Was Jesus made Divine by Humans? Part 2

The last article brought us in text to an accumulation of letters written by Paul, discovered in

Engraving of Polycarp

1937 and having been written around 175 A.D. In particular, the letter of Paul to the Phillippians was penned by Paul around 62 A.D. was quoted by Polycarp who lived in the latter half of the second century, quoting from the Philippians text of Ph'p.2:7-10, just as we have it in our bibles today. This tells us that the text of this was unaltered from the time that Paul penned it. In it, he says that, "So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And to the glory of God the Father everyone will openly agree, "Jesus Christ is Lord!" Php 2:10,11.

So, we have seen that the concept that Jesus was and is Divine was not something promoted simply by the Council of Nicea in 321 under Constantine. The Council therefore adapted a "tenet" that Jesus was the "true Son of God" ergo divine, therefore as with Php.2:7-10 He was God. It was not the Council that made Him God, but they were simply agreeing with what was already in the scripture of that day (300's A.D.) and putting down an argument they considered to be in controversy to that.  However, the next dart thrown, is that Jesus was made divine by Paul. The proposition is that Paul (aka Saul of Tarsus), who was a Jewish scholar at one point, became corrupted by the Greek polytheistic influences that he encountered and resulting from that he began to proclaim Jesus as Divine or God. This is supposedly in opposition to the original disciples/apostles who lived with and followed Jesus who claimed him to be the "Messiah" - not God.

Did the disciples/apostles (excluding Paul) proclaim Jesus as divine? 

Well, it is interesting that if we isolate certain things in the New Testament from others, we can make the apostles say anything that we want to. We need to remember that taking things in context here is going to be crucial. Another thing to take in mind, is that the things we see these men saying in the beginning of the gospels, are made in more mature statements by much older men by the time we get to their letters in the New Testament. That said, let's begin in the beginning - with the Gospels.

The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), containing narratives from the life of Jesus through His resurrection and ascension. A significant fact in dating these particular books, is a historical event, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Jesus foretold of this event (Mt.24), and the fact that this event is not included or mentioned outside of Jesus' prediction suggests their writing was before that date.  Matthew (originally in Aramaic or Hebrew) has dates ranging between 40-140 A.D. However as it was quoted by Iraneus in

Iraneus of Lyons

115 A.D. we know that it had to be written before then, and with no mention of the Temple's destruction outside of Jesus' prediction in Mt.24 gives us a rounded date of around 50 A.D.  Mark also, is supposed to have been written within 5 years prior to Matthew. While Mark was not an eyewitness to the events of Jesus' life. He was a disciple of Peter and it is suggested that it was Peter who informed Mark of the life of Christ and guided him in writing the Gospel known by his name.  Luke also was not a direct disciple of Jesus, but a convert and partner with Paul. He was a physician and also a historian. Luke was written before the book of Acts and Acts does not mention "Nero's persecution of the Christians in A.D. 64 or the deaths of James (A.D. 62), Paul (A.D. 64), and Peter (A.D. 65). John's gospel is the only one of the four, which the date is uncertain. We know the Revelation (also penned by John supposedly near the end of the first century after the Temple's destruction) and it is assumed the gospel was written around the same timeframe. 

Did they simply proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, or did they - He proclaim himself to be divine?  Peter's statement in Mat 16:16 is a key one, "Simon Peter spoke up, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."  Not only does Peter state that Jesus is the Messiah (Anointed One of God), but he includes in this statement, "Son of the Living God."  He literally declares Jesus to be the Offspring of God - of God, i.e., Divine. What is also significant, is that Jesus in none of the gospels repudiates Peter for making this statement.   In Matt 14:33 after calming the storm on Galilee the statement "And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." Same as in Mt.16 and prior to Mt.16, where again the exclamation is made that they considered Him not just "Messiah," but Divine - God!  Again, the statement is not repudiated. One other key instance, is

Fragment  of Gospel of Mark

recorded in Mark 9:7,8 where Jesus is transfigured on the mountain. Peter, James, and John are there and the record states, " And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only." So, if only the four of them were there, and Jesus is transfigured, who is the voice coming from the cloud saying, "This is my beloved Son"?  If we take this to be God speaking, saying "This is my beloved Son" then what does that tell you? It's not Peter, James, John, any of the apostles or Paul and definitely not the Nicean Council.  Perhaps the most significant of the gospels exclaiming that Jesus is Divine and God, is the gospel of John. The entire gospel is devoted to and presents this as a physically witnessed fact that "...the Word WAS God.....the Word became flesh and dwelt among us."  It is also presented to an audience that lived during the time of the events, and to those who were aware of the events about which John writes.

