Shit that Jesus Freaks Hate to Hear

[Minimalist]

Rather than being oh-so-special the early Israelites were just like everyone else in the ANE.

Tough titties, jesus freaks!

http://www.bibleinterp.com/opeds/2013/07...8029.shtml

The epigraphic material about “national theodicy” provides a rather nice window into the broader world of the ancient Near East. For example, in a monumental inscription commissioned during the 9th century by King Mesha of Moab, he (Mesha) states that his country had been brought under the hegemony of the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the reign of the powerful Israelite King Omri (cf. 2 Kgs 3). Notice especially the language Mesha uses in his stele so as to account for Moab’s military losses: “Omri the King of Israel subjugated Moab for many days because Kemosh was angry with his land.” Kemosh was the national God of the Moabites and this inscription demonstrates that just as the Israelites and Judeans could attribute their military defeats to Yahweh’s anger (that is, to their national God), so also the Moabites could attribut their military defeat’s to Kemosh’s anger. In short, with the change of the divine name (i.e., replacing the name Kemosh with the name Yahweh), the language used in the Mesha Stele could be from a page out of the Hebrew Bible, as the sentiments are so similar. Thus, the Deuteronomistic means of accounting for serious military losses (the anger of God) is not unique to the Hebrew Bible at all. Rather, it is found within a 9th century Moabite monumental inscription as well.

[Minimalist]

I suppose this would apply to our newest mormon member, as well. They think this OT crap is real, too.

[Anomalocaris]

I never thought Israelites were any different from your average self aggradizing xenophobia superstitious yokel of the ancient world, nor was Jesus any different from the more lazy, no good, self-important wackos of the least respectable parts of Israelite society.

Jesus was a counterfeit schekel a dozen, his disciples even cheaper.