still more cultural ties...

[UnchartedSpirit]

I just heard that there is a mesopotanian legend that gives an earlier rendition of the Ten Commandants story than of Genesis....is this true? What then of the also earlier Egyptian stories that are similar to Noah's, Joseph's, and Abrahams?

 

[Marcia]

The idea about influence from pagan religions on the Bible and on Christianity has been refuted. I have a whole page of links in a word doc on my computer, but I'm not on my computer now. I'll have to post it later, probably tomorrow.

 

[John of Japan]

Originally posted by UnchartedSpirit:
I just heard that there is a mesopotanian legend that gives an earlier rendition of the Ten Commandants story than of Genesis....is this true? What then of the also earlier Egyptian stories that are similar to Noah's, Joseph's, and Abrahams?

Nope, the Ten Commandments came first.

What happens in these cases is that liberal (read "heathen") scholars (read "biased researchers") decide the Bible can't possibly be as old as the evidence says, because then they would have spiritual problems--God might be real, the Bible might be the source for all these other works (Egyptian, Mesopotamian, etc.), prophecy might be real, etc. So the heathen scholars then date the Bible books and events later than the evidence says, so that their prejudices can remain.

Does all that make sense?!?

 

[Bartimaeus]

It all depends on your personal position. Do you use scripture to define and process information on history (you could mention other subjects here also, ie..science ect.) or do you want to use history to define and process the scriptures.
I choose the first position. What position do you choose?
Thanks -----Bart
.....a free people cannot be free and be in slavery to sin, God save the USA.

 

[Marcia]

Uncharted Spirit and others - Several books have come out in the last few years making what seem to be scholarly claims that there was an influence from certain pagan mystery religions (or Greek philosophy) on the Bible and on Christianity. Even though these claims are not solidly based, enough people fall for them. I know because I get emails from people. Some of these ideas were in the popular Da Vinci Code book. Here is a handy list of links to articles by Christians refuting some of these beliefs. I would suggest keeping these in a word doc where you have access to them. I'll divide them into 2 posts.

LINKS TO ARTICLES RE JESUS, CHRISTIANITY, BIBLE AND INFLUENCE FROM THE MYSTERY RELIGIONS

Ronald Nash, "Was the New Testament Influenced by Pagan Religions?"
http://www.equip.org/free/DB109.htm

Ronald Nash, "Was the New Testament Influenced by Pagan Philosophy?"
http://www.equip.org/free/DA242.htm

Garry K. Brantley, M.A., M.Div. "Pagan Mythology and the Bible"
http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2017

Links to bunches of J.P. Holding's stuff:
http://www.tektonics.org/tekton_04_02_04.html

"Is the Trinity Pagan?"
http://www.letusreason.org/Trin8.htm

Don Closson, "Paul and the Mystery Religions"
http://www.probe.org/content/view/781/149

Greg Herrick, Ph.D. "The New Testament and Greco-Roman Mystery Religions"
http://www.bible.org/docs/nt/topics/mysrel.htm

 

[Marcia]

Bruce M. Metzger, "Methodology in the Study of the Mystery Religions and
Early Christianity."
http://www.frontline-apologetics.com/mystery_religions_early_christianity.htm

Shawn Meyer, "Mithraism"
http://www.churchofthelamb.com/SMeyer/mithraism.htm

A couple of articles by Glenn Miller:
http://www.christian-thinktank.com/copycat.html

http://www.christian-thinktank.com/copycat2.html


CARM, "Doesn't the religion of Mithra prove that Christianity is false?"
http://www.carm.org/evidence/mithra.htm

Dr. Normal Geisler, "Was Christianity Borrowed from Mithrasim?"
http://www.ankerberg.com/Articles/theological-dictionary/TD0902W1.htm

BOOK:
Komoszewski, J. Ed., M. James Sawyer, and Daniel B. Wallace. Reinventing
Jesus: What The Da Vinci Code and Other Novel Speculations Don't Tell You.
Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2006.