The Holy Bible contains not any contradictions!

[Picaro]

The idiotic Gnostic crap put out by Walther Bauer and his flunky Elaine Pagels and picked up by dishonest 'scholars' like Bert Thurman have all been thoroughly shot down by Darrell Bock and a few others. Get a copy of Bock's The Missing Gospels for a short intro to why these hacks are rubbish, most especially their ridiculous claims that the orthodox books weren't the 'originals' and 'Constantine rewrote them to suit himself n stuff'. Only true idiots keep repeating that inane nonsense any more. 'Gnosticism' is too hilariously dumb even for the Xian bashers to keep babbling about.

 

[BreezeWood]

I know of a man raised as an evangelical Christian and went to Moody Bible Institute. He was so devout he learned ancient Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic just to read and study the Bible. He got a PhD, teaches Bible Studies at Chapel Hill University, and now he's agnostic.

It's been awhile, but learned about Paul's young friend Timothy yesterday. Perhaps this is something that could help your Christian/agnostic (?) friend.

In 2 Timothy 2, Paul writes a letter to his successor, Timothy, and has three lessons from a soldier, athlete, and farmer. The soldier's lesson is to please his commander (v. 4). It states that trash talk (godless chatter) of others, rhetoric from people who think too much of themselves, things beyond your control, and concerns that cause us angst -- all compete with our faith and ministry causing us to lose devotion, perseverance, and focus.

Bible Gateway passage: 2 Timothy 2 - New International Version

The advice may be sound but there is a good chance it didn't come from Paul. Ironic considering the OP. Can you say pseudepigrapha?

Several letters bearing Paul’s name are disputed among scholars, namely:

• Ephesians
• Colossians
• 2 Thessalonians
• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus

My post wasn't for you, but to pass it on to your friend. I hope you do that.

As for your dispute, the Bible is clear that the author is Paul of his letter to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:1-2. "Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, my beloved child:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."

He's not a friend, just someone I know of and whose books I've read: Bart Ehrman.

As for Paul's letters, scholars accept some as authentic, some as questionable, and some as almost certainly NOT written by Paul. Faith is good but so is at least a bit of skepticism.

Haha. What a fakir you are.

We know all of Paul's writings are authentic unlike that of your "bud" and so-called Bible scholar Mr. Ehrman. What he writes is a rehash of an old story that Jesus was an itinerant preacher and the apostles just conspired to make up the story of his resurrection in order to sell books and make a name for himself. He isn't a real Bible scholar, but one for the atheists/agnostics.

.

What he writes is a rehash of an old story ...

Haha, truth is ageless ...

In The Triumph of Christianity: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World, he notes that from the diversity of Christianity "throughout the first four Christian centuries", eventually only one form of Christianity, Nicene Christianity, became dominant under the rule of the Roman Emperor Constantine and his successors.[28]

- throughout the first four Christian centuries ...

news flash for you bond it was only the 4th century they became christians, the church of the roman empire never to see the light of day again as a religion. save phonies and the condemned.