The Camel and Needle: Did Scholars Mistranslate Jesus's Famous Saying? 

You cant take everything in the bible as literal. Thats dogma which is a sin. You gotta use your mind do you really think jesus would say rich ppl cant go to heaven? His own grandfathers were very rich like king solomon. Use discernment

Great content, this makes for great dinner talk.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-z0fm_8clgRM.html

@@derekstaroba I agree if the bible is taken not as the word of a god but only as a piece of literature, where everybody can use their minds to imagine what the writer supposed to mean. I agree by the way, but I'm aware a huge amount of people would fiercely disagree with us. And that's the context of religions and ideologies or fans in sports, one is not expected to use the mind, only the instinct of human behaviour when feeling part of the masses, feeling the need to eliminate all those that pretend or seems to be different.

Lol you fit the camel in the eye of the needle by looking at the camel from a distance while looking through the eye of the needle

*ambiguity?

I always thought that it meant that everyone in Heaven is equal. Meaning there is no rich or poor people in Heaven, everyone there is the same.

It is vital to consider such sayings in context, as you point out. Well done!

@@sneakylemon8513 Wow the worst word choice nitpick I have ever seen.

@@Curious_Traveler No it isn't.

😂

Rich people turning up to the pearly gates holding a giant needle and threading rope through it.

🤷‍♀️😅

I can see Trump holding a Bible upside down at the gates.

Kind of pointless to say, in that case.

You should switch the eye of the needle bit too into something else even more ridiculous. What's the actual space between sewing threads called? Does it have a name? A stitching gap?

That's funny! Immediately, it came to mind sailors use large needles to sew fishing nets & to splice ropes. Not to be contrary, but maybe Jesus was simply saying it was hard but not impossible... being rich & knowing how to use a boat to catch fish & teach people ⛵️🐟 😉 Goes with his teachings.

@@joshjones6072 Had a fascination with knots since I was 12 when I began racing sailboats with my Evangelical Xtian father. I’ve crossed the Atlantic, not seen land for 15 days. Like I asked my Sunday School teacher when I was 8: “You mean to tell me Noah built a boat big enough for 2 of every animal?” “Yep! Sure did!”. What my little brain should’ve asked was, “what’s the Aramaic word for Kangaroo? Penguin?” Maybe, just maybe, Jesus’ teachings about being a friend to the tax man had to do with the conquering people’s (*the Romans) need to tax a people who refused to have ‘graven images’ in their presence. Let’s ask Flavius Jocephus, yeah?

Yes. The meaning is everyone takes thing of the camel. Yet a rich man must do the work himself

Exegesis within exegesis! I assumed this was a bit of a joke as all three dictionaries were written by the same person and therefore not likely to contradict each other!

My favorite one is not a physical book but an internet site called "the CAL", so I felt the same.

I'm a retired librarian, and yes I have reference books at home, and yes some are for Biblical study ... but I overlooked getting an aramaic dictionary. I lost it!!

And all from the same guy, which was hilarious. I guess he really nailed it on the 3rd edition.

or go ask a Chaldean, for a simpler option

I first encountered this saying in college in the US. We don't have an equivalent saying in my language. The funny thing is that when I heard it the first time I completely couldn't figure out what the point was. I was an aerospace major. We could fly pigs any day.

@@andrewsuryali8540 We do have the saying in Argentina but with cows instead of pigs.

a long time ago there was something floating around the internet about all sorts of funny fake etymologies of sayings. like "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" dated from an era when making hot water was laborious and time consuming, so the whole had to take turns in their pecking order in the same bathtub with a month's worth of grime. by the time the baby was washed, the water was so murky, it would be easy to accidentally throw the baby out with the bathwater.

They would then refer to collection of ancient works of literature by the name of "Harry Potter", in which a girl names her messenger owl "Pigwigeon" and another character shortens to "Pig". The presence of this literary reference would provide evidence for this hypothesis

I want a pig pigeon now. They sound adorable and squishy ❤️

If you hear anybody reciting this story again the only proper response is 9:18

But literally everything else is literally also literal. Except that. I have to keep all my money. And never give it away. Even to Cesar. Or sell everything I own, give the money to the poor and follow Jesus. Nah. Everything He said about money was figurative, but everything else is literal.

The problem is the OT literally says God's people are wealthy a bunch of times. Not to mention the Kingdom of God was literally a Kingdom and to come at Jesus time so... So no one (rich or poor) ever entered it anyway lol

Osteen's Bible has no fingerprints on any page

Thru the lord all things are possible so jot that down

To see the Pharisees' yeast doing fine today. To check out the yeast of gold rotting the hearts of people. Blessed be thee, untouched by true corruption, so normalized today. Interesting to see most churches fighting over scraps, seeking power, weilding lies... Fascinating to witness the distortion of our lord thus far, heavily supported with phariseic reading of the old scripture. Great to see the contrast between the dead sea scrolls and the _codex vaticanus_ we call the "version of the 70 greeks" And to see the message twisted, the love for god handled by wolves as it was written, the angular stone rejected, churches causing secularization of society. An imperial collapse. WILL WE ONE DAY TAKE THE ROAD OF RADICAL HONESTY AND RADICAL LOVE THAT OUR LORD DEMANDED FROM US?? Wilst thee choose life? Or continue down the path of _D E A T H_ ?

