A Married Jesus and the Meaning of Christian Life: Coptic Claims

In the esteemed Harvard Gazette B. D. Colen writes: “Four words on a previously unknown papyrus fragment provide the first evidence that some early Christians believed Jesus had been married, Harvard Professor Karen King told the 10^th International Congress of Coptic Studies” on Tuesday, 18 September 2012.[1]  Colen elaborates that Karen “King, the Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, announced the existence of the ancient text at the congress’ meeting, held every four years and hosted this year by the Vatican’s Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum in Rome. The four words that appear on the fragment translate to “Jesus said to them, my wife.” The words, written in Coptic, a language of Egyptian Christians, are on a papyrus fragment of about one and a half inches by three inches”.[2]

Professor King elucidates that “Christian tradition has long held that Jesus was not married, even though no reliable historical evidence exists to support that claim. This new gospel doesn’t prove that Jesus was married, but it tells us that the whole question only came up as part of vociferous debates about sexuality and marriage. From the very beginning, Christians disagreed about whether it was better not to marry, but it was over a century after Jesus’ death before they began appealing to Jesus’ marital status to support their positions”.[3]  Christianity, as the conceptual edifice built by the overtly misogynistic Saint Paul, has always had ambivalent feelings about issues relating to love and marriage, celibacy, the role of women and the meaning of life. Does man live solely to enter the next life in the heavenly kingdom or should he consider his sojourn on this mortal coil as equally valid and meaningful???  Celibacy, as a life style, clearly favours the former view. And there have been examples of excesses in early Christian history. The case of Origen of Alexandria springs to mind. It seems that the saintly figure had been inspired by Matthew 19:12 to castrate himself: “For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it”.[4]  The King James translation seems to make it quite plain that celibacy could be considered a safe way to enter the heavenly kingdom. In the end, however, the pragmatic view that life on this mortal coil also deserves human sacrifice and hardship, as possibly symbolised in the institution of marriage necessarily leading to human reproduction, prevailed. As a result, the continuation of the human race was guaranteed and the figure of God in heaven remained unassailable. This then left Jesus as the ultimate example to be followed by those Christians deemed extremely pious and other-worldly, such as monks and nuns.

Now the whole debate in connection with the meaning of Christian life, as condensed in the issue of marriage or celibacy, has been reduced to squibbles about Jesus’ marital status . . . In conclusion, Professor King states that the “discovery of this new gospel offers an occasion to rethink what we thought we knew by asking what role claims about Jesus’ marital status played historically in early Christian controversies over marriage, celibacy, and family. Christian tradition preserved only those voices that claimed Jesus never married. The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife now shows that some Christians thought otherwise”.[5]

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[1] B. D. Colen, “Suggestion of a married Jesus” Harvard Gazette (18 September 2012).  http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/09/suggestion-of-a-married-jesus/.

[2] B. D. Colen, “Suggestion of a married Jesus”.

[3] B. D. Colen, “Suggestion of a married Jesus”.

[4] “Matthew 19:12” Biblos. http://bible.cc/matthew/19-12.htm.

[5] B. D. Colen, “Suggestion of a married Jesus”.

An Asteroid Impact Can Ruin Your Whole Day. And Your Species

Phil Plait is an astronomer, author, and science advocate. His blog, Bad Astronomy, is hosted by Discover Magazine, and he writes about news and current issues facing science. A common topic is astronomical doomsday: ways mythical and real the world can end. He’s fascinated by asteroid and comet impacts, and is a big supporter of finding, tracking, and ultimately deflecting any dangerous rocks heading our way. He spoke on this topic in Boulder on 11 October 2011.

 

Apophis is of concern, and the inimitable astrophycist Neil deGrasse Tyson has already spoken about this celestial body with great verve, conviction, and humour. On 19 February 2008, he expounded on Apophis, while visiting California.

 

NASA’s Near Earth Object Program optimistically proclaims that the ‘future for Apophis on Friday, April 13 of 2029 includes an approach to Earth no closer than 29,470 km (18,300 miles, or 5.6 Earth radii from the center, or 4.6 Earth-radii from the surface) over the mid-Atlantic, appearing to the naked eye as a moderately bright point of light moving rapidly across the sky. Depending on its mechanical nature, it could experience shape or spin-state alteration due to tidal forces caused by Earth’s gravity field. This is within the distance of Earth’s geosynchronous satellites. However, because Apophis will pass interior to the positions of these satellites at closest approach, in a plane inclined at 40 degrees to the Earth’s equator and passing outside the equatorial geosynchronous zone when crossing the equatorial plane, it does not threaten the satellites in that heavily populated region. Using criteria developed in this research, new measurements possible in 2013 (if not 2011) will likely confirm that in 2036 Apophis will quietly pass more than 49 million km (30.5 million miles; 0.32 AU) from Earth on Easter Sunday of that year (April 13)’.[1]

 

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[1] “Predicting Apophis’ Earth Encounters in 2029 and 2036” Near Earth Object Program. http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/apophis/.

