This teaching has taught me to love and enjoy all this material. I did lose something that angel that followed me everywhere with his notebook making checkmark for anything I said or did. Now it is a joy to study all this material and to know more material will be discovered for us. In our life we have the dead sea scrolls. See how wonderful it is that people find things for us to learn???? Thank you all for teaching and discovering for us. We love you. Love arvis.
This was so delightful to listen to you two. What you said about the meanings and usage and dictionaries and Paul. I feel restored and not so alone any more.
I can't keep up with Robyn, but I'm old so there you go. (no problem with Tabor) I wish she would slow down and pause once in a while. I'm sure it's just me. However this is basically a commercial for the upcoming NINT conference.
QUESTION: At 39:16 Dr. Walsh says that "pneuma is a physical substance within stoic cosmology", stating how this explains Paul's writings better than the typical trinitarian model does. This struck me when I listened. Help me out here. Please give me a few sentences about why this explains Paul's writings better. I would love to understand what you are saying!!
Like the human brain, Biblical Studies seems to have two parts (Scholarship and Theology) that rarely communicate with each other. Many thanks to these two scholars (as well to Bart Ehrman) who try and bridge the gap and improve our understanding of the Bible, its authors and their historical/cultural context(s).
@@joelbrown3935Today's lesson is on the Origins of the Great Schism and the subsequent persecution of the Heretics known as the Amantes Literalismi. The Great Schism has its origins in a single comment. It is not known if this was the intention of the Arch Heretic known to history as TheDanEdwards, but we are not at all concerned with their motives Brethren..........
Great interview. I don’t believe the audience feels a historical approach is necessarily wrong either, but some might be thinking what if you got the history wrong? Proposing theories is fun and the aspiring mind is a thing of beauty for sure, but a theory has to be able to stand under the pressure of scrutiny when tested. What is the point of proposing a cup with no bottom? It has the right appearance, but lacks functionality. Remove the handle and call it a glass,… sure. But to remove its base without explanation is a little too radical if not reckless. The supposition that Paul used brilliant rhetorical sequence to woo people and Trump Plato completely ignores the possibility that he actually believed his story to be true. Robyn’s theory regarding the forces of attraction that saw the Christian movement form might appear reasonable, but again only if we ignore the context in which Paul lived, and the possibility that he actually believed in his mission. Is Robyn suggesting an educated person couldn’t be influenced by other experiences? Can we understand the meaning of Mark 9:1 by reading Luke 9:27? If I write a poem proclaiming “I love Gelato”, but someone rewrites it to read “I don’t like Gelato”, what would you conclude on reading it centuries later? Would you get that I loved Gelato? How could you? So I guess the question is, how is it you two seem to be able to do that? Does Robyn’s model consider the effects of external forces like oppression on human behavior? What does Paul mean in 1 Cor 15:30-31? Is that him waxing philosophically? The messages in Paul’s letters do not depend on a cohesive Christian community, even if attaining cohesion was a goal. The phrase “conversion experience” does not imply he converts to a new religion. He still believes in God, and the cohesive religious community he belongs to is Judaism. His conversion was from persecutor to the persecuted. And yes that is exactly how human experience has gone throughout history. When you really believe in something you get your message out one door knock at a time even if only 1-in-1000 opens for you. How does Robyn’s model explain Paul giving up a position of higher status for a lower one of hardships? If we apply this same logic to your own story Dr. Tabor, then the analogy has you publishing books even though your material wealth and fame would decrease with each publication. Experience tells me you wouldn’t do that. So what motivated Paul, because clearly it wasn’t material wealth? No one is wrongly accusing a critical historical approach here. To be sure Robyn doesn’t fault the theological approach, but she doesn’t have to because her theory does it for her by default. The issue here isn’t what you or I believe in from a theological perspective. The issue is that the critical historical approach used claims to know what Paul believed and thought, which is different from the account he actually gives in his letters. My critical historical approach tells me Paul would have loved Gelato. Hope everyone enjoyed the conference.
She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that’s best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes; Thus mellowed to that tender light Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
James you reflected the same errors of Christianity in you comments on Romans, the sequence you described is conceptually wrong, as the Jews we call 'Christians'.
