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Recent content by patchingcracks

  1. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    Went to a fairly conservative seminary. I am familiar with much of what you refer to here. I will confess that there is so much material to cover that at times it is tough to read every original work that is set in front of you. The targums are interesting to me, but I only own them in Hebrew...
  2. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    Wait, so you can make unsupported claims regarding things like the dating of the gospels and I have to prove you wrong? What is your reasoning deserving the high ground in the argument? Is it something more than you assume that your unsupported arguments are correct and I am wrong? Regarding...
  3. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    So, my having studied ancient languages, rabbinical literature, and history makes me less clear on the texts than your position of not knowing ancient languages and not having read rabbinical literature? I have studied both the arguments for and against the positions I hold and evaluated them...
  4. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    I'd like to come back to the topic of messianic expectation a little later. Its an interesting topic and worth discussing. That having been said, its somewhat disingenuous to defend a position you don't hold. If you don't believe in the literal application, arguing for it based on the general...
  5. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    So, is that explanation of the difference between the miracles and signs an arbitrary differentiation? Did you get that from a scholarly or prophetic source? Is it just a definition that fits your argument? Also, its odd that a person with a non-literal approach to the Bible would take such a...
  6. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    Also, you still haven't offered a clear delineation between what constitutes a sign and what constitutes a miracle. Are you arbitrarily deciding on this meaning or do you have something to back up the fact that these are different?
  7. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    Harry Potter novels are not presenting themselves as real history. They are clearly presenting themselves as novelizations. The gospel accounts are presenting as history. It is a categorical error to assume that all books ought to be treated as the same genre. Regarding the evidence of the NT...
  8. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    Is the Old Testament God incapable of a miraculous conception like this? Meaning specifically: Is God unable to make such a miracle take place? Does it fall within the realm of possibility of God's ability? Can you please explain how a sign and a miracle differ? Regarding my requirement to...
  9. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    Actually, if joseph had gotten mary pregnant, he need only marry her. They were promised to be married. Simple enough. Regarding it being a vision, without eye witnesses, so what?Because it was a somewhat scandalous set of circumstances, it must be a lie? But, if that is the case... why would...
  10. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    Both Matthew and Luke wrote their books with the contention that they were historical. Luke cites historic events and figures as context for the events that took place. Luke is quite clear that he is investigating the life of Jesus based on interviews with others. You can incredulously dismiss...
  11. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    Well, for starters your link is incorrect in its assertion that Christians completed the translation of the Old Testament. While it is true that the torah was the original aim, the septuagint was completed during the second century bc. There are manuscripts from the second century that include...
  12. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    So, some further thoughts on the "about to give birth" phrasing. I spent a bit of time researching this one. It was mainly made difficult because very few translators handle the translation of this text in the manner your site does. This is because your site makes several assumptions regarding...
  13. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    Its interesting that you say: i'm sorry this is hard for you to understand, when you consistently avoid responding to any claims I make regarding the LXX and reassert the same argument I have responded to over and over. Is it possible that you are missing something. I get where you are coming...
  14. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    Admittedly alma is a more ambiguous term. However, the virginal connotation must be present or else the ancient Jewish translators would not have designated the word to mean virgin in the LXX. One can assert that there is no absolute proof that the word means virgin in any Biblical steering...
  15. P

    Josephus: to read or not to read

    So, nothing regarding the proper translation of alma? You are arguing a mistranslation of a Hebrew word, but not citing ancient languages or anything substantive regarding the proper understanding. Nothing regarding the lxx, nothing regarding the ancient contextual uses of the word. Nothing. You...