Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

Spin,

I think you bruised my brain. I've got a little headache in my frontal lobes today. It looks like you are teaching this old dog some new tricks.

You are not only introducing me to new ideas, you are showing me how dependent I am upon translations and assumptions of DSS scholars without having realized it.

Your "car" is like a steamroller that has crushed everything I thought I knew. As I said in the Eisenman thread (which is the first thread of any sort that I've started on the internet), I do like to look at things from different angles, but I can't look from angles I'm not aware of. The translations of the Scrolls that I have (Vermes, Eisenman, and Wise, Abegg, Cook), and the books on the Scrolls that I have access to (VanderKam, Shanks and the like) or have seen online barely mention Menelaus (or not at all), so I want to thank you for bringing the Menelaus-Wicked Priest theory to my attention. I'm now researching what I can find online about it, and so far it seems interesting.

You strike me as being a very independent thinker, but I'm curious which scholars or websites have most influenced your point of view.

Really? The car analogy had nothing to do with spin's knowledge of the Qumran texts. It was simply developed around the question of carbon dating. Nothing spin said was decisive ... save for the carbon dating.

I think this is just an attempt on the part of "John2" to figure out who "spin" is. Not difficult to do if you know how to use Google

Stephan,

In my previous thread I wanted to share my point of view with people here because I am new to this forum. I was hoping I'd get some feedback because I don't want to take anything for granted. Spin offered me some references and new ways of looking at the points I addressed, which has opened up some new channels for me to explore. I haven't even had time yet to fully investigate his references, let alone decide that he is right. And I'd like to flesh out his point of view, if you don't mind.

I wish I knew who "Spin" was in real life. I'd like to read his stuff, not just messages on a board.

Google is your friend. Use it to solve all of life's mysteries.

Blood wrote:I wish I knew who "Spin" was in real life. I'd like to read his stuff, not just messages on a board.

There isn't any.

He's like Jesus, a phantom. The myth of "spin." He was developed in a lab in Palo Alto.

Stephan Huller wrote:Really? The car analogy had nothing to do with spin's knowledge of the Qumran texts. It was simply developed around the question of carbon dating. Nothing spin said was decisive ... save for the carbon dating.

Yup, that's correct. However, the important issue is that the texts can be explained without recourse to Essene nonsense or christian usurpation.

Spin wrote:

"the important issue is that the texts can be explained without recourse to Essene nonsense or christian usurpation."

I agree. And I don't understand the talk about me trying to figure out your identity (that hadn't even occurred to me, let alone been my intention in starting this thread). I'm only interested in learning more about your explanations for what the DSS say and what scholars or websites may have influenced your point of view.

While I've already seen some interesting articles and books online that discuss the Menelaus-Wicked Priest theory, and I gather that you've probably discussed all this ad infinitum on discussion boards over the years, I thought I'd try to get a few more tidbits from you while I have your attention here before trying a Google search of "spin" and scrolling through old forums.