The Jewish and Christian Scriptures have transitioned from the times before the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls to ever expanding understanding of how they were written. The Dead Sea Scrolls were clearly an eye-opener to those who thought that these Scriptures were unique. The Scrolls showed clearly that there were similar stories present in other groups. Since then, scholars like Raymond Brown, Dominic Crossan, and others have added insight into the process of how these Scriptures came to be. Clearly, the end product was designed and engineered by humans.
Robert Wright has written an engaging account of how he understands the Christian ethic of universal love developed. Since he notes that the early work of Mark lacked virtually all of the stories in Luke and Matthew that expressed the extent to which we should love all, he concluded that Jesus did not say all that was included in these latter Gospels. He attributes this ethic to Paul's missionary work to non-Jews in other places, e.g., Corinth. The expansion of the former Jewish religion to include (1) Gentiles and (2) peoples of other places, required an ethic of love and generosity if the extended communities were to become a whole rather than distinct settlements. In short, the process of extending Christianity afar was akin to the process of globalization as we know it now. And, in conclusion, Wright has hope that this process will work now for all religions, including Islam, as the world becomes more interconnected.
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