1) The members were hand-picked by Christ, i.e., they were Apostles that had personally bestowed divine authority
The apostles were hand-picked, certainly. I don’t know about the elders and brethren.
Anywhoo, back to a question I asked before…was the Jerusalem Council infallible? Or did it err? If it erred, how so?
I’m also wondering if it is your position that whereas Christ bestowed divine authority on the apostles, the apostles, in turn, could not bestow apostolic authority on Apollos and Timothy and all the rest? I’m also wondering what kind of authority they were bestowed, if any.
2) The Apostles were able to speak with authority based upon the infallible words of Christ and the divinely inspired, infallible and inerrant written Word of God; the Old Testament, which Christ Himself gave His 'imprimatur'. The Pharisees, aka: Judaizers referenced Scripture but both misinterpreted it and/or misapplied it. The problem wasn't with the Scriptures but those who read and used it.
Oh certainly. I wholeheartedly agree. It’s the same with all heretics… arians, nestorians, monophysites, iconoclasts, hussites, jansenists etc. etc.
Again, the Jerusalem Council was unique and temporal formed to serve a particular purpose during a specific time period during the development of the Church…
Again, one could say all councils are unique and serve a particular purpose during a specific time period. Right? What’s not unique, nor temporal is that a group would misinterpret and/or misapply scripture. If scripture is perspicuous, I don’t see a need for councils, and if councils can and do err, I don’t see how they can be very authoritative.
Yet, there has always been a remnant saved by grace who have endured these things and kept the faith with sound doctrine and life.
And you can find this remnant in every age? 2nd century, 3rd century…..8th century, 9th century and so on?
There is a consensus of what is biblical truth that one can consult from the various Confessions and Catechisms of the Church. The fact that there is so much agreement among those who also disagree about various and minor issues gives verity to my own interpretation. There is strength in numbers, especially where those numbers consist in diversity. There is strength in numbers, especially where those numbers consist in diversity….
Well, I wonder who decides what's minor and major. I get what you're saying though about consensus, and strength in numbers and diversity and all that (though it almost sounds like you're talking politics
) but I’m reminded of the famous quote from Jerome: “the whole world groaned in astonishment to find itself Arian…”
