apologies, clumsy fingers again.
but be patient, at some a point a real post may appear..
See, Chinese made Airbus 320's, and a nearly complete C919, in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK615HSn18g
the sub-structure of the nt, as understood by new testament scholar, charles harold dodd, is based on,.
... passages of ot scripture with their application to the gospel facts ... it provided the starting point of the theological constructions of paul, (and) the author of to the hebrews, and the fourth evangelist.
it is the substructure of all christian theology and contains already its chief regulative ideas.
I decided to raise the issue of the 'Hellenisation' of Judaism as a footnote in my above post. As witnesses we were inculcated with the idea that the All-Powerful Yahweh used the Jews to maintain a thread of pure worship on the earth, therefore Jewish thought (and, hence the Bible) could not have been sullied by "pagan' ideas.
So the depth of the Hellenistic influence on the world in which Jesus grew up, is a key issue in assessing the reliability of J.witness scholarship. The more I read, the more convinced I become, that there was a profound change in Jewish (and, hence early Christian) thinking as a result of the influence of Greek ideas.
Here's a long review of Martin Hengel's study on this subject, called:
, The 'Hellenization' of Judaea in the First Century after Christ
Amazon reference: http://www.amazon.com/Hellenization-Judea-First-Century-Christ/dp/1592441874
I'd like to post all of a review from that site, as it explains better than I can, how powerful the pervasive spread of Hellenism may have been upon the Jews of the time. I won't hold my breath waiting for a Watchtower article admitting that Jesus was influenced by Greek thinking, but the evidence points in that direction. Here's the reviewer's comments.
Martin Hengel was a German theologian and historian, specializing in the history of early Christianity. Hengel was critical of the sharp demarcation between "Jewish" and "Hellenistic" often made by historical-critical scholars who study the emergence of Christianity. The usual critical scenario is that Jesus and his earliest followers were very "Jewish". Jesus was essentially a Jewish prophet or wisdom teacher. Later, his message was "Hellenized" by Paul. Real Christianity therefore began with Paul, or perhaps even somewhat later. Hengel, by contrast, believed that all of Palestine was sufficiently "Hellenized" already before the time of Jesus. Therefore, Jesus and the original disciples might very well have been "Hellenized" as well. If so, religious ideas considered more Hellenistic than Jewish might have developed in Palestinian Jewish circles. Perhaps Paul's message wasn't a complete break with the original ideas of the Jesus Movement? Of course, Hengel's idea of a continuity between Jesus, The Twelve and Paul is ultimately an attempt to prove the veracity of the New Testament. In other words, the position is based on a theological agenda. Still, Hengel makes an interesting and even somewhat compelling case, making him well worth reading.
It should be noted that Hengel rejects the term "Hellenization", since in his opinion Jewish and foreign cultures had become so intertwined by the time of Jesus, that there really was no difference between the "Jewish" and the "Greek" in the Jewish culture of Palestine, at least not in the cities, within the educated elite or among the middle classes. The distinction between "Jewish" and "Hellenistic" often made when discussing early Christianity is, in Hengel's opinion, methodologically flawed. "Hellenism" had become an integrated part of Judaism. Of course, another way of saying the same thing, would be to claim that Judaism was so Hellenized that Jesus himself may have been a Hellenized Jew. Indeed, this seems to be Hengel's real point.
As already noted, Hengel believes that Palestinian Judaism was just as Hellenized (or "Hellenized") as Diaspora Judaism. This process, ironically, started with the Maccabees, who despite their militantly Jewish and anti-Greek stance, nevertheless adapted themselves to Greek cultural forms and expressions. The Hasmoneans weren't much different from other Hellenistic monarchs, and they cultivated the legend that Jews and Spartans were actually related peoples (a legend mentioned in 1 Maccabees). The Graeco-Roman and cosmopolitan spirit of Herod the Great is obvious, but was of course combined with promotion of the Jewish religion. That certain elite groups in Palestine were Hellenized is hardly big news, but Hengel believes that this was true of a larger segment of the population as well. Between 10% and 20% of Jerusalem's native population may have been Greek-speaking Jews. The coastal towns were primarily Greek-speaking. In Caesarea, half of the population were Hellenized Jews. In Ashdod and Jamnia, more than half. Archaeological evidence includes synagogue and ossuary inscriptions in Greek.
