Posts by Doug Mason

8

Jesus' Baptism - 26 or 29 AD?

by Bobcat in

in my own research i've found that scholars are divided as to when jesus was baptised.

26 and 29 ad seem to be the most reccomended dates.

i was wondering if anyone could offer info on the points of difference between the two or links to further discussion on the reasons for holding to either date.. thanks in advance..

Seeking information re Jer 33:11

by Doug Mason in

i am seeking information regarding the rendering of jer 33:11.. the nwt renders the opening of that verse: "in this place that you people will be saying is waste ... ".

whereas the niv renders: "you say about this place, 'it is a desolate place ... '".. which rendering is correct?.

do the mt, lxx and other sources agree?.

I too am very conscious of context. I am trying to unravel the information from scholars regarding the formation, editing, re-editing and assimilation of texts such as the Hebrew and Greek versions of Jeremiah.

Whose words are we reading at a particular point? What were their ambitions and intentions?

I only wish I was aware of and studying such things at the early part of my life, not at its ending.

Doug

16

Seeking information re Jer 33:11

by Doug Mason in

i am seeking information regarding the rendering of jer 33:11.. the nwt renders the opening of that verse: "in this place that you people will be saying is waste ... ".

whereas the niv renders: "you say about this place, 'it is a desolate place ... '".. which rendering is correct?.

do the mt, lxx and other sources agree?.

Doug Mason

I am so deeply indebted to you all for your expertise and for your freely given help and advice. Thank you.

I note with interest that Albertz sees the LXX of Jer 33 "represents a more ancient tradition". I understand he means the LXX represents more reliably the ancient ("original") Hebrew text.

Doug

16

Seeking information re Jer 33:11

by Doug Mason in

i am seeking information regarding the rendering of jer 33:11.. the nwt renders the opening of that verse: "in this place that you people will be saying is waste ... ".

whereas the niv renders: "you say about this place, 'it is a desolate place ... '".. which rendering is correct?.

do the mt, lxx and other sources agree?.

Doug Mason

Apologies! apologies.

I did mean Jer 33:10 and not Jer 33:11.

Doug

16

Seeking information re Jer 33:11

by Doug Mason in

i am seeking information regarding the rendering of jer 33:11.. the nwt renders the opening of that verse: "in this place that you people will be saying is waste ... ".

whereas the niv renders: "you say about this place, 'it is a desolate place ... '".. which rendering is correct?.

do the mt, lxx and other sources agree?.

Doug Mason

Tammy, thank you.

The NWT says the people will be saying certain things whereas the NIV says they are already saying those things.

Renderings at that site exhibit a similar divergence.

Is the reason grammatical, use of variant sources, eisegetical or exegetical? Were the people speaking of their own time, or proleptically? Were they using hyperbole? Is the text so loosely phrased that it is not possible to know what was originally intended?

Doug

16

Seeking information re Jer 33:11

by Doug Mason in

i am seeking information regarding the rendering of jer 33:11.. the nwt renders the opening of that verse: "in this place that you people will be saying is waste ... ".

whereas the niv renders: "you say about this place, 'it is a desolate place ... '".. which rendering is correct?.

do the mt, lxx and other sources agree?.

Doug Mason

I am seeking information regarding the rendering of Jer 33:11.

The NWT renders the opening of that verse: "In this place that you people will be saying is waste ... "

whereas the NIV renders: "You say about this place, 'It is a desolate place ... '".

Which rendering is correct?

Do the MT, LXX and other sources agree?

Thanks,

Doug

2

"THE FLOOD" RESEARCH link

by clarity in

came across this debate regarding noah's ark & the flood!.

iam doing research on this subject and found it to be very interesting!.

it is quite long but if you are interested in the science behind the study .... it is not long enough!.

Doug Mason

Since you are conducting research, this will take your interest:

http://www.jwstudies.com/Two_Flood_Stories.pdf

In your search, I presume you are including the flood stories of the surrounding nations.

Doug

40

Why is the Watchtower petrified by Higher Criticism?

by Doug Mason in

what is it about higher criticism that petrifies the watchtower?

what are they trying to hide?.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/higher%20criticism.

Doug Mason

Knowsnothing,

Thank you for pointing me to that interesting thread. I will keep it as a PDF.

Yes, EL was the supreme god while YHWH was one of his underlings. When the Israelites adopted the warlike angry YHWH they gave him the loving creator qualities of El, along with EL's wife Asherah (mother of Baal).

One of the excellent books I own relative to that subject is: "Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan", John Day.

http://thegodel.webs.com/

But back to Biblical Criticism (analysis, study), which is the subject of this Thread.

I just received a most valuable book that I recently ordered: "Israel in Exile: The History and Literature of the Sixth Century BCE", Rainer Albertz.

Doug

40

Why is the Watchtower petrified by Higher Criticism?

by Doug Mason in

what is it about higher criticism that petrifies the watchtower?

what are they trying to hide?.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/higher%20criticism.

Doug Mason

A developing hypothesis bouncing around inside my cranium might provide reasons why the Higher Criticism causes mental hernia for the WTS.

The WTS reads meaning into the text (eisegesis) rather than extracting meaning from it (exegesis). The WTS starts with a concluding statement and then claims scriptural statements without consideration of due context as support for their statement.

From Wikipedia:

Eisegesis is the process of misinterpreting a text or portion of text in such a way that it introduces one's own presuppositions, agendas, and/or biases into and onto the text. The act is often used to "prove" a pre-held point of concern to the reader and to provide him or her with confirmation bias in accordance with his or her pre-held agenda. ... Eisegesis occurs when a reader imposes his or her interpretation into and onto the text.

Exegesis draws out the meaning from a text in accordance with the context and discoverable meaning of its author. As a result, exegesis tends to be objective when employed effectively while eisegesis is regarded as highly subjective.

Higher Criticism seeks to understand the culture that produced a piece of Scripture. It says that the material refers to that community. The WTS, however says Scriptures actually refer to the WTS and to its times. For example, when Jesus says, “this generation” the writer is referring to the generation that was living at that time but the WTS sees these words as speaking of people living during the 20th and 21st centuries. In another example: when ancient Israel/Judah was righteous before God, the WTS says they were symbols of the WTS but when these same people were evil they symbolise modern Christendom. This methodology is heightened in the WTS’s use of the apocalyptic literature.

My hypothesis, and it requires testing, includes the thought that while Higher Criticism seeks to climb into the minds of the cultures that produced a writing, that the WTS employs Pesher.

The DSS community (also an end-times community) employed pesher, in which secret meanings were revealed to and through The Teacher: “Their aim is to read historical and eschatological events into the biblical prophecies, understanding them as describing their own sect's situation on the verge of the eschaton.” ( http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0016_0_15650.html )

I see pesher as diametrically opposed to the concepts of Biblical study and analysis that is promoted by Higher Criticism, Lower Criticism, etc.

Doug

40

Why is the Watchtower petrified by Higher Criticism?

by Doug Mason in

what is it about higher criticism that petrifies the watchtower?

what are they trying to hide?.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/higher%20criticism.

Doug Mason

Hi Barry,

I was an SDA for about 16 years until 1980 - a long time ago.

Never aligned with anyone since, although I did read GNU for a short while after that.

I am free.

Doug