Posted by Bibleman [Bibleman] on November 14, 1999 at 21:39:33 {fiuUEQ5dxUMRXA6xmpscslyACFuF8c}:
In Reply to: ********TRUE GOD OR FALSE GOD posted by honhea on November 13, 1999 at 06:36:29:
Hi,
You bring up some great things.
First of all, Jesus and Jehovah are not the same person since we know Jesus is an archangel.
Second of all 2 Corinthians 10:17 does not mention the name "Jehovah" but "Lord." So when comparing Philippians 3:3 which says "we have our boasting in Jesus Christ" you must compare it with the actual text which says, "We have our boasting in the Lord." So if you presume there is a contradiction, then "Jehovah" is incorrectly rendered here since the Bible doesn't have contradictions. Thus when 2 Cor. speaks of boasting in the "Lord" it must refer to Jesus, not "Jehovah." Though the statements are not contradictory. You can boast in either without them being the same person.
As far as my credentials in Greek culture and language, you don't seem to understand what I told you before. I'm a "critic". I don't need credentials, all I need to do is quote someone else's credentials OR demonstrate my point by the text itself. Which is what I do. All my assertions are supported by reference or by text comparison.
But this seems to be a problem with many people since, if they need a scholar to tell them what to think, then even if they had the direct information in front of them, they wouldn't understand who to decipher it. That means if the scholar is incorrect, wrong, or fraudulent, they couldn't tell. And that's the problem here.
We're examining these things on a first-hand basis and criticizing the standard beliefs put in place by biased, pagan-oriented scholars. This is an expose. But to do that, all I have to do is present the facts.
Let me give you a perfect example. Read anywhere and basically you'll find it is believed that Herod died on 4BCE and it is based upon an eclipse that Josephus mentions. That's the only reference. They date that eclipse on March 13/14, 4BCE.
But Josephus' eclipse happens in Tebet since it has to happen right after an annual FAST and it happens about 18 days before Herod's death on Shebat 2. Shebat 2 is about 6 weeks BEFORE March 13/14. So it doesn't work.
Furthermore, the specific dating of Josephus for the death of Herod, which was revised, dates his 37-year rule from 40 BCE and his 34-year rule from 37BCE. What really happened is they moved his 37year rule back from 37CE to 40CE. At any rate, even if he ruled for 37 years from 40CE, his last year would have been 4BCE-3BCE. Thus even the revised date would have been Shebat 2, 3BCE. So there is no credible reference for Herod dying in 4BCE on any basis.
It is even dismissed historically. That's because after he saw the eclipse he lived for about 18 days. Then he died and there was a 7-day formal memorial and then a 25-day march to Herodium. Then his son returned to Jerusalem after which a sedition started up, all as Passover was approaching.
March 13/14 is just one month prior to Passover that year on April 13/14. But you have at least 50 days of history to cover in that short period of time. Besides that, as mentioned, Herod died on Shebat 2, which is like February 2nd, a full six weeks before the eclipse even occurred.
So bottom line is, you have a repeated and believed absolute date for the death of Herod, expoused by historians and scholars, and the very basis for that dating disproves it totally.
So when you are dealing with the "investigative reporting" level, you have to deal with the direct information and not rely on the scholars who are the very ones under fire.
But you have every right to demand that I give proof of what I say. So I will either provide you with references or comparisons and then you are free to decide for yourself. But if you can't decide based upon the evidence, then some scholar telling you will mean nothing. It means they can fool you, which is the whole idea.
So you're really handicapped, because you can't think without someone with a degree reassuring you and the people with degrees are the ones who are incompetent and deceptive.
But no problem, there are plenty of scholars and degreed ones who comment on a lot of things. I don't originate everything I've come to appreciate.
For instance, finding out that the Jewish day begins at nightfall instead of sunset (except for sabbaths) is a matter of record and research. The Jewish custom of killing the lambs at 3:00 p.m. is a matter of record in Josephus and the Mishna. The detail of ending the Passover meal at Midnight is a matter of research, not deduction. But there is no "scholar" involved here. You can check these things out yourself.
So again, at this level, you must be a skeptic of EVERYONE, including the scholars and demand PROOF of what they claim because scholars can be dishonest and incompetent, and many things can be resolved by simple research and comparison and common sense. Not that we don't rely upon scholars and listen to what they have to say on certain points. What I have to say can't go against too many fundamental principles.
But in this case, it is the scholars who didn't bother learning about Jewish culture and language sufficiently to understand the dating of Jesus' death on Nisan 20th for instance.
So I'll stand by my research and if you need some quotes from scholars I'll provide those or the comparison texts which you can analyze yourself or take them to a scholar to analyze. Then come to your own conclusion.
"Critics" don't need a degree or expertise to criticize. All they need is the analytical evidence. It is not me who is on the spot to produce, it is the scholars who must answer for their choices.
But ultimately, YOU still must look at both sides. If you can't do that, scholar versus critic, then you're lost. You have too much of an elevated opinion of scholarship. Witnesses dismiss scholars right and left; you should know that. And rightly so in most cases, since scholars are just as biased as everybody else. They just use their degree to influence the naive.
Cheers,
Bibleman