<Objection>:Bultmann (HST, 127 ff) argued: "The Church drew no
distinction between such utterances by Christian prophets... and
the sayings of Jesus in the tradition... ."
Support for that objection comes from: 1) There were prophets in the
early community. 2) History of Religions shows I sayings where the I
was the Lord of the cult. Cf. Od. Sol. 42:6.3) Relative lack of
interest in the earthly life of Jesus in the kerygma in Acts and in
Paul. 4) Some texts are cited as Scripture texts we cannot find in
any known OT texts. . 5) Mt 18:20: "Where two or three are gathered
together, there I am in the midst of them."
<Reply: The most basic and sufficient reply is this: There is no
room for such enthusiastic prophets as the source of the 6 points
we have used in apologetics>.
In addition:
1) Wherever we look we find the distinctive character of prophecies
are noted as words of a prophet. In the OT no book names God as the
author: if there were no human author named, it would not be
accepted.
2) Wherever Luke quotes a prophetic utterance he always names the
prophets: 11:27; 13:1ff; 21:9ff.
3) On Apoc 1:1 we have "the revelation of Jesus to his servant
John". So a distinction was kept. And the revelations said to be
from the exalted Christ are clearly kept distinct from those of the
earthly Christ.
4) Paul in 1 Cor 7:10, 25, 40 distinguishes what comes from Jesus'
tradition and his own views even though he considers his own
opinion as inspired: 7:40.
5) When the Gnostic Gospels claim Jesus as author of a saying it is
clearly attributed to the exalted Jesus, not to the earthly Jesus.
6) In Judaism there was great care taken to pass on authoritative
tradition and to identify the source, a human Rabbi.
7) At Qumran there was keen awareness that a false spirit could be
present: 1 QS 3:18-4:26; CD 8:1ff. The spirit of a member of the
community was to be checked not only on entrance, but every year:
1QS 5:20-24.
8) Mt 7:15 ff warns against false prophets. Acts 13:6 tells of a
false prophet Elymas in Cyprus and Acts 8 has Simon Magus.
9) 1 Cor 14:29 gives rules for judging prophets in the community.
Also 1 Ths 5:19-22 tells them to check every spirit and keep only
what is good.
10)1 John 4:1 tells them to not believe every spirit.
11) The Didache gives detailed rules for judging prophets in
11:7;12:1.
12) Hermas in Mandate 11:7 and 11:16 is warned about false prophets.
13) Gal 1:8 says even if an angel came down with a different Gospel,
the angel is to be cursed.
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