http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1820685,00.html
Anyone ever hear of this? Someone found a stone tablet from before Jesus was born that seems to be saying that some guy named Simon would be killed by Romans and reserected in 3 days and skeptics say that this is how the legend got attached to Jesus.
I'd really like to see a convining rebuttal to this because I get a little anxious when my faith is challenged. There simply has to be a reasonable explenation for this, could someone please help me?
I know of the anxiety that can come with my faith being challenged. Being a student of science I came across much that tried to buck my faith. It created much cognitive dissonance for quite sometime for me. I'm not sure when that changed for me but when I read stories like this I can really care less. I have a personal experience, a spiritual experience that allows me to know. While I might not be able to explain away everything, I no longer feel the need to.
Without even reading the story, there are always those with agendas who try to attribute stories within history to the Bible...as if the Bible stole stories. They tried to do that with some sort of son god story, Zostra, etc and all fall short when you look at it in depth.
Just read through that and almost chuckled.
There is much speculation and very little fact. I think this sums up the article best...
However, such a contentious reading of the 87-line tablet depends on creative interpretation of a smudged passage, making it the latest entry in the woulda/coulda/shoulda category of possible New Testament artifacts; they are useful to prove less-spectacular points and to stir discussion on the big ones, but probably not to settle them nor shake anyone's faith.
I just thought of something - does anyone else think that maybe God put things like this out there as a way of testing our faith?
Quote from: DC on February 07, 2011, 02:00:18 AM
I just thought of something - does anyone else think that maybe God put things like this out there as a way of testing our faith?
I think it's possible. I used to search things like this out then research and explain. But, there comes a time when you realize that faith, is exactly that. God gives us relationship, he gives us an experience. You can either trust that or trust the things man comes up with. It really is that simple.
Quote from: DC on February 05, 2011, 02:40:59 AM
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1820685,00.html
Anyone ever hear of this? Someone found a stone tablet from before Jesus was born that seems to be saying that some guy named Simon would be killed by Romans and reserected in 3 days and skeptics say that this is how the legend got attached to Jesus.
I'd really like to see a convining rebuttal to this because I get a little anxious when my faith is challenged. There simply has to be a reasonable explenation for this, could someone please help me?
NO.
The article doesn't give much information, it is a quite poor read and is mere speculation on 2 different quotes.
Could it be a prophecy that talks about Jesus?
There is an old testament prophecy that calls Jesus "the branch"
Perhaps simon meant something?. Although did the name simon exist in those time?
These are just a few questions out of a million that need to be asked.
Quote from: thinktank on February 07, 2011, 06:00:28 PM
The article doesn't give much information, it is a quite poor read and is mere speculation on 2 different quotes.
Could it be a prophecy that talks about Jesus?
There is an old testament prophecy that calls Jesus "the branch"Quote
tt,
I was thinkinking the same thing.
CHB
Simon is in NT only.
The closest name (I can think of) in the OT in Simeon.
But that just comparing English. In Hebrew one jot can change a word completely.
Shimeon means "heard"
I can't find the meaning of Simon
Σίμων
Simōn
Thayer Definition:
Peter = "a rock or stone"
1) Peter was one of the apostles
2) Simon called Zelotes or the Kanaites
3) Simon, father of Judas who betrayed Jesus.
4) Simon Magus, the Samaritan wizard
5) Simon the tanner, Ac. 10
6) Simon the Pharisee, Luk 7:40-44
7) Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross of Christ
8) Simon the cousin of Jesus, the son of Cleophas
9) Simon the leper, so called to distinguish him from others of the same name
What does the blue quote actually read? Simon is a zealot? Of Zealots are also called Simon?
The sect Jesus originated from was likely closely related to the Zealots.
Quote from: shawn on February 07, 2011, 03:04:56 AM
Quote from: DC on February 07, 2011, 02:00:18 AM
I just thought of something - does anyone else think that maybe God put things like this out there as a way of testing our faith?
I think it's possible. I used to search things like this out then research and explain. But, there comes a time when you realize that faith, is exactly that. God gives us relationship, he gives us an experience. You can either trust that or trust the things man comes up with. It really is that simple.
I absolutely agree Shawn . . .one thing I've come to understand is that "before" I turned from traditional thinking, my faith was based on what I was taught by others and by what my mind digested from what I read in Scriptures. I didn't know what faith really was. Everything was based on facts and proof. If it says it, then I believe it and that settles it . . .I think that used to even be a bumper sticker.
But then as I began to see how the mind can actually decieve us into thinking darkness is light and the natural mind is at war with kingdom principles and so forth, it then started to change the emphasis on a lot of passages. Faith is believing in what I can't see. It's embracing what can't be seen . . .it's taking a hold of what can not be understood. Scripture I can see. So if I base my faith on Scripture, how can I then call that faith?
Now, I see Scripture as a mirror. It reflects "me" when I read it. Funny thing when you look in a miriror, you don't see me and I don't see you, yet on a religious level, we think that the bible should reflect the same image to everyone. Even though we all know everyone is different from everyone else. The common denominator is that Scripture is a reflection of where we are in Christ. And it remains a mirror to all, but it's reflection changes from one individual to another. Faith is based on the same principles . . .we all have different levels of faith in different areas.
Some of us find it easier to accept UR and some find it easier to accept ET even though all are using the same mirror. Faith "should" be based on the sound from the "in" side of us, not so much on the surroundings on the "out" side of us.
If they never found Noah's ark, would that affect what you believe about Noah? Better yet, would it affect what you see in the spiritual principle that Noah's experience manifests? Spiritual faith is not shaken by natural means.