Corpus-Paul

["David C. Hindley" <DHindley AT compuserve.com>]

Message text written by "Corpus-paul"

>My point, further, should be
clear-- I am a classicist/ ancient historian, and I have to say that it is
manifestly true that NO other series of ancient Greco-Roman texts has been
subjected to anything, anything, like the hypercritical dissections,
deconstructions, and reinterpretations, as has the various New Testament
books ... <

I would recommend a review of Walter Scott's reconstruction of the Corpus
Hermeticum (_Hermetica_, 1924). We are presented with texts (3rd century or
later) which come to us in a fairly confused state, which in some ways are
similar to characteristics of the Pauline epistles. Mr. Scott reorganized
and edited these back into a form closer to what he considered the
originals would have been like. 

His own understanding and perceptions of the philosophical terms and
arguments appearing in the Hermetica appear to have influenced his
reconstructions. The degree of editing and dislocation he proposes is quite
extensive. Was his re-editing excessive? Probably. Was it biased? Sure. Was
his reconstruction valuable? You bet. 

Dave H
DHindley AT compuserve.com