OFF: read your bibles

[Jon Jarrett]

On Tue, 9 Oct 2001, Laura Waesche wrote:

> Not really, many of the books were written at the time they happened
> by people like Moses, David and the prophets, not to mention Matthew
> Mark Luke & John.
>

> >>> Daniel Jackson <Djsatan.23 at BTINTERNET.COM> 10/09/01 01:23PM >>>
> The various bibles and doctrines were written many, many years after
> the events, so really, they're just hearsay, no? ----- Original
> Message ----- From: "Ted Jackson" <tojackso at LIBRARY.SYR.EDU> To:
> <BOC-L at LISTSERV.SPC.EDU> Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2001 7:00 PM
> Subject: Re: OFF: read your bibles
>
>
> > On 9 Oct 2001, at 18:48, Daniel Jackson wrote:
> >
> > > > How amusing. I wonder how much of these Bibles _you_ have read.
> > >
> > > most, cover to cover, and nothing I have read changes my position, in
> > > fact, it only serves to reinforce it.
> > >
> > Hey, seeing as how we have a couple bible experts here.  Could
> > either of you gentlemen tell me who wrote the fuckin' thing?

        I don't know about the Old Testament. I know it's thoight to be
older than its oldest surviving texts but I don't know how old those
are. But the last time I was informed about the New Testament, I thought
the only part that was accepted as probably by the claimed author was
Revelations and the Pauline material. As for the Gospels, Luke at least
goes back to before 70 A. D., though not demonstrably further and so
could, just, have been written by someone remembering what Luke had told
them. I believe in recent years they've managed to get John back even
further, to the point were he could plausibly have written the text used
in the copy they have. That's not to say he did but it's possible. As far
as I know that's the academic state of play.

        _The Cambridge History of the Bible_ is getting old now but will
tell you a lot more about it than I can. Yours,
                                                Jon

--
                Jonathan Jarrett          01223 514989
                     jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk
         ----------------------------------------------------------
                "Wilhelm Reich died for your sins"  (ST37)