What would you like to see me blog about?
Here lately I’ve been somewhat off-topic — blogging about the Jesus Myth Wars, before that blogging on life / health advice, etc. which are somewhat off the usual topics of this blog, though they are interesting, I think. So leave a comment and tell me what types of posts you’re interested in seeing (whether it be those topics or new ones).
17 comments
Cogliano, Francis D (2006). Thomas Jefferson. Edinburgh University Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-7486-3662-4.
Voltaire (1765), Questions sur les miracles :
The above Voltaire (1765) quote is the source of the widely used paraphrase (often misattributed as a direct quote): Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.
Per Brad Blakeley (24 September 2012). “If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities”. bradblakeleysblog. @ https://bradblakeleysblog.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/if-we-believe-absurdities-we-shall-commit-atrocities/
“Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom by Norman Finkelstein – On the Many Lies Perpetuated About Gaza”. Democracy Now!. @ https://www.democracynow.org/2018/1/10/gaza_an_inquest_into_its_martyrdom
Finkelstein, Norman G. (2018). “Conclusion”. Gaza: An Inquest Into Its Martyrdom. Univ of California Press. p. 359. ISBN 978-0-520-29571-1.
Cf. Finkelstein, Norman G. (2003) [1995]. Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict. Verso. ISBN 978-1-85984-442-7. [revised edition offers an additional appendix devoted to criticism of Michael Oren (2002).]
Rate each article:
a. Wikipedia: Christ myth theory @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_myth_theory
b. RationalWiki: Jesus myth theory @ https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Jesus_myth_theory
Cf.:
i. Did Jesus Exist? (Ehrman) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Did_Jesus_Exist%3F_(Ehrman%29
ii. Did Jesus Exist? (Wells) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Did_Jesus_Exist%3F_(Wells%29
Are there alternatives to “Political Parties” ?
Per the power structures of organizations such as political parties and trade unions. Robert Michels (1911) argued that all organizations, even those in theory most egalitarian and most committed to democracy are in fact oligarchical, and dominated by a small group of leadership.
Cf. American Candidate – a political reality television show on Showtime in 2004. The final episode demonstrates how two candidates (with surface only similarities) split the vote and then both lose to the third candidate.
Opine on any question per YouTube.TED-Ed: Questions No One Knows the Answers to (Full Version) @ https://youtu.be/7SWvDHvWXok
Cf. YouTube.Perimeter_Institute_for_Theoretical_Physics:
Neil Turok Public Lecture: The Astonishing Simplicity of Everything @ https://youtu.be/f1x9lgX8GaE?t=8m40s
McBee, Silas (1918). “The Logos in the Fourth Gospel”. The Constructive Quarterly: A Journal of the Faith, Work and Thought of Christendom. George H. Doran Company. p. 356. @ https://books.google.com/books/content?id=2obNAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA356&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U3VZhTmOAP9jbcEFr8iejcG9RRBAA&ci=150%2C260%2C770%2C267&edge=0
Bock, Darrell L. (2015). A Theology of Luke and Acts: God’s Promised Program, Realized for All Nations. Zondervan. p. 155. ISBN 978-0-310-52320-8 :
Revelation 22:16,
Aune, David (12 December 2017). “Revelation 22:10-20”. Revelation 17-22, Volume 52C. Zondervan. p. 1226. ISBN 978-0-310-58827-6.
Bar Kokhba Revolt coinage @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_Kokhba_Revolt_coinage
Stephen L. Huebscher (28 July 2017). “Heavenly Worship in Second Temple Judaism, Early Christianity, and Gnostic Sects: Part 2”. Dr. Michael Heiser. @ http://drmsh.com/heavenly-worship-in-second-temple-judaism-early-christianity-and-gnostic-sects-part-2/
see:
• http://drmsh.com/heavenly-worship-in-second-temple-judaism-early-christianity-and-gnostic-sects-part-1/
• http://drmsh.com/heavenly-worship-in-second-temple-judaism-early-christianity-and-gnostic-sects-part-2/
• http://drmsh.com/heavenly-worship-in-second-temple-judaism-early-christianity-and-gnostic-sects-part-3/
• http://drmsh.com/heavenly-worship-in-second-temple-judaism-early-christianity-and-gnostic-sects-part-4/
Avalos, Hector (2005). Fighting Words: The Origins of Religious Violence. Prometheus Books, Publishers. p. 310. ISBN 978-1-61592-195-9.
עבודה זרה Avodah zarah (Idolatry) @ https://levi.life/GS4QR/mishnah/
Kalonymos ben Kalonymos (1317), Be-‘Inyane ha-Kokabim ha-Nebukim. —Hebrew translation, based on the Arabic version of Ptolemy’s Planetary Hypotheses. Of this treatise, only the first part survives in Greek; the whole text is extant in Arabic and Hebrew translation.
Astrolatry is the worship of stars and other heavenly bodies as deities, or the association of deities with heavenly bodies, and which usually implies polytheism.
Astrotheology is any religious system founded upon the observation of the heavens, and may be monotheistic.
I suspect that the relationship between Christianity and astrotheology needs to be re examined. Enoch and Revelation both seem to have an eye on the heavens, Jesus is said to be the “morning and evening star” just as the dying and rising goddess Inanna was the planet Venus. As Plutarch notes, there were a few different theories about how the gods related to the stars and planets, besides the simple identification of the two.
In ancient Greek cosmology Venus had two separate identities, i.e. it was two different stars.
Per Venus_§Observation @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus#Observation :
Venus “overtakes” Earth every 584 days as it orbits the Sun. As it does so, it changes from the “Evening Star”, visible after sunset, to the “Morning Star”.
Cf. “Inferior and superior planets” @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferior_and_superior_planets
The periods of Venus as “Evening Star (hesperus)” and “Morning Star (phosphoros)” each average about 263 days. In between Venus disappears.
Cf. Hesperus @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesperus
Cf. Phosphorus (morning star) @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphorus_(morning_star%29
As it does so, it changes from the “Evening Star”, visible after sunset, to the “Morning Star”.
Does this have anything to do with Jesus replacing John the Baptist who died and who is apparently resurrected?
I do not know if it has “anything to do with Jesus replacing John the Baptist”.
Per Timaeus by Plato, “[38d] the Sun and the Star of Hermes and the Morning Star [Heosphoros, εωσφόρος] regularly overtake and are overtaken by one another.” This implies that Plato understood Heosphoros (Dawn/Eos bringer) and Hesperos (Evening/Vesper bringer) were the same planet i.e. Venus. @ https://archive.org/stream/b2900049x_0009#page/78/mode/2up
Was Jesus John the Baptist raised from the dead?
http://robertmprice.mindvendor.com/art_jesus.htm
There is a skeletal pattern in thegospel story of John and Jesus that is also in the morning and evening star’s movememnts.
Stephen L. Huebscher (21 August 2017). “Heavenly Worship in Second Temple Judaism, Early Christianity, and Gnostic Sects: Part 5”. Dr. Michael Heiser. @ http://drmsh.com/heavenly-worship-in-second-temple-judaism-early-christianity-and-gnostic-sects-part-5/
Russell, Bertrand (2008) [1945]. History of Western Philosophy. Simon and Schuster. pp. 296–297. ISBN 978-1-4165-9915-9 :