My concern: I feel listeners after a while are a bit left in the air, going downhill to be desolate by one sided questioning of the Bible. *Therefore I wonder … to we’re is all the knowledge you share supposedly going to lead people affected by it? You have dedicated your life to decimate the NT - but with the information you share you also seem to have no clear alternative to share. Let me just say personally I have enjoyed and learned many things of what some of you has shared, but my take is I’m still keeping the original Bible Tanach and it’s God. I mean, isn’t it a lack you cannot tell listeners how to replace and compensate a lost faith in Christianity and earlier beliefs from the NT that some start distance themself’s from? Serious question: What is your best alternative to offer listeners, then building up the more likely stuff - after breaking down the not so likely stuff? And as you now gather together in a conference, and by this giving time and energy in this new mixed agnostic-biblical kind of movement - (hopefully not just motivated by livelihood and carrier) - … What is it you really want to reach with participating in it all?
I don’t see this as trying to break down people’s faith at all. It’s not questioning the Bible. It’s trying to understand the history of it and the context in its time. Christianity wasn’t a monolithic belief when it first started. There were all sorts of different ideas about who or what Jesus was as well as what he taught. It took centuries for the religion to develop into what we have today. It wasn’t until the late fourth century that the 27 books of the New Testament were first mentioned as the ones to be used, and even after that there was debate.
@@parkerflop Islam is no better. Any dogmatic belief about God, Allah, Brahman, etc. is based on people’s perceptions, need for power/control, and in some cases, delusions.
Why do people not follow the lead given in Job pointing toeards the celestial sphere? Job 38:31-33 If it is the scriptures goal to bring the god in heavens rule down to earth, is it not logical sense to study the laws in heaven to do such? A point i make is that many christian nations have done this through their monarchies, but the populace still do not understand the reality of where and how the justice system obtains its prcendent to become elected. judges within the nation. I can point towards the serpent in the garden of eden, the leviathon of te sea, the struggle the rulership has in creating order and its various established intitutional blueprint, the dragon pointed towards in revelation, and how t hives power to the beast. The question is why do scholars not recognize the sigificance of this one passage i posit? Loosen the belt of Orion. Orion reåresents the impulse to have all of earth under it dominion. The Pleiades represents values, and the missing value of the inner light of consciousness, the cubs and the bear, relates to the pole star configuration and its indication of the passage of time ans the general human nature of humanity through the age of Pisces. By using principles found within cosmology, there are displayed methods of how governace is achieved, Mashallah ibn Athari will show an uderstanding. Scriptures are teling og how governance first came into being, how through the development it has acted, and finally the revelation of what the tabernacle, truly is. Colossians 2:20-23 This passages uses spiritual and elemental forces, which are used to fathim the workings upon the celestial sphere, and Cephas, or nown as peter to jesus, was rebukedas being Satan. Matthew 16:23, where Cephas is Cepheus upon the sphere itself. Ave andromeda, is the theme, as well as Isaac whom was bound so this judgement system of value measured by rule could be established. Job 1:12 rise above and leave the cave of Plato, and see yourself as more than flesh. Debunking “Ancient Israel” you tube video. Hathor is El Shaddai is the dragon. Chasing red herrings about what is written in scriptures and how to interpret it, is a game of framing the ideology. Its a cave in itself. The system Moses learnt from the egyptians had a victim,, the very same system used in the Torah has a victim. Christ teaches how not to be a victim, BUT as Cain killed his brother for reasoning of profit, the marked man still lives.
Christianity is false teaching, but my viewpoint is that the NT is true, but conceptually misread. I have 32 Ytube videos 'Myths in so-called Christianity' for NT truth.
I love Paul and John, not as found in Christianity, but in the NT. Romans his gospel of salvation is perfectly parallel with John's gospel. I am CofE KJV but found many errors in Christianity, and most separate Paul from other epistles due to misreading, so I have a Ytube video series called 'Myths in so-called Christianity' that supports Paul from the NT.
@@simonskinner1450 you're talking nonsense, the core teaching of Jesus requirement to be born by the Spirit, look upon him raised up- crucified to live, are what makes Christianity, the epistles teach how to live by 'the law of the Spirit of life' which set us free from the law of sin and death, Gods grace.
@@MRFITTA Raised up to be our judge. This statement is true for Romans the gospel of salvation by Paul, and John's gospel of salvation. Where is the nonsense when I say Paul and John have the gospel of salvation, but Christianity deems salvation at the Cross, for those who believe, making salvation Gnosticism. Jesus taught in John 3:5 that a believer must be Born Again of the Spirit (Holy Ghost), and the reason is in Romans 15:16, that the offering up of believers for judgement having been sanctified. I have 32 Ytube videos 'Myths in so-called Christianity' that give the NT truth for those seeking the truth.
addendum: skip the first 20:37. Jesus, James, tighten it up. Look around you today, the same has been true for ALL "practicioners" of all religions for all of time. 99.8% of the religious participants didn't dive in for even 5% of what you are giving them credit for. A predominantly illiterate populace. Plato. Septuagint. Corinthians. had a thousand people read all these three texts by 90ce? Words don't have meaning, they have use. Weird, right?
