"Physician, heal thyself" - Memory of 2000 Years

Tokyo Subway Station

Memory of 2000 Years

In 500 years since A.D. 1, the key player was the Roman Empire where Christianity became its state region.  In the last 500 years up to today, who or what was the key player?

Almost 500 years ago, Columbus reached America; the Vatican started to build St. Peter's Basilica;  Protestant Christianity started to prevail; and the Empire of the East (the Byzantine Empire) was destroyed by the Ottoman Empire.   Therefore, these 500 years have been characterized by the rise of America, the competence between Protestant Church and the Vatican, and the influence of Islam, although the general direction and the general trend can be described as globalization.

First Christianity took 500 years to have fully prevailed in the Roman Empire that covered a half of Europe.  Then it took 1,000 years, called the Middle Ages, to have fully influenced the whole Europe.  And finally it has taken 500 years toward globalization.

So, what will happen in the next 500 years or 1,000 years?  Maybe another Middle Ages?  But it seems that what is only needed is the Second Coming of Christ.

Then we may understand that this 2000-year history is for preparation of the Second Coming of Christ and the beginning of the Kingdom of God.

On the other hand, Christianity started with expectation of imminent coming of the end of the world or the judgment day 2000 years ago.  So, this 2000-year history might be for preparation of the prolonged end of the world even if there is Second Coming of Christ Jesus.

Anyway, only human beings on this planet have memory of 2000 years and more.   We have to think about the history to better understand why we are living in this world or in these specific circumstances.  And it can be sincerely done only if we try to find any intention or will of God in our history.

However, it is a little surprise to know that the time span when Christianity started to prevail; it became the state religion of the Roman Empire; and the Western Roman Empire collapsed is equal to the time span when Columbus reached America; the Vatican started to build St. Peter's Basilica;  Protestant Christianity started to prevail; the Empire of the East (the Byzantine Empire) was destroyed by the Ottoman Empire; and other various incidents occurred, leading to today's world.  



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Luk 4:23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
Luk 4:24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

"And he closed the book" - No Gods for the Modern Science

Tokyo

No Gods for the Modern Science

There are no gods of the sun, the moon, the sea, the water, the death, the love, etc. in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

It is not because ancient Hebrews were scientific more than ancient Greeks and other tribes.  But ancient Hebrews did not enjoy making and telling myths involving various gods.  They did not even give deity to heroes of their tribes, although they imagined angels.

Today, most of people in the world think that God is one and only if He should exist.  But most of their ancestors centuries ago believed existence of  gods of the sun, the moon, the sea, the water, the death, the love, etc.   Unless Christianity and Islam have prevailed in the world, most of people in the world today must believe existence of  gods of the sun, the moon, the sea, the water, the death, the love, etc. like ancient Greeks, ancient Egyptians, ancient Europeans, etc.

So, the greatest contribution of ancient Hebrews to the human history is their belief in the one and only God, though they thought the God is God for their tribe.

Even if we believed there are various gods who sometimes behave like human beings, we would be able to build pyramids and create a kind of Greek philosophy or Indian philosophy but we should not be able to create the modern science.

However, we cannot prove that God is the one and only in a scientific manner or any other manners.  But, probably, there are no scientists who believe in polytheistic religion.

It is also mysterious that the one and only God allows three different religions that all have faith in Him.


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Luk 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Luk 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

"Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee" - More Effective Miracles by Christ Jesus?

Tokyo

More Effective Miracles by Christ Jesus?

Christ Jesus performed various miracles.  He could even raise the dead to life.  But as everybody knows, He was crucified, killed and dead, though He reportedly resurrected.

Christ Jesus could perform various miracles, but He did not cure all the sick in Palestine or raise all the dead at the time to life.  He did not even drive Roman soldiers out of Jerusalem and Palestine to make Israel get independent from the Roman Empire.

Christ Jesus could even suppress demons and defeat Satan, though only in individual cases and not in a total manner.  What is worse, He could not prevent Satan from having an influence on Judas.

What Christ Jesus did was preaching words of  God, ordering to have righteous lives, teaching truth of life, and performing miracles.   But how could people believe that Christ Jesus is a holy man, the son of God, or even God Himself when they just saw Christ Jesus performing these things?

Was it rather just an impression of Christ Jesus that made people believe that Christ Jesus was directly from God?   Then, what impression of a man would make people believe that he is from God?

In a Japanese animation, an old man changed the daytime instantly to night and then the night instantly back to the daytime to prove that he is god when some children had doubt.

It is still a mystery that Christ Jesus did not perform more effective miracles than changing the daytime instantly night and the night instantly back to the daytime.





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Mat 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
Mat 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

"And he came to Nazareth" - Not Wealth or Honor in this World

Tokyo

Not Wealth or Honor in this World

It is often said that if you get the world but you lose your freedom, it is nothing.

The underlying teaching must come from Jesus' words.  So, it means that if you get abundant wealth and worldly honor but you lose faith in God, it is nothing.

