Posted on 04/19/2007 7:14:23 AM PDT by Zionist Conspirator
Thank you David Klinghoffer!!!
Everyone take several steps away from Mr. Dawkins...
Actually, it's very fortunate for Mr. Dawkins that God is not as Dawkins describes.
Ping.
Ping.
He makes an interesting point about the Zohar. As far as I can tell, the argument against the traditional dating of the Zohar seems to be predicated on three arguments:
(1) No copies of the Zohar appear to have existed before the 1200s.
(2) The Zohar's Aramaic contains certain loan words and constructions that appear to be imported from Romance languages - like the Castilian of Moises de Leon.
(3) The narrative framework of the Zohar is that of a rabbi and his companions journeying to Jerusalem - it has some similarities to the narrative structure of the Gospels, which were popular texts in Moses de Leon's day.
Of course, the earliest copy of the Tanakh we have dates to 1009, but even the most liberal historicocritical analysis agrees it was written at least 1400 years before then.
And, of course, Shimon bar Yochai lived in a Judaea where many people spoke Latin - which would explain loanwords of a Romance nature just as easily.
And, of course, even if the narrative framework of the Zohar was cribbed from the Gospel (the parallels are really very vague, though) Shimon Bar Yochai lived well after the destruction of the Temple.
It's the same shoddy scholarship that's applied to the Scriptures.
Excellent observation. This is a very well-done article.
It’s also amusing that Dawkins, who imagines himself to be the most brilliant mind ever to grace the world, doesn’t understand what the word “jealous” means.
You are a true polymath, wideawake!
Now, now! Charles Darwin is the most brilliant and indeed greatest human being who has ever lived or ever shall live, for he was ordained and chosen by the self-created universe to give morality a rational basis! [/sarcasm]
I would add that when Daniel lived in the Babylonian captivity Greek-speaking Ionians were a well-known presence in the Empire, and had been known in the region for centuries.
The Ionians were known as Yavan in the Torah and were known as Yawani in the Indian Mahabharata - and historical-critical "scholars" more or less unanimously agree that the Mahabharata was written (1) at the same time as the Biblical Daniel lived and (2) a thousand miles further away from Ionia than where Daniel lived.
““Letter to a Christian Nation.” Despite the title, the crudest caricature he draws is of the Hebrew Bible.”
Maybe because the OT portrays God in a less than favorable light. Every atheist and pagan I’ve discussed religion with always, without exception, takes issues with the way God behaves in the OT. Sure they nitpick certain NT passages here and there, but the overwhelmingly bloodthirsty picture of God in the OT makes an effective apology extremely difficult. If you know of any websites or books that present a good apology, not written by Christians (since they can fall back on Jesus), please PM me.
Believe me, you're "preacing to the choir," brother! I've always been by turns frustrated and enraged at the way "philo-Semitic" liberals treat the Jewish Bible while all the time proclaiming disdain for chr*stianity and their great "love" of the Jewish people!
Unless the Jews themselves begin to engage in apologetics (the topic of Klingoffer's article) then I'm afraid there's very little we non-Jews can do, and G-d will remain "the big goy in the sky."
BTW, I've always maintained that J*sus is just an excuse for Jewish liberals to malign Fundamentalist chr*stians; the real reasons Jewish liberals hate these people so much is that the latter, through their familiarity with the TaNa"KH (Hebrew Bible) know that Judaism is not identical with urban, cosmopolitan hyperliberalism. Of course, these same "anti-chr*stian" liberal Jews then demand legislation that sounds like it came right out of the "sermon on the mount!"
I'm a Noachide and not a Jew, but you might find my web site of some interest.
Keep reminding these liberal "lovers of the Jews" that the "old testament" is JEWISH!!! PS: You have no idea how tired I get of evolutionists battling "chr*stianity" by tearing Sefer Bere'shit (Genesis) to shreds!
So, are you Holy Apostolic Catholic Church of the East or Ancient Church of the East?
How do prospects for an independent Assyria look at this time?
High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]
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Wow . . . a megaping! Thanks!
Thanks.
Thanks Z.C. Nice to make your acquaintance too :)
I’ll try to answer your questions without boring you to tears :)
1) Being Assyrian I was born into the Holy Apostolic Catholic Church of the East. But like I say in my bio, I have Marcionist tendencies because my grandmother was a Marcionist. I’m not a libertarian I just link to Vox Day’s blog cause he has a good habit of annoying atheists.
2) I don’t know who wideawake is.
3) Independent Assyria? LOL not happenin’ anytime soon.
Wow, I notice he left out a mother-raping cannibal.
Actually, this tells anyone far more about Dawkins than anything else. He hates God of the Bible for whatever personal reasons, and ignores all the beauty and wisdom of it. He's got a problem, and he's on a mission. God help him....
The amusing thing about that is that the God revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures was a being of incredible mercy, kindness and forbearance - even more so when compared to the false deities of other peoples who neighbored the ancient Israelites.
I guess it's a typical trait of human nature that when God shows mercy, even when He has absolutely no need to show mercy for any reason, He is criticized for ever exacting justice at all.
Like children who expect to be rewarded by their parents even when they are misbehaving.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, if one reads with attention, one sees that God is a marvel of lovingkindness.
Amen.
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