Searching for the Truth in the New Testament

by Valset, Jon

• ISBN13: 9781450289283
• ISBN10: 1450289282
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-05-18
• Publisher: Author Solutions

Summary

You may think you know the Bible, but chances are you are not as knowledgeable as you believe. For example, ever hear statements such as these?Jesus died hanging on a tree.Then corpses left their tombs and walked to the city in plain view of everyone.After Resurrection, he sometimes appeared in a different body.Some Apostles wanted positions of prestige in the kingdom of God.Many of the authors of the New Testament never actually saw Jesus preach.If you are like most people, the above is new to you... and that is why this book was written.With so many easily misinterpreted or overlooked passages in the New Testament, the author digs through the maze of seemingly irrelevant and contradictory narratives and assertions to present clear and novel assessments of the texts, free of preconceived ideas and theological goals. Each passage is carefully examined from different perspectives; every topic is supplemented with insightful commentary; all conclusions are worked out in a meticulous, rational and easy to follow manner. And since all relevant quotations are transcribed in sufficient detail, you don't even have to refer to your own Bible.This book offers a well-researched, thought-provoking, thorough and objective analysis of not only Jesus' life and deeds, but also issues concerning the birth, evolution, and expansion of Christianity. It delves as well in other areas of religious significance and noteworthy aspects of the history of ancient Middle East.Although many findings challenge the beliefs generally held by churchgoers, it is a scholarly recognized reality that faith, truth, and the writings of the New Testament do not always go hand in hand. ReadSearching for the Truth in the New Testamentand see for yourself.

Excerpts

SOME REMARKS AND CONCLUSIONS: (Excerpts) Let us now spend some time and reflect on the dramatic life and death of Jesus. It is really incomprehensible how things turned out the way they did. The Old Testament tells us that God had spoken to men for hundreds and hundreds of years through dreams, visions, and prophets to no avail – covenants made in times of distress would soon be forgotten when the dangers passed. Hence, short of speaking directly to everyone on earth and resolve this situation once and for all, God took a different approach: this time he sent a more personal emissary to explain and convince the masses of the secrets and beauty of the kingdom of heaven. To accomplish such blissful victory, God had only to beget a son, his only Son, Jesus, whose destiny since birth was no other than to spread the word of God when the right time came, and to ultimately die for the remission of all human sins. However, Jesus' death would not be such a big deal, would it? God would just forsake him for a while, let him suffer six hours on the cross, then revive him, and everything was as though nothing had happened – unchanged and unspoiled, his Son would return to his peaceful and secure place in heaven. And if his followers were to be left on earth to bear a lifetime of persecution and atrocities, for many much worse than Jesus had ever endured, so be it. But – as any unbiased historian would remark, and a cynic would have predicted – men once again turned their backs on the Supreme One. In consequence of this failure, Jesus suffered an ignominious death, and his followers were persecuted for centuries. What glorious ending it was to be thrown to the lions, or be burned alive, or cut into pieces, in order to secure a place in heaven! How could Jesus possibly win? His mission was ill conceived, doomed right from the beginning – his meekness was perceived as weakness, and being son of God, instead of an advantage, became a liability. For a people of ancient and ingrained religious traditions, brought up on the ideals of an earthly and powerful Messiah, Jesus' alternative could not but be seen as heretical and false, and he paid the price. In addition, one may wonder why Jesus' works were not more imaginative and overwhelming considering the forces behind him. Somehow, the entire undertaking displayed a perplexing lack of ambition. Jesus would cure illnesses but not prevent them from occurring; would feed people one day, but there would be no manna the rest of the time; he forgave sins, but could not eradicate their roots. There were unimaginable powers in heaven but not nearly enough on earth. He told the crowds all he had heard from God (John 8:26), but that was not sufficiently convincing, as he himself recognized (John 3:12). He spoke often with his Father, with whom he was one, but apparently neither did he ask for, nor was he voluntarily offered, advice and help to overcome serious obstacles. As the Bible makes abundantly clear, Jesus thought it best to mold his actions on earth in accordance with passages from the ancient Hebrew sacred books. Believing that these had been written with him in mind (Luke 24:27 and John 5:46), he neglected to listen to the Holy Spirit living in him (Luke 4:1 and 1 Corinthians 3:16) and took some unnecessary risks. In whatever he said or did, Jesus always tried to duplicate events from the Old Testament – he never fulfilled a prophecy by pure coincidence. The gospels have Jesus frequently referring to the Scriptures and saying, "for it is written," "it was prophesied," "haven't you read in the Scriptures?" The texts often point to certain actions or events that had taken place so "the prophecy was fulfilled," "this was to fulfill what was spoken," or other statements to the same effect. Even in desperate circumstances, Jesus' main concern was to remember to fulfill prophecies, instead of asking for his Father's assistance. We have only to recall Matthew 26:53-54, at the time of his arrest: Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels? But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled which say that it must come to pass in this way? As well, even when Jesus was about to expire, John 19:28 makes this assertion: "Aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said: "I thirst." So what was the result of this latest "experiment"? From the point of view of someone living in the twenty-first century, what difference did Jesus make? Which great accomplishments did he achieve in his lifetime? What spectacular social reforms do we owe to him? What was his legacy to the world? What comes immediately to one's mind is religious intolerance, division, and strife; suppression of rival Christian minorities; the systematic burning of early pseudo heretical books; persecution of Jews; the birth of Islam; bloody crusades; consolidation of other religions – and present-day indifference to religious matters, not to mention atheism. Really, what difference did Jesus make? His words are easily forgotten when balanced against the powers of ambition, greed, lust, envy, depravity, narrow mindedness, arrogance, fanaticism, and all other pressures of modern life. Such wicked forces continue to exist and exert the same profound influence on us as they ever did. The poor, abandoned, despised, and oppressed, did not see their lot improved; the rich and mighty remain untouched. What was good and noble in the hearts and minds of people remained so, but, at the same time, that which was intrinsically corrupt in humanity did not change at all. We are definitely not worthy of God, but it is not our fault that we cannot help it – it is the way he made us (Genesis 1:26, Romans 9:20). It is evident that the result in no way resembled expectations. But the Church turned things around and proclaimed that what was clearly a humiliating defeat was in reality a glorious victory – the victory of Jesus over death. And so Jesus died, abandoned by most, his mission rejected, his words misunderstood even by his disciples. In his last moments of lucidity, while eyeing the world from the top of his cross, he must have been painfully aware that his entire life had been wasted pursuing a seemingly hopeless dream.