Titus 1-3, CJB with selected words from NIV

 Guide: CJB emphasis in bold (CJB online), text in green; NIV in magenta ; Nomads* discussion in yellow; and my comments in gray. I may use endnotes to cite outside literature or extensive comment.  

*Participative Sunday-school-class at UBC led by Ken Tipton. My continually improved statement about Genesis 1:26-28 is at the end of this. Today, I perceive that Paul’s letters to early churches preceded the 4 gospels and refute Genesis 1:26-28. I prefer Yeshua’s civic influence and discourage Pauline arrogance.

Chief concerns:

1.    Paul claims to know God, “who does not lie” “among God’s chosen people”.

a.    But does The God conform to Paul’s definition of “lie”?

b.    I doubt Paul.

c.     Does The God yield to Paul?

2.    Paul seems to argue with himself, presenting first God then Yeshua as “our Deliverer” (1:3-4).

a.    Hebrews 9:15-22 asserts that Yeshua mediated a will-to chosen people.

                                          i.    After multiple God-covenants-to Israel failed.

                                         ii.    V 22: “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

b.    Paul seems violent toward Israel

                                          i.    3:10 “the Circumcision faction, who are rebellious [to Pauline doctrine]”

                                         ii.    3:14 “Judaistic myths”

3.    Modern students seem in agreement that “submit” is not moral, at least not for slaves and women. Advocating immorality has deep implications.

a.    Paul’s “submit” advice and others lessen his potential influence.

b.    Yeshua volunteered Matthew 19: 5, “a man should . . . be united with his wife, and the two are to become one flesh”.

c.     I do not accept Paul’s Christ above Yeshua, who was before Sargon (4400 years ago).

4.    Bible students can discern that they got The God’s message, or “the word, if they pursue and practice necessary goodness.

a.    Titus 3:8, “[T]hose who have put their trust in God may [do] good deeds. These are both good in themselves and valuable to the community.”

b.    Among Nomads, I know of no one who purports to discern divisive people, let alone issue a warning (3:10).

c.     It seems Paul, in Titus 1-3, is divisive.

                                          i.    I have no problem disagreeing with either Paul or his church.

                                         ii.    We may and can pursue Yesuha’s civic influence unto necessary goodness.

^1:1 From: Sha’ul, God’s slave and an emissary of Yeshua the Messiah, sent to promote among God’s chosen people the trust and knowledge of truth which lead to godliness ² and which are based on the certain hope of eternal life. God, who does not lie, promised that life before the beginning of time ³ but made public this word of his in its own season through a proclamation with which I have been entrusted by order of God, our Deliverer.

⁴ To: Titus, a true son in the faith we share:

Grace and shalom from God the Father and from the Messiah Yeshua, our Deliverer. [Is Paul arguing with himself?]

⁵ The reason I left you in Crete was so that you might attend to the matters still not in order and appoint congregation leaders in each city — those were my instructions. ⁶ A leader must be blameless, husband to one wife, with believing children who do not have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. ⁷ For an overseer, as someone entrusted with God’s affairs, must be blameless — he must not be self-willed or quick-tempered, he must not drink excessively, get into fights or be greedy for dishonest gain. ⁸ On the contrary, he must be hospitable, devoted to good, sober-mindedness, uprightness, holiness and self-control. ⁹ He must hold firmly to the trustworthy Message that agrees with the doctrine; so that by his sound teaching he will be able to exhort and encourage, and also to refute those who speak against it.

¹⁰ For there are many, especially from the Circumcision faction, who are rebellious, who delude people’s minds with their worthless and misleading talk. ¹¹ They must be silenced; because they are upsetting entire households by teaching what they have no business teaching, and doing it for the sake of dishonest gain. ¹² Even one of the Cretans’ own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons” — ¹³ and it’s true! For this reason, you must be severe when you rebuke those who have followed this false teaching, so that they will come to be sound in their trust ¹⁴ and no longer pay attention to Judaistic myths or to the commands of people who reject the truth.

¹⁵ To all who are themselves pure, everything is pure. But to those who are defiled and without trust, nothing is pure — even their minds and consciences have been defiled. ¹⁶ They claim to know God, but with their actions they deny him. They are detestable and disobedient; they have proved themselves unfit to do anything good.

