"Gospel Writing" -An Excellent Book

by metatron 5 Replies latest jw friends

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  metatron

  "Gospel Writing" by Francis Watson is an excellent book that examines (across 600+ pages) the process by which the Gospels were written and the process by which they came to be accepted as canonical (as Holy Writ).

  That's really a main point of the book - that there were many written Gospels used and quoted by early Christians and the 4 we have today were only accepted as 'word for word' inspired thru time as believers came to think of them that way.

  A quote: "No religious, philosophical, or literary text enters the world with the label "canonical" already attached. Canonical status is a matter not for authors but for readers; it arises not from composition but from usage." (page 3)

  He provides evidence that Matthew was written because many Christians weren't happy with Mark's abrupt, choppy style. Luke put together a Gospel that often interprets Jesus' words instead of just quoting them - and lots of early Christians had real problems with John and Revelation.

  Some early comments about Mark were especially stunning - as with the claim that Mark put it together and Peter didn't endorse it or condemn it (!!! whatever, I guess!)

  The only reason we have a fixed (and semi-coherent) canon of scripture today is because some church leaders 'kicked a$$ and took names' to make sense of it all and keep the Really Weird stuff out. Like the (very early) Gospel of Thomas..... And they had to 'duke it out' to get some stuff accepted like Revelation. It was a social or political process in the proto-catholic church, not books handed down from heaven.

  Remember one thing: if apostasy took off with the death of the apostles, then the "apostates" selected the books that make up the Bible - and there were lots of books and Gospels to choose from.

  metatron
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  Giordano

  if apostasy took off with the death of the apostles, then the "apostates" selected the books that make up the Bible - and there were lots of books and Gospels to choose from.

  Lets not overlook that a lot of those accounts were filled with personal bias masquerading as inspiration. What we finally got was a Roman Catholic bible with stuff added and deleted to push beliefs like the Trinity, hell fire ,Armageddon and of course the RC religion. Every Christian religion before and after the 'official' bible was determined has been making it up as they went along. And has based their beliefs on unreliable information.

  That's the reason I do not get involved in debates over scriptural interpretation. Anyone that relies on what someone is supposed to have said particularly Jesus is relying on faulty information.

  It's obvious that if the bible is supposed to be inspired it would have to contain truths that only a creator could reveal instead it is a nasty ignorant piece of work from beginning to end , so much so ,that in todays better informed world it has become laughable.

  So is the WT right when it says don't waste time reading the bible because you won't fine the truth the real truth? No. The WT continues to climb out on Dogma limbs based on their own made up interpretations and then regularly cuts the limb off while they are on it.

  It God (?) wasn't silent mankind wouldn't have had to make all this shit up.
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  Magnum

  Thanks for the recommendation. Will get the book. This is the kind of stuff I'm interested in researching now.

  if apostasy took off with the death of the apostles, then the "apostates" selected the books that make up the Bible - and there were lots of books and Gospels to choose from

  I actually want the Bible to be true, but that's a hard point to get around.
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  cofty

  Remember too that Mark, Matthew, Luke and John did not actually write the books that bear their names.
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  steve2

  Just as JWs never allow themselves to get past feeling offended that anyone would question the Scriptural role of the GB, many religious organizations - including the JWs - never allow themselves to get past feeling offended that the 66 official books of the Bible could ever be anything other than literally inspired by God.

  It is all part of that exclusivist "God-speaks-to-us" mentality that pervades even supposedly intelligent minds. JWs are indeed in common company.
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  John_Mann

  So is the WT right when it says don't waste time reading the bible because you won't fine the truth the real truth? No.

  The WT doesn't follow the Sola Scriptura.

  Remember too that Mark, Matthew, Luke and John did not actually write the books that bear their names.

  Probably they never existed at all. The twelve apostle is related to the 12 stages (months) of the sun (Jesus), they are part of the Deus Solus myth just like the Zodiac.