I laughed hard too. the seriousness and historical accuracy to explain something so obvious was "seriously" funny. 😅😂

Kind of gave me Half as Interesting vibes

Well, rich people have nevertheless been trying for about 2000 years now. 😜

Do you think R4B watches Kurzgesagt?

Dr. Henry’s comedic timing is perfect and always has been.

@Tut Dvd Your prejudice is showing. Jews don't believe in Jesus. Only Christians care about what Jesus says.

That's funny. Like they've spent millions of dollars trying to figure out how to do it.

@@BleedingBasco some Jews do care about Jesus- they are called Messianic Jews. Also, all of the original Christians were Jewish; they believed the Messiah had come but didn't stop their Jewish beliefs or traditions.

@@davidm4566 The Christain bible is just the Jewish Scriptures (now commonly known as the Old Testament) with the scriptures of Jesus as the Messiah (New Testament) added on. They are the same God with the same beliefs about that God. The main difference between Jewdiasm, Messianic Jewdiasm, and Christianity is their stance on Jesus and their traditions stemming from that. Jesus was Jewish, as were his followers. The split to Messianic Jews stems back to the apothles, and was that they believed Jesus was the Messiah coming to give them salvation. They were essentially the first Christians, but held the Jewish traditions. Jews, as most people refer to today, do not believe Jesus was the Messiah. The step from Messianic Jewdaism to Christianity was a slower process, and came with dropping the Jewish traditions and gradually coming to the belief of the Holy Trinity. Whereas God and Jesus are the same being. Messianic Jewdaism pretty much died out, then began again in the 1800s by focusing on just the scriptures (both new and old) to get back to that place of practicing Jewish traditions while also believing Jesus was the Messiah.

@@davidm4566 In short I agree with you on most of it, but not about Messianic Jews being what people refer to when they say Jews. Edit: Corrected a spelling error.

I was taught this too (though my teacher heavily implied it might be rich people cope!) To be fair to both Jesus and your teacher, he didn't say it was impossible. He says for man it is impossible, but for God all things are possible; the implication being that only those who dedicate themselves to God have a chance, and it is at His will. Also, logically, if you are rich, and give up your wealth, then you are poor, and now can enter the Kingdom of God. But you are right that over the years there has been a big incentive to soften that particular message. There are a lot of rich churches!

Well if it means impossible than Jesus effectively has to damn most of the Old Testament prophets as most of them were rich

@@DManCAWMaster citation needed. first hurdle is demonstrating most of them existed at all. have fun

@@DManCAWMaster What evidence is there in the Tanakh for most of its prophets being rich?

The next verses make it clear that All people can only be saved by a miraculous act of God, none of us are un-rich enough to save ourselves

What about pine needle.....eye....pineal....place where Jacob wrestled God....face of God.

Yes, I heard of that too where the camels actually had to get down on their knees and crawl through the arched gateway it was so small....on the silk road somewhere near the ocean I believe.

@@karenmmcthreeno

That was my understanding.

9:19

This is answered at 9:45

Niiiiceee!!! My thought is if our Lord is so gracious! We don’t need to waste “precious” time being matter-of-fact; as long as we understand the principle?

Elaborate please

This is what I was taught as a child

No it’s a literal needle

It isn't condemnation but instead a point of faith as it symbolizes what is impossible for a human is possible for God. God is more powerful than a neutron star and can keep the camel alive to boot.

Its not a condemnation, and your argument as to the scholars' class is badly flawed.

"elite scholars, who were often the descendants of royalty" - that gave me a laugh.

@@kerwinbrown4180 What would the point of the text be if not to condemn the hoarding of wealth? This is not the only passage where Christians are told give away their money for salvation. The way you're describing it is like, "Greed is bad but that doesn't matter, because Jesus loves you." But Jesus is the one telling people to give their worldly possessions to the poor.

@@benjamintillema3572 You are talking of a Jewish Rabbi teaching his student-adherents. Jews have no problem with the pursuit of wealth but they do have a problem with idolatry. Paul of Tarsus teaches his students that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. That is idolatry and is a grave sin to the Jewish that Jesus was teaching. If you read further down in the account to the following verse in Luke 25 the disciples ask "Who then can be saved" which reveals the disciples understood the "rich man" to mean all humans. Jesus answered with "What is impossible with man is possible with God".

This is like that child's game , Telephone. Every detail gets totally scrambled over the course of time.

I guess it needs the extra context that the camel had to shed its load to pass through (like a rich person giving up their wealth) to make total sense. I suppose that context was left out by rich people looking to reinterpret the passage!

I have also heard this interpretation many years ago. It came from teaching from a Baptist seminary, so I took it with a grain of salt.