It is related to judgment on value.  But more profoundly, it is related to how much we fear God who wants human beings to respect love and justice more than abundant rich and worldly honor.

So, we had better think that one of the aims of Jesus' preaching is to teach us that we are obliged to have the fear of God.

Nonetheless we cannot easily see God while we can clearly see abundant rich and worldly honor.  It is easier to believe in what we can see more than what we cannot see.  That is why we have to make efforts to follow the teaching of God to get the ability to see what cannot be simply, easily, and naturally seen.

And eventually, we might find that freedom and faith in God are more valuable than wealth or honor in this world.



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Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Luk 4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

"he taught in their synagogues" - The Truth in Jesus' Words for Oneself

Tokyo Bay

The Truth in Jesus' Words for Oneself

If somebody said that God appeared in a remote country as a man who preached some teachings and performed miracles but was hated by mainstream priests and foreign authority occupying the country to be killed but come back to life three days later, would you believe this word?

Almost 1900 years ago, many Romans believed this story and started to revere the God.  And, in 300 years, the Roman Empire adopted Christianity as its state religion.

Did Romans respect those who were trying to diffuse Christianity in Rome and other cities in the Empire?  Did any notable persons, famous scholars, or influential politicians try to disseminate Christianity in the Empire?

If not, what was the key to the great success of Christianity in conquering the Empire?  The key was the Gospels and other documents in the New Testament.  There were no other means for Christianity to rely on in its deployment in the Empire.  But what features or parts of the Gospels appealed to Romans?  Most probably direct expressions of the words of Christ Jesus depicted in the Gospels.

We can only know what Christ Jesus told by reading the Bible.  So, the core of Christianity is the words of Christ Jesus, rather than His story depicted in the Bible, including His birth and crucifixion.

However, no mater how much and many ways scholars, priests, even the Pope, etc. interpreted the words of Christ Jesus reported in the Gospels,  it is each individual who finds truth in His words, the truth for himself or herself.




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Luk 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
Luk 4:15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

"seeing they may see, and not perceive" - Core of the Teaching by Christ Jesus

Northwest of Tokyo

Core of the Teaching by Christ Jesus

Christ Jesus taught very basic matters that were related to everybody in addition to Judaists living 2000 years ago.  That is why His teaching can survive 2000 years and can be understood by everybody in the world.

And such basic matters as related to everybody are love and animosity, good and bad, and relationship between human beings and God as well as life after death.  Christ Jesus behaved and taught as somebody who had been given all the knowledge about these matters by God.

The depth of His teaching and the strength of his authority have appealed many people in these 2000 years.  However, there are many people who cannot understand significance of His teaching on love and animosity, good and bad, and relationship between human beings and God as well as life after death.   Those who are driven by their desire or brainwashed by worldly wisdom cannot appreciate value and importance of the teaching of Christ Jesus.

People are born, live, and die no matter what lives they might have.  But people have souls and spirits that are cores of their existence.  And, what are important for souls and spirits was taught by Christ Jesus.  Put simply, it is God that creates souls and spirits of human beings.  And, if human beings do not live in accordance with the teaching of God, their souls and spirits are lost forever.  However, if they follow the teaching of God, they will be given eternal life to their souls and spirits, which is the core of the teaching of Christ Jesus.

But those who want to be rich and succeed in this world cannot understand the teaching of Christ Jesus, even if they are priests or any other members of Christian churches.

So, they cannot even accept the teaching: Love God and hate money.


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Mar 4:12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

"all these things are done in parables" - Maybe, Christ Jesus is God

Tokyo Subway

Maybe, Christ Jesus is God

Christians say that Christ Jesus is God.

But there is a possibility that God is not pleased with this notion or belief in Christ Jesus.  And, there is a possibility that God gave Islam to some people in order to show His displeasure.

Judaists also don't believe that Christ Jesus is God, while they have been allowed to exist for 2000 years after the emergence of Christ Jesus.  It might show God's pleasure with the view of Judaists on Christ Jesus.

Maybe, Christ Jesus is God, but still there is a possibility that God is not pleased by this belief of Christians.

But can Christianity continue to stand as a religion even after changing its attitude and starting to keep silence on deity of Christ Jesus?

Maybe, Christ Jesus is God, but God might not like Christians to call Christ Jesus God, since Judaism and Islam have survived for more than 1,000 years.


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Mar 4:11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

"He shall give his angels charge over thee" - God's Almighty

Tokyo

God's Almighty

There is a possibility that God is not simply only one.  It is because God is almighty.  Yet, we seem to be required by God to believe that God is one.

The fact that God is almighty can stand with His request that the mankind believe specific things about Him.

Put simply, we are not so advanced to fully and soundly understand God and the meaning of His being almighty and perfect, which means we have to be humble before God.  However, much money makes us blind to God and his almighty; so money is an enemy of God.





