Inspiration of the New Testament

[Nerdologist]

Did the authors of the New Testament believe they were inspired by God?

[Pseudo-Onkelos]

They may have believed their scriptures were God-breathed (θεοπευστος) (2 Tim. 3:16, 17), but I don't know about the NT.

[Admiral Dardanos]

Nerdologist

Did the authors of the New Testament believe they were inspired by God?

Na, they where just a bunch of bored authors who failed their creative writing course, and decided plagiarism was the way to go.

[SmallTownGuy]

That depends. Most of the New Testament is just a collection of histories and letters. None of the authors believed they were inspired at the time. They were just trying to give as honest a history as they could. It wouldn't have occurred to them that God had somehow dictated the words into their hands.

John's Revelation is the biggest exception. He was attempting to record a vision from God. Whether he thought his writing was inspired or not, he certainly thought the vision itself was.

[azulmagia]

SmallTownGuy

They were just trying to give as honest a history as they could.

I have a one-word answer to that: Pseudoepigraphy.

Also, it's astonishing how different the "honest" coverage of the life and death of Jesus differs, to the point of irreconcilability.

[Kaworu 17]

Admiral Dardanos

Nerdologist

Did the authors of the New Testament believe they were inspired by God?

Na, they where just a bunch of bored authors who failed their creative writing course, and decided plagiarism was the way to go.

Inb4 Christ is actually a copycat of agricultural fertility deities who mark the changing of the four seasons and other related astronomical events regarding the excursions of the Sun.

[SmallTownGuy]

azulmagia

SmallTownGuy

They were just trying to give as honest a history as they could.

I have a one-word answer to that: Pseudoepigraphy.

Also, it's astonishing how different the "honest" coverage of the life and death of Jesus differs, to the point of irreconcilability.

But we weren't talking about the 2nd-century pseudopigrapha writers. (Did you honestly think I hadn't read them? Along with well-reasoned and poorly-reasoned discussions of who did write each one and why, along with discussions of why 1&2 Tim, Titus, and portions of a couple others might belong among them?) We were talking about the NT authors. You'll need to do more than just yell in a large font if you want to prove intentional dishonesty among them.

Perhaps you could start with the other part of my post? Do you feel that John really was trying to record a vision he believed came from God? Or do you feel he was being intentionally deceptive?

[azulmagia]

SmallTownGuy

azulmagia

SmallTownGuy

They were just trying to give as honest a history as they could.

I have a one-word answer to that: Pseudoepigraphy.

Also, it's astonishing how different the "honest" coverage of the life and death of Jesus differs, to the point of irreconcilability.

But we weren't talking about the 2nd-century pseudopigrapha writers. (Did you honestly think I hadn't read them? Along with well-reasoned and poorly-reasoned discussions of who did write each one and why, along with discussions of why 1&2 Tim, Titus, and portions of a couple others might belong among them?) We were talking about the NT authors.

Yeah, we're talking all the NT authors. That necessarily includes pseudoepigraphy.

Quote:

You'll need to do more than just yell in a large font if you want to prove intentional dishonesty among them.

Well, apart from Paul, we have no idea who they were, and the stories they relate fairly scream intentional dishonesty.

Quote:

Perhaps you could start with the other part of my post? Do you feel that John really was trying to record a vision he believed came from God? Or do you feel he was being intentionally deceptive?

Actually, that is entirely moot since Revelation is (a) not history and (b) not actual prophecy, either.

[The New Wineskin]

Admiral Dardanos

Nerdologist

Did the authors of the New Testament believe they were inspired by God?

Na, they where just a bunch of bored authors who failed their creative writing course, and decided plagiarism was the way to go.

Please don't tell me you're going to pull the Zeitgeist argument.

[Admiral Dardanos]

The New Wineskin

Admiral Dardanos

Nerdologist

Did the authors of the New Testament believe they were inspired by God?

Na, they where just a bunch of bored authors who failed their creative writing course, and decided plagiarism was the way to go.

Please don't tell me you're going to pull the Zeitgeist argument.

Presumably, I'd need to be at least somewhat familiar with said argument in order to "pull it".

I am not.

[Fermionic]

Admiral Dardanos

The New Wineskin

Admiral Dardanos

Nerdologist

Did the authors of the New Testament believe they were inspired by God?

Na, they where just a bunch of bored authors who failed their creative writing course, and decided plagiarism was the way to go.

Please don't tell me you're going to pull the Zeitgeist argument.

Presumably, I'd need to be at least somewhat familiar with said argument in order to "pull it".

I am not.

Get with the times.

[The New Wineskin]

Admiral Dardanos

The New Wineskin

Admiral Dardanos

Nerdologist

Did the authors of the New Testament believe they were inspired by God?

Na, they where just a bunch of bored authors who failed their creative writing course, and decided plagiarism was the way to go.

Please don't tell me you're going to pull the Zeitgeist argument.

Presumably, I'd need to be at least somewhat familiar with said argument in order to "pull it".

I am not.

The Zeitgeist argument is the argument stating that Jesus is a plagiarism of many other deities of the past. It has also been debunked billions of times both on these forums and outside of them.

[Admiral Dardanos]

Fermionic

Admiral Dardanos

The New Wineskin

Admiral Dardanos

Nerdologist

Did the authors of the New Testament believe they were inspired by God?

Na, they where just a bunch of bored authors who failed their creative writing course, and decided plagiarism was the way to go.

Please don't tell me you're going to pull the Zeitgeist argument.

Presumably, I'd need to be at least somewhat familiar with said argument in order to "pull it".

I am not.

Get with the times.

...Interesting new look.

[Fermionic]

Admiral Dardanos

Fermionic

Admiral Dardanos

The New Wineskin

Admiral Dardanos

Nerdologist

Did the authors of the New Testament believe they were inspired by God?

Na, they where just a bunch of bored authors who failed their creative writing course, and decided plagiarism was the way to go.

Please don't tell me you're going to pull the Zeitgeist argument.

Presumably, I'd need to be at least somewhat familiar with said argument in order to "pull it".

I am not.

Get with the times.

...Interesting new look.

That seems like a veiled insult.

[Admiral Dardanos]

The New Wineskin

Admiral Dardanos

The New Wineskin

Admiral Dardanos

Nerdologist

Did the authors of the New Testament believe they were inspired by God?

Na, they where just a bunch of bored authors who failed their creative writing course, and decided plagiarism was the way to go.

Please don't tell me you're going to pull the Zeitgeist argument.

Presumably, I'd need to be at least somewhat familiar with said argument in order to "pull it".

I am not.

The Zeitgeist argument is the argument stating that Jesus is a plagiarism of many other deities of the past. It has also been debunked billions of times both on these forums and outside of them.

So there is no chance whatsoever that the writers of the New Testament were influenced by any of the religions and traditions that came before?