Joseph, the "Father" of Jesus.

[@MichaelYoder1961]

Merry Christmas, Happy Boxing Day and a Happy New Year to everyone involved in this terrific channel! Bart, Megan et al!🎄🎇🎀

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@achildofthelight4725]

I love her glasses.... its like she believes in nothing than now, yet looking through the possibility of being infinite. ❤

[@colacurciolaw7745]

I love them, too. I just can't look at her when she wears them!

[@UnimatrixOne]

😁

[@liberalinoklahoma1888]

Maury ," And in the case of Jesus , Joseph , YOU ARE NOT THE FATHER !!!"

[@Tubomiro]

lol 😂

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@robind.phillips2129]

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year to you. I'm bingeing this series. Thanks for sharing.

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@kylelloyd4437]

Joseph wore a shirt that said "im not the step-dad, I'm the dad who stepped up!"

[@Jd-808]

This tradition is contested by almost all critical scholars of the New Testament

[@exaucemayunga22]

Do you have any sources for this claim? I'm kidding.

[@redwebmonk]

​@@Jd-808 But I have seen the pictures of him wearing that shirt! Checkmate!

[@LeoVital]

​@@redwebmonk I myself haven't seen pictures, but I have read a written account of a guy who said that 500 people saw him wearing it, which is pretty much the same thing as seeing it.

[@Uncanny_Mountain]

It's the same person, Jesus was a fictional creation of E Io Ari te Matea Jesus is the Celtic God of Death, the last guy in the book, who flips the book and reads it backwards Satan. The Bible is the Book of the Dead, for only Satan to read Hello, my name is Satan

[@Watchingtheparadegoby]

I appreciate Barts comments on Jesus being a carpenter. Tekton is probably more akin to general or day labor as opposed to a worker of wood. It is possible that Joseph specialized in structural wood such as lintels and beams since wood was not the primary construction material there. Regardless of Joseph's specialization or not, the work was available building Sepphoris, a exclusive town in those days which was across from Gamala, the most likely place of Jesus childhood. Nazareth is Heb. Natsar which means "watchman", a sect of the zealots or Siccari which refers to a blade favored by assassins and a region or enclave of domestic Freedom fighters which were embroiled in civil war against the Romans often raiding and performing assassination of officials. So the text might very well say " And Joseph returned and dwelt among the Natsarim" as opposed to an actual village called Nazareth.

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@GoldAndSilver988]

I agree with Thomas Belsham, dissenting Unitarian minister of the late 18th through mid 19th century, that except for the first 13 verses of Matt 1, all the rest of that chapter, and all of chapter 2, is a later interpolation. Same for the first two chapters of Luke except for the first four verses of the first chapter. I also believe that the genealogy of the fourth chapter was later added. The purpose of all this added material by who knows who at a later point in time was to try to raise Jesus from his true status as Jehovah's human Messiah to a being of demigod status. I firmly believe that Joseph was Jesus' human father, just as Mary was his human mother. God was his father by a special relationship and mission, not from a mystical generation. This makes Jesus much more believable, his miracles more credible, and faith in his mission more soundly based.

[@John.Flower.Productions]

The original _Matthew_ began in the same manner as _Mark/John,_ with John the Baptist and Jesus in the Jordan River. _See:_ Malachi 4

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@flaneur5560]

Miracles are not credible.

[@elliottgoad3128]

Loved the Vicar of Dibley.

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@justinholoviak5357]

Oh I am fresh out of seminary and LOVE you. I use you, audited courses, and those great courses plus my own Bible studies to keep fresh and learn deeper. THANK YOU for sharing your knowledge and helping the rest of us.

[@MichaelTheophilus906]

Do you mean the seminary didn't brainwash you enough, and now you need an atheist to help you?

[@Mac_an_Mheiriceanaigh]

I love you, too, Justin :)

[@Mac_an_Mheiriceanaigh]

Hehe just kidding. I know you were talking to Bart and Megan, not me

[@justinholoviak5357]

@@Mac_an_Mheiriceanaigh why not? We are all related at some distant level and it’s nice to have some joy in online chat areas. Too many nasty folks out there. Much love in Christ friend!

[@Mac_an_Mheiriceanaigh]

@@justinholoviak5357 Cheers :)

[@Cloudryder]

Hopefully 2024 will bring a podcast with Bart and Robyn Walsh together. I believe it’s going to be an epic year!

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@jamesbaldwin7676]

Genealogy to Hebrews is more about maintaining a males inheritance. It is in fact, Mosaic law. So much so that widows were required to wed their brothers-in-law and raise-up seed in the name of the diseased spouse (called levirate marriage.) Jesus was considered the son of Joseph, despite being the Son of God.

[@davidhinkley]

Boxing Day is still common in Canada and was universal when we grew up.

[@Val.Kyrie.]

Common? I thought Boxing Day just was. There’s Boxing Day sales everywhere. I was thinking of hitting up the Lindt one 😅

[@diansc7322]

do people box in boxing day? as a Latino I have no concept of this so I'm intrigued

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@chrisp4170]

I would like to hear Bart’s views on the complex theology of the Vicar of Dibley. Especially I would be interested in his thoughts on Owen and Jim Trott.

[@donparker4521]

I’d like to know his thoughts on the show in general. Stateside here, and yet my kids and I found VoD and watched every episode we could find. Funny, heartwarming, kid friendly without condescending,… great show!

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@fortyofforty5257]

Do we know physically where the Gospels were written? Where were these authors located, and why was Greek the language used rather than Aramaic or Latin?

[@AccidentalNinja]

I remember hearing somewhere that the "carpenter" thing stemmed from a misunderstanding of a phrase meaning that the person was very smart: "A craftsman & the son of a craftsman", that is, a very crafty or smart man.

[@user-uy6uc5ey5q]

The Gospels use the ancient term Greek, 'tectonic' which translates literally as 'work with hands' which covered a large amount of work other than faming, that Palestinian peasants would have done. The idea that Joseph or for that matter Jesus were carpenters is later tradition made up without any reference to actual biographical or historical detail. As the area of Galilee (if you believe the Goepel narrivates) Jesus is said to have grown in didn't have a great deal of forests in the 1st century, and the predominate material built with at time was stone, mud, perhaps rough brick. So as Bart says is most likely it wasn't a skilled carpenter we known in modern society but more like a unskilled labourer. Your idea it meant smart or crafty is completely nonsensical as this only applies to English metaphors, a language not invented till at least a thousand years after the events supposed to have happened. As Bart says 'tectonic' is put down term in Greek writing of the time (remember all the Gospel writers are elite Greeks, only elite Greeks could read and write in 1st century) like calling someone a 'day labourer' today. The purpose to the term in the section it appears in, is to show that Jesus was a nobody, a crude peasant, there's no way he could have got his knowledge of scripture portrayed in the gospels from human education sources, like his family, etc, it can only have come from God in heaven. Thus QED, he is the chosen one. Remember the Gospel are written not as biography or history, but theology, and 1st century Greek speaking sub Jewish cult theology of the various times they were written, not later christian theology of even a century later.

[@atheistapostate7019]

Canadian here and we celebrate Boxing Day. Part of our UK heritage

[@Clem62]

We in Canada also have boxing day. Best part is free parking downtown.

[@MichaelTheophilus906]

We no longer do downtown. It's too dangerous.

[@simonbattle0001]

Thank you both for the new things you taught me I hope your holidays went well. Best wishes.

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@ruby11]

2:00 In Canada, Boxing Day was traditionally the day of open house parties. December 26, later in the day and into the evening, lots of people would host open house parties. Friends and families would go from house to house, eating, making merry, having a laugh and catching up with guests we seldom saw through the year, and making some new friends. The tradition carried on until the mid 1980s when Boxing Day sales began to take over and, sadly, the open house parties gradually fizzled out. Until then it was a huge part of the Christmas season.

[@stevens8490]

If Mary was a virgin then Joseph is not the father of Jesus. So jesus isn't from King David blood line.

[@jperez7893]

genesis prophecies her seed shall crush the head of the serpent. her seed. "He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men." there are now 2 hebrew manuscripts indicating that "josef avi miriam", joseph the father of mary. the name of the father of mary is also joseph (name of jesus christ's maternal grandfather). the manuscripts are from oxford, and jewish theological seminary nyc.

[@mattstanbridge]

I'm from Felixstowe, just down the road from Bart's wife's mum, and I was born in Woodbridge. Maybe I'll bump into Bart one day and be able to say, Hi.

