Freethought & Rationalism Archive

capnkirk · 03-29-2004, 07:12 AM

I just came across this link which purports to be the translation of a letter from Herod Antipas to the Roman Senate in the aftermath of his beheading of John the Baptist, the execution of Jesus, and Aretas IV's attack on him to avenge Herod's divorce of Aretas' daughter.

This letter strikes me as just 'too convenient' to both be true and to be thus-far completely overlooked by biblical scholars, but at present I am relying completely on intuition. So, I am inviting more substantial scholarly insight into this amazing(?) discovery.

__________________
Enterprise...OUT.

The Evil One · 03-29-2004, 07:25 AM

Quote:

As to what Pontius Pilate says in regard to my cowardice and disobedience in the case of Jesus of Nazareth, I will say in my own defence: I ws informed by all the Jews that this was the same Jesus that my father aimed to destroy in his infancy; for I have it in my father's private writings and accounts of his life, showing that when the report was circulated of three men inquiring where was he that was born King of the Jews, he called together the Hillel and Shammai schools, and demanded the reading of the sacred scrolls

That section says it's a fake even to relatively ignorant me. The more acutely observant will doubtless have noted many other giveaways...

Toto · 03-29-2004, 11:48 AM

This was discussed in a recent thread. It is out and out fiction.

Wikipedia says "there are no such records."

capnkirk · 03-29-2004, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

This was discussed in a recent thread. It is out and out fiction.

Wikipedia says "there are no such records."

Thank you, Toto for confirming my suspicions. It is a real luxury having access to a reservoir of knowledge the breadth and depth of that here on IIDB. :notworthy

__________________
Enterprise...OUT.

Weltall · 03-29-2004, 01:59 PM

If it's such a perfect tie-in with the stories it's probably because it was made up to be that way. Kinda like the Ossuary...

SLD · 03-29-2004, 09:29 PM

While trying to find the source for this bogus quote, I found that the website in question extensively quotes from a long since discredited bible hoaxer, the Reverend W. D. Mahan, author of "The Archko Volume".

Even Christian Apologists agree that this guy, a 19th Century minister from Missouri, was an utter fraud and claimed that he travelled from Missouri to Rome and Constantinople and back in two months - all in the 1880s!! He would put the "Around the World in 80 days" guy to shame (phineas phogg??).

http://www.answers.org/Bible/archko.html

Unfortunately I could not find anything more about this particular hoax.

SLD

03-29-2004, 07:12 AM	#1
capnkirk Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: where no one has gone before Posts: 735	Herod's letter to the Roman Senate? I just came across this link which purports to be the translation of a letter from Herod Antipas to the Roman Senate in the aftermath of his beheading of John the Baptist, the execution of Jesus, and Aretas IV's attack on him to avenge Herod's divorce of Aretas' daughter. This letter strikes me as just 'too convenient' to both be true and to be thus-far completely overlooked by biblical scholars, but at present I am relying completely on intuition. So, I am inviting more substantial scholarly insight into this amazing(?) discovery. __________________ Enterprise...OUT.

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03-29-2004, 11:48 AM	#3
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	This was discussed in a recent thread. It is out and out fiction. Wikipedia says "there are no such records."

03-29-2004, 01:59 PM	#5
Weltall Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: San Francisco Posts: 3,283	If it's such a perfect tie-in with the stories it's probably because it was made up to be that way. Kinda like the Ossuary...

03-29-2004, 09:29 PM	#6
SLD Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Birmingham, Alabama Posts: 4,109	While trying to find the source for this bogus quote, I found that the website in question extensively quotes from a long since discredited bible hoaxer, the Reverend W. D. Mahan, author of "The Archko Volume". Even Christian Apologists agree that this guy, a 19th Century minister from Missouri, was an utter fraud and claimed that he travelled from Missouri to Rome and Constantinople and back in two months - all in the 1880s!! He would put the "Around the World in 80 days" guy to shame (phineas phogg??). http://www.answers.org/Bible/archko.html Unfortunately I could not find anything more about this particular hoax. SLD

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