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So you only have what the Hebrews themselves wrote about their enemies, right?
And we've been through this before.
When you spoke of twelve years of discourse, that was effective. I shook my head at the wasted time trying to reason with the likes of you - twelve years huh? Run with what you believe. Go for it.
We've been through this before. Any theory that the Old Testament is a self aggrandizing autobiography of the nation of Israel is really unrealistic.
Its candor, its inclusion of embarressing details, its record of God being harsh with the theocratic nation itself many times, are not consistent with an Egyptian like boasting.
Just reading Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel alone as major prophets should demonstrate that more times then not the chosen people of God were under His discipline for their misrepresenting Him to the world than not.
Conspiracy theories as to why it appears this way are not plausible to me.
Rather at being the chosen theocratic nation on earth, their reply might well have been "Why not go and pick on somebody else? "
Paul called the Hebrew Bible "the ministry of condemnation". With occasional glimmers of Gods favor it is much more a record of His scolding, discipline, punishment, and chastisement against the theocratic nation.
Why would they write a self exalting book about God and record God saying "You are NOT my people." Hosea, Amos and other minor prophets take up the theme of Yahweh's displeasure with the covenant breaking Israel.
You might think the book of the Old Testament was written by their enemies instead. Having said that, the hope of their recovery is never completely discarded. Against all odds God comes back again and again as a husband who cannot leave the love of his life.
"All israel will be saved" Paul informs the new covenant church in Romans.
@sonship saidPointing out - accurately and truthfully - that you only have what the Hebrews themselves wrote about their enemies [before killing them all and moving onto their land] is, to your way of thinking, a "conspiracy theory"?
Conspiracy theories as to why it appears this way are not plausible to me.
@sonship saidThis is not relevant to the Hebrew claim that their god told them to kill the Midianites and take their land.
Its candor, its inclusion of embarressing details, its record of God being harsh with the theocratic nation itself many times, are not consistent with an Egyptian like boasting.
@sonship saidIts candor, its inclusion of embarressing details, its record of God being harsh with the theocratic nation itself many times, are not consistent with an Egyptian like boasting.
Its candor, its inclusion of embarressing details, its record of God being harsh with the theocratic nation itself many times, are not consistent with an Egyptian like boasting.
Just reading Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel alone as major prophets should demonstrate that more times then not the chosen people of God were under His discipline for their misrepresenting Him to the world than not.
Was the story of what the Hebrews did to the Midianites one of the "embarrassing details"?
Just reading Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel alone as major prophets should demonstrate that more times then not the chosen people of God were under His discipline for their misrepresenting Him to the world than not.
Was the story of what the Hebrews did to the Midianites one of the cases where they were "misrepresenting Him" [God]?
- Joined
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Folks Genesis explains that God told Abraham that He would not bring Israel into the good land of Canaan YET. That is becuause the people there had not gotten BAD ENOUGH yet.
God tells Abraham in Genesis 15 that another 400 years has to pass before God would execute judgment upon the inhabitants of Canaan.
The 400 years pass and He adds another 40 years of Israel wandering in the wilderness as a warning to the people.
The first city to be conquered, I think, was Jericho. Readers of the Bible will notice that God had "the army of Jehovah" march around the city every day for seven days. Then on the seventh day they marched around seven times.
Nobody told me this. Maybe someone else has said it. But I don't know. But I think one of the reasons the Hebrew army marched around the city seven days in silence was to give ANY repentant people one last week to escape slaughter.
Put it all together and you can see God's reluctance to have to judge the inhabitants of Canaan. Four hundred more years, plus forty more of wandering in the wilderness, then marching silently around the first city to be destroyed for seven days and seven times on the LAST of those days.
I believe between the lines we can see God's giving any repentant inhabitants a [last] (edited) chance to disperse and leave these sinful abominable places.
God judged. One of the messages of the Bible is - "Yes, human society CAN get that bad." We may think a society cannot descend to such a level. God knows better and left a record.
"You all CAN actually sink that low."
@sonship saidNone of this is relevant to the veracity of the Hebrew claim that their god told them to kill all the Midianites and take their land.
Folks Genesis explains that God told Abraham that He would not bring Israel into the good land of Canaan YET. That is becuause the people there had not gotten BAD ENOUGH yet.
GOd tells Abraham in Genesis 15 that another 400 years has to pass before God would execute judgment upon the inhabitants of Canaan.
The 400 years pass and He adds another 40 years ...[text shortened]... scend to such a level. God knows better and left a record.
"You all CAN actually sink that low."
The post that was quoted here has been removedIs there any evidence whatsoever (obviously with the exception of the biblical account) that any of this actually happened? Given the numbers claimed that scale of warfare would leave destruction layers in multiple cities in a very short space of time. Is there any of this?
@philokalia saidWhat accusations against the Hebrews?
... It was a good enough source for accusations against the Hebrews, was it not?