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They had no more or less authority than they would otherwise have had if they were 1st century apostles.

We finally agree. The bishops are the desecndents of the Apostles. And since the Apostles taught the Good News and wrote Scripture, then bishops have the exact same authority to determine what is orthodox.

Ring the bells! Say alleluia! Dave and Havoc agree.

The Bishops have the authority to do so but within confines not adhered to by this group. This is not cart blanche and
it is not the organization that would be. That had yet to come. Catholicism did not exist; but, it was coming into being with a group of people who put down those protesting the sin of their ways. Once silenced, the majority began to maneuver politically and became what is now Catholicism.

So no, we do not agree. The contention has been that The form progressed and became something it had not been - Catholicism instead of Christianity. Once it was decided that Donatus could not be allowed to preach against paganizing the church through allowing it's members to believe they could offer to Roman gods and remain clean and christian, every perversion of truth under the sun was fair game. Theodosius baptised the mess with the name "Catholic" and defined heresy as anything that disagreed with majority opinion. Christ could be put to death by these men in other words and was in the guise of
Donatus - for it was Christ's words that were being judged -not those of Donatus. Another simple truism lost on ya'll it would seem.