Even more to the point, Hengel states that Galilee was virtually hemmed in by Gentile towns: Ptolemais, Tyre, Sidon, Caesarea Philippi, Scythopolis and the notorious Gadara. Both Cynics, Pythagoreans and worshippers of Dionysius may have existed in these towns. Galilee itself was Jewish but couldn't escape the influence of Hellenism. Tiberias and the famed Sepphoris probably had a Hellenized Jewish population. The most sensational piece of information is perhaps the claim that the fishing industry at Lake Tiberias may have been owned and operated by Greeks. (Clue: Peter was a fisherman.) An often overlooked fact is that two of Jesus' disciples had purely Greek names: Andrew and Philip. Hengel also believes that Thaddeus and Bartholomew are Aramaized Greek names, as is the name Bartimaeus, the blind beggar cured by Jesus. The names Simon and Shimeon are almost interchangeable. The Gospel of John claims that Andrew, Philip and Simon Peter came from Bethsaida, a village refounded by Herod's son Philip in honour of Augustus' daughter Julia, and therefore a more "Hellenized" and important village than the surrounding ones. From this, Hengel draws the conclusion that Peter may indeed have been bilingual. Another inevitable conclusion is that Jesus got some of his earliest followers from Hellenized Jewish milieus.
Another topic discussed by the author is the class composition of the earliest Palestinian Christians. Hengel regards them as middle class, with some support from wealthy patrons. At one point, he half-jokingly calls the class base of early Christianity "petty bourgeois". He seems to believe that the common people outside the towns were the least Hellenized, and that the Jewish radicals drew their support primarily from this group. The aristocracy and the middle classes, by contrast, were less radical. This presumably explains why the Christians didn't support the Jewish war against Rome, but preferred to abscond. According to a much later tradition, the Christians fled from Jerusalem to Pella, a town inhabited by Gentiles and Hellenized Jews! In this context, Hengel speculates that Jesus himself was middle class. He wasn't a lowly carpenter, but rather a skilled builder.
Another interesting chapter, but also a weaker one, deals with concrete Greek influences on various Jewish writings, including the "Old Testament". The author admits himself that this is a tricky subject, since Greek culture may have been influenced by Persian and Semitic culture at an earlier date. A "Greek" idea found in a Jewish scripture may just as well be indigenous to the Middle East. For some reason, Hengel doesn't discuss the Egyptian dimension. Nor does he want to permit out and out pagan influences on Judaism, i.e. pagan in the religious sense. Perhaps this is too close to home for a theologian? The idea that Christianity was connected to the mystery religions isn't safely buried just yet. Curiously, Hengel nevertheless admits that the story of the wedding at Cana contains Dionysian elements (Jesus turning water into wine), and that Dionysus was indeed worshipped in Scythopolis, only eighteen miles away. Scythopolis was the purported burial place of the god's nurse! As a side point, Hengel points out the remarkable fact that the anti-Greek Essenes nevertheless was the Jewish group most readily interpreted in Greek terms, as a Pythagorean order...
As already noted, the message of "The hellenization of Judea in the first century after Christ" is that typically Christian ideas which are usually pinned on Paul or later writers might as well have started with Jesus and The Twelve. At the same time, the author does allow for a "Judaizing" tendency within the early Church, centred around James, but believes that this was a conservative reaction to the innovations of Jesus and the original disciples, due in part to the harsher and more nationalistic climate of later years.
I don't believe that Martin Hengel has "proven" his position, any more than, say, Bart Ehrman have "proven" his. It's exceedingly difficult to prove or disprove claims about the historical Jesus and his earliest movement. However, this little book (only 100 pages) at least shows that a relatively coherent case can be made for Jesus, The Hellenized Jew.
the sub-structure of the nt, as understood by new testament scholar, charles harold dodd, is based on,.
... passages of ot scripture with their application to the gospel facts ... it provided the starting point of the theological constructions of paul, (and) the author of to the hebrews, and the fourth evangelist.
it is the substructure of all christian theology and contains already its chief regulative ideas.
Targums (or, Targumim, if you prefer).
A Targum can be defined at the simplest level as a ’Translation’. These ‘translations’ occurred after the Babylonian exile of the Jewish elite and their return to the desolated Jerusalem, as Hebrew was displaced by Aramaic. Hebrew continued to be the language of scholars and used in written works, but at some point Aramaic became the main language of the people, which meant that readings from the ‘Law and the Prophets’ required translation, oral at first, but eventually with written copies being made.
Why are they valuable in Biblical studies? Simply because the Targums were not merely a (literal) translation, but were often a paraphrase or, (if you like) a combined translation and explanation. The original text may be expanded (words added) or even altered so that it could be interpreted differently to the original. Which may give us some ideas about the way that the original text and its 'sacredness' were viewed.
So here we see a ‘living’ understanding, as beliefs underwent re-interpretation. That’s why the targums are valuable in scholarship, through the comments and changes by their authors we sense the development of religious thinking.
For example in the LXX (Greek Septuagint), we may also find alterations to the Hebrew text. And, more famously, there is the Targum of Isaiah 53. Dunn calls it a tendentious translation, deliberately translated to rule out a Christian interpretation.
Mention of the LXX brings up another contentious aspect of first century life. What language were the Jewish people of Palestine using?* Dunn (Unity and Diversity in the New Testament, SCM Press, 2006, p.89) argues that,
“ … By the first century AD Aramaic was probably the only language which many (most?) Palestinean Jews actually spoke.”
