sorry, i know i posted this earlier but i believe the title did not gather enough attention.
i think is a topic worth discussing.. http://www.jw-archive.org/post/127866869178/new-light-the-inspired-word-of-god-can.
And it is interesting to note the number of times that NT writers cited writings that were later not included in the Hebrew canon. These include writings such as: 1 Enoch; 1, 2, and 4 Maccabees; 3 and 4 Esdras; Wisdom of Solomon; Sirach; etc.
See the list at "The Biblical Canon", pages 452 to 464, by Lee Martin McDonald.
Doug
sorry, i know i posted this earlier but i believe the title did not gather enough attention.
i think is a topic worth discussing.. http://www.jw-archive.org/post/127866869178/new-light-the-inspired-word-of-god-can.
The word translated as "inspired" is theopneustos, which means "God-breathed", as shown in the NIV. The word "inspire" is to "breathe in" while the word for "breathing out" is "expire".
How do we know that the person who wrote 2 Timothy 3:16 is telling the truth?
What writings was the child Timothy reading? Certainly not the Christian Scriptures, since they were not canonised until centuries later. And there was no Hebrew Canon at the time when the Christian texts were being written.
Doug
sorry, i know i posted this earlier but i believe the title did not gather enough attention.
i think is a topic worth discussing.. http://www.jw-archive.org/post/127866869178/new-light-the-inspired-word-of-god-can.
sorry, i know i posted this earlier but i believe the title did not gather enough attention.
i think is a topic worth discussing.. http://www.jw-archive.org/post/127866869178/new-light-the-inspired-word-of-god-can.
Any translation, such as the Septuagint (LXX), introduces the translators' biases, and the situation was very fluid, since there were several Greek translations produced by redactors and commentators over time. And the NT writers quoted from the range available to them, including some we do not have access to.
Even though Jesus (Yeshua) would have spoken in Aramaic, the Gospel writers have him citing the text from the LXX - often using Pesher interpretation (that is, a commentary, rather than a literal citation). Not that any of the NT writers ever saw Jesus or heard him speak.
The early Christians, indeed, seemed to settle on the translation by Theodotian (especially of Daniel - part of which was written in Aramaic and part in Greek - as is attested by the DSS).
The variants in the DSS provide one testimony to the fluidity of the texts.
The manner in which the Watchtower amends the text to suit its biases replicates in a small way the manner in which the Hebrews were prepared to amend the text over time.
The Hebrew text that is available today (I possess two English translations of the Tanakh) is about 1000 years old (plus and minus a century or three). It was produced by Jews known as Masoretes and they took the variant Hebrew texts, producing the current single Hebrew version. In doing so, they set previous errors in concrete - and we lost the earlier Hebrew versions.
The text of the LXX is based on a Hebrew text that was about 1500 years earlier than the Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT) - the earlier text was written in palaeo Hebrew characters - see the use of those characters with "YHWH" in the Greek DSS.
It is impossible to know what the original writers wrote (the autographs).
For an analysis of the manner in which the NT writers used the Scriptures (our "Old Testament") read: "Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period" by Richard Longenecker.
Doug
bro.
e. soriano set matters straight for me.. you people alleged that the creation of adam is an "anti-scientific nonsense; and god did not.
create adam from a handful of dust, like the bible says, (ok maybe a bucket full).
what the sunday watchtard said.... in 1876, an article written by charles taze russell was published in the magazine bible examiner.
that article, gentile times: when do they end?, pointed to 1914 as a significant year.
the article linked the seven times of daniels prophecy with the appointed times of the nations spoken of by jesus.. what gentile times: when do they end?
My picture of the WT's chariot is actually a donkey (the typical JW) being ridden by the GB holding a carrot on a stick in front of the JW's eyes.
Doug
what the sunday watchtard said.... in 1876, an article written by charles taze russell was published in the magazine bible examiner.
that article, gentile times: when do they end?, pointed to 1914 as a significant year.
the article linked the seven times of daniels prophecy with the appointed times of the nations spoken of by jesus.. what gentile times: when do they end?
My comments on CTR's article is available at:
http://www.jwstudies.com/How_Many_Mistakes_in_one_Paragraph.pdf
Note that Russell had two parallel fulfilments for 1914:
(1) Jerusalem would ceased to be trodden on by the Gentiles and
(2) Gentile nations would be dashed to pieces.
In that article, Russell said that Nebuchadnezzar symbolised the fate of the Gentile nations; today the WTS says that Nebuchadnezzar symbolised the fate of God's kingdom.
He might have pointed to 1914 (among a number of other dates - such as 1874 for the Parousia and 1878 for the closing of the door) but the WTS is very coy about revealing the what the significance was.
Doug
the ancient hebrews left two bequests:.
a universal, single god named yahweh;.
a series of writings identified as sacred scripture..
I find it difficult to accept that Yahweh was sexless/neutered.
The environment does not appear to lend itself to any sexless/transgender god.
The ancients considered that El and his consort Asherah had 70 sons (the Elohim) through normal sexual activity.
In my Study, I did not enumerate the characteristics of El, but they were of the kindlier nature, the Ancient of days, the Creator God. On the other hand, Yahweh was an angry, warrior, fierce God, who was only "tamed" when characteristics of El were merged into Yahweh, and at the same time El's female consort Asherah was assigned to Yahweh.
There is no doubt that Asherah was a female as she is depicted with large breasts, usually with her hands beneath them to hold then out. This indicated sustenance and fertility.
The Israelites worshiped several female goddesses along with a few male gods (symbolised with bulls or calves).
Doug
the ancient hebrews left two bequests:.
a universal, single god named yahweh;.
a series of writings identified as sacred scripture..
Thank you Phizzy and others for your kind words.
I learned a lot, especially placing the Biblical texts into the context of the evolution of the Hebrew culture during the 12th to 6th centuries,
I sincerely hope that people will be motivated to read the books I cited and some of those that I referenced.
Doug
the ancient hebrews left two bequests:.
a universal, single god named yahweh;.
a series of writings identified as sacred scripture..
eyeuse2badub,
If you read my Study you will see that history agrees with you. The Bible was written by a small group of men for men about men who had a male God. The vast majority of the Hebrews worshiped several gods and many more goddesses, and the women played a significant role in that worship, family based. However, these people, being illiterate, did not write their story, and so we have been left with a biased account of true Hebrew worship.
Maybe women should now stand up and write their accounts,
Doug
