A Challenge to Our Intelligence.

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Ben Masada;5667252:
So the Romans, experts in the torture and killing of crucifixion, either failed to determine that Jesus was dead, or let him go; “Oh, I think he’s suffered enough. Let’s take him down and let him go.” Yes, a little Logic will help those who can think. :rolleyes:
:rotfl: OMGosh. Just when you think that posts cannot get more bizarre. :rotfl: I’m laughing so hard that I’m crying. Here, let me wipe my eyes…

…OK, that’s better. So Jesus recovers and what happens next? (This should be good) He just gives up his ministry and fades into oblivion? Wanders the desert and becomes a hermit?

I’m sorry for being so sarcastic, but when someone claims that the Romans are stupid enough not to recognize someone who’s still alive after being crucified, or that someone could face a “quick revovery” after being crucified, I just cannot take such claims with any scintilla of seriousness.

**Newbie, you are not using Logic. After a few hours that Jesus had been crucified, Joseph when to Pilate for permission to take Jesus off for burial. Pilate was surprised that Jesus had died so soon, and didn’t believe he was dead. So, he commands the Centurion to go with Joseph and check it out. (Mark 15:44,45)

On the way to the Calvary Joseph and the Centurion had some time to talk. Since money speaks volumes, and Joseph had a lot of it, the Centurion got more than enough and Joseph got to take Jesus off without any more ado. As Joseph was taking Jesus off the cross, he might have realized that Jesus was still alive. Since there were still people at the Calvary, Joseph laid Jesus for an hour or two in the tomb and returned later with his men to take Jesus from that tomb to another place to treat his wounds. (John 19:39)

When Jesus could start visiting his disciples, he must indeed have spent 40 days with them, trying to organize the Sect of the Nazarenes until he could leave Israel with his wife Mary and Joseph of Arimathea. They could not stay because they could compromise not only their lives but also the life of the Centurion. Then, they left, and I am sure his Apostles
knew where to but they kept the secret very tight. That’s why they could never believe Paul’s story that he had met Jesus on the Road to Damascus. The Apostles knew that Jesus had not gone that way. There are several speculations where Jesus might have headed to, but I do not endorse any. The Apostles died with the secret.**
 
Newbie2;5668017:
**Newbie, you are not using Logic. After a few hours that Jesus had been crucified, Joseph when to Pilate for permission to take Jesus off for burial. Pilate was surprised that Jesus had died so soon, and didn’t believe he was dead. So, he commands the Centurion to go with Joseph and check it out. (Mark 15:44,45)

On the way to the Calvary Joseph and the Centurion had some time to talk. Since money speaks volumes, and Joseph had a lot of it, the Centurion got more than enough and Joseph got to take Jesus off without any more ado. As Joseph was taking Jesus off the cross, he might have realized that Jesus was still alive. Since there were still people at the Calvary, Joseph laid Jesus for an hour or two in the tomb and returned later with his men to take Jesus from that tomb to another place to treat his wounds. (John 19:39)

When Jesus could start visiting his disciples, he must indeed have spent 40 days with them, trying to organize the Sect of the Nazarenes until he could leave Israel with his wife Mary and Joseph of Arimathea. They could not stay because they could compromise not only their lives but also the life of the Centurion. Then, they left, and I am sure his Apostles
knew where to but they kept the secret very tight. That’s why they could never believe Paul’s story that he had met Jesus on the Road to Damascus. The Apostles knew that Jesus had not gone that way. There are several speculations where Jesus might have headed to, but I do not endorse any. The Apostles died with the secret.**
Even if for the sake of staying relevant to the thread we totally ignore the baseless allegation that Jesus was ever married–a speculation born only out of bias as there is absolutely no source from those times, Gospels or secular, that says He was–let us review a few conclusions that you have implicitly or explicitly arrived at from your “common sense” reasoning.
  • Jesus was doctored up in a mere three days by first century medicine, so much that He was able to start appearing to people and acting, as well as looking, good as new three days after enduring one of history’s most brutal torture methods, one that should have left Him nearly crippled and severely disfigured regardless of whether He’d endured it three hours or three days.
  • Jesus hadn’t really died on the cross and a lone, bribed centurion was able to hide this despite the fact that crucifixions were public affairs–meant for humiliation as much as torture–and so not one single person in the public crowd who would have had access to the place just didn’t realize that the centurion was taking a living human being down from the cross, hence the lack of forthcoming eyewitnesses to this deception who would have no doubt spelled the doom of Christianity before it really took off.
  • Jesus’ disciples, from whom the story of Christ’s resurrection came–as the religion was already growing before Paul came along–were privy to all these secrets, knew that the religion was a lie, and later, seeing as how they didn’t really believe in what they were dying for and could have been released just by admitting it, chose to be martyred for the fun of it.
If you assert that even one of these is true, let alone all them, then I fail to see how this can be construed as “common sense” or “logic”, as it goes against every grain of sense or logic I can fathom. Let’s face it, the only real argument against Christ’s resurrection absolutely requires that a group of people, the disciples, who claimed to be privy to that resurrection were knowingly lying; and to believe that requires one to believe that they would be willing to die for what they well knew to be a lie. And all that together does not constitute a common sense conclusion.

Blessings in Christ,
KindredSoul
 
=Ben Masada;5673465]
**Newbie, you are not using Logic. After a few hours that Jesus had been crucified, Joseph when to Pilate for permission to take Jesus off for burial. Pilate was surprised that Jesus had died so soon, and didn’t believe he was dead. So, he commands the Centurion to go with Joseph and check it out. (Mark 15:44,45)
 
The only insult is that you dare to come onto a Catholic forum and mock the Catholic Faith.