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Luk 4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
Luk 4:11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Luk 4:12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

"Get thee behind me, Satan" - The Final Mystery about God

A Mountainous Area, north of Tokyo

The Final Mystery about God

Judaism has no myths like those in ancient Greece or Egypt.  Judaists have not been interested in life after death.  Ancient Judaists concentrated on their living in this world.  They did not create stories about gods.  However they magnified their god, so that it would save them from surrounding enemies.

Ancient Israelites believed in only one god.  This is unique among various tribes in the ancient world.  And this concept of God was transferred to Christians and Muslims.  Early Christians and Muslims assumed various angels and imagined Heaven and the hell, but their god was only one, following the tradition of Judaism.

Today none believes existence of the world of gods above the human world like in the Greek myth.  However, it seems that all the people think that God is only one if He exists.  With advancement of science, modern people do not think that gods are behind various natural phenomena, but still most of people think that there is God who created this universe.

Put simply, with development of science, people have not come to believe various myths based on various religions and cultures and existence of the world of gods.  However, only the God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam has remained.

But there is still a unique character in the concept of God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: God can set a fate of each individual or can interfere with it as His will.  God is not only the creator of the universe, the galaxy, the sun, the earth, and the mankind, but also the lord of the mankind who can set and change a fate of each man.  That God has these two aspects is so mysterious.

In addition to these features of God, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam teach that God loves goodness and justice.  This third aspect becomes the critical condition for anyone to truly believe in God.  You many believe God as the creator of the universe and also as the master of human fate.  But you may be afraid that God judges people based on His request for goodness and justice, so that you may decide not to believe in God, since you cannot be good and righteous.

Indeed, the final judgment is the common concept of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  It means that God created this universe and the mankind and sometimes interfered with fates of the human beings while expecting people to live good and righteous life.  But why does God act in such a manner without just being content with only creating Heaven where angels live according to the will of God?  Why did God create human beings so weak to Satan's temptation?

This is the final mystery about God.




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Luk 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

"some fell by the way side" - The Egg or The Chicken? Christianity or the Gospels?

Haneda Airport, Tokyo

The Egg or The Chicken?  Christianity or the Gospels?

There is a well-known argument: Which comes first, the egg or the chicken?  Then we may well ask: which came first, Christianity or the Gospels?

Some say that the only mission of the egg is to become a chicken while the chicken can perform various missions, so that this question is not a sound or reasonable one.

However, it is apparent that Christianity without the Gospels is impossible today although Christ Jesus did not use the Gospels written 30 to 50 years after His death on the cross.  Besides, without the Gospels, people cannot even know that Christ Jesus died on the cross.

The first egg of the chicken species must have been created by a bird that could not be called a chicken in today's sense.  So, the Gospels must have been written by authors who cannot be called Christians in today's sense, although Christians in later generations emerged from those who read the Gospels.

The bird that created the first egg that grew up as the first chicken was missed forever.  But from the beginning the Bibles were written to report what Christ Jesus was.  And Christ Jesus is the final status Christians are expected to be.

The mankind is far more precious than birds.




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Mar 4:4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
Mar 4:5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
Mar 4:6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
Mar 4:7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
Mar 4:8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
Mar 4:9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

"If thou be the Son of God" - Pre-First Pope, Paul?

Cherry-Blossom Viewing, around Tokyo 

Pre-First Pope, Paul?

There is a big gap between Christ Jesus and St. Paul who set the foundation of the religion Christianity as we know today.

Christ Jesus is revolutionary, and His teaching is beyond the norm of the human society without mentioning the Jewish society 2000 years ago.  However, Paul wrote how Christians should live in accordance with the authority of the human society.  Christ Jesus is not afraid of challenging persons with power, but Paul recommended to obey them.  Christ Jesus clearly tried to demolish power in this world, but Paul taught how to live in obedience to worldly rulers.

If we don't have the Gospels according to Mark, Luke, Mathew, and John but only letters and other documents written by Paul in the New Testament, we must know a very different Christianity.

However, wisdom of Christians in these 2000 years has accepted both the Gospels and Paul's documents.  Nonetheless, the origin of Christianity is Christ Jesus but not Paul.  And, more interestingly, the Vatican seems to highly rely on Paul's documents while it never counted Paul as its first Pope or pre-first Pope.

Or, does the Vatican regard Paul as a kind of God?


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Luk 4:3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
Luk 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

"he began again to teach by the sea side" - Certain Young Men in Mark

Tokyo Bay

Certain Young Men in Mark

There are two sentences in Mark describing mysterious young men:

Mar 14:51 And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: 

Mar 16:5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.

The first young man mentioned in Mark in the context that Christ Jesus was arrested is not described in Luke and Mathew.   And before this sentence, Mark describes: "Mar 14:50 And they all forsook him, and fled."  So, who could see this young man?  Why did Mark realize the young man on the scene and how he behaved?

