Medicine Woman said:
David F.: So, the gospel of MM says that Paul was an evil liar?
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M*W: No, that is what I have said. However, Hyam Maccoby wrote The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity. Excellent resource.
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My problem here is that in order for there to be such a person as MM then the gospels must be essentially true. I keep seeing these ideas that the gospels were written later but there is never any evidence or reason given.
Here's the problem. Acts was written by Luke and it changes from past tense to present tense in the middle, kind of like writing a diary up to the present and then keeping it current as they go on their journey. This puts Acts in the late 50's AD. Plus, Luke says at the beginning of Acts that he had already written the gospel of Luke, which puts Luke's Gospel in the late 40's to early 50's. Also, Luke says at the beginning of the gospel of the Gospel of Luke that other gospels had already been written, which puts them in the early to mid 40's AD. There is no way (unless you completely discount the entire NT as total fiction - which also makes MM fiction) that the gospels could have been written after 70AD.
Here's the second problem. Even though we don't have any originals of the NT books, we have many thousands of letters of correspondence between people known to have lived in the first century which contain quotes from both the gospels and the epistles. One must wonder how someone could quote from something which had not yet been written?
Here's the third problem. The gospels were all obviously written by Jewish Christians, yet there is no mention, not even a hint, of what occurred in 66-70AD - the worst catastrophe to ever come upon the Jewish people. I just can't swallow something that blatantly obvious not even being hinted at. The gospels must have been written by their names-sake and in the time frame of prior to 70AD. Nothing else fits (other than total fabrication - which doesn’t fit either).
I'm sorry, but the assertion that the gospels were written later, just doesn't hold water.
David F.: Can you give us a quote?
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M*W: When I have more time and can look for the citation. I'll post a reply to you.
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David F.: We know he certainly was not a nice man before Damascus, but was he still afterwards? Is it possible he changed?
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M*W: Yes, it not only is possible that Paul changed, it was quite likely. Paul changed everytime he needed to change. Even his name Sh'aul means deceiver. Paul was a tentmaker one day and a Pharisee the next. Then, depending on who he was talking to, selling his story of the dying demigod savior Jesus, he claimed to be a rabbi, a Sadducee, a Roman citizen, etc. He was like a chameleon.
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David F.: Where can we find info about the gospel of MM and any insight into why we should believe it?
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M*W: There are several translations that you could find at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com. I believe that anything MM wrote must be truthful, after all, she knew Jesus and walked with him on Earth. Paul didn't. Peter didn't trust MM, and he insulted her when she taught about Jesus.
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David F.: It seems like Paul was quite a superman/evil-genius to have so duped the entire Christian world and all the apostles to the point where he was overridingly influential in all the early Christian writings, including those of all the original Apostles. I thought you said all the gospels were written after 100AD (which I don't believe, but let's go with that for a moment), yet Paul would have to be dead by then.
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M*W: I inadvertently erased your last sentence, and I apologize. Paul's epistles were written before the gospels, around 40-60AD. The Gospel of Mark was written about 70AD, Matthew 80-85AD, Luke 85-95AD, and John (long after Paul and Peter were dead) 95-100AD. Remember, people were being killed for not believing the gospels, so naturally, everybody claimed to be a christian!
I searched for a couple of websites that you may be interested in:
http://www.beloveddisciple.org/
http://www.thestarhouse.org/MMWho.html
I read your links. I don't for a moment want to denigrate MM since Jesus so obviously loved her. I am of the opinion that MM and Mary of Bethany are one and the same, even though there is no direct evidence. One of my very favorite passages is when Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet while Martha tries to take her away. Jesus scolds Martha and lets Mary stay and learn from the Master's lips. MM was probably the woman who anointed Jesus’ head and washed his feet with her tear - although again, I can't prove it. MM was certainly the first to see Jesus after his resurrection, which once again shows Jesus' affection for her.
However, your links are full of mysticism and Egyptian rites, which are not supported by any documentation at all. The arguments seem to come from medieval painters who had no more idea about MM then we do today? You just can’t base reality on legends of the Holy Grail (perhaps you would say the same to me concerning the New Testament – but if I am wrong, then we are certainly wrong together). Scripture does not say that casting out seven demons makes Mary into some kind of purified priestess. If you must take this as symbolic, then the number seven in Hebrew means all, or complete – Jesus got all the demons out. Here is another conundrum. If Jesus is not the Holy One then he could not have purified MM and your fascination about MM is unfounded, but if Jesus is the Holy One, then he had no need of a priestess so there is again no need for MM to be anybody special. Jesus obviously cared for her a great deal, which means I should look on her as someone special, but certainly not as special as Jesus. You cannot be right about MM without the truth of the NT, but my assertion that the NT is true, does not necessarily substantiate your belief in MM.
It doesn't quite work to say that John was MM because of this scripture:
John 19:26
When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
MM could not have become Jesus' mother Mary's son. The word translated here for
son is specifically masculine. If MM wrote this gospel, she would not have made such an assertion (or error as the case may be). Look also at:
John 20
1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
How could MM be running
to the disciple Jesus loved, if she
was the disciple Jesus loved? And, what about when they were out fishing in the boat after the Resurrection:
John 21:7
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.
Fishing is certainly not woman's work since it is hard and back breaking (if MM was Mary of Bethany, then she was also rich and had no need to go work in a fishing boat). If she
were in a fishing boat then why would Peter be naked (probably in a loin cloth) in the presence of a woman? It just doesn't work for MM to be John.
Nevertheless... If you believe that MM wrote the gospel of John, then believe her testimony in the first chapter:
John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Be consistent. If you believe everything MM wrote and if you believe MM was the beloved disciple and if you believe MM wrote the Gospel of John, then believe the Gospel of John.