03-04-2018, 09:04 PM
Oh, my; what a mixed bag of stuff.
Key item: Zoroastrianism arose on the fringe of the Ancient Near East. It contains some primordial revelation, but lacks the refinement of Moses on Mt. Sinai, and the refinement of Jesus as the Son of God. Thus, Zoroastrian religion is not the source of angels, for example, because those were already in Hebrew Scripture going back at least to Abraham. But Zoroastrianism did infect the early New Testament churches. It wasn't a major problem, so it doesn't appear in the narrative, but it was there. It crept in mostly via it's prior influence on Judaism, which then slipped into the churches via the Judaizers. It was also backdoor Hellenism.
It's quite true that Judaism isn't Old Testament religion; I've said that often enough. And it's quite true that today's Judaism solidified long after Christ ascended to Heaven. Indeed, Judaism continued to develop until recent history. Who knows when it may morph yet more? When I talk about the Hellenism of Judaism, that was the biggest single step down into Hell. They kept taking more and more steps into the pit of lies, but talking too much about that in public risks being associated with Neo-Nazis and their particular brand of historical revisionism. It's not a secret that I keep, but something that isn't often pertinent to what we are doing. I've mentioned Kabbalism and I've studied how that developed as a feature of orthodox Judaism. It might be easier to simply pass on a good source for that, but it's a massive PDF ebook and tough to read. It's worth researching how Kabbalism is their dirty secret.
But the comments that list Zoroastrian elements in Western Christianity is largely correct. (1) Dualism: I've poked at that before in teaching that Satan serves God and is in no wise a peer of Christ. (2) Angeology: Their existence is not a Zoroastrian idea, but the common notions about them are. (3) Savior of the World: This is contextual; it doesn't have a simple consistent meaning. It's a mystical term. However, He is essentially the Savior only of those who embrace His Covenant. (4) The Evil One: See my item 1. (5) Final Conflict: This is not Zoroastrian; it is ANE. It has always been a parable widely referenced in many religions. (6) Chosen People: Again, this is ANE, as is the notion of revocation and adoption of a new family. (7) Afterlife: Judaism avoided direct mention, but the concept was not absent. It was mystical. It was also an appropriate concept because Jesus used the terms Heaven and Hell, but we have to understand their meaning as parables in the Hebrew context. (8) Resurrection: Again, an ANE concept, not solely Zoroastrian. Job spoke of this, his words quoted in the famous hymn, "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth." Job appears to predate Abraham.
Christianity wasn't meant to be a radical departure theologically from Old Testament religion; it was meant to be a different covenant based on the same essential revelation of truth. Taking away Zoroastrianism, except for the imagery Jesus borrowed, would leave a very different kind of Christian belief system, but it wouldn't gut genuine faith in Christ as the final revelation of God's will.
The comment about henotheism misses the point. Most Hebrew people did indeed believe that way, despite Moses' direct statements that there was only one God (for example, Deuteronomy 4:35, 39, etc.). It was part of what made them so quickly fall into idolatry. They learned their lesson in Babylon, but at the cost of losing too much that was even more valuable. The exposure to Babylon and Persia was the beginning of sorrows, setting them up for the fatal blow of Hellenism. In the Exile, materialism took root.
Ask questions.
Key item: Zoroastrianism arose on the fringe of the Ancient Near East. It contains some primordial revelation, but lacks the refinement of Moses on Mt. Sinai, and the refinement of Jesus as the Son of God. Thus, Zoroastrian religion is not the source of angels, for example, because those were already in Hebrew Scripture going back at least to Abraham. But Zoroastrianism did infect the early New Testament churches. It wasn't a major problem, so it doesn't appear in the narrative, but it was there. It crept in mostly via it's prior influence on Judaism, which then slipped into the churches via the Judaizers. It was also backdoor Hellenism.
It's quite true that Judaism isn't Old Testament religion; I've said that often enough. And it's quite true that today's Judaism solidified long after Christ ascended to Heaven. Indeed, Judaism continued to develop until recent history. Who knows when it may morph yet more? When I talk about the Hellenism of Judaism, that was the biggest single step down into Hell. They kept taking more and more steps into the pit of lies, but talking too much about that in public risks being associated with Neo-Nazis and their particular brand of historical revisionism. It's not a secret that I keep, but something that isn't often pertinent to what we are doing. I've mentioned Kabbalism and I've studied how that developed as a feature of orthodox Judaism. It might be easier to simply pass on a good source for that, but it's a massive PDF ebook and tough to read. It's worth researching how Kabbalism is their dirty secret.
But the comments that list Zoroastrian elements in Western Christianity is largely correct. (1) Dualism: I've poked at that before in teaching that Satan serves God and is in no wise a peer of Christ. (2) Angeology: Their existence is not a Zoroastrian idea, but the common notions about them are. (3) Savior of the World: This is contextual; it doesn't have a simple consistent meaning. It's a mystical term. However, He is essentially the Savior only of those who embrace His Covenant. (4) The Evil One: See my item 1. (5) Final Conflict: This is not Zoroastrian; it is ANE. It has always been a parable widely referenced in many religions. (6) Chosen People: Again, this is ANE, as is the notion of revocation and adoption of a new family. (7) Afterlife: Judaism avoided direct mention, but the concept was not absent. It was mystical. It was also an appropriate concept because Jesus used the terms Heaven and Hell, but we have to understand their meaning as parables in the Hebrew context. (8) Resurrection: Again, an ANE concept, not solely Zoroastrian. Job spoke of this, his words quoted in the famous hymn, "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth." Job appears to predate Abraham.
Christianity wasn't meant to be a radical departure theologically from Old Testament religion; it was meant to be a different covenant based on the same essential revelation of truth. Taking away Zoroastrianism, except for the imagery Jesus borrowed, would leave a very different kind of Christian belief system, but it wouldn't gut genuine faith in Christ as the final revelation of God's will.
The comment about henotheism misses the point. Most Hebrew people did indeed believe that way, despite Moses' direct statements that there was only one God (for example, Deuteronomy 4:35, 39, etc.). It was part of what made them so quickly fall into idolatry. They learned their lesson in Babylon, but at the cost of losing too much that was even more valuable. The exposure to Babylon and Persia was the beginning of sorrows, setting them up for the fatal blow of Hellenism. In the Exile, materialism took root.
Ask questions.