tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1771481682224413552.post8165565079543097563..comments2024-03-16T02:12:38.325-07:00Comments on God cannot be contained!: Emperor Constantine's role in promoting the Hebrew God and ScripturesMiller Jones/Lonnie C Hendrixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865316200703641028noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1771481682224413552.post-19117434749457969012014-08-02T07:55:58.541-07:002014-08-02T07:55:58.541-07:00Just in case you didn't get my previous answer...Just in case you didn't get my previous answer, my e-mail address is kingsandpaupers@aol.com<br />Miller Jones/Lonnie C Hendrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02865316200703641028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1771481682224413552.post-43804184605809947142014-07-30T05:41:23.663-07:002014-07-30T05:41:23.663-07:00I agree, that we agree on much. Most significantl...I agree, that we agree on much. Most significantly, we agree that truth is not a fragiile thing that needs defending (what a nice way to prhase it) -- and -- that there is no fear in opinions that differ from our own. You're quite gracious in suggesting that I offer a guest post sometime. I think I might like that. The collective consciousness concept is heady and takes no small effort to begin to consider, especially after a life of fundamentalism. Maybe you can point me to your e-mail address and we can have a little correspondence around some of this. Thanks again for your sincere searching.Truth Onlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01083216808633317319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1771481682224413552.post-45288967312955613652014-07-29T17:51:14.609-07:002014-07-29T17:51:14.609-07:00I sincerely appreciate your comments. It is not ne...I sincerely appreciate your comments. It is not necessary for me to agree with all of the points that you've made (although it is obvious to me that we agree on much) to express my admiration for your knowledge of the subject and the methodical way that you have reasoned through these issues. I would very much like to hear more about your thinking on the collective consciousness issue - perhaps you would consent to do a guest post sometime? I'm not afraid of opinions that differ from my own, and I don't believe that the truth is a fragile thing that needs defending. Discussion is good - it is the only way we are ever going to get closer to the truth.Miller Jones/Lonnie C Hendrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02865316200703641028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1771481682224413552.post-82364477746725565122014-07-29T15:08:00.885-07:002014-07-29T15:08:00.885-07:00Yes, all of this context is very good. I do hope ...Yes, all of this context is very good. I do hope that I did not mislead you in my comment, that I consider Constantine "personally" determinative or personally invested in the precise product of the canon. Not at all. No, the point was that if he had not commissioned and imperially authorized Eusebius to establish one and make many copies (whatever his motivations, no matter), in my opinion, the Hebrew texts would have had little chance of playing the role in the west that they did through the Catholic centuries of power. There is no question that the Church is credited with the distribution of the canon and by extended logic, the spread of Christianity.<br /><br />Without the canon project authorized by the power of the empire, it is more likely that the Hebrew texts would have continued in custody of mainly the rabbinic stakeholders. Certainly, if the christian church had not needed the Hebrew texts to support the claims about their Messiah, those texts would have most likely shared the same fate as those much earlier ones upon which many of its narratives are based (e.g. from Sumer, Ugarit, etc.) <br /><br />As a hypothetical (which it must ever remain), this cannot be proved of course. But the hebrew God and the texts which purport to convey his word do not shed light on a god who made unique claims for himself. Rather, they shed light on the people who made unique claims about their god. Others would follow (Islam).<br /><br />You have been most indulgent. And we will probably continue to differ on the interpretation of the history of this subject (you rightly observe), as well as what it all means for "religious" practice and "who or what" is God. Truth Onlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01083216808633317319noreply@blogger.com