The second young man was observed by the women, but Mark, at the end in its original form, describes: "Mar 16:8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid."  So, who could see this young man?  Why did Mark realize the young man on the scene and how he looked?

The reasonable answer is that it was Christ Jesus that observed the young men in both the occasions.

With these two sentences mentioning the young men, Mark implied that his Gospel was based on observation by Christ Jesus.   So, we should naturally consider that Mark was based on writing or saying by Christ Jesus Himself.  Mark must have translated Jesus' writing or saying to Greek.  It means that Christ Jesus wrote or testified His mission after the Resurrection.

In my theory, these young men were from the beginning following Christ Jesus.  And, they had arranged for taking Christ Jesus out of the tomb after the Crucifixion.  And they took Christ Jesus to their facilities in Qumran, since Christ Jesus had come out of Qumran, being followed by these young men.




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Mar 4:1 And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
Mar 4:2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

"Matthat, which was the son of Levi" - Parts in the Holy Books Influenced by Satan

Tokyo

Parts in the Holy Books Influenced by Satan

There had been many tribes that believed in various gods.  Hebrews also believed in a god and only one god.

The God of Hebrews turned to be the true God of the mankind as He became the God of Christians and later of Muslims.

God never changes, but the relationships between God and people can change.

God of Hebrews or Judaists just protected them even by helping them destroy and kill their enemy tribes.  But God of Christians said to love their enemies.  Nonetheless, God of Muslims cursed non-believers.

Everything changes, but the world of God never changes.  However, people interpret the world of God in a very different manner depending on time, a location, and circumstances.  And, people have to know what God says through holy books unless they are directly spoken to by God.  Accordingly, we have to check, examine, and study the holy books as to whether or not any parts of them were influenced by Satan.  But, we have to believe that if there were any parts influenced  by Satan, still God can use them for His holy purpose.

If there were any parts in the holy books influenced by Satan, it must have been included in the holy books for some mysterious intention of God.  This must be an attitude we have to take to show our trust in God.



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Luk 3:29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi,
Luk 3:30 Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim,

"No man can enter into a strong man's house" - Respect the Divine Trinity Theory

Tokyo Bay

Respect the Divine Trinity Theory

In any part of the Gospels Christ Jesus said that He was God.  However, Christianity is based on the belief that Christ Jesus is God.

Judaists cannot accept such an idea.  It is impossible for them to accept any Judaist including Jesus as God.  Even Muslims cannot accept Christ Jesus as God, though they believe that Jesus was one of great prophets.

It is interesting that while it was easier to think that God sent His son to the mankind with support of a holy spirit and they were all independent, Christians built a theory that God, His son (Jesus) and the holy spirit were one in their nature.  Therefore, they believe that Christ Jesus is God.

There are many mysteries in this world and the universe.  We cannot yet clearly explain why this universe was formed as it is now.  We cannot yet clearly explain why vacuum energy had existed before this universe started to be formed.

So, even if we cannot explain why the divine trinity is a right theory, it might be true.  And, in case that it is true, the mankind had better respect the theory, since the issue is directly related to God and the greatest saint Jesus.

The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (Latin: Trinitas, lit. 'triad', from trinus, "threefold")[2] holds that God is three consubstantial persons[3] or hypostases[4]—the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit—as "one God in three Divine Persons". The three persons are distinct, yet are one "substance, essence or nature" (homoousios).[5] In this context, a "nature" is what one is, whereas a "person" is who one is. 

In addition, the Old Testament has also been interpreted as foreshadowing the Trinity,[102] by referring to God's word,[Ps 33:6] his spirit,[Isa 61:1] and Wisdom,[Prov 9:1] as well as narratives such as the appearance of the three men to Abraham.[Gen 18][103] However, it is generally agreed among Trinitarian Christian scholars that it would go beyond the intention and spirit of the Old Testament to correlate these notions directly with later Trinitarian doctrine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity#Impact_of_Stoic_Philosophy



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Mar 3:27 No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
Mar 3:28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
Mar 3:29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.

"between some of John's disciples and the Jews" - Question about Resurrected Jesus

Tsukiji Wholesale Market, Tokyo

Question about Resurrected Jesus

Christ Jesus resurrected or came back to life after the Crucifixion.  And, He ate fish and honeycomb.

Luk 24:39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
Luk 24:40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
Luk 24:41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
Luk 24:42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
Luk 24:43 And he took it, and did eat before them.

So, physically he came back to life.  But Christ Jesus never repeated His mission in the same manner that he had preached before the arrest, trial, and execution.  Instead, reportedly He, with His physical body,  ascended to Heaven.  But why?

So, most of Bible readers must think that Christ Jesus eventually died, since He only appeared several times to His disciples after the Resurrection.

But even if Christ Jesus repeated His mission like he had done before the Crucifixion, He should have been arrested again and this time He might have been beheaded like John the Baptist.  So, He had to leave Jerusalem and even Galilee.  Yet, He could have traveled preaching like Paul or Peter.  If resurrected Christ Jesus had launched a new mission, all the people must have admitted that He had really come back to life from the death.  But, He had eventually gone somewhere or ascended to Heaven.

