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Old 11-12-2010, 12:28 PM   #11
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In the Hebrew Bible God has no sons except if a purely figurative sense. As a Rabbi once told me with reference to the Christian doctrine of the trinity, God has no partners. That goes for sons too.

Steve
This depends on which god you're talking about. YHWH has no literal sons, but El does; YHWH is one of El's sons and reflects the polytheism of the earlier Hebrews. This is evident in the Qumran version of Deut. 32.8
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Old 11-12-2010, 12:29 PM   #12
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I think that, traditionally, "son of man" meant someone that is born from a man. Only men (or humans) are born from men, so this implies that someone who is a son of man is also a man. As opposed to a son of god, who would also be a god.
Isn't there the royal metaphor of the king's adoption by God? Wasn't this a common theme in ANE, eg pharaoh as son of Re? In that sense, doesn't "son of God" mean pretty much the same as "son of David"?
I think you're right. Son of god was also a title of Roman emperors.
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Old 11-12-2010, 12:39 PM   #13
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Again the word "Christianity" or "Christians" did NOT originate with belief in Jesus.

There were Christians who BELIEVED in ONLY a GOD, not Jesus.

BELIEF in a GOD or GODS predate Jesus by hundreds of years.

Now, it is EVIDENT that it was philosophized in Antiquity, long BEFORE the Jesus stories, that the WORD of God created the UNIVERSE.

GOD SPOKE and HIS WORDS PRODUCE LIFE.

This Athenagoras in "Plea for the Christians" 10
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.....for we acknowledge also a Son of God. Nor let any one think it ridiculous that God should have a Son.

For though the poets, in their fictions, represent the gods as no better than men, our mode of thinking is not the same as theirs, concerning either God the Father or the Son.

But the Son of God is the Logos of the Father, in idea and in operation; for after the pattern of Him and by Him were all things made, the Father and the Son being one.

And, the Son being in the Father and the Father in the Son, in oneness and power of spirit, the understanding and reason (νοῦς καὶ λόγος) of the Father is the Son of God....
So, there were Christians who did NOT believe the LOGOS was human.

And the author of gJohn did MAKE the Logos into a man like the Greek Poets who represent Gods as MEN.

John 1.1-14
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1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2The same was in the beginning with God.

3All things were made by him; and him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men...............

14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth....
Athenagoras did not EVER call the LOGOS of God by the name of Jesus, he did NOT give any "FLESH" to the LOGOS. The LOGOS of Athenagoras was strictly PHILOSOPHICAL not historical.

The author of gJohn appears to have been INFLUENCED by Greek MYTHOLOGY and turned the LOGOS into a man. The author of gJohn transformed PHILOSOPHY into mythology.
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Old 11-12-2010, 02:00 PM   #14
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"Sons of God in Gen 6:2,4, is a mistranslation of the Hebrew common in Christian Bibles. The proper translation is either sons of the nobles, or perhaps sons of powerful men.
Since when should בני אלהים be considered wrongly translated as "sons of god"? Can you get any more literal than "sons of god"? If one should not translate it literally, why not?? Is it that it isn't acceptable to modern Jewish religious thought?


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Old 11-12-2010, 02:10 PM   #15
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Gday,

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"Sons of God in Gen 6:2,4, is a mistranslation of the Hebrew common in Christian Bibles. The proper translation is either sons of the nobles, or perhaps sons of powerful men.
Really?
Please show the original Hebrew, and tell us which Bible translation committee you worked with ?

It wasn't the KJV :
"That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose."

Nor the NIV :
"the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose."

Not the New American Standard Bible :
"that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. "

Nor the English Standard Version :
"the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. "

Nor the New King James Version :
"that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose."

Not the New Century Version :
"When the sons of God saw that these girls were beautiful, they married any of them they chose."

Nor the American Standard Version :
"that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose. "

Certainly not Young's Literal Translation :
"and sons of God see the daughters of men that they [are] fair, and they take to themselves women of all whom they have chosen. "


I cannot find ANY translation which says :
"sons of the nobles, or perhaps sons of powerful men."

Do you belong to a sect that is allowed to CHANGE the words of the bible how ever they like ?


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Old 11-12-2010, 03:38 PM   #16
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This reflects their overwhelming desire to be like the Greeks and Roman around them who enjoyed worshiping sons of Gods and telling great stories about them.
Heh. The Jews, including the early Christians, despised the Gentiles.
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Old 11-12-2010, 06:25 PM   #17
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Hi No Robots,

In the early 1930's, there was nobody on Earth who despised the Nazis more than the leadership in the Soviet Union. When the Nazis' harsh and inhumane treatment of their enemies appeared to be successful and give them more power, the Soviet leaders slowly adopted their methods while continuing to hate them.

In 1936, when the Nazis bombed civilian populations in Spanish cities, all decent people in America and Britain were shocked and disgusted. This did not stop them from bombing German and Japanese civilian populations seven years later.

Because you hate somebody doesn't mean you won't adopt their methods if they seem to be successful.

Sincerely,

Philosopher Jay

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This reflects their overwhelming desire to be like the Greeks and Roman around them who enjoyed worshiping sons of Gods and telling great stories about them.
Heh. The Jews, including the early Christians, despised the Gentiles.
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Old 11-12-2010, 07:26 PM   #18
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DCHINDLEY:

"Sons of God in Gen 6:2,4, is a mistranslation of the Hebrew common in Christian Bibles. The proper translation is either sons of the nobles, or perhaps sons of powerful men. The gist of the story is that the oppression of the weak by the strong was the last straw before God destroyed the world.

In the Hebrew Bible God has no sons except if a purely figurative sense. As a Rabbi once told me with reference to the Christian doctrine of the trinity, God has no partners. That goes for sons too.

Steve
What you meant to say was that although "sons of God" is the proper translation, there is much controversy over how "sons of God" should be interpreted and or who these "sons of God" individuals were.

Originally "sons of God" was widely interpreted to refer to the angels. However, later proponents of a non-supernatural interpretation put forth the idea that the phrase "sons of God" must instead refer simply to those in power during that time period. Jewish people tend to fall into this interpretive camp.

Textual evidence and support here is scant. Nevertheless, its not unusual to see a proponent of a non-supernatural interpretation sometimes point out that אלהים is used in some places in the OT to refer to judges and rulers (Exodus 22:8).
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Old 11-12-2010, 07:49 PM   #19
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There are potentially many Sons of God:

Sons (teknon) OF GOD

Phl 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Jhn 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:

Sons (huios) OF GOD:

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
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Old 11-12-2010, 08:29 PM   #20
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There are potentially many Sons of God:

Sons (teknon) OF GOD

Phl 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Jhn 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:

Sons (huios) OF GOD:

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
On what basis do you make such a claim? How can you show that such a potential can be even realized?

What is an ACTUAL son of God as stated in John 1.12? Do you NOW possess the POWER to be a POTENTIAL GOD or a SON of ONE?
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