Jesus: After the cross (v2)

What is reported to us from after the death of Jesus?

First thing: Brave Joseph of Arimathea (secret disciple, as John* tells it) had been given permission to place Jesus' remains in an unused tomb without delay, which he did.

HOW TO GET

Printed Bibles in various versions and forms are available from many reliable on-line sellers. Some offer free postage. (Some also sell the New Testament separately.) From my Australian perspective:

• www.bookdepository.com
• www.koorong.com 
• https://www.word.com.au/
  

(I think you do need to know just what you want to order.) 

Note: The pictured volume I imported directly from Bible Society UK; ISBN 9780564050772 

These days I personally find the ISBN and put it in the search bar to see what options come up. Sometimes Booktopia can assist.

Koorong also sells small selections - individual documents (or, books) such as 'Gospels'. Others may do as well.

Orders are placed simply without opening an account and all costs are shown.

(It is possible the order process will provide an option to make a donation. A donation is not required.)

Unfortunately, packages when received may contain other items from them, some of a fund-raising nature. (They can be recycled.)

Bible in other Languages

A great many languages other than English are available from the Koorong on-line 'shop'. Others may also support.

OTHER COUNTRIES

If you are needing assistance to find a Bible source for your country, please send me a message. I will do what I can.

On-screen books OK? (including in languages)

I find the WWW on-line text resources of Bible Gateway and Blue Letter Bible good, as also You Version and Bible Hub (There are others.)

• biblegateway.com  (check their link "Read the Bible")
• blueletterbible.org
• Youversion.com
• Biblehub.com

5Fish 

5Fish is an app for mobile devices, new to me. It comes from "Global Recordings Network" (GRN). Certainly, the app has links to huge resources in very, very, many languages. (The image is just from the app listing.)

 

URL for Global Recordings site:

https://globalrecordings.net/en/5fish

Post revised, updated 23/01/2022, and reposted here

AL 17/10/25

JESUS: According to __

"According to...." : or, "Jesus, according to ......". The noun that follows can be problematic! Large implications in the answer. It is a big question and I aim to do it some justice, albeit briefly. 

From (the) Evil

"Deliver us from evil" is the familiar request. Are we (being) delivered from evil?

That request might have been made by victims; perhaps even by the perpetrators.... (I do not imagine it is hard to apply the word "evil" to what the images evoke.)

Be Alert!

Some parts of the NT message are awkward, or difficult, or really challenging, or all three!

Tune Out!

"Be deaf when anyone speaks to you apart from Jesus Christ,
Who was of the stock of David,
Who was from Mary,
Who was truly born, ate and drank,
was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate,
was truly crucified and died
   in the sight of beings heavenly, earthly and under the earth,
Who also was truly raised from the dead,
His Father raising him".*

The style of these ancient words may be more familiar to some readers! I am focussing on the good advice in the first line, rather than the doctrine or dogma following it.

These slogans (creed-like phrases) were written by Ignatius of Antioch about 1,900 years ago. As we shall see, unsurprisingly Jesus had anticipated the problem. The false speaker was a problem from Jesus' own antiquity. 

Ignatius came just after the Apostles. He was one of those seeking to ensure the scattered groups of Christians held to orthodox beliefs. (I do wonder about one clause there, Ignatius!)  He was martyred in Rome about 110 CE.

Round about those times there were rival voices and even the emergence of rival/alternative/extra gospels. Strong leaders with alternative views gained followers and established belief communities. The complex overall situation in the century after the first Easter is obscure to me. Clearly, the spread of unorthodox teaching saw the emergence of contenders such as Ignatius. His admonition to listen only to those who speak through Jesus Christ is a telling one. (How, however, is that done?)

The debate over the fourfold Gospel (four, no more, no less) was probably beginning. Evidence comes from Irenaeus, disciple of Polycarp of Smyrna, who had been in Ephesus when the Apostle John lived there. Irenaeus was a missionary in the west (Gaul, a.k.a. France) (E. Britannica). It is overwhelmingly true today that the fourfold Gospel (Matthew; Mark; Luke; John) is securely established.

Beliefs? Credal formulas continued to be developed until the texts (creeds) known as 'Apostles' and 'Nicene' were adopted. Many Christian groups today profess adherence to the creeds. Some corporately recite the words from time to time. Sounds secure?  Might have pleased Ignatius, Polycarp, et al.? Maybe, but, a couple of years ago (2013 I think) I heard a current day (employed) leader in a professing body asked in a radio interview about the extent of their commitment to the doctrines regularly confessed. No real surprise but, I regret to say, the answer was that the professional's recitation of the creed was 'aspirational', rather than actual! So, the stated allegiance of a leader, or the identity of their salary paying body, or their formal label, unfortunately is no guarantee. Sadly, they may speak to you 'apart from Jesus Christ'. Difficult?

The only reliable test is specific comparison with the Gospels, the NT, the Bible. (Note, however, almost everyone claims Bible support.) You can and should check! Test everyone, including me! So Jesus had previously warned; John echoed him. Those truly informed by the Bible had resources to resist the blandishments of falsity. (This is largely a matter of knowing the whole, rather than a verse here or there.)

Matthew 7

True and False Prophets

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

True and False Disciples

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

I John 4

 1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

This is not the 'full story'. There is more (similar) in my page, 'Be Alert'.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. 

*Ignatius,  Trall. 9:4, quoted in J.N.D.Kelly, Early Christian Creeds, 3rd Ed., (London; New York: Continuum, 2006) 68 (in Google Books)

eBook Bible Availability

Another factor for my project (specifically the 'Compilation' covering the 'Jesus Event') was the widespread use of ebooks.

The Jesus Event - a Presentation

The Jesus Event

a compiled presentation

Following is a presentation of Jesus derived from Mark, with additions from John, and substitutions (shorter) from Matthew and Luke. (I ended up with about 15,500 words; 25 pages.) You can instead simply read Mark in whatever version you wish, e.g. via Bible Gateway.com.

This is the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

How to Get - Print New Testament or Bible

Printed Bibles in various forms are available from many reliable on-line sellers. Some offer free postage. (Some also sell the New Testament separately.) From an Australian perspective:

• www.bookdepository.com
• www.koorong.com 
• https://www.word.com.au/
  

(I think you do need to know just what you want.) 

Koorong also sells smaller volumes - individual documents (or, books) such as 'Gospels'. Others may do as well.

Orders are placed simply without opening an account and all costs are shown.

(It is possible the order process will provide an option to make a donation. This is not required.)

Unfortunately, packages when received may contain other items from them, some of a fund-raising nature. (They can be recycled.)

Bible in other Languages

A great many languages other than English are available from the Koorong on-line 'shop'. Others may also support.

OTHER COUNTRIES

If you are needing assistance to find a Bible source for your country, please send me a message. I will do what I can.

On-screen OK?

I find the WWW on-line text resources of Bible Gateway and Blue Letter Bible good. (There are others.)

• biblegateway.com
• blueletterbible.org
  

Post revised, updated 23/01/2022

Bible on smartphone or tablet

Seem to be a lot of apps to give access to the Bible.

• Bible Gateway
• Bible! by Logos
• Blue Letter Bible

 The above I have looked at. (They offer more than one version.)

Some apps give access to a single Bible version.

Some apps belong to a particular group with their own unique slant.

Some apps offer in-app purchase to download.

Bible version --???

Bible Version ---?