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Showing posts from June, 2021

Jesus

 My best guess at the bio Jesu model is the messianic secret theory that Albert Schweizer made in his Seccert of the Kingdom of God, modified by my appreciation of the role of the Baptist's movement, modified slightly by the gospel of John.      We start with the Baptist Movement.  Josephus mentions the Baptist as an extremely popular religious reformer. Many ppeople made the trek down to the Jordan River, and as it was a take home movement instead of a commune, the people trekked home, up the 1300 ft to sea level and up 2000 more ft for those from Jerusalem. Like most reformers, John was anti establishment, his movement held the mainstream to be deficient and negligent. So it took some commitment to go see him.      Jesus met the fishermen at the Baptist's and they did not just leave their nets and dad suddenly but already knew jesus as a rabbi. And the synoptic gospels give the impression of a short ministry for Jesus but the Gospel of John woul...
 The Persecution of the Christians by Domitian, 94, seems to have been bloodless. We know the most prominant Christian leader was exiled to Patmos and famously wrote the Apocalypse there.  What other literature might we have from this time?      The letters of 2 and 3 John are mere postcards, what accounts for their survival?  Obviously they are of relic value of a beloved leader, writer of 1John and gJohn, and Apocalypse,  but why keep these.      2John begins with John introducing himself with phrases probably already known to the whole church from 1John. But he is  being mysterious for some reason that 3John might clear up. 2Jn goes on with a warning against a gnostic theme, and ends with what i think is the real message, he is on the run and needs a place to crash.      In 3John he is writing to an individual, Gaius, who is known to be helpful. Diotrephes, an official at a church, has got a letter from John asking...