Why do some Americans believe weird things?

[Cow Poke]

As I've tried to say several times HA, the teachings found in scripture do not anywhere encourage a hatred or violence towards the Jews, or anyone for that matter. They record violent acts by jewish leaders against the Christ and against early Christians - but this is simply the history. The Christian scriptures teach that was are to love our enemies, we are to turn the other cheek, we are to walk a second mile, and so on. Paul himself wished that he could die and be accursed if it would bring his own people (the Jewish people) to a knowledge of Christ. No person following the scriptures can ever find justification for hatred or violence against others of the sort that became the Christian persecution of the Jews. And so what must be concluded is that these things happened IN SPITE of what our own scriptures teach, not because of what they teach.

Yeah!

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Are you trying to change their beliefs?

Do you imagine all Christians believe in a literal virgin birth? I think you may that find many do not, just as not all Christians believe in a 6,000 year old earth or an inerrant infallible Bible.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Scripture Verse: 2 Cor 11:22 (KJV)

Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.

© Copyright Original Source

I am not disputing the possibility that Paul may have been Jewish but the fact is that he never employs the word when describing himself. Why that is the case we can only surmise. It is not impossible, as Eisenman contends, that he may have been an Edomite/Idumean, as of course was Herod the Great's ancestry. Many Jews never fully accepted Herod the Great as being truly one of them, given that his family were converts.

I'm always amused at the two claims I often hear...
a) Paul never claimed to be a Jew

He never does. See above.

2) Jesus never claimed to be God (and the Bible never says He is/was)

He never does. Find me the Greek where Jesus states Ho Theos Eimi. The language in John's gospel is periphrastic and despite stating that if you have seen me you have seen the Father, Jesus also states that he can do nothing without the Father and the Father is greater than I.

So should we assume Jesus is a lesser subordinate god?

Such contradictions found in that gospel played an integral part in the later theological disputations that plagued the early Church.

[CivilDiscourse]

Do you imagine all Christians believe in a literal virgin birth? I think you may that find many do not, just as not all Christians believe in a 6,000 year old earth or an inerrant infallible Bible.

I don't need to believe anything about what "all" Christians believe. I know what the person you've been talking to believes, and that it is in line with mainstream christian theology has been for centuries.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Because those "small groups" contained believers, and believers are "the church". Jesus was even referring to "the church" in Matt 18:17 - "the church" - the body of believers - ekklēsia - the assembly.

They were disparate and very small groups dotted around the eastern empire. There was no orthodoxy. People could believe what they liked, and in those early centuries they did.

Hence at the outset we read Paul's letters inveighing against "false" teachers, as well as his attempts to drag his various groups back to his line of thinking as they started to contemplate other beliefs and ideas.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

I don't need to believe anything about what "all" Christians believe. I know what the person you've been talking to believes

Not in every respect.

and that it is in line with mainstream christian theology has been for centuries.

Then you should realise that not all Christians believe every aspect of that "mainstream christian theology".

[seer]

I am not disputing the possibility that Paul may have been Jewish but the fact is that he never employs the word when describing himself. Why that is the case we can only surmise. It is not impossible, as Eisenman contends, that he may have been an Edomite/Idumean, as of course was Herod the Great's ancestry. Many Jews never fully accepted Herod the Great as being truly one of them, given that his family were converts.

Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.

circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee

So when he claims to be a Hebrew, of the tribe of Benjamin, what is he claiming his lineage to be? Greek?

[CivilDiscourse]

Not in every respect.

WRT the topic of discussion I do. They stated it very clearly. (And honestly, your comment was just pedantic as context made that very clear given what the conversation has been about).

Then you should realise that not all Christians believe every aspect of that "mainstream christian theology".

Irrelevant to the conversation at hand.

[Mountain Man]

I am not disputing the possibility that Paul may have been Jewish but the fact is that he never employs the word when describing himself. Why that is the case we can only surmise. It is not impossible, as Eisenman contends, that he may have been an Edomite/Idumean, as of course was Herod the Great's ancestry. Many Jews never fully accepted Herod the Great as being truly one of them, given that his family were converts.

He never does. See above.

He never does. Find me the Greek where Jesus states Ho Theos Eimi. The language in John's gospel is periphrastic and despite stating that if you have seen me you have seen the Father, Jesus also states that he can do nothing without the Father and the Father is greater than I.

So should we assume Jesus is a lesser subordinate god?

Such contradictions found in that gospel played an integral part in the later theological disputations that plagued the early Church.

I'm beginning to suspect you're a sock puppet of Starlight. This is the kind of nonsense he usually posts in religious discussions, and you have his exact same air of patronizing arrogance and condescension.

But to answer your last point, when discussing Jesus' divinity, you need to look all the statements he made himself and that were made about him and not just pick one or two verses out of context that you can twist into seeming to support your position.

[rogue06]

I'm always amused at the two claims I often hear...
a) Paul never claimed to be a Jew
2) Jesus never claimed to be God (and the Bible never says He is/was)

And almost always made by someone who is either boastful of their encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible, or criticizing others for not knowing it

[rogue06]

They were disparate and very small groups dotted around the eastern empire. There was no orthodoxy. People could believe what they liked, and in those early centuries they did.

Hence at the outset we read Paul's letters inveighing against "false" teachers, as well as his attempts to drag his various groups back to his line of thinking as they started to contemplate other beliefs and ideas.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

Now, had every issue that would ever arise been ironed out? No. Obvious not. But there obviously was still an authoritative, proper message and concern that it was being corrupted.

[Bill the Cat]

Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.

circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee

So when he claims to be a Hebrew, of the tribe of Benjamin, what is he claiming his lineage to be? Greek?

Acts 22:3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.

[seer]

Acts 22:3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.

Yep, I checked about 6 translation. All say Jew, using the Greek "ioudaios..."

[Cow Poke]

I am not disputing the possibility that Paul may have been Jewish but the fact is that he never employs the word when describing himself.

Context deals with what the original speaker says, and what his intended audience understood --- nobody there would have disputed that Paul was saying he was a Jew.

[Cow Poke]

They were disparate and very small groups dotted around the eastern empire.....

Yes, they were the Church.