Narrating Early Religion, Judaism & Christianity: the scholars speak PDF

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“Narrating the Origins & Theology of Early Religions, Judaism and Christianity: the Scholars Speak”, Vol. 1 & 2 Brent Waterbury Cal-St. Univ. Fullerton Smashwords copyright 2013 Intro "All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third,...

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“Narrating the Origins & Theology of Early Religions, Judaism and Christianity: the Scholars Speak”, Vol. 1 & 2 Brent Waterbury Cal-St. Univ. Fullerton Smashwords copyright 2013 Intro

"All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident." Schopenhauer, 19th century

philosopher

"Honest criticism of religious faith is a moral and intellectual necessity.” (“Letter to a Christian Nation”, Sam Harris)

This ebook is a post-modern look of ancient religions, Judaism and Christianity and their origins from a scholar’s point of view. This is also an in-depth look at how these religions started and their evolution over time. This book is also based on my own personal experiences in various church's over 10 years since I was once a devoutly religious Christian. Like St. Paul, I too wandered the 'spiritual deserts' trying to find answers to my questions. But after years of searching the Bible I found the spiritual problems weren't me per se (as I often thought) rather the Bible itself. Why? Because the Bible is good at raising questions but not so good at providing answers: "A majority of Americans (78%) say that the Bible is the 'word of God'... The U.S. is anintensely Christian nation today... Most people believe in the supernatural.” (Pew 2011), ("Transformation of the World", Osterhammel, pg. 873+, ‘Religion’), (“Barna, “Beliefs:general religion's”, May '07) see, “Bad Religion”, Douthat, pg. 4

So later I set the Bible down for a decade or so thinking 'this is just another ancient religion and I'll never understand it' and let it go at that. But the problem was I admired the Old Testament with its overall philosophy and moral teachings. So I moved into historical research and scholarly area and ended up finding more answers than I dreamedof! But the answers I found aren't what most religious people want to hear: “Do you find the Bible... Confusing? Difficult to read? Hard to understand?” "The Bible is misunderstood. Most Americans are completely in the dark about

what scholars have been saying about the Bible for the past 200 years." ("Jesus, Interrupted”, Ehrman, pg. 1) Contextualization

Regarding modern insight of religions, within the past 150 years historians have come up with a term called contextualization. This means scriptures within their historical boundaries and no more. Well, this has brought about a Pandora's Box of new revelationas to exactly who wrote scriptures out and their reasons for writing them in the first place! So starting in the mid 1700’s, newer interpretations were published that has deciphered mans most esteemed institution. Later, a few of these ‘contextualized’ bookseven became #1 best sellers: "The ancient’s ways are almost incomprehensible to the unstudied modern." (“Theosophy: a modern revival of the ancient wisdom”, Kuhn, 1930)

“Scholars are often accused of being out of touch with the average person and writing only about things significant to themselves and their Ivy-league colleagues.” (“Searching for the Original Bible”, Price, pg. 19) Religion—both popular and unpopular

And because religion can be mysterious and unknowable millions are turned off. In fact, over the last 50 years possibly hundreds of millions of people have left religion altogether without any negative effect on societies worldwide: "The American public is disillusioned with traditional Christianity... Both doubt andbelief are each on the rise... Rigid dogmas continue to confine many lives.” ("Bad Religion", Douthat, pg. 152), (“Reason for God” belief in an Age of Skepticism”, Keller, pg. 2-10), (“Life after Faith: a case for secular humanism”, Preface, Kircher) see Barna, "New research howdifferent generations view the Bible", '12

An atheist: "Religious faith remains a perpetual source of human conflict. What is the worst in us--outright delusion--has been elevated beyond the reach of criticism." ("End of Faith", Harris)

On mythology:

“The mere mention of pagan origins, astro-theology and mythology always brings howls of protest and denial from the church.” (“Book Your Church Doesn’t Want You to Read”, intro, Leedom, ed)

“The question, which authority speaks the truth, is of existential importance.”

