Thu, 18 Sep 2025 05:42:34 +0300WeeblySat, 27 Jun 2015 16:45:24 GMThttps://www.jjmjs.org/ongoing-discussion-threads/pauls-non-jews-do-not-become-jews-but-do-they-become-jewish-reading-romans-225-29-within-judaism-alongside-josephus-by-mark-nanosJohn Brand writes: 

On page 36: 'These non-Jews seem to have taken up several ideas and behaviors recognizably Jewish, presumably adding these to the practice of other native customs.' Question: Has there been study or discussion of parallel beliefs/practices from Graeco-Roman philosophical texts that may have provided the basis for a koinonia Paul fostered in the churches he planted based on this tendency of non-Jews to incorporate Jewish ideas with their own ideas? For example, In Galatians 5 as Paul brings the implications of his argument to a point, he appears to be incorporating ideas already believed in the Graeco-Roman world. In verse 6 he says 'neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything but faith working through love' and then he proceeds into a discussion of the conflict between the desire of the flesh and the desire of the spirit that does not appear to have precedent in Jewish writings not influenced by Greek philosophy but is verbatim in its terms what is found in Greek philosophy: 'he who is a philosopher ... and is entirely pure at departing, is alone permitted to reach the gods. And this is the reason ... why the true votaries of philosophy abstain from fleshly lusts and endure and refuse to give themselves up to them ... because they dread the dishonor of evil deeds' (Phaedo.82). 'Faith' in verse 6 would, then, mean the faith of the uncircumcised before hearing Paul's gospel as well as the faith of the circumcised coming together in a new koinonia or 'new man.' It has been my observation that Paul's letters are clearer when the secular Roman or Greek texts that contain parallel ideas are read alongside the Jewish sacred texts. Any thoughts on this?]]>Sun, 16 Nov 2014 15:35:13 GMThttps://www.jjmjs.org/ongoing-discussion-threads/introducing-jjmjsDiscussion thread started by Jerry Storella

I have my fork and spoon in hand looking forward to digging in! Thank you all for your efforts!
If I'm not mistaken, the problem of sharing research data was the impetus to the creation of the World Wide Web, i.e. ENQUIRE from CERN.]]>Mon, 27 Oct 2014 12:42:18 GMThttps://www.jjmjs.org/ongoing-discussion-threads/heresy-without-orthodoxy-josephus-and-the-rabbis-on-the-dangers-of-illegitimate-jewish-beliefs-by-jonathan-klawansDiscussion thread started by Stephen Goranson


Thanks for this provocative (mostly Jesus-absent) contribution. For now two piecemeal notes: (1) On the page 112 mention of "even (possibly) Essene leaders" in the revolt, translations of Josephus typically mention one such leader (not more), but this John may not have been an Essene. Abraham Schalit (in Namenwörterbuch zu Flavius Josephus, supplement to the Concordance edited by K.H. Rengstorf, Leiden, 1968, p.34, 46, 66) noted that Essa appears in Josephus as a variant reading for Gerasa, which, Schalit suggests, may indicate that John was not an Essene group member, but merely someone from Gerasa. "Vielleicht ist Essaios in B 2.567 als Ethnikon zu verstehen und mit Gerasenos identisch (vgl. Essa A 13.393 = 1 Gerasa). Dann waere 4 Johannes kein Essener gewesen!" (46) (2) On the page 103 mention of "Essenes martyred" (War 2. 152-153), may I suggest comparing Philo's account, surely written before the (so-called) First Revolt, Every God Man is Free 89-91. There, two sorts of kings have opposed Essenes. Some, ferocious like wild beasts; others, with soft-worded hypocrisy. Philo famously mentioned Essenes, but not Sadducees or Pharisees, at least not explicitly. In "Jannaeus, His Brother Absalom, and Judah the Essene" pages 34-36, I suggest the possibility that the former may include (according to Philo's source, maybe Posidonius or Strabo) Sadducee-influenced rulers (such as the Lion of Wrath, Jannaeus) and the latter, those influenced by Pharisees/seekers of smooth things. http://people.duke.edu/~goranson/jannaeus.pdf]]>Mon, 01 Sep 2014 06:39:40 GMThttps://www.jjmjs.org/ongoing-discussion-threads/eschatology-and-messianism-in-the-gabriel-inscriptiontorleif-elgvin]]>