Posted by Illuminati on 5/1/2005, 8:10 am, in reply to "Re: Validity of the Bible" Those who want to study the historical Jesus must study the culture and religious issues which faced Judiasm at in Second Temple era. It is against this background that Jesus, a practicing Jew, lived and taught. Against that background we find Jesus' life and teachings come alive once again. One major issue is how Jesus related to the Hebrew scriptures. We find Jesus regarded them as inspired by God and quoted from them frequently. He also taught the disciples His own unique understanding and exegesis of the Hebrew scriptures. There is no indication in His teachings that He thought the Hebrew scriptures had been changed by people or was anything but authentic reliable scripture. One of the major sources of Jewish teachings and practices in the Second Temple era was the Oral Torah. This was later written down and became the basis of the Talmud. However there is no indication Jesus believed these teachings were inspired or doctrinally reliable. He frequently criticized the religious leaders of His day for following the "traditions of men" rather than the "commands of God." One of the distincitve elements of Jesus' teachings was the reliance on the Hebrew scriptures for doctrinal authority against the Oral Torah. This reliance on the written word of God is one which the Christian church had to relearn at the time of the Protestant reformation. At that time the church had again become solidified in traditions of men and had strayed far from the teachings and practices of Jesus and His apostles. As Jesus so clearly taught, the Bible has to be the center of our beliefs and serve as the Christian's doctrinal authority. It is the reliable source of spiritual truth.
206.206.120.230
Just as Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection is supported by robust evidence, in the same way His teachings are well supported. Not only do we have the individual stories and teachings based on the declarative memories of eyewitnesses, but we also have the witness of the church's collective operative memory of His life which is even more accurate. Finally we have the Biblical exegesis which Jesus taught the disciples which form the basis of early church teachings.
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