What do you mean by this last distinction? Do not talk and think? Just do? Or don't expect to learn anything on Sabbath? Just get through and over it? Please explain.
so...once again... Is not the Word of God written by divine revelation through holy men speaking by the spirit of God? Is not All Scripture Inspired by God?? or have you "more" serious students departed from the recognition of the Hand of God actively directing the production of the Holy Written Word of God?? ( I am with holding my judgement until the Righteous Judge hears your answer and responds conclusively) I simply assert my faith that All Scripture written in the Bible reveals the Holy Word of God which is the most trustworthy instruction in righteousness
You’d think if God wanted his word spread he’d have done a better job of preserving it and making sure it was translated and understood a bit clearer. Scribes changed things. Scribes made mistakes copying. Scribes added things. There are zero originals of any of the books. We don’t even know who wrote the four gospels as the earliest copies are anonymous. There are numerous contradictions between the gospels.
@@pbjones68 Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Living Word and He will help you to separate the truth from error as you lay the thoughts and intents of your heart before him. "Consider what I say and the Lord will give you understanding in all things" (just like he did for Paul)
In the early 1960's, the Second Vatican Council called for the renewal of the Church, "...that it might be found more faithful to the Gospel of Christ." Pope Paul VI wrote that this renewal involved the Church comparing itself to the person and exectations of Jesus... in a process that involved identifying and discerning the additions made to the faith by various generations, from the beginning, in order to identify and correct, what is false and faulty. Most of the 40 or so generations of the Christian faith have added much less than the very first four or five generations that were involved in creating the foundation to the faith. It has been assumed in the faith that the historical and prophetic narratives provided by the New Testament witness were historically accurate. The investigations and research of historical biblical scholarship are quite surprisingly to us of faith, poking larger and larger holes in that assumption. Recently, Pope Francis said that good science will not contradict faith... if the faith of the Church is going to be objectively renewed, the corollary to this statement will provide the measuring stick... good faith will not vary from science. To be of ultimate value, the content of any faith worthy of belief must be rooted in objective reality... what really happened. The work of historical biblical scholarship is crucial to the renewal of the faith called for at Vatican II. Determining the reality of what happened first, will unquestionably have a serious impact on the theological scholarship that is currently based on historical and prophetic narratives that may be more creations of faith than what actually happened back then.
![How Paul Created Christianity--His [Mis]Appropriation of Four Hebrew Bible Texts](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/6-fhCtoFA2Q/mqdefault.jpg)
![How Paul Created Christianity--His [Mis]Appropriation of Four Hebrew Bible Texts](/img/tr.png)
Robyn gets to actually start talking (aside from simple greeting and comment) at 18:23. For those here for Robyn, fyi.
Tiresome introduction of guest...
This teaching has taught me to love and enjoy all this material. I did lose something that angel that followed me everywhere with his notebook making checkmark for anything I said or did. Now it is a joy to study all this material and to know more material will be discovered for us. In our life we have the dead sea scrolls. See how wonderful it is that people find things for us to learn???? Thank you all for teaching and discovering for us. We love you. Love arvis.
I love your content, mate. It's so thorough and honest research. I'll surely take some of your online courses one day soon.
What a splendid woman.
This was so delightful to listen to you two. What you said about the meanings and usage and dictionaries and Paul.
I feel restored and not so alone any more.
Appreciate the work you guys put in💯
Thoroughly enjoy Dr. Tabor. his videos, and his books.
You might let Dr. Walsh say something now and again 🙁.
This deserves more views! love the light-hearted scholarly talk on deep issues, especially on Paul
🫶if it wasn’t for all you people I would have trashed the Bible long time ago lol I can appreciate it a lot more now
I rejected Xtianity. But studying the history of the bible is still interesting, more interesting than the religions
Love this part: "Space...in First Corinthians 15... Paul talks about the moon, the stars, and the third heaven." ✨️ 🌟 Thank you, James and Robin.