I can't recall where I read it , but yes the gates to Jerusalem were known as ' eyes of the needle ' . Camels were not allowed past those gates . You only have to look at the teachings and lives of saints of all traditions were obviously anti materialism when done for its own sake 🕊️

That's what I was taught by multiple Christian denominations here in the US

The give every thing to the poor and following Jesus and holding all things in common and multiplying in numbers daily also mess it up.

@@Sunflowrrunner not really, Tithes consolidate the power of the church over people, just like your God doesn't want intelligent people.

While I generally agree, Christianity (as a movement) had--at least by the time of Paul--accepted the patronage of the wealthy was valuable for its growth. While many Protestant and Evangelical communities today extol an "Acts 2" community, Paul's discourse letters clearly show that the wealthy play a role in supporting the movement's growth at large. In general, Christianity has a challenge of practicality for maintenance of the organization (i.e., paying bills) and idealism which truely commits to the jist of Christ's demands.

@@jdmbapastor5172 That's probably because Jesus' idea of "The Church" doesn't jive with an actual, organized church either.

Prosperity doctrine is Mammonism

Even to the point of blasphemously rewriting the teachings of their own god. Their arrogance is astounding.

@@Serai3 Wealth is addiction. I have had a time of prosperity in life, it was the worst era of my life. Wealth requires you to be involved in all of the mortal sins in order to keep that status. We can use the example of Epstein.

Jesus straight up said that if you allow poverty and suffering to persist without doing what you can to alleviate it, he will take that as if you had refused to help him and leave you to your fate. And somehow these people think Jesus was going to cut the rich some slack.

@@alhassani626 Yes, exactly. They didn't have the concept of addiction as we have it, but I think that's what Jesus was getting at. "It's not his money; it's HIM." :)

@@alhassani626 "We can use the example of Epstein." Or the long long list of catholic clergymen involved in the ongoing childabuse scandals where even the pope himself helped to protect the guilty. Chruch = rich = doesn't care about justice.

He has a lot of really good informative videos with no agenda!

But what will make if the intention is the same, rich ppl doesn't go to heaven

Don't be so sure. The Gospel texts were initially written in Greek, likely by Greek authors for predominantly for Greek audiences.

I had never actually heard the theory, but I admit it has at least some theological appeal. A rope can be pared down to a single thread to pass through the eye of a needle. Likewise, one is tempted to believe Jesus would have someone in His kingdom who was a formerly rich person who gave up their wealth to follow Him. But if the word just isn't there -- and it isn't in the earliest texts -- then it just isn't there.

The rich being barred from heaven is consistent with Jesus philosophy. A rich man asked how to folow Jesus,. Reply 'give all your wealth to the poor' About money, 'give to Caesar what is Caesar's' implying that earthly wealth does not belong to those seeking the kingdom of heaven. The sermon in the mount is perfectly clear about posessions as well. Conclusion: Jesus was completely focused on relying on God for everything, and had strong contempt for earthly wealth and security. Take it as you will, but you will have to bend over backwards to match earthly posessions wirh his philosophy

@@celsus7979 But what if the rich man gives too much money to the poor, making them rich and therefore condemning them?

Did he say if they get to take up their love for riches again once they enter, just like the camel in this scenario is probably laden with all the stuff again once it is inside the gate?

@@yllejordi would think that if they unloaded the camel before going through, they would have to leave their riches on the other side, and not be able to go back for them.

@@karollisa7022 I think Jesus was better at parables than this mess. It's not about a gate. Simple as that.

Quite simply he said it would be "easier" because a man, alone, not laden with goods can pass through the small needle gate where one with a camel loaded with posessions would find it extremely difficult, if not impossible. Jesus made a plain as day statement to the people of the time. If we would learn about the time and culture in which He lived, many of these things would be just as obvious to us.

​@@yllejord No because the city guards would not allow the small gate to remain open while he unloaded it. He had to make a choice, enter and leave the camel with all his goods outside, or stay with his goods outside the safety of the city walls.

I mean... Rich people rarely understand the struggles and challenges poor people go through every day. On the other hand poor people rarely understand the struggles and challenges rich people went through.

@@Zenedoboz The two are not comparable. What struggles and challenges did someone who inherited their wealth have to compare with the struggles and challenges faced by the poor every day?

Of course, it's one thing to participate in our capitalist society and another is to ideologically justify it. If I'm rich I would use all my money for good works. Edit: Especially knowing what we know about environment and genetics impacting people's ability to get out of poverty. Not to mention IQ distribution probably one of the biggest unsaid privilege.

@@Zenedoboz I disagree they don't understand the struggles of the rich; they do, they just didn't get lucky, or have the right friends, or enjoy the positive discrimination of the state. I'm generalizing, but being rich is a function of several factors, random chance among others.

​@@Anttys_WeyTua_CTa_Eu986greed is a sin and greed is bad

Why not get a cochlear implant?