147 Corporations Run the World

Thom Hartmann: Clusters can be deadly in nature – but what about in an economy? I’ll break down a *new* scientific study which proves our global economy has clustered – and is now truly under the control of a few “bankster” puppeteers!

The article in the New Scientist that Hartmann was alluding to states that an “analysis of the relationships between 43,000 transnational corporations has identified a relatively small group of companies, mainly banks, with disproportionate power over the global economy”.[1]

In the periodical ScienceNews, Rachel Ehrenberg succinctly summarises the argument developed by the researchers in their paper “The Network of Global Corporate Control”,[2]  as follows: “Conventional wisdom says a few sticky, fat fingers control a disproportionate slice of the world economy’s pie. A new analysis suggests that the conventional wisdom is right on the money. Diagramming the relationships between more than 43,000 corporations reveals a tightly connected core of top economic actors. In 2007, a mere 147 companies controlled nearly 40 percent of the monetary value of all transnational corporations, researchers report in a paper published online July 28 at arXiv.org”.[3]

And to illustrate the issue at hand, here is SERCO, the largest company you’ve never heard of or a network or cluster that combines an incredible numbers of services and industries on a truly global scale: ‘As well as thanking God for his success, Serco CEO Chris Hyman is a Pentecostal Christian who has released a gospel album in America and fasts every Tuesday. Coincidentally he was in the World Trade Centre on 9/11 on the 47th floor addressing shareholders. Serco runs navy patrol boats for the ADF, as well as search and salvage operations through their partnership with P&O which form Maritime Defence Services. Serco runs two Australian Jails already, Acacia in WA and Borallon in Queensland. They are one of the biggest companies in the UK for running electronic tagging of offenders under house arrest or parole. Serco are in one of the two favoured bid consortiums for the new Sydney metro rail line’.

On its website, the company presents itself as follows: ‘Serco improves the quality and efficiency of essential services that matter to millions of people around the world. The work we do for national and local governments involves us in the most important areas of public service, including health, education, transport, science and defence. Our private sector customers are industry-leading organisations in a wide variety of markets. We have nearly 50 years’ experience of helping our customers achieve their goals. Many want us to improve their productivity and service quality. Others need us to support their rapid growth. Government customers face crucial issues such as economic development, congestion, security and climate change. They value the innovation and passion we bring to these challenges, and the collaborative, flexible and imaginative way we work. Serco is a values-led company with a culture and ethos that is at the heart of everything we do. We give our people real responsibility, allowing them to put their ideas into practice and to truly make a difference for our customers and the public. Our approach has made us one of the world’s leading service companies and our vision is to be the world’s greatest. Our service ethos means that our customers come back to us again and again. These long-term relationships help us to meet their changing needs and to do what we do best . . . bringing service to life’.[4]  The Guardian’s Jane Martinson describes Serco’s CEO as an “Indian Pentecostal Christian from South Africa, Hyman is an unusual chief executive in many ways, not least his enthusiasm for what he calls the values of doing business. He gave a speech on the subject at the Business in the Community conference [in 2005] which made seasoned executives sit up and take notice, such was his enthusiasm for putting people first so that the rest – profits, investors, power – would follow”.[5]

 

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[1] Andy Coghlan and Debora MacKenzie, “Revealed – the capitalist network that runs the world” New Scientist (24 October
2011). http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228354.500-revealed–the-capitalist-network-that-runs-the-world.html.

[2] Stefania Vitali, James B. Glattefelder, and Stefano Battiston, “The Network of Global Corporate Control” PLOS ONE (2011). http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/1107/1107.5728v2.pdf.

[3] Rachel Ehrenberg, “Financial world dominated by a few deep pockets” ScienceNews (24 September 2011). http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/333389/title/Financial_world_dominated_by_a_few_deep_pockets.

[4] “About Us” Serco. http://www.serco.com/about/index.asp.

[5] Jane Martinson, “Happy, touchy-feely and driven by God” The Guardian (24 February 2006). http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2006/feb/24/columnists.guardiancolumnists.

Faith & Freedom Coalition: God is Back, Once Again

Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates on Friday appealed to the religious right to help them defeat President Barack Obama in the 2012 election. They spoke at a meeting of an organization that was formed to restore the influence that conservative Christian voters once had in choosing presidents (21 June 2011).