^2:1 But you, explain what kind of behavior goes along with sound teaching. ² Tell the older men to be serious, sensible, self-controlled and sound [reliable] in their trust, love [appreciation] and perseverance. [to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance]

³ Likewise, tell the older women to behave the way people leading a holy life should [be reverent]. They shouldn’t be slanderers or slaves to excessive drinking. They should teach what is good, ⁴ thus training the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to take good care of their homes [to be kind] and submit [be subject] to their husbands. In this way, God’s message will not be brought into disgrace.

⁶ Similarly, urge the young men to be self-controlled, ⁷ and in everything set them an example yourself by doing what is good. When you are teaching, have integrity and be serious; ⁸ let everything you say be so wholesome that an opponent will be put to shame because he will have nothing bad to say about us. [This seems a double negative: an opponent put to shame. Why not persuade the opponent to do what is good?]

⁹ Tell slaves to submit [ be subject] to their masters in everything, to give satisfaction without talking back ¹⁰ or pilfering [seeking justice?]. On the contrary, they should demonstrate complete faithfulness always, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Deliverer more attractive. [Genesis 1:26-28 calls for flourishing order rather than submission.]

¹¹ For God’s grace, which brings deliverance [salvation], has appeared to all people. ¹² It teaches us to renounce godlessness and worldly pleasures [passions], and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives now, in this age; ¹³ while continuing to expect the blessed fulfillment of our certain hope, which is the appearing of the Sh’khinah [glory] of our great God and the appearing of our Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah. ¹⁴ He gave himself up on our behalf in order to free us from all violation of Torah [to redeem us from all wickedness] and purify for himself a people who would be his own, eager to do good.

¹⁵ These are the things you should say. Encourage and rebuke with full authority; don’t let anyone look down on you.

^3:1 Remind people to submit [subject] to the government and its officials, to obey them, to be ready to do any honorable kind of work, ² to slander no one, to avoid quarrelling, to be friendly, and to behave gently towards everyone.

³ For at one time, we too were foolish and disobedient, deceived and enslaved by a variety of passions and pleasures. We spent our lives in evil and envy; people hated us, and we hated each other. ⁴ But when the kindness and love for mankind of God our Deliverer [Savior] was revealed, ⁵ he delivered [saved] us. It was not on the ground of any righteous deeds we had done, but on the ground of his own mercy. He did it by means of the mikveh [washing] of rebirth and the renewal brought about by the Ruach HaKodesh, [Holy Spirit] ⁶ whom he poured out on us generously through Yeshua the Messiah, our Deliverer. [Jesus Christ our Savior] ⁷ He did it so that by his grace we might come to be considered righteous by God and become heirs, with the certain hope of eternal life. ⁸ You can trust what I have just said, and I want you to speak with confidence about these things, so that those who have put their trust in God may apply themselves to doing good deeds. These are both good in themselves and valuable to the community. [These 2 sentences support my phrase “necessary goodness” as “civic integrity”.]

⁹ But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, quarrels and fights about the Torah [the law]; because they are worthless and futile. ¹⁰ Warn a divisive person [What is “a divisive person”?] once, then a second time; and after that, have nothing more to do with him. ¹¹ You may be sure that such a person has been perverted and is sinning: he stands self-condemned. [Titus could tell that Paul was divisive, and we can agree with Titus.]

¹² When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you. Do your best to come to me in Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. ¹³ Do your best to help Zenas the Torah expert and Apollos with their arrangements for travelling, so that they will lack nothing. ¹⁴ And have our people learn to apply themselves to doing good deeds that meet genuine needs, so that they will not be unproductive.

¹⁵ All who are with me send you greetings. Give our greetings to our friends in the faith.

Grace be with you all.

[I think Genesis 1:26-28 informs humankind to flourish in necessary goodness rather than accommodate badness and allow evil:

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.

Acceptance of the power, authority, and responsibility to rule on earth is human being (verb). Reliable human-beings pursue necessary-goodness to actual-reality.

The rest of the Bible discloses the chaos that ensues if most individuals choose wanton behavior -- neglect the laws of physics and progeny, e.g., biology and psychology.

The civic collective cannot rule if most fellow citizens practice/accommodate badness and allow evil.

Political and religious philosopher Yeshua affirmed Genesis 1:26-28, e.g. in Matt 5:48 (be as perfect as goodness), 18:18 (expect consequences rather than error-correction), and 19:4-6 (don’t divide/lessen goodness). 

