mrhodes_47@earthlink.net wrote:


> The real issue is whether salvation occurs at a point, but having been
> decided by Christ; not by ourselves. And that is effected by
> obedience to a plurality of commandments.

At least you're clear here: You think that man must work
his way into heaven. St. Paul says otherwise and if you
gainsay him, you gainsay Scripture. End of story.


> What only Paul

Christ's appointed apostle is not "only".

Bart

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TomaszAntkowiak@lycos.com wrote:
>
> I'm curious whether there are any other examples of such or similar
> parallels and whether the mystery religions contained a concept of a
> Redeemer that can be traced prior to Christianity.
>
http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/babylons/default.htm

You can read it here on the web, but I would suggest you purchase a
copy of your own. I have researched the bibliography of this book over
the years, to the extent of taking several weeks of vacation to visit
the Library of Congress, some of the reference work could be found no
where else (1800's material - out of print). I have found some at
local university libraries and through our own lending library. The
Oriental Museum in Chicago is another great place to research this.

I would suggest you read Cumont, MacMullen and esp Budge's books. EA
Wallis Budge "From Fetish to God in Ancient Egypt." But he has many,
many other titles. Ramsay MacMullen's "Paganism in the Roman Empire"
is another interesting read as if "Astrology & Religion Among the
Greeks and Romans," by Franz Cumont. He also has many titles to chose
from

A more recent title would be "Rome in the Bible and the Early Church,"
published by Baker Book House ($20). It primarily reviews Luke-Acts
with the presupposition that they were written with Rome in mind seeing
as how Christian's found themselve both subject to it and ethically
disturbed by it.

Another title which might interest you is "Who Were the Israelites and
Where Did They Come From" or its companion title, "What Did the
Biblical Writers Know and When Did THey Know It?" both by William Dever
(Eerdmans Publishing."

If you would like a digest account of the history of hermeneutical
methodology in the very early church, esp the fathers, pick up "The
Twelve Prophets" published by InterVarsity Press. The authors takes
one back into a era, a world where Platonic philosopy and
allegorical-Christological exegesis permeated everything.
Interpretations by the church fathers in this commentary often border