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@jacobduncan2142]

Merry Christmas Bart and Megan! You guys rock! I LOVE this series! ❤

[@Uncanny_Mountain]

You're bombing the people of Jesus in Palestine Nothing Merry about shit

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@marilynbower1352]

I doubt very much that Jesus's family was low socioeconomic or that Joseph was a carpenter. Mary was the daughter of a Priest, a Torah Scholar, in Sepphoris. I would think her husband would be a equal status. Joseph was a Smith according to the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew. Whether he worked in stone or metal, is not clear, but it is interesting that so many of Jesus' parables and lessons include words related to stone, rock, foundation, etc. If Joseph was a stone smith or mason, it would explain why he was gone for periods of time for building projects. Sepphoris was a capital city, the jewel of Galilee. It was a growing city of crossroads Rome, Greece, Trans-Jordan in the first century. Just an hour walk from Nazareth, a craftsman working in stone could live in Nazareth and would then have much work in Sepphoris and compensated appropriately. His sons, Jacob, Simon, Joseph, and Jude, were probably apprenticed to his craft and also contributing to the family's income.

[@AW-uv3cb]

Christmas must be a lovely time in Woodbridge - I visited once in summer and it's a very charming place 🙂

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@b.g.5869]

Good lord I hope you don't mean Woodbridge New Jersey 😟...

[@isaiahd781]

The Vicar of Dibley is one of my favorite shows of all time

[@YankeeWoodcraft]

"If the King James Version was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me!" --Evangelical Christian

[@ji8044]

Great snark!

[@lawsonj39]

I've literally heard people say that! 🤣

[@YankeeWoodcraft]

@@lawsonj39 😂

[@pinky9440]

Hahahaha. 😂😂😂

[@stevearmstrong6758]

I've seen bumper stickers "If it ain't the King James, it ain't the Bible."

[@veronicatash777]

How many Jews would be descended from David? David goes back about 1000 years before, seems that by then all Jews would be descended from David unless they were recent immigrants and converts. It's the same math where all Europeans are descended from Charlemagne.

[@veronicatash777]

In fact, by today, anyone who isn't a pure blooded American Indian can be safely assumed to be descended from David.

[@ernustyaaqobh5134]

Good discussion. Megan, them glasses are fyyah!!!

[@garyfrancis6193]

I can remember as a kid that the Messiah was supposed to be born of the bloodline of King David and that Joseph was of that line which made Jesus the Messiah. But Joseph had no part in the conception of Jesus so how could Jesus have been of the bloodline of King David? Christians are so confused about this. I could un confuse them but I know that people like to stick to their religious beliefs even when proven to be 100% wrong. The answers are in the Bible but they don’t understand what is actually being said. This started for me after living in Greece for eight years in the 90’s and seeing how English speakers misinterpreted Greek words and names in the Bible. They will still do it even when pointed out the part they have wrong like interpreting the Greek alphabet like the English alphabet. For example the Greek letter β is not “beta” which they assume is the letter B. There is no letter B in Greek. β is really “ vita” the letter V. However these mistranslations crept into the English versions of the Bible giving you an erroneous idea of what was being said. Trying to correct that is met with resistance by people who have no clue about the Greek language. The Greeks translated the whole Bible after Ptolemy II about 320 BC. The Greeks renamed everything they saw in Egypt with Greek names. What you think things were called in Egypt are the Greek names. You don’t know the Egyptian names that tell you what those things like the pyramids and Sphinx etc really are. So you have no clue about that ancient culture either. Then the Greek was translated with mistakes into English or other modern languages. Ancient people told us but you got a garbled version of what they said and want to stick to that.

[@youngknowledgeseeker]

I think the two major pronunciations of Greek that affect understanding the New Testament right now is "modern Greek" (as you pointed out "vita") and then "Erasmian Greek", which is the oldest record of Greek pronunciation to the time of the New Testament (the go to in critical New Testament scholarship I think)

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@youngknowledgeseeker]

@abdulali8738 I read this. It's very much in line with Christianity. In Christianity there is also only one God, not Jesus, only the Father. Likewise in Christianity God physically and biologically of course has no sons. However, Jesus and Adam are still God's "sons" in our scriptures. And also, Jesus is God's only "begotten" son in our scriptures as well. I need to stress that "beget" here does not mean dna biological begetting, God created Jesus in the womb, he was the origin of the beginning of his life starting in Mary's stomach. For this reason, and for the reason of being King, all Christians from his original disciples, to those who wrote New Testament scripture, and all the way to us now call him "son of God". The Angel Gabriel and God himself also call Jesus "son of God" and "son". Jesus himself says he claims to be "son of God". So why does Islam, as far as I'm aware, say this is inappropriate? It is everywhere in our scriptures. The other big difference between our scriptures is that Jesus 100% dies in our scriptures. Every single author acknowledges that or doesn't deny it. Why does Islam say he didn' die and contradict all of the New Testament.

[@abdulali8738]

@@youngknowledgeseeker In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 1  Say, “He is God, the One. 2  God, the Absolute. 3  He begets not, nor was He begotten. 4  And there is none comparable to Him.” 65  O People of the Book! Why do you argue about Abraham, when the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him? Will you not reason? 66  Here you are-you argue about things you know, but why do you argue about things you do not know? God knows, and you do not know. 67  Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a Monotheist, a Muslim. And he was not of the Polytheists. 68  The people most deserving of Abraham are those who followed him, and this prophet, and those who believe. God is the Guardian of the believers. 69  A party of the People of the Book would love to lead you astray, but they only lead themselves astray, and they do not realize it. 70  O People of the Book! Why do you reject the revelations of God, even as you witness? 71  O People of the Book! Why do you confound the truth with falsehood, and knowingly conceal the truth? 72  Some of the People of the Book say, “Believe in what was revealed to the believers at the beginning of the day, and reject it at its end, so that they may return.” 73  And trust none except those who follow your religion.” Say, “Guidance is God’s guidance. If someone is given the like of what you were given, or they argue with you before your Lord, say, “All grace is in God’s hand; He gives it to whomever He wills.” God is Bounteous and Knowing. 74  He specifies His mercy for whomever He wills. God is Possessor of Sublime Grace. 75  Among the People of the Book is he, who, if you entrust him with a heap of gold, he will give it back to you. And among them is he, who, if you entrust him with a single coin, he will not give it back to you, unless you keep after him. That is because they say, “We are under no obligation towards the gentiles.” They tell lies about God, and they know it. 76  Indeed, whoever fulfills his commitments and maintains piety-God loves the pious. 77  Those who exchange the covenant of God, and their vows, for a small price, will have no share in the Hereafter, and God will not speak to them, nor will He look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them. They will have a painful punishment. 78  And among them are those who twist the Scripture with their tongues, that you may think it from the Scripture, when it is not from the Scripture. And they say, “It is from God,” when it is not from God. They tell lies and attribute them to God, knowingly. 79  No person to whom God has given the Scripture, and wisdom, and prophethood would ever say to the people, “Be my worshipers rather than God’s.” Rather, “Be people of the Lord, according to the Scripture you teach, and the teachings you learn.” 80  Nor would he command you to take the angels and the prophets as lords. Would he command you to infidelity after you have submitted? 81  God received the covenant of the prophets, “Inasmuch as I have given you of scripture and wisdom; should a messenger come to you verifying what you have, you shall believe in him, and support him.” He said, “Do you affirm My covenant and take it upon yourselves?” They said, “We affirm it.” He said, “Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.” 82  Whoever turns away after that-these are the deceitful. 83  Do they desire other than the religion of God, when to Him has submitted everything in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they will be returned? 84  Say, “We believe in God, and in what was revealed to us; and in what was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Patriarchs; and in what was given to Moses, and Jesus, and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit.” 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. 86  How will God guide a people who disbelieved after having believed, and had witnessed that the Messenger is true, and the clear proofs had come to them? God does not guide the unjust people. 87  Those-their penalty is that upon them falls the curse of God, and of the angels, and of all mankind. 88  Remaining in it eternally, without their punishment being eased from them, and without being reprieved. 89  Except those who repent afterwards, and reform; for God is Forgiving and Merciful. 90  As for those who disbelieve after having believed, then plunge deeper into disbelief, their repentance will not be accepted; these are the lost. 91  As for those who disbelieve and die disbelievers, even the earth full of gold would not be accepted from any of them, were he to offer it for ransom. These will have a painful torment, and will have no saviors. 92  You will not attain virtuous conduct until you give of what you cherish. Whatever you give away, God is aware of it. 93  All food was permissible to the Children of Israel, except what Israel forbade for himself before the Torah was revealed. Say, “Bring the Torah, and read it, if you are truthful.” 94  Whoever forges lies about God after that-these are the unjust. 95  Say, “God has spoken the truth, so follow the religion of Abraham the Monotheist; he was not a Pagan.” 96  The first house established for mankind is the one at Bekka; blessed, and guidance for all people. 97  In it are evident signs; the Station of Abraham. Whoever enters it attains security. Pilgrimage to the House is a duty to God for all who can make the journey. But as for those who refuse-God is Independent of the worlds. 98  Say, “O People of the Scripture, why do you reject the Revelations of God, when God witnesses what you do?” 99  Say, “O People of the Scripture, why do you hinder from God’s path those who believe, seeking to distort it, even though you are witnesses? God is not unaware of what you do.” 100  O you who believe! If you obey a party of those who were given the Scripture, they will turn you, after your belief, into disbelievers. 101  And how could you disbelieve, when God’s revelations are being recited to you, and among you is His Messenger? Whoever cleaves to God has been guided to a straight path.

