Add to that literate monks through the Middle Ages, meticulously transcribing and re-transcribing by hand the canon, as per the universal or catholic church; almost the only words preserved through the ages of "western" history until the invention of the printing press.
Why would a 1st Century nobody want to believe a Jesus story?
by Terry 26 Replies latest watchtower bible
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ProdigalSon
The Jesus story in the first century was already ancient, going back at least 10,000 years to Egypt, commonly known to everyone including little children just like the story of, let's say, Pinocchio today. It had a deeper meaning than what's on the surface, more than just that it's wrong to lie and that there would be consequences if you did. So if a real person suddenly came along and claimed to be the object of these fairy-tales nobody would even think about believing it and he would be automatically written off as a delusional psychopath.
Just think how people would have really reacted to some hot looking babe claiming that an angel knocked her up....how long before the stones started flying?
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Terry
Depends how you do it. To do it without gaping holes in logic, I'd recommend
"How to Think About God," Adler.Mortimer J. Adler is my favorite philosopher! His TEN PHILISOPHICAL MISTAKES made a huge difference in my life.
Adler was born a Jew but considered himself a Pagan his life long. He tried very hard to square his rigorous logical system of rational thought with the idea of a benevolent Heavenly Father. Just before he died I understand he converted to Catholicism.
HOW TO THINK ABOUT GOD is a very honest book!
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Terry
To gain some idea of the tension between Paul's version and the Jerusalem version of Christianity, you only need read Paul's invective in his early letter, to the Galatians, and also his harsh words about the Jews' Law in Romans. You can imagine how well that went down with the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem!
Which serves to disprove the canard offered by inerrantists that the living Apostles could act as a safeguard on Jesus' teachings being corrupted while they were alive.
Paul's letters were circulated FIRST and the various adapted GOSPELS followed afterward. Some might say provoked by Paul.
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darth frosty
I thought of the movie 'Life is Beautiful' as I read your story.
On point as always.
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PSacramento
It's quite simple, Teh message was pleasing and was one of hope for the oppressed.
By the way, People were not THAT ignorant and illiterate, Imean the Jews knew how to read and write their language, they had to read the Torah as part of their religion.
They were simple people yes, but the gospels show they Jesus's and the aspotles's views were challenged.
As for oral transmissions, they weren't as useless as that, fact is, most of te history we have from the ancient world was like that, it was a valid form of carrying on information and no, it wasn't easy to corrupt because it was spoken out loud and if anyone tried to chaneg the story, the audience would be the first to point it out.
The bible makes many references to the attempts of people doing just that and getting caught, as Jeremiah reamed the scribes and Jesus did also.
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zannahdoll
wow, Terry, I'm gaining a lot of good insight from you. Great post. Thank you.
First thing that came to my mind is that I began thinking of the why turn to Jesus for the pagans of that time, they had so many gods, one for every problem... why leave that for Jesus? I remember watching a documentary once that said the largest reason people loved Jesus and converted to Christianity is because God presented Himself as a human, and not just any human but an impoverished carpenter. The Greek (adopted Roman) gods were spectacular and glorious and did what they wanted, were even selfish. With the Christ figure dying for our sins we see humility and selfless love. It grants a feeling that you're not alone when you have trouble because God can empathize, he knew suffering. This was lacking in the pagan gods and in the Jewish God of the Torah.
I would say that is still the appeal today: a message of a God who empathizes and suffers and loves you. That has been my appeal.
Life is Beautiful is one of my favorite movies of all time. Interesting correlation.
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Terry
By the way, People were not THAT ignorant and illiterate, Imean the Jews knew how to read and write their language, they had to read the Torah as part of their religion.
Au contrare, mon frere...
The Jews lost their interest in Hebrew after Alexander conquered the world. Greek everything washed away most of the hermetic in them. The Septuagint was conceived for this very reason! Not enough Jews could read Hebrew any longer.
There were class divisions as well.
Earning a living and keeping your household in food and clothing took up most of the life of adults unless they had some kind of connection to wealth.
Wealth brings liesure time and liesure time brings opportunity for education which requires reading skills.
So, no blanket statement is entirely accurate. But, safe to say the preponderant number of persons in the Roman Empire were not well-educated and literate.
Otherwise, the JESUS stories would not have remained ORAL as long as they did!
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BurnTheShips
Au contrare, mon frere...
Actually, you are incorrect.
It has always been a religious duty for Jews to be able to read, understand, and interpret the Torah.
To this day, they do so. My Jewish friends' children stand up and read Torah before their congregations.
They read the Torah to the congregation in Hebrew when they are welcomed as independents into the congregation and when they pass the bar/bat mitzvah rite of passage.
The Torah is the beginning of their learning.
This requirement for literacy and abstract interpretation is part of the reason why Jews have always been so successful, despite the fact that they have always and universally been treated as a despised minority in the diaspora.
If it wasn't for the Torah, the Jews would have disappeared many centuries ago as a people, just like so many others have.
Where are the Babylonians? The Romans?
We read of peoples, some with great empires, that no longer exist.
The Torah has protected the Jews.
BTS
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Pistoff
I think it depends on what time period you are looking at.
I think Jesus was about social justice and acceptance of those who were shunned in the overall jewish community; that his message was appealing to those who felt oppressed.
The miracle stories are just that, stories; I don't think his early followers even knew about them. If they were well known or a big factor, Paul would have talked about them.
Social justice; that is what would have been the initial draw, IMO.