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10 laughably erroneous claims of the bible

sooda

Veteran Member
Making up your own terms based on standards that most educated people would consider unrealistic and then expecting everyone to accept the term and it's implied standards is an attempt to "apply rational thought to the irrational"?



Not to mention the fact that most aren't "properly written". :D

A lot of prophesy was written after the fact.

One has to be very careful with Daniel and Isaiah.
 

Quagmire

Imaginary talking monkey
Staff member
Premium Member
A lot of prophesy was written after the fact.

One has to be very careful with Daniel and Isaiah.

I know, I was very disillusioned when I found out Daniel was probably written in the second cent BCE.

*Edit: not because I'm a follower of any Abrahamic religions, I'm not, but because I always liked the idea that some of the ancients might have known things that we don't.
 

sooda

Veteran Member
I know, I was very disillusioned as a kid when I found out Daniel was probably written in the second cent BCE.

Daniel appears to have many authors.

Excerpt:

The original purpose of the Book of Daniel was to comfort and encourage persecuted Jews during the Maccabean revolt. It all began in December of 167 BC, when the Seleucid emperor Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem with an idol bearing his likeness. He went on to force his Jewish subjects to abandon the Sabbath, circumcision, and food laws, torturing and killing all who opposed him. At this outrage, the Jews revolted under Judas Maccabeus, driving the Seleucid armies out of Palestine and recapturing the Temple. In December of 164 BC, they rededicated the Temple to Jewish worship on the first Hanukkah.

During the revolt, pious Jews began to circulate an anthology of stories allegedly written four hundred years earlier by a Jewish hero named Daniel.

These stories relate how Daniel and his friends, while serving as officials in the courts of pagan kings, risked their lives to avoid breaking Jewish food laws or worshipping false gods. When the mightiest kings on Earth tried to force them to compromise their religious principles, they passively waited on God's miraculous intervention to save them. The success of Daniel's prophecies of events up to and including the atrocities of Antiochus supposedly demonstrated that God would miraculously intervene on schedule to rescue the Jews from Antiochus as well.

The prophet Daniel supposedly predicted that four great empires were to rise and fall in succession between his day and the end of the world: Babylonia, Media, Persia, and Greece. Alexander the Great's Greek Empire was to break up into four smaller empires, the most important being the Seleucid Empire in Syria to the north, and the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt to the south.

After seven Greek kings ruled in succession, the eighth was to snatch the throne from three candidates who had more right to it than he did. This king, Antiochus Epiphanes, provoked the Maccabean War.

The Book of Daniel predicted that God would miraculously destroy Antiochus Epiphanes, resurrect the righteous dead, and set up an everlasting, worldwide Israelite Empire three and a half years after the desecration of the Temple; in other words, the Messianic Empire should have begun in June of 163 BC.

Since these predictions largely came true until the middle of the war and failed thereafter, we know that the author lived in Seleucid times, not Babylonian times.

The Failure of Daniel's Prophecies
 

shmogie

Well-Known Member
Apocalyptic literature was very popular for about 300 years. Why do you think John of Patmos was a Christian?

"The great day of the LORD is near;
It is near and hastens quickly ...
There the mighty men shall cry out.
That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation ..."
Zephaniah 1:14-15 (written 6th century B.C.E.)
The day of the Lord refers to the end of time. The Lords day is a specific day of the week, not the same at all.
 

sooda

Veteran Member
The day of the Lord refers to the end of time. The Lords day is a specific day of the week, not the same at all.


The phrase “the day of the Lord” is used often in the Old Testament (e.g. Isaiah 2:12; 13:6, 9; Ezekiel 13:5, 30:3; Joel 1:15, 2:1,11,31; 3:14; Amos 5:18,20; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1:7,14; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi. 4:5) and several times in the New Testament (e.g. Acts 2:20; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 1:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Peter 3:10). It is also alluded to in other passages (Revelation 6:17; 16:14). It is also alluded to in other passages (Revelation 6:17; 16:14).

What is the day of the Lord?
 

shmogie

Well-Known Member
"The Book of Daniel was written during the persecutions of Israel by the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes." (Jewish Encyclopedia)

It has been mentioned that 'Revelation' is the result of Christian additions on a thoroughly Jewish text:
- "the main [part of the] apocalypse [of John] actually belongs to Jewish apocalyptic literature." (Jewish Encyclopedia)
- "... German scholar Vischer .. holds the Apocalypse to have been originally a purely Jewish composition ... we think, it cannot be objected to ... The Apocalypse abounds in passages which bear no specific Christian character but, on the contrary, show a decidedly Jewish complexion." (Catholic Encyclopedia)
I never saw any detailed reconstruction of the original Jewish Revelation. Well, this is just what I attempted, carefully sorting out the Christian parts. What is left had to be written by a non-Christian, definitively a Jew, for obvious reasons that I will explain within the text.

