Manny’s review of Abraham and Isaac – The Test of Faith on Mount Moriah > Likes and Comments
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I grew up indoctrinated. The first time I started to really have doubts, it was in considering that the Jesus sacrifice is 1) human sacrifice and 2) cannibalism (the communion). I stopped going to church to not having confront my thoughts so often and became an atheist a few years later, when I finally did think things through.
A very fine quote. I had not heard of Saramago before, but am flattered to be compared with him!
Hilarious review. Per Bob Dylan--Do what you want Abe, but if you see me comin', you better run.
You will not be surprised to hear that Bob Dylan was my starting point. I just thought we needed a few more details.
Tanja wrote: "I grew up indoctrinated. The first time I started to really have doubts, it was in considering that the Jesus sacrifice is 1) human sacrifice and 2) cannibalism (the communion). I stopped going to ..."
I wonder what Jesus really meant with his "This is my body and this is my blood" speech. It seems at odds with His generally practical left-leaning socialist policies. Maybe it was misreported.
Manny wrote: "A very fine quote. I had not heard of Saramago before, but am flattered to be compared with him!"
I recently read my first, Cain by Jose Saramago, which is a satirical time-travelling journey through the old testament. The paragraphs are long, but the book isn't. I think you might enjoy it. There's also a new testament one, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ.
This does indeed look very tempting. I wonder if I could read it in the original? But I think that I would need to start with some children's books.
What was the bill for the Last Supper? And, were the dinosaurs aboard the Ark?
Julio wrote: "What was the bill for the Last Supper? And, Were the dinosaurs aboard the Ark?"
I asked ChatGPT-5.2 about the dinosaurs on the Ark. It says that no substantial Christian denomination teaches this as doctrine, but it's widely believed by Baptists, Pentecostals, independent evangelicals, and some Reformed congregations. The usual argument is based on Genesis 6:19-20: Noah took two of each kind (Hebrew min), so that would have included dinosaurs. Sounds like a slam-dunk to me.
The bill for the Last Supper is even easier. The AI quickly finds solid Biblical evidence (13 people, Passover-style meal) and combines it with research on food prices in the 1st century AD to yield a good estimate of USD 300-800 if we convert by standardising on the cost of a day of labour.
That estimate for the cost of the last supper seems rather high to me, for what I had always assumed was a very simple meal!
Who picked up the tab for the Last Supper and was he a big tipper?
Cecily wrote: "That estimate for the cost of the last supper seems rather high to me, for what I had always assumed was a very simple meal!"
The AI says:
In modern restaurant terms: a decent group dinner, wine included, but not Michelin-star extravagant — which feels historically plausible for a festival meal shared by working-class travellers.
Rick wrote: "Who picked up the tab for the Last Supper and was he a big tipper?"
It also cites John 13:29 as suggesting that they had a shared purse, managed by Judas Iscariot. So most likely the meal was paid from the group fund, and Judas physically handled the transaction. John 12:6 says Judas skimmed money that was entrusted to him on other occasions, so he may not have handled it honestly.
It claims tipping as such didn't exist at the time.
Nowadays, arranging several tables into a long, one-sided, photogenic mega-table is probably worth a tip.
Also, Lord, what's a cubit? And, did Adam have a navel?
Julio wrote: "Also, Lord, what's a cubit? And, did Adam have a navel?"
The cubit question is straightforward, though as usual 5.2 is careful with the details:
Different cultures had slightly different cubits:
Egyptian royal cubit: ~52 cm
common cubit: ~45 cm
Hebrew cubit: likely in the same range
For the question of whether Adam had a navel, I am impressed with the AI's knowledge of creation science. It certainly understands it much better than I do, and I have read The Genesis Flood.
This one has been debated for centuries.
No biblical verse answers it directly. The question is philosophical:
If Adam wasn’t born from a mother, would he have a belly button?
Two classic positions emerged.
1. The “no navel” camp
Argument:
A navel is a scar from the umbilical cord
Adam had no umbilical cord
Therefore no navel
This was popular among strict literalists who wanted maximum biological consistency.
2. The “yes navel” camp
Argument:
Adam was created as a complete human adult
Humans normally have navels
Therefore Adam would too
Some theologians said God created him with the appearance of age, including features he never acquired naturally.
This is sometimes called the “appearance of age” argument — the same logic used to explain rings in trees created on Day 3 or light already in transit from distant stars.
It adds a bit later:
Renaissance artists almost always painted Adam with a navel, because a navel-less torso looks unsettling and uncanny.
