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To: kosta50; Kolokotronis
We've heard all about our and Paul's supposed gnosticism from the Orthodox around here.

Care to comment?

772 posted on 01/31/2008 1:08:25 PM PST by Pyro7480 ("Jesu, Jesu, Jesu, esto mihi Jesus" -St. Ralph Sherwin's last words at Tyburn)
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To: Pyro7480; Dr. Eckleburg; MarkBsnr; Kolokotronis
Dr. E to Mark [Post #771] "We've heard all about our and Paul's supposed gnosticism from the Orthodox around here."

Pyro to Kosta [Post #772] "Care to comment?"

Yes I do. First, common sense would have led Dr. E to write "an Orthodox" instead of "the Orthodox." 

Second, common courtesy would have led Dr. E to include me in her reply because she was referring to me, simply because I am the only Orthodox Freeper with whom she had a discussion on this topic.

Third, she owes the rest of "the Orthodox" an apology for falsely accusing them of something none of them can be charged with.

Fourth, people actually holding academic and theological degrees, who are much more educated and knowledgeable when it comes to +Paul, have pointed to the fact that +Paul was particularly dear and near to the Gnostics (let's not forget Marcion as well) and that many of his writings carry concepts and terminology used by the Gnostics—beginning with his conversion on the way to Damascus onward. 

An average bible reader could not tell a Gnostic "gospel" from a real one because both use the same terminology and style of writing, and sometimes the only thing that betrays a heretical text from the orthodox one is one key word used in a specific context in a verse.

Personally I don't believe +Paul was Gnostic, but I do believe that his way of thinking was akin to theirs and that probably a singificant number of his followers may have been Gnostics.

805 posted on 01/31/2008 4:26:27 PM PST by kosta50 (Eastern Orthodoxy is pure Christianity)
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