09-03-2016, 09:40 AM
(09-02-2016, 11:55 AM)Bengalzona Wrote: 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.
I feel like I may have shared this before with you but you may enjoy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Forgetting-Root-Emergence-Christianity-Judaism/dp/0809127784
Dr. Callan is a Yale grad if I remember correctly, and he taught me at a small school in Cincinnati. I always find it funny when other posters assume since I do not brand myself as a Christian that I know nothing of the Bible. In their minds it must be like the moment you see one on a coffee table you have to submit to its truth, but not necessarily open it. I studied it quite a bit over the years, and your knowledge of it is evident and refreshing, hence mentioning the book you might enjoy. NB it is an academic book, not a novel (doubt I needed to point that out, lol).
JOHN ROBERTS: From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly so that you will come to know the value of justice... I wish you bad luck, again, from time to time so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved either.
