Monday, July 14, 2008

Biblical Babbling

Time Magazine has a new article out a 1st century BC tablet that challenges the idea that Jesus's resurrection was unique. Since the Bible is a book, I'm going to stretch this into the realm of publishing news. As in OMG, did the apostles totes rip off some other author's work? I mean, one of the basic arguments about the resurrection (according to Time, at least, and I'll go with them since I assume they did research and junk) is that it's unique:

This, in turn, undermines one of the strongest literary arguments employed by Christians over centuries to support the historicity of the Resurrection (in which they believe on faith): the specificity and novelty of the idea that the Messiah would die on a Friday and rise on a Sunday. Who could make such stuff up?

If certain interpretations of the tablet are to be believed, well, I guess the apostles kinda did. Or at least, stole someone else's miracle and applied it for their own uses. Hmm, well. I guess if that's true, we should all feel a little bad about coming down so hard on Frey, Jones/Seltzer, and all the other fake memorists. If even saints (are the apostles saints? some of them are, right? I mean, except for judas) fall victim to the temptation of a better story, how are we mere humans supposed to do better?

--Ladytron


ps. in a preventative measure to ward off hate mail, no, I am not actually equating James Frey with Matthew, Luke, John, etc. it's called sarcasm. please don't write me lectures about the merits of christianity. if you feel that strongly, you shouldn't be reading this blog.

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