Today there are more than 4,000 religions and 45,000 Christian sects on earth. Today is the time for individuals to accept the power, the authority, and the responsibility to practice civic integrity. “Ourselves” may either continue to leave reliable responsibility to “our Posterity”, referring to the preamble to the US Constitution, or practice necessary goodness.

Notes re modern perspective:

1.      Since monotheism is a human construct, I use the phrase, “The God, whatever it may be”, to express objection to any doctrinal God yet reserve humility.

a.      Blue highlight is to emphasize the pronoun usages, our and we.

b.     Perhaps the “we” infers an androgynous pair, like a married couple

c.      It seems human choice may and can conform to the laws of physics.

d.     Yet human inspiration and motivation are driven by goodness

e.      When goodness is uncertain, humility seems an option.

2.      Scholars understand that humankind in its present mutation is Homo sapiens (HS)

a.      Distinguished by brains with synapses and neurons continuously developing speed and capacity to handle exponential complexities

b.     Indeed HS is the dominant species on earth and its extensions

c.      Yet HS is challenged-to, perhaps will-not, control earth as much as possible

d.  Unfortunately, after 200,000 years, sexual-attraction rather than necessary goodness dominates society.

3.      The rest of the Holy Bible expresses the validity of Genesis 1:26-28:  Humankind may and can choose to rule on earth.

a.      Genesis 1 predates the existence of Israel by at least 1500 years.

b.     About 2000 years have passed since Yeshua lived.

c.      Yet war in the Middle East threatens humankind’s opportunity.

d.     It seems time to pay more attention to primitive thought – psychological and civic discovery during the period 8000 years ago to 4000 years ago.]

Matthew 2 CJB: Which epiphany?

 

Guide: CJB emphasis in bold (CJB online), text in green; NIV in magenta ; Nomads* discussion in yellow; and my comments in gray. I may use endnotes to cite outside literature or extensive comment.  

*Participative Sunday-school-class at UBC led by Ken Tipton. My continually improved statement about Genesis 1:26-28 is at the end of this. Today, I perceive that Paul’s letters to early churches preceded the 4 gospels and refute Genesis 1:26-28. I prefer Yeshua’s civic influence and discourage Pauline arrogance.

In the story of Yeshua’s birth are many epiphanies. In Luke 2, lowly shepherds are the first to celebrate. In Matthew 2, kings from the East announce the newborn Jewish king to Herod, who connects the Messiah. In John 1, the birth is lessened by the beginning. Yosef, protective father, moved from Judah to Galilee. Yeshua’s circumcision seems in conflict with his adult baptism. The intense political and spiritual conflict is clarified when Herod has infant boys slaughtered.

T.S. Eliot perhaps expresses a “born again” conversion from Unitarianism to Anglo-Catholicism in his poem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_of_the_Magi. It seems conflicting: “this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death”. My discovery, through 45 years with UBC, especially Nomads, convinced me I had always been under Yeshua’s civic influence, a totally joyous epiphany, if I may use that term.

A map for Yeshua’s time shows east of Bethlehem the NW middle of the Dead Sea, which is fed by the Jordan River. East of the Dead Sea is ancient Perea, rugged mountain country and land of Herod the Great. South of Perea is ancient Nabate, Bedouin Arab inhabited and now Yemen. North of Perea is ancient Decapalis, including Philadelphia now Amman, the capital of Jordan. Further north is Damascus, now the capital of Syria.

A map of Palestine for 4 BC affirms the above comments.

The text:

^2:1 After Yeshua was born in Beit-Lechem in the land of Y’hudah during the time when Herod was king, Magi from the east came to Yerushalayim ² and asked, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard of this he became very agitated, and so did everyone else in Yerushalayim. ⁴ He called together all the head cohanim and Torah-teachers of the people and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?” ⁵ “In Beit-Lechem of Y’hudah,” they replied, “because the prophet wrote,

⁶ ‘And you, Beit-Lechem in the land of Y’hudah,
are by no means the least among the rulers of Y’hudah;
for from you will come a Ruler
who will shepherd my people Isra’el.’” ^{Micah 5:1, “But you, Beit-Lechem near Efrat Bethlehem Ephrathah,
so small among the clans of Y’hudah, out of you will come forth to me the future ruler of Isra’el, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times.”}

⁷ Herod summoned the Magi to meet with him privately and asked them exactly when the star had appeared. ⁸ Then he sent them to Beit-Lechem with these instructions: “Search carefully for the child; and when you find him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had listened to the king, they went away; and the star which they had seen in the east went in front of them until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ Upon entering the house, they saw the child with his mother Miryam; and they prostrated themselves and worshipped him. Then they opened their bags and presented him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² But they had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, so they took another route back to their own country.

