CNN: Archaeologists Report 1st Direct Evidence of Jesus

Oct. 21, 2002 | CNN

[toddlintown]

"Damnation, son, that thread's four years old."

It has risen!

[Politicalmom]

*Sigh*

I never checked the date. Why do people do this?

[toddlintown]

I posted last night knocking someone's post that was about a book and topic talked about a year ago.

Got flamed, of course. Apparently people like old news, but 4 years is a stretch.

[AmericanDave]

Well, one thing for sure: Jesus was a heretic by Jewish religious standards of the day! They put him to death for it! Later on his true followers would be burnt at the stake for it.... The Church in Rome co-opted his teachings until the Reformation....

[ErnBatavia]

A weirdness about Free Republic is that it's usually (altho not in this case) a brand new registrant that bumps some four year old thread...how they even find 'em mystifies me, and why they do it mystifies me even more...

[Old_Mil]

The date on the article about the ossuary is 2002, supposedly it has been since revealed to be a fake.

[Old_Mil]

As a matter of fact, the Cathars of southern France believed that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and had children, one of whom was a boy named James.

Looks like someone's been reading the Davinci Code again.

[AmericanDave]

"We believe Mary was just a vessel"

Mary was chosen because of her lineage and her devout religion, by God. She was Not just any vessel, you belittle her (without thinking, I surmise).

Without contrary evidence I would agree she would honor her husband with further children, brothers and sisters of Jesus.

[Lloyd227]

"Of course, then the topic shifts to whether this actual human, Jesus, was actually God"

Are you certain you did not intend to type "...was actually the Son of God" ?

[AmericanDave]

Yeah, wouldn't Joseph and Mary had to have taken the older stepbrother with them to Bethleham to participate in the census? I don't see his statue in the manger scene.. LOL.

[AmericanDave]

A lot of people forget that Jesus descended into Hell, and released the souls there during the resurrection..... because of life after death.... So Mary 's spirit is alive.

[AmericanDave]

Luther stood up to possible burning at the stake (you've possibly heard of it) in defending his beliefs. He stood trial! He wanted to reform the Church not leave it. But he was excommunicated, and he felt it was unnatural for Preists to be forced into Celibacy, it was a free choice. Once excommunicated he was free to establish his own religious rules, and publish the Bible in a language his own congregration could read and understand, and ARGUE about. You can THANK GOD for his COURAGE, as we are able to have this discussion at all without fear of the INQUISITION.

Would YOU be willing to discuss this subject with the threat of death from the Church in Rome hanging over you?

[DennisR]

"In accord with church fathers writing after the New Testament era, the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics teach Mary's ``perpetual virginity,'' which means she and Joseph never had marital relations."

Do the writings of "church fathers" have more credence/authority/credibility than the New Testament itself?

[Dog Gone]

Beats me.

The writings of the New Testament were chosen by men. There was no fax from Heaven giving them direction.

I can take it as a matter of faith that they made the right decisions, but that has to be 100% faith because there are no facts to back it up.

[RightWhale]

See what you did? Must be a boatload that didn't get the story as it developed.

[DennisR]

"The writings of the New Testament were chosen by men."

But they were given by God through men with the Holy Spirit, right?

Let's put it this way: Assume that there were other books that should have been included but weren't; and that that are books that were included but should not have been. Are not the gospels - the historical writings about Christ Himself - enough to make you believe in Christ as Lord and Savior?

[RightWhale]

I can take it as a matter of faith that they made the right decisions

Some faith would help, but reading the books, letters, and sermons that were included versus those that weren't would pretty much lead to about the same result now.

[Caesar Soze]

A weirdness about Free Republic is that it's usually (altho not in this case) a brand new registrant that bumps some four year old thread...how they even find 'em mystifies me, and why they do it mystifies me even more...

Even weirder is that people reply to the first several posts on the thread ... not caring that a) the thread is already several hundred posts long, and b) it ended years ago. But I do so enjoy watching people try to start arguments in this manner.

[ErnBatavia]

Even weirder is that people reply to the first several posts on the thread ...

I admit to slipping and not catching the date on occasion...and then I feel like a dolt when I see that I've just replied to something long forgotten.

On any thread over 50 or 60, I tend to come in thru the back door and scroll backwards to catch up.

[A. Pole]

Do the writings of "church fathers" have more credence/authority/credibility than the New Testament itself?

You cannot separate Church Fathers from the New Testament. It is them who gave us New Testament!