So, we have to think about why resurrected Jesus did not repeat His mission like Paul or Peter.   Then, there must not be any controversy about His resurrection.  More people must believe in Christianity with more confidence.


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Joh 3:25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
Joh 3:26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.
Joh 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

"all the prophets from Samuel" - Christ Jesus as a Great Teacher of Morality

Mountain Area Northwest of Tokyo

Christ Jesus as a Great Teacher of Morality

The Gospel according to Luke was written in Rome while Paul and Peter were there.

Luke was intended to help Romans understand Christianity, so that the Roman authority would not regard Christianity as a dangerous cult.  However, the Gospel must have provoked some Romans and even Emperor Nero.

Luk 6:24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
Luk 6:25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
Luk 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

These passages in Luke are clearly against the value system of Romans.  The teachings of Christ Jesus introduced in Luke  were clearly against the rulers of this world including the Roman Empire.

Luke needed to define the position of Christians in relation to two political and social entities, the Roman Empire and Judaism. Regarding the Empire Luke makes clear that, while Christians are not a threat to the established order, the rulers of this world hold their power from Satan, and the essential loyalty of Christ's followers is to God and this world will be the kingdom of God, ruled by Christ the King.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Luke#Christians_vs._Rome_and_the_Jews

So, eventually the Roman authority came to regard Christians as their enemies.  Especially Empire Nero who loved  luxury and riches must have felt that he was criticized.  And, it is very likely that some Roman officials or Nero himself read the following sentence.

Luk 12:49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?  

So, when a big fire occurred in Rome, Nero accused Christians of arson.

Luke and other Gospels contributed propagation of Christianity among Roman citizens, but the Gospels also provoked Roman emperors and elites, resulting in severe persecution sometimes.

In this context, the core of Christianity is not theology but an ethic or morality, since the Roman authorities were tolerant to religions but they could not yield to a high-level of requests to abandon worldly wealth and have righteous lives.  

This applies even to today's situations.  Some people, including priests and bishops, learn well religious aspects of Christianity with detailed knowledge but do not have a high-level of morality.

Even if you have no ethic, you can learn any religion, including Christianity, as a target of your intellectual work.  However, Christ Jesus was first of all a great teacher of morality.



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Act 3:24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
Act 3:25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Act 3:26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

"Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea" - Mark and Literacy of 1st-Century Judaists

The Sea of Japan

Mark and Literacy of 1st-Century Judaists

The Dead Sea Scrolls (found in Qumran caves), the the Nag Hammadi library (found in upper Egypt), and inscriptions on the ossuaries (found around Jerusalem) all suggested that there were a significant number of Judaists who could read or write in the first century.

It means that most probably Christ Jesus could read and write.  However there are some scholars who claim that Christ Jesus must not have been able to read and write.  In such a claim, they injured reputation and holiness of Christ Jesus.  Nonetheless, there must have been much more people who could not read and write in Palestine and the Roman Empire at the time.  Jesus Christ had more concern with those poor people, so that He directly spoke and preached to them.

But it does not mean that no followers of Christ Jesus took a note of His words, although there are no such descriptions in the Gospels.  Nonetheless it was about 30 years after the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ Jesus that the Gospels were written.  So, it is one of big mysteries of Christianity why no followers, no Apostles, and no disciples of Christ Jesus would not write a gospel on Christ Jesus till decades had passed since the death of Christ Jesus.

Even the Gospels according to Mark, Luke, Mathew and John were written in Greek but not Aramaic, the prevalent language in Palestine at the time.  It means that these Gospels were not written under authority of the early Christian church in Jerusalem.  For example, although Mark wrote his Gospel in Greek mainly targeting Roman citizens, he might have written an Aramaic version of his Gospel and sent it to  the Christian church in Jerusalem for obtaining authorization or official approval, since it is apparent that at the time the Jewish-Roman War did not break out yet and the Christian church in Jerusalem was functioning as the center of Christians or Christian Judaists.  It also suggests that Christian authority in Jerusalem was against an idea of writing Gospels.

One of the key factors is that Christian Judaists thought that the end of the world was near, since Christ Jesus as a prophet came to them for preaching that the judgment day and the end of the world were close.  So, Christ Jesus said to repent before being judged by God.  If the end of the world was so near, it would not have much meaning to write Gospels about Christ Jesus.  Christian Judaists must have been busy preparing themselves or other Judaists for the end of the world.

But the end of the world had not come for 30 years after the death Christ Jesus.  The focus must have shifted from preparation for the end of the world to understanding what Christ Jesus said and what Christ Jesus was.  Especially gentiles or Roman citizens must have needed to know what Christ Jesus said and what Christ Jesus was before they started to believe in the saint of Judaists. 

