[quote]Mr. Chen wrote:
That’s why I asked if Horus had ever said anything worth writing down or debating. Quite unlike Jesus Christ, he did not.[/quote]
As a matter of fact, he did. The 42nd chapter of the Egyptian Book of the Dead contains a wealth of sayings and parables uttered by Horus concerning his work on earth, his heavenly father Osiris, sin and salvation. They were recorded by Taht-Matiu. Whether you consider them worthy of debate is for you to judge, but you have most assuredly read them. You would know them as Chapter 25 of the Gospel according to Matthew.
[quote]I date first mention of the Redeemer from the Book of Job. Maybe you date the Book of Job different than I do though. No matter.
[/quote]
The Book of Job likely has its origins as a Sumerian parable entitled “Man and his God”, and estimates of the date of authorship of its present form, and inclusion in the Hebrew canon, range from the reign of King David and Solomon (ca. 1011-928 BC), and the Baylonian Exile (597-537 BC). Either way, considerably less than 3,500 years. But as you say, it doesn’t really matter.
You are not the first Christian to assume that the “Redeemer” mentioned in Job 19:25 is Jesus, but in fact this word (haggo’el in Hebrew) is a common epithet in the Old Testament for Yahweh.
The go’el in Hebrew culture was the vindicator, the person who would avenge a wrongdoing. If a Hebrew was murdered, his next of kin would be the go’el, and kill the murderer. A go’el might also buy the freedom of a kinsman who sold himself into slavery, or pay off the mortgage on a kinsman’s land.
Job suffered a tremendous injustice, but he is confident that he will be vindicated by God in the end. Hence his use of this term.
Yahweh is mentioned throughout the psalms as the go’el of Israel, who will stand up for his chosen people and avenge them. In the 19th psalm, David refers to “Adonai tsuri v’go’ali”, “Lord, my rock and redemption”. Do you think that David was singing this psalm of praise to his god, or to his descendent, still forty generations unborn?