Helen:
So how do you know that what you believe you don't believe only because Satan
has duped you as well?
Magill- No one in the churches of that day disputed this fact. In fact,
they were so well received that they became cannonized. Paul's letters
were circular letters. Many people who witnessed Christ including these
500 were undoubtedly still alive at the time he wrote his letters. His
testimony was verifiable.
Helen:
If we believe your Bible it sound to me like Jesus's brother James took some
exceptions to what Paul had to say on many things. I think a careful reading
of Pauls letter reveals a lot of conflict between the various Christian
factions of the time. Unfortunately we only have the letters of the winning
side in most of these fights.
MAGILL
It is very interesting how secular historians from that era raise no
objection to this belief. I wouldn't raise an objection either to an
historical fact of proven history based on eyewitness accounts.
Helen:
The earliest Christians weren't noticed, but both Jewish and pagan sources
questioned their claims as soon as the became aware of them. Try the Talmud
essay at the web address Michael Fisher posted.
Magill- many ancient pagan cultures noted the long day of Joshua.
Helen
Name them and your sources for this claim.
Magill- Jesus was embalmed in over 100 pounds of spices and wrapped like
an Egyptian mummy. Yet when they discovered the burial cloths, they were
still intact with the shape of the body and had not been opened. The
same holds true with the headpiece. The detachment was done to show the
body was not inside. When the Apostle John looked in the tomb, the Bible
records in the Greek language that he saw in such a way that made him
believe.
Helen:
Magill, you idiot, Jews don't embalm their dead. I believe if you will go
read some back issues of Biblical Archaeology Review you would find that tomb
burials among Jews (which may have been rare) at this time where done by
placing the body in a underground chamber to rot and then, if they were rich,
several years later the bones would be collected and place in a special box
called a ossuary. Your Christian friends went bonkers a while back because
they thought they had found Caiaphas's ossuary. (The last I read this
identification was being deeply questioned). Anyway the most we could hope to
find would be some bones and maybe an ossuary. Where does it say they found
the burial cloth was the shape of the body? Where's the bones of Joseph,
Mary, James, Paul, and most of the other NT characters? Gone to dust, if they
ever existed at all.
Helen Willis
hhiwater@bright.net