Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

andrewcriddle wrote: ↑Fri Oct 05, 2018 12:16 pm On the whole the pagan mysteries used pre-existing myths rather than inventing new ones.

I think Dionysus may have been a mystery god from the beginning. If not, then maybe the mysteries added his death and resurrection to his pre-existing myth.

After reading more about Anubis and Wepwawet I think it's possible that John The Baptist may have been based on these Egyptian gods either directly or indirectly through Judaism. What parts of the Jewish scriptures is John the Baptist based on besides the prophecy in Isaiah? There's either influenci...

Judaism, Christianity, and Egyptian that have myths of an angel or god visiting a woman and telling her she will give birth to a king, savior, or hero? I'm trying to find out if there's other ancient Near Eastern myths that have this motif. Not sure if this is the right sub-forum to post this but I ...

I've mentioned here before that I think the gospels are mainly allegories for religious/spiritual concepts(among other things) and one of these concepts is initiation. I think good examples of this are the cults of Dionysus and Osiris which have a lot of similarities to the cult of Jesus. Dionysos B...

I address it in the book. The first statement is part of an allegory. I take it as an allegorical statement and actually the "woman" Paul is describing is in heaven. The second statement is an obvious interpolation. Thanks. I've been considering "born of a woman" being allegoric...

I think what is meant is that Jesus was and still is the agent or mediator of creation. The Jesus Hymn in Philippians 2.5-11 has Christ Jesus existing with and as God from the beginning; the Johannine prologue explicitly has "all things" coming into being "through him" (δι᾽ αὐτο...

9) The Jesus being worshiped prior to the creation of GMark was "the Lord Jesus Christ" - a heavenly deity of immense power, including the power to overcome death, heal the sick, absolve sins, destroy the world, create a new kingdom in heaven, pass judgement on sinners, and bring about to...

Ben C. Smith wrote: ↑Wed Sep 26, 2018 4:00 pm

and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom [δι᾽ οὗ] are all things, and we exist through Him.

What do you think is meant by "through whom are all things, and we exist through him"?

I came across this book that was just released that I thought people here would find interesting. https://books.google.com/books?id=mRJtDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PR1&dq=Empty%20Tomb%2C%20Apotheosis%2C%20Resurrection%20By%20John%20Granger%20Cook&pg=PR1#v=onepage&q=Empty%20Tomb,%20Apotheosis,%20Res...

I think this concept of divinity multiplying itself or dividing itself is found throughout the books of the Bible. I think Abraham's seed/descendants is an allegory for this concept. Abraham representing divinity multiplying itself(his seed/descendants) and returning to "the bosom of Abraham&qu...