Shem Tob was an antichrist who actively argued against Jesus being the Messiah.
This is who you hang your hat on?
No. I believe that the Hebrew version of Matthew that Shem-Tob copied is a genuine copy of the original Scripture. Shem Tob did not write the Matthew Gospel in Hebrew, he merely included a copy of it in his treatise - he was including his source, not writing it! George Howard writes in his intorduction:
He {Shem-Tob} revised his work several times - in 1385, around 1400, and even later - by adding another five books or sections to the original twelve. Most manuscripts contain either fifteen or sixteen chapters, not always arranged in the same order. Of the original books, usually the first deals with the principles of the Jewish faith, the next nine deal with passages in the Bible that were disputed by Jews and Christians, the eleventh discusses haggadic sections in the Talmud used by Christians or Jewish proselytes to Christianity, and the twelfth (sometimes thirteenth) contains the entire Gospel of Matthew in Hebrew, with polemical comments by Shem-Tob interspersed throughout the text.
--All the while you ignore the proof I have given you already that the baptism formula was in various MUCH earlier Christian works such as ...
And you ignore the very early evidence (or proof) that the original Matthew 28:19 did not contain the Trinity addition, not to mention the Biblical evidence (in the Bible recorded mentions of baptism, the apostles never baptised according to the corrupted version of Matthew 28:19, implying that Jesus never said what is written in the corrupted Greek version of Matthew).
Prepositions are a funny thing. Ro 11:36- speaks of the Father and Col 1:16- does not say or mean- through.
In both Romans 11:36 and Colossian 1:16 the word 'through' is translated from the same Greek word
dia.
Is this spirit being a creature?
A spirit being is a living being, as is a creature, but technically a creature is a breathing living being. So yes or no, but probably no. Colossians 1:15 WEB:
(15) who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
This could mean that Jesus is a creation of God, or that Jesus is the firstborn over all creation because he created them. He was either a creation of God or he was formed by God by some other means. Consider John 8:42 YLT:
(42) Jesus then said to them, 'If God were your father, ye were loving me, for I came forth from God, and am come; for neither have I come of myself, but He sent me;
The Greek word that's translated as "came forth" is
exerchomai, which can mean "to issue (literally or figuratively): - come-(forth, out), depart (out of), escape, get out, go (abroad, away, forth, out, thence), proceed (forth), spread abroad" (Strong's), or "to go or come out of; to come out; to proceed, emanate" (Mounce). Perhaps Jesus came out from God himself in some way, rather than being created by God.
Begotten- prior to coming to earth? As in created?
Or there- in the beginning before all time? aka in eternity?
Jesus was in existence before the creation of the universe, because he created it.
A man just like- Adam-- who was created from the dust of the earth?- --
Very similar - Hebrews 10:5 WEB:
(5) Therefore when he comes into the world, he says, “Sacrifice and offering you didn’t desire, but you prepared a body for me.
He just had DNA from his mother, and not from a human father. But he had a fairly normal physical human body.
OR did Jesus testify differently-- saying that He came down from heaven? Jo 6:38
and became flesh.. John 1:14
Yes, of course Jesus existed before God translated him to become a human. He said so in John 8:58 UASV:
(58) Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am. N3
N3: The Greek (ἐγώ εἰμι egō eimi) is “I am.” However, based on grammar and context, an alternative reading could be, “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I have been in existence.”
Given your definitions I would say that you do not worship the Lord Jesus. Would that be correct?
No! Of course I worship my Lord and my King, just as all the angels do - Hebrews 1:6 WEB:
(6) When he again brings in the firstborn into the world he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him.”
I worship my God and Father too. Romans 8:16-17 WEB:
(16) The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;
(17) and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.
Romans 8:29 WEB:
(29) For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Matthew 12:50 WEB:
(50) For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
