[In my response below UPPER CASE = emphasis, not shouting.]
Sam:
Many on this list do ASSUME that Jesus "possessed all the gifts", "was the
wisest man", "the smartest man", etc., but in a discussion of the evidence,
we try to set these assumptions aside and ask, "what does the evidence we
have at our disposal in the greek text support?" It is an exercise in
dealing with the Greek, not a statement of our theology.
You might think of it like this: What can we demonstrate about the
language(s) Jesus spoke that would convince even a person who did not share
our faith perspective? If I were discussing this issue with a Hindu
neighbor or one of several atheists I know, what evidence could I produce
that would convince them of my view regarding the language(s) Jesus spoke.
They certainly would not accept any argument which started with, "Well,
Jesus was the smartest man who ever lived. . ." and even less one which
started with "Jesus is God, so he invented all languages."
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Micheal W. Palmer
Religion & Philosophy
Meredith College
mwpalmer@earthlink.net
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