Daniel and Revelation, critical study on their dating, prophecies & mysteries
So, there is no original Jewish Revelation. It does not exist in any ancient manuscript. The Jewish encyclopedia says the Christian book is Jewish. I am underwhelmed by your evidence, and your sources.

You do realize that John was a Jew , who became a Christian, don´t you ?

Indiana Jones needs to start searching for the famous Jewish book of Revelation, that not one person has ever seen.
 

sooda

Veteran Member
So, there is no original Jewish Revelation. It does not exist in any ancient manuscript. The Jewish encyclopedia says the Christian book is Jewish. I am underwhelmed by your evidence, and your sources.

You do realize that John was a Jew , who became a Christian, don´t you ?

Indiana Jones needs to start searching for the famous Jewish book of Revelation, that not one person has ever seen.

Which John?

Revelation of John, the original Jewish version. Apocalypse composition, dating & authorship
 

Dan From Smithville

What's up Doc?
Staff member
Premium Member
The only thing I would add, so as to forestall any objection, is that we're talking about adult forms of insects. Sometimes various forms of larvae such as caterpillars, which have additional prolegs, are thought to be an exception.

.
Very true and good catch on that.
 

sooda

Veteran Member
So, there is no original Jewish Revelation. It does not exist in any ancient manuscript. The Jewish encyclopedia says the Christian book is Jewish. I am underwhelmed by your evidence, and your sources.

You do realize that John was a Jew , who became a Christian, don´t you ?

Indiana Jones needs to start searching for the famous Jewish book of Revelation, that not one person has ever seen.

See #148.. I linked it for you.

Also,

Eusebius identifies John the Presbyter as the a possible author of the Book of Revelation, the canonical status of which he disputed as he disagreed with its content, especially the Chiliasm implied in the "millennial kingdom".

John the Presbyter - Wikipedia
 

Koldo

Outstanding Member
And once again, Koldo goes on a campaign to wage war against a point that nobody made. :D

Hey man, when your parents take you to a restaurant, do you press your face against the window and make faces at the people passing by?

Congratulations on resorting to personal attacks... once again. That's twice in a row. They say third time is a charm.
 

Quagmire

Imaginary talking monkey
Staff member
Premium Member
Congratulations on resorting to personal attacks... once again. That's twice in a row. They say third time is a charm.

Lol! "Why oh why won't you let me troll with impunity"?

You're right, I should have just reported you for off- topic trolling right off the bat. My fault for giving you a break.
 

We Never Know

No Slack
Daniel appears to have many authors.

Excerpt:

The original purpose of the Book of Daniel was to comfort and encourage persecuted Jews during the Maccabean revolt. It all began in December of 167 BC, when the Seleucid emperor Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem with an idol bearing his likeness. He went on to force his Jewish subjects to abandon the Sabbath, circumcision, and food laws, torturing and killing all who opposed him. At this outrage, the Jews revolted under Judas Maccabeus, driving the Seleucid armies out of Palestine and recapturing the Temple. In December of 164 BC, they rededicated the Temple to Jewish worship on the first Hanukkah.

During the revolt, pious Jews began to circulate an anthology of stories allegedly written four hundred years earlier by a Jewish hero named Daniel.

These stories relate how Daniel and his friends, while serving as officials in the courts of pagan kings, risked their lives to avoid breaking Jewish food laws or worshipping false gods. When the mightiest kings on Earth tried to force them to compromise their religious principles, they passively waited on God's miraculous intervention to save them. The success of Daniel's prophecies of events up to and including the atrocities of Antiochus supposedly demonstrated that God would miraculously intervene on schedule to rescue the Jews from Antiochus as well.

The prophet Daniel supposedly predicted that four great empires were to rise and fall in succession between his day and the end of the world: Babylonia, Media, Persia, and Greece. Alexander the Great's Greek Empire was to break up into four smaller empires, the most important being the Seleucid Empire in Syria to the north, and the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt to the south.

After seven Greek kings ruled in succession, the eighth was to snatch the throne from three candidates who had more right to it than he did. This king, Antiochus Epiphanes, provoked the Maccabean War.

The Book of Daniel predicted that God would miraculously destroy Antiochus Epiphanes, resurrect the righteous dead, and set up an everlasting, worldwide Israelite Empire three and a half years after the desecration of the Temple; in other words, the Messianic Empire should have begun in June of 163 BC.

Since these predictions largely came true until the middle of the war and failed thereafter, we know that the author lived in Seleucid times, not Babylonian times.

