Comments on: The Pope and the Patriarch http://sgrajeev.com/the-other-pope/ Math/Physics, Science, History, Religion, Politics, Desi, Humor ... Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:48:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Rajeev http://sgrajeev.com/the-other-pope/#comment-148 Rajeev Sat, 28 Jul 2007 09:24:13 +0000 http://sgrajeev.com/the-other-pope/#comment-148 The words of scripture are not static. Their interpretation and (even the text sometimes) evolves with the faith. Variant translations are only one source of such divergence. Even in religions that have preserved the text verbatim, there are similar disputes. Not surprising, when so much in the material world depends on a small shift of emphasis in the text. Yours is the view of many modern American Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians. There was a time when such views would have been condemned as heretic. Both the Orthodox and Catholic hierarchies take a dim view of any idea that you can have a personal relationship with Jesus not mediated by the Church. The Revelations are perhaps the most controversial of the Biblical texts. Peter is a word of Indo-European origin; in Hindi, `Pathar' means rock even now. Names of Greek origin were common in the Holy Land at the time of Jesus: Andrew is an example. So it is not strange that Jesus would chose a name that is of Greek and not of Semitic origin for his disciple. Since the earliest versions of the New Testament avaliable to us are in Greek, it is difficult to get to the original word as used by Jesus. The pun only makes sense if Jesus meant Simon to be the Rock upon which he (Jesus) would build the church. The image is that Peter is the Rock while Jesus is the builder: that God would be the hand that shapes the material world into a Church. The words of scripture are not static. Their interpretation and (even the text sometimes) evolves with the faith. Variant translations are only one source of such divergence. Even in religions that have preserved the text verbatim, there are similar disputes. Not surprising, when so much in the material world depends on a small shift of emphasis in the text.

Yours is the view of many modern American Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians. There was a time when such views would have been condemned as heretic. Both the Orthodox and Catholic hierarchies take a dim view of any idea that you can have a personal relationship with Jesus not mediated by the Church.

The Revelations are perhaps the most controversial of the Biblical texts.

Peter is a word of Indo-European origin; in Hindi, `Pathar’ means rock even now. Names of Greek origin were common in the Holy Land at the time of Jesus: Andrew is an example. So it is not strange that Jesus would chose a name that is of Greek and not of Semitic origin for his disciple. Since the earliest versions of the New Testament avaliable to us are in Greek, it is difficult to get to the original word as used by Jesus.

The pun only makes sense if Jesus meant Simon to be the Rock upon which he (Jesus) would build the church. The image is that Peter is the Rock while Jesus is the builder: that God would be the hand that shapes the material world into a Church.

]]> By: remusvalvi http://sgrajeev.com/the-other-pope/#comment-147 remusvalvi Sat, 28 Jul 2007 01:27:54 +0000 http://sgrajeev.com/the-other-pope/#comment-147 peter means pebble; Jesus said HE is the rock, many times He said He is the cornerstone on which He builds His church; that verse where Jesus is speaking to peter has not been translated properly; also the keys of the kingdom- the keys are Gods directions to us on how to find salvation, not literal keys, and there are several verses in the Bible where that tell us Jesus has the keys (or the way) to the kingdom, including Revelation that tell us Jesus has the keys; we know from these verses that ANYONE who has the word of God has the keys to the kingdom. The Catholic religion is a mix of pagan and Christian, and does not follow the pure Bible teachings; it is indeed the beast of Revelation. peter means pebble; Jesus said HE is the rock, many times He said He is the cornerstone on which He builds His church; that verse where Jesus is speaking to peter has not been translated properly; also the keys of the kingdom- the keys are Gods directions to us on how to find salvation, not literal keys, and there are several verses in the Bible where that tell us Jesus has the keys (or the way) to the kingdom, including Revelation that tell us Jesus has the keys; we know from these verses that ANYONE who has the word of God has the keys to the kingdom. The Catholic religion is a mix of pagan and Christian, and does not follow the pure Bible teachings; it is indeed the beast of Revelation.

]]> By: Rajeev’s Pages | The Other Pope 2 http://sgrajeev.com/the-other-pope/#comment-30 Rajeev’s Pages | The Other Pope 2 Tue, 12 Jun 2007 06:52:06 +0000 http://sgrajeev.com/the-other-pope/#comment-30 [...] Read First Part I: The Theology For some one outside of the two ancient faiths, the struggle between them is interesting as a case-study in politics: the longest continuing political struggle in human history. [...] […] Read First Part I: The Theology For some one outside of the two ancient faiths, the struggle between them is interesting as a case-study in politics: the longest continuing political struggle in human history. […]

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