Yale historian Ramsey McMullen

(essay, “Establishing Truth That’s Trusted in the Gospels and Today”) Books-- still our most reliable information

As you will read, the basic truths contained here are not new and nor have they been hidden from sight. The problem is people today basically don't read and instead get a lotof their information from TV or the Internet from people who also don't have time to read! So this reprocessed information becomes instead halftruths or worse yet fiction masked as “truth” such in major news outlets today. I feel this book gets to the very bottom of all that: "Most contemporary Christians are massively ignorant how the church got to where it istoday.” Dr. Snyder, Asbury Theological Seminary

(from, “Pagan Christianity?”, intro)

“Despite the fact that the Bible is the #1 Bestseller, biblical illiteracy abounds.” (Barna, "New research: how different generations view the Bible", sourced from, “Pagan

Christianity:exploring the roots of our church practices”, Viola/Barna, ’12) Laymen not scholars

This book is also written more for lay people and not scholars, although there are hundred’s of sources for just about everyone. Also the layout is unique in that I'm playing detective by asking the most pertinent questions while the scholars give the answers. The reason for this is that readers don't need to wade through tons and tons of dry scholarly material just to get at a few sentences or conclusions: “The subject of religious origins is somewhat complex.” (“Pagan & Christian Creeds”, Carpenter, pg. 12)

"The common goal of most biblical scholars is to figure out how the Bible works." ("Surpassing Wonder: the invention of the Bible and the Talmuds", Akenson, '98, pg. 7-11)

Book highlights

– The Mesopotamian and Egyptian religions are our earliest sightings of civilization. These religions started with animism which as symbols represented their gods. In these locales, their gods were friendly and not hostile like in later deities. Through this evolution we get the Devil, new concepts of ‘sin’, pagan hell and the world-wide tribal sacrifices. --Zoroasterism was a new religion that started from scratch in Persia. Its origins are mostly unknown and its theories totally alien to the paganism around them. Even today there is no religion quite like Zoroaster’s. --Greek/Roman religions were also from scratch but Roman’s borrowed mostly from their Greek neighbors. Unlike Zoroaster, the Greeks and Romans ‘humanized’ their gods. --Judaism was also a syncretic religion whose beginnings are unknown. No one knows where Moses came from and its teachings were based on hundreds of moral/ethical laws from Egypt and Babylonia. Its stringent monotheism from Zoroaster. --Christianity is also a syncretic religion who’s beginnings are very well known now but only since the 19th century. Surprisingly, before that time it was considered beyond criticism and off limits to mortal men. Yet today, Christianity has been highly criticized by just about everyone, but as a serious topic historians are the only ones we should be listening to. About the author

My own background in writing goes back roughly 20 years when I began writing scripts to market. Scripts are a self-discipline and are not as easy as many presume sincean audience with a camera is always in mind. Script writers are essential voyeurs and must come up with something new and get to their point very quickly. Like any writer, having a great imagination is of first order. I was also a devout Christian for about a decade but gave up the early church definitionof who and what a Christian is supposed to be mainly because my teachers couldn't answer my philosophical questions and instead directed me to “keep reading the Bible”. Well, that ended that nonsense: “The Bible in general are not uniform pieces of literature.”

(“Who Wrote the Torah?”, Schmid, Institute for Advanced Study, 2018)

"There’s no good reason to be hostile toward good scholarship.” Ron Hendel, BAR ("Critical Biblical Scholarship--what's the use?", Bible Archaeological Review, July/Aug.12)

Finally, any book on religious history won’t be an easy read. Stitching together 4000 years of religious history with citations from 100’s of historians and scholars into a narrative that the layman can understand wasn’t easy! As we know, ancient concepts from the Old World are not exactly dinner table conversations anymore. Sadly they arenot even church conversations anymore. Maybe this book can turn our older studies of religion a new direction... Contents Vol. 1 Early Religions 6,000- 800 BC Ancient civilization of Sumer Egypt 5,000-2300 BC Savior Religion Primer Indian religion 3000 BC Ancient Devil Babylonia and Syria 2800 BC Sin 3000 BC Pagan hell The Sacrifice Persia and Zoroasterianism Mithaism 1st-4th c. Ancient Greece Socrates, Plato and Aristotle Middle Platonism Neo-Platonism Epicurean's 200 BC-100 AD Stoic's 300 BC-300 AD Cynic's 30 BC-400 AD Buddha 200 BC Roman Religions

Old Testament vol. 1 Genesis (the beginning) Hebrew Scriptures 500 BC Archaeology Old Testament Myths 12 Tribes of Israel/Exile? Return to Zion 538BC?

