Recent content by WolfgangvonUSA

I had thought the Sicari and the Zealots were the same people, and they were committed to removing the Herodian/Edomite rulers of Judaea from power. These Zealots made their last stand at Masada. Robert Eisenman wrote about this at length in his book, "James, Brother of Jesus"

Any discussion of Paul should be framed by an understanding of this article: Robert Eisenman: "Paul as Herodian" Paul as Herodian. Robert Eisenman. Institute for Jewish-Christian Origins. California State University at Long Beach. JHC 3/1 (Spring, 1996), 110-122. ... literature, Rabbinic...

Christianity minus Paul would have been just the gospel of the NT. Just remember that Jesus preached His messaage and only quoted from the OT. If Jesus did not need to quote from Paul, why would we?

No mortal can really know that God speaks to everyone. It is vanity and pride and perhaps even blasphemy to claim direct knowledge of God's mind.

Here are 2 principles that are fundamental to the process of uncovering truth embodied in two questions and mentioned in a great book called "People in Qunadires" by Wendall Johnson. The questions are: 1. What do you mean? 2. How do you know? Simply believing things because they are...

How do we know if God is speaking to us or whether we are suffering from a psychiatric disorder? We don't, so unless such visions are shared collectively by a large and diverse group of people I would personally doubt the authenticity of such phenomenon. As to myself I have not have any such...

Since the use of word 'sword' on this sentence is strongly contrasted with bringing peace, it should seem clear the this sword is symbolic only of its most obvious meaning, which is war and/or strife and division. Please recall that the God of the OT often sent His people out to extermiate...

Was Jesus a peacemaker or a militant Zealot? Mat 5:9 Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. OR Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. Luk 12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on...

[/color] Paul is merely claiming that Jesus spoke to him, but he is not proving it by producing witnesses. Paul was an admitted murderer and a Pharisee. Why would anybody trust the word of anybody with such credentials? People in mental hospitals also claim to have visons. Do you believe...

Here are some excepts from a scholarly review of Eisenman's book. The full text is located athttp://www.depts.drew.edu/jhc/rpeisman.html Robert Eiseman's JAMES THE BROTHER OF JESUS: A Higher-Critical Evaluation Robert M. Price Drew University Robert Eisenman, James the Brother of Jesus...

There's also a great joke about foreskins involving a Jewish doctor and a Rabbi. The doctor saves foreskins to make change purses. When going on an airline trip, just rub the purse and it becomes a suitcase!

Jesus may have encouraged new disciples to become involved in His teachings, but He never said anything about new apostles, except to say that people would falsely claim to be new apostles: Rev 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are...

I had posted this earlier on another thread, and it seems to me that this longer ending might have been added by a Pauline operative in order to add some credibility to the Pauline/Lukan doctrine of speaking in tongues, handling vipers and drinking poison. Rightfully removing this ending has...

Isn't it interesting how the interpretation of carbon dating for the Shroud of Turin keeps changing, especially when somebody realized the church in which the shroud was stored had a fire which significantly affected carbon dioxide levels and thereby the results. Every few years this and other...

If you are put off by Baigent's other book, then go directly to the studies of Robert Eisenman, as Baigent is basically writing his Dead Sea Scroll book as an extended review of Eisenman's work. Robert Eisenman is Professor of Middle East Religions and Archaeology and Director of the Institute...