Name:sam •
Title: INDIE - Your wish came through ! •
Date posted: 04/24/11 20:53
Q: Dear Indie,
In your answer to my post, "THE TRUTH IS WHAT CAN BE PROVEN BY LOGIC", Date posted, 11/01/10, you said the followings:
First - Sam....with your obvious interest in Bible exegesis, 'I WISH' I had the means to offer you a 'COURSE ON TEXT ANALYSIS'.
At last, I came to find a good course taught by Prof. Dale B. Martin, at YALE UNIVERSITY.
Prof. Martin is a professor of religious studies, and director of graduate studies at YALE.
The 24 courses were recorded on video through 'youtube', and "I WISH" that you watch them, and give your opinion on them.
It took me several weeks to go through all the 24, because I did go back to check things mentioned with my Bible and other sources.
These corses are on { YOUTUBE} as follow
1. Introduction : Why study the new testament ?
2. From story to Canon.
3. The Greco-Roman world.
4. Judaism in the first century.
5. The new testament as history.
6. The gospel of Mark.
7. The gospel of Matthew.
8. The gospel of Thomas.
9. The gospel of Luke.
10. The Acts of the Apostles.
11. Johannine Christianity : The gospel.
12. Johannine Christianity : The letters.
13. The historical Jesus.
14. Paul as missionary.
15. Paul as Pastor.
16. Paul as Jewish theologian.
17. Paul’s Disciples.
18 . Arguing with Paul.
19. The “Household” Paul the Pastorals.
20. The “Anti-household” Paul : Thecla
21. Interpreting Scripture : Hebrews.
22. Interpreting Scripture : Medieval interpretations.
23. Apocalyptic and resistance.
24. Apocalyptic and accommodation.
These are Prof. Martin words:
A word of advice when reading the Bible....THINK FOR YOURSELF !
DE OMNIBUS DUBITANDUM ...DOUBT EVERYTHING
Course # 18 "Arguing with Paul" it gives a good picture to how the divinity of Jesus was created.
Prof. Martin expain it on the black-board as:
JESUS / PROPHET / KING [THE EARLY BELIFS]
a) HUMAN ONLY .
Then, how thing changed !
b) OR HUMAN & DIVINE -
BECAME DIVINE - AT HIS BIRTH .....BAPTISM.....RESURRECTION
d) ALWAYS DIVINE -
DIVINE & FLESH .......FULLY DIVINE . etc.....
These questions were answered very well by Prof. Martin, and he proved that the divinity of Jesus which the Christians believed in came throughout many years of debates by the people of the churches.
{IT IS NOT BY GOD’S WORDS , OR JESUS WORDS, BUT BY THE WORDS OF THE PEOPLE OF THE CHURCHES}.
Second - Your advice:
"do not be concerned with a professor trying to 'sell' her or his religion; a good professor will present information as objectively as possible; the student can discern where the professor is being subjective; the student can discern between the two."
So, Prof. Martin , analyze the N/T in a logical/scientific way. He is not trying to "SELL" his views in regards to these books, and YALE univ. as I read about:
"Yale is widely considered one of the most prestigious and selective universities in the world.["
I think that is enough to take their works as good and honest.
Third - About your Prof., You said:
"In the years since then, as new discoveries have come to light, he has written me to share with me some of the errors of interpretation, which he taught my classmates and me.......how the contributions of new analysis is CORRECTING AND CLARIFYING how the texts came to be."
Your prof. is just one of hundred of thousands of teachers, professors, priests who been teaching millions of their student for many centuries, and none "I MEAN NONE - NO ONE" EVER CAME BACK TO CORRECT AND CLARIFY THE ERRORS !!!.
HOW MANY CHRISTIAN TODAY CARE ABOUT KNOWING THE TRUTH, OR SEARCH FOR IT ?.
GOD'S WORDS DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY ERROR, OR NEED CLARIFICATION, AND THE WORDS WHICH BEEN WRITTEN BY UNKNOWN SCRIBES, SHOULD NOT EVER BE TAKEN AS THE WORDS OF GOD. ONLY JESUS WORDS ARE TELLING THE TRUTH.
Name:sam •
Date: 04/28/11 20:39
A: THE WRONG WAY, AND THE RIGHT WAY TO COME TO THE TRUTH EXPLAINED:
Few lines from Dr. Laurence B. Brown book, “MISGOD’ed”
The eleventh-century philosopher and theologian St Anselm of Canterbury proposed in his PROSLOGIUM : “I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand.”
The proposal of this author is that such a statement makes about as much sense as saying, “I had to taste the sandwich before I could pick it up.”
The true order of priorities should be the exact opposite.
Belief LOGICALLY follows understanding - not the other way around.
Humankind is divided.
Some people are slaves to their emotions, in line with Benjamin Franklin’s wry comment, “THE WAY TO SEE BY FAITH IS TO SHUT THE EYE OF REASON.”
Others demand LOGICAL EXPLANATIONS and RATIONAL CONCLUSIONS, and side with William Adams’ comment, “FAITH IS THE CONTINUATION OF REASON.”
Such individuals expect to find the truth of God in the union of common sense, Scriptural analysis, and innate understanding of the Creator.
