I’m afraid you didn’t, Tb. You explained why you think Jesus used the word ‘hate’. This says nothing about the context in which He used the word ‘hate’. Are you sure you know what Biblical context is? In the ancient world, the word hate did not necessarily carry the negative tone that it does today. So, the context is the word usage of people 2000 years ago.
The word usage of people 2000 years ago is not relevant to the modern age, so why would it matter to me. That message Jesus was conveying is also no longer valid today since there are no disciples of Jesus anymore.
Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple”
It is not valid because it is not a good translation, and is less understandable than, for example. the ESV. Which is readable and literally accurate. The language of any book is deficient if it is not as clearly understood and natural-sounding to the modern reader as the original meaning of the text was to the original readers. I work with college students and have first-hand experience of this fact. The modern reader should be able to see, as directly as possible, the structure and meaning of the original.
Whatever people prefer, I like the KJV and the NIV.
LOL! Wisdom and Love beat ‘sophistication’ any day…
But what is this ‘new information’-- do you have some examples?
Wisdom and Love are repeated in every new Revelation from God.
New information, I would not even know where to begin, because most of it is new.
The primary message of Baha’u’llah was the unity of mankind and the building of a new world order, what humanity was not ready for in the days of Jesus. The new world order is the Kingdom of God on earth that Jesus referred to.
“This is the Day in which God’s most excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things. It is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world to reconcile their differences, and, with perfect unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and loving-kindness. It behoveth them to cleave to whatsoever will, in this Day, be conducive to the exaltation of their stations, and to the promotion of their best interests. Happy are those whom the all-glorious Pen was moved to remember, 7 and blessed are those men whose names, by virtue of Our inscrutable decree, We have preferred to conceal.
Beseech ye the one true God to grant that all men may be graciously assisted to fulfil that which is acceptable in Our sight. Soon will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead. Verily, thy Lord speaketh the truth, and is the Knower of things unseen.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 6-7
Widely known does not mean widely read or widely understood.
I wouldn’t know since I am not a Christian and never was.
So why is the message written in 17th century English?
I already told you that all of the Writings of Baha’u’llah are NOT in King James English. Gleanings just happens to be one that is.
Tony explained why some of the Writings are in that style:
Tony said: The reason is that Shoghi Effendi went to England to study English so He could better translate the Writings of Baha'u'llah from Persian and Arabic into English.
From his studies he determined that King James English was the best form to portray Persian and Arabic to English speakers.
Apparently Persian and Arabic have a form of poetic prose that is hard to portray to English speakers. King James English must in a small way convey some of that poetic prose experienced by Persian and Arabic speakers.
Shoghi Effendi offered that the future may see different translations.
#155 Tony Bristow-Stagg,
I see. You are the interpreter. Right..
No, but I can explain what it means.
There is only One God, Tb. He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
No, God is not three persons in One. Jesus is not God and the Holy Spirit is not God.
The Holy Spirit is the Bounty of God, an emanation from God. God is like the sun and the Holy Spirit is like the rays of the sun. God remains in His own high place, and does not ever descend to earth.
The Holy Spirit is the Bounty of God which became visible and evident in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ was like a clear mirror, and God became visible in the mirror, but God did not descend into the mirror. This is why Christ said, “The Father is in the Son,” meaning that the God was visible and manifest in this mirror.
For the complete explanation of the Baha'i Trinity belief you can read this chapter:
27: THE TRINITY
Did you know that the word ‘abrogate’ can mean ‘to avoid responsibility’. That is very telling.
That is not what it means in this context. This is what it means, in modern English written my one of the two interpreters that Baha’u’llah appointed. Sorry if you do not like the long sentences but it is the content that is important.
“In conclusion of this theme, I feel, it should be stated that the Revelation identified with Bahá’u’lláh abrogates unconditionally all the Dispensations gone before it, upholds uncompromisingly the eternal verities they enshrine, recognizes firmly and absolutely the Divine origin of their Authors, preserves inviolate the sanctity of their authentic Scriptures, disclaims any intention of lowering the status of their Founders or of abating the spiritual ideals they inculcate, clarifies and correlates their functions, reaffirms their common, their unchangeable and fundamental purpose, reconciles their seemingly divergent claims and doctrines, readily and gratefully recognizes their respective contributions to the gradual unfoldment of one Divine Revelation, unhesitatingly acknowledges itself to be but one link in the chain of continually progressive Revelations, supplements their teachings with such laws and ordinances as conform to the imperative needs, and are dictated by the growing receptivity, of a fast evolving and constantly changing society, and proclaims its readiness and ability to fuse and incorporate the contending sects and factions into which they have fallen into a universal Fellowship, functioning within the framework, and in accordance with the precepts, of a divinely conceived, a world-unifying, a world-redeeming Order.” God Passes By, p. 100
You call this ‘plain English’, Tb? I’m sorry, but this is tortured prose, dense and badly constructed. I am very surprised you can’t see this.
Who ensured that the interpreters’ writing would not be misconstrued?
Who are you to judge? No, I can’t see this, I love his writings. I guess you chose to completely ignore the content, you chose instead to focus on the way it was written… That is called deflection.
About the author:
Shoghi Effendi - Wikipedia
Who ensured that the Bible would not be misconstrued?
LOL! You don’t have to ‘go hunting’ for answers, Tb. The treasure is the whole message, Genesis to Revelation, not in little bits and pieces of information. When one looks at a beautiful landscape painting one doesn’t focus on just one tree.
No, I do not need to go hunting for answers in the Bible because the answers for this age are not in the Bible. They are in the Revelation of Baha’u’llah. When one has seen the Ocean they are no longer interested in dried up lakes and ponds.
