Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

Marcus Du Sautoy was on the Beeb yesterday discussing how as he as a mathematician looks for patterns. Have Iambic pentameters and similar rhythms and musicality been used to ask is this original or has something been edited in or out? Chiasms would be part of this. Agreed. I think another criterio...

ETA: I have always rather liked the physicality of idiomatic expressions in Hebrew, and I like it when modern translations preserve them. "Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem," for example, or "he who pisses against a wall" to indicate a male (as opposed to a female). Of c...

I have no opinion about the Documentary Hypothesis, but I'm sure that I often hear the voice of one author in the Book of Genesis, especially in the stories of the patriarchs. To me, this old Hebrew master and Mark are the best biblical storytellers. It would be interesting to me to break down whic...

Ben C. Smith wrote:May I ask how you learned ancient Greek?

I learn only Markan Greek with Mark and a few other books But meanwhile I'm able to read the Greek menu in a Greek restaurant

That is just my point: strictly speaking, also the creator god ''doesn't want the death'' of his Son, but he is yet forced , by virtue of a metaphysical need, to kill his Son to atone for the sins of all mankind. Such a creator god is a slave of his own Law. Pilate seems just a parody of this creat...

We are said ad nauseam that in the more old Jewish-Christian theology, it is God (the god of Jews) who wants the death of Jesus in order to purify the sins of all Israel. But we observe a curious fact, then, in our gospels: that role that should have been played by God, it is actually occupied by P...

I don't think I could ever get up the same interest to study, say, the Koran. Me too. And this has to do with the literary quality of the Bible. imho the Koran is “boring” and the ancient Greek literature is stylistically tiresome. But I'm fascinated by many stories of the Bible and the way they ar...

I too am a passenger on the ex-Evangelical boat. How unexciting! ;) I grew up in East Germany under the communist government. My parents are atheists and our education at kindergarten and at school was antireligious. As many young people of my generation, I was very critical of the policy in East G...

I liked Esther, parts of Daniel, and Jonah. Esther and Jonah are also two of my favorite Bible books. I have no opinion about the Documentary Hypothesis, but I'm sure that I often hear the voice of one author in the Book of Genesis, especially in the stories of the patriarchs. To me, this old Hebre...

. Did the Greek Jews understand what repetition is? Two examples: the word „ banquet “ the phrase „ garden of the palace “ LXX - no clear repetition, used two words for banquet, „δοχή“ and „ποτόν“, but for the first banquets of the king and Esther mostly „δοχή“ and for the second mostly „ποτόν“ - ha...