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Old 08-30-2008, 05:25 AM   #1111
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I have already given some perallels, it's up to you to show why you reject the hypothesis.
You have made claims, some of which may be justified, but you have provided little or no primary evidence to support these claims
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Christianity was not a new and unique revelation but a Jewish adaption of the Pagan religions that pre-date Christianity by centuries.
There's an icon in Poland I think, which depicts a black Madonna with the infant Horus in her arms, which dates to centuries before Mary and infant Jesus.
I don't have the time to Google it, but you're welcome to do so if you so feel.
There is an article about the Polish Black Madonna here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bla...%C4%99stochowa and a general discussion of Black Madonnas here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Madonna With a comparison of images of Isis and Mary
here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:MaryAndHorus.JPG

It is probably correct that Christian depictions of the Madonna (from c 400 CE onwards) were influenced by the artistic conventions for depicting Isis and Horus but this is irrelevant as to the originality or otherwise of the Gospel narratives themselves.

FWIW what is apparently the earliest surviving depiction of the Madonna and Child does not IMO resemble the pagan imagery of Isis and Horus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Madonna_catacomb.jpg

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Old 08-30-2008, 07:09 AM   #1112
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I have already given some perallels, it's up to you to show why you reject the hypothesis.
You have made claims, some of which may be justified, but you have provided little or no primary evidence to support these claims.
There is no such thing as primary evidence for mythical figures.

Mythical figures do/did not exist.

All that is needed is to show that any myth was written about in antiquity, and likely preceed the myth under consideration, in this case Jesus, and described with characteristics that have some parallels to the myth called Jesus, the offspring of the Holy Ghost.

It is your obligation to show that the resurrected Jesus, the offspring of the Holy Ghost, did actually exist and lived during the time of Tiberius as described in the NT to prove that the parallels with other mythical figures are purely co-incidental.

It is you who need PRIMARY EVIDENCE for the offspring of the Holy Ghost.

And so far you have failed.
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Old 08-30-2008, 07:09 AM   #1113
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So, Ignatius and Polycarp, while quoting from the gospels
There is no evidence in their writings that they were quoting from any books.

They did attribute certain statements to Jesus, but they didn't say anything about their sources.

Are you suggesting that it was unlikely that they could have known about any sayings of Jesus unless they had read them in the gospels?
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Old 08-30-2008, 07:44 AM   #1114
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You have made claims, some of which may be justified, but you have provided little or no primary evidence to support these claims.
There is no such thing as primary evidence for mythical figures.

Mythical figures do/did not exist.
To clarify; I am asking for primary evidence about ancient myths.

For example it is quite possible that there really is is an ancient story in which Dionysus or Osiris rides into town on a donkey while people wave palm leaves to honour him. However I would prefer better evidence for this story than "the Jesus Mysteries" before discussing whether or not this story, assuming it existed, is an ancient parallel to the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

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Old 08-30-2008, 08:17 AM   #1115
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There is no such thing as primary evidence for mythical figures.

Mythical figures do/did not exist.
To clarify; I am asking for primary evidence about ancient myths.

For example it is quite possible that there really is is an ancient story in which Dionysus or Osiris rides into town on a donkey while people wave palm leaves to honour him. However I would prefer better evidence for this story than "the Jesus Mysteries" before discussing whether or not this story, assuming it existed, is an ancient parallel to the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

Andrew Criddle
Again, you have failed to understand that even if Jesus Mysteries is not correct about every parallel, it is already recorded in history that Dionysus was regarded the offspring of the MYTH Zeus, before the 1st century. This is a fundamental parrallel to the MYTH Jesus, the offspring of the Holy Ghost.
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Old 08-30-2008, 08:22 AM   #1116
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You have got to be kidding, sschlicter. Now I remember why I got out of this conversation.

So let me get this straight. Paul is confirmed by the apostles who is confirmed by Paul who is confirmed by the apostles....and so forth. Am I missing something here?

And the voice was not "confirmed" by the apostles because the apostles never wrote anything to confirm the voice.
Nope, you got it. The apostles and their followers as a group alone carry the words of Christ. The OT prophecies are confirmation.

