Post
by Charles Wilson » Thu Mar 05, 2020 1:41 pm
Hello everyone --
This is another in a Series of CW Posts. *Sigh*. I hate doing these. Nobody appears to put the material into their Framework. Hence, no comments. I still feel that it is important to see, however. The most general statement here is that, when looking for meaning in the NT writings, we should look to Historical Records (or Pseudo-Historical Records) before jumping off the train and singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" to a Metaphysical end. The Logical Positivist's Verification Principle may be invoked but, of course, that accomplishes nothing for those who don't want to play.
"Existence is not a Predicate". The phrase "Because Jesus" doesn't change that.
Matthew 7: 6 - 14 (RSV):
[6] "Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you.
[7] "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
[8] For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
[9] Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
[10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
[11] If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
[12] So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
[13] "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
[14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Here is an ideal Matthean Passage, massaged to give a meaning of a Majestic savior/god saving the Backward Population when a common, ordinary meaning may accrue.
Note on Methodology: There are Clues/Hints/Jokes all over these Passages in the NT that point to the Historical Features (See for ex. Mark 10: 18: "No one is good but God alone...". This is not a "Jesus Character" being humble. It parallels a story of Archelaus falling to the feet of Caesar. BEFORE you get all misty eyed Metaphysical, at least try to see that may be something in Josephus or Tacitus or something.).
Verses 9 - 11 provide the biggest Clues/Hints that something else is going on:
***
[9] "Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?"
Josephus, Antiquities..., 15, 9, 6:
"So Herod endeavored to rectify this inconvenience, and laid out such a compass towards the land as might be sufficient for a haven, wherein the great ships might lie in safety; and this he effected by letting down vast stones of above fifty feet in length, not less than eighteen in breadth, and nine in depth, into twenty fathom deep; and as some were lesser, so were others bigger than those dimension...The city was called Caesarea..."
There is a Great Famine in Judea. Herod sells everything in the Palace to obtain grain from the Egyptian Procurator Petronius. He will give bread away to anyone and the Mishmarot Priests worry that these will be "Bribes" and the people will be swayed by this. [See Edit Note Below]
***
[10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
An Egyptian Joke, going back to Moses.
***
[11] If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
If you then, who are evil...: "Of course, this refers to evil people, ESPECIALLY those filthy Jews...". No! Who is Evil here? Herod.
This is another Herod Story. This Passage is arguing over the Loyalties of the Population. The Sofistikates in the Hellenized Jerusalem may be easily swayed by "mere food" but with Caesarea being the "Any Port in a Storm", ending the Hunger in the pit of your stomach trumps "Five Loaves of Bread and the Two Fish ".
After this Analysis, you wanna do a Historical Examination of how all of this was Gnosticised? Knock yourself out. Go for it. Just remember what came first.
CW
{Edit Note:
"Now it happened that this care of his, and this seasonable benefaction, had such influence on the Jews, and was so cried up among other nations, as to wipe off that old hatred which his violation of some of their customs, during his reign, had procured him among all the nation, and that this liberality of his assistance in this their greatest necessity was full satisfaction for all that he had done of that nature, as it also procured him great fame among foreigners; and it looked as if these calamities that afflicted his land, to a degree plainly incredible, came in order to raise his glory, and to be to his great advantage; for the greatness of his liberality in these distresses, which he now demonstrated beyond all expectation, did so change the disposition of the multitude towards him, that they were ready to suppose he had been from the beginning not such a one as they had found him to be by experience, but such a one as the care he had taken of them in supplying their necessities proved him now to be..."
Compare with:
Mark 9: 42 (RSV):
[42] "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung round his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
Herod. This is all one Story.]
Last edited by
Charles Wilson on Sun Mar 08, 2020 7:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
