Advanced biblical exegesis
Advanced biblical exegesis
One of the more insightful pieces of biblical commentary I have read:
"If you don't have a seat at the table, you're on the menu."
-- Author unknown
-- Author unknown
Re: Advanced biblical exegesis
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan
~ Carl Sagan
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Re: Advanced biblical exegesis
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts
Re: Advanced biblical exegesis
Well, he's not wrong
Re: Advanced biblical exegesis
"If you don't have a seat at the table, you're on the menu."
-- Author unknown
-- Author unknown
Re: Advanced biblical exegesis
I had to look up pony play - my life has been so vanilla!
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan
~ Carl Sagan
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Re: Advanced biblical exegesis
as a bible student, I have been skeptical about the authority most Christian groups grant to the Pauline letters. Much of it does not seem to me to be consistent with the first five books of the new testament. I particularly give my attention to II Tim 3:16. The New English Bible has implications very different from what is accepted many American evangelicals. Dogma always seems to take precedence over scholarly translation.
[II Tim 3:16 in many versions: all scripture IS inspired of God while more scholarly versions imply some scripture is NOT inspired of God]
snailgate
[II Tim 3:16 in many versions: all scripture IS inspired of God while more scholarly versions imply some scripture is NOT inspired of God]
snailgate
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Re: Advanced biblical exegesis
Snail, "scripture" to Paul was what we call the Old Testament.
Given that Paul himself writes in 1Cor 7:12 "To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her" then . . .
. . . Paul claims to be writing something that he has not received from the Lord - giving his personal opinion and practice. I suppose we can split hairs and say that Paul may not have thought he was "inspired" by the Lord but in fact he was so inspired. However, it is preferable to go with the most straightforward meaning (a) that Paul was giving his own opinion and (b) that he did not think of his letters as "scripture"
People go to 2Peter3:16 which comments on how difficult Paul's writings are to understand but that they are as true/useful as are the "other" scriptures.
Whoever wrote 2Peter (almost surely not Peter) wanted to equate Paul's letters with scripture but who is there to verify that 2Peter is scriptural?
And we must not forget that Paul was writing letters before the first five books of the NT were written down and we have no indication from his pen that he later considered them to be scriptural.
Given that Paul himself writes in 1Cor 7:12 "To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her" then . . .
. . . Paul claims to be writing something that he has not received from the Lord - giving his personal opinion and practice. I suppose we can split hairs and say that Paul may not have thought he was "inspired" by the Lord but in fact he was so inspired. However, it is preferable to go with the most straightforward meaning (a) that Paul was giving his own opinion and (b) that he did not think of his letters as "scripture"
People go to 2Peter3:16 which comments on how difficult Paul's writings are to understand but that they are as true/useful as are the "other" scriptures.
Whoever wrote 2Peter (almost surely not Peter) wanted to equate Paul's letters with scripture but who is there to verify that 2Peter is scriptural?
And we must not forget that Paul was writing letters before the first five books of the NT were written down and we have no indication from his pen that he later considered them to be scriptural.
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts
Re: Advanced biblical exegesis
As if an omnipotent being is going to allow such a shoddy representation of his word.
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
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Re: Advanced biblical exegesis
Er, which one? Which shoddy rep. I mean
Are you complaining that Paul recommends a Christian man should NOT divorce his wife on the grounds of her non-belief?
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts
Re: Advanced biblical exegesis
Let's not overlook the importance of divining the proper punctuation into ancient texts.
"If you don't have a seat at the table, you're on the menu."
-- Author unknown
-- Author unknown
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Re: Advanced biblical exegesis
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts
Re: Advanced biblical exegesis
THE WORK OF THE SIXTH DAY
by Marie Noël
(translated from the French by Google and yours truly)
As soon as the Dog was created, he licked the Good Lord's hand and the Good Lord patted him on the head: “What do you want, Dog?"
"Good Lord, I would like to stay with you, in heaven, on the mat in front of the door."
"Certainly not!" said the Good Lord. "I don't need a dog since I have not yet created thieves."
"When will you create them, Lord?"
"Never, I am tired. I have been working for 5 days, it is time for me to rest. Here you are done, Dog, my best creation, my masterpiece. Best to leave it at that. It is not good for an artist to overreach beyond his inspiration. If I continued to create, I could easily botch it up. Go, Dog! Go quickly to settle down on earth. Go and be happy."
"What would I do on earth, Lord?"
"You will eat, you will drink, you will grow and multiply."
The dog sighed even more sadly.
"What more do you need?"
"You, my Lord and Master! Could you not also settle down on the earth?
"No!" said the Good Lord, "no, Dog! I assure you. I absolutely cannot settle down on earth to keep you company. I have many other fish to fry. This sky, these angels, these stars, I assure you, it is all quite a hassle!"
Then the dog lowered his head and began to walk away. But he came back: "Ah if only, Good Lord God, if only there was a kind
of master down there like you?"
"No," said the Good Lord, "there isn't one."
The dog made himself very small, very low and begged even closer, "If you wanted, Good Lord God, you could still try…"
"Impossible," said the Good Lord. "I have done what I have done. My work is complete. I will never create a being better than you. If I created another one today, I feel it in my right hand, that one would be botched up."
"O Good Lord God," said the Dog, "it doesn't matter that he is botched up as long as I can follow him wherever he goes and lie down in front of him when he stops.
Then the Good Lord was amazed to have created such a good creature and he said to the Dog: "Go, let it be done according to your heart!"
And on returning to his workshop, he created Man.
NB: Man is botched up, naturally, as the Good Lord had rightly said. But the Dog is ever so happy!
"If you don't have a seat at the table, you're on the menu."
-- Author unknown
-- Author unknown