¹³ After they had gone, an angel of Adonai the Lord appeared to Yosef in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave. For Herod is going to look for the child in order to kill him.” ¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and his mother, and left during the night for Egypt, ¹⁵ where he stayed until Herod died. This happened in order to fulfill what Adonai had said through the prophet,

“Out of Egypt I called my son.” ^{Hosea 11:1, ““When Isra’el was a child, I loved him;
and out of Egypt I called my son.”}

¹⁶ Meanwhile, when Herod realized that the Magi had tricked him, he was furious and gave orders to kill all the boys in and around Beit-Lechem who were two years old or less, calculating from the time the Magi had told him. ¹⁷ In this way were fulfilled the words spoken through the prophet Yirmeyahu,

¹⁸ “A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and lamenting loudly.
It was Rachel sobbing for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no longer alive.” ^{Jeremiah 31:14(15), “This is what Adonai says: “A voice is heard in Ramah,} lamenting and bitter weeping. It is Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no longer alive.”

¹⁹ After Herod’s death, an angel of Adonai appeared in a dream to Yosef in Egypt ²⁰ and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to Eretz-Yisra’el, Israel for those who wanted to kill the child are dead.” ²¹ So he got up, took the child and his mother, and went back to Eretz-Yisra’el. ²² However, when he heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Y’hudah, he was afraid to go there. Warned in a dream, he withdrew to the Galil ²³ and settled in a town called Natzeret, so that what had been spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he will be called a Natzrati.

[I think Genesis 1:26-28 informs humankind to flourish in necessary goodness rather than accommodate badness and allow evil:

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.

Acceptance of the power, authority, and responsibility to rule on earth is human being (verb). Human-beings pursue necessary-goodness to actual-reality. The rest of the Bible discloses the chaos that ensues if most individuals choose wanton behavior -- neglect the laws of physics and progeny, e.g., biology and psychology.

The civic collective cannot rule if most fellow citizens practice/accommodate badness and allow evil.

Political and religious philosopher Yeshua affirmed Genesis 1:26-28, e.g. in Matt 5:48 (be as perfect as goodness), 18:18 (expect consequences rather than error-correction), and 19:4-6 (don’t divide/lessen goodness). 

Today there are more than 8,000 religions and 45,000 Christian sects on earth. Today is the time for individuals to accept the power, the authority, and the responsibility to practice civic integrity. “Ourselves” may either continue to leave reliable responsibility to “our Posterity”, referring to the preamble to the US Constitution, or practice necessary goodness.

Notes re modern perspective:

1.      Since monotheism is a human construct, I use the phrase, “The God, whatever it may be”, to express objection to any doctrinal God yet reserve humility.

a.      Blue highlight is to emphasize the pronoun usages, our and we.

b.     Perhaps the “we” infers an androgynous pair, like a married couple

c.      It seems human choice may and can conform to the laws of physics.

d.     Yet human inspiration and motivation are driven by goodness

e.      When goodness is uncertain, humility is an option.

2.      Scholars understand that humankind in its present mutation is Homo sapiens (HS)

a.      Distinguished by brains with synapses and neurons continuously developing speed and capacity to handle exponential complexities

b.     Indeed the dominant species on earth and its extensions

c.      Yet HS is challenged-to, perhaps will-not, control earth as much as possible

d.  Unfortunately, after 200,000 years, sexual-attraction rather than necessary goodness dominates society.

3.      The rest of the Holy Bible expresses the validity of Genesis 1:26-28:  Humankind may and can choose to rule on earth.

a.      Genesis 1 predates the existence of Israel by at least 1500 years.

b.     About 2000 years have passed since Yeshua lived.

c.      Yet war in the Middle East threatens humankind’s opportunity.

d.     It seems time to pay more attention to primitive thought – psychological and civic discovery during the period 8000 years ago to 4000 years ago.]