The library of books called the Bible is much as we the people: both human and divine.
The historical emergence of Christianity was definitely a HUMAN work of art. And, more like Paul than Jesus, more Hellenistic than Jewish. Christianity arose out of the ashes of many clashes between competing groups. What ultimately stood after the Roman Emperor dust settled is what we embrace today as Christianity.
It was a bitter fought battle between a half dozen groups.
For those that think the Bible was handed down on high by a God-like human somewhere out there in space, history is not on your side. Very few scholars are on your side either. That does not mean that this human invention called Christianity is somehow inferior.
Quite the contrary!
As Bart Ehrman has written, ” In terms of its historical and cultural significance, arguably the greatest invention in the history of Western civilization is Christianity.” The sheer impact of Christian doctrine, sales of the Bible, and socio-religious impact on the planet is massive.
And none of the above even begins to mention the spiritual truths that we’re still trying to un-package today. The Bible, like you and I, is both human and divine.
Indeed! The more I dwell upon and incorporate esoteric passages from the Bible into my daily practice, the more Haunting I find those passages to be. And I use the word “haunting” in this case to suggest Mystery rather than spookiness. Although, there is some downright spooky “stuff” in there too
Fundamentalism and a literal translation of the Bible is what’s SPOOKY!
I stumbled upon an interesting quote attributed to the Sufi mystic Hafiz today. He says, “I Have Learned so much from God that I can no longer call Myself a Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim,
A Buddhist, a Jew.”
And after reviewing the history of those five religions, who would WANT to take on such a description?