[@Sci-Fi_Fan296]

Thank you for sharing this very interesting comment. It gives me great thought in this discussion because it makes a whole lot of sense.

[@Ken_Scaletta]

28:00 The 4th Gospel never says that the "beloved disciple" was John. In fact the Gospel of John never mentions any "John' at all but John the Baptist. The Beloved disciple is explicitly identified multiple times as Lazarus. When Jesus is told that Lazarus has died, they say. "the disciple who you love has died." Nobody has to ask which one is meant.

[@victorhiggins2118]

So inviting friends to watch a video of Ali/Frasier I for boxing day was a faux pas. Noted

[@AlistairMacPherson]

The more modern form of boxing day was after Xmas, old cloths, etc would be boxed and donated to charities, typically the Anglican church.

[@cameronvansant2108]

I am very interesting in next week's podcast! I'm very interested in the whole mystery of the beloved disciple (I personally am not satisfied that it's just John from the synoptics) but I'll be interested in what Bart has to say about the details of the authorship of John (besides that it wasn't written by John, of course, which i'm sure Bart will talk about.)

[@rassb3427]

John is not part of synoptics

[@mausperson5854]

@@rassb3427 the gospel of John isn't, the apostle John is, I believe the candidate special dude...

[@cameronvansant2108]

@@rassb3427 Yes. I was referring to the character "John" from the synoptic gospels.

[@MichaelTheophilus906]

John is the beloved disciple. He wrote a first hand account of his relationship with Jesus. It's the truth, and even "christians" don't like it.

[@mausperson5854]

@@MichaelTheophilus906 given that whoever wrote John is writing a near century after the supposed life of Jesus, it's no surprise that you are a voice in the wilderness on that bonkers claim.

[@benh715]

How could Jesus be from the house of David if Joseph is not his father?

[@jeffryphillipsburns]

Contradictions don't fluster the religious.

[@exaucemayunga22]

But they do raise questions concerning the credibility of the religious claims.

[@Uncanny_Mountain]

It's metaphorical, E Is Ari te Matea created Jesus as a curse to the Romans, it's the Celtic God of Death, like the last character in the Bible. Celts believe in reincarnation, so the last character in the Bible, is Death, who takes away death Joseph of Arimathea Pythagoras means Heart of the Serpent, he was born in Sidon, a fishing Port in Phoenicia. His mother recieved a message from the Oracle of Delphi that he would become a great Leader and Teacher. Sidon means Kingdom of the Fish, and the Essenes, who wrote the Dead Sea scrolls, worshipped Pythagoras. The Sarcophagus of Eschmun III found in Sidon names him as the Widow's Scion, aka Hiram Abiff, the Founder of Freemasonry, of which Tyre was the premier Capital (at least equal to Thebes). In 911BC Rameses II married the Queen of Sidon, home of Jezebel (Daughter or consort of Baal, basically "Queen") founding Neo Assyrian Babylon, an alliance between Egypt and Hiram, father of Jezebel and King of Assyria, and Egypt, forming the Phoenician colonies and building the first Temple of Melqart to commemorate the alliance. The Si in Sidon is the basis of the Latin Exe, or X, and is the basis of the Cross, or Chi Rho that Constantine painted on his shields. Also known as the Cross of Tyre, or Cross of Baal, being Ra-El, or Ba'El. Oddly enough irrational numbers can also be mapped using Euler's number, producing a Templar Cross in the process. This cross can also be seen around the neck of Nimrod in Assyria, and is consistent with the Union Jack, and Solstice Calendar found in the Vatican Shiva Lingam. Shiva is the Hebrew word for 7, their culture also found its way to Japan (via the Phillipines) ultimately becoming Shintoism. It was the Phoenicians who gave their name to the Pole Star, which they used to Navigate the Oceans using the Zodiac, thats what the Antikythera mechanism was for, and with it they wrote the Byblos Baal, what we now call the Bible. The first form of the Bible was written in 325BC and called the Vaticanus Greacus, or Son of the Sacred Serpent, a reference to Sirius, the basis of the Sothic Calendar, which uses a Hexidecimal or base 60 system found in all the Megalithic sites around the world. In the second century AD astronomer Valentinus Vettori transcribed it into a Lunar chart of 13 houses, what we now call the Zodiac. Horoscope means Star Watcher, and the Phoenician word for Saturn, or El, was Israel or El, (Fruit) of Isis and Ra. El is the primary God of the Phoenicians, representing the offspring of Egypt, and his consort Astarte represents the Assyrian half of the alliance. It may be possible to trace lineages and alliances through the naming of gods, which can be traced all the way to Ireland and the Vikings, and to Indonesia and the Americas, even as far away as New Zealand and Australia. It denotes Sirius as Son of Orion and Pleaides, which sits at 33 degrees of the Zodiac. The basis of the Sothic (dir Seth) Calendar of the Egyptians. The New Moon in this position marks Rosh Hashanah, the Egyptian, Celtic, Phoenician, and Assyrian New Year, the first New Moon of September, which is called September because it's the 7th House of the Zodiac, when the Sun is in Ophiuchus. The Phoenix, Benben, or Bennu is the Egyptian word for Heron, a Feathered 'Serpent'. It baptised itself in frankincense and myrrh at BaalBek, and then alights atop the Pyramid, upon the Holy Grail, or Alter of Ra every 630 years to take three days off the calendar during the course of the first New Moon of Nisan, which means "Prince". The Capstone of Pyramids is even called the Benben or Bennu. The Phoenix is found in all religions, which are all Astrological Allegory for the Moon travelling through the Constellations, as a soul migrating from body to body, this is the basis of Joseph Campbell's Monomyth, or the Hero's Journey. The various planets no doubt play their own roles as portents, omens, and aspects, this astrology is the science of the Bronze age, and lasted all the way up to the 20th Century. Resurrection was an early teaching of the Christian Church, and likely relates to the lineage of Kings (The King is Dead, long live the King.) Phoenicians represent the interim step between Egypt and Greece, their artisans and culture exceeding that of the Greeks, who literally adopted the Phoenician Alphabet, which we still use to this day, sounding out words phonetically. Phoenician is aliiterated in Venetian, and Vikings, being Kings of the Sea. The Bennu is the Egyptian Phoenix, to Phoenicians the Hoyle, no different to the traditions of the Etruscans, who saw birds as sacred, just as the Celts. Hebrew and Iber as in Iberia have the same root meaning over, as in overseas, as in those who travel "over the sea." A colony called Iberia also appears on the Eastern shores of the Black Sea, where the same Dolmens and Megalithic culture originating in Ireland and Brittany appeared circa 4500BC. _Phoenician_ means Scions of the Phoenix, the first Bible: Vaticanus Greacus Son of the Sacred Serpent (Prince). Then there's the Essenes, Sons of Light, the Tuatha De Danaan, Sons of Light, Annunaki, Sons of Light, Arthur Pendragon means Arthur Son of the dragon, Chertoff is Russian for "Son of the Devil" and Dracula also means Son of the Dragon, Masons have been known at times to call themselves the "Brotherhood of the Great White Serpent". The Ziggurat of Anu also denotes her as a great white Serpent, while New Grange and the Bru na Boinne in Ireland (4000BC) coated buildings with white quartz to denote the Moon. The Moon itself travels outside the Solar Elliptic by 5 degrees, which means it passes through specific constellations in a serpentine fashion that is always changing, but repeats every 19 years, the time it took to train a Druid or Magi, Magi meaning "Teacher" the Phoenix is also associated with this sacred number 19. The name "Pharoah" means "Great House" or "House of Light" and Cairo used to be called Babel. Pharaoh's themselves wore a hooded crown representing feathers, just as Native American Chiefs, ie the Feathered Serpent, they were also called the Commander in Chief. Aztecs also had Serpent Kings, (Canaan means Serpent Kings, and Sidon was a Son of Canaan, and Great Grandson of Noah) who were called to lead with cunning and guile, being the very virtue by which they claim the title in the first place; but to be seen in public as just and diplomatic. "As wise as Serpents, but gentle as Doves" the old Egyptian flag of an Eagle attacking a Snake is also reflected in the Modern Mexican flag, denoting the Constellations of Serpentis (13th sign of the Zodiac) and Aquila. The dimensions and 12 mathematical constants of the Great Pyramid are also expressed in New Grange, and Stonehenge, as well as in Watson Brake, (2500BC) and Teotihuacan, which correlates to the Phoenician/ Sumerian Hexidecimal system, which is what our modern systems of time are based on. Officially no one knows who invented astrology, the zodiac, navigation by the stars, and time keeping. But whoever built the pyramids, and pioneered the 24hr clock in Egypt 5000 years ago also knew the exact dimensions of the Earth, as well as the speed of light. These calculations can all be made using these Megalithic sites as surveyors use a theodolite. Specifically Teotihuacan, which sits 180 degrees opposite Cairo, and has the exact same footprint. The ideal positions to determine the speed of light using the transit of Venus, by which one can accurately determine Longitude for navigation. Capt cook did the same thing in 1774 when he 'discovered' Easter Island. The only culture that fits the bill was wiped out "not one stone upon the other" by the Romans in 146BC. Tyre, the capital of Phoenicia (israel) sat just offshore from Ur Shalom, City of the New Moon, or City of Peace. The root of the name Jerusalem, and was also seized by Rome in 70AD after a 13 year seige. The gap between is 216 years. Greek Dionysians built the Temple of Solomon (now called the Temple of Melqart) representing the Solar Lunar Metonic Calendar on which this system is based, they also carried mirrors, a practice associated with both the Magi and the Druids as well as Greek and Egyptian scholars, these Mirrors are Astrological charts called "Cycladian Frying Pans" and record the cycles of the planets. The first Temple of Melqart (the Phoenician form of Horus, or Hercules, or Pan, or Thor) representing the 13th Constellation of Ophiuchus or the Serpent Bearer (hence Orphic Serpent worship) had pillars of Emerald and Gold, representing Isis and Osiris. The Jerusalem Temple only took payment in "Shekels of Tyre" a currency minted during the Jewish rebellion against Rome. "Give that which is Ceasar's unto Ceasar" When Alexander sacked Tyre in 332BC they moved to Carthage meaning "New City" or New Jerusalem, where they built a second temple with Pillars of Bronze. Nebuchadnezzar also seiged Tyre for 13 years, taking the City captive in 573BC: the same time as the biblical account of the Jews. And again in 70AD after a three and a half year seige, also consistent with biblical accounts.