@@serronserron1320 I am a Christian minister who has worked in the Deaf community for over 20 years can i point out that cochlear implants do not work for everyone. They work better when implanted early - and while sometimes helpful for many people , for others they simply don't work or are disappointing

@@serronserron1320 Well, yeah, I guess complex and expensive surgery is an alternative to just not turning off the auto generated subtitles

co-signing this. I'm not hearing impaired but I do have ADHD, which makes my auditory processing Not Amazing, and on top of that I often watch RU-vid videos in slightly noisy environments like in the kitchen or in the shower. subtitles are really important!

@@alligatrix How do you watch videos in the shower without getting the appliances water saturated?

I agree. We even see what the rich young man that he is justified before the more radical call to give up everything that he owns. He asks what he must do to be saved in Jesus tells him. The man wants more and Jesus invites him to a more radical following, personally, I think Jesus was inviting him to become an apostle. Power corrupts and wealth is a form of power. The only way for a rich man avoid corruption is to open his heart to the Lord and allow the Lord to guide him. Thus, I don't think it's impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, but I do think it's quite difficult for people with lots of possessions and wealth and power to rely on God and requires the grace of God to accomplish. We All must do this of course, but I think it's harder for someone with lots of wealth and power to humble himself. Just my opinion.

Kenneth Copeland would agree. More money

"With man, this is impossible. But with God, all things are possible." That was a big part of His point. That was THE point. One of the Apostles asks "Then who can be saved?" Then Jesus replies the part about With man it is not possible but with God EVERYTHING is possible. A sinner like me can be saved whether we are talking about a large animal or a large piece of rope passing trough the eye of a needle. If the person who put up the video had simply mentioned this to begin with, the video would have only been about one minute long.

Same. I heard ppl use the needle verse since I was little. At a church I heard the "through God all things are possible" quote and used it as a counter. Had no idea they were connected till high-school. Christ is the way, the truth, and the light. Through Him all things are possible. My understanding is if you try to use your money to get into heaven instead, you will fail. And it's speaking against the "money can buy anything" belief.

@@dcw56 It's good to take a scripture and get its entire meaning. There is a lot more there than just that nothing is impossible for God, and that anyone can be saved (which is two points right there). There is also the nuance of considering that the riches of this world are not the Way, and that you can get tangled up in them if they are your focus, kind of like the thorny ground in the Parable of the Sower. Plus, looking at the culture, and manners and customs of the time, can help you get a better picture of the heart of what is being said, and why it is being said. I don't want a one-minute view of the scriptures; I want to dig in and get the complete meaning.

This is the poise I take.

Then who can be saved ? With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible

@@jwsanders1214 - It's a good thing no one needs saving then.

@@hollyhartwick3832 sounds like you haven’t come to the realization that you are a sinner . “ God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but that through him the world might be saved “ John 3:17

@@jwsanders1214 - Why do you evangelicals always assume people don't know about your religion? I was a Christian for 25 years, a Bible scholar, an apologist, and went to university with the intention of entering the ministry. I know full well what the Bible says and I know full well that it's, and this is being generous, unreliable. You're wasting your time preaching at the majority of non-Christians. We know what Christianity is about, and we aren't buying what you're selling. Do yourself a favour and take it somewhere else. Sin is defined as an offense against god. You can't offend someone who doesn't exist. As such, sin doesn't exist.

I get that. But just hear me out first. Me: continues to confuse by explaining......

Somehow the guy in the video totally misinterprets this famous passage by not reading the rest of the discussion. It is clear from that the rich (and nonrich) can go to Heaven by an act of God. However, the hyperbole by Jesus should not be explained away but meditated on. I recommend Soren Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling for a discussion of the hyperbole by Jesus and why we should really study them and take their effects super seriously.

@@OnTheThirdDay I think the presenter is focusing too narrowly on translation and grammar of older languages…missing the forest for the trees.

@@KbB-kz9qp Agreed. However, if one is to do a proper analysis of a text, one should start with reading it in context beifre trying to reread it differently. I don't like to "call out" people and say they aren't trustworthy, but it is a reminder to keep in mind that even if someone makes good arguments about something then they might be very incorrect elsewhere.

A person can be very trustworthy in life, and a monster spiritually. Al Capone kept his word as an example. It is more an issue of being attached to worldly things and not spiritual principles.

Someone (many someones) didn't read their Bible, apparently: "You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you." Deuteronomy 4:2 Pick and choose exegesis is a very bad principle for earnest-sounding religious practice.

Once I started learning about the Bible outside of church I realized the church was no authority on it. The 'turn the other cheek' and the 'go the extra mile' and 'give them your cloak' were all forms of nonviolent protest back in the day. Churches ;eave that part out and do not explain why

Not everyone who believes themselves a Christian is. In my Christian schooling the literal eye of a needle was taught. It makes me sad that hateful and self serving churches lead people astray and give Christians a bad rep.

​@@staindnirv Reminds me of this 'oldie' from when I believed the Christian way: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iSi-aRvhwkU.html

@@LastOne155 Reminds me of this 'oldie' from when I believed the Christian way: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iSi-aRvhwkU.html

that's why he's the Savior and Messiah

no, that was just a myth invented so that rich people could trick Christians into thinking they had a chance of going to heaven

Well that would mean every single human could fit thus render the whole saying meaningless.

