ANTI-CATHOLICS ONLY BELIEVE ON WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS (SOLA SCRIPTURA CAME OUT DURING THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION MOVEMENT). BUT 2 THESSALONIANS 2:13-16 SAYS OTHERWISE.
VERSES: [13] “Whereunto also he hath called you by our gospel, unto the purchasing of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. [14] Therefore, brethren, stand fast; and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle. [15] Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God and our Father, who hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope in grace, [16] Exhort your hearts, and confirm you in every good work and word.”
Explanation of Verse [14] TRADITIONS: See here that the unwritten traditions are no less to be received than their epistles.
WHY DID IT TAKE 30 TO 60 YEARS FOR THE NEW TESTAMENT GOSPELS TO BE WRITTEN?
The main reason the Gospel accounts were not written immediately after Jesus’ death and resurrection is that there was no apparent need for any such writings. Initially the gospel spread by word of mouth in Jerusalem. There was no need to compose a written account of Jesus’ life, because those in the Jerusalem region were witnesses of Jesus and well aware of his ministry.
However, when the gospel spread beyond Jerusalem, and the eyewitnesses were no longer readily accessible, there was a need for written accounts to educate others about Jesus’ life and ministry. Many scholars date the writing of the Gospels between 30 and 60 years after Jesus’ death.
CHRISTIANITY THEREFORE SPREADS OUT DUE TO THE ORAL TRADITIONS AND TEACHINGS BY THE APOSTLES AND EARLY CHURCH FATHERS.
Does it matter if Jesus really did and said what is in the Gospels? Yes. For faith to really be of any value, it must be based on facts, on reality.
Is the New Testament an accurate, reliable presentation of Jesus? Yes. We can trust the New Testament because there is enormous factual support for it. This article touched on the following points: historians concur, archaeology concurs, the four Gospel biographies are in agreement, the preservation of document copies is remarkable, there is superior accuracy in the translations. All of this gives a solid foundation for believing that what we read today is what the original writers wrote and experienced in real life, in real places.
ONLY AROUND 367 A.D. THAT THE NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE CAME OUT AS LISTED TODAY.
In A.D. 367, Athanasius formally listed the 27 New Testament books (the same list that we have today). Soon after, Jerome and Augustine circulated this same list. These lists, however, were not necessary for the majority of Christians. By and large the whole church had recognized and used the same list of books since the first century after Christ. As the church grew beyond the Greek-speaking lands and needed to translate the Scriptures, and as splinter sects continued to pop up with their own competing holy books, it became more important to have a definitive list.