Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site akgua.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!akgua!rjb
From: rjb@akgua.UUCP (R.J. Brown [Bob])
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Wandering Jew and the Second Coming
Message-ID: <605@akgua.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 1-Mar-84 13:10:40 EST
Article-I.D.: akgua.605
Posted: Thu Mar  1 13:10:40 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Mar-84 07:08:46 EST
Organization: AT&T Technologies, Atlanta
Lines: 71

>Subject: Wandering Jew and the Second Coming
>
>Jesus said that the Apocalypse would come before all of the people
>living at that time were dead.  Since the Apocalypse has, apparently,
>not come, it would be consistent to assume that there is at least one
>person now living who was living when Jesus made that pronouncement.
>
>The Wandering Jew, according to legend, was someone who refused to
>acknowledge Jesus' messiahhood.  For this he was condemned to live
>until the second coming.  Every time he grew to be 100 years old
>biologically, he returned to the age of ~30, the age he was when he was
>condemned.
>
>Have any churches (and if so, which?) made the Wandering Jew part of
>their theology in order to reconcile Jesus' words with the long
>Apocalypse-free period?  Is there any other theological explanation?
>(e.g. Many of those who were alive at that time accepted Jesus and
>gained eternal life, G*d decided to give the world more time to get its
>act together, etc.)
>
>                    David Palmer
>
>
I think the Wandering Jew hypothesis ( which I never heard before )
is an elaborate attempt to exagete a difficult scriptural text in 
English.

If we approach the problem a little differently we can maybe come to
another solution to the tough problem of both Matthew 24:34 and Luke
21:32 where  Jesus says:

(Matt.) "...,this generation shall not pass, till all these things
be fulfilled."

(Luke)"..,this generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled."

quotes from the King James Translation (a.k.a. the A.V.)

The word translated into English in both texts as "generation" has
the same Greek root word "Genea" (Luke) and "Gennema" (Matt.)
This root word refers to race or lineage or genealogy rather than
those who are immediately alive around the speaker.  The reference
on this is W.E. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words,
page 144.
 
Therefore, a reasonable interpretation of Jesus' prophecy is that
His audience (the Jews) will exist as a "race" long enough to see
His prophecies fulfilled.

Now when you consider the human and/or satanic efforts to eradicate
Jewish people from planet earth over the last 2000 (and more) years,
and if you agree with this argument then Jesus' prophecy still has an 
opportunity to be completely fulfilled ( since the Temple was destroyed
in 70 AD).

NOTE: Notice that I am presenting an argument based on Mr. Vine's
authority as a Biblical Scholar in Greek.  I have noticed on the net
that some people imply that arguing from authority is engaging in
a logical fallacy.  If you check the logic texts they will show that
it is possible to argue from authority ( the Latin for this translates
as "The argument from the big stick") but that it is one of the weaker
argument positions.  However, we all can't be experts on everything
and some authorities like Mr. Vine become "accredited".


Bob Brown {...pur-ee!inuxc!ihnp4!clyde!akgua!rjb}
AT&T Technologies, Inc.............. Norcross, Ga
(404) 447-3784 ...  Cornet 583-3784