Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
Actually I too quickly dismissed the "ask the experts" question, seeing it as a dodge to get off the subject of the glaring lacks in the LSM hermeneutical programmme.
But while we're on the subject, there's a useful field of scholarship expanding knowledge of the conversation occurring around the time that Jesus and his disciples lived, taught, and wrote. It is called, roughly "Second Temple Studies". What did an apostle mean when he wrote something? What did shared meanings did a parable convey? . . .A little humility and reticence seem in order, and goes a long way. And they allow differences of interpretation to exist, and mutual uncertainty, instead of resorting to calling each other "dark" and "ambitious" and "divisive". It's rather refreshing, really. . . quite, um, Christian, even.
Devorah Dimant
John J. Collins
Annette Yoshiko Reed
James C. VanderKam
Peter W. Flint
Esther Chazon
Carol A. Newsom
Josef T Milik
John M. Allegro
Lawrence H. Schiffman
Gabriel Boccaccini
Yisrael Yadin
James H. Charlesworth
Emile Puech
Emanuel Tov
This is a good list to start. There are a lot more. Happy trails. See you at the finish line, whenever that may be.
(And don't go beyond what is written).
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I forgot Loren Stuckenbruck. He's really good, I think. To be clear, I'm not his disciple and have not sent him any money. But I've listened to some of his ideas & they've helped to form mine. He teaches in a university, has books and magazine articles out, has speeches on YouTube. Nothing hidden in a corner. All available to anyone. Go down to your public library and help yourself. No need to play the "authority and submission" game with some wanna-be satrap like Nee or Lee.
Back to the teachings of Jesus: as you do to others , so will be done to you. Forgive and you'll be forgiven. Show mercy and you'll receive mercy. And the opposites are true as well, and are explicitly affirmed. If you don't show mercy, no mercy will be shown you. It's not confusing, and some special interpretation can't overturn it.
People like Darby, Nee & Lee, Calvin once had their place. They rejected traditions of men & looked at scripture & asked, "What does it mean?" But their question really was, "What does it mean to me?" Now we're beginning to ask, "What did this mean to Jesus, to John and Peter and Paul, to first-century readers?" We must be a little more cautious with our assertions. But I find them to be rewarding questions to ask.
As an example, if you consider what "outer darkness" meant without consulting supporting documents like the Book of Enoch, your answer will be short. Yes, it's not scripture, I know, but is cited by scripture (Jude) and is probably referenced by Jesus in passages like Lazarus and the rich man, and "an evil spirit goes out of a man and travels through waterless places seeking rest". The fact that copies were found at Qumran, and that the Ethiopian churches preserved copies is significant. It was part of the conversation, and informed the understandings of things like judgment, reward, and "many stripes". People like John Darby and Watchman Nee lacked such resources. We do not.