Such a view ignores the impact of Hellenic culture on Palestine. After the return from Babylon, Palestine continued to be a Persian province, until Alexander the Great (356-323) conquered the Jews again. (Again, that is, after the Assyrians, the Babylonians and the Persians).** After the death of Alexander Greek or Hellenistic influence became even stronger, from either the Ptolemaic Dynasty which ruled Egypt or the Seleucid Dynasty which ruled Syria. Even the brief period of independence after the Maccabean revolt did not prevent the continued intrusion of Greek language and thought into the lives of the Palestinian Jews. All aspects of their lives were affected – their way of life, business, education and ethos were mediated through Greek culture.
So could Jesus speak Greek? We cannot be sure, but the probable answer is that most Jews may have been bi-lingual. Certainly, the use if the LXX in the NT documents is a good indication of the profound penetration of Greek culture among Palestinian Jews. ***
* A good overview of this issue may be found in this paper:
Which Semitic Language Did Jesus and Other Contemporary Jews Speak?
Link: http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1202633.files/Lesson%2011/11b%20Fassberg.pdf
** In such a list we glimpse the main religious issue facing Jewish thinkers. They claimed to be the ‘people of the true God,’ and yet they were continually conquered by people who had other Gods. How could this state of affairs, be explained. The answer they came up with could be called “national sins” with a continual need to be saved from their sins by a future leader who would restore their national dignity, and prove beyond doubt that their God was All-powerful.
*** Achtemeier et al, Introducing the New Testament, Its Literature and Theology, Eerdmans, 2001. P.21.
a reporter did a story on arranged marriages in canada.
lady lee's story is at the top http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/against-their-will/ .
.. .. atlantis!.
I suggest that there is some 'journalistic licence,' in the way the author of the article presents this story. The author's 'twist' may sell some more magazines, but does not seem to be based on facts.
Never heard of anything like this in Australia.
the sub-structure of the nt, as understood by new testament scholar, charles harold dodd, is based on,.
... passages of ot scripture with their application to the gospel facts ... it provided the starting point of the theological constructions of paul, (and) the author of to the hebrews, and the fourth evangelist.
it is the substructure of all christian theology and contains already its chief regulative ideas.
The sub-structure of the NT, as understood by New Testament Scholar, Charles Harold Dodd, is based on,
“ … passages of OT scripture with their application to the gospel facts … it provided the starting point of the theological constructions of Paul, (and) the author of ‘To the Hebrews, and the Fourth Evangelist. It is the substructure of all Christian theology and contains already its chief regulative ideas.” ( C.H.Dodd, According to the Scriptures Nisbet, 1952, p.127).
This is not the perspective adopted by many contemporary Christians who, in practise, often seem ready to discard the OT.
But if this is a correct view, then it becomes important to understand the way that Jewish contemporaries of Jesus and his followers saw and used the OT scriptures.. James Dunn asserts (J.D.G.Dunn, Unity and Diversity in the New Testament, SCM Press, 2006, p.89 ) that the Jewish exegesis of the scriptures by the contemporaries of Jesus is the proper background to early Christianity.
To understand how the contemporaries of Jesus discussed the OT scriptures, we need to think of the categories that were current at that time. Dunn suggests there were five. These are, targum, midrash, pesher, typological and allegorical, but points out that the last three are often controversial.
I propose to discuss these five categories, starting tomorrow with the Targums,
apologies, clumsy fingers again.
but be patient, at some a point a real post may appear..
Previously I posted that, a few weeks ago a Chinese made 99 seat passenger jet ( designated as the ARJ21) had received its airworthiness certification in China.
Today a report from China, indicates that assembly of a larger passenger aircraft, the C919 had commenced last September, (as shown in the image below) and was now almost complete.
The first test flight is scheduled toward the end of 2015.
Zhou Guirong is the deputy chief designer of the C919. comments:
The C919 has been outfitted with the latest in aviation technology.
"In cloudy or smoggy weather, pilots vision of the runway may be obscured. But with the sensors we've installed in the aircraft, pilots will be able to get an infrared view of what's happening outside during takeoff and landing. The C919 is among the first large commercial jets to have the new technology installed."
The C919 can fly up to 5-thousand kilometers, and can accommodate up to 160 passengers.
Zhou Guirong says the new jetliner is also more efficient than a lot of planes currently in the sky.
"Our engine layout reduces fuel consumption by around 15-percent compared with its counterparts, improving its overall operational efficiency by 10-percent. The C919 is very competitive when it comes to safety, economics, comfort and environmental friendliness."
Link:http://en.people.cn/n/2015/0106/c90000-8832082.html
apologies, clumsy fingers again.
but be patient, at some a point a real post may appear..