In our previous article, we have seen that the presentation of Jesus as divine, was not something made up by the Nicean Council. They believed it, but their declaration was based on belief and teaching that existed before they did, and it was in effort to squelch those who were teaching the opposite as "doctrine." To say that Paul was the one who made Jesus divine is another straw being grasped by those who have not seriously handled the scriptures with any depth. Yes, Paul does believe, preach, and proclaim that Jesus is Divine - the Son of God!  What is interesting to me, is that Paul came to this conclusion on his own  (Acts 9:6; 26:16) without the help of the other apostles, who even considered him a threat in the beginning. But, the teaching that Jesus was Divine, the Son of God, is as we have seen, inherent in the Gospels themselves. It is presented and proclaimed by those who were the initial disciples of Jesus, as well as presented outside of them. In fact, the conclusion the gospels expect you to reach after reading the accounts and weighing the events and history, is that Jesus is not only the Messiah/Christ, He is indeed the Son of the Living God!

Next to consider in this, is whether the Old Testament scriptures present the Messiah as one who would be Divine? Or was the Messiah just going to be another human leader that would make Israel victorious? Have we misunderstood God altogether?  Check out the blog next week!

Jim

Mary Magdalene - A Forgiven Woman

Mary Magdalene is a name that we hear often in the gospels. Among converts, she is one of Jesus’ first and closest, and is one of the few who stand at the foot of the cross. She is also among the first to see Jesus resurrected. Different explanations have been given of her over the years, some even villainous. Recent writings and docu-fiction have heavily suggested and implied that she was even Jesus’ wife. So, what do we know about her?

The most commonly known thing is that she came from the town of Magdala, hence her last

name given as Magdalene. Magdala, means "elegant", "great", or "great place it is the name of at least two places in ancient Israel mentioned in the Jewish Talmud and one place in the Gospels. The New Testament makes one disputable mention of a place called Magdala in the KJV, (Matt.15:39), however the most reliable Greek manuscripts give the name of the place as "Magadan", and more modern scholarly translations follow this.  The parallel passage in Mark's gospel call the place Dalmanutha. The Jewish Talmud distinguishes between two Magdalas, 1.) Magdala Gadar in the east, on the River Yarmouk near Gadara (in the Middle Ages "Jadar", now Umm Qais), thus acquiring the name  and 2.) Magdala Nunayya  near Tiberias, Meaning "Magdala of the fishes," which would locate it on the shore of the Sea of Galilee which is our most likely candidate for Mary’s hometown. . Al-Majdal, a Palestinian Arab village depopulated in the lead up to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war was identified as the site of this Magdala. The modern Israeli municipality of Migdal (Khirbet Medjdel), founded in 1910 and about 6 km NNW of Tiberias, has expanded into the area of the former village.

Mary appears before us for the first time in Lk.8:2, among the women who "ministered unto him of their substance." All of these women, appear to have occupied a position of comparative wealth and supporting His ministry out of gratitude for their deliverance from "evil spirits and infirmities." Of Mary in particular, it is said specially that "seven devils went out of her," in this passage.  This alone indicates a more than ordinary malignity, but does not suggest anything about her character other than Jesus saw her as a person who needed to be healed.  She is present during the agony on the cross. Jn.19:25, and remains until it was over and the body removed. She waited until the body is placed in sepulcher (Mt.27:61; Mk.15:47; Lk.23:55). She is with Salome and Mary, the mother of James when they "bought sweet spices that they might come and anoint" the body. Mk.16:1.  The next morning, accordingly, in the earliest dawn, Mt.28:1; Mk.16:2, they came with Mary, the mother of James, to the sepulcher. Mary Magdalene had been to the tomb and had found it empty, and had seen the "vision of angels." Mt.28:5; Mk16:6. It was to her first, that Jesus appeared after his resurrection. Jn.20:1-15.

From the scripture, this is all we know about Mary Magdalene. While she occupies a position of prominence from the scriptural record, it is interesting that people have sought to make her reputation disreputable. There is no authority for identifying her with the "sinner" who anointed the feet of Jesus in Lk.7:36-50. Neither is there any authority for the supposition that Mary Magdalene is the same as the sister of Lazarus.  It is the Roman Catholic Church that is guilty of fastening this slander upon Mary Magdalene when at Naples, in 1324, it established its first “Magdalen House” for the rescue and maintenance of fallen women or prostitutes, and hence the reputation that she was a prostitute began here. Of late, with the printing of Dan Brown’s fiction “The DaVinci Code” he seized upon another “legend” that she was the wife of Jesus, bearing him a son and continuing the bloodline of Jesus to the present day. While good fiction, there is no biblical evidence to support it, and the so called “evidence” has been found to be a forgery.

If Jesus thought enough of Mary to heal her, accept her company, appreciate her compassion and respect her as a woman, why shouldn't we do the same? If anything her example shows us what forgiveness can accomplish in the life of a person, the strength that it can give us, and the faith that can sustain us. The world can have its fiction, I will take Mary….a woman honored with being the first to see Jesus resurrected in glory. I look forward to that day!

