The Gospels where eyewitness accounts. Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things which have been accomplished among us, just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the world, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the truth of which you have been informed. -Luke 1:1-4 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness- his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth- that you also may believe. -John 19:34-35 This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. -John 21:24-25 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. -2 Peter 1:16
These are not fundamentalist beliefs. These are beliefs which Christians have held for centuries. If you want to know what early Christian scholars believed, I suggest you read up on the early church fathers. But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. -1 Corinthians 15:13-14
Please. As you have been told by others, these are the things Christians have believed since the Church began. And they are the fundamentals of the faith. Does the word 'fundamental' scare you? If you are scared, say you are scared. Quantrill
beginning to see that. It is why i have the old claim standing firm: "The best example of an antichrist is often found by observing christians!" because theys will lie, just to believe It is why I play fun with da mentals hey, i just said that from hilter to charles manson and even preachers such as ted haggart, not to mention some of the quacks on forums, i point out how to..... play fun with da mentals
Consider what "Witness" means in the context.. NOT "eye witness". The Gospel writers were not around when Jesus was born.. They were not present when Jesus was brought before Herod or Pilot.... and the Gospels were written decades AFTER the letters of Paul.
LOLOL.. Thanks.. I never even noticed my error... pilot indeed. There are six Herods in the New Testament.
The Gospel writers where not around all the time, so they would need to rely on peoples eyewitness testimonies. The apostles themselves where witness to several miraculous events such as the resurrection, transfiguration, and multiplication of loaves. How much do you think the Gospels is allegory, and how much do you think is literal?
I think they stories were told as an oral tradition for maybe 4 to 6 decades before they were written down.. and they seem to be addressed to different populations.. some who spoke Greek and some who spoke Aramaic. from southern Syria to new Christian communities in Anatolia and around the Med. So I think there is a lot of room for some exaggeration ... and the telling from different viewpoints. These gospel writers were NOT reporters.
Yes and none of them can be linked historically to passing judgement on Jesus. There were three Herod.
Then the same thing applies to the Quran, which wasn't written until after the death of Mohamed and by many more author then the Bible. So are the Sura and the Haddith... None are from the hand of the "prophet" or from those who really knew him. Which beg the question has to why you seem to give more credance to the Quran than you seem to do to the Bible even if you present yourself as a Christian...
Credence? Actually, I have READ it.. and God knows I haven't read the 6,000 hadiths.. but while I understand what it written that is NOT to say I give it "credence".. I do accept that it was a message to the people of the Arabian Peninsula. Here's a list of Herods. http://www.godsview.com/herod.html
It wasn't a message from god, it was a political manifesto written by petty warlords trying to carve an empire. This is why the message keeps becoming more and more violent the farter you go in the story... They understood, just like the european did before them, that religion is a powerful tool in the hand of despotic rulers. So the real question I have to ask you is which message do you prefer? The one all inclusive, peace loving of Jesus? Or the message that classifies people into 3 distinct group, muslim, dhimmi and infidel and advocates the mass killing of the later and enslavement of the dhimmi? As a christian, I know which one you should follow, but which do you really believe?
Neither you nor I can speak for God.. I am a Christian.. and you have an odd perspective ... have you actually read the Koran or are you just doing a kneejerk demonization?
Yes I read it. I'm presently waiting for another translation and I'm planning to do a comparative reading of both the Quran and the Bible (Jerusalem version) to index the similiarity and difference in corresponding theme. Thing is, Jesus underlying message is consistant and doesn't change from begining to end. Compare that with the Quran, Sura and Haddith. Jesus doesn't go from loving your neighbor to killing the unbelievers. Quite the contrary, he says to forgive them because they don't know what they are doing. But Mohamed goes from there is no compulsion in religion, to either summit or die in the course of his story...
I have to find one that is in french. I already have an english translation, and while I'm bilingual and have no problem reading in english, I would prefer to have a french version to go with my french Jerusalem Bible. French is a more nuanced language than english and can accomodate more "feeling" in the meaning of the word, at least for me it is. I find that english is better in technical text but french is better in literrary context, like poesy or story.