The huge size of the Chinese market can be gauged by the planned size of China's third airport. The UK Guardian features it in this report:
( Link: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/sep/08/beijing-aviation-hub-mega-airport )
Beijing set to become world's busiest aviation hub with new mega-airport
Proposals for giant third airport could mean 120 million passengers pass through Chinese capital a year
Guardian
Jonathan Watts in Beijing
Friday 9 September 201103.57 AEST
Beijing is moving to overtake London as the world's busiest aviation hub with the construction of a third airport that could have as many as nine runways.
The new mega-project – part of a huge expansion of China's airline industry – has alarmed environmental groups, who warn aircraft will increasingly contribute to the country's already dire pollution problems and high greenhouse gas emissions.
The government has yet to announce details of the project, but the Guardian has spoken to sources familiar with the initial designs and seen signs of construction in the rural district of Daxing, about 31 miles (50km) south-west of the city centre.
On the roadside, labourers are building an elaborate 10m-high steel and concrete map of the world topped by giant red characters declaring: "Construction of a New Airport City for the Capital."
Migrant workers, who live in tents on the site, said they had started work last month on the paving and fountains for the monument.
This follows the inclusion earlier this year of a new capital airport in the government's latest five-year plan.
It was only four years ago that the existing airport in the north of the city opened a huge third terminal ahead of the Beijing Olympics. Designed by the British architect, Norman Foster, it was then the world's biggest airport building, with more floor space than all five Heathrow terminals combined. But it has filled faster than expected due to the rapid growth of China's economy.
Last year, the airport handled 73.9 million passengers. By 2015, this is expected to rise to 90 million – 12 million more than it was designed for.
Beijing authorities have said they will start work this year on land acquisition and demolition for a new airport. In addition to a semi-military airport in Nanyuan, this first phase – due for completion in 2015 – will give the city the capacity to handle 120 million passengers a year. Depending on growth, this would see Beijing overtake London and Tokyo, which each had about 100 million in 2010. Even by Chinese standards, the proposals for the later stages of construction are staggering.
According to the domestic media and sources familiar with the project, the new airport is being designed to ultimately handle between 120 million and 200 million passengers, and have eight civilian runways and perhaps another for the military if Nanyuan is closed. Denver international airport currently has the most runways in the world with six.
A further paragraph notes:
China's aviation industry is already booming. Last year, it reported a profit of 43bn yuan (£3.9bn), triple the figure for the previous year. In the coming 20 years, China is forecast to buy 4,300 new jet aircraft.
apologies, clumsy fingers again.
but be patient, at some a point a real post may appear..
As promised, some data on the Civil Aviation industry in China.
----------------------------
In 2002 there were only 4 airports in China with a capacity to handle 10,000,000 passengers a year or more.
By 2011 there were 21 airports with that capacity and the main ones (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou) handle many more
By 2016 (next year), there will be some 230 Airports of at least that capacity.
There is a government estimate that by 2030 China will need another 5000 aircraft.
------------------------
An IATA (International Air Transport Association) report last year forecast that by 2034 flights to, from and within China will account for some 1.3 billion passengers, 856 million more than 2014.
Which places the 2014 figures, as nearly 500 million. The forecast concluded that China will overtake the USA as the world's largest aviation passenger market by 2030.
The above from business magazine, AsiaToday International.
( http://www.asiatoday.com.au/content/china-us-lead-future-air-traffic-growth-says-iata )
----------------------------------
Sort of corroborating that forecast is Boeing's own estimate of the size of the Chinese market:
http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2013-09-05-Boeing-Forecasts-Chinas-Fleet-to-Triple-Over-Next-20-Years
New Airplane Deliveries to China: 2013-2032
Airplane type
Seats
Total deliveries
Dollar value
Regional jets
90 and below
240
$10B
Single-aisle
90-230
3,900
$370B
Small wide-body
200-300
730
$170B
Medium wide-body
300-400
610
$200B
Large wide-body
400 and above
100
$30B
Total
5,580
(16% of world total)
$780B
(16% of world total)
apologies, clumsy fingers again.
but be patient, at some a point a real post may appear..
Another smaller but potential competitor to the Airbus/Boeing dominance is Japan. Here's a pik of regional aircraft being prepared by Mitsubishi:
apologies, clumsy fingers again.
but be patient, at some a point a real post may appear..
DesirousOfChangean hour ago
Doc
I last flew in China in 2006. The airports in both Beijing and Shanghai were large and crowded. Its a two hour flight from BJ to SH and it cost me A$100.00. The plane was full.
I now prefer to travel by Very Fast Train, Beijing to Shanghai takes 4.5 hours for about the same current cost. The advantage is that the stations are in the city centres and you don't have to be at the station an hour before boarding.
I will try to find out current passenger numbers and post later.
How many average Citizens of China or Russia can afford to buy an airline ticket?