Norman Snaith

Focus on the Kingdom | Song of Songs

(On Clouds Imagery | Acts 1:11)
"It was not every man who could see this heavenly chariotry (6:17). The youth needed to have his eyes opened in order that he might see them."  (The Interpreter's Bible, 2 Kings, p. 256).

"The cloud, of course, symbolizes the Divine Glory of God, which, as always, must be hidden from men (even of faith), due to their incapacity to see it in its unveiled splendor" (ibid.).

[T]he cloud (a) manifests by symbolic and representational means the presence of the Divine Glory, (b) veils that glory from men, who cannot behold it, (c) exalts the one enveloped by the intimacy of the association with the Divine Glory, and (d) signals by its physical and visible rise into the heavens the spiritual and invisible nature of the exaltation of the one hidden by and enveloped within the cloud (P. 257).

"[W]e must emphasize that the Lord himself is invisible and is only made visible by the symbolic and representational cloud, which reveals the presence of his Divine Glory by hiding it" (ibid.).

"While [Acts 1:10-11] is generally cited to prove that the glorified Jesus will himself be personally visible at his second coming, it is in fact the case that the glorified Jesus cannot be seen by any man because his glorified person is veiled, hidden, and enveloped within the cloud of God's presence. ...Just as the disciples had not seen Christ going up to heaven, but rather the cloud which veiled him and his Divine Glory, so in the same manner, i.e., hidden within the cloud, he would return (ibid.)." [cite: How was Acts 1:11 Fulfilled]

“The whole Bible, the NT as well as the OT, is based on the Hebrew attitude and approach. We are of the firm opinion that this ought to be recognized on all hands to a greater extent” (Dr. Norman Snaith, The Distinctive Ideas of the Old Testament, p. 185).

“It is clear to us…that there is often a great difference between Christian theology and Biblical theology. [Is this really the Christ of the Bible who is presented to you in tract and sermon?] Throughout the centuries the Bible has been interpreted in a Greek context, and even the NT has been interpreted on the basis of Plato and Aristotle.” 

“There have always been Jews who have sought to make terms with the Gentile world and it has in time meant the death of Judaism for all such. There have been Christians who from the beginning have sought to do this. Often it has been done unconsciously, but whether consciously or unconsciously, the question needs to be faced as to whether it is right.” 

“If these judgments are sound, and we believe they are, then neither Catholic nor Protestant theology is based on the Biblical theology. In each case we have a domination of Christian theology by Greek thought” (cp. our quotation from Kirsopp and Lake above).

 “What then is to be done with the Bible? Is it to be regarded as the norm and its distinctive ideas as the determining factor of Christian theology? Or are we to continue to regard Plato and Aristotle with their pagan successors as contributing the norm, and the main ideas of Greek philosophy as the determining ideas of Christian theology, with the Bible illustrating and confirming those Greek ideas when and where it is suitable?… We hold that there can be no right answer until we have come to a clear view of the distinctive ideas of both Old and New Testaments and their difference from the pagan ideas which have so largely dominated ‘Christian’ thought” (pp. 184-188)

What do YOU think ?

Submit Your Comments For Posting Here
..Will Be Spam Filtered and Posted Shortly..

Date:

09 Mar 2004

Time:

10:40:14

Comments

Snaith, Norman H. -- The Distinctive Ideas of the Old Testament Norman Snaith, a conservative scholar, says, “Is there still, in these days, such a thing as revealed religion? … Or, do we look to the transforming Power of the Holy Spirit working in man, and bringing him to God? … The Bible teaches that a man must be dominated by the Spirit of God, transformed, born again into a new life…. Dr. A. Nygren has dealt with the matter in connection with what his earlier translator, Father A. G. Hebert, has called ‘the fatal confusion between Agape and Eros which now obscures the meaning of Christianity’ (italics mine). P. 187 “What, then, is to be done with the Bible? Is it to be regarded as the norm, and its distinctive ideas as the determining factors of Christian theology? Or are we to continue to regard Plato and Aristotle with their pagan successors as contributing the norm, and the main ideas of Greek philosophy as the determining factors of Christian theology, with the Bible as illustrative and confirmatory when and where it is suitable? Father Hebert holds that ‘there can be no right answer to the question, “What is Christianity?” except by a clear view of the real meaning of the Agape of the New Testament, and its difference from the pagan Eros.’ We go no further. We hold that there can be no right answer until we have come to clear view of the distinctive ideas of both Old and New Testaments and their difference from the pagan ideas which so largely have dominated ‘Christian’ thought.” Norman H. Snaith, The Distinctive Ideas of the Old Testament (London: The Epworth Press) 188.