Was the OT written in Babylon? Israelite’s (defenders of God) David/Solomon/Joshua Psalms/Proverbs Curse of the Jews? Hebrew Sacrifice 600BC Devil/OT Hell/ OT OT Prophecy/Eschatology 580-200 BC Apocalyptic dualism 300 BC Hebrew Sin Jewish Messiah 500 BC-200 AD Angels Jerusalem 167-20 BC Pharisees, Sadducees 140 BC Essene's 200 BC-70 AD Dead Sea Scrolls 200 BC-135 AD Book of Daniel Book of Enoch’s Spirit/ OT Jewish War with Rome 66-132 AD Old Testament Criticism Coda 1948

New Testament vol. 2 New Testament overview Conglomeration of many religions New Testament History NT Archaeology New Testament Myth Gospels—Mark, Mathew, Luke & John Who were the gospel's speaking to? Pluralism in Christianity Acts of the Apostles 70-150 AD Holy Spirit as Triune God Persecution Councils 325-381--Putting the Bible Together Messiahs Jesus in St. John Who else was Jesus of Nazareth? Platonism in the NT Gnosticism Was Jesus a gnostic?

Was Jesus an Essene? Was Jesus in the OT? Was Jesus an Angel? 2nd Coming Sacrifice/Crucifixion Christian Sin Judgment Baptism Kingdom of God/Kingdom of Heaven Jewish Sect Infighting 6-100 AD The Father? Parables Faith and Prayer Miracles Resurrection Heaven Hell/NT Devil/NT Didache Book of Revelation Anti-Judaism/NT Cult of Apostle Paul Conclusion

Early Religions- 6000BC--800 BC

Ugaritic on clay

“Indeed our creator is eternal. Indeed ageless he who formed us.”

Semitic Ugaritic text

“Religion is human experience interpreted by human imagination. The idea that religioncontains a literal, not symbolic, expression of truth and life is simply an impossible idea... Matters of religion should never be matters of controversy. We seek rather to honor the piety and understand the poetry embodied in these fables.” (essay, “Sense of Beauty”, Santayana, Sp., in Life of Reason: Phases of Human Progress: 5 vol., 1896, pg. 189)

"The concept of [ancient] religion is hazy. Some old problems have never been solved…Namely distinguishing between 'true' religions, 'superstitious' systems…2. Ancient myth is a deliberately chosen means of communicating knowledge. It is we who are at the disadvantage." ("Transformation of the World: 19th c.", Osterhammel, pg. 874+), ("Serpent in the Sky: high wisdomof ancient Egypt", West, pg. 127+) see also, "Golden Bough", Frazer, 12 vols.

While the subject of religious origins has always been a complex undertaking all pages of this book are in effect one continuous story line. Continuous in that the term ‘God’ or‘gods’ was the ancients end result while their scriptures their link in: “It seems that in the ancient world people believed that it was only by participating inthis divine life that they would become truly human if men and women imitated the actions of the gods they would share their greater power and effectiveness. Everythingon earth was thus believed to be a replica of something in the divine world.” (“History of God”, Armstrong, pg. 12)

In these early chapters we should try to imagine ourselves into the minds of the initiates and to see the world from their perspective—as hard as that is to do! Their world was radically different from today in that their gods delivered to them ‘truth’-- whether it was actually true or not. This was more often a tribal mantra but not always: “Religion has an inverse history. It starts from the individual, it is extended to the community. The individual must have a sense a power outside himself, whom he is called upon to worship before he can rise to the idea of tribal gods… The association of morality and religion is of comparatively late origin in the history of mankind.” (“Religions of Egypt & Babylonia”, Sayce, pg. 10)

Worldwide there have been 100's of early religions but the ones I'm concerned abouthere are the Egyptian and Babylonian since these were the religions which later influenced Judaism and Christianity. As you will later read it all tied together!

Durkheim looking like Freud

Durkheim was one of the early founders in sociology of religion: "There is no one religion that is not about both a cosmology and a speculation about the divine. All religions, even the crudest are in a sense spiritualistic." Emile Durkheim 1915

(“Reader in the Anthropology of Religion”, ‘Elementary Forms of Religious Life’)

“Humans prefer an image of God(s) as rational and loving. Nothing can be done about irrational beings. If the Gods are crazy then religion is futile.” (“Discovering God”, Stark, pg. 11)