Once again, I am reporting you for prostylizing.
Uhmn…I certainly don’t see any language there that mocks Catholics over and above any other Christian faith…and I don’t see any language that Catholics haven’t used against other non-Catholic religions in the non-Catholic religions forum.

Now, true, the man is being a little rude…but he brings up some points that I would like to see addressed, myself.

Of course, I understand that the answers to his questions are indeed there; I am Christian, after all, not Jewish…but still…
 
Don't approach the situation with poor assumptions and factual inaccuracies. Consider the whole body of evidence, such as that the people promoting this belief, Jesus' disciples, went on to face lives of hardship and persecution, ultimately ending in their deaths specifically because they held to these beliefs. That would mean, if your assertions be true, they suffered a lifetime and died for the cause of a lie. Not just those who would have been directly involved, but then hundreds or thousands after them.
I’ll put the question directly to you - what lie would you suffer and die for?
Thank you. I love seeing a good apologist do a great job…people sometimes forget that other people are watching/reading other than the person to whom you address your post, and I very much enjoyed your analysis of the events and people of that time.

One thing, though…many people have suffered and died for things other people consider to be lies. Their suffering proves their faith…

but it doesn’t prove that what they have faith in is true.
 
**On the way to the Calvary Joseph and the Centurion had some time to talk. Since money speaks volumes, and Joseph had a lot of it, the Centurion got more than enough and Joseph got to take Jesus off without any more ado. As Joseph was taking Jesus off the cross, he might have realized that Jesus was still alive. Since there were still people at the Calvary, Joseph laid Jesus for an hour or two in the tomb and returned later with his men to take Jesus from that tomb to another place to treat his wounds. (John 19:39)

When Jesus could start visiting his disciples, he must indeed have spent 40 days with them, trying to organize the Sect of the Nazarenes until he could leave Israel with his wife Mary and Joseph of Arimathea. They could not stay because they could compromise not only their lives but also the life of the Centurion. Then, they left, and I am sure his Apostles knew where to but they kept the secret very tight. That’s why they could never believe Paul’s story that he had met Jesus on the Road to Damascus. The Apostles knew that Jesus had not gone that way. There are several speculations where Jesus might have headed to, but I do not endorse any. The Apostles died with the secret.**
It’s funny when a Jew makes absurd baseless irrational claims, it’s the truth. But if a Gentile was to use the same methods and come up with their own conspiracy theory to explain away something they deny or hate, it’s called Antisemitism (more specifically anti-Judaism, Jews aren’t the only Semites). Ever heard of a document that makes bold claims and is seeped in conspiracy babel called the Protocols of the Elders of Zion? Sure your posts and mine have nothing to do with each other but I’ve been reading this thread and you resort to the craziest explanations to make your point. It sounds exactly like a grand conspiracy, you even say the Apostles knew and died with the secret!

Jews hate the Protocols as they should and if someone was to go on a forum and concoct another elaborate Jews take over the world theory they’d be laughed at and be called an antisemite.

What your posts have turned to are just your delusions, the Jew with the money paid the Roman Soldier for the half dead Jew and then 12 other Jews came up with a brand new religion to replace Judaism and take over the Roman Empire and to spread all over the world. It’s a hidden secret that the Apostles died with! Oh My God! It’s another Jewish conspiracy! Thousands of years before the Protocols! I’ve solved it!! I sound crazy don’t I, not unlike you, you’re totally rational!

And please don’t start with the antisemitism rhetoric (if you disagree with a Jew or don’t say God bless you when they sneeze, you’re automatically an antisemite!). I’m using the Protocols to show you what stupid claims like yours lead to. If what you say is true, then Christianity is a vast conspiracy and has been used to manipulate politics and world affairs to place Christians in positions of power and to establish a New World Order. Sounds familiar, just like another New World Order theory involving another religion. So the Protocols are a lie, and Ben’s theory is the truth, ladies and gentleman! I’m calling the ADL and the Catholic League both are committed to fighting religious bigotry, albeit each group more for their own crews, lol. And just so you know, I do support Israel and have Jewish friends, so don’t dare call me anti-Jewish.

Please everyone, my post here is copy written so I can write both the novel and screenplay to this earth shattering secret discovered here on a religious forum! I’ll thank you Benny when I win an Oscar!

Ben, up until a point you were making good arguments but somewhere along the line it got ugly and lead to this. If you don’t accept the resurrection, that’s your decision, and I wish you the best and pray one day you do open your heart to Christ – FREELY and according to your own conclusions (as should everyone when choosing a faith or lack thereof), but till then please don’t make bizarre and insulting claims, that’s just ignorant and childish and would only lead to hate.
 
A Challenge to Our Intelligence

That’s about another puzzle that has been insulting our intelligence for 2000 years: The Roman guards who were asked of Pilate to watch the tomb for three days.(Mat. 27:64)

According to the writer of the gospel of Matthew, the chief priests had to break the Sabbath and, worse than that, a Shabbaton, because it was the first day of Passover, the 14th of Nisan, to go deal with Pilate about surveillance of a dead in the graveyard.

This is an evidence that the guys who wrote the gospels had a very poor knowledge of Jewish culture and customs to picture religious Jewish priests dealing with Pilate on that Sabbath for a group of soldiers to guard the tomb and to prevent anyone from desecrating it.

So, those priests were supposed to take those soldiers to the graveyard, which priests were forbidden to enter, especially on the Sabbath, and do the physical work to seal the tombstone. And all during that Shabbaton.

When that Sabbath was over, which in Israel is at sunset, the same gospel writer sends some women to the tomb with the purpose to anoint Jesus’ body. The man had probably forgotten the guards to prevent the approach of any suspect.

The women had one thought in mind only: Who would remove the tombstone. No one thought about how to fight the soldiers to approach the tomb. Obviously they would know they were there. Evidently, the three days they were supposed to watch the tomb turned out to be one.

