy the Jews, Christians and especially that book of myths and fables! What was in that book of myths and fables that shook the Caesars so bad?
Three hundred years later out of Arabia came the Moslems demanding you accept THEIR KORAN or die! They destroyed the Bible every chance they got. This fight is still going on today and bibles are still forbidden in Arabia.
Over time the bible became the property of the elites of Christendom as most people could not read Greek and Latin. As soon as men began to get better educated it was suggested it be translated into the common language of the people, and the battle lines were drawn between the elites and their Greek and Latin bibles and the common people who wanted it in their own languages. What was in that book of myths and fables that the Elites did not want the commoners to see?
Today the Bible is translated into over one thousand local languages but is till forbidden in parts of the world. What is in a book of myths and fables that upsets them so?
Now think, WHAT BOOK of myths and fables can you think of that YOU would give your life to protect so people could read it? Aesop’s Fables? Mother goose? Origin of the Species?
Why did so many men allow themselves to be tortured and torn apart by wild animals in the coliseum just to protect a book of fables!
And today that book of myths and fables upsets the liberals so bad they actually foam at the mouth and revile it! Why, if it is just a book of myths and fables.
Maybe it it is more than just a book of myths and fables. Why not read it and see. It just might scare the HELL out of you.
On the road to Damascus he did. Now what would change a person so determined to destroy Christians into someone who defended them to the death? Beat, stoned, whipped, yet he never wavered from his faith.
Well, the Romans knew of him. He was written as one of the causes of riots in Rome back then.
The Roman historian Suetonius (c. AD 69 – c. AD 122) mentions early Christians and may refer to Jesus Christ in his work Lives of the Twelve Caesars.[1][2][3] One passage in the biography of the Emperor Claudius Divus Claudius 25, refers to agitations in the Roman Jewish community and the expulsion of Jews from Rome by Claudius during his reign (AD 41 to AD 54), which may be the expulsion mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (18:2). In this context “Chresto” is mentioned. Some scholars see this as a likely reference to Jesus, while others see it as referring to another person living in Rome, of whom we have no information.[4][5][6]
Christians are explicitly mentioned in Suetonius’ biography of the Emperor Nero (Nero 16) as among those punished during Nero’s reign.[7] These punishments are generally dated to around AD 64,[8] the year of the Great Fire of Rome. In this passage Suetonius describes Christianity as excessive religiosity (superstitio) as do his contemporaries, Tacitus and Pliny.[2]
In what sense?
Mary is to be greatly honored. The Father considered her to be worthy of the honor of bearing the God-Man and caring for Him during his youth.
She was a righteous woman, although by her own lips (Luke 1:47) not sinless. She is not the Mediatrix because we are told in 1 Timothy 2:5, there is only one mediator between God and man and that person is Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 11:11, Jesus implied that John the Baptist was greater than Mary (and all others born of woman).
Mary seemed to have a limited role in the early Church based on her absence of mention following the Resurrection. Acts 1:14 is the last chronological mention of Mary.
It seems that Scripture paints important but limited roles in God's redemptive plan for several people during the time of the Incarnation. Mary and John the Baptist were two of them. Mary was given the honor of being the birth mother of the God-Man and raising Jesus to adulthood. John the Baptist was given the honor of being the last prophet in the line of prophets proclaiming the coming Messiah. He had the honor among those prophets of being the one able to say "there is your Messiah!" We have John's words recorded of needing to fade from the scene so the spotlight shines on Jesus (John 3:30). Scripture doesn't record such a clear statement of Mary recognizing her limited role although it could be implied in her last recorded words in Scripture "Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:5)
This should have been written:
Mary is to be greatly honored. The Father considered her to be worthy of the honor of bearing the God-Man and caring for Him during His youth.
I should have capitalized the H in His because it is pronoun referring to one of the persons in the Trinity.
****If only the library of Alexandria would not have been destroyed,****
First by Julius Caesar where the original Hebrew bible were written in Greek.
Then the fire in 391AD
Edward Gibbon blamed on the Christians, but others say it was the later moslems.
https://library.biblicalarchaeology.org/article/the-destruction-of-the-great-library-at-alexandria/
I believe it was destroyed by the earthquake and tidal wave in 365 AD before the other 391. Imagine all those books on Papyrus soaked and falling apart. The parchment ones would have survived if the ink had not run.
Apostle means witness (of the resurrection).
The first two were women.
I have it on good authority that Washington, as a child, did chop down the Cherry tree looking just as he did in old age.
https://nyla-has-house.blogspot.com/2022/04/did-george-washington-really-cut-down.html
bttt
The spurious nature of the arguments for women pastors (save for the exception clause of Judges ch. 4, 5), with their manifest eisegesis (reading into a text), itself argues against the notion of positional gender equality. The basic premise behind the PGE polemic has no real substance, being built upon silence, or unwarranted interpretations from anecdotal and other texts, and is contrary to the express doctrinal statements to the contrary.
Put down that Dan Brown book and slowly step away and no one will get hurt.
"Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee quote: Of dying ? Nah. I read The Bible once. You know God and Jesus and all them "Postles" ? They were all fishermen, just like me. Yeah, straight to heaven for Mick Dundee. Yep, me and God, we'd be mates."
So one of the "Psotles" was named "Shaniqua"...
well, I'll be...
Although I don’t think there are any of the “Virgin Mary’s” writings, she is extremely honored in the church.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.