Jesus founded a Church, not a book

Among many disciples, Jesus selected only twelve names and sent them to teach, baptize, and shepherd. This distinction was not decorative: it indicated order, authority, and responsibility. The Twelve are the seed of the episcopate: they receive public mission, the power to bind and loose, and Christ’s promise of assistance. The rest of the faithful do not lose dignity, but the apostles/bishops have their own office to govern and confirm their brothers in faith.

In the Old Testament, God organized His people into twelve tribes. In the New Testament, Christ chose twelve apostles to govern His new people, signaling both continuity and perfection. This is a second support, not a restatement of office alone: the number and structure show covenant identity. The Church is not a loose group of believers but a family with apostolic governance and mission to the nations; built upon the apostles, she remains one and catholic — the new, universal Israel.

God takes on flesh, calls apostles, and establishes a visible communion sealed by the sacraments. If a book were enough, there would have been no reason for Him to be born, to choose the Twelve, and to say 'do this in memory of me.' Salvation is a living encounter with a Person in the Body of the Church, where Word and Sacrament walk together.

If God intended an autointerpretive system, He would have commanded it. Instead, the apostles transmitted the faith 'by word of mouth and by letter,' and Paul commands to 'hold fast to the traditions.' The Church is 'the pillar and foundation of truth.' The Word became flesh and entrusted the faith to a living Tradition within the Church. Faith is received in communion, through authorized teaching, not through private readings detached from the ecclesial body.

Apostolic writings circulated and, gradually, the Church recognized which books were proclaimed as the Word of God in the liturgy. Ecclesial consensus and councils confirmed the list. Before the canon was closed, Christians already lived by the apostolic faith. The Bible depends on the Church’s judgment to be known as inspired Scripture; thus, Scripture and Magisterium mutually imply each other.

Without a common authority, contradictory doctrines proliferate. From the earliest times, the Church decided in communion: 'It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.' With the Church, the received truth remains one. Christian freedom flourishes in service to the truth received, not in the relativism of private interpretations.

Jesus declares Peter to be the rock and entrusts him with the keys, promising the Church’s indefectibility. The power to bind and loose guarantees the faithful preservation of doctrine and discipline. Peter’s primacy serves the communion of the apostolic college and the entire Church — grounding authority and unity together.