Historicist Bias With Respect to the Jewish Reports About Jesus

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
Secret Alias
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Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:47 am

Re: Historicist Bias With Respect to the Jewish Reports About Jesus

Post by Secret Alias »

Interesting - perhaps critically - is that IF there was a Hebrew text beneath all of this both Chrestos (the name of the Father who came down upon him) and Eudoketos (the accompanying declaration) might go back to טוֹב which means 'good' or 'pleasing.' Consider the discussion in Adversus Marcion 2:
The goodness of God having, therefore, provided man for the pursuit of the knowledge of Himself, added this to its original notification, that it first prepared a habitation for him, the vast fabric (of the world) to begin with, and then afterwards the vaster one (of a higher world) that he might on a great as well as on a smaller stage practise and advance in his probation, and so be promoted from the good which God had given him, that is, from his high position, to God’s best; that is, to some higher abode. In this good work God employs a most excellent minister, even His own Word. “My heart,” He says, “hath emitted my most excellent Word" (Psalm 44.1 רָהַשׂ לִֹגִּי רָכָר טוֹב). Let Marcion take hence his first lesson on the noble fruit of this truly most excellent tree. But, like a most clumsy clown, he has grafted a good branch on a bad stock. The sapling, however, of his blasphemy shall be never strong: it shall wither with its planter, and thus shall be manifested the nature of the good tree. Look at the total result: how fruitful was the Word! God issued His fiat, and it was done: God also saw that it was good (Gen. 1) not as if He were ignorant of the good until He saw it; but because it was good, He therefore saw it, and honoured it, and set His seal upon it; and consummated the goodness of His works by His vouchsafing to them that contemplation. Thus God blessed what He made good, in order that He might commend Himself to you as whole and perfect, good both in word and act. As yet the Word knew no malediction, because He was a stranger to malefaction. We shall see what reasons required this also of God. Meanwhile the world consisted of all things good, plainly foreshowing how much good was preparing for him for whom all this was provided.
I think a strong case can be made that IF there was a Hebrew ur-text to the Greek gospel the declaration at Jesus baptism used the word טוֹב just like the creation at Genesis.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Secret Alias
Posts: 18362
Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:47 am

Re: Historicist Bias With Respect to the Jewish Reports About Jesus

Post by Secret Alias »

No this theory is stupid. Isaiah has ratsetah. This terminology is very old and important to Samaritans going back to the idea of the inauguration of a period of divine favor. Ignore that speculation
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
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