An observation I made is that all scripture points to Christ in one way or another. And there is biblical support for that even in the gospels. Luke 24:27.
If Jesus Christ himself referenced the scriptures, and fulfilled prophecies written there, on what basis are Old Testament books rejected?
And Jesus himself wrote nothing I've heard of, except scribbles in the dust. John 8:6, Jeremiah 17:13
That's exactly right. That's why we don't reject the other books of the Bible. Personally, I'm studying Daniel right now. But Veridicans follow ONLY Jesus Christ. The rest of the holy bible is there for wisdom and historical context. And, more than that, I think it's very important in order to show the spirit of Christ, especially the Psalms and Isaiah. And like with the 5th chapter of Acts, it shows the mindset and spirit of the apostles, especially Peter, and that's another discussion.
BUUUTTTT, we follow ONLY Jesus Christ as our teacher. So, when it comes to "authority," or what takes precedence. It is the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. And perhaps its symbolic: If our canon is only Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Revelation, Thomas, and the Veridican Gospel of Jesus Christ. it reinforces that we are sole followers of Jesus Christ.
Then why reduce the biblical Canon? The obvious answer would be that it is too retraining, so as to make it difficult to form new doctrines.
Well, the easy answer is that we are not classic Christians. I mean, we just aren't. We are Christ-ians in that we "follow" Christ, but to compare us to say, Baptists, would really be comparing apples and oranges. We are not Latter-Day Saints, but there is a similarity there. That is you only get so far condemning them for the way they are not like Presbyterians. Because they are not Presbyterians and never claimed to be.
And yes, you are correct, this is a new doctrine. But I would argue that it is an end-times doctrine and it is the only doctrine that makes sense if one is going to follow Jesus Christ. I mean, that's prima facie: We follow ONLY Jesus Christ; thus, we are true followers of Jesus Christ. And this religion could not have existed before 1988 (when the Gospel of Thomas was first published in English) and 1993 following the massacre of the Branch Davidians at Waco respectively.