Re: Who axed Acts 8:37?
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2018 4:34 pm
Hello everyone. Thought I could stay away awhile longer but this passage is too interesting to keep me simply lurking. What is needed is the Story around verse 37. Similar to sweat falling like clots of blood, someone simply HAD to add verse 37. Which is to say, of course it's added, like Jesus talking about the Temple of his body @ age 47. "We gotta 'SPLAIN to these idiots. I'll just add these words, THEY HAVE TO BE CORRECT!!!"
Acts 8: 26 - 40 (RSV):
[26] But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert road.
[27] And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Can'dace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship
"The Candace" may be Bernice, later Consort of Titus.
[28] and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
[29] And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."
What kind of word is "Chariot"? Isn't this a "War Word"? Sorta' like: "Honey! I'm taking the tank to the Convenience Store to get some milk, OK?"
Get ready for some vicious SATIRE:
[30] So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
[31] And he said, "How can I, unless some one guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
Uh, Ohh!!!:
[32] Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this: "As a sheep led to the slaughter
or a lamb before its shearer is dumb,
so he opens not his mouth.
[33] In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken up from the earth."
You think this is about Jesus, don't you?
[34] And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about some one else?"
[35] Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus.
[36] And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?"
You think this is about "Baptism" don't you?
[38] And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
[39] And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.
[40] But Philip was found at Azo'tus, and passing on he preached the gospel to all the towns till he came to Caesare'a.
Take out the semi-colon and comma in verse 39:
"And when they came up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip and the eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing"
Who went on his way rejoicing? Why?
The eunuch sees Philip no more because he is dead.
Tacitus, Histories, Book 3:
"There was a sudden armed uprising in Pontus led by a barbarian slave who had once been prefect of the royal fleet. This was a certain Anicetus, a freedman of Polemo, who, having been once very powerful, was impatient of the change after the kingdom was transformed into a province. So he stirred up the people of Pontus in the name of Vitellius, bribing the poorest among them with hope of plunder. Then at the head of a band, which was far from being negligible, he suddenly attacked Trapezus, a city of ancient fame, founded by Greeks at the extreme end of the coast of Pontus...
"These events attracted Vespasian's attention, so that he sent detachments from his legions under the command of Virdius Geminus, whose military skill had been well tested. He attacked the enemy's troops when they were off their guard and were scattered in their greed for booty, and forced them to their boats; afterwards he quickly built some light galleys and caught up with Anicetus at the mouth of the river Chobus, where he had sought shelter under the protection of the king of the Sedochezi, whose alliance he had secured by bribes and gifts. At first the king sheltered his suppliant with the aid of threats and arms; but after the reward for treachery and the alternative of war were set before him, with the unstable loyalty of a barbarian he bargained away the life of Anicetus, gave up the refugees, and so an end was put to this servile war...
The quote from Isaiah isn't descriptive of a "Jesus" at all. Anicetus is about to get a sharp surprise in the back for his troubles. As stated in many Posts earlier, this passage in its entirety, ESP. the Camarae Boats, explains much of Acts. The odd passage of the small boat held together by ropes, the last 2 chapters, the refugees at the inlet - all in this section from Tacitus.
Of course verse 37 was added and later chopped! As in the excellent Post elsewhere concerning "Paul without Christ", the 2nd-3rd century awkwardness has to be explained away. The KULTURE has changed and the new sensibilities have to be massaged and the New Lessons MUST be about "Jesus" - the "Christ"... and all of that.
CW
Acts 8: 26 - 40 (RSV):
[26] But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert road.
[27] And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Can'dace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship
"The Candace" may be Bernice, later Consort of Titus.
[28] and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
[29] And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."
What kind of word is "Chariot"? Isn't this a "War Word"? Sorta' like: "Honey! I'm taking the tank to the Convenience Store to get some milk, OK?"
Get ready for some vicious SATIRE:
[30] So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
[31] And he said, "How can I, unless some one guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
Uh, Ohh!!!:
[32] Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this: "As a sheep led to the slaughter
or a lamb before its shearer is dumb,
so he opens not his mouth.
[33] In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken up from the earth."
You think this is about Jesus, don't you?
[34] And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about some one else?"
[35] Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus.
[36] And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?"
You think this is about "Baptism" don't you?
[38] And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
[39] And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.
[40] But Philip was found at Azo'tus, and passing on he preached the gospel to all the towns till he came to Caesare'a.
Take out the semi-colon and comma in verse 39:
"And when they came up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip and the eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing"
Who went on his way rejoicing? Why?
The eunuch sees Philip no more because he is dead.
Tacitus, Histories, Book 3:
"There was a sudden armed uprising in Pontus led by a barbarian slave who had once been prefect of the royal fleet. This was a certain Anicetus, a freedman of Polemo, who, having been once very powerful, was impatient of the change after the kingdom was transformed into a province. So he stirred up the people of Pontus in the name of Vitellius, bribing the poorest among them with hope of plunder. Then at the head of a band, which was far from being negligible, he suddenly attacked Trapezus, a city of ancient fame, founded by Greeks at the extreme end of the coast of Pontus...
"These events attracted Vespasian's attention, so that he sent detachments from his legions under the command of Virdius Geminus, whose military skill had been well tested. He attacked the enemy's troops when they were off their guard and were scattered in their greed for booty, and forced them to their boats; afterwards he quickly built some light galleys and caught up with Anicetus at the mouth of the river Chobus, where he had sought shelter under the protection of the king of the Sedochezi, whose alliance he had secured by bribes and gifts. At first the king sheltered his suppliant with the aid of threats and arms; but after the reward for treachery and the alternative of war were set before him, with the unstable loyalty of a barbarian he bargained away the life of Anicetus, gave up the refugees, and so an end was put to this servile war...
The quote from Isaiah isn't descriptive of a "Jesus" at all. Anicetus is about to get a sharp surprise in the back for his troubles. As stated in many Posts earlier, this passage in its entirety, ESP. the Camarae Boats, explains much of Acts. The odd passage of the small boat held together by ropes, the last 2 chapters, the refugees at the inlet - all in this section from Tacitus.
Of course verse 37 was added and later chopped! As in the excellent Post elsewhere concerning "Paul without Christ", the 2nd-3rd century awkwardness has to be explained away. The KULTURE has changed and the new sensibilities have to be massaged and the New Lessons MUST be about "Jesus" - the "Christ"... and all of that.
CW