tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post116416055126379892..comments2024-03-10T10:54:59.776-07:00Comments on Ben Witherington: Cirque d' Bible-- The Annual SBL MeetingBen Witheringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06017701050859255865noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164823171085213242006-11-29T09:59:00.000-08:002006-11-29T09:59:00.000-08:00I enjoyed your description of the religious circus...I enjoyed your description of the religious circus known as SBL. I never knew scholars in the ivory tower could be so entertaining.Living the Biblioshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15267015591878790193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164646004810647782006-11-27T08:46:00.000-08:002006-11-27T08:46:00.000-08:00just curious, but who, then, is john of patmos. w...just curious, but who, then, is john of patmos. would he be one of the johns mentioned in other writings, or a different john than those mentioned? <BR/><BR/>i just wanted to get your thoughts on this. also, what do you think about bauckham's contention that matthew wasn't written by matthew?thunderbeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07640506159777958075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164459350584760942006-11-25T04:55:00.000-08:002006-11-25T04:55:00.000-08:00Well Cirque d'Bible is a whole nother world than C...Well Cirque d'Bible is a whole nother world than Corteo, but both do involve clowns and processions :)Ben Witheringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06017701050859255865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164427549837388092006-11-24T20:05:00.000-08:002006-11-24T20:05:00.000-08:00I'm disappointed. I visited this post thinking I'...I'm disappointed. I visited this post thinking I'd get to hear a Biblical scholar's reaction to <A HREF="http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/showstickets/corteo/intro/intro.htm" REL="nofollow">Corteo</A>! False advertising! Didn't anyone see the show?G.M. Grenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16715203546886901296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164425559016039432006-11-24T19:32:00.000-08:002006-11-24T19:32:00.000-08:00Ben,Thanks for the discussion. I enjoyed it immens...Ben,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the discussion. I enjoyed it immensely. Hope you had a good thanksgiving. <BR/><BR/>your brother in Christ<BR/>MattMatthew Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14510644819251864602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164392785498481882006-11-24T10:26:00.000-08:002006-11-24T10:26:00.000-08:00Matthew:There are three flaws in your argument: 1)...Matthew:<BR/><BR/>There are three flaws in your argument: 1) it is one thing to say Jesus would go into that house. Indeed, he would. But in fact it was Jesus and the Twelve and a bunch of others as well it would appear. That's a whole different ballgame. 2) Leper is not a name or a surname, it is a descripter, like Sam the drug-addict. When a person leaves such a condition behind in early Judaism he goes to the priest, is declared clean and is no longer burdened with the stigma of such a descripter. You wouldn't continue to call the blind man in John 9 'the blind man' once he was cured!; 3) the discomfort of the disciples in the story in Mk. 14 is not with where they are, in Simon's house, but with the behavior of the anointing woman. <BR/><BR/>Blessings,<BR/><BR/>BenBen Witheringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06017701050859255865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164388056120983202006-11-24T09:07:00.000-08:002006-11-24T09:07:00.000-08:00Please don't take these thoughts as argumentative....Please don't take these thoughts as argumentative. I deeply repect and value your thoughts as a teacher and a writer. I know the idea that Lazarus is a "oode name" for Simon the Leper is far fetched, but I'm not quit sure that just because Jesus was said to be at the house of a leper that means the leper had died. First it is possible that Simon's sur name was Leper due to the continued state of his illness. Thus even if Jesus had recently healed him, his name would not be quickly changed to Simon "the former" Leper. Matthew and Mark may have simply used this common name to distinguish him from Simon Peter. Secondly, it is possible, given Jesus practice of touching the unclean, participating in open table fellowship with known sinners, as well as subverting purity regulations in his teaching(Mark 7), that He actually did eat at a Leper's home while the Leper was there. While I perfer the first suggestion, the second does not seem to far out of bounds. Thanks again for your blog. I do enjoy regularly reading your educated and biblical thoughts.Matthew Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14510644819251864602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164371794775312902006-11-24T04:36:00.000-08:002006-11-24T04:36:00.000-08:00It is a clear inference from the text itself. You...It is a clear inference from the text itself. You don't have a meal in an unclean house involving all the disciples. Their still Jews. It would have to be called the house of Simon the former leper if they were all going to be there and eat there. Leviticus is very clear about such skin diseases. The person, the house, etc. would be untouchable.