2 Peter a "forgery"
walter nusbaum nusbaum@iglobal.net
Mon, 2 Mar 1998 17:46:10 -0600 (00888903970, 19980302234609250.AAA141@nusbaum.iglobal.net)
Walt(3/2)
At 04:32 PM 3/2/98 -0600, Claire E. O'Connor wrote:
>Steven Carr wrote:
>>
>> Brian Dean <bridean@worldnet.att.net> writes
(Snip)
>CLAIRE
>In 2 Thess. 2:2, Paul is concerned more about false teachings than
>"forgeries". If using someone else's name when writing was always
>regarded as wrong, then why were other books of the Bible written that
>way? Four different authors of the Pentateuch have been identified, yet
>there was a tradition that Moses was the author of these books. There
>are three authors of the Book of Isaiah. I disagree with your statement
>that it was regarded as "wrong" simply to use someone else's name. There
>was already a tradition of doing so long before Peter's and Paul's time.
WALT
Claire,
>From what you tell me it was established tradition in Judeo/christian
circles, that to lend authority to an otherwise obscure figure's writings,
the name of a more credentialed person was often used. Was this practice
common to other religions as well?
At any rate, what is really curious about the whole affair is that these
writings are held out to be "inspired of God". How does any one know this if
they are not even certain who penned the works? Isn't it just a little bit
mendacious for a church figure to hold the bible aloft and say, "The word of
the lord", after which the response from Joe Sixpack is, "Praise be to god!"?
CLAIRE
I hope that the people on this errancy list will notice that my above
>statement is not about my "beliefs" and requires no assumptions about
>the validity of Christianity. The fact that a tradition already existed
>of using someone else's name would be evidence (though not absolute
>proof) that it was not necessarily considered "wrong" to use a famous
>pseudonym.
>
WALT
Claire,
You done good.
Best wishes,
Walt
(Snip)