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Recent content by Coponius

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    The Historical Jesus...

    This posted extract is from 'Jesus the Jew' by Geza Vermes, SCM Press 2001 - pp. 191-192, (highly recommended reading) and will I am sure assist in clarifying the contemporary situation regarding this matter. Excursus: son of God and virgin birth 2. Jesus, Son of a Virgin (a) The meaning of...
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    Bar- Abbas

    Almighty's humble servant said A Jewish (zealot) resistance fighter then, in your opinion? Incidentally, Herod (Antipas) the Tetrarch of Galilee was a "rex socius" - client king - and though a client ruler could not pursue any autonomous foreign or military policy, so far as local affairs were...
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    Interesting discussion on historical evidence of Jesus (moved)

    Givemeareason said The truth of the matter is that Paul was not very interested in the words and acts of Jesus, as he did not regard them as the important kind of knowledge about him. Paul had not been a disciple of the historical Jesus, but believed he had been called to his service in a...
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    the most important milestone in human history

    Undoubtedly, the (admittedly prehistoric) discovery by early human beings of how to make fire and fashion tools. Later in the Ancient Near East, probably during the late fourth to early third millenium BCE, the invention of writing - proto cuneiform/cuneiform scripts by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia.
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    The Historical Jesus...

    Originally posted by gideon123 Yes it is indeed my opinion - but that opinion is supported by the established facts previously mentioned. The author of the gospel (attributed to Matthew) was incorrect in stating that (the story) of the parthenogenetic conception of Jesus was a fulfilment of a...
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    The Historical Jesus...

    The Virgin Birth (Redrafted) The Christian concept of the virgin birth is derived solely from a mis-translation of a Hebrew word into Greek. The word ‘almah, from the original oracle (Isaiah 7:14) simply means, "young woman" (i.e. any nubile young woman). The Septuagint incorrectly translates...
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    Jesus' theology

    Originally posted by Job8 I adduce no false premise here! - the idea that the Gospels are "Divine Revelation" is a theological supposition - not a historical fact. Originally posted by Job8 The word-play is between the similar pronunciation of the Hebrew word Yahweh (The Lord) The personal...
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    Jesus' theology

    Jesus The Jew There is one intrinsic question which anyone, whatever their religious persuasion, may be compelled to ask. Would a Jewish teacher who walked the byways of Galilee in the first century have endorsed the various Creeds and dogmas formulated in his name hundreds of years later...
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    History and Archaeology

    I can only restate my original definitions of history and archaeology and make the following comments. Sir William M. Ramsay (1851-1939) Some of Ramsay’s views were challenged even in his own life time and today one will generally not find his works cited as specific exemplars in any...
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    History and Archaeology

    The word history is derived from the Greek – ίστορια = learning or knowing by inquiry. Nothing contained within any of the Biblical documents precisely accords with this definition. Historical writing along with Philosophy...
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    Bar- Abbas

    Returning to the original topic of this thread: There are still several questions that must be addressed. The first is whether Barabbas was a historical personage or not. If this is answered in the affirmative, then it must be asked how he came to be held in prison at the time of Jesus' trial...
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    Bar- Abbas

    "If anything at all is certain about the earthly life of Jesus, it is that he was a Jew who expressed original and disturbing conceptions of what Judaism ought to mean, and was executed on the orders of a Roman praefectus who had little or no concept of what Judaism meant." * * Fergus Millar -...
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    The Triumphal Entry, Two "Thieves", and Barabbas

    The earliest synoptic gospel, that attributed to Mark, uses the Greek word, lestai (brigands) when describing the two men executed along with Jesus of Nazareth. The word is also employed by the writer of Matthew. It is precisely the same term used (by Josephus) to describe the Jewish agitators...