Dear bcbsr,
You write that 'the most important ideas to propagate are those things of which the Bible speaks about abundantly, clearly and explicitly.' And you write that 'a Gnostic view of scripture is to view it as containing hidden meaning. But that which may have been hidden has been revealed to all through the New Testament.'
When Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, he was reminding Timothy to 'be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrusted to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well'. Earlier in the letter, Paul reflected on Timothy's faith, a faith that lived first in his grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice', through whom it had been passed on to Timothy. The New Testament did not exist yet. So, this passing on of faith was not through the written word, but through the oral tradition, passed on from the apostles and passed on from generation to generation. It took the Church several centuries to confirm with authority which documents - gospels and letters - were to be accepted as the revealed Word of God.
Why did Jesus speak in parables? Even the disciples asked Jesus why he spoke in parables. They saw his miracles, they heard his words. And yet, did they understand? Even when Jesus explained the fulfilment of the Torah and Prophets, - before their very eyes, - did they understand? Did they understand Jesus's relationship to the Father? Did they understand when Jesus said 'before Abraham was, I am' or 'I am the good shepherd' or 'the Father and I are one' or 'I am the resurrection and the life' or 'Lazarus, come out' or 'thus is my body, which is given for you' or 'this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many'? When Peter addressed the crowd on Pentecost Day and those who heard him asked 'what should we do', 3,000 listened and were baptised and 'devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers'.
When Paul joined these early Christians, there was already an apostolic tradition which he incorporated into his message, some of which is witnessed to in his letters. The teaching that Paul received, he then proclaimed and passed on to others, and elements of this is scattered throughout his letters. Passages such as 1 Cor 11:23-25 demonstrate an established Eucharistic formula already in use in the Church. Prayers like 1 Thess 3:13 and Gal 6:18, 'Amen', 'maranatha', 'Abba, Father', doxologies, all echo the prayers in use in the early Church. Expressions such as 'Jesus is Lord', 'Jesus is the Christ', 'one Lord, one baptism, one God and Father of all'; titles such as 'Kyrios', 'Son of God'; catechetical material reflects terminology in use in the early Church and incorporated by Paul into his oral teaching and his letters.
We know from Paul's letters that after the Damascus revelation, Paul spent some time in Arabia, then went back to Damascus and three years later he went to Jerusalem and spent time with Peter, to find out more about Jesus, His teaching and ministry, and the traditions of the Jerusalem Church, which Paul himself then handed on to the Church in Syria, Cylicia, Antioch and all the Churches he visited.
Paul had heard about Jesus of Nazareth, but had not met Him in person, and knew little about Him. Almost all his letters were written before the Gospels, and Paul knew little about Jesus' manner of life, His ministry, His message and even His personality. There are few references to Jesus' sayings in Paul's letters. Where these do occur, they give evidence that Jesus' sayings were already being circulated and handed on among the early Church communities, where Paul would have heard them too. His references to the sayings of the 'Kyrios' show Paul's interest in the traditions already being developed and established in the apostolic Church. There are few references to details of Jesus' life, and they are not narrated by Paul from any historical interest. He records what was passed on to him from the traditions already developing in the early church communities. And his encounter with the problems facing the early Church, - such as the influence of Judaisers and elements of Greek philosophy - led him to offer specific advice and instructions for particular communities while retaining the traditions that had been passed on to Paul.
1 Cor 11:2 'you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you'.
Gal 1:13-14 'You have heard no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.'
2 Cor 8 'See to it that no one takes you captive through philisophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe.'
I am not sure what you mean by: 'There came a time when it was entrusted to unreliable men and for over 1000 years the Bible was taken away from the public by those who replaced what it clearly said with their own ideas.' That is an interpretation of history that is derived from pre-conceived ideas and wrong assumptions. Let me explain.
Even from apostolic times, there were people who misinterpreted the traditions and teachings of the apostolic church. That is evident from the Gospels, the letters of the New Testament and the writings of the Church Fathers. Throughout the centuries the Church has confronted the errors perpetrated by gnostics, arians, and numerous other heretical movements.
