Setting Some Things Straight Part 1

Subject: Setting Some things straight part 1
Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2000 18:55:44 -0500 (CDT)
From: James Trimm <jstrimm@home.com>
To: jstrimm@home.com
 
 

I AM SENDING THIS OUT TO THOSE WHOM I BELIEVE HAVE RECEIVED SLANDEROUS
EMAIL CONCERNING ME.

I feel a need to clear up some misinformation that has been circulated
about me.
The misinformation is:

    1.  That my degree is either honorary of from a "diploma mill".
          The following information that James gives on his degree, is copied and addressed on the Doctorate

          Page, which is accessible from the main page.

    2.  That I believe the Book of Mormon is true.
          The Book of Mormon statements are addressed toward the bottom of this page.

    3.  That I have slandered the author of the book CHRISTIANITY
    UNMASQUED by calling this an anti-semitic book.  And that I have
    slandered defenders of that book by labling them anti-semites.
    This issue is covered in parts 2,3 and 4.

_________________________________________________________________
PART ONE:  MY DEGREE

It has recently been suggested that my doctorate comes from a diploma mill.

This is just plain not true.

My doctorate is from St. John Chrysostom Theological Seminary

About
St. John Chrysostom
Theological Seminary

An Ecumenical Seminary
of
the Catholic Apostolic Church
in North America

Which is the authentic representative
of The "Igreja Catolica Apostolica Brasileira"
(the Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil)

The Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil has over 5 million members
worldwide.  It is the largest Catholic communion, not under Papal Jurisdiction.
It split off from the Roman Catholic Church on July 6th 1945.
This split was due to objection to the relationship
between the Nazis and the Roman Church especially regarding
the helping of Nazis to escape Germany to hide in South America.

St. John Chrysostom Theological Seminary was established in 1973
by the canons (authorities) of the Catholic Apostolic Church
in North America.  The institution's original name was "Saint Charles
College" but was changed in 1983 to "St. John Chrysostom
Theological Seminary."

Like many small religious schools and seminaries St. John Chrysostom
Theological Seminary is non-accredited and operates under the Ecclesiastical
approbation of the canons and constitutions of the Church.  This is mostly
due to the cost of becoming accredited.

However St. John Chrysostom Theological Seminary is NOT a "diploma mill".
Its degree programs are among the most demanding I have ever seen.

I was awarded the degee doctor by this seminary on June 7th 1995.

Moreover my degree was earned.  It was NOT awarded as an honorary degree.
I have a certified transcript with real credit hours.  The school also requires
three letters of recomendation from persons who have doctorates in the field
of religion in order to be awarded the degree of doctor.  My degree required
real credit hours, as well as three such recomendations.  It was NOT the
product
of a diploma mill.

Someone also wrote my friend Dr James Tabor saying:

>You [James Tabor] were also sited by Dr. Trimm, in an e-mail on a forum,
>as being able
>to verify his credintials, having worked with him.

This is totally untrue.  The email mentioned is below.  I only state that
Dr. Tabor
is an authoritative scholar who recognizes me as a "scholar" I say not one
thing
about his ability or inability to verify my credentials.  In fact I could
not verify his either.

To: nazarene@nazarene.net
From: James  Trimm <jstrimm@home.com>
Subject: Re: [nazarene] James a Scholar? I think NOT!
Cc:
Bcc:
X-Attachments:

>At this point I would simply like to ask, if you would
>name some authoritive Scholars who would recognize you
>as a "scholar"?
>

    "Aramaic scholar James Trimm, of Ft. Worth, Texas,
    will be the primary person involved in the preliminary
    examination [of Codex Khaboris].  James Trimm will
    also serve as our main consultant for the Original
    Bible Project in incorporating Aramaic and Syriac readings
    in our work of translating the Greek New Testament."
    - Dr. James Tabor Original Bible Project update 2/15/98 p. 5
 

I have letters of recomendation for the degree of doctorate in Semitic
Studies from when I was awarded the degree of doctorate.  These are from:

    Dr. Phillip Arnold of the Reunion Institute

    Dr. James DeFrancisco

    Rabbi [and Dr.] Herbert J. Gilner

You can also look me up in Who's Who in the World year 2000 edition.

Now I do not ussually make a big show of my scholarship but you did ask.

James Trimm
________________________________________

CONCERNING THE BOOK OF MORMON

Regarding the Book of Mormon, I do NOT hold a belief that the Book of
Mormon is true.  As an accademic with an interest in comparitive theology I
have had many objective and or interpretive discusions about the Quran and
the Book of Mormon on various Muslim and Mormon lists over the years.  This
often involved discussions about what the Quran or the Book of Mormon
teaches or what a certain passage means.   I have also used the Quran and
the Book of Mormon as tools to reach Muslims and Mormons and other Book of
Mormon believers with Torah and Messiah using a "for arguments sake" type
approach.  I am pleased to say that through this approach I have helped
bring a number of Mormons and other Book of Mormon believers to Torah and
Messiah.  I can however see how a person might wrongly understand some of
that material as implying that I believe the Book of Mormon is true or that
I believe the Quran is true.  Let me make this clear, while I CAN see how
someone might have misunderstood,  I do NOT hold a belief that the Book of
Mormon is true.  And I do NOT hold a belief that the Quran is true.

