Thought provoking Mormon view of the New Testament. I disagree that the answer to the questions raised in the article consists of the BoM, which clearly is, shall we say, "inspired historical fiction." However when you add the insights in the article to some other facts clearly something is missing that just maybe can be found. Of course, it is necessary to get beyond the doctrine that the Bible is all sufficient unto itself -which many (most) Evangelicals regard as unthinkable to disagree with. Still, the Bible itself lists over twenty books that were in the Bible itself in the past, such as "Iddo the Seer" and the like, and Paul himself alludes to at least one "lost epistle," a letter that preceded 1 Corinthians, of which there probably were others. You'd think that there would be a Christian quest for these lost books of scripture, but there is not. Why not? I don't know but the attitude which says that the current Bible is all sufficient is contradicted by the testimony of the Bible itself. Then there is the fiction -regarded as truth by many believers- that Jesus was illiterate or, anyway, never wrote anything. Yet his brother James wrote an important scripture, and another brother named Jude is regarded as the author of another Biblical text. If two of his four brothers were literate and were writers what are the chances that Jesus was not literate and not also a writer? As for his presumed illiteracy, the Bible tells us he read from the scriptures (specifically the Isaiah scroll) as a pre-teen in his local synagogue and afterward interpreted the text in a sophisticated manner. Can anyone think that as he grew older he became less literate and never wrote a single word? Not sure exactly where to go with this, the ideas are new to me at this t ime, but for your consideration... Billy ============================== Defending the Faith: A 40-day gap in the New Testament
By _Daniel Peterson_ (http://www.deseretnews.com/author/22746/Daniel-Peterson.html) , For the Deseret News Published: Thursday, May 29 2014 Today is Ascension Day, or Holy Thursday. It commemorates the physical ascension of the resurrected Jesus Christ into heaven as recorded in the New Testament: “And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God” (_Luke 24:50-53_ (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/luke/24.50-53?lang=eng#49) ; compare _Mark 16:19_ (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/mark/16.19?lang=eng#18) ). Although no documentary evidence for the observance of the Feast of the Ascension (as it is also known) exists from prior to the fourth century, it was celebrated almost universally in the Christian church thereafter, along with Good Friday, Easter and Pentecost. St. Augustine attributed its origin to the apostles themselves; plainly its observance had become widespread long before his time. Ascension Day is traditionally (though not always) celebrated on a Thursday, 40 days after Easter. Its date is derived from the first few verses of the book of Acts, the second part of Luke’s account of the formative events of Christianity. Referring to his earlier gospel, Luke writes: “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (_Acts 1:1-3)_ (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/acts/1.1-3?lang=eng#primary) . But, after three years of public preaching, what remained to be said? The apostles had been with Jesus almost constantly during that time, walking the long, dusty roads of Palestine, conversing with him. What did Jesus still have to teach them for nearly six weeks between his resurrection and his ascension? Luke himself tells us virtually nothing about what was done and said during those 40 days. The final chapter of his gospel focuses on Easter Sunday itself. In Acts, Luke says that Jesus taught his apostles “the things pertaining to the kingdom of God,” but he doesn’t say what they were. A few items are mentioned very briefly in _Matthew 28_ (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/28?lang=eng) , _Mark 16_ (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/mark/16?lang=eng) and _John 20-21_ (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/20?lang=eng) . (For an important article on this topic, originally published in the scholarly journal Vigiliae Christianae, and then reprinted by the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, see Hugh Nibley, “_Evangelium Quadraginta Dierum: The Forty-day Mission of Christ — The Forgotten Heritage_ (http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1039&index=1) .” Did Jesus merely repeat the teachings of his mortal ministry? Plainly, no. Still unrecognized, walking with two deeply disappointed and distraught disciples on the road to Emmaus, the newly risen Savior saw that they had failed to understand his mission. So, “beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (_Luke 24:27_ (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/luke/24.27?lang=eng#26) ). However, the four gospels contain nothing remotely resembling a systematic exposition of the Old Testament by the Savior. It would be priceless, but we don’t have it anywhere. The plain fact is that only some of the teaching of Jesus is preserved in the New Testament. As the fourth gospel testifies, “there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written” (_John 21:25_ (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/21.25?lang=eng#24) ). The New Testament offers clear hints that other sayings and teachings of the Savior went unrecorded. For instance, Paul exhorts the Saints at Ephesus “ to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (_Acts 20:35_ (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/acts/20.35?lang=eng#34) ). However, no such admonition occurs in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. Plainly, Paul and his audience were aware of oral traditions or written documents of which we know basically nothing. “Wherefore,” says the Lord in the Book of Mormon, “because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written” (_2 Nephi 29:10_ (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/29.10?lang=eng#9) ). Some Christians insist that the Bible as we now have it is all there ever was and all that we should ever want. It seems, though, that the Bible disagrees. -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
