Act, sure, but that's not their main purpose.
If you're interested in seeing non-Jews having a go at what the Jewish view of the Tanach is, I suggest making popcorn and sitting back:
The Ten Plagues of Egypt- allegorical or historical?
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Fulfillment of Prophecy in the New Testament
- Thread starter Samael_Khan
- Start date
If you're interested in seeing non-Jews having a go at what the Jewish view of the Tanach is, I suggest making popcorn and sitting back:
The Ten Plagues of Egypt- allegorical or historical?
Samael_Khan
Goosebender
All the disciples had the power to heal and resurrect people.
There is also an understanding by people who do not understand the NT that Jesus was the final prophet according to Christians. There were prophets and prophetesses after him and all the disciples could prophecy. Certain people had different gifts though.
Samael_Khan
Goosebender
I have no idea as to the intention of the writer so I wouldn't know how to gauge that. But in the NT each gospel even has a different theological purpose, especially John.
Samael_Khan
Goosebender
How would you gauge the writers intentions as to what they mainly intended with the writings?That's what I'm here for.
With what our traditions tell us.
Samael_Khan
Goosebender
Coincidentally I do have popcorn.
I definitely see the allegorical elements in the OT because I study symbolism and was apart of a religion that used types and shadows heavily. I myself learn a lot from the OT when I read it in context.
I think even Catholics have the Jewish understanding of the OT regarding its allegorical status. The protestants hate always have a go at them because of such things.
Samael_Khan
Goosebender
What are the chances that your traditions are wrong?
Do they go as far back as the person who wrote the book?
How would we know if they do?
Samael_Khan
Goosebender
I forgot that I actually replied to that specific thread.
I forgot you did, too.
Samael_Khan
Goosebender
Reminds me of the Quran chain of transmission.
I'm not familiar, but Jews are known for working hard to preserve their traditions. People of the book and all that.
Samael_Khan
Goosebender
Which is an argument Christians would make for the validity of the OT.
I wonder how far back that actually goes though...
From what I have heard Jewish tradition, or at least Jewish understanding of certain things, changed a bit because of Maimonides. Before him certain things were different. I heard this from Benjamin Sommer, a Jewish Scholar.
That's really vague. It could mean anything. For example, Maimonides worked very hard to make Torah more accessible to non-scholars: he wrote a commentary on the Mishnah which includes three awesome introductions in which he discusses basics of faith and tradition and he wrote his magnum opus Mishneh Torah codex of Jewish law. Subsequently, more people knew more Torah.
Oh, yeah the guy with fluid god...
I'm weary of secular academic takes when discussing changes in traditions.
Remember the כארו? Those may have not been secular people, but it's still an outsider, academically-based understanding.
Samael_Khan
Goosebender
In Sommers book, he is speaking regarding the traditions before Maimonides. So he says that Maimonides believed certain things about God which modern Jewish belief can be traced back to. But there were Jewish Scholars before him who believed differently. Maimonides was born in muslim conquered Spain so Sommer suspects that his view of God was influenced by the muslims because the earlier Jewish scholars had different beliefs.
Samael_Khan
Goosebender
But surely when he is using references his claims can be verified right?
Samael_Khan
Goosebender
I on the other hand am very weary about traditions regarding whether people held them centuries and millenniums before now because they are difficult to trace and verify. Like Christians talk about the early church fathers but I struggle to find evidence for when they were written. Traditions hold them as useful but I have no idea how they were compiled.
Depends what he's claiming. He could be one of those people who seek to differentiate between the Maimonides that wrote the Guide to the Perplexed and the Maimonides who wrote the MT codex, ignoring the halachic codex and focusing on the "enlightened" philosopher, not a pagan barbarian who believes in mutilating babies and whatnot.
That's utter ignorance and denial of the facts that Maimonides was a God-fearing, Torah-keeping Jew.