Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mcnc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!unc!mcnc!bch From: bch@mcnc.UUCP (Byron Howes) Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Re: Jesus, N'tzarim, and Yirmiyahu Ben David (pt 2) Message-ID: <2269@mcnc.UUCP> Date: Thu, 4-Oct-84 00:52:18 EDT Article-I.D.: mcnc.2269 Posted: Thu Oct 4 00:52:18 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 5-Oct-84 04:43:19 EDT References: <2264@mcnc.UUCP>Reply-To: bch@mcnc.UUCP (Byron Howes) Organization: North Carolina Educational Computing Service Lines: 35 Summary: In article rjb@akgua.UUCP (R.J. Brown [Bob]) writes: >> >> the question is do they reflect the reality of the time ? >> > > Mercy Sakes Byron we ain't never gonna get the answer to that > one unless we get a super find like the dead sea scrolls. > I think you missed the point on this. Many Christian apologists imply that the accuracy of New Testament texts (in the sense of their truth value with respect to early Christian thought) is in some sense proven by the existance of large numbers of copied text fragments. As Steve Bellovin has pointed out, there is a significant body of text which dates from the same period that is not included in NT canon and is often at odds with the Apostolic Christian thought represented by that group of writings compiled by the early Christian Bishops as the New Testament. There has also been considerable research indicating that the Synoptic Gospels were culled from earlier works, some in the Gnostic tradition, in such a way as to reflect the Apostolic authority. Why is it that most fundamentalist Christians claim the NT as authority by the direct word of G*d? The history of the Bible is one of political foment and competing theologies. As someone has said, "history is written by the winners." This is no less true of historical theology. Without challenging the legitimacy of modern Christian thought, as it is a philosophy which extends well beyond its seminal documents, I do find the often-stated assumption of Biblical inerrancy to be extremely suspect. -- Byron C. Howes {decvax|akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!bch