iskander wrote:OK, Charles. please , why do you think this cancellation could be the origin of Christianity?
Iskander --
1. I have a few minutes before turning in for the night. I will come back to this Post at my leisure. This Post may get long before it's over.
2. The Thesis: The Temple Slaughter of 4 BCE provided a Story Line for the creation of a New Religion built around a savior/god. Jewish History was appropriated, dismembered and rewritten to a different end. As with most good stories, the actual descriptions may be fictional. as in: "This Story is about a child named "Peter" who came from a Preistly Settlement in Upper Galilee" - Is this Story True or False? We have Josephus for descriptions of the Passover Atrocity. We have the Archaeological Evidence of Settlements of the Priests, especially "Jabnit" for the Mishmarot Group Immer. Someone (Johanen ben Zakkai?) knew an incredible amount of information about the Mishmarot Priesthood and it is a simple task to find that Immer rotated into Jerusalem for Duty on the Sabbath after Wednesday in 4 BCE, being preceeded by Bilgah. A story appears to have been written. It may even have been true, as in: "The Temple was destroyed while the Mishmarot Group Jehoiarib was on Duty" - Is this Story True or False?
"Immer" is a word play with the Hebrew "Immar" which is "Lamb" - as in, "Lamb of God". The Semitic Story is hidden in the Greek and " 'mmr-Yah " becomes a name for the savior/god, especially in GJohn. At times the word-plays become transparent and the attempts to make the savior/god seem significant as the "Passover Lamb" become almost laughable. There is then a "First Story" of the Story of Immer which is almost destroyed at the 4 BCE Passover. Less apparent is the Second Story, of members of Bilgah and Immer rotating into Jerusalem for a "Duplicate Passover" 12 years later. A Priest who survived the First Death at the Passover Slaughter - by a miracle - is challenged by Jairus to try one Last Time to evict the Herodians and the Romans. The result is Death to the Priest - or perhaps Peter - and a realization that God operates on His time and in His way and all you can do is to don the Robes of the Priesthood and do as you were taught:
Matthew 5: 20 - 26 (RSV):
[20] For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
[21] "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.'
[22] But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, `You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire.
[23] So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
[24] leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
[25] Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison;
[26] truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.
This is a Story about the Priesthood.
3. I'll start with Mark and add a little as needed. Some of this will drive a few of you to drink. Especially if you live in Cananada. It will take the form of assertions. The lengthier analysis is there if you will look...
4. Mark 1: 4 - 8. Introduction to the character "John". John is of the Mishmarot Group Bilgah. Bilgah has committed an Offense against the Priesthood. Bilgah's Ring, which holds the Victim for the Sacrifice, has been nailed down. Bilgah is not worthy to untie the ring of the new savior/god's sandal. John comes before "Jesus", as Bilgah comes before Immer, but must be lesser than Immer because of the offense.
5. Throughout these Stories, there are rewrites - I hate to call them Interpolations - from the Romans. "Holy Spirit", "Fishers of Men", etc.
6. Mark 1: 21 - 28. I invite you to read this with a different
Intentionality, paying heed to the years and the languages. Drop the Metaphysics for a moment. The Demon knows "Jesus": "What have you to do with us..."? To set up the rest of the Story, read this as if the "Demon" is looking back to an event that occurred years ago. The "Demon" is acknowledging that something happened to "Jesus" - it just wasn't caused by the "Demons" that are hangin' around now.
I understand that "Your Mileage May Vary" and that's OK. After the completion of this, you can come back and see if the Intention makes sense.
7. I skip some to get to Mark 3: 1 - 6. "The Man with the Withered Hand" is extremely important. It is a Story from the Second Passover, 12 years after the 4 BCE Slaughter. It is a Story similar to the "Woman Bent over 18 Years" only it does not give a Time Marker. The man cannot write (...the withered hand), he cannot tell of what happened at the Interregnum between Herod and his son Archelaus 12 years ago. This is not "Jesus" but a Priest who is telling the Scribe that he is free to write about what happened. It is the Healing of the Withered Hand that threatens the Pharisees and the Herodians. It is the Fact that these two groups were responsible for the murder of 3000 and the Cancellation of Passover.
8. Mark 4: 35 - 41. Here is a description of the Temple Slaughter of 4 BCE. The Priest is in Antonia, in the "Realm of Heaven", resting. There is a telescoping of characters here as we shall soon see. One Priest is caught out in the "Storm". This Priest will certainly die in the Melee - won't he...?
More later.
CW