KCDAD said:
The whole concept of hell, as we understand it today, is Greek. This has had enumerable ramifications throughout Christian doctrines and thought.
Actually, the word hell comes from the Nordic pagan's Hel-heim (heim was put at the end of all places). The Greek concept of Hades and Tartarus were not to distant from the Jewish concepts of Sheol and Gehenna. The whole concept of hell is derived from medieval northern european works by monks that were trying to scare people into church using the "lake of fire" bit from Revelation. And then taking it a step further. The Greek concept of hell is actually a lot nicer than your average modern protestant's fire and brimstone pit of torment.
KCDAD said:
The idea that women have no leadership place in church comes from a particular discussion Paul had with the Greeks and their idolatry.
Point being? Once the Greeks became Christians doesn't mean they had to become Jewish. Gee, Paul didn't even bother writting any further north than Galatia, which is modern day Spain and Portugul. And a large portion of that culture influenced modern western culture, along with greco-roman culture. I guess noone can be a Christian unless they start acting just like a Jew and move to Israel.
KCDAD said:
The term virgin used in Isaiah and Matthew are problematic because of Greek translations.
Jesus Christ... we pray to a Greek version of Yehoshúa THE Moshiach.
Uh, hate to break it to you, but it's the same Deity. Just a name slightly altered by culture.
KCDAD said:
Let's see... that's all I can think of off the top of my head. Other than that, why not have a Greek (pagan) Christianity? We are using a language we don't understand, using words that have only ceremonial meaning for us, and agreeing to precepts of faith that have little basis in Jewish theology.
Lessee, I don't see a Messianic Jew icon, so quit complaining dude. Yeshua, Iesus, Jesus, by any other name, is Christ, Logos, Savior, Messiah.
Hey, fellas, ain't there a verse about "no Jew or Gentile, just Christians?"
Would you rather have us use Jewish customs that are just as obscure to most of us? Actually, they'd be more obscure, since this society is more directly influenced by Greek culture than Jewish culture.
Would you rather still be speaking old English in daily life? Possibly Latin? Just because they started to call Jesus by their language does not make them heathen.
Do you use the term Adonai instead of God? Do you think that Japanese Christians are heathans for using the term "Kami-Sama" for God?
If you don't object to them using some different language terms for God, then why do you object to other different language terms for God?
Why aren't you speaking Hebrew? You're having a conversation about religion, saying we should favor Hebrew culture and language over Greek culture and language, but you're speaking a language based on Greek!
You're a fellow protestant.
We're making up stuff, instead of taking it from Greco-Roman culture as the Orthodox and Catholics (respectively, and with respect) have done, or Judaism as the Messianic Jews have done. I won't even tell you to get the board out of your eye cause this isn't something that actually matters. Nothing defines God, humans define our culture. Just because the culture changes, doesn't change God.
If they did, would it be odd that god, the "author" of the bible, would permit his holy scriptures to be written by non-christian people? I think not.
