Freethought & Rationalism Archive

jgibson000 · 07-03-2006, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RUmike

Could you give an english translation, please? I'm sure you did that in order to zing PhiloJay that he doesn't know the primary languages, but that's not very useful for the rest of us following the thread.

That was not my intent. It was rather to note that Jay's claims about being so familiar with the cultural background of the period that he is able, as he asserts he is, to judge and to state definitively what is and is not "absurd" in the ancient texts he's reviewing (and "reconstructing" on the basis of alleged absurdities within their present form) are really not all that good or dependable, since they show little actual awarness or knowledge on his part of the culture of the period.

As to a translation of the text about Yohanan ben Zakkai, here is one: "[he] used to sit in the shade of the Hall and teach/study (dr$) the entire day"

Jeffrey Gibson

Wilfried Dornwald · 07-09-2006, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilosopherJay

We should remember that the original story is coming from tales about Simon Magus and his concubine Helene. Simon's enemies accused Helene of being a whore. This story is a clever refutation of those charges against her. Basically, it says that Simon never accused her of adultery.

Why do you write "remember"?
Has this idea been expressed earlier?
Where did you get this?
Who was the first to connect the PA with the Simon/Helene stories?

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