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NT apologetics
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Edj

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January 3, 2021 - 12:37 pm

Has anyone compiled a list of NT verses that depict what first century skeptics were saying about Christianity? For example, “We do not follow cleverly devised fables” suggests Christians were being accused of doing just that. “Where is the promise of his coming?” suggests NT writers were being asked hard questions about the delayed second coming. “Someone stole the body,” suggests early believers were already facing alternative explanations for an alleged empty tomb. And so forth.

I think it would be interesting to see how many criticisms early Christians faced by counting how many arguments they felt they had to refute.

Thanks. This is my first Q on this forum.

 

EDJ

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gryan

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January 5, 2021 - 5:45 am

Edj said
I think it would be interesting to see how many criticisms early Christians faced by counting how many arguments they felt they had to refute.

Good idea for a book. Here is another text that might be included.

1 Corinthians 15:35-36a

Ἀλλὰ ἐρεῖ τις Πῶς ἐγείρονται οἱ νεκροί; ποίῳ δὲ σώματι ἔρχονται; ἄφρων

But someone will say, How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come? Thou art without reason! 

I wonder where the quotation of the skeptic voice ends, and Paul’s reply begins. Who is it that exclaims “Thou art without reason!”?? 

On the grammar, Meyer’s NT Commentary says: “ἄφρων] The deniers have thus, on the assumption of the identity of the resurrection-body with the body which is buried, found the ποιότης [nature] of the former to be inconceivable… The nominative [“ἄφρων] is not address [vocative], because without the article, but exclamation; so that to explain it grammatically we must supply εἶ [thou art].”

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Stephen
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January 5, 2021 - 10:05 am

Welcome  Edj!

It’s  hard to  believe  that  such  a  book,  or  more  likely,  books,  does  not  already  exist.    That  might  be  a  good  question  to  ask  Prof  Ehrman  directly.   

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Edj

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January 12, 2021 - 4:31 pm

Gregory, thank you. I missed that 1 Cor verse and it’s just the thing I’m looking for. Until I find a collection of such texts I’ll start my own and this reference will be near the top. Great commentary by Meyer, too. Thanks.

Stephen, thank you. Dr. Ehrman answers direct questions? Hard to fathom but I’ll give it a shot.

If other subscribers care to add to this list I’d be most grateful. 

Cheers to all.

EDJ 

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