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Half of the New Testament a forgery?

Riverwolf

Amateur Rambler / Proud Ergi
Premium Member
I admit I haven't read her work, and this is coming primarily from what others have said about her work, but didn't Elaine Pagels already write about this sort of things?
 

RitalinO.D.

Well-Known Member
I admit I haven't read her work, and this is coming primarily from what others have said about her work, but didn't Elaine Pagels already write about this sort of things?

No idea. Just saw the article on CNN and decided to post it for a little discussion.


(woot 1k posts!)
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
That wouldn't be overly surprising to hear. Same goes with any other ancient literary work IMO. In fact, I'd say it's a given for embellishments and fabrications to manifest in light of the many subsequent transcriptions penned through a variety of authors involving differing personalities from century to century.
 

fallingblood

Agnostic Theist
What Ehrman is stating in this new book really isn't anything groundbreaking. Actually, most scholars have recognized the basis of what he is saying; that not all of the books in the NT were written by the people who are accredited with their authorship. For instance, Paul did not write six of the books attributed to him. Peter and James did not write the epistles that now bear their name. The Gospels are written anonymously.

The one thing that Ehrman has done is called the people who did write in the name of another person, such as in the name of Paul, forgers. He then argues that it was not an accepted practice to write in the name of someone else, that it was meant to deceive.

I personally thought the book was wonderful. It is meant for the general audience. It relays the information in a very easy way. And it is attention getting. More so though, it really isn't saying anything really new, but it is getting this information out to a larger audience.

I don't understand really why all of the sensation though. This information isn't coming out for the first time.
 

outhouse

Atheistically
I don't understand really why all of the sensation though. This information isn't coming out for the first time.

thats what I thought


I had already had down pat pretty much everything in the article ive learned from you and oberon who seems to have vanished and angellous
 

ancients

New Member
While usually Christianity and the Bible are question? and their critics and doubters giving voice in public opinion worldwide

The rest of the world religions are not subject to similar scrutiny.
Billions of people follow Islam, many of the questions , doubts about Christianity , Bible etc could be applicable to Islam too
Millions follow Hinduism , Buddhism , many of the same questions and doubts which
the media and society voice about Christianity and the Bible could be applicable to them too and so on
But it seems that they get a free pass.

No inquiry , not questioning ?

Why
 

imbobbbb

Member
From what i've read in an article the book sounds like it just expands a little on some of ehrmans earlier books.I'll check it out though,I like his books.
 

horizon_mj1

Well-Known Member
Does it really matter if it was a biography as opposed to an autobiography? Did the Bible as a book bring more good than bad to earth? No matter what religion or book from a particular religion you read, it is not written by the absolute hand of Pristine Divinity, but only inspired. There are many books that merit a glance if looking for an unadulterated truth (and for Christians, if you only seek through the Bible, you do not believe in the Bible: is it not said to search for God everywhere?).
 

Riverwolf

Amateur Rambler / Proud Ergi
Premium Member
Millions follow Hinduism , Buddhism , many of the same questions and doubts which
the media and society voice about Christianity and the Bible could be applicable to them too and so on
But it seems that they get a free pass.

No inquiry , not questioning ?

Why

Don't know about Buddhism, but Hinduism very much gets all kinds of scrutiny. It's already well accepted among scholars that the Vedas aren't as old as tradition would have us believe, and that the Mahabharata is filled with later additions (heck, by its own word.)

It's just that Hinduism isn't really well-known in the West beyond Hatha Yoga. In India, where the majority of the 1 billion Hindus live, there's plenty of scrutiny.

Actually, a lot of contemporary Hindu Sages teach not to blindly believe what they say, and to find out for ourselves if what they say is true.
 

Riverwolf

Amateur Rambler / Proud Ergi
Premium Member
I wish you could show us which parts were divinely inspired and not just mans doing.

I think by "inspired", he means it was written with divine inspiration in the person's heart. That doesn't necessarily mean God wrote it; it still means man wrote it, with all the biases and faults therein.
 

sojourner

Annoyingly Progressive Since 2006
While usually Christianity and the Bible are question? and their critics and doubters giving voice in public opinion worldwide

The rest of the world religions are not subject to similar scrutiny.
Billions of people follow Islam, many of the questions , doubts about Christianity , Bible etc could be applicable to Islam too
Millions follow Hinduism , Buddhism , many of the same questions and doubts which
the media and society voice about Christianity and the Bible could be applicable to them too and so on
But it seems that they get a free pass.

No inquiry , not questioning ?

Why
All religious involvement entails (or should entail) questioning. There's nothing that goes in in Xy that doesn't happen with other religions, too.

I would worry if there were no questioning going on...
 

horizon_mj1

Well-Known Member
I wish you could show us which parts were divinely inspired and not just mans doing.
That is just it, you don't know and you don't get any proof of divine intervention, but I can say that if only inspired by man, they did a good job at helping alot of people (unfortunately this also leads to people getting hurt as well).
 

Greyn

South of Providence
I wish you could show us which parts were divinely inspired and not just mans doing.


I plant a garden and tend it through the season. The seeds germinate and sprout, eventually growing and bearing fruit. The fruit feeds my family through the entire season.

Now, is the any (or all of that) my doing or does it come from something divine?
 

fallingblood

Agnostic Theist
I plant a garden and tend it through the season. The seeds germinate and sprout, eventually growing and bearing fruit. The fruit feeds my family through the entire season.

Now, is the any (or all of that) my doing or does it come from something divine?
It comes from your doing. You planted the seeds. You took care of the garden. The seeds did what they were meant to do. There is nothing divine about that.
 

sojourner

Annoyingly Progressive Since 2006
It comes from your doing. You planted the seeds. You took care of the garden. The seeds did what they were meant to do. There is nothing divine about that.
Unless there's something Divine in seeds doing what they're supposed to do...
 

outhouse

Atheistically
I dont think there is anything divine at all about putting a seed in the ground with some water now and then.

nature is not divine
 
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