It means what it it says the eye of a needle.

Thanks for your post. Jesus often used play on words. I think he ment both the narrow gate and camel as well as rope and needle's eye. Look at petra and Peter ("upon this rock"), the parable of the children's food and the dogs.

@@swirvinbirds1971 You need to rethink this. It said in metaphor ... easier for a camel to go thru the gate. IMPOSSIBLE. Rich man IMPOSSIBLE. See if you can handle a metaphor.

It's really strange

It's not that amazing. Most of the European languages have roots in Tamil. There is also some evidence there are Tamil influences in the north American Indian tribal languages.

@@thefoxhat6163 nope. Proto Indo european is not closely related to tamil. PIE languages: Iranian, Sanskrit, Slavic, Greek Latin, German

@@halohaalo2583 You're wrong. Don't let the history you' want to believe get in the way of current thinking based on the evidence. Perhaps you're one of those supremacists who has convinced themselves the superior ancient civilisations were far too stupid to be anything other than cave dwellers. Modern humans are barbarians in comparison.

@@thefoxhat6163 eh

Does it matter? The gate myth is as good as any myth

Either way, it means you can't love your money and God at the same time. A rich man will choose his money

@@thedevilsadvocate5210 If you're implying that the whole of the bible is myth and that's why it doesn't matter, what would be the whole point of the video? Or RfB's career along with his colleagues'? Matters a lot to many people.

funny how everything else is meant to be completely literal- and even stuff that's never even mentioned - eg abortion, is considered 100% certain in the christian conservative worldview, but the second god clearly denounces their life style and asks them to give up their wealth, unambiguously in like 12 different places they're like "wait, no, not like that! he didn't really mean it! it was a figure of speech!" absolute jokes. they have zero convictions

It's one of those funny things. Maybe the obvious obvious interpretation is the logical one. I.e Jesus said give your wealth away and look after the poor. Which is especially relevant back when there was no government support for the poor and sick. The only reason it's not interpreted that way is that religious leaders who are wealthy don't like that their leader, who spends the entire time talking about how the poor and meek are godly could be preferable over them.

I heard that gate 'explanation' from a teacher as a Catholic child; utter 'bovinum excrementum', of course. I must have had a strong doubting streak even then. As an older and more questioning young person I researched it a bit - and found that there was no gate in Jerusalem called 'the eye of the needle'. I'm still a Catholic and camel and needle it is.

Same reason he told you catholics, protestants or every single other Christian denomination aren't Christians.

@Eddard Tyrsson Christianity originated with the ministry of Jesus in the 1st century Roman province of Judea which became the catholic church & the coptics. The new breed of born agains branched from the southern baptists in 1975 in America.

It wasn't that obvious to me. But I like your point.

In the context of time, 500 yrs is sudden. Lol

​@Rich Wilson not in Your time 😄

He described the mass adoption of the theory in th 19th century specifically as a 'sudden explosion', not the entire 500 years. Which is a fair description.

@@tylowstar9765 "... sudden explosion between the eleventh and sixteenth century" 11:50 Which is an unfair description

@Rizza wouldn't be better if we had evidence about any gate that had the name "Eye of the Needle" ? I mean any gate! Anecdotes are "good," but evidence is much better !

On the personality of God.

He said it out of love not spite. Passing over to the spiritual side requires giving up the material side, and a rich man will never want to do that.

The eye of the needle was a well known small passage way. Not an actual needle. People couldn't fit through with their goods.

@@Odo-so8pj What? Did you watch the video?

@@Odo-so8pj That’s a lie and blasphemy.

Do go walking into thin cracks. That's how you clip through to the backrooms.

What Jesus compared was living one's not materials to go through. Therefore, camel is right for the comparison any way. No hairsplitting needed further. The comparison of wealth for the rich man is unnecessary and obstructive burden, (not for the camel) is the implied spiritual truth which makes sense.

I heard that was a myth, as there was no gate in Jerusalem called "the eye of the needle" Jesus would've referenced.

@@JTheTeach Yes, more likely the famous phrase influenced Arabs to name it that. Israeli tour guides say a lot of things that contradict Christians. Indeed, because they are not Christians, some like to “correct” Christian thinking with their Jewish explanations. Scholars look for evidence.

@@markdouglas8073 Arabs would call it that because Jesus made that analogy? Seems like a total stretch. I saw them in 5 or 6 old city ruins, some of which were built BC.

@@danieljsm218 Why are you so sure that you know what Jesus meant?

19:18

Jesus said it was impossible, not just difficult. Also. If you watch the video, he shows that this is nowhere to be found in ancient literature.

​@@B-M-W1989 Jesus did NOT say it was impossible, He said "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." This is said three times in KJV Bible in Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:25 and Luke 18:25. Where is your source for saying this lie? And you said, " this is nowhere to be found in ancient literature." It's mentioned in the Bible 3x, and the Bible IS a very good source of ancient literature. Where on Earth do you get your far-fetched source? I hope God blesses you with some wisdom and discernment!

