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  1. P

    Paul was not a Roman Citizen.

    Which ones did believe that the Jews killed all the prophets, as taught by Paul?
  2. P

    Paul was not a Roman Citizen.

    Thank you. I can't read Greek, so on this question of Paul's eloquence and fluency in Greek, I must defer to experts. You even provide quotations. Very impressive. What do you make of the anti-semitic doctrines in Paul's writings?
  3. P

    Paul was not a Roman Citizen.

    Did the Jews of ancient Palestine have no concept of salvation? Are we to believe that it is pro-semitic to preach that the Jews killed all the prophets?
  4. P

    Paul was not a Roman Citizen.

    You are yourself a scholar of ancient Greek? You can read and understand this language? You've never encountered the notion, in your readings of the commentary on Paul, that his uses Greek with a high degree of fluency?
  5. P

    Paul was not a Roman Citizen.

    Perhaps it is not inherently anti-semitic to deny that there is no such thing as unclean foods in the eyes of God, or that circumcision is not essential for salvation. But, it is one of the classic anti-semitic ideas that the Jews killed all the prophets. We have Paul to directly blame for...
  6. P

    Paul was not a Roman Citizen.

    Do you have any scholarly authority to support this opinion? I was under the impression that Paul's Greek was excellent according to the scholarly consensus.
  7. P

    Jesus and taxes

    This judgment can be extended to the Gospel-authors also: their works are largely mythical and polemic. In a word, complete distortions. It is extremely difficult to sift out true facts about the real Jesus from the great mass of polemical deception. That a popular messianic leader like Jesus...
  8. P

    Jesus and taxes

    Only according to the Gospels, and to Christian teaching. The real life Jesus is a different story. But, it is difficult to dispute, that under the influence of Paul's ideology, Jesus was imagined to be pro-tax and accommodating to Roman power. It is unlikely the real Jesus would have held to...
  9. P

    Jesus and taxes

    I certainly agree that Jesus, according the Gospels, is pro-tax. However, the question remains if this was a teaching that can be attributed to the real, historical Jesus. Perhaps it was an invention of the Gospel-authors.
  10. P

    Paul was not a Roman Citizen.

    You would expect a Palestinian Jew to preach that there is no distinction between clean and unclean foods, that circumcision means nothing, that the Jews kill all the prophets, and other anti-semitic ideas?
  11. P

    Paul was not a Roman Citizen.

    Jesus tells his followers to pay their taxes, according to Mathew. This fact almost certainly does not originate on the level of historical reality, but from the imagination of the anonymous author. If Jesus really did exist, then he was a Messianic leader from 1st century Palestine in the...
  12. P

    Paul was not a Roman Citizen.

    Greek was used throughout the Roman empire, much as Latin was used throughout Europe in the middle ages. Issac Newton wrote his Principia in Latin. Does that mean he was from a "Latin speaking area"? No, of course not. A philosopher, historian or scientist in England could discourse with the...
  13. P

    Paul was not a Roman Citizen.

    I can't be expected to read 36 pages of posts, so please correct me if these issues have already been addressed. I can certainly agree that there is no direct, solid evidence that Paul was a Roman citizen. Acts can not be cited as documentary evidence that Paul was a citizen. Acts is pure...
  14. P

    Good works are better than faith alone.

    I can agree with that. The works are the visible part, and can be directly observed by a third party. The faith that inspires or motivates, that part is invisible, and therefore must be inferred. We can never directly know what's in another person's heart. I believe that every human has a...
  15. P

    Good works are better than faith alone.

    Perhaps I have unintentionally implied a doctrine of "works alone," in absolute opposition to faith alone. There is no need for strict dualism on the question. Faith without works is dead, but so is works without faith. Works without faith is blind automatism. I'd rather be a human that...
  16. P

    Good works are better than faith alone.

    I follow the letter of James on this question: A very simple point, and one that is difficult to refute through rational argumentation. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. What we intend matters very little; it is what we do that counts. Primarily, this is an ethical...
  17. P

    A Question to Atheists

    It all depends on your definition of "existence." If you mean that God exists as a construct in the psyche, as a symbol that believers draw comfort from, as an imaginary entity that motivates human activity, then we have no argument. If on, the other hand, you mean that God exists...
  18. P

    What is religious extremism bad?

    I don't think religious extremism is necessarily bad. There have been some attempts to define the concept. I would propose this: the more willing a person is to act on their beliefs, the more "extreme" they are in these beliefs. In this sense, extremism is not intrinsically a bad thing...
  19. P

    Greetings.

    I am an atheist, but I am highly interested in religious subjects. I like to discuss and debate these subjects. Current reading: Sabbatai Sevi, The Mystical Messiah, by Gershom Scholem. Before that: The New Testament Code, by Robert Eisenman. My ideological attitude towards the Bible...
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