Believe it or not, thousands of years later Judaism would go to war with the Roman army over these Greek polytheistic beliefs: “The Mediterranean and neighboring world had been the scene of a vast number of pagan creeds and rituals. There were Temples without end dedicated to gods like Apolloor Dionysus among the Greeks, Hercules among the Romans, Mithras among the Persians, Adonis and Attis in Syria, Osiris and Isis and Horus in Egypt, Baal among the Babylonians. Societies, large or small, united believers with their respective deities and in the creeds which they confessed… They recognized in some dim way that it was onlya type of the hidden meaning, not a real deity; a representation, and not an incarnation." (“Pagan & Christian Creeds”, pg. 20), ("Natural Genesis", vol. 1, Massey) note-- Massey was a socialanthropologist/Egyptologist who spent years in Egypt

As written by its holy men, ancient myth was considered scripture. For tens of thousands of years early man felt that they were put on the earth for one reason--to do the gods bidding: "[To the ancients] the fear of death, wonder at the causes of unintelligible happenings, hope for divine aid, cooperated to generate religious belief... Primitive man buried theirdead to prevent their return and such experiences convinced early man that every livingthing had a soul, or secret life within it. Trees had souls quite like men, and it was plain murder to cut them down. Long before old age could come, violence or some strange disease carried off the great majority of men. Thus early man didn't believe that death was ever natural...2. Illness was invariably the result of the machinations of an enemy,” (“Our Oriental Heritage”, Durant, 1930, vol. 1, ‘Sources of Religion’, pg. 57), ("History of Science",Williams, 1904, vol. 1, pg. 15)

For reasons unknown ancients were fascinated with blood: “Animal sacrifice was a universal religious practice in the ancient world.” (“Great Transformation: beginnings of our religious traditions”, Armstrong, Intro)

"It was a matter of general belief among savage peoples that blood was often considereda vital energy. By wetting his body with blood the neophyte believed he was transferringstrength of a steer into his own limbs." ("Oriental Religion’s in Roman Paganism", Cumont, pg. 63)

Ancient Civilization of Sumer 3900 BC

Giant Temple Ziggurat

“We can hear in all religions a groaning of the spirit, a struggle to conceive the inconceivable.”

(Lectures of the Origin and Growth of Religion, as illustrated by the religions of India, Muller, 1880)

“From the beginning of recorded history a mixture of peoples occupied the valleys ofMesopotamia… Where they came from cannot be answered.” (“Rise of the West”, McNeil, pg. 32)

Sumer (sometimes called Sumeria) was the site of the earliest known civilizations, while others debate that east Africa as the earliest. This period was prehistoric and stories would be passed down orally from generation to generation: “The institutions, conventions, customs and laws that make up the complex structures ofa society are the work of a 100 centuries and a billion minds. We are warranted in concluding that morals are relative.”

(“Our Oriental Heritage”, vol. 1, Durant)

Their kings were believed to come from heaven and were considered eternal. The gods raised these kings, thus men wrote about these gods:

Baal

Poem: “The sun asked: 'How can you battle with Baal the Conqueror? Will the bull, El your father, continue to listen to you? Surely he will undermine the foundations of your seat, surely he will overturn your royal throne, surely he will smash your scepter of judgment.'”

Tablets from Ugarit, Syria 1000 BC--

Also in their ancient stories would be a 'great Flood'. This showed up 1000's of yearslater as Noah’s story: see, “Religion of Babylonia & Assyria, Chapter 1

"The Sumerian King List, records eight kings with a total of 241,200 years from the timewhen kingship 'descended from the heaven' to the time when the Flood swept over the land and once more 'the kingship was lowered from heaven' after the Flood".

(essay, "Sumerian King List Spans for Over 241,000 Years Before a Great Flood", Holloway)

Dr. Murray was an outstanding scholar of the language and culture of Ancient Greece and his research is used throughout this book: “Mankind's entire life in an agriculture age depended on food. Each community had its'divine protectors' and almost always a local Earth-Mother and a divine Son or Young King who brought vegetation through birth, death and resurrection.

There was also a great Father. The Son was nearer, the son of a god and a mortal woman.” (“Hellenism & the Modern World”, Murray, pg. 15)

More on Babylon later.... Egypt 5000-2300 BC

Lion/man Sphinx

"Egypt, the fruitful parent of superstition..."

("Decline/Fall", conversion of the barbarians, Chap. 37)

“The purpose of religion to the Egyptian was to secure the favor of the god.” (“Religion of Ancient Egypt”, Petrie, pg. 11)

As many know, Egypt is one of the world's oldest civilizations with ...