Who had the authority to decide whether a gospel, letter or other document was the inspired Word of God? What identified a book as authentic and inspired? As early as the 2nd century, there was in the Church a sense of 'revealed truth', 'rule of faith' and 'rule of life'. Even then, there was no agreement among Jews that had determined the books of what we call the Old Testament ot Hebrew Scriptures. It was not until the 2nd century that Jews and Christians began to discuss the books that each considered to be inspired.
Until about 50AD, Christian faith was communicated and nourished by word of mouth and the traditions established in these years, such as the principal traditions of baptism and the Eucharist.
As Christianity expanded, the need for Christian writings emerged. And as Christianity developed, some writings were preserved, others were lost, others were preserved but not accepted. Apostolic origin became an important factor.
Letters were addressed to specific communities, addressing issues relevant to each community. The churches of Asia Minor, Syria, Greece and Rome were successful in preserving letters and gospels, whereas the disruption of the churches of Palestine prevented the preservation of letters there. There is certainly at least one of Paul's letters that has been lost. What is certain is that all the books of the New Testament were written before 125AD, and traditions regarding authorship often determined acceptance.
Christians began to gather copies of these writings into collections. The early writings of Clement of Rome, Ignatius and others refer to and quote from such collections. But at the same time, spurious writings were also in circulation, such as the 'Epistle to the Laodiceans', 'Acts of Paul', 'Apocalypse of Peter' and 'Gospel of Thomas'. By the end of the 4th century there was general acceptance of the 27 books that comprise what is later called the New Testament, but we cannot infer from this that there was a universal acceptance in all the local churches, - Greek, Latin, Syrian, Ethiopian etc. It was not until the emergence of humanism in the 16th century that reservations began to emerge concerning apostolic authorship.
The Council of Trent confirmed which books should be regarded as inspired, while avoiding saying these were the only inspired books. What was the criteria used at the Council of Trent? The continuous use in the Church of the books of Scripture as witnessing to God's salvific action in Christ's life, death, resurrection and the work of the Holy Spirit in the immediate post-resurrection time. These books were regarded as inspired in their entirety, without addressing differences in the translations.
The Reformation raised other questions, asking if some books were more inspired than others? Were there divergent theologies? After Pentecost, did divergent theological understandings emerge? Divergent 'rules of faith'? Divergent 'rules of life'?
What is important to remember is the guidance of the Holy Spirit acting within the living Church. It was Church usage that determined which books were accepted as Scripture. And Church usage determines the authority attributed to the sacramental, hierarchical and dogmatic aspects that emerged within the life of the Church.
We cannot equate Church usage with the will of God. There is a human factor in the historical process of the development of Christianity. We must remember that the teaching authority of the Church is not above the Word of God, but serves the Word of God. In the apostolic era, the Church shared 'one faith, one baptism, one Lord, one Father of all', and at the same time held different theological views. Should the Church today be less ecumenical?
Is all Scripture 'clear and explicit' as you suggest? What about 'the mysteries of the kingdom'? In Greek - 'mysterion'.
Paul's firt reference to 'mysterion' is in 2 Thess 2:7, which has nothing to do with the gospel. Here, Paul is referring to 'the mystery of iniquity', which is a scheme of satan's at work in the world.
Thereafter, Paul refers to 'God's mystery', which he equates with Jesus Christ Crucified.
God's plan of salvation for mankind has been hidden in God, and is beyond the understanding of mortal men and beyond the powers of this world. It has now been revealed, first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. The 'mystery of Christ' has a cosmic significance, revealing Christ to be the meaning and the goal of all creation. Through Christ, salvation comes to all mankind, through incorporation into His Body, the Church.
Paul identifies Christ with the gospel,- both are the power of God. He also speaks of Christ as the wisdom of God, secret and hidden, and not understood by the rulers of this world, who crucified the Lord of glory.
What is clear in Paul's letters is that this mystery is never fully made known to mankind by ordinary means of communication. Because it is 'revealed', it is only apprehended by faith. Even then, since it is the power and the wisdom and the secret of God, we can never fully comprehend the 'mystery of Christ' in this life.
See:
Romans 11:25; 16:25.
1 Corinthians 2:1, 7; 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:51.
Ephesians 1:9; 3:3-4, 9; 5:32; 6:19.
Colossians 1:26-27; 2:2; 4:3.
1 Timothy 3:9, 16.
