yes seedy id like to see more of it. i have been reading the apocrypal books and the lost books of eden. wow i love the accounts of miracles little jesus did and the story of adam and eve after the fall. they seem so familiar did wt ever use these text?
Apocryphal Books of the Bible
by nativenyr23 39 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Ravyn
I recommend "The Other Bible" by Willis Barnstone, after this you can get "The Nag Hammadi Library" editted by Robinson et al and a good copy of "The Dead Sea Scrolls" like the one by Wise, Abegg and Cook. Each is about $20 new. Check Amazon for used ones and eBay and Half.com tho.
"The Other Bible" is my absolute favorite! There are some others, but I recommend these as the basis of your library and then if you are interested in a specific book you can find something written just on that--like any of Elaine Pagels stuff on the gnostic texts. Good Luck! It was my first tantalizing step into the great big world back when I first left JWs. But I warn you---it is the red pill---you will never look at things the same way again! If you wish to pursue this line of knowledge the next steps would be "The Christ Conspiracy" and "Bloodline of the Holy Grail" by Laurence Gardner and Barbara Walker's Encyclopedia of Women's Myths and Secrets.
That is my entire library of 'truth'. Happy reading! email me any Qs.
Ravyn -
Columbo
Chap,
From what I can recall, the Roman Catholic Church officially listed the Apocrypha in it's Canon of Scripture starting with the Council of Hippo (393AD) and the Council of Carthage (397, 419 AD). The whole history of how the various books of Scripture were accepted as canonical is quite fascinating. The Book of Revelation was probably the most troublesome, with many disagreeing with it's inclusion until the Council of Carthage. Heck, Luther still had problems with Revelation and a couple of the New Testament epistles (especially James) in 1522. Good thread.
Columbo
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*lost*
bumped
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Newly Enlightened
I have read quite a few of these 'Lost & Rejected texts of the bible' I found them very interesting especially Gospel of Thomas.
Jude 14 quotes directly from the Book of Enoch. I know that the Catholic Church has been debating for awhile now to add Book of Enoch back in to their Cathoic bible. They've already added the Apocrypha's mentioned above.
But I also know that the WTBT$ would NEVER accept the Book of Enoch as a tru inspired book because it clearly says & names more than one Archangel. Michael being the 'Chief Holy Archangel' Gabriel being another Archangel. But we know that all JW's believe that Michael IS Jesus Christ.
But for anyone wanting to read them, here's as website that almost all of them except ENOCH. I got my Enoch books on Amazon.com for cheap
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fiddler
"The Other Bible" is my absolute favorite! There are some others, but I recommend these as the basis of your library and then if you are interested in a specific book you can find something written just on that--like any of Elaine Pagels stuff on the gnostic texts. Good Luck! It was my first tantalizing step into the great big world back when I first left JWs. But I warn you---it is the red pill---you will never look at things the same way again!
So true, so true! In the Second Book of Enoch it tells of Enoch entering into the levels of heaven and the third heaven being paradise.
FINALLY I could make sense of Paul's little 'trip' into the third heaven! (2 Cor. 12:2 - 4) No wonder he went on and on about 'not meaning to boast'. I never could figure out how that was boasting ~ just weird It would seem that the writings about Enoch were common knowledge back in the first century.
Yes, the Bible is so woefully incomplete.
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Terry
I try to view things this way.
1.Most of early Christianity was oral conversation.
2.It took years before things started finding their way into the printed word. Mostly things were written down to become "proof texts."
3.The majority of early Christian writings fall into a category very similar to "fan fiction". Thousands of examples are still in existence.
4.In the 4th Century a concerted effort to BURN any texts the "official" church disagreed with took place. Most of the interesting early voices are only known because those who quoted them accidentally "preserved" their writings when speaking out against them.
5.Sooner or later a small group of arguing men make the decision about what's real and true. We're stuck with their decisions.
6.The man MARCION is really the first successful promulgator of a "canon" of scripture. His Gnostic views almost swamped the early church with popularity. He was branded a heretic, naturally. The bible canon as we now know it was a REACTION to Marcion's canon.
7.When early manuscripts were copied (for whatever reason) the original was DESTROYED. There is absolutely NO WAY to verify the accuracy of any ancient writing!
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myelaine
dear Terry...
you said: "The man MARCION is really the first successful promulgator of a "canon" of scripture. His Gnostic views almost swamped the early church with popularity. He was branded a heretic, naturally. The bible canon as we now know it was a REACTION to Marcion's canon."...
consider the reasons behind the church's effort to cannonize certain writings over others?...the churches mission was to promulgate the gospel of salvation...that was a direct command from Jesus Christ. Gnostic writings took the focus off of that truth by encouraging individual mysticism. This caused division among the church...it was a form of natural seperation which paul says is actually needed in the body of Christ so that the truth would be manifest. romans 16:17-18.
we see the same thing now happening in the church...with the focus not so much on the saving gospel but on individual interpretations of what the gospel "really" meant. (the emergant church etc.) the focus has switched from evangilization to a type of mysticism...again. Where are the shepherds?...look around the focus is on the hirelings who feed their own bellys. Jesus said if you REALLY love Him you would feed His sheep.
when leaders enter into dialogue about their own personal "Jesus" then the truth is lost and a kind of "cosmic christ" is brought to the fore..."here is the Christ, no, here is the Christ...
love michelle
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myelaine
it is vitally important to listen to the the Good Shepherd.
In His capacity as the Good Shepherd Jesus warned us about things that were happening. Jesus believed there were demons. He believed that there was a personal devil. He believed there was a fiery hell. He believed that unless you believed in Him as your saviour you would be condemned to that place. He warned that there would enter in among the flock wolves in sheeps clothing.
His sheep hear what HE says about these things...they don't listen to other peoples opinions. If someones opinion differs from what He has stated plainly and they pass on that opinion to others as truth then they are NOT good shepherds of the flock of God...they aren't even His sheep if they refuse to hear what He has to say about such things.
love michelle
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mP
MyElaine
Why would i listen to Jesus when he didnt care or have the time to condemn slavery but keeps repeating that the poor and enslaven should pay taxes and be good slaves ?
Was Jesus blind or a Roman stooge. How exactly does one claim Jesus was good in anyway when he has such evil priorities ?