<BR/><BR/>BenBen Witheringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06017701050859255865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164340885145974012006-11-23T20:01:00.000-08:002006-11-23T20:01:00.000-08:00Thank you for your response. I've never heard that...Thank you for your response. I've never heard that Simon the Leper died before the death of Jesus. I thought the first and last time that he appeared in Scripture was when Mary anointed Jesus at his house only a few days before Jesus was arrested. Is there a church tradition or a scriptural passage that you could possibly refer me to. Thanks again for you thoughts.Matthew Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14510644819251864602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164324485587130302006-11-23T15:28:00.000-08:002006-11-23T15:28:00.000-08:00Since Simon the leper was dead before Jesus died, ...Since Simon the leper was dead before Jesus died, he would not be a very good candidate for the authorship of that Gospel, but the 'bosom' parallels are interesting.<BR/><BR/>BenBen Witheringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06017701050859255865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164300370146853662006-11-23T08:46:00.000-08:002006-11-23T08:46:00.000-08:00Ben,I look forward to reading your comments on Laz...Ben,<BR/><BR/>I look forward to reading your comments on Lazarus and the Beloved Disciple? It's something that I have pondered for quit some time. I don't know if you discussed this but have you ever thought about the relationship between the name Lazarus in the book of Luke and the introduction to the Beloved Disciple in John 13? Like many things in Luke and John, Lazarus is a name that only these two gospels share. Luke tells us that Lazarus died and went to Abraham's Bosom (Kolpos). John, likewise, tells us that the BD reclined on Jesus Bosom (Stethos), an image that clearly echos Jesus being in the Bosom (Kolpos) of the Father. Is the name Lazarus, therefore, simply a clue that helps to connect a man of Bethany with the Beloved Disciple? If that is this case, isn't Simon the Leper perhaps a better canidate as the author of the Gospel of John? <BR/><BR/>I'd love to hear your thoughts.Matthew Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14510644819251864602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164251677933188442006-11-22T19:14:00.000-08:002006-11-22T19:14:00.000-08:00Yes it is possible that God gives different light ...Yes it is possible that God gives different light to different folk. Of course it is true that God knows in advance who will respond positively to God's grace.Ben Witheringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06017701050859255865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164251495830863052006-11-22T19:11:00.000-08:002006-11-22T19:11:00.000-08:00In regard to Romans 2, some scholars have indeed t...In regard to Romans 2, some scholars have indeed thought that the reference is to the Jeremiah idea of the Law written on the heart. However, Paul is referring to Gentiles here not Jews. So most think either conscience or natural law is in view.Ben Witheringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06017701050859255865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164241883989482982006-11-22T16:31:00.000-08:002006-11-22T16:31:00.000-08:00Hi Rusty: The supposed difference is that Christ i...Hi Rusty: The supposed difference is that Christ is functionally subordinate to the Father for all eternity, not ontologically subordinate. But in fact this is not what texts like Phil. 2. 5-11. Jesus is given a place on God's throne, God's name and God's worship. That hardly qualifies as functional subordination. <BR/><BR/>And as for Mt. 11.22 no it does not suggest any such thing. Jesus is simply drawing an analogy and saying that some would have already responded to the Gospel better than the cities in question. He's not talking about cities which will never get a chance!<BR/><BR/>BenBen Witheringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06017701050859255865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164198833869954382006-11-22T04:33:00.000-08:002006-11-22T04:33:00.000-08:00Scholars have recognized that thereis a second voi...Scholars have recognized that thereis a second voice at least at the end of the manuscript in John 21--- "this is the one who wrote... and we know his testimony is true" Who then is the we since it is not the Beloved Disciple? My answer is simple. It is the BD's community, and the person who collected and edited the BDs testimony is John of Patmos. This is how it came in the second century to be associated with someone named John.Ben Witheringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06017701050859255865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164181739369297942006-11-21T23:48:00.000-08:002006-11-21T23:48:00.000-08:00There seem to be a great many people who have thou...There seem to be a great many people who have thought that Lazarus is the Beloved Disciple. Would that mean that Lazarus wrote the Gospel of John? Should it be called the Gospel According to Lazarus?José Solanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04589289554046198929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164164472612981732006-11-21T19:01:00.000-08:002006-11-21T19:01:00.000-08:00Yup===== see my What Have They Done With Jesus?Yup===== see my What Have They Done With Jesus?Ben Witheringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06017701050859255865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-1164164410657269652006-11-21T19:00:00.000-08:002006-11-21T19:00:00.000-08:00Ben, I loved your paper. Thanks again for taking t...Ben, I loved your paper. Thanks again for taking the time to chat.Matthew D. Montoninihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16771037323124064875noreply@blogger.com