Summary of New Testament From a Jewish Point of View Class - June 26, 2023

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Jo Ann was finally back in the USA and was with us for our class even though she was very jet-lagged.  The summary below is written by Dan:

In some ways, II Thessalonians sounds a lot like I Thessalonians. Some of the most interesting reading came from the “gray box” commentary (thanks to Jo Ann for screen sharing!). Whether II Thessalonians is a forgery or not, it does show signs of a change in the ideas about the return of Jesus that suggest Christians were questioning how long this return was supposed to take. Jews and Christians and Christians who retain a Jewish identity share that same long wait. This letter was an indication early Christians were becoming aware this wait going to be a long haul. 

Finally, whether or not we are optimists or pessimists about the future, we are all committed to doing all we can to improve the present. As Karen says “it doesn’t have to be this way.”

Thank you to everyone who attended.

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