Sea of Galilee

 Mysterious structure in the Sea of Galilee | Ferrell's Travel Blog 

Mysterious structure in the Sea of Galilee

Posted on April 10, 2013 | 7 CommentsScientists report the discovery of a mysterious structure in the Sea of Galilee on the SW “corner” near the site of Bet Yerah.According to Live Science here, this structure is made of large basalt blocks. These volcanic stones are common in the region.A giant “monumental” stone structure discovered beneath the waters of the Sea of Galilee in Israel has archaeologists puzzled as to its purpose and even how long ago it was built.The mysterious structure is cone shaped, made of “unhewn basalt cobbles and boulders,” and weighs an estimated 60,000 tons the researchers said. That makes it heavier than most modern-day warships.Rising nearly 32 feet (10 meters) high, it has a diameter of about 230 feet (70 meters). To put that in perspective, the outer stone circle of Stonehenge has a diameter just half that with its tallest stones not reaching that height.You will need to check the Live Science report, or the original scholarly article from International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (Vol. 42: Issue 1; March 2013) here or here (pdf). There you will find a map, photos and drawings of the structure.I stopped very near the spot of the structure to make some photos of ripe date palms a few years ago.The Sea of Galilee near Bet Yerah. The view is to the east across this narrow southern end of the lake. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.Whatever this structure and it purpose, it seems to have existed long before any of the biblical activity recorded in the region.

Byzantine Winepress

 Byzantine-era wine press etc. JERUSALEM.- A settlement from the Byzantine period in which an impressive wine press and a ceramic model of a church were preserved was exposed in salvage excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority conducted near Hamei Yoav prior to the construction of an events garden by the Shevet Ahim group, led by the Yifrah Brothers.

[...]

The link is to (and the quote from) an article at ArtDaily. The original IAA press release (from which the photo comes) is here (HT Joseph Lauer). Follow the links for more photos of the site.

photograph: Clara Amit, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority

Scotland Discovery

 Archaeologists Just Found Another British Noble Buried Under a Parking Lot - Adam Clark Estes - The Atlantic Wire 

Archaeologists Just Found Another British Noble Buried Under a Parking

Lot

BY ADAM CLARK ESTES | MAR 14, 2013

There's a sad lesson about urban planning in the trend of major archaeological finds turning up under parking lots in

the United Kingdom. Or maybe it's a happy lesson. It's hard to tell.

Archaeologists just announced the discovery of headstone bearing the marks of nobility at the site of a new building

being constructed in Edinburgh. Though they've yet to analyze the remains, they believe the knight was buried

sometime in the 13th century. "This find has the potential to be one of the most significant and exciting

archaeological discoveries in the city for many years, providing us with yet more clues as to what life was like in

medieval Edinburgh," said Richard Lewis, a member of the City of Edinburgh Council, in a statement.

Funnily enough, the site of the discovery is a parking lot once used by the University of Edinburgh's archaeology

department. This is even funnier when you consider the fact that the long lost remains of King Richard III showed up

underneath a parking lot in Leicester. On one hand, the tandem discoveries show that the Brits paved over a lot of

important piece of land to build parking lots. On the other hand, the fact that these remains were well preserved and

untouched in modern times also suggests that parking lots work as pretty good shields from earth movers.

It turns out that a lot of great archaeological treasures are found under parking lots. They are, after all, both

plentiful and protective. And the recent discovery also shows that the Brits are giving due diligence to having

archaeologists on hand when they break ground. While not everybody is thrilled about what historian Edward Tenner

refers to as an "exhumation craze," it's encouraging to see workers take care to treat the ground beneath historical

locations gingerly.

Piece of Wool Leads To Discovery

SCRAP OF WOOL UNRAVELS CHRISTIAN CHURCH FIND

Last updated at 12:47, Friday, 08 March 2013

A tiny scrap of wool found during an archaeological dig in

Maryport has unlocked a piece of history.

Archaeologists revealed this

week that the dig at Camp Farm

last summer has unearthed what

appears to be a Christian

church, dating back to the 5th

or 6th century.

Experts believe the possible

church, built in an east-west

direction, was positioned so it

could be seen at Whithorn, the

cradle of Christianity in Scotland,

on the other side of the Solway

Firth.

They revealed their findings

exclusively to a Maryport

audience crowded into the

town’s Senhouse museum on

Tuesday night.

Tony Wilmott, site director, said

that volunteers on the dig had discovered what appeared to be

Christian long cist graves. In one they found fragments of bone

and a tooth.

Forensic work has since discovered that the remains may be of an

individual, possibly a girl, aged about 14 but was unable to

carbon date the remains.

He added: “However, one of the graduate students, Lauren

Proctor, discovered a small fragment of textile while processing

soil samples from one of the graves.

“It was a tiny piece of wool no bigger than my fingernail. The

remarkable thing was that it has survived all these centuries.”

Radiocarbon dating indicated that the fleece was probably

sheared between AD 240 and AD 340, placing it in a late Roman

context.

Dig director Professor Ian Haynes, of Newcastle University, said:

“This is big news. Maryport was already an important site.

“The discovery of pits containing altars in 1870 led to a belief that

these stones were ritually buried by the Roman army. This is

something that became accepted.

“What we discovered was that the altars were actually buried as

ballast to support the large posts used for the church buildings.”

He added that activity at the church site may well have begun

before 410 AD and that a Latin-using Christian community

occupied the hill top for some decades afterwards.

Mr Wilmott said: “In the end, the least unlikely explanation is

that the structures include a Christian church.”

First published at 12:42, Friday, 08 March 2013

Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk