Posted on 12/19/2011 4:02:26 PM PST by rhema
How do you know? Who were Matthew, Mark, Luke and John?
I’m going to jump in (an out!), but it seems to me that the folks Jesus was getting his message to were the ordinary folks. Not sure how literate they were back then. And I heard an interesting conjecture on why the scriptures weren’t written for another 20 to 30(???) years or later after Jesus. The thinking goes that the disiples thought Jesus would return in their lifetime. But after awhile they realized that might not be so - and so got to writing Jesus’ stories down.
Sort of like my mom writing her “memoirs” and talking about the roaring 20’s, the Depression, WWII, etc. She got to writing down her memories about 20 years ago when my dad was sick and the feeling that she better get some stuff down in writing to be able to pass it on. (And she still keeps adding to them when she thinks of something!)
Of course many of the stories I heard or witnessed as a child. If she had made up some wild stories my older kids and I would have called her on them.
And while there are lots of arguments on the veracity of the Bible, etc. - it does come down to faith. However, many of the best Christian apologetics around set out to prove the Bible wrong. And based on the evidence - gained faith.
believing in the virgin birth is nothing. I mean, if Jesus is God he can do anything he wants to do...
The real problem is to believe that the God of the huge universe cares so much for us that he became a lowly poor man to teach us how to live.
Glad you jumped in.
And I heard an interesting conjecture on why the scriptures werent written for another 20 to 30(???) years or later after Jesus. The thinking goes that the disiples thought Jesus would return in their lifetime. But after awhile they realized that might not be so - and so got to writing Jesus stories down.
Very good. The first converts and the first generation gradually realized that Jesus was not immediately coming back and that they had to go beyond what they were doing at the time. They had to create a body of Scripture, and they had to ensure that the various Church offices (especially bishop) had established a methodology of succession.
And while there are lots of arguments on the veracity of the Bible, etc. - it does come down to faith. However, many of the best Christian apologetics around set out to prove the Bible wrong. And based on the evidence - gained faith.
Quite agree. I pulled a prodigal son act in my teens and twenties. The Lord was quite patient and quite convincing, as it turned out...
you’ve pointed that out before...that’s a Jewish argument for denying Christ...
But God uses the church to interpret these things, including the decision on what books belong there...and the Greek version used by the early Christians used the word for virgin...and of course, a young unmarried girl in those days would never have a baby out of wedlock...
It is not possible for a Christian to doubt the virgin birth.
Culturalists might, but not Christians.
sadly, this was the next stage in their development. Metmom -- what argument does your group give against the virgin birth?
Yet look at Unitarians or uri’s messianic-something religious group. They reject the virgin birth. And if you listen even briefly to the big kirk guys like Osteen, etc, you can wonder what they preach on this...
cyc — do Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in the virgin birth?
ego and pride. To reject the beliefs of the Early Christians based on one's interpretation in the year 2011 is egotistical, to say the least.
Noah lived to be 950... — well, compare this to mythologies from Iran or India and you have people living for hundreds of years. Is it possible that climate change affected the length of a person’s life? Climate change post flood?
One of my kid’s just asked me that - about the long life spans.
My conjecture - with NO evidence to back it up - is that perhaps sin has grown with time, or each generation. Adam & Eve would have lived forever if not for their sin. And that original sin perhaps get passed down like those inbreeding maladies like the Kings and Queens of Europe had and things go from bad to worse.
So over time lifespans went from 900+ to 40-something(???) in the middle ages.
But with science, we are able to create cleaner environments, heal sickness, etc. - the life span has increased over the years in more recent history.
IMIAHO (In my ignorant and humble opinion!)
“Kristof is absolutely aghast that so many Americans believe in the Virgin Birth.”
That is hysterical. Just a hoot.
God can make the heavens and the Earth, all that is seen and unseen, but creating one strand of DNA at a particular time and place is beyond Him.
Clusters of galaxies, no problem. One strand of DNA: sorry, out of the question.
I hope other people get as much merriment from my folly as I do from theirs.
Thus Paul in Hebrews chapter 11 describes many who displayed, not credulity, but rather belief, faith, an assured expectation based upon evidence.
As I say, nothing is IMPOSSIBLE with God! :)
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