So, whatever the direct reason for Mark's writing a Gospel, an idea of writing a Gospel came to be accepted by Christian Judaists living in Rome and other regions in the Empire far from Jerusalem.

But, writing a Gospel about Christ Jesus without consent of the church in Jerusalem means a start of separation from the church in Jerusalem.  Peter and even Paul could not explicitly support such a movement.  Therefore, these Gospels did not mention that they were realized by support from Peter and Paul.  It also means that there was a crucial reason for Mark to write the first Gospel even taking a risk of sparking fury of Christian Judaists in the church of Jerusalem.

Or at least, Mark wrote his Gospel by permission of Peter, the leader among Apostles, since Mark is said to have been an interpreter of Peter.  Then why did Peter give permission to Mark, while he knew that it was against the will of the church of Jerusalem?

The biggest factor to consider is the coming trial of Paul.  To save Paul from persecution by the Roman authority in the trial, Peter allowed Mark to write the Gospel.  Indeed, Paul had been indicted due to opposition to his teaching from non-Christian Judaists, Mark had to clearly explain why Paul had been accused by non-Christian Judaists like Christ Jesus Himself had faced antagonism of some non-Christian Judaists.  And Mark also intended to explain what Christ Jesus had done in Palestine to the Roman authority, proving that Christ Jesus was not a dangerous man to the Roman Empire.

 The Gospel according to Mark was essentially written to save Paul in the trial.  So, the Gospel was intended to be read by Roman elites who had compassion to Paul and other Christians and who might have some influence on Emperor Nero and other Roman authorities.  Therefore, the Gospel did not explain the teaching of Christ Jesus in a detailed manner or the human backgrounds of  Christ Jesus, since Roman authorities were interested only in whether or not Christ Jesus and thus Paul were dangerous in their religious activities to the Empire.    

 
Another point is that Mark should have relied on a certain source document that reported the activities of Christ Jesus in His mission, not only relying on Peter's memory.  The source document, probably in Aramaic, which was actually translated into Greek by Mark, must have been written by somebody closer to Christ Jesus than Peter.  And the mystery remains about who the author of the source document was, although there must have been not a few Judaists with literacy ability at the time especially around Jerusalem and Qumran.

So, it is no wonder if the author of the source document for Mark was Christ Jesus Himself.


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Joh 3:22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
Joh 3:23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
Joh 3:24 For John was not yet cast into prison.

"he that doeth truth cometh to the light" - Another Religion to the Mankind

Local Area Northwest of Tokyo

Another Religion to the Mankind

There is a theory that it was Judaists but not early Christians that severed the tie between Judasim and Christianity after the Jewish-Roman War.

Judaists had to reorganize its religion since it lost the temple in Jerusalem while Judaism at the time was structured around the temple.  Through its reorganization, new Judaism came to disqualify Christian Judaists, namely Judaists who accepted the teaching of Christ Jesus and followed Him.    Accordingly, while Christians included the Old Testament in its holy books,  Judaists came to totally neglect Christianity.

It means that Judaism split into two in the first century: Christianity and new Judaism.  Indeed, if there had been no Jewish-Roman War and the temple of Jerusalem had continued to function as the center of Judaism, there should have been Christian Judaists for centuries or even to date.

Conversely, for Christianity to be completely separated from old Judaism, the Jewish-Roman War had to erupt and the temple of Jerusalem had to be destroyed.

This providence is very profound.  God probably intended to use Christianity as a common religion of the mankind, since Judaism lacked something important to the eyes of God.  For this purpose, Christianity had to be separated from Judaism.

But, God also gave Islam, another religion subject to the same God of Judaists and Christians, to Arabs, etc. in the 7th century.  It is as if God had judged that there were some deficiencies in Christianity around the 7th century.

And, there is no denying that God might further give another religion to the mankind that is subject to the same God as that of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, since Islam cannot completely complement Judaism and Christianity.

Or is the mankind expected to read the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Koran on the same level and with the same passion to each?




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Joh 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

"the multitude cometh together again" - Mystery of St. Paul

Mountainous Area North of Tokyo

Mystery of St. Paul

Paul is a key person in establishment of Christianity. 　A half of the documents included in the New Testament is said to have been written by Paul.  But Paul was not the direct follower of Christ Jesus.  He never saw or heard Christ Jesus preaching in his life.  But Paul became the most influential person in early Christianity.  Why?  This is one of the most crucial mysteries of Christianity.

It is said the one day Paul encountered the Spirit of Christ Jesus.  Then, Paul suddenly became the passionate follower of Christ Jesus, though he had been persecuting followers of Christ Jesus before the incident.

How could a man who had hated a saint turn to be a passionate follower of the saint only because he encountered the Spirit of the saint.  Moreover, Paul developed and expanded contents of the teaching of Christ Jesus to the extent that he could teach the theology of Christianity to other Judaists and Roman citizens.