When the women got there the place was deserted. Instead of the guards, the author reports about an earthquake, when an angel came down from heaven and removed the stone; but the women could not do their job, because there was no one in the tomb; Jesus was not there. Even the angel had been cheated form being an eyewitness.

Obviously, Jesus had been removed from that tomb even before the guards had been settled at the area to watch.

Then the soldiers that the women had not seen at the tomb, appeared at the house of the priests to say that the tomb was empty and of course, to get a good bribe with the advice to spread around that while they were sleeping, Jesus’ disciples had come by night and stolen the body. That’s the insult to the intelligence even of a moron, let alone to those who have a mind to think.

How could intelligent Jews give such an advice? How could the soldiers know that the tomb robbers had been Jesus’ disciples if they had been sleeping? What about Roman military discipline? The soldiers would all be executed according to Roman military laws. Josephus, who would go down to small details even of family intrigues, never mentioned a word about such a thing.

That’s the puzzle that has been insulting our intelligence for too long. Any suggestions?

Ben
I’d have thought it was obvious that the Pharisees etc. hurried off to see Pilate on the Friday afternoon. With the earthquake, dark sky, the torn curtain and all the rest of it, they had good reason to be concerned. THe guard would have been posted Friday night and they’d have stayed there till they “became like dead men”.

Now if you were Pilate, and you had the entire guard telling you the same thing, and you yourself had experienced the earthquake, the darkness of the sun, and heard stories of the graves opening, you might have been inclined to believe them and not carry out summary executions of an entire guard of your own troops. Particularly if you knew they could normally be trusted. He had that authority.

By the way you’re always making the absurd claim Christ wasn’t Jewish. Here’s a quote from an educated Jewish source for you.

"Samuel Ungerleider Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of Religious Studies Brown University.

Was Jesus Jewish and, if he was, how would that have influenced his experiences as a young man growing up in Galilee?

Was Jesus a Jew? Of course, Jesus was a Jew. He was born of a Jewish mother, in Galilee, a Jewish part of the world. All of his friends, associates, colleagues, disciples, all of them were Jews. He regularly worshipped in Jewish communal worship, what we call synagogues. He preached from Jewish text, from the Bible. He celebrated the Jewish festivals. He went on pilgrimage to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem where he was under the authority of priests… He lived, was born, lived, died, taught as a Jew. This is obvious to any casual reader of the gospel text. What’s striking is not so much that he was a Jew but that the gospels make no pretense that he wasn’t. The gospels have no sense yet that Jesus was anything other than a Jew. The gospels don’t even have a sense that he came to found a new religion, an idea completely foreign to all the gospel text, and completely foreign to Paul. That is an idea which comes about only later. So, to say that he was a Jew is saying a truism, is simply stating an idea that is so obvious on the face of it, one wonders it even needs to be said. But, of course, it does need to be said because we all know what happens later in the story, where it turns out that Christianity becomes something other than Judaism and as a result, Jesus in retrospect is seen not as a Jew, but as something else, as a founder of Christianity. But, of course, he was a Jew."
 
Ben Masada;5673465:
Even if for the sake of staying relevant to the thread we totally ignore the baseless allegation that Jesus was ever married–a speculation
born only out of bias as there is absolutely no source from those times, Gospels or secular, that says He was–let us review a few conclusions that you have implicitly or explicitly arrived at from your “common sense” reasoning.

**The problem is that you want to bake your cake and eat it too. You can’t do that. You can’t have a religious Jew, Rabbi or Tacher, and still demand that he was single in a society and at a time when it was a commandment even for the common people to marry young even as a teenager, let alone for a religious Rabbi or Teacher. No one could be involved with the teaching of others as a single Jew. **
  • Jesus was doctored up in a mere three days by first century medicine, so much that He was able to start appearing to people and acting, as well as looking, good as new three days after enduring one of history’s most brutal torture methods, one that should have left Him nearly crippled and severely disfigured regardless of whether He’d endured it three hours or three days.
Jesus was under treatment for over 40 days before he was ready for a long trip out of Israel. And it would not take much of an effort of his because tradition has that Joseph of Arimathea was the owner of ships in the Mediterranean Sea. And Jesus did not suffer any more nor less than thousands of Jews who were crucified by the Romans. Read Josephus.
  • Jesus hadn’t really died on the cross and a lone, bribed centurion was able to hide this despite the fact that crucifixions were public affairs–meant for humiliation as much as torture–and so not one single person in the public crowd who would have had access to the place just didn’t realize that the centurion was taking a living human being down from the cross, hence the lack of forthcoming eyewitnesses to this deception who would have no doubt spelled the doom of Christianity before it really took off.
The Centurion did not touch Jesus to take him off the cross. Joseph of Arimathea and his men did all the job. The job of the Centurion was only to give Joseph the okay. Joseph was a little more intelligent than you think to keep for himself that Jesus was still alive. If anyone else had noticed, it would arrive at the ears of Pilate and Jesus with more people would go back to the cross. And regarding eyewitnesses, at least, I have Joseph himself to present here to you as one. What do you have to present to me that Jesus resurrected? See what I mean?
  • Jesus’ disciples, from whom the story of Christ’s resurrection came–as the religion was already growing before Paul came along–were privy to all these secrets, knew that the religion was a lie, and later, seeing as how they didn’t really believe in what they were dying for and could have been released just by admitting it, chose to be martyred for the fun of it.
It took about 30 years, after Jesus had been gone, before Paul came around preaching that Jesus was the Messiah, son of God, and that he had resurrected. For that, he almost got killed in Jerusalem for preaching apostasy. In the meantime, the headquarters of the Apostles was in Jerusalem, and they were coexisting peacefully with the local Jews. (Acts 9:31) How do you explain this fact? It’s only obvious that they were as surprised about the gospel of Paul as were the local Jews. This of choosing martyrdom for an ideal, does not mean anything. Muslims do the same even today and it does not mean they have a monopoly on the truth.

