I was reading some of the shouts and I noticed there was concern about the continuity of the New Testament. Matthew (known as Levi in his former tax collector mode) writes about Jesus being the Messiah fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies. Mark (a teenager...also known as John Mark) was with Jesus in Jerusalem and he had things to say about that on his own, but most of the time he wrote what Peter had relayed to him. Luke (Physician to Paul. He never met Jesus when he walked the earth), was more a less an investigative reporter getting information not only from Paul but others as well. John (Who was closest to Jesus and was ultimately given as a surrogate son by Jesus at the time of his crucifixion), according to a number of NT experts, wrote his gospel last. Many things John had already read from the other three men, and seems to have repeated them, but a large part of Johns gospel is his own writings. He also stressed the divinity of Jesus. Four different people with different writing styles, upbringings, two with Jesus at the time the other two heard about Jesus and, of course we all know about Paul's transition from Saul on the road to Damascus. His information came directly from Jesus in divine revelation.
I don't mean to sound simplistic, but sometimes I understand better when something like this is put to me. Think of the Rose Bowl parade. From one perspective, you see the entire parade go down Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena from the air. From another perspective, a camera is parked at the very end of the parade and, as a result, sees the first float everybody else has seen on previous corners. Different view and perspectives does not take away one flower off of one float. The Rose Parade is all that and there is no deviation of it in anyone's mind.
There you have it, for what it's worth.
:2ztacrk:
I don't mean to sound simplistic, but sometimes I understand better when something like this is put to me. Think of the Rose Bowl parade. From one perspective, you see the entire parade go down Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena from the air. From another perspective, a camera is parked at the very end of the parade and, as a result, sees the first float everybody else has seen on previous corners. Different view and perspectives does not take away one flower off of one float. The Rose Parade is all that and there is no deviation of it in anyone's mind.
There you have it, for what it's worth.
:2ztacrk:
