metis
aged ecumenical anthropologist
First of all, we simply do not know in any way how many in the Way were in Rome, so we can't base much on that one way or the other.Yes, we have a large spectrum of opinions as we look back with limited information. Not sure how you can say "the numbers could (not) have been that high". It reached Rome and the Colosseum was filled with the death of them. We have the same problem with how many people left Egypt, were they really in Egypt, is the record given of the Israelites true... it seems like everyone wants to prove there is no real Israel. I would also hold the record of Israel is also true and continues to be verified as archaeological discoveries are made.
Obviously, (my bias), I would be of the opinion that it wasn't inflated. Three thousand died at the inception of the giving of the law and three thousand lived at the inception of grace. I think numbers are significant. Were both numbers rounded? Maybe. But rounded is still significant in quantity.
On the "second" point, I think you have hit something and we sure could start another thread on this. (and we may make these responses too long if we continue to add 1-3 points and developing sub-points to these points
There are more... but it gets too long.
- It didn't hit the press because it was suppressed. Much like today, many things don't hit the press because they don't want it out of the bag
- The Roman Empire also had its effect. Remembering that Jerusalem was destroyed not long after, there were other fronts that were taking precedent over the press
- In that Josephus did speak about it as a historian... maybe there was more to it than what records we have available today.
Point three... It was a High-Sabbath... therefore the population would have mushroomed much larger than the population existing at the capital.
But, yes, history is speculative.
And the message of Jesus is of utmost importance. "All we need is love" la la la la.. (Beatles) I would say "agape" love.
Secondly, the only non-Christian account is from Josephus, and that in itself should tell you something, especially since it's only a sentence or two, and some even question whether that might have been inserted or altered at a later date, much like what happened with the Talmud. I don't know.
Thirdly, at this time there is no "smoking gun" that the Exodus occurred, and I have very strong doubts that if it did that it is recorded properly. However, today we can use it in a more allegorical sense, so it is useful for many of us.
Finally, I have to repeat Paul telling the church not to marry unless not doing so would cause more problems because why would he tell them that if he didn't think Jesus was coming back soon? It is later that he seems to back off on that, but I have no idea why he seems to have a change of mind on this.
By writing the above, please realize that I am not trying to offend you, plus I am very much the skeptic when it comes to analyzing any set of scriptures. Not only is almost the entirely of what we read from "believers", but on top of that, early Jewish writing styles so often used metaphors, allegory, exaggerations, parables, etc. Numbers often had hidden meanings. Parallels often were drawn with previous events. An existing person often was dealt with as if they were a famous historical figure like Moses or David.
When we ask ourselves "Did these events really happen", this is probably not the best question to ask. Instead, I believe a better approach is "What can I learn from this myth?". ["myth" obviously doesn't mean nor imply falsehood in this context] IOW, what are the basic morals and values that are being taught, and how may they help us today. After all, we live in the "today", not it the days of 2000 years ago.
Take care.
