Friday 20 February 2009

Why I accept Form-Criticism but don't buy the Form-Critical theory


Just a few words on the Bible and form-criticism.

Form criticism as a method is not necessarily an enemy of Christianity as often presumed.

In fact form ciriticism has privileged us to recognise and study the variaty of forms and genres in the Gospels.

However Form criticism as a theory is a different matter.

While Form Criticism applies the methods that may be reasonable for Christians to take on board, the theory also carries a number of presuppositions (which I would call blunders) that Christians need to be aware of.

Firstly, it presupposes that the society of the first century was utter chaos, for example, that people generally, were unable to read, passive and unable to memorize, passive and unable to preserve information, unable to remain united or to organise themselves.

This is however completely wrong information.

The ancient world was highly concerned about preservation even among the illiterate.

Secondly, people in both the Greek and Jewish world were able to read and write. In fact the highest literacy in the first century existed among Jews.

Thirdly, the practicse of memorization, recitation and transmission via a chain of successors was a common practice among both Greeks and Jews.

This simply renders the entire Form-critical postulate futile and false.

Form criticism also presupposes that a variaty of forms or genres necessarily idenfies a variaty of sources. This idea has been utilized by atheists and muslims alike in their attack on the Bible.

For example: Jesus taught individuals (source 1), Jesus taught the crowds (source 2), Jesus spoke in parables (source 3), Jesus spoke wisdom (source 4), Jesus healed the sick (source 5), Jesus travelled back and forward (narrative) (source 6), Jesus died and resurrected (source 7).

It may come as chock that form-critical scholars assume that because these vary in their genere, these must be separate sources that the gospel writers must have compiled from various locations, individuals and from different eras of the first century.

Really?

Imagine a surgeon who practicing in a university hospital is involved with both teaching and practice.

Lets say that for one day he will be followed by a journalist who will write down every detail, word and deed for this one day only.

1. In the morning he chats with co-workers, students, friends and patients (this is source one).

2. Prior to lunch he gives a tutor session to a student (source two)

3. In the afternoon he lectures to a group of twenty students (source three)

4. Just before take off home, he is called to do an emergent surgery (source four)

5. He drives home (and of course he drow to work in the morning) (source five)

6. Unfortunately on the way he ends up in a serious road accident which sends him to the hospital, he nevertheless recovers after two weeks (source 6).

When he the book is published a few months later, we decide to apply the theory of form criticism in our scrutiny of it, we most certainly agree that we have a number of genres combined, which to general reader simply reveals that the person engaged in a number of situations and activities each, with in their descriptions require their own identical genre, which suggests that this is one on and the same person, yet, from which the form-critic concludes that this is not the same person.

Sunday 15 February 2009

Warning to Christians about the Website of Osama Abdallah

This is a warning about the website www.answering-christianity.com of mr Osama Abdallah

I post here what I wrote to him on the blog www.answering-muslims.org

Osama continually invites Christians to visit his website, which for long time has been categorized as virus loaded.

Within the last week Osama declared that virus protection systems have declared his website virus free, yet within the last 24 my personal virus protection system had to deal with a trojan horse that was about to be loaded on to my computer on entering his website.

If you are interested in Osama contribution to islam, he has written over thousand minor articles of utter speculation, silly ideas, which he categorizes as facts and perverse eisigesis into the Biblical texts. Within the last week on www.answering-muslims.org he has continually piled us with insult and personal attacks.

I have honestly and without the intention to personally attack Osama, told him that I am concerned about his mental stability. Anyone reading his articles on his own website (be careful that you are protected though) and his debating on www.answering-muslims.org and his debate with Davied Wood, which can be watched on the blog will quickly be aware of that.

As Christians we should not hate Abdallah, we need to love him and pray for him, but that does not mean that we should decline from exposing reality.

Hopefully Osama will first sort out his website so anyone can access it safely.

This is my official rebuke of mr Osama Abdallah below:

Osama Abdallah wrote:

Thank you for confirming this. The reader can visit: www.answering-christianity.com/ac10.htm

I (Elijah) replies:

Within the last 24 hours I wisited your website mr OsamaAnd my virus protection system, which is highly suffisticated both detected and removed a trojan horse from your website.

To everyone's attention, my virus system did not merely warn me about the website, it literally acted to protect my computer.

It is one thing when the system warns you not to enter the site, it is another thing when the virus system acts when you enter and informs you that it just had to sort a trojan horse.Which means that within the last 24 hours your the website answering-christianity is still virus loaded.

Have you no shame Osama Abdallah?

Are you lying to us when you say that your website is not virus loaded?

How dare insult me and others, by calling us liars while you continually request us to visit your website which is potentially harmful for our computer or shall we say our identity, or both?

May encourage my brothers here to spread the news around, whether on forums, pal-talk and other websites.

My greatest worry is the typical trend of islamic internet terrorists who possess the tools to track down individuals (Christians and apostates from islam), even in muslim countries.

I write this so that you may protect yourselves. Osama has willingly inviting you to a site that may harm your computer or possibly open up the possibility for muslim radicals to enter the data of your personal information.

As we have seen already, the man is ful of hatred, his favorit verse in the Bible is a passage in which he presumes that a sister has sex with her brother.

I am just exposing the mindset, which he has revealed himself.

Let me warn you (and spread the news): Do not let such a person and his team get access to your personal information, especially if you are visting from a location that is islamic soil.Brothers and sister BE CAREFUL.

Thursday 5 February 2009

Christianity-Answers Delayed

I regret to inform the readers of this blog, that my website Christianity-Answers, will be slightly delayed. Currently, I am drowning in studies, which is the reason why I leave all my posts short.

This has left me rather passive on the various debate forums, which is a pitty, I except however to resume the debate ministry after March.

Those who are Christians, do keep my dissertation in your prayers; it's a rather detailed and complicated study. To be frank I am considering to shorten the proposal and focus on oral tradition and transmission between 30 AD to 200 AD only.

Keep also in mind my Greek and Hebrew studies; these have proven tremendously helpful in my studies but make it difficult when stuck in a dissertation deadline.

A response and challenge to those who oppose the Christian faith.