If you assert that even one of these is true, let alone all them, then I fail to see how this can be construed as “common sense” or “logic”, as it goes against every grain of sense or logic I can fathom. Let’s face it, the only real argument against Christ’s resurrection absolutely requires that a group of people, the disciples, who claimed to be privy to that resurrection were knowingly lying; and to believe that requires one to believe that they would be willing to die for what they well knew to be a lie. And all that together does not constitute a common sense conclusion.

**Jesus’ disciples never claimed to be privy to the tale of the resurrection. Therefore, they were not lying. Don’t forget that the guys who wrote the gospels were Hellenistic Gentiles about 50+ years after Jesus had been gone. They had been probably former disciples of Paul. Then, as I said above, to be willing to die for a religious cause, is the most common stuff even today. The Baha’is in the Iran of the Aiatolla Chommeni died by the hundreds to retract from their faith and they didn’t. **
 
It sounds exactly like a grand conspiracy, you even say the Apostles knew and died with the secret!

The secret of Jesus’ destination, after the 40 days. Don’t forget that the world of then belonged to Rome. If Pilate had ever been breathed that a Jew had escaped the cross and left the Province, he would be found anywhere as was Hannibal when he fled Rome.

What your posts have turned to are just your delusions, the Jew with the money paid the Roman Soldier for the half dead Jew and then 12 other Jews came up with a brand new religion to replace Judaism and take over the Roman Empire and to spread all over the world. It’s a hidden secret that the Apostles died with! Oh My God! It’s another Jewish conspiracy!

Your understanding of my thread and posts has completely missed the target. The guy who wrote Matthew is the one who says that the Jews paid the Roman soldiers to spread around that Jesus’ body had been stolen, which I have proved, makes no sense. The tale is full of holes. And the 12 Apostles came out with NO religion to replace Judaism. That was Paul’s role with Christianity. (Gal. 4:21-31) That’s not the hidden secret the Apostles died with. You are not focused. The secret they died with was the destination Jesus took after he left Israel. Therefore, there is no Jewish conspiracy. The conspiracy wa Pauline, which was taken over by the Church.

I’m using the Protocols to show you what stupid claims like yours lead to. If what you say is true, then Christianity is a vast conspiracy and has been used to manipulate politics and world affairs to place Christians in positions of power and to establish a New World Order. Sounds familiar, just like another New World Order theory involving another religion.

You might have a point here somewhere. My claims are not stupid. If not true to a fault, they are very intelligent speculations based on NT evidences.

Ben, up until a point you were making good arguments but somewhere along the line it got ugly and lead to this. If you don’t accept the resurrection, that’s your decision, and I wish you the best and pray one day you do open your heart to Christ – FREELY and according to your own conclusions (as should everyone when choosing a faith or lack thereof), but till then please don’t make bizarre and insulting claims, that’s just ignorant and childish and would only lead to hate.

So, up to a point, my arguments were good. Then, when you found out you could not refute them, you decided to make them ugly. I have heard that before. I cannot accept the resurrection because physical resurrection is against the Scriptures that Jesus used to handle. And I am not making bizarre and insulting claims. Bizarre and insulting claims are made by yourselves every time you claim that a Jew was son of God with a woman, as an image distortion of the Faith of Jesus which was Judaism. That’s Greek Mythology and there is no such a thing in Judaism.
 
I’d have thought it was obvious that the Pharisees etc. hurried off to see Pilate on the Friday afternoon. With the earthquake, dark sky, the torn curtain and all the rest of it, they had good reason to be concerned. THe guard would have been posted Friday night and they’d have stayed there till they “became like dead men”.

Well Bob, you didn’t think right. When they posted the Roman soldiers at the tomb site, they probably started watching an already empty tomb, if you read Matthew 27:62-66. I would have paid anything to look at those Romans in the face when the “angel” removed the stone and they saw that the tomb was already empty. I would have laughed non-stop. They had been made a fool of by the Jews to spend the whole Saturday watching an already empty tomb.

Now if you were Pilate, and you had the entire guard telling you the same thing, and you yourself had experienced the earthquake, the darkness of the sun, and heard stories of the graves opening, you might have been inclined to believe them and not carry out summary executions of an entire guard of your own troops. Particularly if you knew they could normally be trusted. He had that authority.

I would be inclined to believe what from the soldiers? That they were sleeping when the disciples came and stole the body? Do you think they would spread around such a nonsense and commit suicide in the process? Of corse not! It means that such a charade never happened.

By the way you’re always making the absurd claim Christ wasn’t Jewish. Here’s a quote from an educated Jewish source for you.

What are you talking about? The opposite is true. I am the one who claims that Jesus was Jewish and the NT is the one that makes of Jesus a Greek demigod.

"Samuel Ungerleider Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of Religious Studies Brown University.

Was Jesus Jewish and, if he was, how would that have influenced his experiences as a young man growing up in Galilee?

Was Jesus a Jew? Of course, Jesus was a Jew. He was born of a Jewish mother, in Galilee, a Jewish part of the world. All of his friends, associates, colleagues, disciples, all of them were Jews. He regularly worshipped in Jewish communal worship, what we call synagogues. He preached from Jewish text, from the Bible. He celebrated the Jewish festivals. He went on pilgrimage to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem where he was under the authority of priests… He lived, was born, lived, died, taught as a Jew. This is obvious to any casual reader of the gospel text. What’s striking is not so much that he was a Jew but that the gospels make no pretense that he wasn’t.

The gospels do make the pretense that Jesus was not a Jew when they describe him as a Greek demigod, the son of God with a woman. That’s not Jewish.