Quote:
Ok, lets see exactly what Clement had to say:
very selective quote. More to the point is the beginning of chapter 5 before you started quoting.

But not to dwell upon ancient examples, let us come to the most recent spiritual heroes. Let us take the noble examples furnished in our own generation. Through envy and jealousy, the greatest and most righteous pillars [of the Church] have been persecuted and put to death. Let us set before our eyes the illustrious apostles.



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I looked at this website but could not find exactly where it was shown that the apostles died poor. Could you please be more specific. Thank you.
well, what I did is get out my credit card and bought the text books.
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Old 08-30-2008, 08:27 AM   #1117
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So, Ignatius and Polycarp, while quoting from the gospels
There is no evidence in their writings that they were quoting from any books.

They did attribute certain statements to Jesus, but they didn't say anything about their sources.

Are you suggesting that it was unlikely that they could have known about any sayings of Jesus unless they had read them in the gospels?
Not at all. I have no problem with that possibility.

Are you saying that you beleive these quotes could be from a common tradition (oral or written) and only the ones quoted citing reference are possibly from the writings in question?

~Steve
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Old 08-30-2008, 09:02 AM   #1118
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the question is what the Old Testament says, not what Philo and Josephus were expecting. You just stated that their is no proof that the Jews were expecting a Messiah and then stated the war in AD 70 was proof that the Jews were expecting a Messiah.

They were (as you stated) and they rejected the one that came (as prophesied).
How can the Jews reject what they never expected in the first place and who they wrote nothing about.

Josephus and Philo never wrote about a God called the Son of the God of Jews, born of a Virgin, who would be crucufied, resurrected and ascend through the clouds.

Josephus made commentaries on the books of the prophets like Isaiah, and NEVER once stated that some-one called the son of God of the Jews would be coming to earth.

And according to Trypho the Jew, Isaiah 7.14 is not prophecy about the son of the god of the Jews , but was fulfilled in Hezekiah.




You have not found anything implausible, you only say it is implausible.

People writing fiction is not implausible at all. The author of Matthew wrote fiction when he wrote Jesus resurrected. Fiction writers are common in any century or any place.



The tense is irrelevant.
You cannot use the present, past or furure tense to determine the veracity of a text.

According to Hebrews, Jesus was resurrected and is sitting on the right hand of God, but whether the author used the present or past tense, this is/was just not true, or can/could not be true.




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Originally Posted by sschlichter
It is separate accounts from separate people. You can rely on whatever accounts you like. I do not have the disdain for apologetic sources that you have.

However, I was referring to other writings as witness of the lives of the apostles.

~Steve
So, do you accept apologetic sources of all religions? Marcion according to Justin Martyr claimed Jesus was not the son of the God of the Jews. Do you have disdain for Marcion? He rejected the epistles to Timothy and Titus. He was an apologetic source.

Cerinthus, separately, claimed Jesus was just human, not born of a virgin, and his father was Joseph and that Christ entered Jesus when he was baptised by John the Baptist. Do you have disdain for Cerinthus, he was an apologetic source? Do you accept Cerinthus?

And there are multiple conflicting apologetic sources, do you accept all of them?
Quoting you:
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And, further in Wars of the Jews 6.5.4, Josephus the Jew claimed that the Jews expected a Messiah or a ruler from the Jews around 70 CE and may have been part of the reason for the War.
Do you beleive the Jews were expecting a Messiah?

Please do not answer with the fact that you do not beleive in the Holy Ghost or the virgin birth - just answer the question my slippery friend.

Actually, knowing that you will not answer the question I will just go on wth my point.

The jews were most definitely expecting a Messiah because the Old Testament told them to expect a Messiah.

I cannot say whether Philo wrote about it but Isaiah did.



