WHAT ARE A FEW MYTHS THAT MUST BE DISPELLED?

What might be some myths that Christians believe in, that should be dispelled? One myth is that there was nothing written down among the first Apostles, after the death of Christ in about 35 AD. The very specific myth is that ‘official canon’ of the New Testament Bible was not put together nor created until the Roman Emperor led Nicean Council in 350 AD.

What if the first Bible was written and used during the ministry of the apostles of Christ?

Wouldn’t it make more common sense that Christ’s apostles were using written books in their missionary work?

What if those apostles actually had an Apostles Council where they made formal and ‘legal’ decisions about what the First Bible would look like and what would be included in it, and what would be excluded from it, thus creating the first official Bible ‘canon’?

Why wouldn’t the living Christ’s apostles write down accounts of their lives and the teachings of Christ, very soon after Christ was killed, from around 35 AD to 90 AD?

WHAT WAS THE FIRST BIBLE AND THE FIRST NEW TESTAMENT CANON?

Wikipedia; “Marcion was the first to codify a Christian canon. His canon consisted of only eleven books, grouped into two sections: the Evangelikon, a shorter version of the Gospel of Luke, and the Apostolikon, a selection of ten epistles of Paul the Apostle, which were also slightly shorter than the canonical text.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcion_of_Sinope

15 Deuterocanonical Books of the Bible; 7-15 Apocryphal Books of the King James Bible Were Deleted – What Is A Black Slave Bible? What Is In The Dead Sea Scrolls?

“If you’re not reading the same bible as the first Christians in 144 A.D. you’re reading just another book. The first Christian bible is not only the foundation of faith that virtually every denomination traces its canonical roots back to – it’s also the only place you’ll find the gospel preached by Paul the Apostle that he specifically references numerous times:

“But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:8-9) ***In addition to the Gospel of the Lord you’ll also read in their original, unedited form Galatians, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Romans, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, Laodiceans, Colossians, Philemon and Philippians. That is the entirety of the first Christian bible as it was gathered and transcribed in 144 A.D. and as it is now. Numbered chapters and verses in standard bible format.***

The Very First Bible also acts as a cryptographic key, allowing us to see which scriptures were edited and added as it ballooned from one gospel and eleven books into 73 books and four gospels over time. For the first time you will read the first Christian bible exactly as it was transcribed in 144 A.D. and one of the first things you’ll notice is that it doesn’t contain the Torah* (Old Testament).

You will see the original Gospel of the Lord that was preached by the Apostle Paul and Scriptures reveal God through Jesus, as it happened. After 2,000-years of ‘interpretive editing,’ additions, deletions, theological focus groups and sloppy translations, the modern bible has more in common with modern art than it does with the very first Christian bible.

***This special first edition includes illustrations along with a Study and Reference Guide where you’ll learn about the key people and events surrounding The Very First Bible and Marcion of Sinope, the man that religious scholars say is responsible for the format of the New Testament.*

The apostles agreed to exclude the Torah (Old Testament) law from Christian canon at the Council of Jerusalem in 48 A.D. after determining it was antithetical to the gospel of Christ. It was later added to the first Christian bible in 325 A.D. by order of a pagan Roman emperor at the Council of Nicaea. This subject and others are covered more fully in the study guide included in the book … https://www.amazon.com/Very-First-Bible-Marcion-Sinope/dp/0578641593

WHAT WAS THE 1ST COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM?

Council of Jerusalem

“Christian Apostles in Jerusalem about 50 AD that decreed that Gentile Christians did not have to observe the Mosaic Law of the Jews. It was occasioned by the insistence of certain Judaic Christians from Jerusalem that Gentile Christians from Antioch in Syria obey the Mosaic custom of circumcision. A delegation, led by the Apostle Paul and his companion St. Barnabas, was appointed to confer with the elders of the church in Jerusalem.

The ensuing apostolic conference (noted in Acts 15:2–35), led by St. Peter the Apostle and St. James, “the Lord’s brother,” decided the issue in favor of Paul and the Gentile Christians. https://www.britannica.com/event/Council-of-Jerusalem

FIRST APOSTOLIC COUNCIL MENTIONED IN BIBLE

Wikipedia; “The Council of Jerusalem or Apostolic Council is a council described in chapter 15 of the Acts of the Apostles, held in Jerusalem around c. 48–50 AD.