I have stated repeatedly that I do not advocate the Book of Mormon.

James states that he does NOT hold that the Book of Mormon is true and that is was purely for academic purposes. There are only two ways to look at this situation, neither are righteous of James Trimm. Either he is telling the truth that he personally does not believe that the Book of Mormon is true, in which case he is  liar under the names Rabbi Yosef, Yosef Liahona and Steve Cohen, for stating that it is. He would then also be a false teacher for having taught that it was true, under those names. In which case the term Maysit, that the Beit Din applied to the charges against the H's and Michael Detwiler so vehemently posted about, would be applicable to him.

On the other hand, James could be lying about believing that the Book of Mormon is true, in which case he would be a liar now and everytime that he made that statement as James Trimm.

Here are the facts. James Trimm did advocate the BoM as true and made the following comments: that it was valid, inspired by the Lord YHWH, the renewed covenant spoken of by YirmeYahu, that it was written by Jews, for Jews and Gentiles, that there was a coming together of the BoM and the Bible, that the Mormons were the House of Ephraim. As Rabbi Yosef, he was translating a Jewish Book of Mormon, so that the Gentile terms in it would not offend the Jews and sought to establish a non-profit corporation involving the BoM, and established several forums and a website, under the name Rabbi Yosef, about the BoM. The following information will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, that James Trimm is a liar in either case and a false teacher if he claims that it is not true. The posts are grouped by what name he used and by posts from the purged sites, but were forwarded to other sites and still survive. I do not have all this up yet, so over this next week, this will be added to.

 Rabbi Yosef Posts

Steve Cohen Posts

Yosef Liahona posts

jewishbom site posts

bom-messianic posts

bom-archaeology posts

m-kabbalah

I have serious problems with a number of things that are IN the Book of Mormon:

    *  Certain passages at least appear to be anti-nomian:

    "...you must keep the performances
    and ordinances of God until the law shall be fulfilled
    which was given to Moses."
    - 2Nephi 25:30 (supposedly between 559 & 545 BC)
    (see also Alma 30:3)

    "...but I say to you, that the time shall come
    when it shall no more be expedient
    to keep the law of Moses."
    - Mosiah 13:27 (sopposedly in 148 BC)

    "...the law in me is fulfilled,
    for I have come to fulfil the law;
    therefore it has an end."
    - 3Nephi 15:5 (supposedly quoying "Jesus")

    [right after the coming of "Christ"]
    "And they did not walk anymore after the performances
    and ordinances of the law of Moses..."
    - 4Nephi 1:12

    "...the law of circumcision is done away in me."
    - Moroni 8:8 (supposedly quoting "Jesus")

    *  The book seems to depict traditional Christian practices
     such as Communion [not Passover?] (3Nephi 20:1-9)

    * The Book of Mormon calls the followers of the religion
    it depicts "Christians" supposedly as early as 73 BC
    (Alma 46:13-16).

    * The BoM people supposedly came to the New World
    and kept the law of Moses (2Ne. 25:24; Jarom 1:5; Mosiah 2:3;
    Alma 30:3; 34:14) they supposedly built a Temple "after
    the manner of Solomon" (2Ne. 5:16) and made offerings
    (1Ne. 5:9; 7:22; Mosiah 2:3) Now how could a group of all
    Josephites (1Ne. 15:12; 19:24; 2Ne. 3:2-5; Jacob 2:5 & Alma 26:36)
    do that without any Levites?  Maybe thay just did it theselves
    (1Nephi 2:7) and appointed non-Levites as priests (2Ne. 5:26;
    Jacob 1:18) but then who would say that a group of Josephites
    who built their own Temple, performed their own offerrings
    and appointed their own non-Levitical priests...

        "...did observe to keep the judgements,
        and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord
        IN ALL THINGS ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF MOSES"
        (2Ne. 5:10)?

    Even IF the Lord had told them to do such things would
    it not be WAY beyond the realm of truth to say that
    they were done "according to the law of Moses"?

    *  Also why would a group which kept the law of Moses
    in all things build various Temples in various locations:

        * "The Land of Nephi" (2Ne. 5:8, 16)

        * "The Land of Zarahemla (Mosiah 1:18)

        * "the Land Bountiful" (3Nephi 11:1)

    And much of this time overlaps The Second Temple Era.
    Compare Deut 12:21; 16:16 which teaches only one Temple
    in one chosen place.  How does that work?

    *  While the book is longer than the NT and is largely narative
    it never mentions a Jewish/Biblical holiday by name.  It also
    never mentions a newmoon convocation, Nazarite vow etc.
    This is suspicious.

    *  Although its people supposedly kept the Law of Moses until
    the time of "Christ" the book places the death of "Christ"
    on the "the first month, on the fourth day" (3Ne. 8:5)
    though this day would have been Passover, the 14th day
    of the month on the Biblical/Jewish calendar.  In fact
    Passover roughly coresponds with the full moon and would
    be within a day of the 15th (on a newmoon based calendar)
    or a day of the 1st (on any Fullmoon based calendar) So not only
    is this supposed "BoM calendar" not the Biblical newmoon calendar
    it could not even be a lunar calendar at all.
 
 
 
 
 

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