Acts 18

[Charles Wilson]

Are you trying hard not to say what you believe?

I'm trying not to offend anyone on this site.

I say it's best to get it all out on the table, so we don't sit here trying to decipher your meaning. So, why not just spill all the beans already and get it over with?

I did that once with a Post on "The Queen's Eunuch" and I was deeply offensive to thirdwoe. I don't want to do that again. It's not worth it.

Maybe you just like to write your thoughts out? That's fine, but, were does it lead? You seem to feel like you have found some deep truth, but you are afraid of saying exactly what you think you found.

I don't know what it leads to. I'm still on the journey. Lotsa' people reason from the words and propositions they examine. Many get nowhere. I got to a small Settlement named "Jabnit". It was in "Upper Galilee". The inhabitants were of the Mishmarot Service Group Immer. They believed that the Dynastic Hasmoneans came from them. They spoke Aramaic. Michael Weitzman believed that there was a small group of Aramaic readers and writers from some area "in the same area code", shall we say. Something momentous happened in that area, because of the people there and what they knew. I believe that many of the NT Stories,especially with Peter and Galilee, have to do with Groups that lived in that area. The common thread in all of this is Aramaic and the Peshitta.
[Edit: There is a triviality in what I just said. I believe that the Gospels - especially Mark - are Temple Centered. Most of the action takes place in Jerusalem. To say that "Galilee" is important is not to say that "Galilee is important to Galilee". There is movement from Jerusalem to Galilee and back. Peter is from "Galilee". Immer is from "Upper Galilee". Given a view from Jerusalem, Galilee is important as several Groups - Immer for instance - come from there and travel from Galilee to Jerusalem. Another example: "Go to The Decapolis and tell them how the Lord took pity on you..." The Decapolis is a Real Place and important to the NT Stories. So is "Upper Galilee"]

There is another trail, however, and that is the Roman Story. Acts, f'rinstance. Acts is radioactive, perhaps dangerously so.

Sometimes I need to just be quiet and learn.

I'm not too sure, yet, but If you don't believe that The Bible is reliable, and written by the Apostles and their helpers, then there are groups who will gladly welcome your criticism of it.

No. Trust me when I tell you. I haven't found that group yet. I know that I will get attacked for anything I Post, from believers, non-believers, atheists and true believers. Wait until you get attacked viciously by someone you just agreed with. Rodney Dangerfield got better treatment.

As for what is meant by the statement "But He spoke of the temple of His body"....

I understand.

I would be happy to open up a bit if it will be taken with understanding. I do OK with Logic and Form. If I see something, a Herod Story, perhaps, I'll Post. I'm not, however, going to mess up a good Forum. It's not worth it.

CW