The council decided that Gentile converts to Christianity were not obligated to keep most of the rules prescribed to the Jews by the Mosaic Law, such as Jewish dietary laws and other specific rituals, including the rules concerning circumcision of males.^{[1][2][4][5][6]} The council did, however, retain the prohibitions on eating blood, meat containing blood, and meat of animals that were strangled, and on fornication and idolatry, sometimes referred to as the Apostolic Decree.^[1] The purpose and origin of these four prohibitions is debated.^[7]

Accounts of the council are found in Acts of the Apostles (chapter 15 in two different forms, the Alexandrian and Western versions) and also possibly in Paul‘s letter to the Galatians (chapter 2).^[5][6][3][8] 

Historical background

Main article: Historical background of the New Testament

Further information: Biblical law in Christianity § History and background, and Circumcision controversy in early Christianity § Jewish background

Jerusalem was the first center of the Christian Church according to the Book of Acts,^[2] and according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the location of “the first Christian church”.^[10] The apostles lived and taught there for some time after Pentecost.^[11] James the Just, brother of Jesus was leader of the early Christian community in Jerusalem, and his other kinsmen likely held leadership positions in the surrounding area after the destruction of the city until its rebuilding as Aelia Capitolina in c. 130 AD, when all Jews were banished from Jerusalem.^[11]

The apostles Barnabas and Paul went to Jerusalem to meet with the “Pillars of the Church”:^[2][12] James the Just, Peter, and John.^[1][2] The Council of Jerusalem is generally dated to c. 48–50 AD, roughly 15 to 25 years after the crucifixion of Jesus (between 26 and 36 AD). Acts 15 and Galatians 2 both suggest that the meeting was called to debate the legitimacy of the evangelizing mission of Barnabas and Paul to the Gentiles and the Gentile converts’ freedom from most of the Mosaic Law,^[1][2] especially from the circumcision of males,^[1] a practice that was considered execrable and repulsive in the Greco-Roman world during the period of Hellenization of the Eastern Mediterranean,^{[13][14][15][16][17]} and was especially disdained in Classical civilization both from ancient Greeks and Romans, which instead valued the foreskin positively.^{[13][14][16][15][18]}

At the time, most followers of Jesus (which historians refer to as Jewish Christians) were Jewish by birth and even converts would have considered the early Christians as a part of Judaism. According to scholars, the Jewish Christians affirmed every aspect of the then contemporary Second Temple Judaism with the addition of the belief that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah.^[19]

Issues and outcome

Main article: History of early Christianity

Further information: Historical reliability of the Acts of the Apostles and Antinomianism

The purpose of the meeting, according to Acts, was to resolve a disagreement in Antioch, which had wider implications than just circumcision, since circumcision is considered the “everlasting” sign of the Abrahamic covenant in Judaism (Genesis 17:9–14).

The Acts say that “certain men which came down from Judaea” were preaching that “unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved”;^[20] the Acts also states that furthermore some of the Pharisees who had become believers stated that it was “needful to circumcise [the Gentiles,] and to command [them] to keep the law of Moses” (KJV).^[21]

See also: Supersessionism, Hellenistic Judaism, and Paul the Apostle and Jewish Christianity

The primary issue which was addressed related to the requirement of circumcision, as the author of Acts relates, but other important matters arose as well, as the Apostolic Decree indicates.^[1] The dispute was between those, such as the followers of the “Pillars of the Church”, led by James, who believed, following his interpretation of the Great Commission, that the church must observe the Torah, i.e. the rules of traditional Judaism (Galatians 2:12), and Paul the Apostle, who called himself “Apostle to the Gentiles”,^[22] who believed there was no such necessity.^{[1][2][23][24]} 

The main concern for the Apostle Paul, which he subsequently expressed in greater detail with his letters directed to the early Christian communities in Asia Minor, was the inclusion of Gentiles into God’s New Covenant, sending the message that faith in Christ is sufficient for salvation.^[1][23][24]

At the council, following advice offered by Simon Peter (Acts 15:7–11 and Acts 15:14), Barnabas and Paul gave an account of their ministry among the gentiles (Acts 15:12), and the apostle James quoted from the words of the prophet Amos (Acts 15:16–17, quoting Amos 9:11–12). James added his own words^[25] to the quotation: “Known to God from eternity are all His works”^[26] and then submitted a proposal, which was accepted by the Church and became known as the Apostolic Decree:

 Acts 15:19–21 It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.^[a] For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.

