Hi
@dybmh :
While I cannot speak for Vouthon and what context he is speaking from, it seems to me that you two will have to agree on the basic concept of how the early Christian viewed Jesus since it feels like your multiple caricuratures of Christianity all seem wrong. Given
your description of Christianity, I don’t believe in that sort of Christianity either. For examples :
1) There is no such thing as “one step salvation” in Early Judeo-Christian doctrine.
dybmh said :
“I'll be reading the Book of John making notes on the themes and imagery throughout looking for a pattern of simple, one-step salvation, that is only available *through* Jesus and no one / nothing else.” (#86)
Proving “one step salvation” wrong will not prove anything related to early Christianity since that is not authentic Judeo-christianity. For example, Jewish Haggadah tells us about repentance and justice as well. These are principles no Christian can avoid or get around.
“In the beginning, Two thousand years before the Heaven and the earth, seven things were created: .... The advice of the Torah was given with some reservations. She was skeptical about the value of an earthly world, on account of the sinfulness of men, who would be sure to disregard her precepts. But God dispelled her doubts. He told her that repentance had been created long before, and sinners would have the opportunity of mending their ways. Besides, the Temple service would be invested with atoning power, and Paradise and Hell were intended to do duty as reward and punishment. Finally, the messiah was appointed to bring salvation, which would put an end to all sinfulness. ... But even this last world would have had no permanence, if God had executed his original plan of ruling it according to the principle of strict justice. It was only when he saw that justice by itself would undermine the world that he associated mercy with justice, and made them to rule jointly.” The Haggadah ch 1;
This sort of Judeo-Christianity is not a “one step salvation”. Justice and repentance and mercy and other principles are involved.
In your post #98, this same misrepresentation occurs :
dybmh said : “The people JC was preaching to, they were at the mikvah to be purified. (Presumably) so they would know that consenting to go into the JC-Father pair for absolution instead of doing the work themselves is a shortcut, at best. It would have been common sense that it's risky to exploit the loophole and not to do the work themselves (#98)
Again, to characterize the JC-Father pair as “
absolution instead of doing the work themselves is a shortcut” is not authentic Judeo-Christian doctrine. It is an incorrect characterization and
not associated with Early Christianity. There is no shortcut in early Christian doctrine for Faith to repent (i.e. doing the work for ones self).
Even the Mikvah was, of itself, insufficient to cleanse a person of moral transgressions as the early Dead Sea Scroll Judeo-Christian doctrine tells us :
“Ceremonies of atonement cannot restore his innocence, neither cultic waters his purity. He cannot be sanctified by baptism in oceans and rivers, nor purified by mere ritual bathing. Unclean, unclean shall he be all the days that he rejects the laws of God, refusing to be disciplined in the Yahad of His society. For only through the spirit pervading God’s true society can there be atonement for a man’s ways, all of his iniquities; thus only can he gaze upon the light of life and so be joined to his truth by his Holy Spirit, purified from all iniquity. Through an upright and humble attitude his sin may be covered, and by humbling himself before all God’s laws his flesh can be made clean. Only thus can he really receive the purifying waters and be purged by the cleansing flow. 1QS, 4Q255-264a, 5Q11 Col. 3
Neither Jewish Mikvah nor Christian baptism is sufficient, but instead, there is work to be done that must be done by the individual. No loopholes and no short-cuts.
2) Regarding the putting of Adam’s spirit into Adams body. Possession is not Early Christian doctrine.
Dybmh said : I think this idea of sharing spirit one within the other is discussed in the early chapters of the Book of John. (#90)
You are confused. The early texts speak of Adams spirit being placed in Adam’s lifeless body. It is not a spirit or demon possession.
3) Praying through an angel is not Early Christian doctrine.
dybmh said : I'm still thinking that it would be good for you to locate a translation of Enoch for us to use if it is important for your arguments that praying to or through an Angel is kosher. (#99)
You are confused. Praying through an angel is not early Christian doctrine.
4) “Pairing” of JC-and-Father as the only way to be absolved from sin is not early Christian doctrine.
Dybmh said : “What I did see was a conistent *pairing* of JC-and-Father as the *only* way to be absolved from sin without the requisite” (#96)
You are confused again.
Brickjectivity pointed out to dybmh :
“This was a comment you made to Clear. The intent of "in Jesus name" could also have several meanings. It is unclear whether its pairing. (#100)
God the Father is the Lord God over all other beings in early Christianity.
The Messiah (Jesus) is a separate being who is directed by God the Father to accomplish tasks delegated to him.
The atonement is the door that all men must go through for salvation.
The messiah is the one who accomplishes the atonement by virtue of being delegated the task and the authority to accomplish it and who has the requisite Characteristics to accomplish it. The Messiah is honored for the accomplishment of his task and teaches mankind that the atonement accomplished by him is the manner by which mankind may return to the Father.
For example, one prays to the Father (not to Jesus or an angel), and prays for forgiveness in the name of (i.e. because of) the atonement wrought by the messiah. It is the atonement that is the door and it is the messiah who wrought the atonement.
The Atonement wrought by the Messiah is not a “one step” process, nor is it a “short cut”, but involved the moral tutoring of mankind in learning by experience, good from evil and those who choose good must still learn to master social and moral laws that will prepare them to live in a social heaven, having learned to live principles by which a social heaven is both built and sustained. This takes more than a lifetime to accomplish.
IF you are going to discuss authentic Christianity, then you should discuss authentic christianity, not a fictionized or caricaturized version of it.
In any case, I hope you both have wonderful spiritual journeys and will try to stay out of your conversations as much as possible.
Clear