Doug Mason

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Posts by Doug Mason

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  7

  The origins of personified spirits and demons

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  for the jews, personified spirit beings, good and evil, along with demons, originated during the 3rd and 2nd centuries bce.. https://jwstudies.com/crucible__powers_above.pdf .

  this file will be available very temporarily.. doug.

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  Doug Mason

  Hi Smiddy3,

  The Gospels attributed to Mark, Matthew, and Luke are known as "synoptic", meaning "same view", or similar. But they are not. Each was created by anonymous writers for its own local community, for its own local purpose.

  The earliest, being Mark, was written about 68-70 CE. "Matthew" followed some 15 years later, written for a different purpose (it is artificially structured into 5 parts, now known by the term "Discourses"). "Luke" followed and its current construct was completed about 120 CE, when Marcion was at his dominant height.

  While some Gospels suggest Jesus' ministry lasted 6 months, other Gospels, and here I include John's, suggest it could have been longer, maybe a year, maybe three.

  Not one Gospel is a literal historical documentary in the sense that we might consider objective journalism.

  Not that there would be two Jerusalems, rather there were several different versions of the Jesus (actually Joshua). Not one of the New Testament writers either saw or heard Jesus.

  And as a completely unrelated comment, I would like to add that the Watchtower's description of the "New Testament" as "Christian Greek Scriptures" is completely wrong. The documents were Jewish. They were written by Jews for Jews about Jews.

  Doug
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  7

  The origins of personified spirits and demons

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  for the jews, personified spirit beings, good and evil, along with demons, originated during the 3rd and 2nd centuries bce.. https://jwstudies.com/crucible__powers_above.pdf .

  this file will be available very temporarily.. doug.

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  Doug Mason

  Amelia,

  I am not aware of the Watchtower's explanation you are referring to. However, from Galatians (which was genuinely written/dictated by Paul) he gives accounts of his experiences that are completely at odds with accounts in the Book of Acts (written some 30 to 60 years after Paul's death).

  For instance, Paul says his visits to the leaders in Jerusalem were very private affairs and that the people only knew him by reputation, not personally. Acts 15, however, creates a general conference in which Paul addresses the whole assembly. Also, Paul was returning to Damascus, not going there.

  The Book of Acts is a contrived religious fiction created for a local purpose at the end of the first century. It is evenly balanced between accounts of Peter (first half) and accounts of Paul (second half). One theory is that this was done to counter the positions held by Marcion.

  Doug
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  7

  The origins of personified spirits and demons

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  for the jews, personified spirit beings, good and evil, along with demons, originated during the 3rd and 2nd centuries bce.. https://jwstudies.com/crucible__powers_above.pdf .

  this file will be available very temporarily.. doug.

  1. 
  2. 
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• 

  Doug Mason

  For the Jews, personified spirit beings, good and evil, along with demons, originated during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE.

  https://jwstudies.com/Crucible__Powers_above.pdf

  This file will be available very temporarily.

  Doug
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  The source of angels and demons

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the creation of angels and demons:.

  https://jwstudies.com/crucible__powers_above.pdf .

  this file will be available very temporarily.. doug.

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  Doug Mason

  Hi,

  The creation of Angels and Demons:

  https://jwstudies.com/Crucible__Powers_above.pdf

  This file will be available very temporarily.

  Doug
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  1

  Second Temple Period: The Book of Daniel

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i scanned this chapter as part of my investigation into the second temple period.

  https://jwstudies.com/crucible__daniel.pdf .

  i will make this file available very temporarily.. doug.

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  Doug Mason

  I scanned this Chapter as part of my investigation into the Second Temple Period

  https://jwstudies.com/Crucible__Daniel.pdf

  I will make this file available very temporarily.

  Doug
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  4

  Philo and Paul

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  in my research into the second temple period, i have collected material on philo from two books.

  i am making these scans temporarily available at:.

  https://jwstudies.com/this_world__chap_10__philo.pdf.

