Napoleon Bonaparte once taunted Cardinal Ercole Consalvi by threatening: “Your Eminence, are you not aware that I have the power to destroy the Catholic Church?” To which the cardinal quipped:
"For 1,800 years, the rest of us have been trying to do it, and we haven't succeeded.”
"But what of the leaders? Where were the kings and military leaders in the First Temple period to give the people a reason to fight and not to worship foreign gods?"
The prophet Jeremiah stated that God himself was against Jerusalem and Judah and would destroy the kingdom by the Babylonians, instruments of his wrath, and that no human efforts against this would succeed.
Naturally, this message did not go over well. Some wanted Jeremiah killed, but he was thrown in prison instead.
Nevertheless, in spite of their best efforts, the will of God prevailed and Jerusalem was destroyed because of the overt wickedness and disobedience of the nation, according to the Tanakh's version of events.
Ancient myth? Or authentic truth inspired by God?
If it is only ancient myth, then the Jewish people and the state of Israel are grounded in mythology.
But would God have told that to Jeremiah had Jewish leadership led the people in a different direction? God's words to Jeremiah were not said at the beginning of time but after a failure of leadership.
I'm reminded of this:
Napoleon Bonaparte once taunted Cardinal Ercole Consalvi by threatening: “Your Eminence, are you not aware that I have the power to destroy the Catholic Church?” To which the cardinal quipped:
"For 1,800 years, the rest of us have been trying to do it, and we haven't succeeded.”
Another thing we share!
"But what of the leaders? Where were the kings and military leaders in the First Temple period to give the people a reason to fight and not to worship foreign gods?"
The prophet Jeremiah stated that God himself was against Jerusalem and Judah and would destroy the kingdom by the Babylonians, instruments of his wrath, and that no human efforts against this would succeed.
Naturally, this message did not go over well. Some wanted Jeremiah killed, but he was thrown in prison instead.
Nevertheless, in spite of their best efforts, the will of God prevailed and Jerusalem was destroyed because of the overt wickedness and disobedience of the nation, according to the Tanakh's version of events.
Ancient myth? Or authentic truth inspired by God?
If it is only ancient myth, then the Jewish people and the state of Israel are grounded in mythology.
But would God have told that to Jeremiah had Jewish leadership led the people in a different direction? God's words to Jeremiah were not said at the beginning of time but after a failure of leadership.
Right.