Paul did not know what Christ Jesus said and preached. But suddenly he became a fluent interpreter of the words of Christ Jesus, and Paul became a teacher to others.  While Paul did not know the background, circumstances, and contents of the mission of Christ Jesus, how could he become a master of Christianity?

Paul must have learnt about who Christ Jesus was and what He was in a detailed manner somewhere.  Otherwise, Paul could not have taught Christianity to others with such confidence.

It is reported by Paul himself that he spent three years in Arabia after his encounter with the Spirit of Christ Jesus on his way to Damascus for arresting and punishing Christians.  And then he returned to Damascus to preach the Gospel.  But he faced a threat on his life by his old fellows.  So he fled to Jerusalem to meet Peter and James, a brother of Christ Jesus.  Paul spent 15 days with them and left for his home town in today's Turkey and Antiochia in today's Syria.

Paul did not go to Jerusalem to meet Peter and James for the purpose of learning about Christ Jesus from them.  It means that Paul had enough knowledge about Christ Jesus.  So, where did he learn about Christ Jesus?  It must be in "Arabia."  But it doesn't make any sense since there were no Apostles or Jesus' family members in "Arabia" who could teach the life, the mission, and the teaching of Christ Jesus to Paul.

The only reasonable judgment is that Paul went to Qumran where Essenes lived and practiced their school of Judaism.   And in Qumran, there was somebody who could teach the life, the mission, and the teaching of Christ Jesus to Paul.  Having learnt in Qumran for three years, Paul got knowledge and religious contents as much as Peter and other disciples who had actually followed Christ Jesus.  So, Paul could stand on  even ground with  Peter and those disciples.        

But Paul's confidence was extraordinary.  Paul showed great confidence in his knowledge about Christ Jesus.  So, it is natural to think that Paul was taught in Qumran by somebody that was closer to Christ Jesus than Peter and those disciples.

In my theory, Paul was secretly given a document written by Christ Jesus himself in Qumran.  He studied the document for three years to fully understand the contents of the document.  And, when Paul got confidence, he left Qumran to preach Christianity.

So, St. Paul became the only Apostle of Christ Jesus after his Resurrection.  And the document that was presented to Paul in Qumran became the so-called Q-source or the original text that was later translated into Greek by Mark and other Gospel authors.


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Mar 3:20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
Mar 3:21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.
Mar 3:22 And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
Mar 3:23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?

"for all the evils which Herod had done" - Significance of the Split of the Roman Empire

Tokyo Bay

Significance of the Split of the Roman Empire

One of the factors for the fall of the Western Roman Empire, many scholars admit, is the split of the Roman Empire into the Western and Eastern ones in 395.

As a result of this split of the Empire, Christianity was also divided into the Rome-centric Christianity and the Eastern Orthodox Church.  The two church systems developed almost independently to date.  So, their status of being independent from each other of today is a historical proof on how Christianity was influenced by the split of the empire.

If the Christian church system had not been divided into Rome-based one and Constantinople-based one, Christianity should have been more powerful and influential.  The integrated Christian church might have contributed more to security of the whole Roman Empire.  If so, the Western Empire should not have fallen 80 year after the split in 476.

Indeed, in the later centuries the Vatican could not prevent may wars and the Eastern Orthodox Church could not, either.

In my opinion, God rather wanted Christianity to be integrated with Judaism.  Instead, it split into two.  So, God allowed the emergence of Islam in the 7th century when the Eastern Orthodox Church changed its official language from Latin to Greek.

So, the split of the Roman Empire must be more important than the fall of the Western Empire.




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Luk 3:19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,
Luk 3:20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.

"And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew" - The Separation between Judaism and Christianity

The Japanese Government Plane at Tokyo Haneda Airport

The Separation between Judaism and Christianity

Christianity was not originally intended to be separated from Judaism.

Christ Jesus never tried to travel, like Paul, to Athens, Alexandria, Rome, etc. and other foreign lands outside Palestine.   He rather declared that He was sent to Israel.

Accordingly, Apostles and other followers of Christ Jesus, except Paul, never tried hard to preach Christianity to gentiles and foreigners after the Crucifixion and Resurrection.  Christianity was a part of Judaism.  The God of Christianity was the God of Judaism.  So, it was a matter of course for those Christian Judaists that those who believed in Christ Jesus were also Judaists or Israelites whether or not they lived in Palestine or not.

So, Christianity started as a sect or a school of Judaism, like the Essenes.  And it might have continued only to be so, if Paul had not launched his mission targeting foreigners or gentiles.  And, yet Paul did not declare that Christianity had nothing common with Judaism.  Paul did not even claim that Christianity should be separated from Judaism.

So, Paul and Peter were executed and died in Rome as Judaists rather than Christians in today's meaning.

The Gospels according to Mark and Luke that were surely written while Peter and Paul were alive did not mean that Christianity was separated from Judaism.  But they claimed that high priests and other leaders of Judaism did not believe Christ Jesus and thus they should be to blame.  Christianity was the right school of Judaism or true Judaism, according to Mark and Luke.

