Subject: KJV-onlyism and Talmud of Jmmanuel

From: "James R. Adair" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 11:08:29 -0400 (EDT)

The tc-list is an open, unmoderated list devoted to the _academic_ study
of the biblical texts.  Although students and interested amateurs are
welcome to contribute, it is expected that only serious tc-related matters
will be discussed. 

Helge Evenson was asked on the list about his textual views, which involve
unwavering support for the TR and KJV-onlyism.  I think it has been useful
to discuss this matter in some detail, and since he was asked directly,
Helge was certainly free to express his opinion.  However, the discussion
has now gone on long enough on the list (although people are free to
discuss the matter off-list, of course).  KJV-onlyism is _not_ a
legitimate scholarly position, since the fact that its evidential basis is
non-existent is obvious to all but the most die-hard advocates, so it is
not a legitimate topic for discussion on this list.  As I said, I don't
fault Helge for providing his opinion in response to a direct question,
and I think it has been interesting for some who have little knowledge of
KJV-onlyism to see it advocated by a pundit, but by now we've thoroughly
covered the subject, so let's drop it. 

Concerning Jim Deardorff's _Talmud of Jmmanuel_, I have the following
comments.  The _Talmud of Jmmanuel_ was written by noted UFOlogist and New
Ager Eduard "Billy" Meier (not the NT scholar Eduard Meier!), and it is a
testament of his personal beliefs, masquerading as a recently discovered
ancient document.  Meier himself is an interesting character, born in
Switzerland in 1937 and traveling Europe, Asia, and Africa for many years.
He claims to have been contacted by aliens called the "Pleiades" on
several occasions, and he also thinks of himself as the reincarnation of
Jesus Christ.  The _Talmud of Jmmanuel_ was purportedly written in Aramaic
and translated into German.  However, the German translation reportedly
includes language taken directly from Luther's translation, the German
standard.  For more information on Meier (in Italian), see
http://services.csi.it/~ufo/meier18.htm.  The _Talmud of Jmmanuel_ is not
a document that biblical text critics use, so references to it are not
welcome on this list.  Jim may, of course, continue to present his views
of the development of the NT text on other bases, but the _Talmud of
Jmmanuel_ itself is out of bounds for the list.

Jimmy Adair, Listowner, TC-List
Manager of Information Technology Services, Scholars Press
    and
Managing Editor of TELA, the Scholars Press World Wide Web Site
---------------> http://scholar.cc.emory.edu <-----------------

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From: Jim Deardorff <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 14:14:39 -0700 (PDT)

> ...

As you wish, Jimmy, but the TJ is very relevant for anyone who looks past
its false debunkings, because it is only a translation and an editing away
from its Aramaic original. 

In just the little that you presented from Verga's web site, Jimmy, there
are three terrible falsehoods, one plain error and a misimpression.  There
are web sites that speak out for the truth of Mr. Eduard A. Meier's
experiences, which a sincerely interested person could visit.

Jim Deardorff