In the past several weeks, I've had lots to say, but not the time to say it. Partly due to work. Somewhat due to great debates which sprang up on my last two posts here. (Incidentally, if you suffer from insomnia, they may help. Just check out my comments.)
There is more coming, lots more as time permits, including a series I'm excited about regarding some recent research. Want a hint? Well, in 2 Corinthians 6:15 you find:
What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? NIV
Just who the Hell is Belial? Well, for starters, he's not Satan, but they are related in a sense. That relation opens up a gateway into some rather interesting extra-canonical material. So, keep an eye out for it...
OMG! You guys really got into it! It's amazing how much rationalization goes on in the True Christian's mind.
ReplyDeleteYou're a great debater, BTW. Excellent.
Thanks for the complement Lorena! We are all so good at rationalization at times that it's amazing that we ever arrive at the truth! :-)
ReplyDelete"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened."
ReplyDeleteWinston Churchill
I'm eager to read your commentary on the subject. So Satan and Belial are not one and the same, eh? Do Christians tend to conflate the two, just as they conflate Satan and the serpent from the Garden of Eden?
ReplyDelete@dsholland
ReplyDeleteGreat quote!
@Ahab
Actually Ahab, I can't remember hearing or reading any Christian commentary on this verse. I'm still doing research. :-)
Based on the context around that verse and the strong promotion of Satan in the NT, though, I think it is natural to do a mental swap. However, Belial is separate from "the Accuser," a.k.a. Satan, and seems to be featured prominently in particular pieces of Apocrypha written in the first and second century BC from what I have seen so far.