This is nice, thanks!❤️🔥🌌🎆🥂
Any time Robin is in the house, I'm listening. Her book is de rigor for the non specialist.
Excellent, thank you for this.👍
I can't keep up with Robyn, but I'm old so there you go. (no problem with Tabor) I wish she would slow down and pause once in a while. I'm sure it's just me. However this is basically a commercial for the upcoming NINT conference.
I totally agree that many words were translated from a theological bias and not according to the original meaning.
I'm 15 minutes into this video, and nothing about Paul yet. I'm falling asleep.
I seem to recall certain apostles having that problem.
What a beautiful scholar!
He is isn't he. Such a wonderful beard.
James really has that charming wise man look. I could see him posing in GQ magazine.
Easy to see why her courses would be popular
@@TheSulross his*
Great guest.
QUESTION: At 39:16 Dr. Walsh says that "pneuma is a physical substance within stoic cosmology", stating how this explains Paul's writings better than the typical trinitarian model does. This struck me when I listened. Help me out here. Please give me a few sentences about why this explains Paul's writings better. I would love to understand what you are saying!!
Like the human brain, Biblical Studies seems to have two parts (Scholarship and Theology) that rarely communicate with each other. Many thanks to these two scholars (as well to Bart Ehrman) who try and bridge the gap and improve our understanding of the Bible, its authors and their historical/cultural context(s).
The term James was looking for was Entropy - "is the tendency of things to break down, to wear out over time. "
skip the first 15 minutes
No.
@@TheDanEdwards taborist
@@joelbrown3935The whole world should be so lucky
@@joelbrown3935Today's lesson is on the Origins of the Great Schism and the subsequent persecution of the Heretics known as the Amantes Literalismi.
The Great Schism has its origins in a single comment.
It is not known if this was the intention of the Arch Heretic known to history as
TheDanEdwards, but we are not at all concerned with their motives Brethren..........
Thank you!
Darn! I'm at a completely different academic conference that week.
The meaning of 'weird' has not changed; when used in our current 'political context,' however, it means nothing.
Great interview. I don’t believe the audience feels a historical approach is necessarily wrong either, but some might be thinking what if you got the history wrong? Proposing theories is fun and the aspiring mind is a thing of beauty for sure, but a theory has to be able to stand under the pressure of scrutiny when tested. What is the point of proposing a cup with no bottom? It has the right appearance, but lacks functionality. Remove the handle and call it a glass,… sure. But to remove its base without explanation is a little too radical if not reckless.
The supposition that Paul used brilliant rhetorical sequence to woo people and Trump Plato completely ignores the possibility that he actually believed his story to be true. Robyn’s theory regarding the forces of attraction that saw the Christian movement form might appear reasonable, but again only if we ignore the context in which Paul lived, and the possibility that he actually believed in his mission. Is Robyn suggesting an educated person couldn’t be influenced by other experiences? Can we understand the meaning of Mark 9:1 by reading Luke 9:27? If I write a poem proclaiming “I love Gelato”, but someone rewrites it to read “I don’t like Gelato”, what would you conclude on reading it centuries later? Would you get that I loved Gelato? How could you? So I guess the question is, how is it you two seem to be able to do that?
Does Robyn’s model consider the effects of external forces like oppression on human behavior? What does Paul mean in 1 Cor 15:30-31? Is that him waxing philosophically? The messages in Paul’s letters do not depend on a cohesive Christian community, even if attaining cohesion was a goal. The phrase “conversion experience” does not imply he converts to a new religion. He still believes in God, and the cohesive religious community he belongs to is Judaism. His conversion was from persecutor to the persecuted. And yes that is exactly how human experience has gone throughout history. When you really believe in something you get your message out one door knock at a time even if only 1-in-1000 opens for you.
How does Robyn’s model explain Paul giving up a position of higher status for a lower one of hardships? If we apply this same logic to your own story Dr. Tabor, then the analogy has you publishing books even though your material wealth and fame would decrease with each publication. Experience tells me you wouldn’t do that. So what motivated Paul, because clearly it wasn’t material wealth? No one is wrongly accusing a critical historical approach here. To be sure Robyn doesn’t fault the theological approach, but she doesn’t have to because her theory does it for her by default. The issue here isn’t what you or I believe in from a theological perspective. The issue is that the critical historical approach used claims to know what Paul believed and thought, which is different from the account he actually gives in his letters. My critical historical approach tells me Paul would have loved Gelato. Hope everyone enjoyed the conference.
Jesus Christ, Tabor...
