tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1097548095899945172.post1322908977115975566..comments2022-02-19T03:47:43.931-05:00Comments on Theology of Persecution: A Biblical View of HistoryGlenn Pennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775729921874246091noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1097548095899945172.post-70941236844242373762009-02-02T09:09:00.000-05:002009-02-02T09:09:00.000-05:00This is a very interesting article, and you rightf...This is a very interesting article, and you rightfully point out that it's important to consider the historical and cultural viewpoints of the ANE when we look at the Biblical understanding of suffering. I would add that it is also important to understand the cultural and philosophical perspective that the Hebrews were not binary rationalists like the Greeks and us (I am at a loss for the proper term here, but hopefully my point is clear)-- that is, they did not consider propositional truth as a binary set of true/false statements, but rather a system in which propositional truths are weighed against one another. (The idea of weight in Scripture is pretty cool in general.) So in this way, I think we can also understand the scope of suffering and redemption in the Bible more appropriately-- there is a certain weight to the idea that God actively punishes sin with suffering, but there is also a certain weight to the idea that there are simply natural consequences to sin. Suffering is God's chastening, part of His mysterious purposes (e.g. Joseph) and many more, but I think the greatest weight is given (in the NT, at least) to God's redemption through suffering. This is perhaps most mysterious of all the different aspects. I have always been curious (and maybe this could be a future blog post) about how much God "had" to suffer-- since we are told in Hebrews that Jesus "learned obedience from what he suffered."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com