The Failure of Daniel's Prophecies

I have a question for you. You post more from/about the bible than any one I have seen. Are there specific reasons you do it such as...
-do you understand it
-do you think it is truth
-do you think it is bunk
-do you do it because you want to see the opinion of others
-do you do it because you want to show others it's wrong

Why is it you post and quote the bible so much?
 

sooda

Veteran Member
I have a question for you. You post more from/about the bible than any one I have seen. Are there specific reasons you do it such as...
-do you understand it
-do you think it is truth
-do you think it is bunk
-do you do it because you want to see the opinion of others
-do you do it because you want to show others it's wrong

Why is it you post and quote the bible so much?

Just because it interests me.
I think mostly its untrue or just sloppy... and I wonder why.. Like Daniel..

The Failure of Daniel's Prophecies
 

Native

Free Natural Philosopher & Comparative Mythologist
The Bible contains numerous scientific errors, including (but of course not limited to) the following:

1. It says the earth is flat:

Isaiah 40:22: "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in."

The "circle of the Earth" is obvious when you watch the curved shape ocean from an Island.

2. It says that the earth rests upon pillars:

1 Samuel 2:8 "..for the pillars of the Earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them...."

Job 9:6 "...and the pillars thereof tremble..."
Psalm 75:3 "...I bear up the pillars of it ..."

"Pillars" are the ancient way of describing the Earth rotational celestial poles.

3. It claims that the sky is a solid firmament and that water is above it:

Genesis 1:6 "....and God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."

There is water ON the Earth and watery clouds on the Sky. (Even the contours of the Milky Way is mythologically described as a watery "Celestial River")

4. It claims the stars are small enough to fall to the earth without destroying the earth:

Revelation 6:13: "and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind."

As the Earth rotate, the stars naturally seems to fall and rise.


6. It claims that the sun revolves around the earth, rather than the other way around:

Psalm 19:6: "It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth."

It doesn´t claim "the Sun to orbit the Earth" - It just describes the natural observation of a (daily and seasonal) rising and falling Sun.
When including natural imagination and factual observations, maybe we would understand the ancient scriptures much better :)
 

Koldo

Outstanding Member
Lol! "Why oh why won't you let me troll with impunity"?

You're right, I should have just reported you for off- topic trolling right off the bat. My fault for giving you a break.

And there you go. The third time in a row. Feel free to let me know when you want to discuss the topic without resorting to personal attacks.
 

shmogie

Well-Known Member
I read the link. Where is the earliest manuscript of the alleged Jewish Revelation ?

All the linguistic and symbol detective work is subjective and pure supposition.

You cannot tell me something exists and expect me to just say OK.

There are numerous Biblical scholars who would take issue with the opinions in your link.

So, the request is simple, if this alleged Jewish Revelation exists, it was written down. If it was written, the manuscript must exist. If the manuscript exists, the earliest copy or scrap of a copy can be dated.

What is itś date ?

If on the other hand, as I suspect, the idea is purely opinions based upon extrapolation from the Christian text, I can only say pfui ! There are billions of opinions based upon all kinds of things, they aren´t facts,


Revelation of John, the original Jewish version. Apocalypse composition, dating & authorship[/QUOTE]
 

sooda

Veteran Member
I read the link. Where is the earliest manuscript of the alleged Jewish Revelation ?

All the linguistic and symbol detective work is subjective and pure supposition.

You cannot tell me something exists and expect me to just say OK.

There are numerous Biblical scholars who would take issue with the opinions in your link.

So, the request is simple, if this alleged Jewish Revelation exists, it was written down. If it was written, the manuscript must exist. If the manuscript exists, the earliest copy or scrap of a copy can be dated.

What is itś date ?

If on the other hand, as I suspect, the idea is purely opinions based upon extrapolation from the Christian text, I can only say pfui ! There are billions of opinions based upon all kinds of things, they aren´t facts,


Revelation of John, the original Jewish version. Apocalypse composition, dating & authorship
[/QUOTE]

Right here:

Revelation of John, the original Jewish version. Apocalypse composition, dating & authorship
.
There is no mention of Jesus or the Apostles
 

shmogie

Well-Known Member

Right here:

Revelation of John, the original Jewish version. Apocalypse composition, dating & authorship
.
There is no mention of Jesus or the Apostles[/QUOTE]
Sigh, what is the date of the original manuscript of this alleged version ?

That is all I want to know.

Are there manuscript or scraps of manuscripts of this alleged Jewish version that can be dated to be at least 1,500 years old ? If there are a case no matter how weak, could be made that Christians modified it, which is exactly what you are trying to say.

If there are none, you have no case to make, because I know when the book was written as it appears in my Bible.
 
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