Search found 58 matches

by avi
Thu Oct 24, 2013 6:52 am
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: Is Jesus birth backdated 70 years from the Temple destructio
Replies: 25
Views: 45727

Re: Is Jesus birth backdated 70 years from the Temple destru

Thank you solstice for this interesting post. I know, and understand, nothing about numerology. I know even less about Judaism. In fact, I have no idea what you mean, when you employ, as a supposed English word, midrash : that Mark and the other gospels are midrash I know what milkshakes are. I know...
by avi
Thu Oct 24, 2013 6:19 am
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: Syriac Manichaean Fragments
Replies: 3
Views: 9859

Re: Syriac Manichaean Fragments

I wonder if anyone has investigated the twine illustrated in the photograph. It looks of "recent" vintage, i.e. past few decades. Biological twine, (hemp, for example) does not have a multi century lifespan, unless protected from sunlight, moisture, and oxygen. What is the purpose of the t...
by avi
Wed Oct 23, 2013 2:53 pm
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: Manuscript evidence
Replies: 30
Views: 54499

Re: Manuscript evidence

spin offered a reference to Don Barker's research. Here's a link to this lovely article, cited by spin above. http://people.uncw.edu/zervosg/Papyrology/barker%20dating%20new%20testament%20papyri.pdf The provenance of P52 is unknown. This scrap of papyrus was purchased, in the open air market, in Egy...
by avi
Wed Oct 23, 2013 11:22 am
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: The Propaganda War Against Mythicism [Vridar]
Replies: 52
Views: 87210

Re: The Propaganda War Against Mythicism [Vridar]

Perhaps I err, Duvduv, but I think you may have misunderstood, else I have made the mistake. There is no argument, of which I am aware, that in ancient times, ordinary folks believed in a "mythical" Jesus, anymore than they believed in a "mythical" Hercules, or a "mythical&q...
by avi
Sun Oct 20, 2013 3:19 am
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: evidence for Christianity before the third Roman Jewish conflict
Replies: 106
Views: 110166

Re: evidence for Christianity before the third Roman Jewish

I also look forward to any more exact citation and context for the quotation attributed here to Epictetus. http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html #50 Sorry, my fault... Context: It is unclear to me whether or not this work genuinely represents a composition by Epictetus, or if it is instea...
by avi
Fri Oct 18, 2013 12:06 pm
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: evidence for Christianity before the third Roman Jewish conflict
Replies: 106
Views: 110166

Re: evidence for Christianity before the third Roman Jewish

You might be aware that Epictetus mentions Christians from around 110 A.D. He taught at Nicopolis, the place where Titus mentions there being a Christian community. If you have Christians there at this date you must surely date the Christian movement's beginning several decades before. andrewcriddl...
by avi
Thu Oct 17, 2013 9:31 am
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: evidence for Christianity before the third Roman Jewish conflict
Replies: 106
Views: 110166

Re: evidence for Christianity before the third Roman Jewish

It has already been proven that the letter was an E by ultra-violet light. You did not prove it. You reported what others proved. a. That's not the issue, spin. No one cares whether or not dewitness reported it, or proved it. (He certainly never implied, or suggested, that he had himself, personall...
by avi
Thu Oct 17, 2013 8:34 am
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: The Pauline Gospel was a Late Invention
Replies: 126
Views: 160603

Re: The Pauline Gospel was a Late Invention

Origen has admitted that the Fourteen Epistles--the Pauline Corpus and the Epistle to the Hebrews were composed after the Gospels, after Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles of Peter, James, John, Jude and the Apocalypse of John. Can you explain to those who do not know the answer (i.e. maybe only me...
by avi
Thu Oct 17, 2013 8:18 am
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: evidence for Christianity before the third Roman Jewish conflict
Replies: 106
Views: 110166

Re: evidence for Christianity before the third Roman Jewish

You might be aware that Epictetus mentions Christians from around 110 A.D. You may not be aware, hanery, that I am not aware of very much at all, but I am especially uninformed regarding Epictetus. The best information about him, that I have been able to uncover, suggests, contrarily that he wrote ...
by avi
Wed Oct 16, 2013 5:43 am
Forum: Christian Texts and History
Topic: evidence for Christianity before the third Roman Jewish conflict
Replies: 106
Views: 110166

Re: More of the same

This litany of non sequiturs is stunning. I'm getting to like the Markov-chain idea more and more. It is a random process usually characterized as memory less: the next state depends only on the current state and not on the sequence of events that preceded it There is nothing random about the comme...