2011-04-29 23:28:02 GMT+0000

2011-04-29

The Suffering Son Revealed in Vision?

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by Neil Godfrey

My verse for the day is 2 Peter 1:17

For he received from God the Father honour and glory when such a voice came to him from the Excellent Glory: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

The author is describing a visionary experience. While most of us familiar with the Bible have probably assumed the author is referring to the Transfiguration scene in the synoptic gospels, a more attentive reading suggests that this passage is independent of the synoptic scene, and that the synoptic authors more likely created their transfiguration scenes from a tradition of visions such as we read here in 2 Peter. (My point is not to argue that particular case here, but one argument for it is available online here.)

A little while ago I was discussing Paul’s visionary experiences and comparing them with the sorts of vision we also find described in the Ascension of Isaiah. I have since created a special archive for my posts discussing visions, and this post about the vision in 2 Peter will join that archive.

The detail in 2 Peter 1:17 that has been quietly tapping away in the back of my head is the refrain: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Continue reading “The Suffering Son Revealed in Vision?”

Jesus Potter Harry Christ, ch.4: Going Pagan — a review

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

by Neil Godfrey

The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962). Cover art b... — The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962). Cover art by Jack Kirby and Paul Reinman. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(All posts in this series are archived here.)

Chapter four of Jesus Potter Harry Christ is predominantly a survey of pagan deities and heroes whose stories contain echoes of the Jesus Christ story: Gilgamesh, Dionysus, Pythagoras, Orpheus, Asclepius, Osiris, Tammuz (Adonis), Attis, Mithras. Derek Murphy is not arguing that the Jesus story was a direct borrowing of any of these or that these pagan gods and heroes are the same thing as Jesus. What Murphy does argue is that it is important to understand the cultural and ideological background from which Christianity emerged. To this end, the very clear similarities between these pagan figures, and certain practices associated with the worship of some of them, are significant, and especially so in an age of unprecedented religious tolerance and syncretism.

The title of the book is an attempt to focus readers on the argument that literary borrowing is often a more subtle and complex cultural process than a simplistic, deliberate, one for one correspondence from earlier iconic figures and stories. The author is currently a PhD student in comparative literature so it is not surprising to find a wider range of literary models than the Harry Potter series sprinkled throughout the book. Continue reading “Jesus Potter Harry Christ, ch.4: Going Pagan — a review”

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https://earlywritings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=145080#p145080
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Editor, An English Edition of Bruno Bauer’s 1843 Christianity Exposed
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Neil Godfrey on Comments on Eric Zuesse’s Christ’s Ventriloquists: The Event that Created Christianity: “Is a Hadrian-era / 130s Mark too late for you?” Apr 26, 00:46
Gordon Rouse on Comments on Eric Zuesse’s Christ’s Ventriloquists: The Event that Created Christianity: “I think my main problem with an early 2nd century Marcion-era origin for ‘authentic’ Paul is that it does not…” Apr 26, 00:21
Neil Godfrey on Origin of the Cyrus-Messiah Myth: “Russell will no doubt have more to offer but one book I an eager to read is one cited by…” Apr 25, 23:13
Neil Godfrey on Comments on Eric Zuesse’s Christ’s Ventriloquists: The Event that Created Christianity: “One can do one’s head in with such thoughts! ;-). I see the gospels being composed in the second century…” Apr 25, 20:26
Clarke W Owens on Comments on Eric Zuesse’s Christ’s Ventriloquists: The Event that Created Christianity: “I’d be interested to know what assumptions follow from this or that conclusion about Paul. For example, if we accept…” Apr 25, 13:50
Steve Ruis on Questioning the Hellenistic Date for the Hebrew Bible: Circular Argument: “It is sad, but true . . . in the hard sciences, also.” Apr 25, 13:18
Gordon Rouse on Origin of the Cyrus-Messiah Myth: “What do you make of the Servant songs (Question to Russell and/or Neil)? Is the Cyrus passage considered one of…” Apr 25, 06:31
ABuddhist on Comments on Eric Zuesse’s Christ’s Ventriloquists: The Event that Created Christianity: “I, and I assume other people, would be fascinated to read a blog post from you describing how Paul’s letters…” Apr 25, 01:04
Tony on Dear Bart Ehrman, Others are noticing that you have not been on the top of your game lately . . .: “Ad hominem arguments are lazy, hack and slapdash don’t give a counter argument that one can weigh their views against.…” Apr 25, 00:23

Day: April 29, 2011

2011-04-29

The Suffering Son Revealed in Vision?

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

by Neil Godfrey

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Jesus Potter Harry Christ, ch.4: Going Pagan — a review

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by Neil Godfrey

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