Ancient stone tablet may prove resurrection predated Jesus

[Clownboat]

http://www.thetechherald.com/article.ph ... sus-Christ

The three-foot-high mysterious stone tablet, which has been written on rather than carved, is known as the Angel Gabriel’s Vision of Revelation.
Israel Knohl, biblical studies professor at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, has concluded the key line 80 of the text as Gabriel telling a historic Jewish rebel named Simon, who was killed by the Romans in 4 BC: "In three days you shall live, I Gabriel, command you."
"This sheds new light on the messianic activity of Jesus," Knohl said to Reuters news agency. "It proves that the concept of the messiah was already there before Jesus,"

Then you have the Epic of Gilgamesh that has similar aspects to the flood story.
The Garden of Eden story is also similar to an earlier myth.

Question for debate: What does this suggest about he Bible being God inspired if in actuality the stories themselves are not original?

[mgb]

Sorry, that should be GREEK RATIONALISM. Typo...

[mgb]

Question for debate: What does this suggest about he Bible being God inspired if in actuality the stories themselves are not original?

The first five books of the Old Testament - the Pentateuch

are too far back in history to be read literally. These books

were originally oral traditions. Then a scribe in the northern

territories of Israel was commissioned to write them down.

Likewise a scribe in the southern territories wrote another

version. Later these two versions were combined into what we

have today.

All manner of additions, subtractions and embellishments

occured in this process. Words are attributed to Moses,

Abraham and even God which they never said. So it is not

reasonalble to take these books as literal truth. They only

contain a trace of the original revelations given to Moses

and Abraham.

All we can do is extract themes from these writings.

Themes such as the exodus from Egypt, the establishment of

a Chosen people (chosen to preserve and teach revelation),

and God's teaching; that people should avoid wickedness and

practice virtue and do God's Will.

To understand these things more fully read The Higher Criticism-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_criticism

[myth-one.com]

Greek rationalism, which is closely tied to Judaism and Christianity, did not believe in ressurection since there was no death and therefore no need to be ressurected. Like the Tibetan Buddhists they believed in the survival of the spirit. There is no death.

Greetings and welcome, Mgb!

I was always taught at Protestant Christian Churches that mankind is born as an immortal, spiritual "soul" living within a physical body. It is irrational that we would require salvation and resurrection to everlasting life, if we already have everlasting life. And it just continues downhill from there:

When the body dies, the soul lives on eternally in heaven or hell depending on whether or not that person was a Christian.

But since the soul is a spiritual body, when the souls of nonbelievers are cast into hellfire for eternity, they will feel no pain! This problem was solved by creating another myth, the bodily resurrection.

Virtually every Christian church admits to a belief in the rejoining of an incorruptible physical body with the eternal soul at the time of the resurrection. This is known as the "resurrection of the body" doctrine and is included in many affirmations of faith -- the "Apostles Creed" for example.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

This resurrected physical body is different from the present earthly body in that it cannot be destroyed or killed. Therefore, nonbelievers cast into hellfire will suffer the pain of burning alive for eternity -- the fire will never kill them.

Now while the unsaved sinners are serving eternity without parole being roasted, what will become of the Christians who are in Heaven awaiting the reuniting with their physical bodies? The ultimate goal of every Christian is to spend eternity with God in heaven. However, no one composed of any flesh and blood can inherit the Kingdom of God:

And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;... (I Corinthians 15:49-50)

So the bodily resurrection theology directly conflicts with the ultimate goal of today's Christianity! The Christians in Heaven will have to relocate after being reunited with their physical bodies! Where will they go?

If it was not for the untold ruined lives, fear, worry, hardship, suffering, guilt, and even murders this false "Christian" theology has caused -– it would be comical. Sadly, it isn’t. The root cause of Christianity's failure is the initial false belief that man is born with immortality.

Equally as sad are the wasted lives of “great evangelists� and sincere Christians who supported and taught such garbage.

[mgb]

myth-one...yes the doctrine of the bodily ressurection is naive and primitive. Origen tried to correct this (among other things such as HOW Jesus is one with God*) but was shouted down...

*Origen says that Jesus, along with the loyal angels, resisted the fall and remained one with God from the beginning.

[SailingCyclops]

Question for debate: What does this suggest about he Bible being God inspired if in actuality the stories themselves are not original?

Everything! Life-death-rebirth deity myths pre-date all Jewish and Christian myths, and are common.

Some examples would include Osiris, Salmoxis, Dionysus, Odin, or Ishtar. All tell the same mythological tale of death and resurrection as the Jesus myth does.

All ancient mythology, none of which can be taken as fact. Surely you realize this.

Bob

[mgb]

Question for debate: What does this suggest about he Bible being God inspired if in actuality the stories themselves are not original?

Nothing at all. Life-death-rebirth deity myths pre-date all Jewish and Christian myths, and are common.

Some examples would include Osiris, Salmoxis, Dionysus, Odin, or Ishtar. All tell the same mythological tale of death and resurrection as the Jesus myth does.

All ancient mythology, none of which can be taken as fact. Surely you realize this.

Bob

But Jesus was a real person and the mythology that was built around him does not detract from the spiritual value of his teaching...

This Pauline mythology served a practical purpose; it helped to bring the message of the gospels to the Roman Empire. It is hard to see how soldiers and gentiles would have accepted Jesus' teaching had it not been couched in a mythology they could understand; God made use of this Pauline invention to bring Jesus' teaching to the world...that is the practical value of Paul's myth.

[SailingCyclops]

But Jesus was a real person and the mythology that was built around him does not detract from the spiritual value of his teaching...

How do you know who the real person was if so much of the story was fabricated?

God made use of this Pauline invention to bring Jesus' teaching to the world...that is the practical value of Paul's myth.

Interesting. You are calling your god a liar.

Bob

[mgb]

But Jesus was a real person and the mythology that was built around him does not detract from the spiritual value of his teaching...

How do you know who the real person was if so much of the story was fabricated?

We have spiritual means to know this. The historical facts are not all important. What is important is that we know God. We know God through personal experience. Once we have this personal experience we can live in God's presence and under God's guidance.

God made use of this Pauline invention to bring Jesus' teaching to the world...that is the practical value of Paul's myth.

Interesting. You are calling your god a liar.
Bob

No. I am saying that God uses everything to His advantage. God did not write Paul's letters but He can be present to those who are willing to turn towards Him. I don't think God will ignore us because our theological beliefs are not correct.

[SailingCyclops]

God did not write Paul's letters but He can be present to those who are willing to turn towards Him.

Ok good. So you agree with me that the bible is written by men, and is not an accurate historical account of any particular events, and is not inerrant. That said, on what do you base your belief system?

Bob

[mgb]

God did not write Paul's letters but He can be present to those who are willing to turn towards Him.

Ok good. So you agree with me that the bible is written by men, and is not an accurate historical account of any particular events, and is not inerrant. That said, on what do you base your belief system?
Bob

I don't have a theology or doctrine in the traditional sense. I was a Catholic but now I might consider myself a neoplatonist or Buddhist or Taoist - they are all essentially the same when the inessentials a boiled off.

My faith ('faith' originally meant 'loyalty') comes from God's presence in my consciousness and my life.

I think there is much good in the bible. I think God did originally give a revelation to Abraham, Moses, Isaiah...but this revelation has been partially lost and distorted.