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The bible: Well-written?

To: alt.satanism,alt.magick.tantra,alt.magick,talk.religion.misc,alt.religion.gnostic,alt.magick.tyagi
From: lowell@troy.la.platsol.com (Lowell Morrison)
Subject: Re: The bible: Well-written?
Date: 3 Jul 1996 22:48:40 -0700

In article <31D9D67C.4915@ktc.com>, Paul Rydeen   wrote:
>
>Hmm... how about the book (epistle) of James?
The Epistle or Letter of James, OK

Opening NJB...

Ah, mmmm, Summarized.....
Mixed, there are those who consider that it may have been written by 
James as early as 40CE, and others who consider it a post 100 CE addition
by some unknown scribe or the like who felt the need to correct
the errors in the scripture.  Thus there is a LOT of dispute over this 
Epistle.  I would Like to think it is early and was actually written
by James, however, I am not going to shoot any one for believing otherwise.

--Uncle Wolf

To: alt.satanism,alt.magick.tantra,alt.magick,talk.religion.misc,alt.religion.gnostic,alt.magick.tyagi
From: wingenfp@interaccess.com (Bill I @ Naperville)
Subject: Re: The bible: Well-written?
Date: 3 Jul 1996 20:20:52 GMT

In article <31D728EE.67D@ktc.com>, Paul Rydeen  wrote:

> Actually, I think the Gospel of John is the one book that seems to have
been written by 
> a witness.  Andit's the most mystical of the bunch!

In the New Testament, the letters were mostly written by people like Paul
who made no claims to being present during the events described in the
gospels (Paul does refer to hundreds of eyewitnesses being alive, so
apparently people were running around all over the place telling stories
of what they'd seen even if they didn't take the time to sit down and
author a gospel :-). Other letters ascribed to people who were present
(Peter's letters) are thought by most to have been written by other people
(much as Old Testament Wisdom literature was ascribed to Solomon or David
as a literary convention). 

As for the gospels, Matthew and Mark make no claims one way or the other.
By tradition/legend, Peter was the source for the information Mark
recorded in the gospel. Luke very clearly states that he's an anthologizer
of other people's work (see Luke 1:1-3). Only John claims to be written by
an eyewitness: "This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and
has written them, and we know that his testimony is true." (John 21:24)

Whether or not you believe this claim has validity, or is a literary
convention, is a matter of faith since there's no hard evidence one way or
the other. I do have to wonder what the last phrase meant in a close-knit
oral culture ("we *know?*" did the readers/listeners nod in understanding
when they encountered this phrase because they believed from other stories
and traditions that this was in fact a reliable account by an
eyewitness?).

-- 
Bill I.                      | What makes the engine go?
Naperville, IL               | Desire, desire, desire.
wingenfp@interaccess.com     |                -- Stanley Kunitz

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