The gospels have no sense yet that Jesus was anything other than a Jew. The gospels don’t even have a sense that he came to found a new religion, an idea completely foreign to all the gospel text, and completely foreign to Paul.

**This Professor of Judaisc studies should stick to his Judaic studies and leave the NT in peace because he either has no knowledge of the NT or a very poor knowledge of Judaism. Jesus, indeed, did not come to found a new religion but to confirm the old one down to the letter. (Mat. 5:18,190 **

That is an idea which comes about only later. So, to say that he was a Jew is saying a truism, is simply stating an idea that is so obvious on the face of it, one wonders it even needs to be said. But, of course, it does need to be said because we all know what happens later in the story, where it turns out that Christianity becomes something other than Judaism and as a result, Jesus in retrospect is seen not as a Jew, but as something else, as a founder of Christianity. But, of course, he was a Jew."

Jesus never had absolutely anything to do with Christianity, which started about 30 years after he had been gone. The founder of Christianity was Paul, in Antioch, 30 years after Jesus had been gone. (Acts 11:26)
 
Bob Crowley;5675839:
I’d have thought it was obvious that the Pharisees etc. hurried off to see Pilate on the Friday afternoon. With the earthquake, dark sky, the torn curtain and all the rest of it, they had good reason to be concerned. THe guard would have been posted Friday night and they’d have stayed there till they “became like dead men”.

Well Bob, you didn’t think right. When they posted the Roman soldiers at the tomb site, they probably started watching an already empty tomb, if you read Matthew 27:62-66. I would have paid anything to look at those Romans in the face when the “angel” removed the stone and they saw that the tomb was already empty. I would have laughed non-stop. They had been made a fool of by the Jews to spend the whole Saturday watching an already empty tomb.
Now if you were Pilate, and you had the entire guard telling you the same thing, and you yourself had experienced the earthquake, the darkness of the sun, and heard stories of the graves opening, you might have been inclined to believe them and not carry out summary executions of an entire guard of your own troops. Particularly if you knew they could normally be trusted. He had that authority.

I would be inclined to believe what from the soldiers? That they were sleeping when the disciples came and stole the body? Do you think they would spread around such a nonsense and commit suicide in the process? Of corse not! It means that such a charade never happened.

By the way you’re always making the absurd claim Christ wasn’t Jewish. Here’s a quote from an educated Jewish source for you.

What are you talking about? The opposite is true. I am the one who claims that Jesus was Jewish and the NT is the one that makes of Jesus a Greek demigod.

"Samuel Ungerleider Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of Religious Studies Brown University.

Was Jesus Jewish and, if he was, how would that have influenced his experiences as a young man growing up in Galilee?

Was Jesus a Jew? Of course, Jesus was a Jew. He was born of a Jewish mother, in Galilee, a Jewish part of the world. All of his friends, associates, colleagues, disciples, all of them were Jews. He regularly worshipped in Jewish communal worship, what we call synagogues. He preached from Jewish text, from the Bible. He celebrated the Jewish festivals. He went on pilgrimage to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem where he was under the authority of priests… He lived, was born, lived, died, taught as a Jew. This is obvious to any casual reader of the gospel text. What’s striking is not so much that he was a Jew but that the gospels make no pretense that he wasn’t.

The gospels do make the pretense that Jesus was not a Jew when they describe him as a Greek demigod, the son of God with a woman. That’s not Jewish.

The gospels have no sense yet that Jesus was anything other than a Jew. The gospels don’t even have a sense that he came to found a new religion, an idea completely foreign to all the gospel text, and completely foreign to Paul.

**This Professor of Judaisc studies should stick to his Judaic studies and leave the NT in peace because he either has no knowledge of the NT or a very poor knowledge of Judaism. Jesus, indeed, did not come to found a new religion but to confirm the old one down to the letter. (Mat. 5:18,190 **

That is an idea which comes about only later. So, to say that he was a Jew is saying a truism, is simply stating an idea that is so obvious on the face of it, one wonders it even needs to be said. But, of course, it does need to be said because we all know what happens later in the story, where it turns out that Christianity becomes something other than Judaism and as a result, Jesus in retrospect is seen not as a Jew, but as something else, as a founder of Christianity. But, of course, he was a Jew."

Jesus never had absolutely anything to do with Christianity, which started about 30 years after he had been gone. The founder of Christianity was Paul, in Antioch, 30 years after Jesus had been gone. (Acts 11:26)

You’re not worth arguing with. You’ve got such a distorted view of the origins of Christianity, for the simple reason you can’t conceive of a God who can act outside your narrow self-imposed bias, that you’ll ignore historical fact if it hits you in fhe face. You think you have some sort of secret knowledge that even a Jewish Professor of Judaic studies knows less than you do.

Why the hell do you think the Jews have had such a difficult time for the last 2000 years?

“You see these stones. I tell you, not one will be left standing on another” (And around 70AD the Romans destroyed the temple, till all that was left was the portion known as the Wailing Wall today).

“… the Gentiles will trample across the Holy Land until their time is up.” (And for nearly 1900 years the Gentiles trampled over the Holy Land, and still there is no peace).

Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and YOU WERE NOT WILLING! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”

2000 years later, after subjugation by the Roman Legions, Byzantine rule, the Moslems and the Arab Caliphate, Crusaders, Mamluk Rule, Ottoman and Egyptian rule, and the British Mandate, along with the terrible sufferings of Jews in Europe in particular culminating in the Holocaust, the Holy Land and the Jewish people have been well and truly trampled on by the Gentiles.

And you still don’t get it, do you?
 
Ben Masada;5676148:
You’re not worth arguing with. You’ve got such a distorted view of the origins of Christianity, for the simple reason you can’t conceive of a God who can act outside your narrow self-imposed bias, that you’ll ignore historical fact if it hits you in fhe face. You think you have some sort of secret knowledge that even a Jewish Professor of Judaic studies knows less than you do.

