EGGO

From someplace I heard while just looking around my college campus. I'm not quite familiar with this, can anybody help where it's found and all that?

beastmaster

Sounds like he's relying on this stream of diarrheic bullshit from Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell.

CX

Sounds like very common apologetics. Usually fundamentalist apologists will point to texts like Isaiah 7 and say that it prophesies the birth of Jesus or will apply the "suffering servant" motif in Isaiah to Jesus' life and ministry and suggest that the startling fulfillment of OT prophecies found in the life ministry and death of Jesus is too great to chalk up to chance.

Radcliffe Emerson

How do they explain that Jewish experts who examine the original Hebrew writings say the Christian interpretations of the things they use in the OT to point to Jesus aren't even translated or interpreted correctly?

For that matter, they also say the concept of Jesus in the NT is Greek, not Jewish.

Why would a Jewish messiah come to earth with Greek mythological characteristics?

How do they explain that all of the mythological characteristics Jesus has are taken from earlier myths in other belief systems and tacked on?

EGGO

I thought it was because the authros wrote it in greek, that's why it's in Greek.

CX

Hmmm...I'd have to ask an apologist to be sure, but my guess is something along the lines that the Jews in Jesus' time were blind and rejected him so why should modern Jews be any different. Obviously they are deceived/demonically possessed/willfully blind etc.

Radcliffe Emerson

Well yes, those are the usual excuses to justify anything in the bible that makes absolutely no sense at all.

Texty

Originally posted by Radcliffe Emerson

This thread is lacking in specifics. "I heard some one say" "the usual apologetcs" "Jewish experts say" "Christian concepts based on Greek mythology" de da de da de da.

May I bring some positive specific and relevant points to this rather vague thread.

1/ The concept of a Jewish Messiah is deeply rooted in the Tanakh (Old Testament)
e.g Deut 18:15ff, Gen 49:10 cf Ezek 21:25-27, Gen 22:15-18 and many more.

2/ The New Testament writings are also deeply Jewish even though transmitted in Greek.
While Greek ideas are acknowledged the teaching is still deeply Jewish.
e.g. the Greeks believed in an indestructible soul in contrast to both old and New Testament teaching where future life was dependent on ressurrection.
See Psa 146:1-4, Daniel 12:1-3 etc compare with Acts 2:22-32 and the Greek reaction at Acts 17:22-32 (particularly v32)

3/ Although the original Christian apologists in particular the Apostles did not accept Greek ideas, The Christian church did a couple of centuries later mix in a whole panolply of Greek and other teachings which totally confused the original Bible message. Blame for this is laid at the feet of 3rd and 4th century Bishops (specifics if you want them).

Gregg

For specifics, I'd suggest reading Earl Doherty's Web site (www.jesuspuzzle.org). The Greek connection to Christianity came a lot earlier than you think.

Note: Please study the whole site thoroughly and don't rush to judgment on it. I've referred a number of people to this site and it's obvious they haven't taken time to consider Doherty's arguments carefully, but jump on what they see as "weaknesses" without reading the entire argument. The Secular Web's own Richard Carrier has investigated Doherty's case and while he doesn't regard it as conclusive, he admits it's sound, well-researched, and must be taken seriously. Doherty is not a quack.

Gregg

He's talking about the religious and philosophical concepts, not the language.

The Christian theology that won out mixed Greek and Jewish concepts in approximately equal measure. There were evidently some Christian sects that were more "Greek" than others, because Paul could argue against Christian apostles who did NOT preach "Christ crucified." Some Christian preachers and sects held to the more thoroughly Greek concept of the Logos/Christ, believing that the Logos/Christ saved through revelation, not through redemptive sacrifice.