Acts 15:23–29 sets out the content of the letter written in accordance with James’ proposal. The Western version of Acts (see Acts of the Apostles: Manuscripts) adds the negative form of the Golden Rule (“and whatever things ye would not have done to yourselves, do not do to another”).^[b]

See also: Seven Laws of Noah, Christian views on the Old Covenant, and Proselyte § Rules for proselytes in the Torah

This determined questions wider than that of circumcision, particularly dietary questions, but also fornication and idolatry and blood, and also the application of Biblical law to non-Jews. It was stated by the Apostles and Elders in the council: “the Holy Spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to you, except these necessary things, to abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper.” (Acts 15:27–28) And this Apostolic Decree was considered binding on all the other local Christian congregations in other regions.^[27]

The author of Acts gives an account of a restatement by James and the elders in Jerusalem of the contents of the letter on the occasion of Paul’s final Jerusalem visit, immediately prior to Paul’s arrest at the temple, recounting: “When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.” (Acts 21:17–18, ESV) The elders then proceed to notify Paul of what seems to have been a common concern among Jewish believers, that he was teaching Diaspora Jewish converts to Christianity “to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs.”

They remind the assembly that, “as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality”. In the view of some scholars, the reminder of James and the elders here is an expression of concern that Paul was not fully teaching the decision of the Jerusalem Council’s letter to Gentiles,^[28] particularly in regard to non-strangled kosher meat,^[29] which contrasts with Paul’s advice to Gentiles in Corinth,^[30] to “eat whatever is sold in the meat markets” (1 Corinthians 10:25).^[31]

Historicity

Main article: Historical reliability of the Acts of the Apostles

The description of the Apostolic Council in Acts 15, generally considered the same event described in Galatians 2,^[32] is considered by some scholars to be contradictory to the Galatians account.^[33] The historicity of Luke’s account has been challenged,^[34][35][36] and was rejected completely by some scholars in the mid to late 20th century.^[37] However, more recent scholarship inclines towards treating the Jerusalem Council and its rulings as a historical event,^[9] though this is sometimes expressed with caution.^[38] Bruce Metzger‘s Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament includes a summary of current research on the topic as of about 1994:

In conclusion, therefore, it appears that the least unsatisfactory solution of the complicated textual and exegetical problems of the Apostolic Decree is to regard the fourfold decree^[39] as original (foods offered to idols, strangled meat, eating blood, and unchastity—whether ritual or moral), and to explain the two forms of the threefold decree^[39] in some such way as those suggested above.^[40] An extensive literature exists on the text and exegesis of the Apostolic Decree. … According to Jacques Dupont, “Present day scholarship is practically unanimous in considering the ‘Eastern’ text of the decree as the only authentic text (in four items) and in interpreting its prescriptions in a sense not ethical but ritual” [Les problèmes du Livre des Actes d’après les travaux récents (Louvain, 1950), p.70].^[41]

Interpreting the Council’s decision

Main article: Pauline epistles

The Council of Jerusalem retained the prohibitions on eating blood, meat containing blood, and meat of animals that were strangled, and on fornication and idolatry. The resulting Apostolic Decree in Acts 15 may simply parallel the seven Noahide laws found in the Old Testament, and thus be a commonality rather than a differential.^[7][42][43] However, modern scholars dispute the connection between Acts 15 and the seven Noahide laws.^[7] The Apostolic Decree may have been a major act of differentiation of the early Church from its Jewish roots.^[44]

The Jewish Encyclopedia states:

For great as was the success of Barnabas and Paul in the heathen world, the authorities in Jerusalem insisted upon circumcision as the condition of admission of members into the church, until, on the initiative of Peter, and of James, the head of the Jerusalem church, it was agreed that acceptance of the Noachian Laws—namely, regarding avoidance of idolatry, fornication, and the eating of flesh cut from a living animal—should be demanded of the heathen desirous of entering the Church.

The Jewish Encyclopedia also states:

R. Emden […] gives it as his opinion that the original intention of Jesus, and especially of Paul, was to convert only the Gentiles to the seven moral laws of Noah and to let the Jews follow the Mosaic law—which explains the apparent contradictions in the New Testament regarding the laws of Moses and the Sabbath.

The decision was interpreted by the Council of Florence and the Papal encyclical Ex Quo Primum. The latter affirms:

So the Decree for the Jacobites of the Council of Florence reads: “The holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes, and preaches that every creature of God is good and not to be rejected if it is taken with thanks. According to the Lord’s word, a man is not defiled by what enters his mouth. The Church affirms that the distinction made by the Mosaic Law between clean and unclean foods belongs to the ceremonial laws which have passed away with the coming of the Gospel…. So it declares that no kind of food is to be condemned which human society regards as food, and no distinction is to be made between animals on the basis of gender or the manner of their death. However many things which are not forbidden may and should be given up for the health of the body, the practice of virtue, and regular Church discipline. As the Apostle says: ‘All things are permitted, but not all are expedient.'”

