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Author Topic:   The "Gospel" Of John
jar
Member (Idle past 416 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 121 of 215 (167518)
12-12-2004 8:10 PM


General question on John etal
Sometime between 70-100CE, Christianity seemed to go through a major internal revolution. Part was the split between Judaism and the fledgling Christianity, but it does not appear to have been simple or subtle but rather like the change in Soviet Communism when Joseph Stalin rose to power.
A lot of the asiatic influences that are so prevalent in in the Judaic tradition were subsumed and replaced by Hellenistic ones. The role of women were replaced and the influence of the women that played such a major part in the early church were shoved to the sideline.
The result is that much of the evidence of early Christianity has been lost. We have only glimpses of what those who actually accompanied, lived with and studied under Jesus really thought, believed or did.
Unlike Aristole whose life was reflected in Plato or Pathagoras who's contribution was eventually recovered we have very little to discover about the early Church. What would Jesus have thought about Christianity as it was redefined under the Helenistic revolution, or later under the Roman redaction?

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Replies to this message:
 Message 122 by Nighttrain, posted 12-12-2004 8:29 PM jar has not replied
 Message 124 by lfen, posted 12-13-2004 1:46 AM jar has replied

  
Nighttrain
Member (Idle past 4015 days)
Posts: 1512
From: brisbane,australia
Joined: 06-08-2004


Message 122 of 215 (167523)
12-12-2004 8:29 PM
Reply to: Message 121 by jar
12-12-2004 8:10 PM


Re: General question on John etal
To digress(as we usually do)
Black man is crying on the steps of the biggest cathedral in (say) Boston. Feller comes up and asks, 'What are you crying?'
Black man says,'They won`t let me in.'
Jesus says,' They won`t let me in, either.'

This message is a reply to:
 Message 121 by jar, posted 12-12-2004 8:10 PM jar has not replied

  
Swift
Inactive Member


Message 123 of 215 (167560)
12-12-2004 11:07 PM
Reply to: Message 118 by arachnophilia
12-12-2004 7:45 PM


no, i've been fed "the point" for 8 years
Obviuosly refused to eat.
And let me refrase that. What I mean is that they use to have to give sacrafice and now we dont cause of Jesus. All we have to do is ask.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 118 by arachnophilia, posted 12-12-2004 7:45 PM arachnophilia has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 126 by arachnophilia, posted 12-13-2004 5:01 AM Swift has not replied
 Message 127 by purpledawn, posted 12-13-2004 6:06 AM Swift has not replied

  
lfen
Member (Idle past 4699 days)
Posts: 2189
From: Oregon
Joined: 06-24-2004


Message 124 of 215 (167593)
12-13-2004 1:46 AM
Reply to: Message 121 by jar
12-12-2004 8:10 PM


Re: General question on John etal
Jar,
Whenever I bring this up I'm utterly ignored but I keep wondering. Paul and the Gospel authors report an expectation of the return of Jesus within the lifetime of at least some of the people living then. I wonder the effect on the church as the years stretched on.
I also note one thing about fundamentalist as they turn to a solely Bible based religion they expect Jesus to return in their lifetime, I suspect because that is what they are reading in the Bible, that was how the religion seems to have been represented.
I suspect the Catholic church made changes in doctrine in part because they had to fill in for an absent Jesus. It appears that Christianity wasn't expected to last long. No need to marry etc because the world was ending any day. That may have also been a factor in the matyrs?
Well, just curious about this.
lfen

This message is a reply to:
 Message 121 by jar, posted 12-12-2004 8:10 PM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 125 by jar, posted 12-13-2004 4:19 AM lfen has replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 416 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 125 of 215 (167603)
12-13-2004 4:19 AM
Reply to: Message 124 by lfen
12-13-2004 1:46 AM


Re: General question on John etal
I think you're right that there was a movement during the second and particularly third wave of Apostles that there would be a second coming within their lifetime. But I'm not sure that was the case with the first group of Apostles. I'm not convinced that they were as convinced about the End Times as the second group.
We have almost no information Post-Resurection of what the first Apostles did, and less information about the second group of twenty-five. We don't know what Gospels they were preaching, where they went, what they did.
By the time John was written it is pretty clear that the purpose had changed from evangelizing to establishing a bureaucracy, a franchise. Most of the early inner circle were excluded or forgotten and the emphasis had shifted to differentiating the distinct character of "Christianity" as something seperate from Judaism.
John, and particularly Paul, were more directed towards creation of Churches although there does not yet seem to be a hierarchy under any one city or person.
The creation of a complete hierarchy as in the Roman Catholic and later Constantine Churches came after Nationalization. But it's interesting that there does not EVER seem to have been a central authority in Palestine although there are hints of the attempt to establish that in the records of Paul and Peter.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 124 by lfen, posted 12-13-2004 1:46 AM lfen has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 128 by lfen, posted 12-13-2004 11:19 AM jar has replied

  
arachnophilia
Member (Idle past 1366 days)
Posts: 9069
From: god's waiting room
Joined: 05-21-2004


