[Vision2020] Old and New Covenant

[nickgier at adelphia.net]

Note: the delete button is readily available to those who wish not to read.

The Old and New Covenant

The Princess' explanation of this distinction is very well written, but I want to test it according to her own standard: Is this a "fully orbed biblical" theology?  I don't think that it is.

1.  Like a good Barthian, the Princess starts from a Trinitarian perspective.  The problem is that the Trinity has the least scriptural support of any Christian doctrine.  There are no verses in the Hebrew Bible that support it, and there are only five in the New Testament. 1 John 5:7 in the King James is a mistranslation based on forged manuscripts.

Bible Scholar Robert M. Grant states: "The doctrine of the Trinity in unity is not a product of the earliest Christian period, and we do not find it carefully expressed before the end of the 2nd Century."  For more see www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/trinity.htm.

2.  The Princess commits a common mistake among Christians in identifying the serpent in the Garden as Satan. A related misconception is that the Hebrew Bible believes that Satan is the enemy of God.  Luther read his Bible correctly when he concluded that Satan is the dark side of God, the wrath of God.  Passages from Luther are available upon request.

The best example of this is the Book of Job, where God empowers Satan (among the "sons of God") to destroy Job's flocks and family.  Please note a crucial verse at the end where God is identified as the source of "the evil . . . brought upon" Job (42:11).  Read more at www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/job.htm.

3. The Princess also misleads us into thinking that the Hebrew Bible teaches Original Sin.  For example, Job's dilemma would have been solved immediately by this doctrine, but Job is declared a righteous man untouched by any other person's sin. Original Sin is a New Testament doctrine, because the amazing fact is that, as far as I know, the Fall of Adam and Eve, is not mentioned again in the Hebrew Bible.

4.  Nowhere is it written that the Hebrew Messiah will pay a "penalty of death." The Ancient Jews did not recognize the Suffering Servant of Isaiah as the Messiah.  (See www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/gre8.htm.) The Jewish Messiah would come in glory, defeat the enemies of Israel, and set up God's kingdom on earth.  Please note that Christianity had to invent the Second Coming of Christ in order to make good on Hebrew prophecies.

5. Please note that I always use the term "Hebrew Bible" and not "Old Testament," and this is the final and most important point that I want to make.  By saying that the Old Covenant failed, the Princess is saying that Judaism is a false religion.  The Gospels are openly anti-Semitic (Mel Gibson goes all the way on this one), blaming the death of Jesus on the Jews.  

I'm especially troubled by the Princess' implication that the Jewish temple was destroyed by God in 70 CE as a sign that the Old Covenant was dead.  Millions of Jews have died because of religious and political leaders acting out the implications of these ideas.

6.  In conclusion, a "fully orbed biblical theology" would exclude all external agendas and read all biblical passages in the best translations and with the help of the best scholars.  The hard part would be making judicious decisions about inconsistencies and contradictions, and I would agree with Joe's general guidelines.

Nick Gier