For nearly all my life – until a few months ago, actually – I assumed that Jesus favored and promoted equality: everyone deserves equal treatment and will receive equal rewards from God if they are on his side and survive the coming day of judgment. This really was a pure assumption on my part. I never much thought about it and didn’t realize I was simply assuming it. Hey, I believe everyone deserves to be treated equally. And if that’s what makes sense to me, obviously all right-minded people would think that. And who was more right-minded than Jesus?
But now that I have put some thought into it, I’m not sure Jesus would agree.
Certainly, I’d say, Jesus thought
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I recall this from Justin Martyr (2nd Century CE): “If you have ever encountered any so-called Christians who do not admit this doctrine, but dare to blaspheme…by asserting that there is no resurrection of the dead, but that their souls are taken up to heaven at the moment of their death, do not consider them to be real Christians.” (Dialogue with Trypho 80) So, according to JM most Christians today are not “real” Christians!
Yup, it appears so!!
Off-Topic
I watched the Misquoting Jesus session on original sin and am curious whether eastern religions like Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism and the like have dogmas similar to Xty’s original sin?
No, it’s a distinctively Christian thing….
Looking forward to the next post Bart. Do you know if/when Armageddon might become available on kindle in the uk? I am a quadriplegic atheist living in Northern Ireland, and as such I’m (1) unable to read regular books and (2) worried that if I’m not able to read it soon I will run out of material with which to wind up my Presbyterian mother-in-law 😉
I’m sure it’s available electronically already, but don’t know where. (Sorry!)
Hey Dr Bart it’s my understanding that Bruce Metzger held to traditional authorship on most Christian texts(except 2nd Peter). Do you know how he was able to maintain these views in spite of his pears thinking otherwise. Was this more a reflection of his pious beliefs? And does he have any books he’s written that speak about authorship?
Yes, he was very traditoinal in many ways and did not see the strength of arguments compelling to others. He wrote an textbook on the New Testament for college students that I believe is still in print, and you can probably find some of his explanatoins there. His basic line is that he saw what the contrary arguments were, but simply didn’t find them compelling.
I don’t think Eastern Orthodox Christianity believes in it either.
… by God, He was going….
Always capitalize the divinity and pronouns referring to it.