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Tacking Tradition 67: Cephas Vs. Paul in Galatians 2

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 Some people think that Galatians 2 chronicles a schism between Peter & Paul that exceeded particular practices & indicated a doctrinal schism within the ranks of the Apostles early on.    Let’s look at Galatians 2:11 - 14.  But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.  12  For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.  13  And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.  14  But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”  ( Galatians 2:11–14 , ESV) Let’s break this down:  But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him...
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The Restoration of Sodom

Christians (& others) are upset about the upcoming Gay Pride event to be held in June at the Dead Sea .   According to Ezekiel, Sodom & Gomorrah will be restored .    According to Matthew , hey will rise up in the Judgment to testify against those to whom much more was given & from whom much is consequently required.   The churches have ignored Romans 1:18 - 32 for over 1000 years.     God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness & unrighteousness of men who have, since the dawn of time, routinely, chronically, systematically, & systemically suppressed the truth about God’s INVISIBLE attributes & supplanted that truth via substituting their own VISIBLE attributes &/or others drawn from the created order then reasoning accordingly as to theology, philosophy, & ethics.   The only road to the term “natural”    in Romans 1:26 - 27 meaning “heteronormative” & “unnatural” meaning “hom...
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Tackling Tradition 75: Sex & Singleness

To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. (1 Corinthians 7:8–9) In context, Paul isn’t commanding them to marry.  He, & the Lord, are **advising** them to marry.   This is a harm reduction technique designed especially for people in a relatively new church who were having issues adapting to monotheism in general & who lived in the shadow of the Aphrodite temple.  Aphrodite supplied a plethora of temple prostitutes, & some of the members of that church were utilizing their services.  Paul stops short of commanding the unmarried to marry.  He advises them to do so &, by implication remain monogamous, as a means of confuting Aphrodite’s prostitutes & as an exercise in godly self-control.  The Bible does not command anyone to marry.   If so, that would lead to the concept tha...
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Tackling Tradition 74: Levitcus 21:9 & 20:13

And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring  profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.  ( Leviticus 21:9 , ESV) If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them ( Leviticus 20:13 , ESV) Village Skeptics will sometimes use these & similar texts as evidence that God is misogynistic homophobe.    Others use the text of Leviticus 20:13 to justify the persecution & execution  of homosexuals.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In the case of Leviticus 21:9, yes this sounds misogynistic & brutal.    “See how this destroys women?” says the Village Skeptic.    The people in the original audience & both their immediate forebears,    & many generations that followed, lived in a polytheistic world in which women were used as cultic prostitutes.    Men (Leviticus 2...
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How Witchcraft & Sorcery Parody Moral Government 101

From Got Questions.org : Like the whole book of Psalms, the psalms of lament follow a pattern that begins with suffering and ends with glory. Usually, these songs start on a negative, complaining note, but they end on a positive, faith-filled note. Suzerain Covenant Outline Shema Historical Prologue  General Stipulations  Specific Stipulations  Covenant Renewal Document Clause  Witnesses Victory Statement  A Witch’s/Witchcraft Contractual Malediction reverses the outline of a suzerain covenant & is intended by the user to parody a suzerain covenant.  Victory Statement  Imprecation(s) delighting in the fall/suffering/destruction of their enemies. This sometimes gets quite specific. Witnesses  Names one or more of their enemies & even themselves (especially for those witches / sorcerers for whom wearing their personal &/or communal    suffering is a badge of (unhonor, dishonor, &tc.  Document Clause  The witc...
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Translation Onlyism 1 - Matthew 17:21 & John 1:42

According to Stephen Gil , the ESV omits Matthew 17:21.   In addition, he assert that the ESV compilers are aware that the KJV uses “Jona”to refer to Simon’s father & that their choice to use “John” instead of “Jona” results in a contradiction with itself use elsewhere in the Gospels, & they are just fine with that. By way of reply… The ESV does **NOT** remove Matt. 17:21.    I’m sitting here with it open to that text, & there’s a footnote that includes the text of 17:21 & the reason it isn’t in the main published ESV text.   Exactly which members of the ESV compilers say that they are copacetic with the Bible contradicting itself?  That sound like little more than KJVOnlyist propaganda.   Is that what the NIV, NASB Committee & others’ say?    From a Continuationist perspective, “John” & “Jona”refer to the same individual & one name (Jona) emphasizes the referent’s character & connection to “Dove/Peace,” & the o...
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Tackling Tradition 73: Paul, the Food Laws, & the Jewish Liturgical Calendar

From time to time, Messianic Jews & Gentiles on the internet have been known to grow rather strident with respect to particular issues.  For example, there are those who argue that Paul was in the habit of teaching people to observe the Jewish liturgical calendar.    Is that true?  Paul visited Colassae in the 50’s AD.    At that time of Paul’s journey to Rome in either 52(ish) or 57(ish) AD, food sacrificed to idols & the Judaizer controversy was still an issue alongside the work of Greco-Roman pagans/philosophers.   Acts 21 records Paul’s report to James reads, “we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. (Acts 21:25, ESV) Paul was most certainly NOT teaching the Gentiles to observe & administer Jewish liturgical meal, festivals, & other activities.    He was reminding them of t...
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A Prayer For All Nations

Solomon Blesses the People 6  Then Solomon said, “The  Lord  has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.   2  But I have built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.”   3  Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood.   4  And he said, “Blessed be the  Lord , the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying,   5  ‘Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there, and I chose no man as prince over my people Israel; 6  but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’   7  Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the  Lord , the God of Israel. ...
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