[@jeffryphillipsburns]

@@exaucemayunga22 As far as that goes, they're superfluous. The religious claims are in themselves inherently absurd.

[@jthemagicrobot3960]

​@@jeffryphillipsburns something tells me you vote

[@adrianivicevic1991]

I'm surprised that Bart just took Joseph's name for granted without referring to the concept of Mashiach ben Joseph in Rabinnic Judaism. I don't think it passes the criterion of dissimilarity.

[@sheilamargaretwardstoriesa494]

When I was living in Somalia in rhe seventies, I learned something about their oral tradituon, which was their way of 'recording' their history. As soon as a Somali child was about four, they had to memorise rheir lineage. For example, "I'm Ali son of Hassan son of Abdi son of Mustapha" etc etc. I think in biblical times this was probably how illiterate people learned their family history.

[@Yahman1969]

My ex wife is Idil Abdi Hassan how interesting and she is Somali

[@Mac_an_Mheiriceanaigh]

We have the same tradition in Ireland in the regions where our language is still spoken.

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@joanmary90]

Curious why you both celebrate Christmas?

[@davidkeller6156]

Megan is a Christian and Bart’s wife is a Christian.

[@user-uy6uc5ey5q]

Cause they live in a modern society where this is a cultural holiday. Christmas isn't by the way originally a christian holiday, for instance St Paul would have never celebarted it, The church co-opted a pagan late roman winter solstice festive in the mid to late 4th century and continued to merge later solstice events from other converted European cultures into it well in the Middle Ages and its been considerably secularised in from the 17th century onwards. Bart and Megan celebrate Christmas for the same reason you celebrate New Years - cause they live in a culture which does.

[@davidkeller6156]

@@joanmary90 Megan is a Christian, an Anglican. Bart’s wife is a Christian.

[@Darisiabgal7573]

I used to watch the vicar of Dibly and I remember that episode. I particularly liked the church elders . . . . "No, no, no , no, no, yes"

[@joefromtheBronx]

funny show including the dim woman who was always confused about things

[@kentonnur]

Your joking,surely ; funny show,: those ‘elders ‘ were identical to those in the churches I’ve been in…..(except the farmer perhaps , he was just too crude )

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@stormx2827]

Megan has so many cool glasses!

[@cameronvansant2108]

Merry Christmas to you two, thanks for the podcast! Fascinating as always

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@jcaseyoneseventy]

Alice Tinker "not the sharpest tool in the box"!? 😀 That's a very polite way of putting it! haha!

[@joeg46Highlands]

Explaining Boxing Day to an Australian friend I told him that in earlier times in England Christmas was a day of feasting on rich foods and generous amounts of alcohol. Sadly many elderly relatives, unused to this diet, failed to survive the day and consequently the next day was the day in which they were "boxed". In my 1950s London childhood gifts, often of money, were given to the regular postman, paper boy and others who performed a similar service.

[@foxyshabazz]

It's odd you had to explain Boxing day to an Australian friend, because they have Boxing Day too. The tradition of the Boxing Day test match is quite the fixture for them.

[@markglendinning3956]

Not only is that NOT the reason why Boxing Day is called Boxing Day, I live in Australia - every Aussie calls the 26th ‘Boxing Day’. So you’re making up weird folk etymology to imaginary Australians ..,

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@b.g.5869]

All Australians are imaginary.

[@jaia1996]

Love "The Vicar Dibley"

[@timhodor9271]

Another brilliant episode

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@TheLittleThorn]

Joh 2:4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

[@kitcozezi1900]

Is it possible to get those two oldest manuscripts in English regarding Yosef is the Father of Jesus.

[@Sci-Fi_Fan296]

I’m wondering the same thing and would love to find an English version of those texts. Great question.

[@frmrchristian8488]

At 2:34, you reminded me that we all should make sure we don't forget to buy gifts for ANNA, BATES and all of our other friends downstairs. Yes, even THOMAS. 😁🎄

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@chochonubcake]

I've heard that "carpenter" was Jewish slang for a learned man. (I don't remember the source.) That would explain why Jesus can read and write, and has a deep understanding of the Torah. Has anybody else heard this?

[@jesserichardweaver5352]

What about the “controversy” of some followers thinking Jesus was born the Son Of God, and others saying he was “designed” or anointed Son of God upon his baptism?

[@jesserichardweaver5352]

I meant “designated.”

