Search results

If we discovered another account of Socrates, referred to by Xenophon, that was radically at odds (although I strongly contend that the Jesus of Thomas, though unique, is completely compatible with the canonicals) with our the other pictures of Socrates, then yeah of course we reconsider our...

Interesting. I’ve heard this argument once before (there being no mention of the temple suggesting an earlier date). And I am inclined to defer to it. The anti-miracle bias of liberal scholarship is genuinely problematic imo. I don’t see anything in the canonicals that suggests to me explicit...

Sorry if my tone came off unnecessarily hostile. My frustration is coming from what I see as a gap in your logic. I don’t understand how you can say, on the one hand we might be able to demonstrate that portions of Thomas predate John, and on the other continue to claim John is a better...

What it does (if true) is establish that Thomasian Gnosticism wasn’t a later development as is often claimed. This would provide evidence of an early dating, not just for Gnosticism itself, but of a school associated with Thomas, and by extension some early version of the gospel of Thomas itself...

Okay I’m going to mostly set aside the debate about whether sayings are categorically less likely to bare additions than narratives, something I’m still not convinced of (look at the research on false memories, look at any oral culture anywhere - first hand accounts an narratives contain...

Yes, Thomas is a collection of logia. But I’m not sure exactly why that it makes it less set in stone than a narrative. Could you elaborate on why you think that? John would have to be a denial of more than simply Gnosticism - it would be a form of Gnosticism specifically associated with...

Is anybody interested in the theory that John's Gospel was written in part to challenge early Christians who were using the Gospel of Thomas? (Note: This hypothesis would not necessarily mean that John's Gospel is inaccurate, or that Thomas' is accurate). The evidence breaks down into two...

Clearly our civilization is entering into a new era, the rate at which information can be shared has been increased exponentially since the rise of the internet. This parallels the emergence of the printing press at the beginning of the Reformation, and makes available a whole new model for the...

Of course though the difference is the length of time between the writing and the reading of the document. It's much more reasonable to suggest that things were added to the Biblical accounts for a couple of reasons. 1) Because powerful people would have had something to gain from altering the...

I want to start somewhere that I believe we can agree. I am sure we all place value in epistemological consistency, yes? We all have a norm, and we judge the truth of a given statement relative to this norm. A person will consider x to be true if, and only if, x coheres with their preferred...

I think what I'm failing to understand is how one can define any absolute limits to what Christianity is and isn't. Can you explain your method to me? My suspicion based on your replies is that for you it's Biblical fundamentalism. If so I'm curious why you find that so convincing. Understanding...

I am saying that, as a Christian, I believe Christ is God.

Yeah this is good argument. The main reason is that I practice Christianity, I perform Christianity. I am not a Hindu. While I may agree with Vedanta philosophy I do not practice Hinduism. It’s simply not my culture. I have plenty of secular friends who think Buddhism is more or less true, but...

TL;DR Why does anyone believe that the Bible is the only source of our knowledge of Christ? Why is it impossible for anything else to form the foundation of our faith?

Yes I can elaborate on my own Christianity, and also respond to the comments above as I find time throughout the work week. Let me say first that I appreciate the interest. My genuine desire here is to pursue relationship. I am frequently pained by the lack of acceptance I receive from orthodox...

Thank you for affirming the search Ah yes, but just because two things are different does not mean they aren’t also the same. Oh course the Lutheranism and Presbyterianism are different, yet of course they are both christians. Billy Graham and Franklin Graham have subtle differences in their...

Like I tried to point out, you can consider that John did not write those words about ‘the Bible’. But only wrote them in reference to ‘Revelation’ itself. Meaning that if a person altered the text of Revelation they’d be messed with, but not the entire Bible. The theologians who set the canon...

Hello, I’m a student at a very liberal seminary and would like to see how my perspective holds up here. What I wanna do is lay out some of what I’ve been taught, why i find it convincing, and see if any fundamentalist or evangelical can change my mind, or at least enrich my understanding. Let me...