Writing down the words / last words of Confucius in China, Buddha in India, Mohammed in Arabia, Seth the son of Adam (Jews) - and Larry Norman (Christian)

On December 10, 2014 3:14 PM, "Stephen Williamson" wrote:

Subject: Writing down the words of Confucius, Buddha, Seth (Adam's son) - and last words of Larry :-)

Hi all

Ok, this was an interesting article I feel encouraged to write after several discussions with Chris and Dave

Based on articles in Wikipedia (without any dissension recorded there), here are the key dates

1. Confucius: around 500 BC — His analects click here were written down by his disciples, preached on honouring your parents and your ancestors, honouring the government, honouring your contracts, learning from the signs that come from heaven, all that law-oriented stuff.

2. Buddha: All of the earliest accounts of Buddha, however, (born in Nepal around 500BC) show no records of reading or writing, rather his message was passed on by chanting and singing (as they do in Hinduism) in secluded monasteries and prayer rooms.

It promoted devotion (to being safe), practising meditation (to attain freedom from suffering), mercy (to animals and humans), and for monks — abstinence from meats and marriage, all that me-oriented stuff.

The first recorded writings are with King Ashoka in India click here around 250 BC, who, after apparently inflicting enormous massacres, unified India and wrote down edicts declaring India to be a Buddhist nation (at the time, of approximately 30 million people). Although his dynasty ceased about 50 years after he died, his promotion of Buddhism (with monks and monasteries) continued on in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and south-east Asia, and west into Greece.

Earliest writings recorded in Chinese: 148 AD by a Parthian (Persian) scholar, click here

In India, Buddhism was basically seen (by many) as another branch of Hinduism.

 

3. Mohammed: 570-632 AD — According to Mohammed's teaching in the Koran, the issue of the crucifixion and death of "Jesus" (pronounced "Isa") is important to Muslims as they believe that Jesus will return before the end of time, having been raised bodily to heaven by God.

Depending on their interpretation of Mohammed's teaching, Muslim scholars have abstracted different opinions. Many have been taught that God gave someone (one of his willing disciples) Jesus's appearance, causing everyone to believe that Jesus was crucified, though as this included the genuine believers as well, the reason for God's deception here is unclear. Accordingly, some have been taught that in the Biblical account, Jesus's crucifixion did not last long enough for him to die, while others have said that Jesus was nailed to a cross, but as his body is immortal he did not "die", he was not "crucified" to death, it only appeared so. The basis of all of these beliefs is the following verse in the Koran:

That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah", but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not, No, Allah raised him up unto Himself, and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.

Mohammed's last words then invoked a curse upon Christians and Jews for their unbelief and idolatry, apparently he was killed from eating mutton poisoned by a Jewish lady, shortly after his triumphal visit to Mecca.

According to Aisha, his child bride whom he was leaning against when he died, his final words were to Allah "Forgive me, bestow Your Mercy on me, and let me meet the (Highest) companions".

 

4. Seth: 3888 BC — son of Adam — click here for Adam's timeline as recorded in scripture that eventually resulted in "little old us". According to Jewish tradition, it is Seth who wrote down the first proper account of his parents' life, shortly after Adam died

Presumably he used cuneiform script, the earliest wedge-shaped form of writing that has been found, plentifully, in the Middle East. Dates back to 3400 BC. Cuneiform thus preceded Hebrew, a Semitic language that gained its own script. Click here for a history of writing scripts and alphabets. Hebrew was spoken by Eber, a descendant of Noah (via Shem) around 2200 BC at the time of the “splitting-up” of the nations. Click here for further Jewish info on this subject.

Now, back to this account of the life of Adam and Eve , it helps to “flesh out” gaps in the Genesis account. In Genesis 5, Adam is recorded as meeting death before any of Seth's offspring, in 3088 BC. We then find a fairly detailed record in this account about how his soul was taken to the third heaven by the archangel Michael to await the resurrection, a subject Paul touches on on Mars Hill in Athens when referring to Jesus's return. Acts 17.

This helps to explain where that tradition of resurrection teaching came from (as opposed to the reincarnation teaching in Hinduism and Buddhism).

5. And lastly, here are the last words that Jesus music singer Larry Norman posted on his website, the day before he died on Feb 24, 2008, yep, they’re pretty cool, he’d been having stress-related heart attacks on and off over the past 16 years.

I feel like a prize in a box of Cracker Jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home. I won't be here much longer. I can't do anything about it. My heart is too weak. I want to say goodbye to everyone...I want to say I love you. I'd like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort...Goodbye, farewell, we will meet again.
 
Following a public memorial on March 1 at the Church on the Hill in Turner, Oregon, Norman was buried in Salem's City View Cemetery.
 
His tombstone reads: "Larry Norman / Evangelist Without Portfolio / 1947–2008 / Bloodstained Israelite"

Blessings all Steve

Stephen Williamson Computing Services Pty Ltd
www.swcs.com.au/aboutus.asp

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