— Ex Quo Primum, n. 62^[45]

According to the 19th-century German Catholic bishop Karl Josef von Hefele, the Apostolic Decree “has been obsolete for centuries in the West“, though it is still recognized and observed by Eastern Orthodox Christians.^[46] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Jerusalem

LIST OF LATER COUNCILS

List of ecumenical councils that made decisions around which books to include or exclude from the official ‘canon’ Bible https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecumenical_council#List_of_ecumenical_councils

WHO WERE THE APOSTLES AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?

Christ was a Jewish Palestinian and taught his dark brown or black skinned Apostles (not white) both through direct experience, miracles and teachings, as well as leaving them with a living Holy Spirit. Those Apostles taught the next generation of Christians via direct experience of the Holy Spirit and they wrote the First Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit and Christ’s direct teachings/experiences. For that, all were also persecuted, threatened, killed, tortured, imprisoned and/or run out of town in very hostile Gentile, Roman and Jewish cultures. https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Biblical_Studies_(NT)/III._The_Twelve_Apostles#

The Apostles picked by Christ all had a transformative experience on Pentecost, and they all got filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles used that power to perform miracles and to advance the Great Commission. Their verbal and miracle filled teachings were a ‘Word Of God’ filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, which is beyond all words/writings. What did they do after Pentecost? https://christian.net/bible-facts/what-happened-to-the-apostles-after-pentecost/

The commissioning of the Twelve Apostles during the ministry of Jesus is described in the Synoptic Gospels. After his resurrection, Jesus sent eleven of them (as Judas Iscariot by then had died) by the Great Commission to spread his teachings to all nations. Mark 6:7–13 states that Jesus initially sent out these twelve in pairs (cf. Mt 10:5–42, Lk 9:1–6) to towns in Galilee. The text states that their initial instructions were to heal the sick and drive out demons.^[9] They are also instructed to “take nothing for their journey, except a staff only: no bread, no wallet, no money in their purse, but to wear sandals, and not put on two tunics,” and that if any town rejects them they ought to shake the dust off their feet as they leave.^[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles_in_the_New_Testament

Jesus did not use a written Old Testament Bible to teach his followers or the apostles because he was there to transform the Old Testament and basically make it obsolete. Jesus taught and answered questions by the power of the Holy Spirit which came directly from God.

As missionaries, Christ’s apostles did not use a written New Testament Bible at first. They relied on the ‘canon’ and witness of the Holy Spirit, which is a direct connection to God, and to God’s miracle working power. Those same apostles wrote the New Testament and used it during their ministry, before they died.

WHAT IS ANOTHER MYTH THAT MANY CHRISTIANS BELIEVE?

Another myth that many Christians believe is that Christ, all of his apostles, all of his disciples and all of his family were white, blue eyed and had long straight blonde hair.

The people in the entire Bible and all of it’s characters (except the Romans) had been living in the Middle Eastern region for thousands of years, made up of the Palestinians, Egyptians, Syrians and others inside of the various kingdoms and tribes located there. How could everyone in the Bible be ‘white, blonde haired and blue eyed’, when historically, everyone in the Middle East had either black or dark brown skin, brown eyes and had curly black hair as well?

The only white people in the Bible during the time of Jesus were the few white skinned Romans who occupied the area for a brief time who ended up killing Christ. The proof is in the actual record of pictures from ancient history, showing that the people in the Bible were all either black or dark brown.

Wikipedia; “Research on ancient skeletons in Palestine suggests that Judeans of the time were biologically closer to present-day Iraqi Jews than to any other modern population, according to specialist bio historian Yossi Nagar.^{[9]: 161, 194} Thus, in terms of physical appearance, the average Judean of the time would have likely had brown or black hair, olive–brown skin, and brown eyes. Judean men of the time period were on average about 1.65 meters or 5 feet 5 inches in height.^{[9]: 158–163} Scholars have also suggested that it is likely Jesus had short hair and a beard, in accordance with Jewish practices of the time and the appearance of philosophers.^{[9]: 123–37} The earliest depictions of Jesus from the Roman catacombs depict him as free of facial hair.^{[9]: 83–121}

Good Shepherd fresco from the Catacombs of San Callisto.