[@jaflenbond7854]

@@jesserichardweaver5352 The REALITY on planet EARTH - ATHEISM, EVOLUTIONISM, and SATANISM VS. the CREATOR Atheists, Evolutionists, and Satanists who are filling the world with the LIE and false claim that the Creator doesn't exist and even if existing is still cruel, merciless, unworthy and undeserving to be honored and respected as the True and Sovereign GOD are obviously the heartless, merciless and rebellious persons on earth who don't respect and value their own lives, dignities, and existence..... not bothered at all and just don't care even if their willful mockeries, opposition, and defiance of the Creator's Sovereignty, will, instructions, and commandments bring and cause their own dishonor, disgrace, downfall and ETERNAL DEATHS, just worthless and useless dusts on earth forever. RELIGIONS VS. JESUS CHRIST Jehovah's Witnesses, SDAs, Mormons, Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, Born Again Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions who are filling the world with the LIES, deceits and false teachings of the enemies of Jesus Christ about "Armageddon", "Trinity", "rapture", "heaven and hellfire", and "reincarnation" are obviously the heartless, unkind, liars, and deceitful persons on earth who don't respect and value the lives, dignities, and existence of human beings..... not bothered at all and just don't care even if their arrogance, hypocrisies, unkindness, insulting words, cruelties, lies, and deceits offend, hurt, insult, humiliate, and degrade the lives and dignities of their co-human beings including that of their own families and neighbors causing their humiliations, degradations, sufferings, griefs, sickness, and DEATHS. The IMPORTANCE of the AUTHORITY and TEACHINGS of JESUS CHRIST to imperfect, suffering and dying HUMAN BEINGS ETERNAL LIFE and existence on earth without sufferings, pains, griefs, sickness, and death as written in Revelation 21: 3, 4 is the loving, kind, and merciful Creator's favor and reward NOT for liars, heartless, cruel, unkind, and deceitful persons but ONLY for lowly, ordinary, kind, and respectful persons on earth who willingly submit to the authority of Jesus Christ and put their faith and hope in his teachings about the "Kingdom of God" and "Resurrection of the Dead" as written in Matthew 28: 18, Luke 4: 43, and John 11: 25, 26 All human beings will just become worthless and useless dusts on earth after their deaths just like the animals as written in Ecclesiastes 3: 19, 20 ; 9: 5, 6 but the Creator will not let his loving, kind, and respectful worshippers who died recently and thousands of years ago like Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Job, Moses, Ruth, Naomi, King David, Daniel, Jesus Christ's followers, and many others to remain as worthless and useless dusts on earth forever, instead, in the right and proper time and as written in John 11: 25, 26 he will let Jesus Christ RESURRECT them back to life so they can all happily and abundantly live and exist on earth forever as submissive and obedient subjects of the "KINGDOM of GOD" or His Kingdom and fully enjoy his and his Christ's eternal love, kindness, goodness, generosities, compassions, favors, and blessings for eternity under the loving and kind rulership, guidance, and protection of Jesus Christ as his Chosen King and Ruler of the heavens and the earth as written in Revelation 11: 15.

[@slyfoxxsr.941]

9:25 if God ghost impregnated Mary, that means Joseph had nothing to do with so why Trace Joseph's genealogy? Joseph is the stepdad not the real dad 🤷‍♂️

[@Uncanny_Mountain]

Correct, it's a rabbit hole for the proud The second birth is a spiritual one, an Eclipse in a specific sign of the Zodiac

[@forsminer5410]

One genealogy was thru Mary; it established that Jesus was a Jew according to Jewish law. The other genealogy, thru the reputed father's line established his legality according to Roman law.

[@EvilXtianity]

@@forsminer5410 _"One genealogy was thru Mary..."_ Which one?

[@markrossow6303]

...unless a ~nephew of Joseph was Biological father, so geneology is Good Enough

[@jeffmacdonald9863]

@@forsminer5410 Bart talked about that in this episode. Both genealogies go through Joseph. Matthew goes down to "Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary" and Luke starts with "being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli"

[@MrCyclist]

Nice podcast. I was wondering why there was no reference to show the evidence that Joseph existed. Is it that Bible tells me so?

[@richardw2977]

The History of Joseph the Carpenter is a curious read. My impression (or it seems obvious to me at least) is that this document was written well into the Christian movement. Jesus is casually referred to as "the Savior." And it declares that he "must die for the salvation of Adam and his posterity" Unlike the more humbled Jesus that we often see in the New Testament, this document opens with Jesus sounding like a true cult leader speechifying to his adoring followers. ".... go declare to all nations, tell them, and say to them: Verily the Savior diligently inquires into the inheritance which is due, and is the administrator of justice. And the angels will cast down their enemies, and will fight for them in the day of conflict."

[@toniacollinske2518]

Dr Ehrman's education is not complete until he watches the whole series of the Vicar of Dilby. All praise Dawn French. No no no no no yes

[@marcvanleeuwen5986]

I cannot get my head around the fact that Bart, having just given a course on Joseph, in several places in this video implies that the gospel attributed to Mark references Joseph, which is just not true. He is definitely not mentioned by name, but neither is there any reference to an earthly father of Jesus. Surely one cannot construe the absence of any indication that the gospel considers Jesus to be born of a virgin to be any sort of reference to his father (just the implicit supposition that one exists, just like for anybody). Yet to the very first question if all (four canonical) gospels talk about Joseph or he only appears in a couple of them (4:16), to which the proper answer is clearly "no, just three", Bart replies "Yeah he appears in one way or another", and for those who during the whole video did not notice any evidence for this claim in the case of Mark being brought up, Bart explicitly says in his summary (45:46) "he is also referred to in Mark". Is this some strange attempt to test our willingness to accept whatever Bart claims, even if it is clearly contradicted by the evidence? Very strange. In fact not only is there absence of mention of Joseph or the father of Jesus in Mark, there are two occasions where this absence is striking because some mention would have been expected. Chapter 6 does mention Jesus' family: his mother Mary, four named brothers and some (unnamed, uncounted) sisters; what about a father? Even more strikingly, Jesus is identified as the son of Mary, whereas in such situations one would almost always identify somebody by their father's name. The former suggests that during his ministry, no father was part of Jesus' family, the latter that there even was no known, possibly deceased, father whose name could serve to identify Jesus. (Of course neither suggests that Jesus did not have a biological father.) The only phrase in Mark that one might construe as a reference to a father is his designation as "the son of man". But that is a biblical reference certainly not to be read as "a son of a man".

[@mochlingmoochie8064]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Joseph the father of Jesus is not mentioned in Mark.

[@najitannous6789]

she turned christmas into boxing day ,typical modern western mind

[@jameswright...]

Christmas is kinda western in the 1st place, it goes with the western made version of Christianity that is dominant today.

[@hearstboy]

Happy Boxing Day from Canada!

[@TheLittleThorn]

Mt 22:45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

[@danawright777]

One has to ponder whether or not Mary was one of those teenage girls who had an indiscretion, which would have been quite taboo in that time and culture, and Joseph stepped in so she would not get in trouble.

[@Wong-Jack-Man]

This is not unfounded, there was a story that was circulated during early Christiandom that Mary had a child a Roman soldier named pantera and Jesus the offspring. You can research it.

[@jeffmacdonald9863]

@@Wong-Jack-Man Any sources for that postdate the stories of the Virgin Birth. There's little reason to think they were anything more than the kind of obvious crude speculation about Mary having an "indiscretion" we still see. Far more likely that the Virgin Birth was a late addition to the story for theological reasons than that it was something rooted in Jesus's actual childhood and passed along among believers until Matthew and Luke wrote it down.

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@b.g.5869]

Watchoo tawkin bout Willis?

[@demonking86420]

​​@@jeffmacdonald9863 yeah, it's more likely that if there were something that Judean society would see as fishy it would be likely that a young Joseph and Mary consummated before marriage. That's how I always saw it, and boy were the religious teachers angry. Sidenote had I heard of the Ebionites during that time I would have given heart attacks to some of them by saying "Paul is a liar you know James(brother of Jesus) was closer to the truth"

[@dancahill9585]

Hearing Christians trying to defend the Genealogies is hilarious. The notion that they kept all the scrolls that you'd need to keep track of the Genealogies in ancient times, and yet we haven't found any of them is pretty hilarious. I think you can chalk up Apologists defending them to the reality that Apologists don't care if they bear false witness if they think they can convert someone.

[@forsminer5410]

Those records would have been kept in the temple (where children's births and "confirmations" were recorded. The temple was destroyed in 70 CE, along with such records. So, those genealgies are important to Christians, because after that time, there are no records by which anyone else could legally prove that they were legally decended from David. i.e. Jesus must be the one.

[@jeffmacdonald9863]

@@forsminer5410 The 1st Temple was destroyed ~600 years earlier. Did they salvage the hundreds of years of records of the birth of peasants from that destruction, preserve them through the Babylonian Captivity only to lose them the second time? Also, if the ones in the Gospels are from such documentation, why are they different?

[@thegrunbeld6876]

This is why I love Bart's statement about the gospels having so many values that we can learn from, but historicity isn't one of them. The word gospel means "good news", it's the hypothetical approximation of the good story of Jesus.

[@jpboy1962]

Those are some crazy glasses. Love them.

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@chrispierce9699]

Dec. 26 is my birthday. It kinda sucks but its all Ive known.

[@TheLittleThorn]

`Lk 2:48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? *behold, thy father* and I have sought thee sorrowing.

