My fellow classmates,
The Bible, both the New Testament, as well as the Hebrew Bible, are viewed differently than many other texts since it is a holy text. Given that, one thing that does not sit well with many readers is the idea that there are inconstancies in the Bible, leading to confusion in what message to follow. In the middle of Luke, chapter 12 to be precise, in the midst of a parable, " He (Jesus) said to his disciples 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear' "( Luke 12.22). While this can be seen as Jesus saying to just not worry about earthly life and your body here, that in and of itself contradicts the teachings and philosophy of Paul. Paul, a believer that the end of the world would be coming in his lifetime and that the body would be made immortal, was preaching for people to take utmost care of their bodies. He even said if you are a virgin, don't get married. This message is quite contrasting to the explanation Jesus gave in Luke. I think that the differences in message is entirely based on the time, and the corresponding belief about the return of the Messiah. Luke, writing later perhaps now believes the return is not imminent and will put these words into Jesus' mouth telling people not to worry about life on earth. Paul, with his belief about the com in and end of the world happening soon, stresses taking utmost care of the body. What do you think? Is there anything else that could influence this change in idea? Would having these two sources confuse early Christians?
Andrew DaRosa
Because the gospels were written in different time periods, I believe that the quote from Luke 12.22 makes sense. If both of these gospels were written in the same time period, it would be confusing; however, since they were not, I think it was more relatable for the early Christians.
ReplyDeleteI agree that these messages are products of their respective times in a sense, however, I also think that they are contradictory to show that possibly both the body and the soul are important. To take care of one's body is crucial, because we were created in Gods image, so it would be disrespectful to not take care of ourselves. Although the physical body is relevant, taking care of your soul is also key to being a good Christian. I believe that both messages are relevant, because one should honor their body for their time on Earth and also take care of the soul for their afterlife.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is important to remember that while these are seen as holy texts, they were written by human authors. Just as human authors have different views of historical events such as wars, they might have different perspectives on what is important as a christian. It is difficult to tell what is really meant, since Jesus did not write a version of his beliefs as his own. I think that the best way to reconcile these differences is to realize that taking care of the body and the soul are both important, just as Murphy pointed out.
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