Of David's lineage
(Isa 11:1) A shoot will grow out of Jesse's root stock,
a bud will sprout from his roots.
(Isa 11:2) The LORD's spirit will rest on him -
a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom,
a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans,
a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the LORD.
Will not be beleived
Will suffer for the offenses of Others
Be Buried, yet live
(Isa 53:1) Who would have believed what we just heard?
When was the LORD's power revealed through him?
(Isa 53:2) He sprouted up like a twig before God,
like a root out of parched soil;
he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention,
no special appearance that we should want to follow him.
(Isa 53:3) He was despised and rejected by people,
one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness;
people hid their faces from him;
he was despised, and we considered him insignificant.
(Isa 53:4) But he lifted up our illnesses,
he carried our pain;
even though we thought he was being punished,
attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done.
(Isa 53:5) He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds,
crushed because of our sins;
he endured punishment that made us well;
because of his wounds we have been healed.
(Isa 53:6) All of us had wandered off like sheep;
each of us had strayed off on his own path,
but the LORD caused the sin of all of us to attack him.
(Isa 53:7) He was treated harshly and afflicted,
but he did not even open his mouth.
Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block,
like a sheep silent before her shearers,
he did not even open his mouth.
(Isa 53:8) He was led away after an unjust trial -
but who even cared?
Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living;
because of the rebellion of his own people he was wounded.
(Isa 53:9) They intended to bury him with criminals,
but he ended up in a rich man's tomb,
because he had committed no violent deeds,
nor had he spoken deceitfully.
(Isa 53:10) Though the LORD desired to crush him and make him ill,
once restitution is made,
he will see descendants and enjoy long life,
and the LORD's purpose will be accomplished through him.
(Isa 53:11) Having suffered, he will reflect on his work,
he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done.
"My servant will acquit many,
for he carried their sins.
I do not beleive or dis-beleive a source simply because it is apologetic. Being apologetic is simply to defend a position. You are an apologetic source for something and I have not found much cause to beleive you.
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Old 08-30-2008, 09:57 AM   #1119
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[
Do you beleive the Jews were expecting a Messiah?
Based on Josephus, Wars of the Jews 6.5.4. the Jews EXPECTED A MESSIAH at around 70CE, not at the time of Tiberius.

Josephus wrote "Antiquities of the Jews", a book about the history of the Jews from CREATION to Josephus' age of 56.

Josephus wrote nothing about a person called the Son of the God of the Jews or the offspring of the Holy Ghost.

Based on Tacitus "Histories", the Jews EXPECTED A MESSIAH at around 70 CE.

Based on Suetonius, "Lives of the Caesars", the Jews EXPECTED A MESSIAH at around 70 CE.

No well-known credible non-apologetic writer or extant writings have claimed the Jews expected the Son of the God of the Jews on earth or to be the offspring of the Holy Ghost, born of a Virgin, raise the dead, transfigure, resurrect and ascend through the clouds during the days of Tiberius.
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Old 08-30-2008, 11:58 AM   #1120
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[
Do you beleive the Jews were expecting a Messiah?
Based on Josephus, Wars of the Jews 6.5.4. the Jews EXPECTED A MESSIAH at around 70CE, not at the time of Tiberius.

Josephus wrote "Antiquities of the Jews", a book about the history of the Jews from CREATION to Josephus' age of 56.

Josephus wrote nothing about a person called the Son of the God of the Jews or the offspring of the Holy Ghost.

Based on Tacitus "Histories", the Jews EXPECTED A MESSIAH at around 70 CE.

Based on Suetonius, "Lives of the Caesars", the Jews EXPECTED A MESSIAH at around 70 CE.

No well-known credible non-apologetic writer or extant writings have claimed the Jews expected the Son of the God of the Jews on earth or to be the offspring of the Holy Ghost, born of a Virgin, raise the dead, transfigure, resurrect and ascend through the clouds during the days of Tiberius.
actually, each one of those events were prophesied and anyone reading the OT expectantly would have expected just that. Why are you surprised that they did not? Matthew (21:42), Mark (12:10), Luke (20:17), and 1 Pet (2:7) all explain very clearly that Jesus stated he needed to be rejected by the Jews in order to fulfill his purpose as prophesied in

(Psa 118:22) The stone which the builders discarded
has become the cornerstone.
(Psa 118:23) This is the LORD's work.
We consider it amazing!
(Psa 118:24) This is the day the LORD has brought about.
We will be happy and rejoice in it.
but regardless, tell me what you know of the Messiah they expected at AD 70. How were they planning on identifying the Messiah?
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