RE: The First Century Void
June 17, 2017 at 3:08 am
(This post was last modified: June 17, 2017 at 3:14 am by RoadRunner79.)
(June 17, 2017 at 12:24 am)Minimalist Wrote: First off, it is Carrier's observation - although I have checked it out and found it accurate - and frankly he has a PH D in history which I daresay beats some guy waving a bible around.
I also disagree about the argument from silence which is a canard that jesus freaks trot out whenever their nonsense does not show up in the record. Usually, they misuse it or truncate it by ignoring the admonition that the silence must be in a context where one would expect the evidence to be. To wit, when an inscription about Thutmoses III does not mention Alexander the Great this should not ring any alarm bells as Thutmoses predated Alex by over a thousand years. However, when the 2d century xtian writer, Justin Martyr does not mention "paul" or any of the named gospels which you guys hold so dear, that silence speaks volumes.
To anyone who is willing to listen, that is.
Yes... it's Carrier's observation, which you are proposing here (and still seem to be supporting). And and I did mention, that the same with the evidence of absence, that the burden is on the one putting the argument forth to show why the evidence should be there when it is not. I also don't accept your argument from authority; you will need to do better than that (besides there are many PHD's who disagree with Carrier and his method if you want to play dueling scholars).
As for Justyn the Martyr, that may be explained by both his background and his audience. Such as his often referenced Ddialog with Trypho, (a Jew). I suppose again, you would only focus on this one person, while ignoring other early writers. I did a search in the Anti-Nicene Fathers Volume 1 which is within that period. Romans is quoted 131 times, as is 1 Corinthians quoted 212 times; the list goes on, but I think you get the idea.
You are also incorrect, about Justin Martyr. While he may not refer back to the New Testament as much as others, he does reference them on occasion. He may not reference them by name, but he does refer to them in some of his arguments using phrases such as "it is written" and "it is recorded" and he refers to them as "Memoirs of the apostles" or just "Memoirs" He also refers to Revelations and cites it specifically to one of the Apostles of Christ whose name was John. You can see more here: http://www.ntcanon.org/Justin_Martyr.shtml
So yes, I don't hear as much as you it seems from the silence, but a little research shows that you need to do more (research) if you are trying to make a valid case agaisnt!
Edit to add: The reasoning from silence isn't impossible, but it is difficult to maintain as a logical argument. Which is why I think the the Wiki article I cited earlier just defaults to fallacious. Besides, I don't think you can cherry pick what one person didn't say from that period, and ignore the volumes that others did say. Your reasoning looses footing rather quickly.
It is said that an argument is what convinces reasonable men and a proof is what it takes to convince even an unreasonable man. - Alexander Vilenkin
If I am shown my error, I will be the first to throw my books into the fire. - Martin Luther
If I am shown my error, I will be the first to throw my books into the fire. - Martin Luther