RE: Bible prophecies
July 9, 2014 at 4:53 pm
(This post was last modified: July 9, 2014 at 4:59 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Quote:Criteria of embarrassment- if it embarrassed the early church they probably wouldn't want to put it in. So if they did, chances are because it happened, everyone knew it happened, and they couldn't leave it out. Makes sense to the professionals. If you follow the Wiki link, “The criterion of embarrassment is a long-standing tool of New Testament research.”I was already clear on what it was. Now I'll just turn this back and ask you to finish reading that link for an explanation of why it's a longstanding, but insufficient criterion. The most embarrassing thing about the criterion of embarrassment, is the criterion itself. Amusingly, the link you just asked me to follow goes on to explain - that when something sets up an opportunity to establish theology..........it might not be a very useful criterion (not that this is the only reason, of course)......................
Quote:I am saying that in linking the less-than-predictable destruction of the Temple within a generation so intimately within his eschatalogical message, without any need to do so, giving it such prominence that it would be embarrassing if it failed, he was taking a big risk (why?). Remember the huge significance of the Temple within Judaism- there was so much core theology wrapped up in this statement that it's not a lucky throwaway comment ('I think Brazil are going to get beaten big time by Germany').Similarly, there's so much core theology wrapped up in that statement that it hardly matters whether or not it's true. We see this in other, less mundane, and arguably less believable parts of the narrative as well. Loaves and fishes, in actuality - are irrelevant, whereas theologically, it's a gold mine. I just don't see the significance that you see here even if we ignore the hurdle of whether or not any such character ever made any such "prediction", in reality. Being such a profound statement, with regards to theology, we run afoul of the above in any case.
Quote:There was a lot riding on things happening as Jesus said. He had no need to take the risk. But he got it right. Perhaps an unwise prediction got lucky. Or perhaps the message was right.What was riding on it?
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