Understood, and apologies. I’m just more than bit jaded from the incessant Catholic-bashing that goes on here (and everywhere). Though I guess it is to be expected within such a delicate area of research. I would like to preface with a couple comments - mainly regarding how I am disappointed that more people aren't seeking to befriend the Catholic Church, as the enemy of our enemy should be our friend. There is a reason why Satanists desecrate consecrated Catholic hosts. It is the same reason why their black mass is a mockery of the Catholic traditional Latin Mass.

No worries. I am seeking to befriend Catholics because apart from anything else, you're light years ahead of most when it comes to things like exorcism, historical scientific advances and the preservation of ancient documents.

I don’t blame you for misunderstanding infallibility, because it took me a long time to properly understand it. Simply put - the Pope, like us, is still human and subject to human errors and oversights. He is only speaking infallibly, or ex cathedra, when addressing issues of faith and morals. Even then, the infallibility is only when intended. Official invocation of papal infallibility is actually very rare, having happened only several times throughout history.

I will have to bow to your superior understanding on this one. I just have a nasty suspicion that both the current Pope and the previous one are caught up in all this. If that's true and it comes to light, it will be impossible to defend and will do the church great harm.

It doesn’t matter if no documents survive, as the majority of Biblical scholars agree that He spoke in Aramaic. It was the language that most Jews spoke in their daily lives before, during, and after the time of Jesus. The sayings of Jesus were spoken in Aramaic, therefore the best way to understand them is to read them in Aramaic.

If only we could - sigh. I'm a fan of the theory that says Matthew first in Aramaic, then Mark based on Matthew and then Matthew in Greek. I do think the 'you are kepha and on this kepha' is a strong argument though.

Wrong again. The very next line, 1 Peter 2:5 states - “Be you also as living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

Heh - touche. I don't know how I didn't see this.

And those Jewish readers who did “entertain” the “idea” were now called the earliest Christians.

You've almost (almost) convinced me.