You talked for 25 mins saying nothing before you even got into it.
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
How about the idea that the apostle Paul killed Saul.
Paul is Saul.
Where is the location of the conference?
Weird still means what it has always meant...it's just the application of it that has changed in the last 3 weeks! 🤣
I find youtubers are taking people's time for granted....16 minutes into a video and it's all rambling!!!
Come on guys be more serious about time.
James you reflected the same errors of Christianity in you comments on Romans, the sequence you described is conceptually wrong, as the Jews we call 'Christians'.
uhhhhh wat did she say?
Nominal determinism?
14+ minutes of commercial not sure the interview is worth it.
My concern: I feel listeners after a while are a bit left in the air, going downhill to be desolate by one sided questioning of the Bible.
*Therefore I wonder … to we’re is all the knowledge you share supposedly going to lead people affected by it?
You have dedicated your life to decimate the NT - but with the information you share you also seem to have no clear alternative to share.
Let me just say personally I have enjoyed and learned many things of what some of you has shared, but my take is I’m still keeping the original Bible Tanach and it’s God.
I mean, isn’t it a lack you cannot tell listeners how to replace and compensate a lost faith in Christianity and earlier beliefs from the NT that some start distance themself’s from?
Serious question: What is your best alternative to offer listeners, then building up the more likely stuff - after breaking down the not so likely stuff?
And as you now gather together in a conference, and by this giving time and energy in this new mixed agnostic-biblical kind of movement - (hopefully not just motivated by livelihood and carrier) -
… What is it you really want to reach with participating in it all?
I don’t see this as trying to break down people’s faith at all. It’s not questioning the Bible. It’s trying to understand the history of it and the context in its time. Christianity wasn’t a monolithic belief when it first started. There were all sorts of different ideas about who or what Jesus was as well as what he taught. It took centuries for the religion to develop into what we have today. It wasn’t until the late fourth century that the 27 books of the New Testament were first mentioned as the ones to be used, and even after that there was debate.
Islam is the replacement
@@parkerflop Islam is no better. Any dogmatic belief about God, Allah, Brahman, etc. is based on people’s perceptions, need for power/control, and in some cases, delusions.
Algo
She is not teaching anything
Jesus james are you ever gonna shut up and let robin talk?! For f sake...why even have a guest
I know, right? Poor Robyn!
Silence, demon.
Poor Paul . Maybe his writing was useful for his audience.
Just look at the mess we have and many teachers of Paul.
Dr. Tabor, I'm at the 18th minute and you haven't allowed Robyn to speak yet. This is not an interview.
.
Why do people not follow the lead given in Job pointing toeards the celestial sphere? Job 38:31-33 If it is the scriptures goal to bring the god in heavens rule down to earth, is it not logical sense to study the laws in heaven to do such? A point i make is that many christian nations have done this through their monarchies, but the populace still do not understand the reality of where and how the justice system obtains its prcendent to become elected. judges within the nation. I can point towards the serpent in the garden of eden, the leviathon of te sea, the struggle the rulership has in creating order and its various established intitutional blueprint, the dragon pointed towards in revelation, and how t hives power to the beast. The question is why do scholars not recognize the sigificance of this one passage i posit? Loosen the belt of Orion. Orion reåresents the impulse to have all of earth under it dominion. The Pleiades represents values, and the missing value of the inner light of consciousness, the cubs and the bear, relates to the pole star configuration and its indication of the passage of time ans the general human nature of humanity through the age of Pisces. By using principles found within cosmology, there are displayed methods of how governace is achieved, Mashallah ibn Athari will show an uderstanding. Scriptures are teling og how governance first came into being, how through the development it has acted, and finally the revelation of what the tabernacle, truly is. Colossians 2:20-23 This passages uses spiritual and elemental forces, which are used to fathim the workings upon the celestial sphere, and Cephas, or nown as peter to jesus, was rebukedas being Satan. Matthew 16:23, where Cephas is Cepheus upon the sphere itself. Ave andromeda, is the theme, as well as Isaac whom was bound so this judgement system of value measured by rule could be established. Job 1:12 rise above and leave the cave of Plato, and see yourself as more than flesh. Debunking “Ancient Israel” you tube video. Hathor is El Shaddai is the dragon. Chasing red herrings about what is written in scriptures and how to interpret it, is a game of framing the ideology. Its a cave in itself. The system Moses learnt from the egyptians had a victim,, the very same system used in the Torah has a victim. Christ teaches how not to be a victim, BUT as Cain killed his brother for reasoning of profit, the marked man still lives.
