Talk:Hel 3:31-37

From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.

I wasn't sure what to make of the # of times the word fast is used in the Old Testament versus the New Testament versus the Book of Mormon. I went ahead and put in the Book of Mormon list but now that I have done it I am wondering if that sentence is adding any value at this point. Of course that may be because I missed the point and then made a poor change. Thoughts? --Matthew Faulconer 07:19, 1 Jul 2005 (CEST) PS Rob, thanks for the comments on fasting.

Looks good Matt. I think the # of times fasting is mentioned in the Book of Mormon speaks to how important it is in LDS practice, whereas traditional Christianity has come to downplay the practice (possibly due in part to a lack of clear New Testament statements). If so, Book of Mormon statements about fasting help restore lost or overlooked teachings about the practice. I think this section, with all the editing and comments, looks great now. Thanks. Rob Fergus 15:57, 2 Jul 2005 (CEST)

Rob, maybe I am being nit-picky but I don't see the number of times that fast is used in the Bible to be obviously less frequent than the number of times it is used in the Book of Mormon. Am I missing something? I see your point though, and agree, that the Book of Mormon teaches us about fasting in a way that the Bible does not. I'm just not sure if comparing the # of occurences between the two sources sheds light on that difference. --Matthew Faulconer 16:25, 6 Jul 2005 (CEST)

Matt, I guess it isn't as clear in the post as what I may have been thinking. You go from fairly frequent mention in the OT to very little and mostly casual references in the NT. BOM fits more with the OT pattern--and provides teachings that are not included in the OT (i.e. more specific examples of when to fast)--maybe because of being edited out by OT scribes, especially the Deuteronomists who emphasize ceremonial rather than personal fasting. I've edited the commentary to reflect this idea, does that help?Rob Fergus 19:34, 6 Jul 2005 (CEST)

Works for me. Looks good. Thanks. --Matthew Faulconer 06:55, 7 Jul 2005 (CEST)