my dog earl

I was wondering if the Old Testament was in the libraries or hotel room desks in Jesus' time. Was it widely circulated and could anyone get a copy of it? What I am getting at is where would Jesus have read this book or did he, being God the author, just know it from memory?

Primordial Groove

lol

edit: upon further thought, an interesting question came to mind. Did Jesus, being God, follow his own supposed teachings from the old testament? If not, why would he change?
Perhaps, if we look at the different teachings given in the old and new testament, we could conclude that God was in need of Lithium, or a big fat hooter.

emotional

Assuming, as I do, that Jesus was historical but merely human, then he learned the OT at the age of five like all Jewish boys did, and heard a reading of it every Saturday (the weekly parashah). That's enough to get one to hold it in memory.

See above: as a Jewish human he would know it from memory. No need to assume he was God for that.

I keep wondering how Christians so blatantly ignore Numbers 23:19: God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. That verse is a categorical refutation of Christianity in its entirety. The Jewish basis for rejecting the message of Christianity is that the Triune God of Christianity, with its god-become-man, is a god that no Jew or his father had ever known.

Pantera

Probably not every hotel room... but certainly every synagogue would have had a copy as the OT was read and discussed there on a regular basis. There's plenty of contemporary evidence for this practice, incluging the story in Luke 4 where Jesus reads fromthe scripture himself. (One does not necessarily have to regard this story as historical for it to count as evidence, merely to note that the author, who presumably knew something of contemporary Jewish practice, thought that it was a reasonable syory to tell.)

DamagedGoods

There are at least a few Christian groups (like the Pentecostals and a lot of independent fundy churches) that do not believe in the Triune God. I could try and explain how they think the whole Jesus/God thing works, but to be honest the whole explanation seems to so fragile that it requires that you not ask too many of the wrong kind of questions.

The explanation of the Trinity is just as fragile, IMHO - there are so many contradictions in the bible that no matter which one you choose, you can't defend it against any sort of in-depth questioning.

As to if/where Jesus would have read the OT, I think Pantera's answer is right on. Assuming the man existed, it appears that the tradition of reading scripture aloud in the temple would have allowed him to be exposed to it even if he couldn't read.

my dog earl

Ok, fine, he was read to in his synagogue. If I am correct we don't have anything on him in his childhood years. Its hard to grasp God playing marbles on the streets with his buddies isn't it? What was the trigger that made him "come out"? Stupid questions I agree...............but, makes me wonder.....

sullster

Very interesting question. I am sure that this megalomaniacal person had read or heard of a coming messiah from the OT and in the midst of his mental illness decided he was that messiah.

What intrigues me is what this guy would have thought about the NT. He might have been quite angry with the conclusions his fanatic followers came to. I can hear it now:"You idiots! You got it all wrong!"

my dog earl

I would conclude that anyone believing in this stuff is in need of Lithium and a big fat hooter!

DamagedGoods

Being from down south, I am confused at your usage of "big fat hooter" in this sentence; the only common uses I know of would translate as "large owl" or "large breast;" neither of these seem to make sense in this context. And it is late enough (and I have had enough adult beverage) that I am also silly enough to ask if you could provide some clarification.

Soul Invictus

To your knowledge, has Jesus' teachings ever refuted or gone against OT law? I know Paul's ministry includes aspects foreign to the original practice. Of what descent was Paul? My goal is to compare OT scripture to newer NT works and compare what differences there are and who were the proponents for such differences...I understand this is primarily due to the OT being Hebrew and the NT being Greek, however I'm working to understand the politics behind this. The Hebrews considered the NT optional at best, right?