2007-11-15 11:54:14 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The Church was organized by Jesus during his earthly ministry. He appointed Peter as its first leader (Matt 16:18), and gave Peter and the apostles great authority to "bind and loose," so that decisions made on earth would be honored in heaven.
Peter was singled out for the authority to forgive sins and make disciplinary rules. Later the apostles as a whole were given similar power (Matt.18:18).
Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against his organization, i.e., that he would always be with his Church to safeguard his teachings.
The Church was inaugurated on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). At this point, not one word of the New Testament had been written.
It took nearly 70 years to complete the writing of the New Testament books. It was not until 393 that the final canon was definitively selected by the Church.
Wikipedia reports: In the fourth century a series of synods produced a list of texts equal to the 46-book canon of the Old testament and to the 27-book canon of the New Testament that would be subsequently used to today, most notably the Synod of Hippo in AD 393.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible
Conclusion: The Church, by about 360 years.
Cheers,
Bruce
2007-11-16 03:58:49 · answer #1 · answered by Bruce 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The O.T. or the Jewish Scriptures of course preceded Christ and therefore the entire Bible as we know it, which was gathered together around 300 a.d. but the actual individual pieces of the N.T. (Paul's letters, The Gospels) were written around 40 to 100 a.d. Technically the synagogues were churches where people gathered for worship, but if by church you mean the "body of Christ" then that came about immediately before the N.T. scriptures were written.
2007-11-15 22:32:07 · answer #2 · answered by Kuulio 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jesus came to fulfill the promises of the Old Testament. So I would say that there was the Old Testament (I think referred to as the Talmud?). There were tabernacles at this time. The Bible is a collection of books written before and after Christs birth and death.
2007-11-15 12:35:36 · answer #3 · answered by travelguruette 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Church started with St.Peter and the New Testament with the Apostles who wrote parts of it. The Old Testament contains the history of the Hebrews before Jesus.
2007-11-15 12:09:21 · answer #4 · answered by PragmaticAlien 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The church was established when on Pentecost when the holy spirit descended on the apostles. THAT's when the church started.
The New test was written as letters that were event. gathered together to form a book later.
†
2007-11-15 12:00:27 · answer #5 · answered by Jeanmarie 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
when Jesus sent his teaching church out, he said take no sandals etc. they did not have the bible as we know it today. Nor did they have Jesus's church built. but the church is a teaching church, just like it is today.
2007-11-15 11:56:26 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Part of the Bible preceeded the church.
2007-11-15 11:57:18 · answer #7 · answered by Fish <>< 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
there were many stories about jesus circulating in the ancient world (including gospels written by judas, thomas and mary magdalene).
the church decided which gospels to keep and which to hunt out and destroy.
the church is hundreds of years older than the bible as we know it.
2007-11-15 12:02:12 · answer #8 · answered by synopsis 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
All wrong...so far.
Maybe the answers will get better, more accurate!
The answer, by the way, is available for the simple act of research.
2007-11-15 12:20:21 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
bible then church
2007-11-15 11:58:46 · answer #10 · answered by animosity 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