 On its dedicated website the Coalition declares: ‘We believe that the greatness of America lies not in the federal government but in the character of our people — the simple virtues of faith, hard work, marriage, family, personal responsibility, and helping the least among us. If we lose sight of these values, America will cease to be great. Never before has it been more critical for us to speak out for these values. That is why the Faith and Freedom Coalition is committed to educating, equipping, and mobilizing people of faith and like-minded individuals to be effective citizens. Together we will influence public policy and enact legislation that strengthens families, promotes time-honored values, protects the dignity of life and marriage, lowers the tax burden on small business and families, and requires government to tighten its belt and live within its means.

Our Principles

  •Respect for the sanctity and dignity of life, family, and marriage as the foundations of a free society

•Limited government, lower taxes and fiscal responsibility to unleash the creative energy of entrepreneurs

•Education reform that puts children first

•Help the poor, the needy, and those who have been left behind

•Free markets and free minds to create opportunity for all

•Victory in the struggle with terrorism and tyranny while supporting our democratic allies, including Israel

 Our Goals

 •Mobilize and train people of faith to be effective citizens

•Speak out in the public arena and in the media on behalf of common-sense values

•Influence legislation and enact sound public policy at every level of government

•Train citizens for effective civic action

•Protest bigotry and discrimination against people of faith’.[1]

 

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[1] “About the Faith and Freedom Coalition” Faith & Freedom Coalition. http://ffcoalition.com/about/.

Global Day of Prayer vs Turkey’s Elections: 12 June 2011

On Sunday, 12 June 2011, about 50 million people are expected to cast their ballots in Turkey in an important national election, an election that might very well usher in the AKP’s third successive term at the helm of Turkey’s ship. The increasing autocratic tendencies exhibited by Premier Tayyip Erdoğan have become a cause for concern though and many domestically as well as internationally are understandably weary. Following the end of World War II and the real introduction of democracy in Turkey, the country was ruled by the DP (Demokrat Parti) for the duration of ten years (1950-60), in effect replacing the previous one-party state ruled by the CHP (1923-50), only to be toppled by a brutal military coup in 1960. Now that the AKP appears to have established yet another sample of one-party rule in the 21^st century and that the military is being increasingly side-lined, Turkey’s future looks set to develop in a pseudo-Ottoman mould as a regional super-power and global player of some importance.[1]  In my previous entry, I indicated the trepidation felt by the Christian right in America. Pat Roberson’s cabal seems to be in an uproar about the AKP’s expected electoral victory on Sunday, 12 June 2011. His television channel CBN is now seen in 180 countries and broadcast in 71 languages and arguably influences people all around the world. But, as it turns out, this Sunday is also important for another reason. CBN News Anchor/Reporter Wendy Griffith explains that “[h]undreds of millions of Christians representing 200 nations across the world will gather on Pentecost Sunday to pray for their nations. Since its beginning more than 10 years ago,
the Global Day of Prayer has been inviting the world’s believers to pray together. The Church has responded, petitioning God in open-air stadiums, city halls, and cathedrals. They’ve worshipped Him in the streets, public parks, and private homes”.[2]

Even though the Huntingtonian Clash of Civilisations (1996) has as yet not emerged, and has even been countered by an Alliance of Civilisations suggested by Turkey’s current Prime Minister and Spain’s Premier José Luis Zapatero during 59^th General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) in 2005,[3]  Pat Robertson’s cabal seems bent on fanning the flames of inter-faith rivalry and enmity, pitting Christian believers against Muslim faithful in a battle of prayer and devotion . . .

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[1] C. Erimtan, “A pseudo-Ottoman policy: Turkey’s new station in the world” Today’s Zaman (04 November 2010). http://tiny.cc/6qkki.

[2] Wendy Griffith, “Global Day of Prayer to Focus on Revival” CBN News (10 June 2011). http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2011/June/Christians-Worldwide-Gather-for-Global-Day-of-Prayer-/.

[3] http://www.medeniyetlerittifaki.gov.tr/medeniyetlerittifakigirisimi1.htm, http://www.unaoc.org/.

2012: Mayan Prophecies

In recent years, the idea that the world will end on December 21, 2012 has gained attention and spawned thousands of web sites, blogs, books and even a Hollywood movie. Although scientists generally dismiss the idea, curators of the Museum of Natural Science in Houston decided to use the prediction as a hook to draw visitors into the world of the ancient Maya. They do it through a planetarium film and an exhibit being prepared for next year – just in time, some might say, for the end of everything. VOA’s Greg Flakus has more from Houston.

 

The Beginning of the End of the World: 21 May 2011

 Four months prior to the expected beginning of the end (21 January 2011), I posted an entry dealing with Harold Camping and the idea of the inerrancy of the Bible. Now, here we have Dennis Trainor, Jr.’s take on the issue.  

