Was Bill O'Reilly Divinely Inspired to Write Killing Jesus?

The Fox News Channel political commentator Bill O’Reilly was a high school history teacher before he embarked on his television career. He has written numerous books such as Killing Kennedy, Killing Lincoln, The Last Days of Hitler, and Killing Patton.   He is a Roman Catholic believer and has said that he thinks he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write his excellent Killing Jesus. This set off a firestorm of criticism with some people saying that they think he is insane or blasphemous. I think he is probably correct that he was inspired.

I know the implications of what I am saying. I also think that this blog is inspired by God. Of course, it is not inspired on the same authoritative level as Scripture. That idea is the core heresy which led to modern Mormonism. The canon of scripture and doctrinal interpretation is closed. 

The Bible clearly states that each of the Saints (us, not a special class of extra-holy people) is divinely inspired. We  have the Mind of Christ. We have a direct link to the Holy Spirit who indwells, leads, instructs, and counsels individual believers.

Of course He leads us. Of course He inspires us. If He does not, then the problem is with us. We are not listening.

If you do not feel the Holy Spirit moving in your life, now is the time, today. If you are a Christian, ask Him, then listen.

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A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.

The Arrangement of the Books of the New Testament

The order of books in the modern Bible shared by Protestants and Catholics has the Gospels first (plus Acts, written by Luke), followed by the letters of Paul (listed by descending length of the text), then books written by others (Hebrews, 1 and 2 Peter, 1,2,and 3 John, etc), capped at the end by the Book of Revelation.

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Acts

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Hebrews

James

1 Peter

2 Peter

1 John

2 John

3 John

Jude

Revelation

This is a convenient arrangement, and really, the arrangement has always been artificial.  The scholars who made the list collected all the known books and letters used by the Christian ἐκκλησία, rejected some, and set the order that we still use.  They did not have the benefit of 2000 years of discussion and study about the internal evidences used to deduce the dates.  Also, their main concern was about which books should be included and which should not.

The probable order in which the books and letters were written is different from the listing above.  The list below is by the probable dates of composition of the works.

Galatians               49

1 Thessalonians    51

2 Thessalonians    51

Philippians            55

1 Corinthians        55

2 Corinthians        56

Romans                57

Ephesians             58-59

Luke                     ca 58-67

Colossians            60-62

Philemon              60-62

Acts                      60-64

Mark                     62-70.

James                    62

1 Peter                  64-95

1 Timothy            65

Hebrews              65

2 Timothy            66

Titus                    66

Matthew              before 70

Jude                     80

Revelation           81-96

1 John                 90

2 John                 90

3 John                 90

John                    90-100

2 Peter                100-125