Sacred status

[22zg2293]

The process by which some documents were accorded sacred status and collected to form the Bible must be reviewed with other ancient documents now competing for that sacred status.
Do you agree or disagree? Why?

[brianbbs67]

[Replying to post 8 by William]

Here's why, it is not provable to the times and believed invented about 140 years ago. I agree that much agrees with the 4 gospels we know. Except the vegetarian and animal rights stuff. Even if it sounds right, there is no evidence it is older than determined. So, a no go for canon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gospe ... oly_Twelve

[William]

[Replying to post 11 by brianbbs67]

So, a no go for canon.

My point being, why does age of documents or content make the documents 'a go for canon'? Or as per OP subject, 'sacred'?

[bjs]

The process by which some documents were accorded sacred status and collected to form the Bible must be reviewed with other ancient documents now competing for that sacred status.
Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Of course, and this has been done in great detail. Many books have been written about the topic. Any decent book on church history can you a rundown on the history of that process.

[brianbbs67]

[Replying to post 12 by William]

I would say it doesn't. Things written close to the events should be considered. But, once it is discovered, differently, it should remain so.

[polonius]

"The Epic of Gilgamesh is, perhaps, the oldest written story on Earth. It comes to us from Ancient Sumeria, and was originally written on 12 clay tablets in cunieform script. It is about the adventures of the historical King of Uruk (somewhere between 2750 and 2500 BCE)."

Here we have a story about God and man much older than the Bible. It even has a flood story (from which the writers of the Bible probably copied).

"The protagonist of the story and the King of Uruk. He is credited with having built the city walls of Uruk to protect its people. In most translations, he is described as being one-third man and two-thirds god. His mother is Ninsun, a goddess. His father is Lugalbanda, a past King of Uruk."

Both human and divine. Where Have I read that before?

[brianbbs67]

"The Epic of Gilgamesh is, perhaps, the oldest written story on Earth. It comes to us from Ancient Sumeria, and was originally written on 12 clay tablets in cunieform script. It is about the adventures of the historical King of Uruk (somewhere between 2750 and 2500 BCE)."

Here we have a story about God and man much older than the Bible. It even has a flood story (from which the writers of the Bible probably copied).

"The protagonist of the story and the King of Uruk. He is credited with having built the city walls of Uruk to protect its people. In most translations, he is described as being one-third man and two-thirds god. His mother is Ninsun, a goddess. His father is Lugalbanda, a past King of Uruk."

Both human and divine. Where Have I read that before?

I am going to finally read Gilgamesh in total. Lots of interesting stuff surround it. Who knows, i may gain knowledge?

[marco]

Here we have a story about God and man much older than the Bible. It even has a flood story (from which the writers of the Bible probably copied).

"The protagonist of the story and the King of Uruk. He is credited with having built the city walls of Uruk to protect its people. In most translations, he is described as being one-third man and two-thirds god. His mother is Ninsun, a goddess. His father is Lugalbanda, a past King of Uruk."

Both human and divine. Where Have I read that before?

I took a tough university course in Sumerian, attempting to decipher the script and learning to recognise the symbols for king and leader. I came away with that same idea that here was the stuff of the Bible, written earlier.


Of course it could be argued that if themes are common to earliest cultures they may be based on something concrete. Or indeed man may just like a good story and it is one small step from a heroic man to a powerful god.

[Elijah John]

Here we have a story about God and man much older than the Bible. It even has a flood story (from which the writers of the Bible probably copied).

"The protagonist of the story and the King of Uruk. He is credited with having built the city walls of Uruk to protect its people. In most translations, he is described as being one-third man and two-thirds god. His mother is Ninsun, a goddess. His father is Lugalbanda, a past King of Uruk."

Both human and divine. Where Have I read that before?

I took a tough university course in Sumerian, attempting to decipher the script and learning to recognise the symbols for king and leader. I came away with that same idea that here was the stuff of the Bible, written earlier.


Of course it could be argued that if themes are common to earliest cultures they may be based on something concrete. Or indeed man may just like a good story and it is one small step from a heroic man to a powerful god.

Aside from the mythic parallels, is there a code of ethics in the Epic of Gilgamesh that forshadows the Ten Commandments? And is the epic Monotheistic?

[marco]

Aside from the mythic parallels, is there a code of ethics in the Epic of Gilgamesh that forshadows the Ten Commandments? And is the epic Monotheistic?

We have the recounting of the Flood, as we do in other cultures. The epic is far from monotheistic, with various gods intervening, helping or punishing Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu. The search is for eternal life, a way of conquering death, and perhaps this was translated into eternal life after death. Respect for and fear of the gods is a recurrent theme.

[Elijah John]

Aside from the mythic parallels, is there a code of ethics in the Epic of Gilgamesh that forshadows the Ten Commandments? And is the epic Monotheistic?

We have the recounting of the Flood, as we do in other cultures. The epic is far from monotheistic, with various gods intervening, helping or punishing Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu. The search is for eternal life, a way of conquering death, and perhaps this was translated into eternal life after death. Respect for and fear of the gods is a recurrent theme.

Thank you. Any code of ethics that teaches people how to treat each other as does the Ten Commandments? Or was Judaism unique in it's ethics for the time.