Medieval Lexicon of Symbology

 Let's start by setting the stage for the Early Church.  In the mid 30s AD, Jesus was crucified by the Romans.   Jesus was resurrected and appeared to many people, including his disciples.  This happened both in Jerusalem and in Galilee, on the road to Emmaus and elsewhere. Peter preached his message in Jerusalem at the day of Pentecost.  From there, new Jewish/ Christian believers dispersed to their home towns including Antioch, Ephesus, Rome. Peter remained a prominent leader in the Jerusalem church, along with James the Lord's brother and, interestingly, accompanied by John Mark.  Tradition tells us that other of the apostles embarked on missionary journeys.  For example, Phillip met the Ethiopian and traveled to north Africa.   Matthew was said by Papias (the Bishop of Hieropolis in Phrygia ca. AD 130) to have written the Oracles or Saying of Jesus in his native Aramaic.  This was probably a work in progress during the time he ...

 What clues tell us when the books of the New Testament were written? Major Points 1.  Nothing in the NT mentions the completed fact of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.  Several of Jesus' prophecies mentions the coming destruction of Jerusalem, but none of the books list it as something that has already happened.   Several specific instructions are included that talk about what to do when the destruction is near:  flee to the mountains,  pray that it doesn't happen in winter, if you are in the city when you see the armies approaching you must flee and those who are outside should not re-enter it.  Why would the authors add these directions if the city was already ruined?  Why pray to avoid winter or the Sabbath if we already know that the sack of Jerusalem took place in late summer?   Unless we are willing to accept that much of this prophetic writing was a deliberate and widespread fabrication (a conspiracy theory among thous...