Posted on 02/06/2015 7:33:18 PM PST by ealgeone
A 1,500-year-old book that contains a previously unknown gospel has been deciphered. The ancient manuscript may have been used to provide guidance or encouragement to people seeking help for their problems, according to a researcher who has studied the text.
Written in Coptic, an Egyptian language, the opening reads (in translation):
"The Gospel of the lots of Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ, she to whom Gabriel the Archangel brought the good news. He who will go forward with his whole heart will obtain what he seeks. Only do not be of two minds
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
“26 And they gave them lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”
Where in that verse do you see “The Lord’s choice for Apostle being not Matthias”?
Both tarot and Ouija have known occult connotations, as well. Attempting to use either in a holy context “just to prove it possible” would be quite unwise because of the danger of attracting demons to their accustomed medium and the possibility of creating a scandal among men.
The Apostles used lots. I don’t see any indication they were trying to prove anything.
Sounds like they had a number of roughly equally plausible candidates. There are some things that the bible does not tell us about the circumstances. At the least I do not believe we have a basis for deeming it undoubtedly evil in the circumstances and it is understandable under some circumstances. Matthias is not known for have gone on to be another damaging goof ball like Judas, which has to say it at least has done no obvious harm.
The “lots of Mary” sound implausible because God would have far better ways to illuminate her, but it could be a human attempt to ascribe great fairness to Mary.
Just musing gently about implications. It does not need to follow that this is intended to blame anybody for anything.
Well, I mean small faith vs. larger faith. Not utter faithlessness.
Faith needs a revealed object in which to believe. Pentecost would give them direction, and direction is also one purpose of a lottery.
I’m thinking it is possible, though undocumented in the bible, that Jesus consistently referred to “the twelve of you” while with them physically on earth. Now that they learned through events that this couldn’t have meant the original group, they wanted to reconstitute it to 12 men. But this is just meant to be sanctified imagination, not some infallible deduction.
It’s interesting that we never hear of prospective missionaries (a post-Pentecost phenomenon) ever drawing lots about it. They pray, they seek, and eventually they end up with a mission field, which might be different from what they had envisioned.
Okay, understood. :-)
Good points.
Here’s something to consider...(Again, just thinking this through with what we’re told in the Scriptures)...
Which would take more faith: Asking the Lord to make His choice known? Or trying to figure out which of the two would make a better apostle and picking him?
The lottery might have struck them as the more faith-aligned approach, if other principles did not solve the question of God’s will satisfactorily.
Just to hypothesize again, maybe if the 11 had waited for Pentecost, something would have happened to reconstitute their group to 12 even if they had good reason to expect it. God is flexible enough to weave our choices into our fates, while firm enough to guarantee outcomes of which we have already been promised.
Hmm...Somehow Peter knew that David’s prophecy was to be fulfilled in the selection of a replacement for Judas, right? How could he have known that except through revelation? And if it was by revelation, where did he get it? It must have been from Jesus, right?
And another thing...How did he know the qualifications of a replacement? (Btw, it seems to me we find out a whole lot about the function of apostles from these qualifications.)
To me it looks more and more like the entire thing was fully instructed by Jesus beforehand. Nor can I see anything pointing against that conclusion.
I actually own “The Gospel of Mary” .. I also own the Gnostic Gospels ... you need to know what Satan is doing
Re: “We’re not told of the Lord’s instructions to the eleven concerning this matter. But I don’t think either of us want to charge them with acting without instructions.”
Allow me to clarify that I am in no way dissing the Apostles or Christianity - I am a Christian and have been for 36 years and a long time student of the Bible.
I just always wondered why the Apostles cast lots when it would seem that the first three things they did would be enough to figure out the proper replacement.
Both men were equally qualified, as far as the qualifications given by Peter, and, both men must have been highly regarded by the apostles for them to even be considered.
However, I think you are assuming a lot when you imply that they did have instructions from The Lord. If Jesus did give them instructions, why didn’t He just tell them who to appoint?
The Apostles were not infallible - remember Paul had to rebuke Peter once for going along with Jewish believers who wouldn’t fellowship with Gentile believers until they were circumcised.
This is not a big issue with me - just a curiosity. I think they just had a decision to make, both men were qualified, Godly men - they prayed about it, then just cast lots, drew straws (whatever) to choose one of them. Casting lots to make a spiritual decision just seems odd to me. I don’t see it ever mentioned again in the New Testament.
Sure......
Just another gnostic text penned hundreds of years after after the events.
The problem is with the way the decision was made. There’s no indication that it was Spirit lead but more likely a man made decision.
Giving God two *choices* and then casting lots, isn’t much of a choice.
Someone was going to *win* and someone was going to *lose* but that doesn’t mean that either of them was who GOD wanted chosen.
That’s why I conclude they had been instructed. Otherwise, it’s as you say - the eleven were making the decision (or most of it anyway) and ONLY THEN asking the Lord what He wanted.
It’s like someone asking God, “Which would You prefer I use to praise you, the piano or the guitar?” When He’s already told us what He wants: our voices and our hearts.
I don’t think they were instructed because Matthias simply falls off the map in Scripture, never to be heard of again, and Jesus comes along and knocks Saul off his horse and voila, another apostle.
It’s clear that Paul was God’s choice, not Matthias.
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