Apocalypse Soon: Rapture Event Expected on 21 May 2011

The Associated Press, always a purveyor of newsworthy tidbits, now tells us that the end is close, the world as we know it will end, and good people will go to heaven wearing their day-clothes, according to a certain Harold Camping, that is.[1] 

The utterly amazing Wikipedia boasts an entry on Camping, saying that he ‘is a Christian radio broadcaster and president of Family Stations, Inc., a California-based religious broadcasting network, including more than 150 outlets in the United States, as well a Web site. Camping’s trademarks include his deep, sonorous voice coupled with a slow cadence. He is best known for a prophecy of the second coming of Jesus Christ in 1994 and for his current prediction of the second coming in May 2011. Camping teaches that a Biblical calendar has been hidden according to Daniel 12:9, Revelation 22:10 detailing the imminent end of the world (with alleged Biblical evidence pointing to the date for the Rapture as May 21, 2011); of the “end of the church age” (which asserts that churches are no longer the vehicle used by God for salvation, 1 Peter 4:17); and of predestination (Ephesians 1:4-5), according to which God determined before the beginning of the world which individuals are to be saved. Camping does not consider Family Radio a church and does not claim ordained or hierarchical authority within a church or institution. Camping claims that the church institutions do not employ the Bible alone as the sole authority; according to Camping, each church/denomination has their own unique set of doctrines and hermeneutics, which dictate how they understand the Bible, and this is what he believes makes Family Radio, a world wide, non-profit, non-denominational Christian based ministry, so different’.[2]  According to the Family Radio website, ‘Harold Camping has authored about 30 books and booklets most of which are available free of charge from Family Radio’.[3]  One of his prolific works carries the rather alarming title We Are Almost There! And purports to be a book aiming to “warn as many people as possible about the abundant Biblical evidence that the end of the world is almost here”.[4]  Below is an anonymous gentleman explaining Mister Camping’s reasoning: ‘We are living in a time of history like no other. We are living right at the very end of time. We are that last generation. Every time that God has brought judgment, he has warned the believers (1 Thess 5: 1-5). God is warning the entire human race that the Rapture of the true believers is going to occur on May 21, 2011. That will be followed by what the Bible calls the Day of Judgment after which, on October 21, 2011 God Himself will destroy this entire cosmos’.

  

In the above-quoted book We Are Almost There!, Camping discloses his stance as a fundamentalist believing in the inerrancy of the Bible: the “Bible is God’s word. In the original languages of the Bible, mainly Hebrew and Greek, every word, and every letter of every word, is from the mouth of God”.[5]  Bart Ehrman, Karen Armstrong and many other scholars have devoted many pages to this apparently purely American notion that the Bible is the word of God. The whole thing goes back to an article published in the Princeton Review on 11 April 1881. The piece was called “Inspiration” and was written by Archibald A. Hodge (1823-86) and Benjamin Warfield (1851-1921).

The authors claim that the Bible is “absolutely errorless and binding for faith and obedience”, that the book contains but “truth to the facts”. Archibald Hodge was ‘the son of [the well-known theologian] Charles Hodge [1797-1878]. He was named after Archibald Alexander, the principal of Princeton Theological Seminary from 1812 to 1840. A. A. Hodge attended Princeton College and Princeton Theological Seminary, graduating in 1847. He spent three years in India as a missionary, before returning to America to become professor of systematic theology at Western Theological Seminary in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in 1864. In 1877, A. A. Hodge left Western Theological Seminary to return to Princeton Theological Seminary to succeed his father as the chair of systematic theology’.[6]  Warfield, on the other hand, ‘was appointed to the Charles Hodge Chair at Princeton Theological Seminary, [in 1887] where he succeeded Hodge’s son A. A. Hodge. Warfield remained there until his death. As the last conservative successor to Hodge to live prior to the re-organization of Princeton Seminary, Warfield is often regarded as the last of the Princeton theologians’, as noted in his Wiki entry.[7]  Hodge and Warfield are thus the two men who stand at the origin of one of America’s most tenacious and aberrant religious doctrines. And now in the 21^st century, the actions of the dynamic duo of Hodge and Warfield have led to somebody like Harold Camping spreading the news that the world will definitely come to an end in the year 2011 AD.

 

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[1] “End of Days in May? Christian group spreads word” AP (2011). http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110103/ap_on_re/us_rel_apocalypse_soon.

[2] “Harold Camping” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Camping.

[3] “A Brief Biography of Harold Camping” Family Radio. http://www.familyradio.com/english/connect/bio/haroldcamping_bio.html.

[4] http://209.10.202.163/graphical/literature/frame/.

[5] Harold Camping, We Are Almost There!, p. 9. http://209.10.202.163/graphical/literature/frame/.

[6] “Westminster Doctrine anent Holy Scripture: Tractates by A. A. Hodge and B. B. Warfield” LOGOS. http://www.logos.com/product/7967/westminster-doctrine-anent-holy-scripture-tractates-by-a-a-hodge-and-b-b-warfield.

[7] “B. B. Warfield” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._B._Warfield.