Is learning Greek Philosophy useful?

[Dave-W]

That verse does not remotely say anything like that Jesus Christ continues to be a practising Jew.

What do you mean by "practicing Jew?"

In fact, it's blasphemy to even suggest such a thing.

Since Judaism was a religion SET UP BY GOD, why would that be?

 

[2PhiloVoid]

So, @Radagast, @myst33, and @Dave-W, can Greek Philosophy help us to completely "figure all of this out" so we don't feel like we have to bash each other over the head when dealing with these various [nearly] imponderable concepts?

(Maybe it does, but I'm just wondering what you all think...)

And in reference to the last dozen posts or so, what do you think, @Silmarien?

 

[mmksparbud]

Jews are not God. Jews were lacking many concepts which are good and true.

I didn't say they were. I said the word of God went to the Jews--the men were inspired by the Holy Spirit, not by the Greeks.

 

[mmksparbud]

Jews are not God. Jews were lacking many concepts which are good and true.

2Ti_3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2Ti_2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

They only had the OT by which all disciples and all the first Christians were saved. It was to the Jew first.

 

[mmksparbud]

Its time of nations, now. All nations can participate in the grace and glory of the true religion.

Now, the heresy is the isolated Jewish judaism.

Time of the nations does in no way change the message Jesus and the disciples taught.

2Ti_3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2Ti_2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

they taught the scriptures which was the OT as that is all they had .NT wasn't even written until 70 years later.

 

[mmksparbud]

In so far as Jesus is God, He was never a Jew.

In so far as Jesus is human, He was born a Jew, but is a Jew no longer. Jesus keeps no Jewish rituals in heaven. There is no synagogue in the sky.

In so far as Jesus was born of a woman and had her DNA in Him--He was born 100% God and 100% human--Jew. Jewishness is determined by the mother--if the mother is a Jew, the child is a Jew, if the father is a Jew, but the mother is not, he is not a Jew. The priesthood however was determined by the father of the child. Jesus is covered as a Jew, and as our High Priest through His Heavenly Father and his earthly mother. Jesus kept His earthly body after the resurrection--as shown by the scars He showed the disciples. He has a glorified human body as we will have after our resurrection He, however, retains His divinity.

 

[Silmarien]

So, @Radagast, @myst33, and @Dave-W, can Greek Philosophy help us to completely "figure all of this out" so we don't feel like we have to bash each other over the head when dealing with these various [nearly] imponderable concepts?

(Maybe it does, but I'm just wondering what you all think...)

And in reference to the last dozen posts or so, what do you think, @Silmarien?

Do you mean concepts like "eternally existing"? You need Philosophy of Time to even begin to make sense of that, and the Greeks were one of the first who dealt with it. (The Indians did too, but I know less about that.)

You don't need to go all the way back to Greek philosophy for this, though, and perhaps even shouldn't--time and eternity is one of the things that St. Augustine is famous for working on, and probably in a far more topical manner than anything you'll find with the Greeks. (On the other hand, you can take Augustine out of the Neoplatonism, but you can't take the Neoplatonism out of Augustine...)

 

[FireDragon76]

It is useful in that when you read about it---you realize where some of those pagan believes has crept into Christian believes. The bible was interpreted by some according to the Greek pagan mindset, instead of by the Jewish mindset. It was, for I instance, where the immortality of the soul came from.

Most religious Jews almost believe in the "immortality of the soul".

Considering that Jewish rabbi's did not exactly accept Christ, I don't think Judaism is some kind of magical hermeneutic for the Bible.

 

[mmksparbud]

Most religious Jews almost believe in the "immortality of the soul".

Considering that Jewish rabbi's did not exactly accept Christ, I don't think Judaism is some kind of magical hermeneutic for the Bible.

No, they did not----The scriptures where given to the Jews--by God and Jesus was born and raised and died one and still is Jewish, He kept His humanity after the resurrection, He kept the scars. He was always God and always human. It is not Judaism, their religion, that is important--it's how the Jews viewed things that is important to know to understand the scriptures. Cultural and their view of things.

Joh_4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

 

[Uber Genius]

lol

We try.

 

[Uber Genius]

Considering that Jewish rabbi's did not exactly accept Christ, I don't think Judaism is some kind of magical hermeneutic for the Bible.

2nd Temple Judaism sets the culture of the NT. They hold a set of beliefs, ways of understanding their world that help us understand. We see Jesus reacting to the various worldviews from the Jewish Religious leaders, often unraveling their views as untenable or incoherent, but we would benefit from the context of what Jesus is reacting to.

The NT authors were literate. They read works from their era. We see over 300 references to the Septuagint in the NT.

Similarly, the epistles are in some way specific situational responses to letters from the various churches who are going through culture-shock. Hebrews is so different in content due to the difference in culture. Galatians, Romans to spend time putting salvation in context of Abraham, the Jewish people, and the Law.

Further one of the main themes of the Bible is God's redemption. But from what? How? To what end? All seem to be part of a 3-Act play. World then later Jewish history, Church Age, Future rule and reign of Christians.

 

[Dansiph]

"Greek philosophy" is a group that contains tuns and tuns of various literature, ideas, authors.

Some works are very useful, some are useful, some are useless and some are silly pagan errors.

So, as with everything - "it depends". I, personally, found stoicism (Epiktetos, for example) quite useful for my daily life. And for example Philo of Alexandria had some interesting ideas about the Old Testament.

I just got a book about stoicism for Christmas. Is it worth reading?