[@markrossow6303]

so the Wife & I loved "The Vicar of Dibley" tv shows ! friends loaned us the DVDs when we joined Trinity Episcopal in 1990s (yes, the tv Anglican Vicar is female, for any members of denominations w/0 female Priests + Bishops) so koine "techton" as stone mason seems likely due to sayings about The Workman Choosing a Stone, or Not Leaving 1 Stone Upon Another -- no Jesus sayings are about a Chisel or an Adze... imho

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@bartduynstee1577]

Joseph was a carpenter (or tradesman), so it is likely that Jesus was also one. back then, sons learned the trade that their fathers learned.

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@b.g.5869]

They had a shop called "J & J Carpentry". According to some sources, such as Josephus, they charged outrageous prices and did shoddy work.

[@demonking86420]

@@b.g.5869 wouldnt the letter be Yodh and not "J"? Yosef and Yehoshua (or in Aramaic Yusef and Yeshu, btw the actual Arabic name for Jesus is Yasua, not Isa)

[@jacksawild]

I thought I saw him in Woodbridge once, but dismissed it.

[@purnawi]

If Joseph a real father of Jesus, there will be no Christianity.

[@richardredmond1463]

Alex O'Connor questioned Bart on his reading of this verse but unfortunately, Bart somewhat brow beat him into agreeing with him. The point Alex made was it was normal from a human perspective to call Joseph the father of Jesus, noting it is common to do this in the case of an adopted son for example. A simple explanation then is that this was not a theological statement but a statement of the family life that Jesus grew up in.

[@jeffryphillipsburns]

Yes, that occurred to me, but it’s more logical to assume it simply means father literally unless we have a particular reason to believe otherwise, and as far as I know we have precisely no reason to believe otherwise. (I wouldn’t pay the slightest attention to anything Alex O’Conner says.)

[@richardredmond1463]

@@jeffryphillipsburns The reason we do have cause to think otherwise (than that Joseph was not Jesus's biological father) would be a very long response. So in summary, it is because Jesus demonstrated he was not ruled by the sinful nature the rest of us have and He did and said things that, as CS Lewis famously clarified meant He was either a habitual liar, a deranged lunatic or was God. We all must make up our minds which is the case (nice guy, good bloke and a bit of a teacher not being options that He left us).

[@cullenjohnson0]

@@richardredmond1463Or, I suppose people might have attributed words to Jesus that he didn’t actually say.

[@jeffryphillipsburns]

@@richardredmond1463 Complete and utter nonsense. Jesus did not at all demonstrate that he never ever in his life behaved in the slightest way unethically, and quite a few perfectly ordinary mortals do not have particularly sinful natures. Neither did Jesus claim to be God incarnate. Of course, habitual liars and deranged lunatics are also plentiful, so it wouldn’t be particularly remarkable if Jesus were one of these either. I doubt he was, though, and he certainly would not have to have been one of them or God (as C..S. Lewis knew perfectly well), but he was clearly deluded about a number of things, most obviously Judgement Day. Didn’t happen.

[@MichaelTheophilus906]

Nit- picking. Talk about something important.

[@DeconvertedMan]

Doesn't jesus giving john the care of mary suggest that he didnt think he was coming back????

[@jeffmacdonald9863]

He didn't really "come back" though, did he? Even in the Gospels. He appeared a few times, but then ascended to heaven. He didn't settle back down to take care of his mother.

[@DeconvertedMan]

@@jeffmacdonald9863 but he didnt act like he knew he was even going to do that. :D

[@BDizzleMySchnizzle]

Those are straight up the wildest glasses I've ever seen. 😊

[@greensage395]

Oh, Good Lord, even considering otherwise is like calling Yeshua a Liar. Why would he Lie, Paul does that enough in your Life!

[@purity4all]

If Jesus was a tech tone,(sp?) and when he was a boy he was”working”in the sabbath, when he was sculpting birds, maybe his trade had to do with sculpting. Like making pillars for buildings or something. Otherwise, I don’t see how this laying with mud, sculpting birds was considered working. It would only be working if he was making a living or practicing to do so.

[@DJMarcO138]

Merry Xmas Bart and Megan!!!

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@ralphthompson355]

What the hell is "X"mas?

[@DJMarcO138]

@@ralphthompson355 happy festivus to the rest of us

[@abdulali8738]

@@ralphthompson355 65 Say, “I am only a warner, and there is no god except God-the One, the Conqueror. 66 The Lord of the heavens and the earth, and everything between them; the Mighty, the Forgiver.” 67 Say, “It is a message of great importance. 68 From which you are turning away. 69 I have no knowledge of the Highest Assembly as they dispute. 70 It is only revealed to me that I am a clear warner.” 71 Your Lord said to the angels, “I am creating a human being from clay. 72 When I have formed him, and breathed into him of My spirit, fall prostrate before him. 73 So the angels fell prostrate, all of them. 74 Except for Satan. He was too proud, and one of the faithless. 75 He said, “O Satan, what prevented you from prostrating before what I created with My Own hands? Are you too proud, or were you one of the exalted?” 76 He said, “I am better than he; You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.” 77 He said, “Then get out of here! You are an outcast! 78 And My curse will be upon you until the Day of Judgment.” 79 He said, “Lord, defer me until the Day they are resurrected.” 80 He said, “You are one of those deferred. 81 Until the Day of the Time Appointed.” 82 He said, “By Your majesty, I will seduce them all. 83 Except for your loyal servants among them.” 84 He said, “The truth is, and I say the truth. 85 I will fill Hell with you, and with every one of them who follows you.” 86 Say, “I ask of you no wage for this, and I am not a pretender. 87 It is but a reminder to mankind. 88 And you will know its message after a while.” 29 Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Those with him are stern against the disbelievers, yet compassionate amongst themselves. You see them kneeling, prostrating, seeking blessings from God and approval. Their marks are on their faces from the effects of prostration. Such is their description in the Torah, and their description in the Gospel: like a plant that sprouts, becomes strong, grows thick, and rests on its stem, impressing the farmers. Through them He enrages the disbelievers. God has promised those among them who believe and do good deeds forgiveness and a great reward. Read The Quran

[@hebrews5127]

Joseph's Genealogy is given in the book of Matthew, and in the book of Luke is Joseph's Father inlaw' Genealogy. We know this because Mary being the cousin with Elizabeth wife of Zechariah the Levitical Priest.

[@fearlessweaver]

Given that Mark has the town folk refer to Jesus as "son of Mary" and doesn't name Joseph, and given the Talmudic "ben Pantera" tradition, I think it's very possible "Joseph" was a later literary invention by Matthew or maybe Luke.

[@miyojewoltsnasonth2159]

*Joseph, the "Father" of Jesus.* This could very well be quite interesting to watch.

[@abdulali8738]

1  In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2  Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3  The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4  Master of the Day of Judgment. 5  It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6  Guide us to the straight path. 7  The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2  This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3  Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4  And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5  These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 2  God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. He is the Sublime, the Magnificent. Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing. 3  He sent down to you the Book with the Truth, confirming what came before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. 4  Aforetime, as guidance for mankind; and He sent down the Criterion. Those who have rejected God’s signs will have a severe punishment. God is Mighty, Able to take revenge. 5  Nothing is hidden from God, on earth or in the heaven. 6  It is He who forms you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god except He, the Almighty, the Wise. 33  God chose Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran, over all mankind. 34  Offspring one of the other. God is Hearer and Knower. 35  The wife of Imran said, “My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated, so accept from me; You are the Hearer and Knower.” 36  And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.” 42  The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the world. 43  “O Mary, be devoted to your Lord, and bow down, and kneel with those who kneel.” 44  These are accounts from the Unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their lots as to which of them would take charge of Mary; nor were you with them as they quarreled. 45  The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest. 46  He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous.” 47  She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child, when no man has touched me?” He said, “It will be so. God creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 48  And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. 49  A messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind and the leprous, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” 50  “And verifying what lies before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me.” 51  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 52  When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who are my allies towards God?” The disciples said, “We are God’s allies; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we submit.” 53  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the Messenger, so count us among the witnesses.” 54  They planned, and God planned; but God is the Best of planners. 55  God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing. 56  As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a severe punishment, in this world and the next, and they will have no helpers. 57  And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their rewards in full. God does not love the unjust.” 58  This is what We recite to you of the Verses and the Wise Reminder. 59  The likeness of Jesus in God’s sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was. 60  The truth is from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. 61  And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God’s curse on the liars.” 62  This is the narrative of truth: there is no god but God. God is the Mighty, the Wise. 63  But if they turn away-God knows the corrupt. 64  Say, “O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God.” And if they turn away, say, “Bear witness that we have submitted.” 48  God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin. 36  To every community We sent a messenger: “Worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Some of them God guided, while others deserved misguidance. So travel through the earth, and see what the fate of the deniers was. 16  And mention in the Scripture Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17  She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18  She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19  He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20  She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21  He said, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.'“ 22  So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23  The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24  Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25  And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26  “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.'“ 27  Then she came to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have done something terrible. 28  O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a whore.” 29  So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to an infant in the crib?” 30  He said, “I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture, and made me a prophet. 31  And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live. 32  And kind to my mother, and He did not make me a disobedient rebel. 33  So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive.” 34  That is Jesus son of Mary-the Word of truth about which they doubt. 35  It is not for God to have a child-glory be to Him. To have anything done, He says to it, “Be,” and it becomes. 36  “God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” 37  But the various factions differed among themselves. So woe to those who disbelieve from the scene of a tremendous Day. 38  Listen to them and watch for them the Day they come to Us. But the wrongdoers today are completely lost. 39  And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded. Yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. 40  It is We who will inherit the earth and everyone on it, and to Us they will be returned. 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. Read The Quran

