Mike Wordsmith

@JoshuaEnsley Your direction has shifted. Your public-facing comments are loading a boat that is sailing away.

@TorahMike I assume you're pasting this as a way to condemn me. But this has been my view for 17 years when I first became a pronomian. The covenant is not the Law.

The Mosaic Covenant has ended, as it was already made obsolete (perfect tense) when Hebrews was written (Heb 8:13). It was "ready to vanish away" because the final few members were still alive, but they would die within a generation.

@Truth_matters20 “For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my Torah.” (Proverbs 4:2)

@AiG With the biblical holiday ordained by God to commemorate this to this event - First Fruits. Jesus is the first fruits of our salvation - always was.

How are you celebrating?

I’m unaware of a “covenant of works”? As in there was some other framework of salvation / good standing with God other than a faith / belief that produced good works?

@DSPetolicchio That the New Covenant is characterized as God writing his Torah on our hearts, and that almost every Christian denomination is victim of the false teachers with false doctrine that the NT forewarns about.

What your favorite unpopular conspiracy theory?

“For this is the (New) covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my Torah within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33) Do you have the Torah written on your heart?

“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” -Luke 22:20

@DSPetolicchio 9* commandments as written among the 10. One of them is to observe the 7th day of the week as the Sabbath.

Christianity really doesn't have to be that complicated at all.

Those are some of the weaker claims, which should be knocked down. But the reality is not quite so black-and-white. Is Easter the name of a pagan goddess? Bede, revered as the father of English history, considered reliable by scholars, says yes. Can we cross-reference anything to confirm this? Yes — etymological studies (and onomastic evidence from inscriptions and place-names) support this. Do painted eggs in springtime pre-date Christianity in relevant regions? Yes. Can we draw a direct line between that and the modern practice? No, can we infer it with some degree of liklihood? Yes. @MichaelWordsmith/easters-hares-and-eggs-pagan-relics-in-the-christian-spring-feast-b55eb11a38a9" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">medium.com/@MichaelWordsm…

If with the Holy Spirit our bodies are a temple unto God, then the Easter ham feels more adjacent to Antiochus sacrificing a pig at the physical temple. Quite an antitype or inversion of the Passover lamb sacrifice.

@Brian_Murray111 @taco_talks I think he’s a Sunday man (1st day of week). A relic of the Constantine era: “We desire, dearest brethren, to separate ourselves from the detestable company of the Jews”

@TorahMike @taco_talks I suspect this may be his point, but could be wrong.

True. Supported by Exodus 20:11 that they are literal days.

The calculation theory itself leans on Hellenistic ideas like the “integral age” — the belief that a perfect life ends on the same day it began (hence Jesus conceived and crucified on March 25). Cosmic symmetry then locks everything to the solar calendar the whole Roman world already observed: • Jesus conception: Spring Equinox (Mar 25) • Jesus birth: Winter Solstice (Dec 25) • John the Baptist birth: Summer Solstice (June 24) • John the Baptist conception: Fall Equinox (Sept 25) From a strict sola-scriptura standpoint, these pre-Christian Hellenistic frameworks weren’t “neutral philosophy” — they were soaked in pagan religion. So yes, quite the “coincidence” if it’s purely independent of the surrounding solar worldview. Subconscious cultural osmosis/syncretism remains the simpler explanation.

@TorahMike @aigkenham The only option I see is that the calculation was independant, but happend to fall on a "good" day and thus was accepted.

The idea of millions of years does not come from the Bible.

No, I've already conceded that you can arrive at the calculation-theory conclusion—if you give maximum credence to the early Church's "reason of record" and minimal credence to the surrounding cultural forces of syncretism. I just don't think that's the most balanced way to weigh the evidence. When you fairly consider both the documented rationale and the well-documented Hellenistic/Roman pattern of adapting solstice timing, cosmic symmetry, and integral-age concepts, I find pagan influence on the December 25 date more likely than not. On the burden-of-proof point: yes, if we apply a strict "innocent until proven guilty" standard (as you do), you can still disagree. I simply don't believe that's how we normally evaluate ancient religious history—except, apparently, on this one issue.

@TorahMike @aigkenham Essentially, you're claiming guilt, and they must prove innocence to your satisfaction.

No, I’m not framing pagan influence as “purposeful deception.” That’s actually the threshold you just set when you said I’m positing intentional syncretism that required backfilling the math. I’m simply pointing out that this is the standard the “Christmas isn’t pagan” side usually demands. My actual position is simpler: pagan influence can still be in the mix even if it wasn’t the official “reason of record” given by the early Roman church. That’s not a bug of syncretism—it’s a feature. It usually creeps in gradually, subconsciously, and without a signed confession from the participants. Subtle influence is still real influence.

@TorahMike @aigkenham But what you're positing is *purposeful* deception/syncretism. That the date of the 25th was pre-chosen to align and then a need to backfill the claim with math. They were super lucky in this case, then to find an exact match using a pre-existing prophet birth/death calculation.

Agreed, this is the common threshold typically required to refute claims of pagan influence / syncretism. Like a criminal trial, innocent until proven guilty. Unless you can get inside someone’s head, you can’t prove what their thought process was. Until you can - innocent of the claim. I would argue that the burden of proof here should be more in line with a civil case (This is a civil matter, after all), that is, what is more likely than not? That would be more consistent with how historical analysis is typically treated. Except, seemingly, on this issue.

@TorahMike @aigkenham You have to be the one to prove intent I'm afraid, otherwise it's just another case of "it's not exactly as documented, it has to be something different because Church".

That logic only works if you apply maximum weight / full credence / zero skepticism to the “reason of record” given by the early Roman Church. You can land at that conclusion, but, that’s what you have to do to get there. If this were a trial, that would be like forcing the prosecution to accept the defense’s testimony as immutable fact. Syncretism is covert, subtle, and often contrary to one’s prior beliefs. Subtle influence is not lesser influence merely because it is indirect. Nor is internal intelligibility proof of external independence. medium.com/christmas-dece…

@TorahMike @aigkenham So you DO know that the 25 was based on a calculation that had nothing to do with the surrounding culture that acknowledged the solstice. Coming first has no bearing on the date calculated. It's a non sequitur. It would align with ANY culture that kept note of the solstice.

@YahwehGraced If my memory is correct, I understand that 30-33 is the window. I haven’t attempted to look further than that.

@TorahMike Isn’t crucifixion on 30 AD?

The 6000 years given to humanity is not over yet

@HonestYPTweets “Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your Torah is true.” (Psalm 119:142)

If you think calling out unrighteousness is bigotry you’ve lost the plot.