Hello Oldballardlibrary, thanks for writing.
You said:
“First the text is a poem. You can disagree but factually to say it’s not is to only see the structure and not the effect.”
The structure is indeed poetic, but that doesn’t alter the fact that Paul presents it as factual.
Poems were often used in the ancient world to preserve the most essential information. Poems are easier to remember, thereby making the most essential information easier to remember.
Paul directly calls this material the matter of “first importance.” To Paul, there is nothing more important than what he presents in the poem.
You said:
“So in the poem Thomas talks about never trusting eye witnesses. He then later claims he was an eye witness and is to be trusted.”
Paul is writing this, not Thomas.
Paul claims to be an eyewitness to Jesus appearing to him, personally, on the road to Damascus.
Paul denies being an eyewitness to the event that 500+ people witnessed.
You said:
“So I suppose if the poem is turned into say a kind of what exactly, a documentary, science text, then that might all be baffling. The oddity here then psychological experience is only limited to what eyeballs? That’s the only valid way to experience?”
Jesus invites Thomas to touch His wounds, physically.
Jesus also eats broiled fish to prove He’s real.
In addition to seeing Jesus, touching Him, and watching Him eat, they heard Him speak.
They experienced the risen Jesus in a wide variety of ways, my friend.
You said:
“What if the was sound and Thomas said I trust no ear witnesses. later he states trust me, I heard I am a hearing witness.”
It’s not really clear what you’re meaning, here.
You said:
“There is a deep inculturation and genetics that is causing us to read this text literally rather than poetically. It’s very literally or psychologically scientifically. Like it’s a car manual. We do know if individuals on extreme spectrum that can’t read it any other way. Asperger’s they wouldn’t function well without books. Poetry isn’t their thing I think we all know that. Which is fine we are all different and we all have strengths and weaknesses. I might say many have zero excuse to be so lacking in self awareness to not be able to read the text poetically.”
Poems can convey literal truth.
The two aren’t opposed to each other.
In Paul’s day and age, when so many people learned orally, poems were used to mentally store critical information.
You said:
“Oh and my degree theology. And no I don’t go into theology much to aspergerish as a disapline starting with the word believe or in modern times theory. Theory has zero to do with much actually and absolutely zero to do with a poem like the text.”
Paul appeals to the content as the matter of “first importance.” He goes on to say that if Jesus is not risen from the dead, the Christianity is worthless and Christians are of all people the most to be pitied.
This is not “theory.”
Paul is speaking of the matter more important than anything else.
