Scholars
are aware of the rich and diverse ways in which the term "Son of God"
is used in the Hebrew Bible, in subsequent Jewish literature, and in the New
Testament writings themselves, not to mention various non-Jewish texts
(including inscriptions and coins) of the Greco-Roman period. Most of us who
teach in the field of Christian Origins get asked from time to time by students
or in public lectures, "Professor, do you believe Jesus was X."
Sometimes X is "Messiah," other times it is "Divine," but
in my experience, most often, the question is "Do you believe that Jesus
was the Son of God." In good Socratic fashion one is tempted to reply,
"Well what do you mean by the term 'Son of God,' and such a counter
question is certainly more than subterfuge. Here is a listing of most of the
complex ways in which that term is used in the Christian Bible and other
related traditions. Read the complete article at -- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-d-tabor/was-jesus-the-son-of-god-_b_7976430.html
The witnesses, laying their coats at the feet of Saul, were the men that would cast the first stones at Stephen in Acts 7. Why did they all lay their coats at Saul’s feet? The Talmud contains a very interesting account of the act of stoning that may provide the answer. “When the trial was over, they take him [the condemned person] out to be stoned. The place of stoning was at a distance from the court, as it is said, ‘Take out the one who has cursed.’ [i] A man stands at the entrance of the court; in his hand is a signaling flag [Hebrew sudarin = sudar , ‘scarf, sweater’]. A horseman was stationed far away but within sight of him. If one [of the judges] says, ‘I have something [more] to say in his favor,’ he [the signaler] waves the sudarin , and the horseman runs and stops them [from stoning him]. Even if [the condemned person] himself says, ‘I have something to say in my favor,’ they bring him back, even four of five times, only provided that there is some substance to...
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