In 1945 farmers in the Nag Hammadi area of Egypt discovered four earthenware jars that contained thirteen papyrus documents. These writings date back to the 2nd century A.D. and have been named the Gnostic treatises. Apparently they had been hidden by monks from a nearby monastery because they were thought to be heretical, and if found, would be destroyed.
Although they could not have been written during the lifetime of Jesus, what is important is this fact: The authors of these papyri wrote down what they believed people in Jesus’ life would have said about him, his nature, and his mission. They were everyday citizens who knew well Christ’s handed down message: Thomas, Judas, Mary, James, Philip, and a host of others.
The Problem with the New Testament
But like the last article I wrote in this series about the violence and evil not only sanctioned by Yahweh but ordered by him in the Old Testament, the New Testament is fraught with problems which, in my mind, far exceed those of the Old Testament.
Firstly, Jesus claimed to be able to forgive sin. Let’s take a closer look at this. It is one thing to forgive another person if they have offended you in some way. If someone steals your new Mustang convertible and is caught by police, depending on circumstance and the thief’s sincerity, you might want to forgive that individual if he agrees to some kind of restitution, however small, and he shows signs of repentance.
Now, if this car thief has damaged your Mustang and ridicules you in court because he has no job or insurance, you would probably feel very different, particularly if the damage is not covered because of your deductible. If the hearing judge tells the thief, “Since you are young and with no means of reimbursement, all is forgiven, go in peace,” now, you might justifiably be angry at both the thief and the judge. A ruling like this by Judge Judy would probably warrant the end of her long-running TV program.
Yet, this is what Jesus would do. He told people their sins were forgiven without ever okaying this with the people affronted by someone else’s sin. Christian writer and staunch apologist, C.S. Lewis mentions this in his book, Mere Christianity (pages 51-52).
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