Job vs Paul

[Doug Millison]

--- Terrance <lycidas2 at earthlink.net> wrote: 
> 
> OT man (Job)


I don't think you can successfully defend an argument
that posits any sort of monolithic "OT man" -- the Old
Testament books are written over a period of
centuries, and pull together many different kinds of
cultural experiences, not to mention the presence of
many important women in the narratives.

In general, far-reaching Old Testament v New
Testatment generalizations fall apart rather quickly
on closer inspection. 


>The
> OT God is very unpredictable and doesn't need reason
> to justify his ways
> to men. 


Read the Genesis story of Abraham reasoning with God
about how many innocent people must be found in Sodom
in order for God to spare the city.
16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down
toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to
see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, "Shall I
hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham
will surely become a great and powerful nation, and
all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19
For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his
children and his household after him to keep the way
of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that
the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has
promised him." 
20 Then the Lord said, "The outcry against Sodom and
Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that
I will go down and see if what they have done is as
bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will
know." 
22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but
Abraham remained standing before the Lord . [5] 23
Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep
away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there
are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you
really sweep it away and not spare [6] the place for
the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far
be it from you to do such a thing-to kill the
righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and
the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the
Judge [7] of all the earth do right?" 
26 The Lord said, "If I find fifty righteous people in
the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for
their sake." 
27 Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been
so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing
but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the
righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy
the whole city because of five people?" 
"If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not
destroy it." 
29 Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are
found there?" 
He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it." 
30 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let
me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" 
He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty
there." 
31 Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to
speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found
there?" 
He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy
it." 
32 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let
me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found
there?" 
He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy
it." 
33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham,
he left, and Abraham returned home. 

http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?passage=GEN+18&language=english&version=NIV&showfn=on&showxref=on



> Did Christ defeat Death? 

According to the Christians, yes.


> Christian faith, partly because of reasons
> influence, becomes much more
> intense than OT faith. 


Depends on how you define "more intense" I guess.  I
don't think anything gets much more intense than
Abraham's faith in God which leads him to sacrifice
Isaac, a story that features prominently in Pynchon.



=====
<http://www.dougday.blogspot.com/>
<http://www.online-journalist.com/index.html>

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