Message 126 of 215 (167612)
12-13-2004 5:01 AM
Reply to: Message 123 by Swift
12-12-2004 11:07 PM


your replies are getting shorter.
no, i've been fed "the point" for 8 years
Obviuosly refused to eat.
no, i did. but i've lost the taste for it. see, unfortunately, as i continue to study it, it makes less and less sense.
And let me refrase that. What I mean is that they use to have to give sacrafice and now we dont cause of Jesus. All we have to do is ask.
pop quiz time!
q. do the jews still sacrifice animals?
q. if they don't, why and when did they stop?
q. if they stopped, how then do jews atone for sins?
q. are god's chosen people just all going to hell?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 123 by Swift, posted 12-12-2004 11:07 PM Swift has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 135 by dpardo, posted 12-13-2004 6:25 PM arachnophilia has replied

  
purpledawn
Member (Idle past 3479 days)
Posts: 4453
From: Indiana
Joined: 04-25-2004


Message 127 of 215 (167623)
12-13-2004 6:06 AM
Reply to: Message 123 by Swift
12-12-2004 11:07 PM


quote:
What I mean is that they use to have to give sacrafice and now we dont cause of Jesus. All we have to do is ask.
You really should check out the thread concerning sacrifice for sin.
Hezekiah had the local places of worship (high places) eliminated, prefering that the religion be centralized at the Temple in Jerusalem.
Excerpt from "Who Wrote the Bible?" by Richard Elliott Friedman 1987
The function of sacrifice is one of the most misunderstood matters in the Bible. Modern readers often take it to mean the unnecessary taking of animal life, or they believe that the person who offered the sacrifice was giving up something of his or her own in order to compensate for some sin or perhaps to win God's favor. In the biblical world, however, the most common type of sacrifice was for meals. The apparent rationale was that if humans wanted to eat meat they had to recognize that they were taking life. The could not regard this as an ordinary act of daily secular life. It was a sacred act... A portion of the sacrifice (a tithe) was given to the priest.
In Genesis we find:
Ge 31:54
Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his kinsmen to the meal; and they ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.
Interestingly enough the hebrew word for sacrifice "zebach" means to slaughter. The greek "thusia" means victim.
In the sacrifice thread I have also shown that sacrifice was for unintentional sin, not intentional sin.
Sacrifice was not mandatory for forgiveness of sin. So if you truly want to get into a discussion on sacrifice, go to the appropriate thread.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 123 by Swift, posted 12-12-2004 11:07 PM Swift has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 136 by robinrohan, posted 12-13-2004 6:27 PM purpledawn has replied

  
lfen
Member (Idle past 4699 days)
Posts: 2189
From: Oregon
Joined: 06-24-2004


Message 128 of 215 (167699)
12-13-2004 11:19 AM
Reply to: Message 125 by jar
12-13-2004 4:19 AM


Re: General question on John etal
But I'm not sure that was the case with the first group of Apostles. I'm not convinced that they were as convinced about the End Times as the second group.
Jar,
Interesting thanks. There was Jewish and Greek interest in the end times during this period though I don't know how common it was.
Wasn't the notion of the Messiah in some way tied to an end time? And if so then if there was a claim that Jesus was the Messiah then wouldn't the second coming be in part an attempt to explain why his first coming hadn't resulted in a fulfillment of the End Time prophecy?
lfen

This message is a reply to:
 Message 125 by jar, posted 12-13-2004 4:19 AM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 129 by jar, posted 12-13-2004 2:59 PM lfen has not replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 416 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 129 of 215 (167747)
12-13-2004 2:59 PM
Reply to: Message 128 by lfen
12-13-2004 11:19 AM


Re: General question on John etal
Well, my understanding (limited I know) is that the idea of a Messiah was quite different. It was not one of End Times unless you mean "It's time for Whup-Ass and we gonna be the bad boy on the block again type End Times for them not us".
The End-Times with the Christian slant seems to have developed over the first few hundred years from some vague future event originally to "During our Lifetime" within the Hellenistic Pauline-John (whoever the author or authors of John might be) branch or sects and then further to some unknown future date as it became obvious that it was not going to be immediate or within the lifetime of the first through third wave of Apostles.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 128 by lfen, posted 12-13-2004 11:19 AM lfen has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 133 by Nighttrain, posted 12-13-2004 6:13 PM jar has replied

  
dpardo
Inactive Member


Message 130 of 215 (167806)
12-13-2004 6:02 PM
Reply to: Message 107 by arachnophilia
12-12-2004 6:16 PM