Date: 27 Jul 2010
Time: 14:01:51

Your Comments:

Pagan ideas placed by the writer of Luke and Acts are not hagiographa. Their invention as scripture intentionally sabotage the hearts of fresh converts and portray Paul as delivering false doctrines and being the subordinate men.

The writer to Theophilus arises from a form of eloquent interceders who tempt the adelphos by subsiding former prophets writing, particularly the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul. Scruplous attention by "false apostles" (2 Cor 11: 13)violate the virgin of Christ (2 Cor 11: 2)and their procedures re-emerge in the contra-Pauline propaganda;(Titus and Timothy, Colossians & Ephesians & 2 Thess.) writings. These are invented works(as told,Psalm 106: 35-42)and instituted to contaminate Paul's revelation from Christ. That revelation held strict omission of elder or pastoral governing in his entire text, (once the interpolations of Philippians 1: 1 is removed.)

Christ's revelation is based upon freely giving service for God's glory, the sarcasm of 1 Cor 9 make the point Paul would rather die lose reward, this is differnent from gifting to distant ministries as by the Philippians and Jerusalem aid.

Opposed to Paul not even naming any form of 'elder' were the developing of office by false apostles testified in 1 Clement 44:1. They represent their own purpose legitimizing episcopate and presbytery overseers.

The same impulse of domineering clergy is shown when Norman Snaith wrote about some of the O.T. insertions on page 100 or Mercy and Sacrifice. "The last nine chapters of the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel form a bluepring for the days of restoration. There seems to be no particular evidence that they are by Ezekiel himself (whoever Ezekiel was). They appear to be of Zadokite inspiration, establishing the Zadokites in the dominant position in the new cit-state, which their behavior in respect to the Deuteronomic reformation leads us to expect of them. Nor is there any evidence that Ezekiel was a priest, apart from the editorial Ezekiel 1: 3 and the fact that the last nine chapters are where they are."

The LORD speaks in Isaiah 42: 16, "And I will bring the blind by the way that they knew not...I will make darkenss light before them, and crooked things straight.." & Isaiah 45: 2, "I will go before you and make the crooked places straight"


Mark 1: 3 puts this loving kindness and power of God in the mouth of a created man as a mechanism to empower leadership/clergy, ""the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."

But Isaiah 40: 4, "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; and the glory OF THE LORD shall be revealed...the Lord has spoken it."

God, alone, delivers. The Psalms declare HIM. There are no Canon, none, and the holy writings include their Apostlic successor, Paul, it is not O.T. and N.T. and it is apparent the LORD makes straight the crooked of very twisted 'Gospels.'
Like it was with Ezekial these are not records of the LORD's earthly ministry, but take teachings and revise a version in the script that is later expanded by three other theological scribes.

Dogma influence a transmission that ignore Paul's text, but it may be seen in light of 1 Cor 11: 1, "keep the ordinances (teaching), as I delivered them to you." His ministry had been in the field over 25 years and that began on the foundation of Christ's 'Word' to Paul for this purpose, not by
the flesh and preknowledge of Jesus, rather in the manifestation of knowing by Spirit in believers.

Avoid the further developments instituting the clergy. Galatians 1 & 2 are a key to the shallowness of false brethren and seeming reputations among those who were at Jerusalem. Paul very much fits the profile of Jeremiah in his tribulations delivering his revelation and prophetic vision to all Nations.

Stealth is active by Satan's ministers and those that later bestow Constantine with power. They had become like those who despised them.

God delivers, no man betrayed or delivered Jesus in 1 Cor 11: 23. He did the delivering-and continues to do this maintaining Strong's Greek 5775; according to the imperfect tense of Paul's word, paradideto, as proven in Romans 8:32, 1 Cor 15: 24, Galatians 2: 20.

Richard Lee Bland