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Tanja
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Feb 16, 2026 02:06AM
I grew up indoctrinated. The first time I started to really have doubts, it was in considering that the Jesus sacrifice is 1) human sacrifice and 2) cannibalism (the communion). I stopped going to church to not having confront my thoughts so often and became an atheist a few years later, when I finally did think things through.
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A very fine quote. I had not heard of Saramago before, but am flattered to be compared with him!
Hilarious review. Per Bob Dylan--Do what you want Abe, but if you see me comin', you better run.
You will not be surprised to hear that Bob Dylan was my starting point. I just thought we needed a few more details.
Tanja wrote: "I grew up indoctrinated. The first time I started to really have doubts, it was in considering that the Jesus sacrifice is 1) human sacrifice and 2) cannibalism (the communion). I stopped going to ..."I wonder what Jesus really meant with his "This is my body and this is my blood" speech. It seems at odds with His generally practical left-leaning socialist policies. Maybe it was misreported.
Manny wrote: "A very fine quote. I had not heard of Saramago before, but am flattered to be compared with him!"I recently read my first, Cain by Jose Saramago, which is a satirical time-travelling journey through the old testament. The paragraphs are long, but the book isn't. I think you might enjoy it. There's also a new testament one, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ.
This does indeed look very tempting. I wonder if I could read it in the original? But I think that I would need to start with some children's books.
What was the bill for the Last Supper? And, were the dinosaurs aboard the Ark?
Julio wrote: "What was the bill for the Last Supper? And, Were the dinosaurs aboard the Ark?"I asked ChatGPT-5.2 about the dinosaurs on the Ark. It says that no substantial Christian denomination teaches this as doctrine, but it's widely believed by Baptists, Pentecostals, independent evangelicals, and some Reformed congregations. The usual argument is based on Genesis 6:19-20: Noah took two of each kind (Hebrew min), so that would have included dinosaurs. Sounds like a slam-dunk to me.
The bill for the Last Supper is even easier. The AI quickly finds solid Biblical evidence (13 people, Passover-style meal) and combines it with research on food prices in the 1st century AD to yield a good estimate of USD 300-800 if we convert by standardising on the cost of a day of labour.
That estimate for the cost of the last supper seems rather high to me, for what I had always assumed was a very simple meal!
Who picked up the tab for the Last Supper and was he a big tipper?
Cecily wrote: "That estimate for the cost of the last supper seems rather high to me, for what I had always assumed was a very simple meal!"The AI says:
In modern restaurant terms: a decent group dinner, wine included, but not Michelin-star extravagant — which feels historically plausible for a festival meal shared by working-class travellers.
Rick wrote: "Who picked up the tab for the Last Supper and was he a big tipper?"
It also cites John 13:29 as suggesting that they had a shared purse, managed by Judas Iscariot. So most likely the meal was paid from the group fund, and Judas physically handled the transaction. John 12:6 says Judas skimmed money that was entrusted to him on other occasions, so he may not have handled it honestly.
It claims tipping as such didn't exist at the time.
Nowadays, arranging several tables into a long, one-sided, photogenic mega-table is probably worth a tip.
Also, Lord, what's a cubit? And, did Adam have a navel?
Julio wrote: "Also, Lord, what's a cubit? And, did Adam have a navel?"The cubit question is straightforward, though as usual 5.2 is careful with the details:
Different cultures had slightly different cubits:
Egyptian royal cubit: ~52 cm
common cubit: ~45 cm
Hebrew cubit: likely in the same range
For the question of whether Adam had a navel, I am impressed with the AI's knowledge of creation science. It certainly understands it much better than I do, and I have read The Genesis Flood.
This one has been debated for centuries.
No biblical verse answers it directly. The question is philosophical:
If Adam wasn’t born from a mother, would he have a belly button?
Two classic positions emerged.
1. The “no navel” camp
Argument:
A navel is a scar from the umbilical cord
Adam had no umbilical cord
Therefore no navel
This was popular among strict literalists who wanted maximum biological consistency.
2. The “yes navel” camp
Argument:
Adam was created as a complete human adult
Humans normally have navels
Therefore Adam would too
Some theologians said God created him with the appearance of age, including features he never acquired naturally.
This is sometimes called the “appearance of age” argument — the same logic used to explain rings in trees created on Day 3 or light already in transit from distant stars.
It adds a bit later:
Renaissance artists almost always painted Adam with a navel, because a navel-less torso looks unsettling and uncanny.