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  Doug Mason

  Hi Crazyguy,

  It is common knowledge that several NT documents attributed to Paul were indeed written by others. It is therefore possible to identify trends and alternate doctrinal positions held within Judaism.

  Whether Paul existed or is a composite figure does not concern me. Regardless of that question, the genuine writings do represent a particular position, and that is what does interest me.

  I doubt that Philo wrote or contributed to any NT writings. However, I would say that Philo's influence on the NT came in the form of rebuttals of Philo in some of Paul's statements.

  Doug
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  4

  Philo and Paul

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  in my research into the second temple period, i have collected material on philo from two books.

  i am making these scans temporarily available at:.

  https://jwstudies.com/this_world__chap_10__philo.pdf.

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  Doug Mason

  In my research into the Second Temple Period, I have collected material on Philo from two books. I am making these scans temporarily available at:

  https://jwstudies.com/This_world__chap_10__Philo.pdf

  https://jwstudies.com/Reading_Romans_in_Context__Philo_.pdf
  

  These pages illuminate Paul's environment and they provide the contemporary context for some of his reasoning.

  I was particularly taken with Pages 125-126 of the book, "Reading Romans in Context" (PDF file pages 20-21), which show how Paul misused Scripture in order to arrive at his predetermined conclusion.

  I have not marked up these files. The material is not difficult to follow.

  Doug
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  4

  Enoch the Prophet

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  in my ongoing research into second temple judaism, i scanned and marked up a chapter dealing with the book of enoch.. i have made this marked up chapter very temporarily available at:.

  https://jwstudies.com/crucible__chapter_4__enoch_marked_up.pdf .

  doug.

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  Doug Mason

  Hi Terry,

  Much of the religious beliefs (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) owe their origins to the revolutions of this period commencing with the 3rd century BCE. Most of the OT's ideas were formed some 300 years earlier, by the 6th century BCE.

  These new ideas, such as apocalyptic, eschatology, messianism, personified evil spirits (Satan,Mastema, Beliar, demons, etc.), war in heaven, final judgement, and so on, find their origins in this latter ("intertestamental") period, not in the OT. The period created sects such as the Pharisees, Essenes, etc., etc.

  One of the canonised books that was influenced by this environment is the Book of Daniel. It was written in the 2nd century BCE, often drawing on imagery from books such as Enoch, Jubilees.

  Doug
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  4

  Enoch the Prophet

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  in my ongoing research into second temple judaism, i scanned and marked up a chapter dealing with the book of enoch.. i have made this marked up chapter very temporarily available at:.

  https://jwstudies.com/crucible__chapter_4__enoch_marked_up.pdf .

  doug.

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  Doug Mason

  In my ongoing research into Second Temple Judaism, I scanned and marked up a chapter dealing with the Book of Enoch.

  I have made this marked up chapter very temporarily available at:

  https://jwstudies.com/Crucible__chapter_4__Enoch_MARKED_UP.pdf
  

  Doug
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  3

  Nothing unusual to see here, I think

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  in my slow but relentless foray into the “second temple period” i have marked up a few pages from one more source.

  it does not contain anything that is extraordinary, i think.. http://www.jwstudies.com/reading_romans_in_context__intro__marked_up.pdf .

  doug.

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  Doug Mason

  Thanks HB, I will have a look at that author's books.

  My position with the Bible is that I do not believe the writings represent a literal documentary. They are not histories in the sense we would understand.

  If someone were to investigate, for example, the culture surrounding the 21st century Harry Potter phenomenon would not mean anyone thought the material represented true history. But it would show the culture of a segment of a community.

  Likewise with the Judaeo/Christian writings. Studying the Bible shows the culture of some people at some time. It shows how the religious leaders prosecuted their arguments. But it does not mean they wrote a literal documentary.

  The 21st century significance of the Bible lies with its adoration by some.

  Doug