Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
15 November 2010
22:4080209I do!
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
15 November 2010
22:4680213Open your eyes Alexander.
Even most priests have a more worldly view than you express.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
15 November 2010
22:4780214They are open, otherwise how would I dedicate myself to anything?!
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,701
15 November 2010
22:5780217So do you take everything in the OT as the literal truth?
Rather than allegorical stories to help people understand and to give things like sensible dietary and hygiene precautions the power of the religious wise man?
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
16 November 2010
00:2380228God is God, and all wisdom is with God.
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,701
16 November 2010
00:2880231Alexander I am not putting you down I just find it difficult in this day and age to understand biblical literalism, particularly given that the bible as we know it has been cherry picked by numerous conclaves of church elders, to fit their own religious and political leanings, over the last 2000 years from the vast library of Christian religious texts that are around.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
16 November 2010
01:3080232The Old Testament was complete in writing around the second century before Christ, in the days of the Maccabean kings, although the last book of the Old Testament is prior to the Maccabean kings, and prophesies the coming of the second Elijah, who is the Prophet John the Baptist, who witnessed the Spirit in the form of a Dove descending on Jesus.
The books of the New Testament all date to the first century after Christ, written by people who knew Jesus or his immediate disciples. They are prior to whatever Church conclave sat and discussed them. Jesus peformed miracles and resurrected from the dead on the third day, which is Easter.
The Orthodox Church never used biblical scripts for other ends, where-as the popes thrived on all sorts of trinkery. The most notable probably the Constitutium Constantini, a myth of all times!
However, a biblical script dating to the first century cannot be held responsible for what others did centuries later, and what we read in the Bible is original Script.
Personally I have the New Testament in original ancient Greek, and often consult it to check the translation of words in the modern English translations. To know how to read the Greek alphabet is important in Bible studies, because even if there is word in ancient Greek one can't understand, one can translate its meaning. But one picks up the general meaning with experience.
I also know how to read the Old Testament in original Hebrew script. Again, a dictionary helps, but I know many Hebrew words too. It helps out tremendouly in sorting out why rabbis interpret some Old Testament scripts in one way, and the Christians in an other.
Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,610
16 November 2010
13:3080265As I am sure you are aware Alex, the Old testament was compiled and edited just as much as the new. Those books that did not make the final version are probably long lost to us now but not so those that did not make it into the new testament. Many have been rediscovered and others are known of through mentions and quotes in the writings of others. Of course many of them are in languages other than Greek, as that was the chosen language of the official compilation hence an edited version, so a knowledge of Aramiac, Coptic and other ancient languages would be needed.
When translating Egyptian texts from the Amarna period Arthur Breasted quickly noticed striking similarities between hymns and poems attributed to Akhenaten and the psalms. This is obvious proof (should any be needed) that to fully understand the Hebrew and Christian religious texts a good understanding of the surrounding cultures and beliefs, such as Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Babylonian, Assyrian etc, is not only useful but vital. Gilgamesh is an obvious example of source material, as well as other texts on law and creation myths.
Easter began life as a spring festival and ask yourself, if it just celebrates the date of one death and resurrection why is it the date changes in line with moon cycles every year?
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
16 November 2010
16:0980289Glad to see other member`s views on this thread. I`d just about given up with a suspected brain hemorrhage coming.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.