Why the hell do you think the Jews have had such a difficult time for the last 2000 years?
**My views are based on NT evidences and Jewish way of life. You cannot push the writings of Hellenistic Gentiles on me and expect me to accept them without question. The foundation for the origin of Christianity is Paul, and that’s what is written. I didn’t write it and I cannot changed it. (Acts 11:26) When I give you a NT quotation you are supposed to tell me what it is about if you don’t agree with my views on it, and not criticize my views as distorted views. If you don’t know, you ask for help; if you can’t find, you give in

This Jewish Professor of Judaic studies does not know the abc’s in the NT. If he keeps intruding, he might even become a prey to Christianity, like the the victim of a Greek Horse.

It’s very easy to think of more than one reason why the Jews have had such a difficult time for the last 2000 years. The main one is jealousy. The non-Jewish world can’t conceive the idea that Christianity has been powerless to break the Jew after 2000 years, whose Faith is still alive and kicking, in spite of all attempts at Replacement Theology, a policy that started with Paul. (Gal. 4:21-31)**
 
Bob Crowley;5676315:
**My views are based on NT evidences and Jewish way of life. You cannot push the writings of Hellenistic Gentiles on me and expect me to accept them without question. The foundation for the origin of Christianity is Paul, and that’s what is written. I didn’t write it and I cannot changed it. (Acts 11:26) When I give you a NT quotation you are supposed to tell me what it is about if you don’t agree with my views on it, and not criticize my views as distorted views. If you don’t know, you ask for help; if you can’t find, you give in

This Jewish Professor of Judaic studies does not know the abc’s in the NT. If he keeps intruding, he might even become a prey to Christianity, like the the victim of a Greek Horse.

It’s very easy to think of more than one reason why the Jews have had such a difficult time for the last 2000 years. The main one is jealousy. The non-Jewish world can’t conceive the idea that Christianity has been powerless to break the Jew after 2000 years, whose Faith is still alive and kicking, in spite of all attempts at Replacement Theology, a policy that started with Paul. (Gal. 4:21-31)**
To be quite honest Ben, just about every Christian I know doesn’t even think about the Jews or the Jewish religion. It’s not even an issue. As far as I can see, with Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem becoming a media and tourist circus due to their aggressive insularity from other Jews, it seems to me that Judaism is as divided as Protestantism in Christianity.

You can go on believing in Judaism till the cows come home for all I care. As for being jealous? Of what? Purely in your imagination, I assure you. My argument with you personally is your complete lack of historical credence in the assertions you drum up with the greatest of delusional ease.
 
=FatTire;5675427]It’s funny when a Jew makes absurd baseless irrational claims, it’s the truth. But if a Gentile was to use the same methods and come up with their own conspiracy theory to explain away something they deny or hate, it’s called Antisemitism (more specifically anti-Judaism, Jews aren’t the only Semites). Ever heard of a document that makes bold claims and is seeped in conspiracy babel called the Protocols of the Elders of Zion? Sure your posts and mine have nothing to do with each other but I’ve been reading this thread and you resort to the craziest explanations to make your point. It sounds exactly like a grand conspiracy, you even say the Apostles knew and died with the secret!
Jews hate the Protocols as they should and if someone was to go on a forum and concoct another elaborate Jews take over the world theory they’d be laughed at and be called an antisemite.
What your posts have turned to are just your delusions, the Jew with the money paid the Roman Soldier for the half dead Jew and then 12 other Jews came up with a brand new religion to replace Judaism and take over the Roman Empire and to spread all over the world. It’s a hidden secret that the Apostles died with! Oh My God! It’s another Jewish conspiracy! Thousands of years before the Protocols! I’ve solved it!! I sound crazy don’t I, not unlike you, you’re totally rational!
And please don’t start with the antisemitism rhetoric (if you disagree with a Jew or don’t say God bless you when they sneeze, you’re automatically an antisemite!). I’m using the Protocols to show you what stupid claims like yours lead to. If what you say is true, then Christianity is a vast conspiracy and has been used to manipulate politics and world affairs to place Christians in positions of power and to establish a New World Order. Sounds familiar, just like another New World Order theory involving another religion. So the Protocols are a lie, and Ben’s theory is the truth, ladies and gentleman! I’m calling the ADL and the Catholic League both are committed to fighting religious bigotry, albeit each group more for their own crews, lol. And just so you know, I do support Israel and have Jewish friends, so don’t dare call me anti-Jewish.
Please everyone, my post here is copy written so I can write both the novel and screenplay to this earth shattering secret discovered here on a religious forum! I’ll thank you Benny when I win an Oscar!
Ben, up until a point you were making good arguments but somewhere along the line it got ugly and lead to this. If you don’t accept the resurrection, that’s your decision, and I wish you the best and pray one day you do open your heart to Christ – FREELY and according to your own conclusions (as should everyone when choosing a faith or lack thereof), but till then please don’t make bizarre and insulting claims, that’s just ignorant and childish and would only lead to hate.
***Thank you friend, very well done.

What scares me [and no doubt others] is the wide coverage this Forum has, and the degree of cupability and being receptive to this obvious insincere and unfounded claims is that some less knowing may struggle with discernment. So we trust in the Holy Spirit to guide us in our responces, as the discernment process continues.

The adage is that if its too strange to be true, then its not, bears repeating. Ben isn’t trying to convert believers who easily see through his personal ajenda, but those sitting on the fecnce, the undecided.***

Bens premise defies common sense and logic.[As well as truth]. The Church has existed for 2,000 continous years, and only now, someone has thought of these stories? They have been refuted countless times for countless generations.

The evidence is clear to all who have a personal relationship with Jesus. We have seen Him work in our lives. Amen!

