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Dr. Scott Hahn has a fantastic book on the Mass called The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth. Here it is on Amazon. I'm a former Southern Baptist myself and this book answered every single one of my questions.
I just got the Jewish Annotated New Testament (sorry for the Amazon link), a work by a group of Jewish scholars that try to contextualize the Christian New Testament from a Jewish perspective. Like when Matthew writes something they, try to say he was probably talking about this one thing which he heard about through this one text. I wouldn't say it's *anti-*Christian, but it certainly explores what Judaism and the Jewish community was like during the period when Jesus (probably) lived and the New Testament was written and compiled.
I think Jews should read it because it does give a good understanding of early Christianity and how it came to be from a non-Christian source.
I think Christians should read it as they often have no idea what Judaism actually is or the socio-political and religious context for first century Judea.
I hope someone eventually does a "The Jewish Annotated Koran" for the same reason.
Congratulations on your engagement.
> 4 Views on the Book of Revelation
On that subject, I recommend "Revelation - Four Views, A Parallel Commentary" (revised updated edition) by Steve Gregg. Here's the Amazon link (to see reviews there) and here's the page at christianbook.com.
Steve presents, in an even-handed way, how proponents of each view interpret each chapter section.
But the best deal is the $4.99 paperback. The perfect Christmas gift for all your rabid right wing Christian relatives and co-workers.
> My question is, how much then can we trust the bible in general? It was traditionally believed that the bible was put together and preserved through divine inspiration. If we're going to chock up mistranslations of words to human errors, why not start being critical about the texts that support universalism? Or why not question which books at all should be included in the bible or not?
If you want a really in-depth history of the compilation of the canon of the New Testament, check out Bruce Metzger's work The Canon of the New Testament. There are a lot of contributing factors to why we have the books we have. Some were reactions to heretics, others were practical ease of use, etc.
> Like, aion doesn't mean eternity, but means age.
This one's a bit trickier, given how long αιωνιος has been translated "eternal" and whatnot. Suffice it to say that the word doesn't answer a "for how long" question, but a "when" question. I think it could best be translated "the age of eternity." So when we see "eternal life" it means something more like "the life of the age of eternity." Essentially, the life that is grounded, and will come to fulfillment, in the "next age," i.e. the eschaton.
No.
You can’t just grab different texts to make sense of another text.
Revelations is about Rome.
https://www.amazon.com/Revelations-Visions-Prophecy-Politics-Revelation/dp/0143121634
If you want to learn more about it.
The authors who wrote Genesis did not believe in Satan, the devil or demons.
I agree that the Jewish people borrow their stories from other places. But it doesn’t change the fact that Genesis is talking about a serpent and not trying to tell you anything other than that.
they are not trying any Christian yoga, they will state that the actual yoga is taken from Christian, this is what they are up to, for example, have a look here
I suggest that you read the book, Revelations: Visions, Prophecy & Politics by Elaine Pagels. It explains the book of Revelation in its historical context.
Steve Gregg is the author of four views of Revelation. I like it and have used it to attempt to teach a balanced overview of the positions. Prefer the art on the old hardback.
This is a great commentary which takes you through the entire book of Revelation and provides 4 different interpretations of it.
I would also encourage you to check out two episodes from The King's Hall podcast: Ep. 09 "Eschatological Pessimism" and Ep. 10 "Optimistic Eschatology with Chocolate Knox"
> When was Revelation written?
I'm undecided on that question. I'm a fan of Steve Gregg who wrote this highly-rated book about Revelation and four overall ways it may be interpreted.
Steve currently believes Revelation was written before AD 70 instead of sometime later.
In any case, by "soon", I think Jesus meant within a matter of years, so those early Christians could have hope that their persecutors would receive due judgment, and also He gives warning to some of the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3 that they better shape up, because he's going to discipline those churches soon as needed.
Mass became an event I looked forward to when I learned about Catholic teaching on the Eucharist, and then again even more after reading The Lamb’s Supper by Scott Hahn (Amazon link here). Thankfully this was very early in my life as a Catholic.
Focus your prayer on developing virtue. Ask in prayer to become a man of virtue. My simple prayer:
Lord, make me the man you want me to be; make me a man of virtue.
