What you are doing is trying to fit this information into your current paradigm. That's fine... that is what people do. They never question whether their paradigm is wrong or has a hole or two in places... they just assume it is correct and fit everything else inside of it. I don't, sorry. I am a white, Western, Greek influenced, Christian living in the United States who knows he can't read a first century Jew from that perspective and fully grasp what he is saying. The bible was written in the Ancient Near East by Semites who wrote in a language that was more pictorial than my own, and they used certain phraseology in places that was unique to that time and place. Additionally, people like Paul used certain rules of exegesis in his writings that we are entirely unaware of but that, when pointed out, jump off the pages once recognized. Exegesis, by the way, that is DESIGNED to effect context, and again, we don't even recognize those things he is doing.
I am suggesting one read from the perspective of those who wrote it... you are suggesting we ignore anything outside our bias and only read from our own time and perspective. Your way works... to a point... and I know that well because 2 decades ago I read from your perspective. But I also learned that I had left a great deal on the table God placed there to be consumed. All that, and.... letters written to specific churches for specific purposes were not in wide spread distribution. Your claim that the first century church having those letters among their churches has no historical evidence to back it... none. After the first century? Sure... but if you think in 60 AD that copies of Paul's letters to all those cities he sent them to were copied and kept in all the churches is simply an error in thinking on your part and you have nothing to prove your point. Since it can't be proved... you can't use it, or at least, I won't. I therefore stand and will continue to stand on the notion that when the NT writer mentions the written word of God, they are referring to the canon in their time. These weren't Americans making up new rules as they go... they were Jews more entrenched in a culture you despise than you realize. And until you have the ability to see from anywhere outside your own lens... then at least on this topic, we have nothing else to share. I am not going to keep going back and forth in some weird theological urinating match because you want to prove some historically unprovable point. Come with evidence or I will see you in another thread Mark.
Blessings.
Ken