Love and prayers,
 
**The problem is that you want to bake your cake and eat it too. You can’t do that. You can’t have a religious Jew, Rabbi or Tacher, and still demand that he was single in a society and at a time when it was a commandment even for the common people to marry young even as a teenager, let alone for a religious Rabbi or Teacher. No one could be involved with the teaching of others as a single Jew. **
You act so certain, as though your claim is above any rational objection. The demand to be married was a cultural norm for religious Jews, so you assert, so confidently, that Jesus must have observed that norm. However, most people–even non-Christian historians–realize that Jesus broke several cultural norms of his day, bringing about a new understanding of the Law and transcending some of its more culturally bound practices…I hear that He was eventually crucified for such things, you know.
Jesus was under treatment for over 40 days before he was ready for a long trip out of Israel.
Where do you get that Jesus was under treatment for over forty days? Are you inferring it from the Gospel passages that talk about Him being with His disciples that long? The same Gospels that you say are unreliable? The same Gospels that say He had already begun appearing and talking to people three days later and only speak of the forty days as the total length of time He remained with the disciples after initially appearing. Again, you claim dependability of the Gospels when you can twist them, and claim they are"unreliable narratives" written by “Paul’s misguided disciples” when you can’t. And you say we try to have our cake and eat it too!
The Centurion did not touch Jesus to take him off the cross. Joseph of Arimathea and his men did all the job. The job of the Centurion was only to give Joseph the okay. Joseph was a little more intelligent than you think to keep for himself that Jesus was still alive. If anyone else had noticed, it would arrive at the ears of Pilate and Jesus with more people would go back to the cross. And regarding eyewitnesses, at least, I have Joseph himself to present here to you as one. What do you have to present to me that Jesus resurrected? See what I mean?
So there are reliable records of Joseph saying “He wasn’t really dead”? Because only that would make him a historical witness of what you claim. And as for the proof trading game that you suggest, you see this is where our arguments differ. You’re the one saying Christianity is an insult to people’s intelligence, and you are trying to show that your claim is irrefutably true (or else it wouldn’t mean Christianity is irrational); I am simply defending Christianity’s rationability, not trying to absolutely disprove your religion as you are mine. Because it is you trying to absolutely disprove something, whereas my arguments are on the part merely showing something to be rational, the absolute burden of irrefutable proof lies with you. You are not merely wanting us to consider that your claims are rationally possible, as that would not require irrefutable proof–you instead assert that your claims are the only rational option, which makes you different than a mere Evangelist, it makes you an argumentative aggressor. The burden of proof always lies with the aggressor. You have failed to present irrefutable proof at every turn.
It took about 30 years, after Jesus had been gone, before Paul came around preaching that Jesus was the Messiah, son of God, and that he had resurrected. For that, he almost got killed in Jerusalem for preaching apostasy. In the meantime, the headquarters of the Apostles was in Jerusalem, and they were coexisting peacefully with the local Jews. (Acts 9:31) How do you explain this fact? It’s only obvious that they were as surprised about the gospel of Paul as were the local Jews. This of choosing martyrdom for an ideal, does not mean anything. Muslims do the same even today and it does not mean they have a monopoly on the truth.
Now it’s clear that you depend on people already accepting your bias. The apostles coexisted with the Jews because they were Jews and, as Jews in Israel, they followed the Law far more closely than the Gentiles whom Paul wanted to bring into the fold, as they had, after all, been observing it all their lives. That is why, at first, Christians got along so well with local Jews–they were able to easily continue following the law they’d followed all their lives; you’ll note that the real break with Christians and the Jews came over strict observance of the Law, due to the influx of Gentile believers, not Jesus’ resurrection. On the other hand, there is no evidence whatsoever that the Apostles never believed that Jesus rose from the dead. None. There is no reason whatsoever to believe that, when they were martyred for Christianity, it wasn’t the very same Christianity that everyone else was being martyred for–the one teaching Jesus had risen from the dead. In fact, they each lived beyond Paul’s initial involvement with Christianity, and there are no records that even one of these (within Christianity) very influential men, who had known Jesus personally, ever once tried to let a single soul “know” that Paul’s version of Christianity was askew. People willing to be martyred for their religion tend to be passionate enough to correct distortions of their beliefs, especially distortions as big as you claim Christian beliefs to be. The Apostles would have been no exceptions, and I highly doubt there would be no records of their attempts to do so if that were the case.
**Jesus’ disciples never claimed to be privy to the tale of the resurrection. Therefore, they were not lying. Don’t forget that the guys who wrote the gospels were Hellenistic Gentiles about 50+ years after Jesus had been gone. They had been probably former disciples of Paul. Then, as I said above, to be willing to die for a religious cause, is the most common stuff even today. The Baha’is in the Iran of the Aiatolla Chommeni died by the hundreds to retract from their faith and they didn’t. **
I don’t need to read it from the Gospels in order to know that the disciples believed in Christ’s resurrection. I have addressed that above. If they didn’t believe in it–and they would have been in a position to know if it was false–they would have spent their passionate, willing-to-be-martyred energy trying to vehemently correct Paul’s “skewed” version of Christianity. What records are there of this happening? None.

Blessings in Christ,
KindredSoul
 
A Challenge to Our Intelligence

That’s about another puzzle that has been insulting our intelligence for 2000 years: The Roman guards who were asked of Pilate to watch the tomb for three days.(Mat. 27:64)

According to the writer of the gospel of Matthew, the chief priests had to break the Sabbath and, worse than that, a Shabbaton, because it was the first day of Passover, the 14th of Nisan, to go deal with Pilate about surveillance of a dead in the graveyard.

This is an evidence that the guys who wrote the gospels had a very poor knowledge of Jewish culture and customs to picture religious Jewish priests dealing with Pilate on that Sabbath for a group of soldiers to guard the tomb and to prevent anyone from desecrating it.

