Posted by Dena on April 27, 2005, at 18:51:10
In reply to Quite true, posted by Dinah on April 27, 2005, at 18:02:45
> It was a major point of contention between James the Just and Paul.
>
> But as far as I can tell, James was the uncontested leader of the early "Christians" and he considered himself to be a devout and pious Jew. It wasn't until the revolt some thirty plus years after Jesus' death that Judaism and Christianity really began divergent paths. And Paul of course, who still probably never intended what later happened.
>
> Or at least that's my understanding.
Don't you sometimes wish you could've "been there"? I mean, to see it first-hand, experience it, enmeshed in that time period, understanding the ins and outs of that culture, to get the nuances of words that may have entirely changed meanings over time...?I'd love to really "get it" from the source - rather than having to resort to varying reports, from varying vantage points, perhaps told with overt (or even covert) agendas...
I just can't help thinking that so much of what passes for "Christianity" is soooo missing the point (I know I keep saying that - and it's not so much a criticism, as it is a longing to get to the heart of what really matters!).
Man, I hope I'm not going to get blocked for dissing my own faith community!
What I'm "dissing" is the abuses that have permeated historical, and contemporary, Christianity. The stuff that makes me cringe...
Shalom, Dena
poster:Dena
thread:487466
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20050312/msgs/490515.html