Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Clivedurdle · 11-28-2005, 11:57 AM

Carrier's excellent review of Doherty

http://www.infidels.org/library/mode...uspuzzle.shtml

comments about Galatians 4 26

Quote:

But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all (KJV)

Quote:

I am surprised he doesn't point out the most important support for his position: the fact that Paul actually says in the same letter that one woman he is talking about is allegorical, representing the "heavenly" Jerusalem, not an actual woman (Gal. 4:23-31). That this is the same woman is suggested by the fact that this passage perfects an argument connected with the previous one, employing similar metaphors and vocabulary. It is thus consistent with Paul's own writings that he meant Jesus was born from the "woman" who is the Heavenly Jerusalem (thus fulfilling scripture and the logic of Paul's Christology). And Doherty certainly could emphasize even more than he already does how bizarre it is for Paul to say "born of a woman" about someone everyone already took for granted had parents. Are we to imagine that this was in doubt, so that Paul had to remind his parishioners of the obvious fact that men have mothers? In light of this, and the fact that Paul himself provides support for the alternative Doherty offers, Doherty's reading still fits the facts at least as well as a historicist reading. But he hasn't made the case for this that he could have.

My trusty Dake links this verse with

Heb 11 10 - 16, 12 22-23, 13:14, Rev 3:12 and 21 1 to 22:5 and comments

"in other words Jerusalem is the place where God lives who adopts us into his family."

But Paul states he is being allegorical. I cannot see Carrier's perspective - possibly because of too much adoptionist propaganda about this.

Does this really fly, that Paul explicitly says Jesus' mum is the heavenly Jerusalem, i e Jesus is a mystical figure?

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