tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post7626624897154721448..comments2024-03-10T10:54:59.776-07:00Comments on Ben Witherington: Epistles to the Apostle-- What Did they Look Like?Ben Witheringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06017701050859255865noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-3414424924935013402008-09-14T23:11:00.000-07:002008-09-14T23:11:00.000-07:00Paul, Silas and Timothy,To Paphlos in Thessalonika...Paul, Silas and Timothy,<BR/><BR/>To Paphlos in Thessalonika. You are a complete schlemiel. You’re an ass. Did you ever see any of us giving away all of his things. We are all gainfully employed and trying to improve the life of people on earth. What’s the sense of giving anybody anything if it’s all coming to an end tomorrow or next month? Do you know which way you’re going if the Lord catches you just waiting around for the end? Thank God He hasn’t returned yet. <BR/><BR/>Were you asleep in church when our first letter was read. We told you: “We worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.” We also told you to “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, . . . so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” And look at you now. You’ve become the laughing stock of the whole town and an embarrassment to the church. <BR/><BR/>But thanks to God’s abundant mercy there is still hope, even for someone like you.José Solanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04589289554046198929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-86695992571891635152008-09-14T20:29:00.000-07:002008-09-14T20:29:00.000-07:00This was funny in some ways, yet it does make you ...This was funny in some ways, yet it does make you wonder, what if.<BR/><BR/>Currently reading through your book "Jesus, Paul and the End of the World" and found this post amusing. Glad I found your book, as it is hard to find good books on this topic, so many of them are driven by hype, and fear.<BR/><BR/>Robert<BR/>theinquiringminds.wordpress.comRobert Jimenezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11927707012726860955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-19571827812761037852008-09-14T16:29:00.000-07:002008-09-14T16:29:00.000-07:00Given that letters are somewhat like one half of a...Given that letters are somewhat like one half of a phone transcript, it would certainly help in OUR understanding if we had the other half!<BR/><BR/>We can try to discern the other letters, etc. as best we can, but we do not have them. If one is ever found (which I do not really think is likely but is possible), it might really help us understand Scripture better.Donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05247071840577399185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-23211985904286267512008-09-13T21:02:00.000-07:002008-09-13T21:02:00.000-07:00www.gracegate.orgWould love for you to check it ou...www.gracegate.org<BR/><BR/>Would love for you to check it out....thanks!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16333763075379563423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-12676017889130489092008-09-13T18:19:00.000-07:002008-09-13T18:19:00.000-07:00Ben--LOL! Seems like we have a business-minded man...Ben--<BR/><BR/>LOL! Seems like we have a business-minded man with little-to-no exegetical skills, sounds like many pastors of churches I've attended. Paul was, as you've aptly and pervasively argued, not of the "it's necessary that Jesus will come before I die" school but of the "It's now possible for Jesus to come tomorrow, so watch yo' self!" <BR/><BR/>Luke Timothy Johnson asked the following question the other day in the class: "Why write all of these writings (i.e., the New Testament) when you think that the end of the world will come within your lifetime?" While I've read some of his work, I don't know what his pubished views are on the issue, but he seemed to assume the ol' view that the earliest Christians all believed the end was necessarily imminent. The question is indeed profound if this were the case, but, from what I've read in the NT and the secondary literature, this wasn't the case--at least for the leaders of the movement in their writings!<BR/><BR/>Thanks,<BR/><BR/>Lawrence M.LGM#3https://www.blogger.com/profile/06288746334692688267noreply@blogger.com