The Gospel according to Mathew, written between the death of Peter and Paul and the Jewish-Roman War, even stressed the tie between Christianity and Judaism.  It was because Judaism had been officially approved by the Roman authority while Emperor Nero singled out Christians as his target of persecution.  So, Mathew tried to persuade the Roman authority to protect Christianity as a school of Judaism.  Lives of Christians were at stake.  For Mathew to write his version of the Gospel was a desperate effort to protect Christians.

But, when the Jewish-Roman War erupted and the temple of Jerusalem was destroyed, Christians came to have a different view on Judaism.  For them to claim that Christianity was just a school of Judaism did not give them any advantage in their relationship with the Roman authority.  Rather Christians thought that God forsook Judaism.  God wanted Christians to get independent from Judaism.  Accordingly, John wrote his version of the Gospel that re-defined Christianity as an independent religion.   With the fall of the temple of Jerusalem, God changed his priority from Judaism to Christianity.  According to John, Christianity was now above Judaism.

But the leaders of the Christian church adopted all the four Gospels as part of the holy books of Christianity in the 4th century, while those Gospels had been written for different purposes and included some different or contradictory contents to one another.  It meant that they admitted also that Christianity was a school of Judaism.  Indeed, it could not be denied that Christ Jesus was a Judaist.

This condition has not changed even today.  Christianity is a school of Judaism or true Judaism.  But the reference should be made with Judaism having been practiced 2000 years ago.

Then, what is Judaism of today?  While Judaism having been practiced 2000 years ago had capacity to somewhat accept Christianity, as proven by the existence of Christian Judaists such as Paul and Peter, Judaism today does not accept Christianity.

Even 1400 year ago, the separation between Judaism and Christianity gave a chance for Islam to be established while Muslims believed in the same God as that of Judaism and Christianity.

So, the separation between Judaism and Christianity has been one of critical factors that have worked behind the human history for these 2000 years.



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Mar 3:17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
Mar 3:18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,
Mar 3:19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.

"power to heal sicknesses" - Establishment of Christianity

Around Tokyo

Establishment of Christianity

Christ Jesus never said to stop being Judaists but be a member of the new religion Christianity.

Accordingly Peter, other Apostles, and even Paul were Judaists.  And, the authors of the Gospels are also believed to have been Judaists.   However, these Gospels look like criticizing Judaists in general, since Christ Jesus was attacked by Judaist priests of the temple of Jerusalem.

Did Paul, Peter, and the Gospel authors blame only Judaist priests or Judaists in general?  Anyway, they seem to have tried to establish true Judaism.   And, this true Judaism was open to gentiles, including Romans, because God of Christ Jesus was not only for Judaists but for all the mankind.

However, those Gospels look like having been written to mean that people have to just believe in God and Christ Jesus and there is no need to follow Judaism.

Whether or not they were written with intention to mean that people had to just believe in God and Christ Jesus and there was no need to follow Judaism, the Gospels indicated the direction.  So, when the Gospels were written, Christianity was established, leaving the scope of Judaism.  But, when Christ Jesus was preaching, Christianity was not established in a strict sense, ironically.

Therefore the core of Christianity is in the Gospels.  But there are many mysteries about the Gospels unlike the holy books of Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, etc.



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Mar 3:14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
Mar 3:15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

"be content with your wages" - Authority of the Gospels

Around Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

Authority of the Gospels

The New Testament has documents related to Paul in an overwhelming ratio.  They are mostly letters written by Paul.  In addition, the Gospel according to Luke is also closely associated with Paul, since Luke followed Paul to Rome and wrote the Acts to testify what Paul was.  However, the Gospels according to Mark and Mathew are also included in the New Testament as holy books.

Indeed, it is thought that Luke was written based on Mark.  Or contents included in Mark account for 42% of those of Luke.  Put simply, 42% of contents of Luke were copied from Mark.  So, if Luke was holy, Mark was also holy, so that Mark was included in the New Testament.  But why are Mathew and John included in the New Testament while they were apparently written after Luke?

It is also thought that Mathew and John were also based on Mark and Luke.  But weren't there other documents also based on Mark and Luke around AD 100?  If there had been other Gospels that had been also written like Mathew and John based on Mark and Luke, they should have been included in the New Testament.

So, there are only two possibilities: (1) there were no other Gospels written based on Mark and Luke, or (2) there were other Gospels written based on Mark and Luke but they lacked some special conditions.  The matter is simple in the case of (1).  But what are the special conditions in the case (2)?

The answer must be also related to the basic question why Luke adopted Mark as its source.  It must be because Mark had been written under supervision of Paul or Peter.  So, only Mathew and John were written under supervision of somebody who succeeded Paul and Peter.

But why aren't there any descriptions about such supervision or authority in those Gospels?  This is one of major keys to understanding the Gospels.





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Luk 3:14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.