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NASB | Luke 16:20 "And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Luke 16:20 "And a poor man named Lazarus, was laid at his gate, covered with sores. |
Bible Question:
It is a great error to base doctrine on anything but scripture, and scripture alone. However, extra-biblical sources can, at times, be interesting -- so long as we keep this caveat in mind! That said, I'd like to present as an intellectual curiosity, Flavius Josephus' "Discourse on Hades to the Greeks." It can be found at the web site below. Although it is possible that Christ influenced the Rabbinical thinking of the time, I rather think, instead, that perhaps Christ in the parable of Lazarus was making use of Rabbinical thinking for instructive purposes. Be that as it may, you will find this short essay interesting. If nothing else, it is one of the only extra-biblical sources I've found for what Jews thought about life after death. Note that Josephus discusses the resurrection, reflecting his Pharisaical background. As an exercise in critical thinking, compare and contrast this account with Christ's parable of Lazarus and Dives. http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/hades.htm I'd appreciate reading your observations. |
Bible Answer: Doc, I'm not quite sure if this would answer your question, and certainly there are others more qualified than me on the subject. I've done some readings in Josephus (including your excerpt) perhaps fifteen or twenty years ago, so it's been awhile. I've noticed that there are several Old Testament writings (predating Josephus) that are quite similar to this one here. Many of the ideologies within Josephus's writings are merely borrowed from other ancient source texts. Some of these ancient source texts are remaining and some are extinct. The most notable might be the book of Second Esdras (2 Ezra), wherein an even more detailed set of visions of the heavens and the hells are experienced under the instruction of an angelic messenger. Please check the apocrypha for this book. The NRSV apocrypha is quite particulary good. I suggest that the Catholic belief in purgatory more resembles the Old Testament version of heaven and hell, as was prevalent in many ancient Old Testament era (albeit extra-biblical) texts. I find it to be a very interesting and enlightening study to research what people during Old Testament times believed about the afterlife. This would be to the exclusion of New Testament beliefs on the subject. You would gather some very unique findings. I had spent a few years of my life loosely sorting through about 200 psuedapigraphal texts (approximately 100 OT era and 100 NT era), wherein many of these texts make references to the beliefs of ancient peoples. These ancient beliefs are not otherwise commonly noticed in scripture, without extra-biblical (psuedapigraphal) research involved. - Just a couple of notes on psuedapigraphal and apocryphal writings. 1. I suggest that there are many ancient texts that are 99 percent divinely inspired (except for minor doctrinal inaccuracies). However, if just one verse of a psuedipigraphal text would be deemed uninspired, then it is automatically rejected from the canon of divine scripture as a whole. However, we can say the same thing about any book authored by Billy Graham, Max Lucado, Charles Swindoll or John MacArther, yet we still read them and are greatly inspired by them. They also are not inerrently inspired, and occasionally a paragraph or two will be error-filled. 2. Some psuedipigraphal writings are outright forgeries (albeit ancient forgeries), that have been severely tampered with. Many others, likewise, are merely inaccurate re-writes of now extinct texts. However, even the forgeries will sometimes contain keys to the belief systems of the ancient world (the afterlife for example) that can still add to the richness of our knowledge of ancient culture. Just some thoughts. ---- It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." (Jude 1:14-15 NAS95) And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 1:14-15 KJV) - Reighnskye |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Luke 16:20 | Author | ||
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Mark Woodward | ||
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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Reighnskye | ||
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hansmom68@yahoo.com |