Musings on biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science
Critique of the Gospel History of the Synoptics by Bruno Bauer Volume 1 —o0o— 128 § 11. Chronological Note. It will be useful to remind those who are simultaneously hard and soft-hearted, and capable of such different emotions that they grant belief to Luke without reason but deny it to Matthew, of the chronology in … Continue reading “§ 11. Chronological Note”
Critique of the Gospel History of the Synoptics by Bruno Bauer Volume 1 —o0o— 106 § 9. The flight to Egypt and settlement in Nazareth. In his presentation of the prehistory, Luke incorporated the prophecy of the struggles which the Redeemer and, in him, the new principle would have to endure. Through the soul of … Continue reading “§ 9. The flight to Egypt and settlement in Nazareth”
Critique of the Gospel History of the Synoptics by Bruno Bauer Volume 1 —o0o— 92 § 8. The Star of the Magi. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Magi came from the East to Jerusalem and asked about the newborn King of the Jews, whose star they had seen. Herod, troubled by this news, called … Continue reading “§ 8. The Star of the Magi”
101 The Ephesians and the Colossians Letters I fully agree with the explanation given by Dr. Baur regarding the reproduction of Gnostic ideas in the letters to the Ephesians and Colossians, and I only find it necessary to provide some further clarification on the question of the chronological relationship between this Christian transformation and the … Continue reading “Third and Last Section – e. Ephesians and Colossians”
77 The Pastoral Epistles. Having now demonstrated the late origin of the four “major letters” that were previously considered as indisputably genuine, and assuming the unauthenticity of the nine other letters as proven by Dr. Vaur, the task left for my criticism is to incorporate the result obtained by the latter scholar, and in some … Continue reading “Third and Last Section – c. The Pastoral Epistles”
Criticism of the Pauline Epistles by B. Bauer Second Section The Origin of the First Corinthians Letter 1851 3 The Introduction. 1: 1-9. If it were really Paul who wrote to his Corinthians, he would not have addressed the church, which he could consider as his own work, with a phrase that points to a … Continue reading “BRUNO BAUER: Criticism of the Pauline Letters – II. Origin of the First Corinthians Letter”
345/346 VIII. The Completion of the New Testament Literature. 1. A Great History and a Late Poem. In a series of images, we have seen the fate of the Empire, the nationalities, and the social classes of the first two centuries of our era unfold before us. As diverse as the figures were that moved … Continue reading “BRUNO BAUER: Christ and the Caesars – VIII. The Completion of the New Testament Literature”
318 VII. The Time of Marcus Aurelius. We come to a conclusion and say farewell to the Caesars who ruled the world alongside the gradual rise of Christianity. They all contributed to the formation of the new faith and, in their individuality, depicted with expressive force a feature of the image in which the dissatisfied … Continue reading “BRUNO BAUER: Christ and the Caesars – VII. The Time of Marcus Aurelius”
276 VI. Hadrian and Christian Gnosis. 1. The Empowered Nero. Among the five emperors who, after the fall of the last Flavian, allowed the Senate free hand in legislation, Hadrian occupies the same position as Nero in the line of Julio-Claudian princes. Those five had risen above the embittered mood with which the first emperors … Continue reading “BRUNO BAUER: Christ and the Caesars – VI. Hadrian and Christian Gnosis”
244 V. Trajan and the Emergence of Christianity 1. The Happiest Epoch for Humanity in Roman History. This is the title of an essay that has brought the admiration for Trajan, Antoninus, and Marcus Aurelius from the previous century to the present, and presents itself to us as an explanatory guide upon entering a memorable … Continue reading “BRUNO BAUER: Christ and the Caesars – V. Trajan and the Emergence of Christianity”
183 IV. The House of Flavia and Judaism. I. The Invasion of the West by the East. Rome was not able to enjoy its power, at its peak, with a joyful heart. In the rising and setting of the sun, there were images of terror and danger that it did not feel capable of facing … Continue reading “BRUNO BAUER: Christ and the Caesars – IV. The House of Flavia and Judaism”
126 III. Nero’s and Seneca’s downfall. 1. The Cosmopolitan on the Throne. Nero was no longer a Roman national patriot in that exclusive sense in which the ancient Roman, in pride of his blood, claimed the privilege of superiority over the peoples of the earth. Virgil had expressed this sense of nationalism once more in … Continue reading “BRUNO BAUER: Christ and the Caesars – III. Nero’s and Seneca’s Downfall”
66 II. Seneca as teacher and minister of Nero. 1. The dissolution of Roman particularism. With Nero’s self-inflicted fall, the Julian dynasty disappeared from the world stage. The empire, established by the great Julius and his adopted nephew Augustus through the force of arms, was considered the inheritance of a family that intimidated doubters of … Continue reading “BRUNO BAUER: Christ and the Caesars – II. Seneca as teacher and minister of Nero”
11 I. Seneca’s Religious Foundation. Before we begin, we will present the reader with the dismissive judgments passed by a newer school of history on Stoicism, the starting point of Seneca, for examination. 1. Recent judgments on Stoicism. One of the signs of the impending imperialism that dominates our present time is a fraction of … Continue reading “BRUNO BAUER: Christ and the Caesars – I. Seneca’s Religious Foundation”