by cognac 26 Replies latest jw friends
What is the proof it should be there?
I've brought up to JWs that Revelation says not to take anything out or you will get the second death.
But they are ok with it because they compare it to not using the book of Thomas, Mary, Etc.
What would you say to that?
They argue it isnt in the old manuscripts, but neither are lots of verses and chapters and.... IN NO DOCUMENT OR OLD MANUSCRIPT is the name Jehovah or the tetragramaton in the new testament, so stick that right back in their fibbing tail pipe....
toot toot
So, why is the book of Thomas and Mary not in there but that illustration in the book of John is in there? Or, at least in other bibles.
I've already said that about chapters not being there either but they keep going back to the book of Thomas and Mary. It seems to go around in circles...
Btw, thank you for your help S&R...
Bttt- hoping for more input. I'm a little in over my head on this one...
JW's have a strange attitude about this, no surprise there then. The attitude is both inconsistent, and hypocritical, as said above, their inserting "jehovah" with no textual authority for example, and it comes from a position of ignorance.
A number of early MS do not have this section because the page is missing, not because the words were never there. A number of early manuscripts that the WT relies on also have bits missing that the WT pick up from elsewhere.
The Eastern Church Fathers established church readings from what they considered to be Canonical Scripture long before the earliest manuscripts we have, 4th century, were even written. They include this section to be read, on St Palagia's day actually. It is inconceivable that they would include this section had they any doubts as to its authenticity.
The WT, like many totalitarian fundamentalist sects, does not like the teaching found in these verses, so are glad to drop it.
The passage teaches to ignore the rules and regulations and prejudices of the religious leaders, with their misogyny and lack of love, it was inflammatory stuff in its day, and bothers high control groups like the WT with its message of "you decide what is right".
To me, the words have the ring of the teaching and example of the Historical Jesus.
I once came across and loved a suggestion that Jesus was writing the names of the mistresses of each Pharisee (elder) in the sand...
Priceless...
In the past the WTS left that out of the smaller green then black bibles but left it in the large bibles putting it in a footnote. Are there small and large bibles in the grey version?
Hi Fernando ! there was a great silent B&W movie about this incidence, from which the story you heard was probably taken.
In it Jesus does kneel down and write in the sand, as each hypocritical religious leader comes up behind him, without Jesus looking up or back at him, Jesus writes a word, maybe "Thief" say, then for another he writes "Liar", and so on, each man is obviously guilty of the sin ascribed to him, and scuttles off.
Eventually Jesus looks up and sees only the accused woman standing there, he smiles and says the loving words to her.
I only saw it once on T.V, it only lasts a minute or two, but it was a powerful rendering of the story, and it made me laugh !
Phizzy- thank you for your help. If I'm understanding this correctly, it was in the final canon when it was closed in the 4th century whereas the book of Mary and Thomas were not in that version?
blondie- they don't have different sized bibles.
