manimal2878

Where does it say Jesus was a carpenter? Does it ever actually mnention the names of all the apostles?

Also it doesn't really say premarital sex is bad does it? I know there is some stuff in the old testamnet about virgin brides and all, but wouldn't those be part of the old laws erased by the new covanent?

John Kesler

Mark 6:3 refers to Jesus as a tekton (laborer), which could include, but was not limited to, carpenters. Interestingly, the parallel in Matthew 13:5 refers to Jesus as the son of a carpenter.

Matthew 10:2; Mark 3:16; Luke 6:13. John mentions some of the apostles but does not have a complete list.

In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul states that it is better that those who are unmarried stay unmarried (V:8). In the next verse, though, he says that it is better to marry if the unmarried "are not practicing self-control" and are "aflame with passion." This seems an odd position to take if Paul thought that premarital sex was permitted.

manimal2878

Thanks John, OK I see the carpenter bit now.

I haven't read Corinthions in full yet.

Just bits and pieces of it.

So he actually reccommends believers not get married unless they are already having sex? I haven't read it but from what you said that is what it sounds like.

John Kesler

Keep the context in mind. Paul thought that the present age would soon end (see vv 26-31), and he wanted the Corinthians to be "free from anxieties" (v:32) that marriage brings.

manimal2878

So Paul was wrong about the coming age? How then are we suppossed to know when we should stop getting married and prepare ourselves for the next age?

Chris Weimer

Don't you know? The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! You could be poofed up to heaven at any minute now!!! Also notice how the disciples in Matthew, Mark, and Luke don't necessarily line up.

John Kesler

Paul believed in the imminent Parousia of Jesus, and this belief influenced Paul's teachings. 1 Corinthians 7 is a good example of the danger of applying context-specific biblical injunctions to modern situations.

Toto

1. Some scholars believe that "carpenter" or tekton refers to a skilled workman, and is a metaphor for a skilled Talmudic scholar.

2. The names of more than 12 apostles are mentioned inconsistently. See The Seven Apostles by Peter Kirby.

3. There's nothing in the NT directly prohibiting premarital sex, unless you equate premarital sex with fornication. Fundies cite these verses as condemning premarital sex:
Acts 15:20; Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:13,18; 7:2; 10:8; 12:21; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Jude 7

See this previous thread on The Bible and Cohabitation

Gavriel

I would say in this case the stretch of a metaphor would not apply. Considering the so called "Jesus" figure lived a full century and a half before the Talmud was started to be written....

Toto

my error - should be Torah