The issue of what did Yeshua say, write, communicate, and believe (during his lifetime) is an issue that scholars have considered for 2,000 years. Yeshua lived (in real-time) from around 4 B.C. (his birth) to around 33 A.D. (his death). Let's think about this human being and his real living situation while on this planet. Let's assume that we were there during his real-time life. He was a real person (my view) and he did communicate, talk, and believe a philosophy of life. Some core questions to consider are the following:
1. Did Yeshua actually write any words down on paper during his lifetime? Are any of the words in this New Testament his actual words and his core beliefs?
2. Was Yeshua, a Jew from Nazareth, who apparently believed in his Jewish tradition and the core beliefs of this tradition actually believe in the God of Israel? Was Yahweh his God?
3. Did Yeshua read the Jewish Torah (what many call the Old Testament) during his lifetime? Did he accept the core beliefs which were espoused in this Torah (and the Prophets)?
4. Did Yeshua communicate a Dualistic view of philosophy (reality) during his lifetime? Dualism was reviewed in my prior missive. Check out this missive for details about Dualism.
5. Did the words of this Jew get changed (to some extent) after his death (say from) 33 A.D. to 70 A.D.? Was there a consistent group of followers who all viewed his life identically?
6. Are any of the writings (Gospels) fully convincing as to the actual WORDS which Yeshua spoke (while living his life from 4 B.C. to 33 A.D.)?
7. Was there an Oral tradition which communicated all the memories of Yeshua precisely/accurately (after his death)? What is an ORAL tradition and what happens as words get communicated from believer to believer?
Let's take each question and expound upon some logic which seems reasonable to students today. Did Yeshua actually write down words which explained his core beliefs in real-time? My view: I would assume that Yeshua spoke his words and beliefs to various followers and then asked them to consider his ideas as being reality and acceptable for their consideration. He did not write down his words, however, and this means that any listener would need to internalize these words prior to fully understanding these words. Were listeners likely to remember his ideas differently (uniquely)? I think so! Believers do not always remember events identically and precisely.
Did Yeshua believe in the God of Israel as revealed in the Jewish Torah? I would think YES. Yeshua was an Aramaic Jew who probably read this Jewish Torah daily. He studied and understood that the God of Israel was the I AM God as revealed to Moses. This God had a personal name which had no pronunciation but which later became this name we call 'Yahweh' (derived from YHWH). Some have adopted the name Jehovah is another pronunciation of God's personal name. Today, most accept the name Yahweh. Yeshua may have used the name El and/or Elaha for God's personal name (as he was Aramaic in his culture and language).
Did Yeshus read and generally accept the beliefs revealed in the Jewish Torah (and the other writings of the Jewish Prophets)? I think so! Yeshua, a Aramaic Jew, who studied at the Temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem most likely learned all the core beliefs within this scripture (the Torah and the Prophets). A core belief of this Torah was that a Messiah person would eventually emerge who would bring all Israelites a New Covenant and a New Kingdom (Government). Yeshua probably believed that HE was anointed for this purpose. His anointing happened at the age of 33 (+-) when he accepted baptism from his cousin John. He then started his local ministry to his followers.
Did Yeshua communicate a Dualistic view of reality (Dualism) as he spoke to his followers and the public? I think so! Yeshua believed in a spiritual/virtual world which transcended himself. He viewed his MIND as separate from his body and from the physical objects which he observed in nature. This means that Yeshua rejected Materialism (and/or Macro Evolution) as his reality. Yeshua did view reality as Dual IMO (mind was separate from his body). Review dualism if you do not understand this philosophy of reality. Yeshua was (obviously) a Dualist as he viewed reality as consisting of two realms (mind vs matter). God was a reality within his 'consciousness' (mind).
Were the ideas of Yeshua changed and subjectively interpreted differently AFTER his death in 33 A.D.? Oral tradition is what happened after Yeshua's death and any type of oral tradition does produce changes in the ideas which any person holds (in real-time). It is logical to assume that many of Yeshua's ideas were magnified and distorted after his death and prior to any writing down of his words/ideas/beliefs. These words (in the New Testament) were written decades AFTER this Jewish person had died. Some 40 to 50 years after Yeshua's death stories were written down (with many different understandings regarding his real-time viewpoint). Who wrote these words is unknown (mostly).
Yeshua words (in real-time) were not written down by anyone at the moment of his speaking. His ideas were not written down by anyone (in real-time). His beliefs were not written down (in real-time) by anyone. No book was written. His followers remembered many different concepts as they tried to interpret his ideas/words/beliefs. The stories in the Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John) each are different and unique in their presentations (stories). The actual writers of these stories (are unknown to us today). All the Gospels are anonymous (we do not know precisely who wrote any of the words within these Gospels). But the writings were not by eye witnesses as these Gospels were written in the Greek language (Yeshua was Aramaic). His followers were mostly Aramaic.
Oral tradition produced these writings and stories in our New Testament. Scholars now understand that the actual WORDS/IDEAS/BELIEFS of Yeshua were not recorded in real-time (by anyone). It is totally logical that many of these STORIES are amplified and magnified to agree with the writers belief system (philosophy) at the time of writing. Mark (whoever wrote this scripture) did not see reality as Matthew did (whoever wrote this scripture). Luke (also written by an anonymous person) did not view reality identically to Mark and/or Matthew. And John (written some time around 95 A.D.) did not view reality as did Mark, Matthew, or Luke. All were unique writers with their own STORIES to tell. Scholars have noted the many differences in each of these writings.
Scholars now recognize that the so-called Gospels are not fully consistent and/or uniform. Paul (who wrote some 7 to 13 letters) also has confusing logic in his various writings. Paul claims to have had a VISION of the glorified Yeshua (some two to three years after Yeshua's death at Golgotha). He then went into seclusion (for some three years) and developed his theology on the vision experience which he apparently visualized within his mind. No one knows what Paul visualized and/or fully comprehended (theologically). Paul merely is convinced (in his own mind) of his vision and his truth. But his logic and his words have produced thousands of religious denominations (all who internalize his words uniquely/differently).
What can we conclude from all this reality which scholars now recognize as confusing and unique? My view is that we can conclude that words in our Bible's (we now have dozens/hundreds of translations) are not necessarily fully in accordance with today's REALITY. Our real-time experiences will differ as we each READ these words of scripture (the various translations). We each will derive different conclusions about the words/ideas/beliefs of this person we call Yehsua (Jesus for the English speaking world). My viewpoint is MINE. Your viewpoint is YOURS. We all need to be humble and accepting of ALTERNATIVE viewpoints and alternative interpretations. That is my viewpoint. Have a great Day!
I am: Donald B. Swenson, Economist/Philosopher, donaldswenson.blogspot.com.
http://kingdomecon.wordpress.com
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