Is the Bible pure myth, pure truth, or a blend?

I think the New Testament of the Bible is mostly based on actual fact. There are small things and big things that impel me in this direction.

A small thing is Peter slicing off the ear of one of the high priest's Servants when they came to arrest Jesus. Why invent a detail like this?

A big thing is depicting the Savior as a humiliated, bloodied and despairing victim on a cross, amd not a conquering hero smiting his adversaries left and right.

To be sure, I question the miracles. Lazarus walked out of a tomb, yes ... but was he dead? Same with Jesus. Was he dead, or merely comatose? How would the uneducated apostles know?

But is the whole thing just a fantasy or a lie? I think not.

 

It's symbolic, not literal

 

It's to be understood in the context as written. The stories, events and people are true and real.

 

A lot of folks like to pick and choose. That's expected though. Do we worship man or do we worship God?

 

Without having read the Bible I can't really express an opinion. I tried to read it a few times but I couldn't make it past the first chapter.

 

I find it odd that none of the miracles in any mythology have managed to happen since modern science showed up.

 

There is a serious problem in that Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek have small vocabularies and therefore can only be interpreted using knowledge of the time and place where they were written so strictly speaking are more interpretations than translations.

People generally thought differently back then, so if I had to choose I'd pick: a very good book but a lot is metaphorical. If you consider the double meanings of many words the cross-over from literal to metaphorical becomes automatic.

It is neither true nor false but very meaningful if you succeed in finding out what it means.

Dr. Jordan B Peterson's series on Genesis provides good examples of this.

 

The Bible was written by men, men are fallible, even the books of the New Testament differ from one another. Which is not to say their message isn't still true.

 

It's the word of God and much of it is alegorical.

 

It is a collection of stories written 200 years after the supposed facts by monks. The stories are designed to support morality and the godliness of Jesus. A salient point is that an account of Jesus' activities doesn't exist anywhere in the literature of the time. They exist only in the new testament. Is there any fact to the new testament? Nobody knows. Some people believe and some do not.

 

Mmm, not exactly. The new testament was written before 100 A.D.

There are also some references to Jesus by the Jewish historian Josephus, written at or nearly in real time:

Josephus recorded the First Jewish–Roman War (66–70 AD), including the siege of Masada. His most important works were The Jewish War (c. 75) and Antiquities of the Jews (c. 94).[5] The Jewish War recounts the Jewish revolt against Roman occupation. Antiquities of the Jews recounts the history of the world from a Jewish perspective for an ostensibly Greek and Roman audience. These works provide valuable insight into first century Judaism and the background of Early Christianity.[5] Josephus's works are the chief source next to the Bible for the history and antiquity of ancient Palestine, and provide a significant and independent extra-Biblical account of such figures as Pontius Pilate, Herod the Great, John the Baptist, James the Just, and possibly Jesus of Nazareth.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephus

 

OK.

 

I might suggest that you try again, but next time, start with something a bit more 'nuts-and-bolts': the Book of Romans, in the New Testament. There are sixteen chapters in Romans, so take some time. Try the New International Version: https://biblehub.com/niv/romans/1.htm

I'm not saying that you're going to 'like' it necessarily, but it may put a more relevant, timely focus on the whole "Christianity thing" for you.

 

The Bible is not meant to read like a book. I suggest reading the 4 gospels, Matthew, Luke, Paul and John.

 

I believe after suffocating on a cross for 3 days I don't think he was brought down alive. And I think the Romans could tell the difference. No Jesus was not in a comatose state when he was placed into his tomb, Jesus was dead.

 

The Bible is historical events written by men. The 4 Gospels and the Book of Revelation were inspired by God through the eyes of men. None of your questions relate to this so I didn't vote.

 

So one is supposed to choose what parts are relevant. Why not edit it down so it's easily decipherable?

 

agree, reading the book cover to cover is one of the things that weakened my faith when younger

 

The 4 Gospels were given the authorship of MML& John like 150 or more yrs after the said death of Jesus by Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons.

"Like the rest of the New Testament, the four gospels were written in Greek.[32] The Gospel of Mark probably dates from c. AD 66–70,[5] Matthew and Luke around AD 85–90,[6] and John AD 90–110.[7]

Despite the traditional ascriptions, all four are anonymous and most scholars agree that none were written by eyewitnesses.[8] A few conservative scholars defend the traditional ascriptions or attributions, but for a variety of reasons the majority of scholars have abandoned this view or hold it only tenuously.[33]

 

could be it was not Jesus

"1500 Year-Old Bible Found In Turkey Is Stirring Up Controversy About Christianity"

https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news...Is-Stirring-Up-Controversy-About-Christianity


""Much to the dismay of the Vatican, an approx. 1500-2000 year old bible was found in Turkey, in the Ethnography Museum of Ankara. Discovered and kept secret in the year 2000, the book contains the Gospel of Barnabas – a disciple of Christ – which shows that Jesus was not crucified, nor was he the son of God, but a Prophet. The book also calls Apostle Paul "The Impostor". The book also claims that Jesus ascended to heaven alive, and that Judas Iscariot was crucified in his place."

 

From the TV show Bull****! with Penn & Teller and the episode on the Bible.

Penn Jillette - "Take some time and put the Bible on your summer reading list. Try and stick with it cover to cover. Not because it teaches history, we've shown you it doesn't. Read it because you'll see for yourself what the Bible is all about, it sure isn't great literature. If it were published as fiction, no reviewer would give it a passing grade. There are some vivid scenes and some quotable phrases, but there's no plot, no structure, there's a tremendous amount of filler and the characters are... painfully one-dimensional. Whatever you do, *don't* read the Bible for a moral code. It advocates prejudice, cruelty, superstition and murder. Read it because we need more atheists, and nothing will get you there faster than reading the damn Bible."

 

It is the ultimate Truth.

 

I say a book of "Alternative Facts"

... God approves of this message

 

I was raised a Catholic and attended Catechism and never learned much about the Bible. The Baptist do a better job teaching the Bible and do not avoid teaching the Revelations.