I am up much too early (thanks to another special credit card offer). However, reading your post caused me to roar with laughter! I'll start at the end:
"I am sure that it is possible to have a scholarly discussion on the rest of your post without my becoming evangelical. However, the requirement of rational thought on the subject(s) appears to be absent in your case.
So unless you wish to reward the thread with insights that weaken my above argument, I shall bid ado."
Is it possible you do not see the extreme mirth you are creating for people when you follow such pretentious crowing with, "I shall bid ado"!!! Oh, my!! It really must be much ado about nothing!
Before I get back to sleep, a quick response. Your post demonstrates you are either being intentionally obtuse, or that you have a brand new translation which you refuse to share with us. Now what don't you understand?
Ninety-nine percent of your post is irrelevant sawdust which you are strewing about for reasons I am not privy to. It has nothing to do with the contradictions, so I suppose you are doing the wounded bird routine...
Let us stick with the contradictions. As you know they occur in ACTS 7: 15, 16...set against GEN 50:13. One glance at the following translations makes the message clear, doesn't it?
7:15
So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,
16: AND
...were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulcher that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor [the father] of Sychem.
...they were carried over into Sychem, and were laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in money from the sons of Emmor, of Sychem.
...were carried over to Sychem and placed in the sepulchre which Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the [father] of Sychem.
...they were carried over unto Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver of the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
...they were brought back to Shekhem, and laid in the tomb that Avraham bought for a price in silver from the sons of Hamor of Shekhem.
...they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
...translati sunt in Sychem et positi sunt in sepulchro quod emit Abraham pretio argenti a filiis Emmor filii Sychem
NOTICE that your, "Stephen did not say that "our fathers" were "buried in Shechem."" is dead wrong! Putting someone in a tomb is considered burial!! Note also that Jacob had taken very especial care to ensure that he would be carried out of Egypt for burial. I won't bother looking up the links. You ought, surely, to be aware of, at least--that.
Notice as well that Shechem, Sychem, and Shekhem are used interchangeably as the place name. If you had bothered to look at the geography, you would have noticed these facts on the maps, not to mention that biblical commentary abounds on the issue of this contradiction.
"Stephen did not say that "our fathers" were "buried in Shechem." He says
"carried over into Sychem" Acts 7:16."
AGAIN, gao seng, the translations are right in front of your eyes! Are you truly challenged by this? Or is it an act?
OH MY!! Here is GEN: 50:13 which says something entirely different!
Gen.50:13
"For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him [Jacob] in the cave of the field of Machpelah."
for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field, for a possession of a burying-place, of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.
And carrying him into the land of Chanaan, they buried him in the double cave which Abraham had bought together with the held for a possession of a buryingplace, of Ephron the Hethite over against Mambre.
They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, facing on Mamre, the field that Abraham had bought for a burial ground from Ephron the Hittite.
They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field.
They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, the field near Mamre, which Abraham bought as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite.
for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field at Mach-pe'lah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite, to possess as a burying place.
For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.
Machpelah and Shechem (Sychem, Shekhem) are TWO different places!!!
That is why biblical scholars have tried again and again to make up ways of explaining what they call a glaring inconsistency or a troubling concern, etc. However, I am NOT surprised that it causes no confusion or ADO for you!!
I must get some sleep. Perhaps I will talk with you tomorrow? PLease?! (and remember, there are over 52,000 errors in the bible--so put on your thinking cap if you cannot handle these matters gracefully)!
If you did not wish me to make sport of you, you should have responded without playing games. Games (in these types of circumstances)are insulting, and they waste a lot of time. Night. |
