[dangus]

Yes, the apostles were given collectively and in the person of St. Peter the authority that what they declare bound on Earth has been bound in Heaven, and what they declare loosed on Earth has been loosed in Heaven. The fact that this authority was exercised to discern what comprises the bible after the apostles had died demonstrates that the authority was handed down to their successors. Yes, we can discern a rational basis for what was included (apostolic authority, orthodoxy, universal acceptance), but that doesn’t negate the fact that this was an act of discernment after the lives of the apostles.

[Rebel_Ace]

"...Yes, the apostles were given collectively and in the person of St. Peter the authority that what they declare bound on Earth has been bound in Heaven, and what they declare loosed on Earth has been loosed in Heaven. The fact that this authority was exercised to discern what comprises the bible after the apostles had died demonstrates that the authority was handed down to their successors..."

So, my take-away from this post is two fold:

1. Saint Peter was given divine authority to determine what was to be included or excluded.

2. By exercising this authority shows that it was indeed granted.

Do I have that right? So, if I claim the authority to be able to direct traffic, and if I then step into the intersection and begin waving cars around, and if those cars heed my signals, then that is proof enough that I was granted the authority legitimately?

Even if I don't have it correct, at a bare minimum, if Saint Peter was a human being, and if he were making editorial decisions on sacred religious texts, that still supports my position that individuals exert great influence decades or centuries after the fact.