Why do you seem saddened by it? Most people I know who think that Judgement Day is a possibility look forward to it.
The Third Prophecy of Fatima really said "A Babe shall talk like a grown man, 16 women will fornicate with 1 man, 10 people will live in 1 house with many cameras: Then shall you know Primetime is doomed"
Jay, until more of us learn ancient Hebrew or babelfish.altavista.com adds a translator for it, I think we're better off if we use the English translation of Jesus' words.
i we talkin about the same jesus that works over at the mall or jesus his cousin who lives down in cancun?
Jesus spoke Aramaic...sorry I didn't post in that language, but I'm not real familiar with it. I'm also not real certain who here would understand aramaic...sort of a "know your audience" technique. I don't know if you know this or not, but the Bible has been translated into a few other languages from its original text.
The "original text" of the entire New Testament wasn't even formalised until 500 years after Jesus' death; there were several hundred years in which different Christian sects fought, sometimes violently, over what to include, declaring each other heretics and so on. There are lots of gospels left out as a result - you can go to the library and have a look at all the "apocryphal" ones, like the Book of Mary... plus all the earliest "original" gospels (Paul to the Corinthians, Matthew, Mark, John, I think) weren't written until 30-50 years after all the important stuff - and I think they were actually in Greek, even though Jesus spoke Aramaic. I find it very difficult to believe that these guys had memories *that* good, even if they did translate accurately, so we can safely assume that all these "direct quotes" aren't direct at all, but based on what people could remember of Jesus' teachings. I don't think all this necessarily precludes divine inspiration - you could still believe that God guided all these variables if you like (though to me it seems that even if you do, literal interpretation of either Testament is pretty pointless). All of this is just so I could say that the recurrent Day of Judgement talk is probably crap. Although the "Left Behind" movies are pretty funny.
Dan Langhi is 8-9 from the field and has scored 17 points, Azadre was right, The World is Over, Duck your heads people, we are all going to be judged
That would be Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians was one of the Pauline Epistles (means letters, i think) that make up a significant portion of the New Testament.
I wasn't referring to the order in which they appear in the current New Testament, but rather the order in which they were written. Paul to the Corinthians (the year 58 or thereabouts), followed by Mark (65ish), John and Matthew (85ish). The dates of the rest are a bit blurry in my memory, but they come afterwards I think...
wow..didn't expect this post from the one I wrote!!! You are exactly right...but the information I have indicates that the earliest book in the New Testament is Matthew at 50 A.D. ..but also keep in mind these guys were keeping notes the whole way. They just weren't organized in any real book or letter type form. I don't believe they were written into Greek, but the first real notable translation is into Greek...the Septuagint. The Jews had a remarkable oral tradition as well, and these men all came from that culture. These stories, if true, were easily the most remarkable of their lifetime...I'm certain their memory of them would be pretty strong. I remember my wedding and the birth of my child like they were yesterday.
What information is this? Mark was the first written gospel, according to all Biblical scholars I have ever read - from all ranges of theology. The also date it anywhere from 70-90 based on temple destruction references. The earliest estimates of Matthew I have read place it in the 80's, but those seem to be dubious.
Honestly, the only information I have in front of me is my Bible. It's produced by Scofield. I wasn't actually there at the time of the writing, so I can't be certain! It says Matthew was written in c. 50...Mark in c. 68...Luke in c. 60...John written in c. 85-90. Scofield is a pretty well respected group....I'm certainly open to the possibility they're wrong, though!! Again...I wasn't there, so I really can't verify it either way!!!
Hmm, that is strange - Matthew and Luke in front of Mark? I know that Matthew was believed to be the first by Medieval theologians, but I didn't realize it was still followed. Matthew contains almost all of Mark which, I think, accounts for 80% of its total (filled out by information not found in Mark). Luke also has a large amount of Mark, I think accounting for 60% of its entirety. Honestly, I had not heard of Scofield, but I looked around a bit and it seems it is cause for a bit of controversy. Pro-Scofields are mad because of the new version (do you have this or ones he actually compiled - apparently the Gospel dates have been changed in the new one, although I could not find what they were) and there seem to be a lot that try to disparage his work. For fun. Sorry about bringing this up at first - I was not trying to be argumentative and I know we can never truly "know," I just was taken aback. I swear, I have read a wide range - liberal academic, mass market popular, evangelical, etc and they have all agreed at least upon the chronology, if not the precise dating. Incidentally, everythig I read labeled Scofield as a dispensationalist/millennialist which seem to be in opposition of views you have expressed even in this thread. Am I off?
first...what is a dispensationalist/millenialist??? help!!! second...my understanding regarding the problems with the new NIV are simply the change in pronouns and mischaracterization of certain words for the purposes of political correctness....i don't know about any other issues. third...it is just my understanding about Scofield from one of the guys I work with...I really don't follow that stuff all that closely, quite frankly. i probably should more carefully. my faith is built far more on experience than it is on study...sorry i'm not of more help here on that. also...you may be right on the dates...i'm not sure. and...you're always fair with me rimbaud...no need to apologize...I know you're not being confrontational.