So, those priests were supposed to take those soldiers to the graveyard, which priests were forbidden to enter, especially on the Sabbath, and do the physical work to seal the tombstone. And all during that Shabbaton.

When that Sabbath was over, which in Israel is at sunset, the same gospel writer sends some women to the tomb with the purpose to anoint Jesus’ body. The man had probably forgotten the guards to prevent the approach of any suspect.

The women had one thought in mind only: Who would remove the tombstone. No one thought about how to fight the soldiers to approach the tomb. Obviously they would know they were there. Evidently, the three days they were supposed to watch the tomb turned out to be one.

When the women got there the place was deserted. Instead of the guards, the author reports about an earthquake, when an angel came down from heaven and removed the stone; but the women could not do their job, because there was no one in the tomb; Jesus was not there. Even the angel had been cheated form being an eyewitness.

Obviously, Jesus had been removed from that tomb even before the guards had been settled at the area to watch.

Then the soldiers that the women had not seen at the tomb, appeared at the house of the priests to say that the tomb was empty and of course, to get a good bribe with the advice to spread around that while they were sleeping, Jesus’ disciples had come by night and stolen the body. That’s the insult to the intelligence even of a moron, let alone to those who have a mind to think.

How could intelligent Jews give such an advice? How could the soldiers know that the tomb robbers had been Jesus’ disciples if they had been sleeping? What about Roman military discipline? The soldiers would all be executed according to Roman military laws. Josephus, who would go down to small details even of family intrigues, never mentioned a word about such a thing.

That’s the puzzle that has been insulting our intelligence for too long. Any suggestions?

Ben
 
A Challenge to Our Intelligence

That’s about another puzzle that has been insulting our intelligence for 2000 years: The Roman guards who were asked of Pilate to watch the tomb for three days.(Mat. 27:64)

According to the writer of the gospel of Matthew, the chief priests had to break the Sabbath and, worse than that, a Shabbaton, because it was the first day of Passover, the 14th of Nisan, to go deal with Pilate about surveillance of a dead in the graveyard.
Can’t the Sabbath be broken in cases of matters of life or death?
 
According to the writer of the gospel of Matthew, the chief priests had to break the Sabbath and, worse than that, a Shabbaton, because it was the first day of Passover, the 14th of Nisan, to go deal with Pilate about surveillance of a dead in the graveyard.
(…)
So, those priests were supposed to take those soldiers to the graveyard, which priests were forbidden to enter, especially on the Sabbath
What graveyard? there was only one grave there. The grave was in a rock, and the entrance was blocked by the stone. So the grave itself was all behind the stone, not under! So, as long as the stone remained there,
 
A Challenge to Our Intelligence

That’s about another puzzle that has been insulting our intelligence for 2000 years: The Roman guards who were asked of Pilate to watch the tomb for three days.(Mat. 27:64)

According to the writer of the gospel of Matthew, the chief priests had to break the Sabbath and, worse than that, a Shabbaton, because it was the first day of Passover, the 14th of Nisan(…)

So, those priests were supposed to take those soldiers to the graveyard, which priests were forbidden to enter, especially on the Sabbath, and do the physical work to seal the tombstone. And all during that Shabbaton.
Say… was it during daytime, or at night?
 
Please everyone, indulge Ben and let him continue with his nonsense. I am currently cutting and pasting his greatest hits from here and his other posts and naming them the The Apostle’s Code: Delusions of a Bitter Jew . If you read Ben’s posts you realize that they start off somewhat sane and grounded but as his arguments get shot down, chaos breaks loose and all logic is thrown out the window and he comes up with these revisionist tall tales, which if he wasn’t dead serious about, are hysterical, but that’s the point in his borderline psychotic mind: he full-heartedly believes his own BS.

Ben, you don’t belong here, and it’s not because you disagree with or challenge Christianity, it’s because in your attempt to disprove it (maybe you aren’t so strong in your Judaism, you have doubts, really we as Catholics don’t care about you Jews even though you claim the world is jealous of you and every Jew in the world) you become vile and insane.

If someone was to take your attitude to disproving or challenging major events in Jewish history like the Exodus or the Holocaust and used your revisionist method then all hell would break loose, the worst smear campaign would be kicked off to vilify and demonize the person who makes those claims. Here, we tolerate you, but up to a point. Take whatever self-respect you my have left and quit. Go through your Bible and take your skeptic approach and point it on your precious Judaism. Mock it, create absurd stories to explain away what is dear and central to your beliefs, and in the end become a self-hating Jew, an unbeliever. Because that’s what I feel your MO is, you don’t care if people become Jews, your not proselytizing for your faith, you just want people to loose faith in their Christian beliefs, for that I say shame on you! In actuality I would say something else but I don’t want to be banned.

We can do what you do and attack the OT, but we don’t, we respect it as the foundation of our beliefs. But let’s be honest, I don’t care about the Messiah, I don’t care about what happens to Israel and the Jewish people, you have to realize that with Christ ALL MANKIND becomes God’s CHOSEN PEOPLE. God loves and values all men and woman and to think that one group is his favorite for all time, that’s just wrong. That is why I think Jews have a problem with Christianity, because it takes away their special title and applies it to all mankind. It’s not replacement theology or what have you, but the truth of an all loving God who is not bound by Jewish law and prophecy. His love has no boundaries. To keep one group above others is not God-like but a very narrow-minded human quality. The Jews were promised to be a light onto the world and through them Christ was given to the world, they have fulfilled that promise, and the world should be thankful for that.

So let’s close this thread, because it stopped being rational four pages back. Ben’s rants are an INSULT to Our Intelligence. Here Ben, go fetch: carpenoctem.tv/cons/
you’ll feel more at home there in the insane ward.
 
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