Armenian Apocryphal Texts --An Overview by Dr. Michael Stone

Studies of the Armenian "Apocryphal Texts" (i.e. Jewish literature from 200 BCE to 100 CE aka "Pseudepigrapha") associated with the Old Testament have been long neglected in favor of other textual traditions, especially Greek, Latin, and Syriac--and some Hebrew materials from the Dead Sea Scrolls, and in the case of 1 Enoch, Ethiopic. See the collections of R. H. Charles, H.F. D. Sparks, and James Charlesworth, for the standard editions in English.
In this lecture Michael Stone of Hebrew University offers an overview of what has survived among the Armenians--the oldest Christian community in Jerusalem.

[@charlessutton5400]

Dr. STONE has a particularly clear mind. First exposure to Dr STONE. Impressed, I am.

[@JAB00777]

Armenia is the first Country to be declared " Christian " ✝️ .... just A FYI .... everything about Rome and how they put the Bible together vis very questionable

[@nubtube7313]

The relevant point was Interest in apocryphal literature increased in the late 1800’s, spurred on by a desire to better understand the historical Jesus. But what is also apparent is just how much outside actors have influenced these texts over the centuries. So the question is has this affected our understanding of history? Was Jesus simply part of an apocalyptic movement? Dr. Tabor bases his views largely on letters from the Apostle Paul, which he uses to cement his conclusions in the belief that what was most expected never came about, essentially devoting his life and eventual death to a terrible misreading of the texts in question. Dr. Tabor misses the fact that the story doesn’t end with Rome’s 2nd century heyday, but continues to include its conversion to faith in Jesus, or that his equating Paul with Jesus is a logical misstep of epic proportions. You don’t have to believe these stories, but getting the context and order right is essential to understanding the history behind them.
Paul claims to have had a supernatural experience that causes him to abandon the religious order he belonged to, and join the so called Jesus movement. Paul’s conversion is post murder and crucifixion of John and Jesus, which were events that could be seen as being part of the prophetic texts he was most likely aware of. Misinterpreting the surrounding events as signs of an imminent end following the murder and crucifixion that preceded his own supernatural experience is more than understandable, it’s believable. But Paul’s letters, which were supposedly penned out of strong convictions about Jesus’ resurrection have no connection with any expectations Jesus might have had. Paul being wrong about an imminent end does not equal Jesus expected the end to be imminent. There is nothing apocalyptic about the Ten Commandments, or about Jesus cleansing the temple. There is a message that precedes an apocalypse. Anyone that has read the Gospel of Mark has read the message, but the gist of it is covered in Mark 12:29-31, Mark 10:1-5, Mark 7:8, Mark 7:13, Mark 11:17, and Mark 12:9.

[@neclark08]

...how can you have read the SEVENTEEN frequently cross-confirmatory quotes attributed to Jesus in the 'First Four' of the Canonical Gospels, and conclude that he Did NOT expect to make his 'Curtain Call' within a few years of his execution:
- 4 Verses in Matt: 10:23, 16:27-28, 23:36 & 24:33-34;
- 3 in Mark: 1:15, 9:1, & 13:30,
- 4 in Luke: 9:27, 10:9, 21:22 & 21:32 &
- 6 in John: 12: 31-35, 14:2-4, 14:28,29, 16:7, 16:16-19 & 21:20-24.
SURELY, the towns of Israel were neither so numerous- nor so separated that just his 11 remaining Disciples would need even a decade to "...not finish going through the towns of Israel..."

[@nubtube7313]

@@neclark08 thanks for your comment. To start, I don't put a lot of value in the Church's cannons, or the scholarly notion the Gospel was written decades after the crucifixion! I'm not saying the Church isn't important because it is, just like healthy vibrant communities are important. The Church was supposed to provide a community where faith could grow, but unfortunately history has shown that hasn't always been the case. If you find comfort reading any of the devotional Gospels, who am I to deprive you of that comfort? These works were created with the best of intentions for sure, and I doubt the over zealous followers that created them realized just how much damage they were doing. The fact that they have helped you believe Jesus was simply a failed Messiah is proof of the damage done. Take your Luke 9:27 reference as the example.
Luke"Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God"
Mark"Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power"
Luke intends to glorify the message by making it more important, or so he thinks. So how does he do that, he erases the words "that", and "has come with power" to emphasize the words "kingdom of God".
The text in Mark is referring to the Apostles that Jesus would reveal himself to after the crucifixion. If Jesus is of the kingdom of God, then defeating death would be a demonstration of the power within it coming to be witnessed. But clearly your understanding after reading the corruption in Luke is that Jesus meant the end of time had arrived, which is a lie.
So I will comment on just the 2 verses from Mark that seem to be confusing you. Mark 1:15 is not a reference to the end of time, it is announcing the arrival of Jesus. Jesus is of the kingdom of God, and his arrival brings him near. This verse is interesting because it forms the foundation for the reason he came, as in Mark 2:10. But there is clearly a lot of confusion surrounding his purpose and the meaning behind what he said. You are on the right track if you noticed Mark 1:15, but that is only the start of the story, so keep going.
My advice would be not to take a single verse from Mark 13 to understand its meaning. That chapter has 37 verses, and they are meant to be read together. Pay special attention to the order of the signs so that you notice they are not in order. The only way the chapter makes sense is if the word "generation" is used in the broader sense of an age, which is the context the prophecy being referenced from the Book of Daniel was written in. If "generation" meant literally the generation of the Apostles, then you believe verse 6 implies people from that generation wouldn't recognize themselves? How often do famines, earthquakes, and world wars occur? No culture sees these types of events as frequently occurring, and yet verse 8 ends with "These are the beginning of birth pains". Matt 10:23 is another good example of a corruption, but it has nothing to do with predicting the end of time. The corruption is describing when Jesus sent the 12 out. It precedes the murder of John, but appears to have created confusion for you, which is part of the damage I talked about earlier. Mark 13:10 is not referring to towns in Israel when it declares that the Gospel must first be preached to all nations.
So the answer to your question of how is quite simply I don't read any of the devotional Gospels to understand Jesus' message.

[@jdaze1]

Ill be glad when people finally figure out that the gospel author(s) personified the Spirit of Truth as a man named Jesus. The clues are hidden thruout the NT if you can understand the allegory/metaphor literary type they were written in.
I.e. the virgin daughter of Zion that travails in childbirth giving birth to her firstborn is defined in the OT. And Revelation. It was not a woman named Mary. The only miracle birth in the NT is the New Birth into a new creation. Everything was a metaphor or "signified" as John noted in Revelation 1. The truth will set us free from religious fables and doctrines of men.