I say it many times a day every day. Sometimes I say it when I’ve done something less than good. Sometimes I say it when I’ve done something good and my pride begins to flare up. Sometimes I think of it spontaneously and I just say it while driving, walking, working, or playing golf. Anyhow, thinking a lot about being a man of virtue, which to me is doing the right thing for the right reasons by God’s grace, has been a real help to me. God bless you.
I've read longer stuff on the development of the canon. :) So I'm familiar with how it wasn't clear-cut from the start and the process and the criteria that were appealed to. I was more interested in the Catholic "apologetic" answer to this question, which I can imagine Protestants using against Catholics. I was trying to think of one, and the answer I thought of was something like: "There was not clear answer - and that's just not a problem. It's not like the apostles had a New Testament!"
I honestly think that that answer works fine as a rebuttal. I was just wondering if there were some other answers, appeals to tradition or the bishops having a say or something like that
Something to add, Sefaria is a free app/website that has almost the totality of Judaism published. A lot is translated. And it has a “scheduled” section in case you’re interested in what we study week/day.
I would also recommend getting a copy of the Jewish annotated New Testament. It’s an incredible resource for Christians interested in terms/customs/mistranslations of Jesus and the Jews during the time of the apostles.
The Bible wasn't put together primarily by the councils. There's evidence of a canon taking shape pre 150 CE.
This is a highly recommended read on the subject.
The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance https://www.amazon.com/dp/0198269544/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_HAEWAFAX39B2N411XTV9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
It’s better to say Revelations is about Rome.
You gotta understand John (Not John the disciple) writes this when Nero is emperor. It’s something he wrote to inspire other Christians.
https://www.amazon.com/Revelations-Visions-Prophecy-Politics-Revelation/dp/0143121634
If your interested in some scholarly work. I would check out her book.
Relative to the new covenant, shadowed by the old, the new Jerusalem is the heavenly kingdom, the destination of the new exodus we are on, Jesus being the New Moses who is leading us there, from the slavery and bondage of sin.
For a more traditional understanding of the book of revelation, consider the book, “The Lamb’s Supper” by biblical scholar and theologian Dr Scott Hahn.
The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385496591
> The Lamb’s Supper reveals a long-lost secret of the Church: The early Christians’ key to understanding the mysteries of the Mass was the New Testament Book of Revelation. With its bizarre imagery, its mystic visions of heaven, and its end-of-time prophecies, Revelation mirrors the sacrifice and celebration of the Eucharist.
If interested, you can borrow the audiobook for free on Hoopla.
One of my favorite books, that introduced me to the roots of the Mass, <em>The Lamb's Supper</em>, by Scott Hahn. His knowledge and ability to show the Biblical roots of the Mass helped kick-start my love of the liturgy. Despite being raised Catholic, I learned loads that I hadn't known - it is still one of my favorites!
For a more orthodox understanding of the book of revelation, consider the book, “The Lamb’s Supper” by biblical scholar and theologian Dr Scott Hahn.
The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385496591
> The Lamb’s Supper reveals a long-lost secret of the Church: The early Christians' key to understanding the mysteries of the Mass was the New Testament Book of Revelation. With its bizarre imagery, its mystic visions of heaven, and its end-of-time prophecies, Revelation mirrors the sacrifice and celebration of the Eucharist.
If interested, you can borrow the audiobook for free on Hoopla.
Never been?
A "Bible" with nothing but Jesus' words from the 1800s.
Then again, you appear to be one of those silly Monarchists, so there's no point in arguing. You like being told what to do.
You can't get much more serious than Bruce Metzger, and his <em>The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance</em> remains a classic on the topic. It is definitely written for an academic audience, but when you say you want a serious scholar's work, I presume that's what you are interested in reading.
I don’t want to set you down the cornball “Jews for Jesus” rabbithole, but when I was working through a course on the “Jewishness” of Christianity back in undergrad, I found The Jewish New Testament Commentary interesting, if nothing else. Since then, Oxford University Press has put out a similar title, this one less explicitly tied to weird evangelical missionary efforts or whatever J4J is.
I feel you about the silence though, that’s one of the hardest parts of living in a world without socially affirmed religion.
It’s something that you should accept on faith / intellectually assent to, if you were to be a devout Catholic, even if you find it difficult to believe.
