Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

Not necessarily: I was kind of reverse applying the definition of anthropomorphized - which is 'attributing human attributes or values (or both) to inhuman entities', such as animals, plants, objects, or structures, etc. - to the implication that Paul's body was the church ie. the narrative about P...

.. Suggests that the church was anthropomorphized ... Yes and no. Let's not forget that "ekklesia" doesn't mean anything else than "assembly". You can also use the word for a city council. An assembly of people is necessarily "anthropomorphized". Paul is just saying th...

If one is searching for early christian origins, then it matters whether the Pauline epistles are 'historicized fiction' or history. If the epistles are history then the search is over. Christian origins are what the epistles say they are. If the epistles are 'historicized fiction' then there is a ...

Okay, I guess I finally got it. Elohim acted in Yahweh as Christ acted in Paul, as the actual power behind the Demiurge.

What probability would one give to a theory about early christian origins that one has created from 'historical fiction'? I know that this is your personal stumbling block, of which I have already said that it's mere assertion and has absolutely no merit, no matter how often you repeat it. Does it ...

Okay, I have the feeling we are dancing somewhat in circles here. I understood points 1-5, with the new (to me) info in those 5 paragraphs being that Yahweh is no longer the demiurge. If Yahweh is not the Demiurge anymore, is it now Adam, and do you see the connection via 1Cor15 (first and last Adam...

Indeed. That's what I already posted - without a historical Paul the Carrier-Doherty mythicist theory is devalued, it is limited. Thus, re Carrier, it's probability would need to be lowered. Even if Carrier might have said that, this is not how things like this work. It didn't hurt the bulk of the ...

The apostle's gospel writing effort must have been similarly conceived. Again what are the alternatives to the heretical understanding of Paul declaring he is a 'wise architect'? Surely you acknowledge - as Origen notes - that the reference is allegorical or at least saying something else than Paul...

Indeed the texts exist. The question is whether the NT figure of Paul is historical. Does it matter for the Carrier-Doherty theory whether the NT Paul existed or not? I just quoted Doherty.... Earl Doherty : If strong doubts could be cast on the existence of Paul, we would have to completely recast...

If that theory cannot establish the historicity of the NT Paul - then, is that theory just as much assumption and speculation as is the historicists Jesus theory? I think your two half-sentences are not logically connected. Is the theory assumption and speculation? Sure, as it's built mostly on jud...