In the Catacombs of Rome, there are many different pieces of artwork. Most artworks are religious in nature some depicting important Christian rites such as baptism, or religious scenes and stories such as the story of “The Three Hebrews and the Fiery Furnace” or biblical figures such as Adam and Eve.

Source; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_appearance_of_Jesus#:

Ancient historical pictures and drawings of Jesus around the time that he lived NEVER SHOWED a white skinned, long straight blonde haired, blue eyed Norwegian character. Rather, pictures from around the time of Jesus show a dark brown or black skinned, black curly haired, brown eyed, or black eyed person named Jesus Christ and apostles, family, followers, etc.

WHAT IF JESUS CHRIST WAS DARK BROWN OR BLACK SKINNED?

How would Christians and Christianity change if they knew that Christ and his apostles had dark curly hair, dark or black skin, and brown eyes?

Might there be some modern day heresy going on around the ‘official canon’ of modern day versions of the Bible?

Wikipedia; “In keeping with the political climate of the 19th and 20th centuries, Latter-Day Saint founder Joseph Smith envisioned Jesus as white, as reflected in Latter-Day Saint texts and portrayals of Jesus. Mary, mother of Jesus is also described in First Nephi, a Latter-Day document, as “a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white” (1 Nephi 11:13).^[46] The early Latter-Day Saint church printed its first images of Jesus as a white man with blue eyes. According to Blum and Harvey, the blue eyes may have been intended to bolster Mormonism’s image of whiteness and Americanness, distinguishing it from Protestant faiths.^[46]

By the 19th century, theories which were based on the belief that Jesus was a member of the so-called “Aryan race”, and in particular, theories which were based on the belief that his appearance was Nordic, were developed and later, they appealed to advocates of the new racial antisemitism, who did not want to believe that Jesus was Jewish, Semitic or Western Asian.

Although it was not literally the face of Jesus,^[67] the result of the study determined that Jesus’s skin would have been more olive-colored than white or black,^[61] and it also determined that he would have most likely looked like a typical Galilean Semite of his day. Among the points which were made in the study was the fact that the Bible says that Jesus’s disciple Judas Iscariot needed to point him out to those who were arresting him. The implied argument is that if Jesus’s physical appearance had differed markedly from the appearance of his disciples, he would have been relatively easy to identify.^[69] James H. Charlesworth says that Jesus’s face was “most likely dark brown and sun-tanned”, and his stature “may have been between five feet five and five feet seven”.^[71]

 Martin Luther King Jr. was a proponent of the “Black Christ” movement and he identified the struggle of Jesus against the authorities of the time with the struggle of African Americans in the United States, as he questioned why the white church leaders did not voice concern for racial equality.^[58] For some, this blackness was due to Jesus’s identification with black people, not to the color of his skin,^[58] while others such as the black nationalist Albert Cleage argued that Jesus was ethnically black.^[59] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_appearance_of_Jesus#

How would Christianity change if everyone knew and understood that Christ was a middle eastern, socialistic, pacifist, Palestinian Jew?

AS MORE AND MORE ‘OFFICIAL CANON’ BOOKS WERE ADDED, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Could it be possible, that as more and more ‘canon’ books along with false pictures of a white skinned, long straight haired blonde Jesus with blue eyes were added over the last couple thousand years, that the Holy Spirit has been quenched?

Could it be possible that the more top down paid ‘canon’ hierarchy, expensive church buildings, and paid staff were added, that the Holy Spirit was quenched some more?

Might it be possible that when the Old Testament was added as official ‘canon’, that it gave Satan a lot more ‘room’ to move into Christian churches and to twist Christ’s teachings to dark Anti Christ purposes such as promoting standing armies, promoting never ending wars, killings, genocide and more, all of which are the direct opposite of what Christ taught?

Christ was the most extreme pacifist ever, to the point of healing the ear of the Roman soldier who came to arrest him, and ordering his followers not to physically fight against those opposed to them.

Wikipedia; “Jesus appeared to teach pacifism during his ministry when he told his disciples:^[19]

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. — Matthew 5:38–39^[20]

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. — Matthew 5:43–48, Luke 6:27–28^[21]

Put your sword back in its place… for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. — Matthew 26:52^[22]

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. — Matthew 5:9^[23]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_pacifism#

Is it any wonder, that in many Christian churches today, that Holy Spirit manifested miracles and/or miracle healings are rare, few and far between?

Go deeper…..

What Is Official Canon List Of Old Testament Bible (24-49 Books)? Canon List Of New Testament Bible (0-125 Books)? Why Are There 900 Different Versions Of The Bible? Pharisee & Heresy Defined