Vorkosigan

Originally posted by ilgwamh:
""""""Artie, I don't slam my fellow atheists, and certainly not in a community where I'm a newbie, as you are."""""""

Not to side-track this discussion: but are you implying its okay to slam non-fellow atheists? Likewise, is it okay for Christians to slam non-fellow Christians? And being in a place longer gives a person more of a right to slam others by default?

Why no, but rather than get into a long discussion on ethics, I kept my response to its simplest level. Bad tactics to go into some place you might want to be a part of, and insult all the hosts.

[ July 12, 2002: Message edited by: Vorkosigan ]</p>

Vorkosigan

Now you're cookin' Vork!

First, the Hebrew word "BYT" does not mean anything but "house", so the scholar you mention doesn't know what he's talking about.

Sure. The literal meaning may well be "House" but the BYT YHWH ostracon is invariably taken to refer to the temple of YHWH, although of course BYT means "house." So the question becomes, does the BYT on the Tel Dan fragment refer to a House in the sense of a dynasty and its domain, a leader and his patronage network, or a temple? You keep skirting this issue.

Second, any other myticisms bug me too!

...mythicisms?

Look at me after all, I'm King Arthur! I think he existed! I think Robin Hood existed! Whether every story that was told about them was exact, I think that there are some pretty substantial nuggets of truth behind them.

The issue isn't whether they existed, but to what extent the stories about them reflect the actuality of their existance. Regrettably, scholarship believes that the stories are composites and fantasies. Just like the NT.

I also happen to think Mohammad existed, but I think he was just a person. I don't think, like some do about Jesus, that there were a bunch of little Mohammads running around and that the Koran could have been written by any one of them.

Can you name anyone who thinks there were a bunch of little Jesus-s running around?

Finally, I won't waste my time with the likes of a pseudo-scholar like Doherty. If real scholars don't see the point, then neither do I.

I see. Well, once again, thanks for your usual farrago of assertions. Let us know when you are ready to engage. Richard Carrier just wrote a piece on The Jesus Puzzle, the thread was just put up. Perhaps you can respond with reasoned arguments, although I do not hold out much hope at this point.

Vorkosigan

Peter Kirby

"There was no big HJ, but there were a hundred-plus little HJs." -- Michael Hoffman (July 1, 2002)

best,
Peter Kirby