stephan huller

No. This is like telling my son 'you can't play Xbox.' We are talking about a common Greek term (at least with respect to describing religious bodies) USED IN CONTEXT OF JEWISH RELIGIOUS PRACTICES. I don't know why you keep squirming around trying to deny there were these sectarians in Egypt. It doesn't prove anything about the existence of Christians in Egypt so it doesn't help or hinder your overall 'meta theory' about no Christianity before Eusebius. Surely you believe there were Jews before Eusebius. So this is just proof of you obsessive nature and the uncontrolled used of your methodology where it isn't even necessary. The fact that Eusebius says these are Christians or proto-Christians does nothing for the argument about Christians in Egypt. Give it up. You are exposing yourself (and the desperateness of your tactics).

Chili

It was.

outhouse

In this case "The" works very well and its why no one translates it differently.


I agree "De" can go that way, but it really has many many different ways to be applied without using "about" or "on"

mountainman

You appear to be fixated on finding a sect of Hellenistic Jewish Abrahamic god worshipping people - called therapeutae.

I am pointing out that there existed a sect of Hellenistic Jewish Abrahamic god worshipping people - called therapeutae - associated with the ubiquitous temple network of the healing god Asclepius.

These people existed in large numbers in the Roman Empire.

They were pagan.

Chili

Faith healers. Holy rollers in the swimming pool.

stephan huller

mountainman,

But what you haven't figured out yet is that therapeutae is inevitably used in conjunction with anyone who 'attends to God.' Hardly surprising.

tanya

Disagree:

The Therapeutae were a Greek cult, related to Asklepius, introduced to Egypt by Alexander. They had connection neither with judaism, nor with christianity. They were completely, 100% pagan.

mountainman

This contributes to my argument. I am dealing with the therapuetae of Asclepius primarily because they have far more evidence, are represented in greater numbers and were like the "tall poppies" of the pagan temple culture (i.e. neither Christian or Jewish but Egypto-Graeco-Roman).

To the attendants of the god at the temples of Asclepius one can therefore add the attendants at the temples of Cybele, Osiris, Isis, Sarapis, Minerva, Jupiter, Venus, Bacchus, Hercules, Vesta, Sol Invictus and others.



We are talking about a common Greek term (at least with respect to describing religious bodies) USED IN CONTEXT OF JEWISH PAGAN RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

The point is that the pagan world was full of pagan therapeutae while the temples remained open for business as usual until Nicaea.

Could Philo have been describing these jewish pagan therapuetae?

Clivedurdle

Tom Holland in Shadow of the Sword discusses how religion then was very fluid, you did change your gods when you went to another town, and how the formalising into fixed identities is later.

The question then is what is Philo describing? Is he talking about a Jewish sect of the Greek theraputae? Arguably there is a very strong case for that.

How Jewish is Philo? Is he actually very Greek influenced? His use of logos points to this.

Chili

Sure, faith healers who have been touched by the divine and see the need and feel the urge. It just shows that 'THE TOUCH ' is real, and 'it' wants to spread that we would call evangelical today, as he who left his life and felt the need to change the life of others, and be like me, and don't your see?