November 30, 2009 – God Didn't Say That

Q&A: Did God Abandon Jesus in Mark 15:34?

Polycarp asks on the about page about a comment to a thread he started. The issue is Mark 15:34: eloi eloi lema sabachthani. The Greek — which appears almost identically in Matthew 27:46 — is actually transliterated Hebrew/Aramaic. In Mark we find eloi, which is probably Aramaic; in Matthew eli, probably Hebrew. The only line…
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JoelMHoffman November 30, 2009 25

The “Nothing’s Perfect So There’s No Point In Trying” Syndrome

I frequently read comments like “Every Bible translation is a paraphrase” (Abraham Piper) and cringe. The philosophy seems to be “nothing is perfect, so everything is the same.” I agree that no translations are perfect, but that quite obviously doesn’t mean that they are all the same. A related complaint is that we can’t know…
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JoelMHoffman November 30, 2009 6

Ancient Wisdom, Modern Lives

Recent posts from my Ancient Wisdom, Modern Lives:

What in Blazes Are the Ides of March? A lighthearted romp through treachery, betrayal, and murder
Democracy, Oligarchy, and Free Speech An oligarchy replaces a democracy and a public figure is put on trial for his words. History or current events? Or both?
Money and Happiness: A Tumultuous Love Affair Does money make us happy? Yes, except no, because, well, it's complicated...
Why do People Suffer? Five Ancient Answers Timeless and time-tested answers to frame suffering in a better light
Interest Rates Old and New: How High is Too High? A short history of ancient interest rates, in light of a 10% cap on credit-card interest rates proposed in the US Senate by Bernie Sanders and Josh Hawley

Day: November 30, 2009

Q&A: Did God Abandon Jesus in Mark 15:34?

The “Nothing’s Perfect So There’s No Point In Trying” Syndrome

Ancient Wisdom, Modern Lives

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