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When the Scripture refers to ‘the brethren’ aren’t they speaking to the elders in religious positions of authority though
When we see the local assemblies 2 Millenia later, isn’t this still to ‘the people’ in the positions of authority who are being addressed who have ordained/inherited responsibilities and duties over their own ‘people’ through ‘the church’
Thessalonians is written to ‘the brethren’
1Th 1:1**Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Th 5:1**But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
1Th 5:27**I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren
If you know of no other replacements, it's because you haven't looked! It's all there to be found. Many 1st, 2nd, and 3rd century believers wrote about successors to the Apostles.
Clement, who was himself a successor to Peter, wrote the following in 80AD in his [URL="https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1010.htm"]Epistle to the Corinthians[/url]: “Through countryside and city [the apostles] preached, and they appointed their earliest converts, testing them by the Spirit, to be the bishops and deacons of future believers. Nor was this a novelty, for bishops and deacons had been written about a long time earlier. . . . Our apostles knew through our Lord Jesus Christ that there would be strife for the office of bishop. For this reason, therefore, having received perfect foreknowledge, they appointed those who have already been mentioned and afterwards added the further provision that, if they should die, other approved men should succeed to their ministry.”
There's tons more if you just look for it.
You may not believe in apostolic succession; but it's clear that it was very much a legitimate concept in the early Church.
No, I don’t believe in apostolic succession because I see no Scriptural authority for it. I understand that Scriptural authority is not a priority for you, but it is for me. Each of us must choose the path we follow. God will judge in the end.
Bishops and deacons are not apostles. They were appointed by the apostles to shepherd each local congregation. They had to meet specific qualifications (Titus 1:5-9).
One qualification stands out to me:
”He must hold firmly to the faithful word as it was taught, so that he can encourage others by sound teaching and refute those who contradict it.”
The office still exists today. A plurality of elders rule over each local congregation. Their authority comes from the Scriptures. This was part of God’s plan for His church to continue in the faith until the second coming of Jesus.
The apostle Paul, along with Barnabas and other believers, were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about the teaching that Gentile Christians must be circumcised to be saved (Acts 15). There is a clear distinction between the twelve apostles and the bishops/elders they appointed. I would also add that in the first century church, no one bishop/elder ruled over all other bishops/elders. A lone bishop ruling over a large area didn’t happen until long after the last apostle died. It was a major departure from the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3).
Mike, we will never agree on this topic, and that’s ok. It’s good to discuss our views and why we believe as we do. In the end, God will judge us. As always, I wish you well!
When the Scripture refers to ‘the brethren’ aren’t they speaking to the elders in religious positions of authority though
No. The brethren are simply brothers and sisters in the faith.
Quote:
When we see the local assemblies 2 Millenia later, isn’t this still to ‘the people’ in the positions of authority who are being addressed who have ordained/inherited responsibilities and duties over their own ‘people’
Thessalonians is written to ‘the brethren’ specifically- not ‘the younger’ or females or children
1Th 1:1**Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Th 5:1**But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
1Th 5:27**I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren
The brethren are the church. They are in Christ. They are the spiritual sisters and brothers of Paul.
By God or by men? And which canon? The canon you use now or the one that was used in the 4th century or the one that was used in the 15th century?
By God. The verse I quoted in the OP is from the NT Canon. To the best of my knowledge, most all Christian groups accept the 27 books of the New Testament, Mormons included. Most of the canon can be proven within the Scriptures themselves. There has been much written about this. It’s far too much to write about here, but there’s plenty of info out there for those who are interested.
Brother and sister describe different physical attributes though, they are describing a type of physical relationship one to the other
Just like Father and Son
They can not just be morphed together
We humans use descriptions to describe things to each other, it’s a basic part of communication which is language based
Religious people describe religious relationships which are about their societies and relationships over times and regions
The gospels and epistles all refer to this type of societal/social development, they looked forward to being fulfilled over a specific length of time
Here is the Greek for “”brethren” in 2 Thess. 1:3. Brethren are fellow Christian’s, members of the same religious community.
◄ 80. adelphos ►
Strong's Concordance
adelphos: a brother
Original Word: ἀδελφός, οῦ, ὁ
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: adelphos
Phonetic Spelling: (ad-el-fos')
Definition: a brother
Usage: a brother, member of the same religious community, especially a fellow-Christian.
The Greek term for sister is adelphe. In the case of 2 John 1:13, sister is in reference to a Christian woman, a member of the church.
79. adelphé ►
Strong's Concordance
adelphé: sister
Original Word: ἀδελφή, ῆς, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: adelphé
Phonetic Spelling: (ad-el-fay')
Definition: sister
Usage: a sister, a woman (fellow-)member of a church, a Christian woman.
2 John 1:13
13The children of your elect sister greet you. Amen.
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