Arachnophilia writes:
i'm not really interested in arguing about whether or not god told the israelites to steal, and whether god killed millions of innocent children.
Steal?
Exodus 12:33-36:
33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.
34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:
36 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.
The Egyptians knew that they were not coming back. The text even says that the Egyptians were urgent upon them to leave. The term "borrowed" here does not imply that they were going to return the items.
"...killed millions of innocent children..."?
If you are referring to the flood in Genesis, God more accurately spared the "millions of innocent children" from the adults (Genesis 6:5):
5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
We can only imagine some of the atrocities that were being committed against the "millions of innocent children" by the people. I guess it didn't occur to you to look at it from God's perspective for a second.
God lied?
Let's see your support for this?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 107 by arachnophilia, posted 12-12-2004 6:16 PM arachnophilia has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 138 by arachnophilia, posted 12-14-2004 5:22 AM dpardo has replied

  
dpardo
Inactive Member


Message 131 of 215 (167808)
12-13-2004 6:05 PM
Reply to: Message 115 by arachnophilia
12-12-2004 7:37 PM


Arachnophilia writes:
look, even if he was god, and became man, being a jewish man, he would still be held to god's law, even if he himself wrote those laws. for him to be the sinless sacrificial lamb christianity claims he is, that would include not breaking god's law, even if he is god. and that includes not walking around claiming to be god. even if he is god.
What?
You lost me here.
Jesus is breaking God's law by claiming to be God even if he is, in fact, God (the son)?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 115 by arachnophilia, posted 12-12-2004 7:37 PM arachnophilia has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 139 by arachnophilia, posted 12-14-2004 5:25 AM dpardo has replied

  
dpardo
Inactive Member


Message 132 of 215 (167810)
12-13-2004 6:12 PM
Reply to: Message 118 by arachnophilia
12-12-2004 7:45 PM


so what you're saying is that god can't just forgive us when we sin? or that forgiveness cannot be granted after some form of personal atonement? is god not all-powerful now? christ, even jesus forgave sins.
He can't "just" forgive us when we sin.
Before Jesus, the sin offering was required, and it was offered in faith.
Jesus forgave sins (in the instances mentioned in the gospels) because of their faith.
After his death, our faith (in Jesus) is the instrument by which our sins are forgiven.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 118 by arachnophilia, posted 12-12-2004 7:45 PM arachnophilia has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 140 by arachnophilia, posted 12-14-2004 5:28 AM dpardo has replied

  
Nighttrain
Member (Idle past 4015 days)
Posts: 1512
From: brisbane,australia
Joined: 06-08-2004


Message 133 of 215 (167811)
12-13-2004 6:13 PM
Reply to: Message 129 by jar
12-13-2004 2:59 PM


Re: General question on John etal
I thought Schonfield (Those Incredible Christians) made a reasonable fist of describing the Messianic fervour that gripped the various Jewish factions leading up to the destruction Of Jerusalem. He delves into the authorship of John`s Gospel. One thing he covers that I have never seen discussed elsewhere, was the clash between Paul and the Apostolic Authority in Jerusalem, and the snide remarks Paul makes against them. Seems that he needed their recognition, but was determined to go his own way,regardless.With the levelling of Jerusalem, were the Jewish Christians so scattered that Paul`s version gained the upper hand?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 129 by jar, posted 12-13-2004 2:59 PM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 137 by jar, posted 12-13-2004 7:06 PM Nighttrain has not replied

  
dpardo
Inactive Member


Message 134 of 215 (167813)
12-13-2004 6:15 PM
Reply to: Message 120 by arachnophilia
12-12-2004 7:58 PM


Re: who am i?
Arachnophilia writes:
and who knows, maybe i had a vision of jesus in a car accident on the highway to las vegas, and he told me to be his messenger and set the record straight.
i mean, it worked for paul, right?
When you can perform miracles (heal, raise people from the dead, etc.), please send me an e-mail.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 120 by arachnophilia, posted 12-12-2004 7:58 PM arachnophilia has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 141 by arachnophilia, posted 12-14-2004 5:30 AM dpardo has replied

  
dpardo
Inactive Member


Message 135 of 215 (167816)
12-13-2004 6:25 PM
Reply to: Message 126 by arachnophilia
12-13-2004 5:01 AM


Arachnophilia writes:
q. are god's chosen people just all going to hell?
Arachnophilia,
You ask these questions as if you haven't read the bible.
Romans 11 says:
1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear unto this day.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Does this answer your question?
P.S. I didn't intentionally put the smiley in there!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 126 by arachnophilia, posted 12-13-2004 5:01 AM arachnophilia has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 142 by arachnophilia, posted 12-14-2004 5:38 AM dpardo has replied

  
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