[@laurasilverstone9735]

Not actually the physical father, but sort of a step father because THE HOLY GHOST overshadowed Mary and Joseph did not know Mary until after Jesus' birth. Matthew 1

[@abdulali8738]

@@laurasilverstone9735 65  O People of the Book! Why do you argue about Abraham, when the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him? Will you not reason? 66  Here you are-you argue about things you know, but why do you argue about things you do not know? God knows, and you do not know. 67  Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a Monotheist, a Muslim. And he was not of the Polytheists. 68  The people most deserving of Abraham are those who followed him, and this prophet, and those who believe. God is the Guardian of the believers. 69  A party of the People of the Book would love to lead you astray, but they only lead themselves astray, and they do not realize it. 70  O People of the Book! Why do you reject the revelations of God, even as you witness? 71  O People of the Book! Why do you confound the truth with falsehood, and knowingly conceal the truth? 72  Some of the People of the Book say, “Believe in what was revealed to the believers at the beginning of the day, and reject it at its end, so that they may return.” 73  And trust none except those who follow your religion.” Say, “Guidance is God’s guidance. If someone is given the like of what you were given, or they argue with you before your Lord, say, “All grace is in God’s hand; He gives it to whomever He wills.” God is Bounteous and Knowing. 74  He specifies His mercy for whomever He wills. God is Possessor of Sublime Grace. 75  Among the People of the Book is he, who, if you entrust him with a heap of gold, he will give it back to you. And among them is he, who, if you entrust him with a single coin, he will not give it back to you, unless you keep after him. That is because they say, “We are under no obligation towards the gentiles.” They tell lies about God, and they know it. 76  Indeed, whoever fulfills his commitments and maintains piety-God loves the pious. 77  Those who exchange the covenant of God, and their vows, for a small price, will have no share in the Hereafter, and God will not speak to them, nor will He look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them. They will have a painful punishment. 78  And among them are those who twist the Scripture with their tongues, that you may think it from the Scripture, when it is not from the Scripture. And they say, “It is from God,” when it is not from God. They tell lies and attribute them to God, knowingly. 79  No person to whom God has given the Scripture, and wisdom, and prophethood would ever say to the people, “Be my worshipers rather than God’s.” Rather, “Be people of the Lord, according to the Scripture you teach, and the teachings you learn.” 80  Nor would he command you to take the angels and the prophets as lords. Would he command you to infidelity after you have submitted? 81  God received the covenant of the prophets, “Inasmuch as I have given you of scripture and wisdom; should a messenger come to you verifying what you have, you shall believe in him, and support him.” He said, “Do you affirm My covenant and take it upon yourselves?” They said, “We affirm it.” He said, “Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.” 82  Whoever turns away after that-these are the deceitful. 83  Do they desire other than the religion of God, when to Him has submitted everything in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they will be returned? 84  Say, “We believe in God, and in what was revealed to us; and in what was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Patriarchs; and in what was given to Moses, and Jesus, and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit.” 85  Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. 86  How will God guide a people who disbelieved after having believed, and had witnessed that the Messenger is true, and the clear proofs had come to them? God does not guide the unjust people. 87  Those-their penalty is that upon them falls the curse of God, and of the angels, and of all mankind. 88  Remaining in it eternally, without their punishment being eased from them, and without being reprieved. 89  Except those who repent afterwards, and reform; for God is Forgiving and Merciful. 90  As for those who disbelieve after having believed, then plunge deeper into disbelief, their repentance will not be accepted; these are the lost. 91  As for those who disbelieve and die disbelievers, even the earth full of gold would not be accepted from any of them, were he to offer it for ransom. These will have a painful torment, and will have no saviors. 92  You will not attain virtuous conduct until you give of what you cherish. Whatever you give away, God is aware of it. 93  All food was permissible to the Children of Israel, except what Israel forbade for himself before the Torah was revealed. Say, “Bring the Torah, and read it, if you are truthful.” 94  Whoever forges lies about God after that-these are the unjust. 95  Say, “God has spoken the truth, so follow the religion of Abraham the Monotheist; he was not a Pagan.” 96  The first house established for mankind is the one at Bekka; blessed, and guidance for all people. 97  In it are evident signs; the Station of Abraham. Whoever enters it attains security. Pilgrimage to the House is a duty to God for all who can make the journey. But as for those who refuse-God is Independent of the worlds. 98  Say, “O People of the Scripture, why do you reject the Revelations of God, when God witnesses what you do?” 99  Say, “O People of the Scripture, why do you hinder from God’s path those who believe, seeking to distort it, even though you are witnesses? God is not unaware of what you do.” 100  O you who believe! If you obey a party of those who were given the Scripture, they will turn you, after your belief, into disbelievers. 101  And how could you disbelieve, when God’s revelations are being recited to you, and among you is His Messenger? Whoever cleaves to God has been guided to a straight path.

[@jabbahursty]

who would have thunk that smyrna, GA would have it's own bishop

[@judygreenwood4696]

What about speculation that Jesus was sired by KIng Harrods son & a woman of the temple that made cloths for the temple. She was then given to a Temple priest or holy man to raise in safety. It does explain the Plaque of King of the Jews on the cross. Robert Graves wrote a book about this, called "King Jesus", but he was not the first person with this idea.

[@ajeet490]

I think that the blood line(s) of King David would have kept track of their all-important and prestigious family heritage.

[@Bluesruse]

If Jesus didn't have a father, then he didn't have a mother either. Just saying.

[@demonking86420]

Which means Mary is nothing but a surrogate mother. Christians should call her Theo-Surrogate and not Theotokos then

[@zdzislawmeglicki2262]

Oh, no doubt, Joseph was far more likely to have sired Jesus than God. For starters, Joseph existed. He was real.

[@demonking86420]

And the age gap argument is just duct tape by Catholics to reconcile the fact James and Jude existed. Yeshuah was conceived because they jumped the gun (but got married before he was born, just saying this happens to a lot of couples) and then after the exile in Egypt where they return to Judea, James was conceived and born. And then Jude. And other unnamed siblings.

[@zdzislawmeglicki2262]

@@demonking86420 I doubt the family ever went to Egypt. This story is only in Matthew, not confirmed by other Gospels. Neither should we believe in the "slaughter of the innocents." There is no historic mention of such a "momentous" event. Matthew is clearly fantasizing. Generally, the two birth narratives, in Matthew and in Luke, are contradictory and highly unlikely to have even a grain of truth in them. The census of Quirinius, referred to in Luke and mentioned by Josephus, happened in 6 CE, some 12 years after Jesus' birth, and people counted were not obliged to move to their place of birth. On the contrary, they were expected to stay put.

[@thegrunbeld6876]

I don't understand the need to divinize Jesus as Son of God, instead of treating him like Islam does, as a prophet. So you can still keep YHWH as the god and Jesus as his favorite prophet.

[@demonking86420]

@@thegrunbeld6876 yeah but Islam basically treats Muhammad as a god. A fat lot of the revelations was just to allow behavior of Muhammad that would otherwise be rebuked by any sane person.

[@zdzislawmeglicki2262]

@@thegrunbeld6876 Think of it as an honour bestowed on a person. Ancient Romans declared Julius Caesar and Augustus Gods and worshipped both in dedicated shrines. In Greek mythology you had semi-gods sired by Zeus, e.g., Castor and Pollux, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Minos, Perseus. So the early Christians who were predominantly Greeks, Romans, and Hellenized Jews, wove a similar story about their favourite man, Jesus.