I included the full following, as sometimes replies get deleted by original commentator (@B-M-W1989 said the following...) Jesus said it was impossible, not just difficult. Also. If you watch the video, he shows that this is nowhere to be found in ancient literature. (To which I, @annepearson4357, reply the following...) Jesus did NOT say it was impossible, He said "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." This is said three times in KJV Bible in Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:25 and Luke 18:25. Where is your source for saying this lie? And you said, " this is nowhere to be found in ancient literature." It's mentioned in the Bible 3x, and the Bible IS a very good source of ancient literature. Where on Earth do you get your far-fetched source? I hope God blesses you with some wisdom and discernment! (The above is in reply to comments made about the following...) Comments on "The Camel and Needle: Did Scholars Mistranslate Jesus's Famous Saying?" (previously posted...) @annepearson4357 4 months ago So simple... ancient cities and palaces had walls around them for protection from attacks. There was the main gate which had a wide entrance for incoming merchant caravans, and side gates were closed. At dusk, the main gate closed. If a merchant came to city later, he had to use a side gate. Historically it has been found that Herod Antipas, ancient King, had a side gate in his palace that was called the needle. This was small and narrow. Camels were packed widely with weight distributed on both sides, and the camel was wide with cargo. For the camel to fit through the needle gate, the cargo needed to be taken off outside, the camel then came through, then the cargo needed to be carried through and retied to the camel. Hence it was difficult for a merchant who came into a city or palace after the main gate had closed, as it caused much trouble to bring goods into the city. This brought the comparison about being difficult for a camel to enter the eye of the needle. Herod and his palace were well known in the days of Jesus, and He used that as a comparison. As a student of the Bible and of history matching the Bible for 50 some years, this is what I have found. Why these people who made this video say differently is only their opinion, and I believe it to be incorrect. May God bless you with your own discernment. Have a blessed day.

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Both are impossible with men.

FIRSTLY PLEASE READ QURAN 7:40.... CONFIRMS WHAT J ESUS/ESSA SON OF MARY SAID "MEANING IS VERY SIMPLE A PERSONS BELIEF IN 1 AND ONLY GOD/ALLAH IS MUST THEN LIVING ON THIS EARTH AS IF WE ARE TRAVELLERS JUST PASSINGBY " NOT THOSE WHO ARE BUSY COMPILING WEALTH THINKING THEY ARE {RICH} ARE LIVING ON THIS EARTH FOREVER. (THEY ARE DOOMED.)

Who are the modern day descendants of all the people made famous household names in Christian holy books? Surely so many famous people should have modern descendants.

I think that archway is actually completely theoretical and there’s no proof that it actually exists

You are CORRECT!

@@TAHIRALI-me3sv Now that we have figured out A rich man Devoting too much Time gathering money🥵.. And unable to give it up.. And The camel rope main discussion? And how God Almighty wants your complete attention!! Can one of the trinitarians please explain Matthew 3:13 When I was young in CCD class How Jesus is God Almighty? 🙏🙏

...and I find it tempting to think that the caveat: "For/through a man it would be Impossible, while through God, ALL things are Possible." would be 'a wink and a nod" to the Medieval practice of Holy Roman- & then Roman Catholic Clerics pulling-in bribes by granting "Indulgences" ('Get Out of HELL for a Fee" duccuments) to wealthy patrons for Sins ALREADY Committed -- or to Crusader Knights who expected To Commit Sins as they hacked their ways to- & through 'The Holy Land'...

...and I find it tempting to think that the caveat: "For/through a man it would be Impossible, while through God, ALL things are Possible." would be 'a wink and a nod" to the "loop-hole" Medieval practice of Holy Roman- & then Roman Catholic Clerics pulling-in bribes by granting "Indulgences" ('Get Out of HELL for a Fee" duccuments) to wealthy patrons for Sins ALREADY Committed -- or to Crusader Knights who expected To Commit Sins as they hacked their ways to- & through 'The Holy Land'...

Growing up as a non-Christian, I was told that the eye of the needle was a gate only tall enough for a human pass through and not a camel. The metaphor that I always found particularly meaningful was that in order for a camel to pass through the gate it would have to kneel down awkwardly and unload its cargo, therefore in order for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, one would have to bow down to God and shed themself of earthly wealth, and in essence show humility.

Very soon most of the world will not care what the god of any religion said. its been long enough since our tribal days.

@@ApurvaSukant based and reality pilled. Forget god n strive for the greater unification and betterment of all mankind in the name of being a cool dude or lass.. its enough to just want your brothers n sisters to live better without a threat of eternal punishment or reward.. do it for its own sake as hitch said

The thing that really throws a wrench into that theory, is that none of Jesus speeches in the New Testaments are simple transcriptions, they are heavily edited and aimed to capture much wider audiences. Using an analogy that only the locals in Jerusalem could possibly understand is just illogical given how focused their editing is.