Christianity is false teaching, but my viewpoint is that the NT is true, but conceptually misread. I have 32 Ytube videos 'Myths in so-called Christianity' for NT truth.
No thank you. This one is a proven shameless Paul hater. Plus, the gods at TH-cam love him. Nuff said.
I love Paul and John, not as found in Christianity, but in the NT. Romans his gospel of salvation is perfectly parallel with John's gospel.
I am CofE KJV but found many errors in Christianity, and most separate Paul from other epistles due to misreading, so I have a Ytube video series called 'Myths in so-called Christianity' that supports Paul from the NT.
@@simonskinner1450 you're talking nonsense, the core teaching of Jesus requirement to be born by the Spirit, look upon him raised up- crucified to live,
are what makes Christianity, the epistles teach how to live by 'the law of the Spirit of life' which set us free from the law of sin and death, Gods grace.
@@MRFITTA Raised up to be our judge.
This statement is true for Romans the gospel of salvation by Paul, and John's gospel of salvation.
Where is the nonsense when I say Paul and John have the gospel of salvation, but Christianity deems salvation at the Cross, for those who believe, making salvation Gnosticism.
Jesus taught in John 3:5 that a believer must be Born Again of the Spirit (Holy Ghost), and the reason is in Romans 15:16, that the offering up of believers for judgement having been sanctified.
I have 32 Ytube videos 'Myths in so-called Christianity' that give the NT truth for those seeking the truth.
addendum: skip the first 20:37. Jesus, James, tighten it up. Look around you today, the same has been true for ALL "practicioners" of all religions for all of time. 99.8% of the religious participants didn't dive in for even 5% of what you are giving them credit for. A predominantly illiterate populace. Plato. Septuagint. Corinthians. had a thousand people read all these three texts by 90ce?
Words don't have meaning, they have use. Weird, right?
What do you mean by this last distinction? Do not talk and think? Just do?
Or don't expect to learn anything on Sabbath? Just get through and over it? Please explain.
@@hans.stein. i'm a bot
so...once again... Is not the Word of God written by divine revelation through holy men speaking by the spirit of God? Is not All Scripture Inspired by God?? or have you "more" serious students departed from the recognition of the Hand of God actively directing the production of the Holy Written Word of God?? ( I am with holding my judgement until the Righteous Judge hears your answer and responds conclusively) I simply assert my faith that All Scripture written in the Bible reveals the Holy Word of God which is the most trustworthy instruction in righteousness
And that’s totally fine! It doesn’t mean everyone else has to believe the same thing that you do…
You’d think if God wanted his word spread he’d have done a better job of preserving it and making sure it was translated and understood a bit clearer. Scribes changed things. Scribes made mistakes copying. Scribes added things. There are zero originals of any of the books. We don’t even know who wrote the four gospels as the earliest copies are anonymous. There are numerous contradictions between the gospels.
Yes. But who says what is scripture. When Paul mentions scripture he doesn't mean his own words. He means the Torah
@@pbjones68 Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Living Word and He will help you to separate the truth from error as you lay the thoughts and intents of your heart before him. "Consider what I say and the Lord will give you understanding in all things" (just like he did for Paul)
In the early 1960's, the Second Vatican Council called for the renewal of the Church, "...that it might be found more faithful to the Gospel of Christ." Pope Paul VI wrote that this renewal involved the Church comparing itself to the person and exectations of Jesus... in a process that involved identifying and discerning the additions made to the faith by various generations, from the beginning, in order to identify and correct, what is false and faulty. Most of the 40 or so generations of the Christian faith have added much less than the very first four or five generations that were involved in creating the foundation to the faith. It has been assumed in the faith that the historical and prophetic narratives provided by the New Testament witness were historically accurate. The investigations and research of historical biblical scholarship are quite surprisingly to us of faith, poking larger and larger holes in that assumption. Recently, Pope Francis said that good science will not contradict faith... if the faith of the Church is going to be objectively renewed, the corollary to this statement will provide the measuring stick... good faith will not vary from science. To be of ultimate value, the content of any faith worthy of belief must be rooted in objective reality... what really happened. The work of historical biblical scholarship is crucial to the renewal of the faith called for at Vatican II. Determining the reality of what happened first, will unquestionably have a serious impact on the theological scholarship that is currently based on historical and prophetic narratives that may be more creations of faith than what actually happened back then.