Indeed no one was looking up to a GB for new light and meat in due season since the Holy Spirit was sharing gifts to all such as revelations of knowledge. Let's not also forget that Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD and there was no so called GB operating there after that date.
First Century Governing Body
by drew sagan 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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AuldSoul
Antioch commissioned Paul, not Jerusalem. Jerusalem was notified of Paul's activity, but Paul was starting congregations throughout the Gentile lands without visiting anyone other than Peter and briefly meeting James in 17 years.
There was no central governing authority.
Respectfully,
AuldSoul -
Forscher
It looks to me like you might be looking for some recent quotes from the WTBTS where they try to make that connection. Am I reading you right?
Forscher -
jschwehm
Since the bible is the only source recognised by christians as the source of info for that time
Actually, you also have the writings of the Church Fathers in addition to the writings that eventually became part of the New Testament. You could check there as well.
Jeff S.
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gumby
Since the bible is the only source recognised by christians as the source of info for that time
Actually, you also have the writings of the Church Fathers in addition to the writings that eventually became part of the New Testament
Jeff....wouldn't you have to say that the word 'Church Fathers' and 'Governing Body' are synonymous from your point of view? I'd say most christians put more stock in the bible supposed authors and christ himself over the "church fathers". It was them who decided things, demanded things, enforced things. They took it upon themselves to act as Jesus spokesman....just like the Governing Body of today.Gumby
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jschwehm
Jeff....wouldn't you have to say that the word 'Church Fathers' and 'Governing Body' are synonymous?
No, not at all. Some of the Church Fathers were bishops, many were theologians who taught the faith and were involved in some of the theological controversies of their times and some, as in the case of Justin Martyr-were Gentile converts to the faith and Greek philosophers.
What their writings give us is a glimpse into what the leaders of the early church believed and in some cases how the early church was governed and how the early church worshipped. There are even cases where the Church Fathers tell us how the Church understood certain sections of scripture back in the day (closest to the times of the apostles and the times when the scriptures were written) that we today might find difficult to understand (such as the first chapter of John for example).
Jeff S.
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gumby
The Church Fathers cannot be read uncritically. It is obvious from the New Testament that doctrinal confusion, legalism, and gnostic error were beginning to find their way into the church even before the canon was closed.
The writings of the Church Fathers are not free from such influences. Moreover, the next three centuries were a long chronicle of doctrinal conflict, and these men whom we call Church Fathers did not always agree with one another.
They may have been sincere ( some of them perhaps), but in time they attached to much importance to a Governing Body type of arrangement as they felt some type of control was needed to handle such a following as christianity and needed to be "controlled" as do all groups that become large.....needing "chiefs" to guide the indians. Sadly...man being man.... the objective is destroyed in it's efforts in attainment....or from greed and a lust for power and control.
Gumby
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jwfacts
Following I have summarised what Ray Franz wrote about the first century GB.
The term "Governing Body" never appears in the scriptures so once again we see the Watchtower placing great emphasis on a term that does not exist in the bible. How then does the Watchtower justify an all powerful Governing Body? This is by reference to when the issue of circumcision was decided in Jerusalem, as discussed in Acts chapter 15.
There is only occasion that a gathering of brothers is ever mentioned to decide an issue; the scriptures never again mention a select group of brothers convening to establish doctrine. On this occasion it can not be said that the decision was made by an established Governing Body. Rather in Acts it says that "they arranged for Paul and Barnabas and some others of them to go up to the apostles and older men in Jerusalem regarding this dispute." (Acts 15:2) Rather than showing the existence of a Governing Body of a small number of leaders, Acts describes a gathering of all the apostles and older men in Jerusalem along with Paul and Barnabas, who were traveling missionaries, to decide on a important issue that was affecting the local congregations.
To show that there was no centralized Governing Body directing the early Christians it is interesting to read the history of the Apostle Paul. After Paul’s conversion he did not go to Jerusalem to receive an assignment. Rather, he immediately embarked on his missionary work without conferring with the apostles or any group of leaders. Three years after his conversion Paul made his first trip to Jerusalem and even then did not meet with a group of leaders, but just with Peter and James. It was not till a further fourteen years later that he went back to Jerusalem (Gal 2:1-3), possibly for the occasion described in Acts 15.
The early Christians were not directed by an organisation, but by the words of Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It was under the guidance of Holy Spirit that Paul did his work, as were all followers of Jesus.
(Romans 15:19) " 19 with the power of signs and portents, with the power of holy spirit; so that from Jerusalem and in a circuit as far as Illyricum I have thoroughly preached the good news about the Christ."
(Acts 4:31) "… they were one and all filled with the holy spirit and were speaking the word of God with boldness."
Christians were encouraged to meet together and generally did so in houses, with the mature men and women assisting the weaker ones. They were also to preach about Jesus. But never was there mention of how often to meet, how often to preach or to report it. There was no mention of an organisation providing strict guidelines. After the situation of Acts 15 was resolved Schaff’s History of the Christian Church shows that "…we have no trace of Councils before the middle of the second century…"
With little evidence to show Jehovah today uses the Watchtower Society to direct his people, articles regularly use false rhetoric to prove the point. For instance in the following article it makes an unsupported claim that this point is evident to ‘mature’ Christians, a form of argumentation called Ad hominem rhetoric, that is attacking the person that disagrees.
Watchtower 1958 May 1 p.285
"19 Those mature in Christian growth have, through the Scriptures and the evident manifestation of Jehovah’s favor on his faithful and discreet slave, come to appreciate that Jehovah deals with his people as an organization and that his spirit operates in conjunction with that organization. (Matthew 24:45-47)"
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drew sagan
Thanks for all the comments.
I'm going to complie a list of all the instances the Society has mentioned this first century governing body in the literature. Kind of a little "history of" the teaching. If anybody has some First Century Governing Body quotes from obscure literature, please share them.
By the way, have I hit 900 posts yet? I wanna have a pizza party when I hit 1000. -
jschwehm
They may have been sincere ( some of them perhaps), but in time they attached to much importance to a Governing Body type of arrangement as they felt some type of control was needed to handle such a following as christianity and needed to be "controlled" as do all groups that become large.....needing "chiefs" to guide the indians. Sadly...man being man.... the objective is destroyed in it's efforts in attainment....or from greed and a lust for power and control.
Just wondering if you could give me an example of what you are describing above.
Thanks,
Jeff S.