So, Who Wrote It Then?
My recent posts about the Bible, Proposition 8 and Anne Rice warranted a few emails and a comment about where I got my information and if I had any suggestions on reading material.
There are many, many books out there that deal with how the Bible was written and by whom. In fact, there are more theories on this than there are versions of the Book to begin with. It is mind-boggling.
The difficulty with the research is that you are depending on what translation the author is using. Honestly, the very best way to learn about the history and politics surrounding the New Testament is to either take a course at a college or see if you could audit one. I took a couple at Westfield that would really wonderful. But, it wasn't until I worked with a woman who had her Master's from Yale's School of Divinity that I really had someone I could ask questions that had been bottled up. She is fluent in Greek, Hebrew and Latin. She was abnle to show me scans of original pages from various scriptures and showed me how difficult it is to accurately translate them. The tiniest dash or vowel change and suddenly you just changed the reading you thought was about a woman is really about a man. And so and on and on.
There are a few books however that I have read and found fascinating. A good starting point is:
I know such a tiny, itty bitty piece of religious history and it was enough to make me throw my hands in the air and walk away from organized religion. Anne Rice was able to put it into words so much better than I can. I agree with her completely though.
You can be a Christian and not have one iota to do with Christianity.
There are many, many books out there that deal with how the Bible was written and by whom. In fact, there are more theories on this than there are versions of the Book to begin with. It is mind-boggling.
The difficulty with the research is that you are depending on what translation the author is using. Honestly, the very best way to learn about the history and politics surrounding the New Testament is to either take a course at a college or see if you could audit one. I took a couple at Westfield that would really wonderful. But, it wasn't until I worked with a woman who had her Master's from Yale's School of Divinity that I really had someone I could ask questions that had been bottled up. She is fluent in Greek, Hebrew and Latin. She was abnle to show me scans of original pages from various scriptures and showed me how difficult it is to accurately translate them. The tiniest dash or vowel change and suddenly you just changed the reading you thought was about a woman is really about a man. And so and on and on.
There are a few books however that I have read and found fascinating. A good starting point is:
Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why
My reading and learning about pre-Christianity religions underscored so much of what I learned in these books. Understanding the Christian holidays and their origins for example is very eye opening. Learning about the politics and history during the time Christianity was being "brought" to the masses was also intriguing to say the least.I know such a tiny, itty bitty piece of religious history and it was enough to make me throw my hands in the air and walk away from organized religion. Anne Rice was able to put it into words so much better than I can. I agree with her completely though.
You can be a Christian and not have one iota to do with Christianity.
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