@@ApurvaSukant I disagree. People will always want to feel like they can control their outcome after death. Religion is the closest thing people have to that. I personally accept death and welcome it as a part of life, but I don't think it's the most common way of thinking.

Seriously, I can remember a Catholic priest explaining this to us in a sermon in the eighties.

not much different from today. Rich people are ruthless no matter the era

hmm i guess that just means that you should unload everything before you can go to heaven

​@@Ozone946 Being rich or poor has nothing to do with it.

To be truly rich. You have to have some level of greed. Don't listen to this guy It's blasphemy

Not saying the gate theory is correct, but the new testament is full of local references, idioms, metaphors that would only be understood by locals.

@@WojciechP915 like what?

@@th3unmaker Matthew 4:19 "I will make you fishers of men" is the first line that comes to mind.

@@WojciechP915 that isn't a local idiom. Just like all the others i can think of, it is a practically universally understood one.

@@WojciechP915 could you think of another example? “Fishing” isn’t at the top of my list of localised, obscure professions, and while location names and people are referenced throughout, none of them are so implicating that a passage is indecipherable unless the listener was familiar with the colloquial name for a small spot in town.

Prosperity gospel roots are in the Old Testament. According to OT God's people are blessed with prosperity and joy. So as much as I hate Prosperity preachers, I have to admit they kinda have a point...

@@ww2germanhero prosperity - eg having enough to live comfortably, or having a good family who makes you happy is absolutely not the same thing as having an excess of material wealth the way the super rich do.

Ah, a very elegant catch there. The Gospel of Supply Side Jesus . For maximal hilarity watch the video in which Jim Caveziel who while playing Jesus was properly crucified nails and all (by surgeons) and struck by lighting and whose response to that was "Thank you Lord!" talk to the Property Gospel types . Two different religions . One book. Honestly your average parolee in church trying to go straight would be far more recognizable to Jesus than almost any rich man. After all Jesus was the guy who told a rich man to \give away everything and follow him (he didn't) and took a killer to heaven.

@@chriss780 Old Testament heroes were rich af. They were literally portrayed as kings, land lords, conquerors and patriarchs. Jesus was the hippie one.

Noooo this saying is clearly dressing the power imbalances taht capital causes and the immorality it synthesizes

its what it means actually, so you're not wrong, this video doesnt do good job explaining it,

@@SlavicAfatarly Got any examples of the gate being called that?

Yes this is the exact meaning!

But that's not the comparison being used, so that explanation makes no sense.

Yes agree

My thoughts too.

He talks about that in the video.

City gates or large, heavy gates in general have posterns (integrated or close to the gate) which would allow a person to pass. Reads as you'd need to leave your belongings (and wealth) before passing. No need for a gate of that name.

If Jesus existed, wouldn’t there be mention of him and his works by at least a single person during his lifetime? Why did it take 2 decades for Paul to imagine him and the. 2 decades more for the gospels to be written by anonymous Greek authors? 🤔

Other people said .... what Jesus was supposed to have said and taught

@@oftin_wong sounds very probable.

Or as my mother said there are no pockets in a shroud.

Deuteronomy 15. It doesn’t say sell everything. It says sell everything that you don’t need.

It is not the man's wealth keeping him out of heaven, it is his "love" of wealth that's the problem. In the OT many of God's favourite people were extremely wealthy, but always put God first.

I can't remember where, but I have this feeling that he has talked about it. It may have been some other channel though, I can't be certain.

It's not that it's in the Bible it's that history and history scholars have known this definition and thus is why it has been repeated

@@z.louisecoombsrambouillet8395 I inherited my healthy skepticism from my great grandma. She'd heard someone preach about the eye of the needle being a small doorway, but she wasn't going to accept it until she verified it against holy writ - which she was not able to do, but not for lack of trying. In the same way, I grew up listening to preachers illustrate their sermons with apocryphal stories presented as gospel truth. We didn't have any internet back then to make them cite their sources.

as well as if you have been greedy hoarding money, everyday you see people struggling and turn the other cheek. from every aspect jesus was not down. then look at the only time jesus demonstrated with physical action... flipping over the money lenders businesses in riot/protest. so stretching as one is want to do gives some creedence or understanding of destruction of businesses. i think i made it clear but not feeling clever Jesus was down with BLM and antifa tactics even through pope carlson said it was bad.

Which ignores the fact that you could be rich by the simple fact of having been born into wealth. However, seeing as the bible is very fond of condemning people for the sins of their ancestors, I am not surprised at all.

The rich person symbolizes humans in general. The love of wealth of the rich have is an obstacle to them but others have their own idols they may hold onto.

@@krinkrin5982 You can be born rich and then take the money that has been given to you and share it with the needy. You aren’t “doomed” to be rich forever just because you are born rich…

Or even worse, you deliberately exploit others to build your own personal wealth. Even if you're born to wealth, that wealth was still built upon and maintained via the exploitation of the labor of other people. Very contradictory to the notion of reaping what one sows. Then again, the Bible is consistent in it's ability to contradict itself 🤷🏽

We can just make a bigger "leather needle" and make thread/string of a camels skin, grind the bones and put that into the hairs that also are made to string, and also into the intestines that are easily made into string. It takes some time and effort but it's not nuclear science or even chemistry. St. Peter surely can't refuse entry after that!

