Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

Jesus was at least a "teacher of righteousness," right? Righteousness seems to be the core of his message anyway (just as it is in the Damascus Document). Mt. 5:10 and 20: Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness , for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless ...

I think of Judas as being like Anan ben David, the supposed founder of Karaite Judaism (which, similar to the Fourth Philosophy, emerged from Rabbinic Judaism). Karaites after him did not necessarily agree with him in every particular, but he still kick started to idea of rejecting the oral Torah, s...

Alright, I will ponder all your feedback. As for: So Judas the Galilean is the founder of Christianity? Do you not see how artificial this grouping is? It is like saying that John Darby is the founder of the House Church Movement in the US. Yes, some House Church leaders were inspired by Darby and t...

And notice Hegesippus' dig against these Jewish opponents of Christians as being also opposed to "the tribe of Judah," which in my view is his way of saying that they weren't "real" Jews, which reminds me of Rev. 2:9: I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the...

I often hear that there were many Jewish sects during the first century CE, but the guy who was there (Josephus) says that there were four (not counting the Samaritans). And since Christianity (to me) resembles and existed during the same time as the Fourth Philosophy, and the Fourth Philosophy act...

For me it's just a process of elimination. I often hear that there were many Jewish sects during the first century CE, but the guy who was there (Josephus) says that there were four (not counting the Samaritans). And Christianity can't be Pharisaic because it rejects the oral Torah, it can't be Sadd...

VanderKam writes regarding Daniel being regarded as a prophet in the DSS (unlike in Rabbinic Judaism): The Book of Daniel is cited in two places in [DSS] texts that seem to be sectarian. It has, of course, always been of interest that Daniel is explicitly called a prophet in 4QFlorilegium .... 4QFlo...

And since we know that the Damascus Document had circulated post-70 CE (because copies of it were found in Egypt that date to the Middle Ages), and given the similarity of content between it and 1 and 2 Timothy (Torah observance, Jannes and Jambres, the snare of the devil and such), I don't see any ...

It's just seems you see Jewish christian in everything, which makes me think "no shit" the religion started in Judaism, but your findings are so broad as to be meaningless. But I think we can say more than that Jewish Christianity started in Judaism. I think there is enough information in the NT, J...

MrMacSon wrote: I've seen several scholars say Christianity was Jewish (ie. it was a 'Jewish Christianity') until the 4th century. That's how it looks to me lately (or at least up to the mid to late second century CE). In the big picture, for example, the most popular NT gospel (and the one placed f...