I'm not quite sure which one of us is playing the straight man here, Paul,
but I'll bite: is John writing a new commandment or not? According to 2:7
and 2:8, the answer is yes and no. On the literal level, I consider this a
contradiction. Of course, John is using this contradiction skilfully to make
a point...
>And, regarding that which is on hold, I believe I have
>demonstrated there is no contradiction between 1:8, 3:9, and 5:16.
I believe there is probably no point in discussing that further. But I do
think that one can understand John better by appreciating the contradictions
to see what they point to.
Jonathan
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Jonathan Robie jwrobie@mindspring.com http://www.mindspring.com/~jwrobie
POET Software, 3207 Gibson Road, Durham, N.C., 27703 http://www.poet.com
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