Captain Nails It On Patriotism

[Bengalzona]

(09-02-2016, 10:27 AM)xxlt Wrote: Precisely. And given that the Jesus story is such a departure from the rest of the book, I really question its authenticity. I am not saying it is apocrypha, but I am not ready to fully embrace it. And so, I camp with the Doobie Brothers on this issue: Jesus is Just Alright With Me



I'm not for him, not against him. He's just alright.

The story of Jesus does fit into the Old Testament. The main problem in understanding how is that you have to have a working and somewhat detailed knowledge of Judaism (from its inception to the 1st century AD) and the history of the Jewish people (even beyond what is in the Bible). Jesus was, after all, first and foremost a Jew. Few Christians in our society take the time to look into those things, which is problematic. 

For example: At the time Jesus was reportedly born, Judaism was split into three major and a multitude of minor sects. The three major sects were: the Sadduccees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. The events in the New Testament and many of the lessons attributed to Jesus deal with the interaction of these sects in addition to Hellenistic and Roman influence in the area at that time.