peace & silence

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Anyone entrusted with power will abuse it if not also animated with the love of truth and virtue, no matter whether he be a prince, or one of the people. -Jean de la Fontaine, poet and fabulist (8 Jul 1621-1695)

from Anu Garg's word-a-day. The thought strikes at the center of Truth as we have it in America these days.

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Up early after a vivid dream, hot & black outside on 7H porch, to the 94% waxing gibbous moon in the western sky. Along with my coffee, a couple slices American "cheese" and straining a bit to discern any taste in them. Read a faraway friend's latest blogpost and pressed the heart for like. Looked up to a huge cloud that wasn't in the south half an hour earlier, then came "heavy rain" though I didn't have my ears in and could not hear the rain at all. Silence and peace. No lightning or thunder.

It's sort of nice being hard of hearing, because I can choose peaceful quiet that better hearing people cannot choose.

inside now, 71° in here but 83° outside in Florida, uncommonly delightful out there.

Lap robe over my legs, it's that cool.

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Today: Tuesday of Linda's birth week, her call what we do each day. Church on Sunday, relax at 7H on Monday, what today will bring IDK it's not mine to say. Wednesday maybe Carousel, Fresh Market, World Market and back home for naps. IDK what she may buy at World Market, me, I'll check out the sardines and anchovies by the back wall. Last Time we were there I bought a jar of their strawberry preserves - - not again, I like it with whole strawberries.

Bubba likes red.

Determined to wrap up this blogpost with no semblance whatsoever of intellectual adventure. The church's lectionary has us starting Colossians:

Colossians 1:1-14

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

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A disputed letter not one of the seven, many (most?) mainline NT scholars and scholars of St Paul assert that Colossians is not Paul's writing, Colossians and Ephesians. The balance is close enough that you can decide for yourself, and it you want to go with the traditional view, that's fine; me, I'm not interested in deciding, but I am interested that the letter is disputed. Here's what AI says:

AI Overview

While the Epistle to the Colossians is attributed to the Apostle Paul, some scholars question his direct authorship. The letter itself states it was written by Paul and Timothy (Colossians 1:1). However, some scholars point to differences in style and vocabulary compared to Paul's undisputed letters, suggesting it might have been written by someone else in his tradition.

Here's a more detailed look:

Arguments for Pauline authorship:

Traditional view: The text itself claims Paul as the author (Colossians 1:1).

Early church acceptance: The letter was accepted as Pauline by many early church fathers.

Close relationship to other Pauline letters: The letter shares similarities in themes and even some wording with Ephesians and Philemon, which are generally accepted as Pauline.

Mentions of Paul's imprisonment: The letter mentions Paul being imprisoned, which aligns with his known imprisonment during his ministry.

Arguments against Pauline authorship (scholarly debate):

Differences in style and vocabulary:

Some scholars argue that the writing style and vocabulary of Colossians differ significantly from Paul's undisputed letters.

Doctrinal differences:

Some scholars suggest that the theology presented in Colossians differs from Paul's teachings in other letters.

Historical context:

Some propose that the letter was written later, perhaps decades after Paul's death, by someone influenced by his teachings.

Conclusion:

While the traditional view attributes Colossians to Paul, scholarly debate continues regarding its direct authorship. Some scholars argue for Pauline authorship based on the traditional view and similarities with other Pauline letters, while others suggest it was written by a later follower of Paul.

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This morning I'm looking at the letter's content, not its authorship, and the last sentence of Sunday's reading:

"He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

It sounds pretty Pauline to me. "Transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son" would mean the near future kingdom of God on Earth that will be ruled by the Son, eh? And "in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins," is a Pauline theme that I do not believe Jesus pushed, and that is not my interest or concern in the Christian message, which Jesus leaves us hanging with in the day's gospel reading about the Good Samaritan, which shows that our neighbor, whom we are to love, is not the nice White family next door, but the immigrant Brown family in California or NY whose father was picked up by ICE and shipped to a horrifying prison in a faraway land.

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LHM, CHM, LHM

T89&c