As usual, SNL just doesn't get it.

@@robertdouglas8895 Not a fan of satire? I think someone trying to cheat their way into heaven is not only funny but adroit commentary on human nature. It's not like you can just buy an indulgence anymore.

@@Psychol-Snooper The kingdom of heaven is within you. It's not of this world. It's spirit. We are on the earth but not of the earth. If you are going to do satire and make it educational then you need to know this instead of just play around in the world. Spiritually, we know the kingdom through being humble to it instead of by getting accolades from the world for our cleverness.

@@robertdouglas8895 Isn't that special!

🔑⚖️👉🏽ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xk0kJyjYv4A.html

All things are possible with God. Jesus says the Queen of Sheba (who was immensely rich according to the Bible) will be better off on the judgement day than the not so rich people of Capernaum and Bethsaida. Because she sought great wisdom and paid a lot to get it, and travelled far for it. Whereas literally Peter and Andrew LIVED in Bethsaida or were from there. So the wisdom rich people of Bethsaida were stupid, except for the wisdom rich brothers Peter and Andrew. They listened to Jesus and despite knowing it would be difficult, did what he said and did.

@@lizh1988 Which verse are you thinking of? I know he says the Queen of Sheba would condemn those who were alive at the time of Jesus for dismissing his wisdom, but that doesn't put her in a better situation than them. She traveled 1000 miles to meet the wisest man of the time and to learn from him, but many of those in the time of Jesus wouldn't listen to wisdom when it was right in front of them, so on judgment day when she and they are raised to be judged, she'll criticise them for ignoring what was in front of them when she traveled 1000 miles to find something lesser. He doesn't say she'll come out of judgement day well, only that she'll condemn them

It seems to me that Christianity is mostly re-hashed from earlier belief systems -- except, maybe, for some of its quite radical elements. But people don't like those radical parts (poverty, absolutely _extreme_ pacifism, loving your enemies, and such). Almost no one follows the admonitions in the Sermon on the Mount.

@@joshuacollins385 I doubt God would allow her to judge them if it were not for the fact she made a much better choice in his eyes. Just as the Apostles will judge the twelve tribes of Israel, which he would not allow had they made truly bad choices in their lives. My Bible says she will be better off on the judgement day. That's what my Bible says. I'm sorry but you are nitpicking semantics in my eyes. Clearly rhose who listen to the Holy Spirit will be able to judge those who do not.

oddly enough love is a very easy word to understand the meaning of in greek b/c of the many specific words used for it.

Or would it? 😉

It certainly got King David into trouble, even before it was stated by Jesus.

The whole world is a mess lol

how so? "romantic relationship" implies a loving, harmonic relationship.

It seems like you still don’t know what quantum is

In my language, that passage is translated as the camel going through the needle's point.

@@MrShanester117 where are you getting that? they haven’t tried to explain it yet

Why were you so concerned with finding a loophole for rich people to pull a fast one on god?

@@chompythebeast When I was a kid I wasn't wondering about parables or the fates of random rich people, moreso the logistics of a thing being possible.

What evidence do we have that there was a gate at Jesus" time named camel's eye? If camels bent down to pass, how then was it impossible with men?

9:18

He said he would bless his wealth 10 times over... don't be silly. Jesus ran a stone masonry business and funded a ministry and 12 disciples for 3.5 years. Then they gambled over his clothes. If you think the wealth doctrine is scandalous, so is the poverty doctrine.

@@davidsaroea5530 everybody assumes wealth is cash. I don't think Jesus could guarantee 10x someone's money. He wasn't dealing crypto. Wealth can mean many other things and all good things, like health and safety and SALVATION. Salvation is worth 10x more than however many coins on Earth. Salvation is worth 10x whatever coins that rich man was hoarding. Edit: words and their meaning evolve over time. The meaning of "happiness" has changed over time. While being smiley and perpetual good fortune could be described as happiness, more commonly it was good health, many children and healthy children and a steady job (not necessarily a great job. A just a steady that can feed you and your family.) You can look up the history of the word happiness yourself.

@@delia_watercolors8186 if that's the way you want to interpret it, but God was known for prospering his people time and time again...Jireh is one of his names. Poverty doctrine is extremely dangerous and undermines God's goodness

It the greed where wealth becomes an idol not wealth itself. Communist misinterprets it to support their ideology.

@IcedGreenPee It's not a literal everything.

Your vacuous and obsequious comment was really helpful to the conversation 👍

@@MrShanester117 - Was merely complimenting a good presentation. If it falls below some standard you seem to have set for joining the RU-vid conversation, well you are certainly entitled to your opinion.

I would be worried about my salvation if I were you. I read that you are a Rich person ;)

@@MrShanester117 It is easier for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a commenter to pass through the gate you are keeping.

@@odofraggins7135 - That’s pretty good!- Rich