[@robbiehoque771]

Questions not asked. If Jesus Christ is not descended from the line of David through Joseph why does this not invalidate the claim that he is the Messiah? Whatever the social prejudices were in that time and context it would seem that anyone affirming his messiahship would need to trace line of descent through Mary. Has anyone ever entertained this, or has this always been precluded because scripture says otherwise?

[@Palmbeach33486]

Who were Mary's parents?🤔

[@Hallahanify]

"my father was a master stone mason, he never cut f******g wood" junior soprano. Sorry I can't help thinking about that when we talk about Jesus being a "carpenter"

[@bbl2555]

If Jesus is born to virgin mother what’s the point of even Geneology of father.

[@mojoman2001]

According to the Gospel of John, Jesus cannot have a genealogy because Jesus always existed with God from the "beginning". The religious meaning of the word "contradiction" is opportunity. 😂

[@janicemorton7581]

The genealogies are different because Matthew is Mary's, and Luke is Joseph's Jesus is from the house of David through his mother.

[@Sci-Fi_Fan296]

That’s not biblical. The bible is patriarchal. Your comment doesn’t make biblical sense.

[@GlorifiedTruth]

Joseph was also one of the foremost Yahtzee players of his time. Of course, it was a primitive version of the game.

[@johnproffitt3272]

The genealogies cannot have the same person as the source since in Matthew's gospel, Joseph's lineage goes to David through his son Solomon, while in Luke's gospel, the lineage goes to David through his son Nathan. It is the paternal line that gives legitimacy, so Joseph's lineage had to trace to David so that Jesus could be called the son of David, but his blood line through his mother also traces to David, so he is actually the son of David.

[@Kyeudo]

Both genealogies are supposedly for Joseph.

[@johnproffitt3272]

@@Kyeudo but they are not, since each comes back to David through a different son. That would be an impossibility.

[@Kyeudo]

@@johnproffitt3272 Luke and Matthew both call out their genealogy as explicitly the genealogy of Joseph. Both genealogies disagree immediately, as they give different names for Joseph's father. Yes, it is impossible for male lines to converge. These genealogies are fabricated, just like the stories of virgin births, censuses with ridiculous terms, or the mass murder of male children.

[@chriscarpenter1420]

Megan's infinity glasses.

[@GeeThevenin]

I’m really curious if it’s true that women in that time had a longer lifespan or is Bart anachronistically applying modern statistics in ancient context? Even recently as the early 1900s it was very common for men to have a second or even a third wife, because the first died in childbirth.

[@jeffryphillipsburns]

Average lifespan in earlier times was most strongly affected by infant death, and I’m also dubious about whether Ehrman is taking this into account. The Biblical age is said to be seventy, three score and ten. If you maintain that Joseph’s later absence from the narratives has to do with his death, then why not wonder why his death is unremarked?

[@Uncanny_Mountain]

E Io Ari te Matea was a Celt, in Celtic law women rule, so a women could choose to marry or not. At the same time Europe was washing their clothes in urine a women in Iraq could attend University and own land. Reverse the Bible and you have Celtic traditions, the Bible was their coded Almanac for navigation by the stars, written in mirror form with metaphor, so the Romans couldn't find New Zealand Which means New Hope

[@bbravoo]

​@@jeffryphillipsburns given that Joseph reached adult age the infant death rate is irrelevant. Males did hard work that could end in injuries or accidents. Not to mention being called for war. Women safety wasn't great but it typically didn't mean death

[@HkFinn83]

‘Common for men’ doesn’t mean ‘common among men’.

[@jeffmacdonald9863]

@@bbravoo That's the point. Life expectancy at birth is low, but life expectancy at adulthood isn't that low. But, as Bart says, it would have been lower for a common laborer. It's also a good point that dying in childbirth wasn't uncommon, especially with 9-10 kids. (And that's surviving children, since the reference was from when Jesus had started his ministry.) Joseph as an older man with Mary as his second wife and some of the kids from a previous marriage would make sense, even beyond attempts to justify her perpetual virginity.

[@atheistapostate7019]

There are some scholars who have brought up Pantera as a possible father figure.

[@b.g.5869]

The band 🤔?

[@slik00silk84]

One has to wonder why a young maiden would be marrying a much older man such as Joseph was. It is not as if he was a rich, or a prominent man. No, he was only a carpenter or something like that. If Mary was the daughter of a priest as some church tradition alleges . . . it is even more puzzling. But . . . what if he was the answer to a problem? What if through some misadventure, Mary turned up pregnant, and for some reason, the daddy couldn't, or wouldn't . . . do right by her. That could have resulted in a stoning of Mary. So . . . a husband was needed, and one that wouldn't mind Mary having "a bun in the oven." The young men of the area were not likely to go along with such a thing . . . but . . . here was old Joseph, a widower, without much prospects, who would like to get a young wife, no matter the circumstances. There must have been uncounted instances of virgins getting pregnant. Probably more in older days than now, when virginity was much more valued. Imagine 2 young people who engage in heavy fooling around, . . . always stopping short of actual intercourse in order to preserve the female's virginity. It is not improbable that from time to time, sperm on a finger has made its way into the females vagina and resulted in a virgin conception.

[@jeffmacdonald9863]

Except the idea of Joseph as an old man is only invented to explain his not appearing later in the Gospels. And the whole "virgin" is all but certainly invented for theological reasons long after his death.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

​​@@jeffmacdonald9863 To be more precise, it's because early Christians believed holy men would be blessed with long lives like the prophets and the ancients. The expected biblical lifespan of a man was 70 for normal dudes and 120 for sages. The History of Joseph the Carpenter very nicely picked 110 for his lifespan. This would require him to be around 80 when he married Mary. This crazy idea is the origin of the old man Joseph tradition. In reality, Joseph only needed to have been around 35, in the prime of his life, when he married Mary, to already be dead by the time his 30-yr-old first son started his ministry. Few day laborers in his time lived past 60.

[@slik00silk84]

@@jeffmacdonald9863 Glad you went there. Obviously much was "invented" in the Christian religion! LOL !

[@slik00silk84]

@@andrewsuryali8540 So where did the conception and birth stories come from? It is to be noticed that the gospels do not mention any followers of Jesus from his home town . . . save for Mary. MARK notes that the people there, referred to Jesus as "the son of Mary" not as "the son of Joseph" which would have been the normal reference. What did the hometown people believe about Jesus' origins?

[@jeffmacdonald9863]

@@slik00silk84 Mark and Matthew mention his brothers, James, Joseph, Simon and Judas. James at least became prominent in the movement after Jesus's death as we see from Acts and from Paul. In theory, the stories could have come through him. Mark doesn't mention Joseph by name. Matthew and Luke only do so in the nativity/childhood sections. John does have him referred to by the townsfolk as "the son of Joseph" . Even within the Gospels, the idea of Jesus's birth having been miraculous doesn't seem consistent. The people of Nazareth don''t seem to have known there was anything special about Jesus. In Luke's episode of young Jesus reciting in the temple, even Joseph and Mary seem shocked rather than being like "Yeah, he's the son of God. We should expect this kind of thing."

[@captainbc52]

Video starts at 3:50

[@travisdiveley1652]

Does Anyone else consider Jesus as, "The SUN Of GOD-Giver OF LIFE" and his 12 Disciples-"The 12 Constellations"? Also, The Winter Solstice "The SUN Resurrection- Rises On The 3rd Day.(December)???

[@xifangyangren9997]

I love watching Premier League soccer on Boxing Day!

[@gugawdadanca]

James Tabor claims Mary got pregnant before her wedding, but not by the Holy Ghost... Joseph eventually adopted Jesus as his own.

[@josephturner7569]

Anyone who remembers the Magic Roundabout will remember Zebedee. Boing.

[@alanhilder1883]

About half way through. Talking about some 'lower profession', " like a harvard professor talking about " the plumbers in his presents just before finding out he had damaged his pipes in a way he doesn't even understand and now needs a plumber, it is going to be very expensive now, if anyone is willing to do the job. ( or electrician, car mechanic, etc, any of those lesser people ).

[@stavroskarageorgis4804]

For civil law purposes, Joseph was Jesus's father.

[@izzynut]

If anything, it is Mary’s genealogy that is important. Jesus has none of Josephs blood. But he may giving that there was so much incest.

[@gheorghebirca]

Jesus’s biological father was Zachariah, who is also the father of John the Baptist. During the period when Mary conceived Jesus, she lived in Zachariah’s house, because she came to help her cousin Elisabeth. Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant with John when Mary entered their home. Elizabeth was Zachariah’s wife. Bible talks about this, Koran talks about this, but somehow, because people so much want to believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, that they ignore this.