Why some will never understand the Bible

[Richard1965]

Originally Posted by AREQUIPA

Quite apart from the gospel of Luke, I believe that natives of Samaria can be called Samaritans as correctly as Samarians.

Now as to Peter. He was, if we go with Paul, the go -between for James and the Elect/Nazorene community in Jerusalem to the gentiles. Mostly in Antioch and exactly what their status was is still a puzzle. Were they Jews with gentile habits or hellenized Jews (known in the gospels as 'Greeks') or converts or associate gentiles - some who had accepted the Noachian commandments but not the whole Mosaic law.

But his mission was never to sail of to Troas and Mytelene and start teaching Thracians about messianic Judaism. That was purely Paul's idea.



I think you are reading too much into the parable and not thinking objectively. while the changing status of Jews and Gentiles is in the background, the principal story is about how the poor are more deserving than the rich. The only purpose in this is to get the people with money to hand it over, on the pretext that by doing so, they would become more deserving people, because I fo one do not see any doctrinal reason why not having dosh in the bank makes you more deserving of heaven.

However, the question was about Lazarus...and someone is being very light on the Mod button as we are attached to the topic by the slenderest of threads.., It is that Lazarus may be connected with the Lazarus of Bethany, otherwise,. I can't see why the person and story is there at all.

A parable is not about a real person...

[Richard1965]

Originally Posted by mordant

Right according to whom? You would say, according to god, but no one has ever seen or heard god and no one can entirely agree on what his alleged writings mean, either. It just comes down to whoever is selling their doctrine.

All you are really saying is "it takes time to be indoctrinated". Of course if you marinate your brain in a set of teachings on the assumption that they are authoritative and correct, you will eventually become convinced of them, thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy: those who "get it" are in, those who don't are out.

LMFAO...Marinating one's brain...

[TRANSPONDER]

Originally Posted by Richard1965

A parable is not about a real person...

True, though some have argued that it isn't so much a parable but Jesus talking about a real event. But I am sure it is a parable. A made -up tale to illustrate a point.

Indeed, if it were not the tantalizing use of the name 'Lazarus' just about where the tale of the raising of Lazarus should be, but isn't, I would not even be considering the possibility of Luke (not Jesus) having used the story - which for some reason alarmed him - for a totally unrelated parable. And so I do look for possible points of contact with the two stories. But I am far from certain that there really is any connection.

There is just something singularly palapable about that tale that gives me the feeling that Luke had some starting point for a major reworking of it as a parable about the heavenly benefits of being poor, before incorporating it into his gospel.

To relate to topis unless on understand that this is the way Luke worked, one can never really consider these questions, which are valid ones, I think.