Ask yourself why you could believe that God and man became one in Christ, or believe in a Virgin birth, or in a resurrection, but the real presence of the Eucharist is unbelievable? All these beliefs are “bizarre”, if you can accept one you can accept the rest.
FYI, the real presence of Christ God in the Eucharist dates to the origin of the Church and was written about as literal in non-scriptural texts provided by the direct successors of the apostles (ie, they knew the apostles, or knew the people that knew the apostles).
The real presence in the Eucharist is intimately tied with our understanding of the mass, the crucifixion, and the ongoing and eternal sacrifices we offer to God for the world. The mass is the perfection of a holy sacrifice, but instead of unblemished lambs we offer Christ himself to the Father, provided by the Holy Spirit. Consider looking into the below book or searching information on the internet to understand the mass.
https://www.amazon.com/Lambs-Supper-Mass-Heaven-Earth/dp/0385496591/ref=nodl_
Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, SCJ helped me to realise that the Bible and the entire Christianity is flawed.
Same as you, brother, one of the main reasons I stop believing in Christianity after leaving SCJ is due to the central line in the New Testament where everyone believes that Jesus's 2nd coming will arrive within their lifetimes. Even Jesus made such a prophesy during his first coming.
A book that I read is https://www.amazon.com/Revelations-Visions-Prophecy-Politics-Revelation/dp/0143121634 which talks about the history of the book of Revelation and how it always get re-interpreted in every generation to refer to their time, ie. every generation keeps believing that Jesus is going to return within their generation!
Focus your search on finding the truth. Since your parents may be a hindrance to your conversion (from their perspective, they are likely trying to protect you), spend time learning about the faith and about the history, especially the church fathers.
You may want to look into “Catholic apologetics”, which is a defense of the faith but a great learning tool for how/why the Church is the true faith. There are tons of resources for free on the internet.
People often recommend the catechism…it’s accessible online but very long and potentially a dry approach; you can be a good Catholic without reading it.
We need the Church for the sacraments, in particular Eucharist and reconciliation. We also need the clergy who offer the sacrifice of the mass which is central to our worship (as with the Orthodox). Focus your attention on these topics.
My suggestion: Focus on learning about the mass, it’s origins and evolution. Consider reading the below book (extremely good). The mass is a fundamentally mystical/transcendent experience, regardless of how “bad/dry/boring/ordinary” it can seem. But this is really the most important thing the Church can offer you and the world.
https://www.amazon.com/Lambs-Supper-Mass-Heaven-Earth/dp/0385496591/ref=nodl_
The earliest book of the New Testament to be written is generally thought to be 1 Thessalonians, which is generally dated to the early 50's CE (e.g. Raymond Brown dates it to the year 52 CE). However, there is a minority opinion which holds that the letter to the Galatians was even earlier; in his book Introduction to the New Testament, Mark Allan Powell gives a potential date of 48 CE. One of these two books was almost certainly the first NT book to be written, and they are both very early Christian documents.
There's a book called Revelation: Four Views, A Parallel Commentary by Steve Gregg that attempts to weighs this question through the four views of Historicism, Partial-Preterism, Futurism, and Idealism. Gregg is a partial preterist, but he seems pretty fair to the other views. I think they all have something to offer, though I lean more Futurist.
The Lamb's Supper by biblical scholar and theologian Dr Scott Hahn https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385496591/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_8AR107TDKAYFQS4Z08EN
It’s also available to borrow as a free audiobook on Hoopla.
It's one of the four main interpretive viewpoints and maybe my second favorite, tbh. It's commonly called Preterism, although there are few 'full preterists' out there, thinking the entirety of the book was fulfilled in the first century. There are, however, many 'partial preterists' who interpret most of the book as distant history, and then only some parts (typically 20 onward, although there are other seeming visualizations of the 2nd coming prior to 20) as future. There are several chapters (16-17 iirc) where partial-preterism is the most natural reading, although I do not come down on that framework on the whole. It is something I hold loosely.
My favorite resource is Steve Gregg's Four Views: Parallel Commentary, which does what the title suggests.
This is a good commentary, has the four main views layer out side by side etc: https://www.amazon.com/Revelation-Four-Views-Parallel-Commentary/dp/0840721285/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=steve+gregg+revelation&qid=1628486295&sr=8-4