{"id":17779,"date":"2015-02-13T09:00:22","date_gmt":"2015-02-13T16:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=17779"},"modified":"2015-02-13T09:00:22","modified_gmt":"2015-02-13T16:00:22","slug":"new-testament-72","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2015\/02\/new-testament-72.html","title":{"rendered":"New Testament 72"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Robert<\/a>
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
(Click to enlarge.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Matthew 7:13-14<\/p>\n

\u201cEnter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. \u00a0For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Luke 13:23-24<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd some one said to him, \u2018Lord, will those who are saved be few?\u2019 \u00a0And he said to them, \u2018Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, i tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The doctrine of \u201cthe two ways\u201d (which was a favorite topic of the late, great Hugh Nibley) is omnipresent in the ancient and biblical worlds \u2014 light and darkness, good and evil, etc.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Just yesterday, in my class on the Arabic Qur\u2019an, we read Qur\u2019an\u00a090:7-16, which briefly mentions the two ways and then, for a few short verses, discusses one of them in terms reminiscent of the definition of true religion given in the New Testament epistle of James. \u00a0(See the Arabic text, and a passably okay half-way decent minimally acceptable English translation, here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I hope that familiarity hasn\u2019t completely dulled the impact of Robert Frost\u2019s famous poem \u201cThe Road Not Taken\u201d:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Road Not Taken\u201d<\/p>\n

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,<\/p>\n

And sorry I could not travel both<\/p>\n

And be one traveler, long I stood<\/p>\n

And looked down one as far as I could<\/p>\n

To where it bent in the undergrowth;<\/p>\n

Then took the other, as just as fair,<\/p>\n

And having perhaps the better claim,<\/p>\n

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;<\/p>\n

Though as for that the passing there<\/p>\n

Had worn them really about the same,<\/p>\n

And both that morning equally lay<\/p>\n

In leaves no step had trodden black.<\/p>\n

Oh, I kept the first for another day!<\/p>\n

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,<\/p>\n

I doubted if I should ever come back.<\/p>\n

I shall be telling this with a sigh<\/p>\n

Somewhere ages and ages hence:<\/p>\n

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I?<\/p>\n

I took the one less traveled by,<\/p>\n

And that has made all the difference.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 Matthew 7:13-14 \u201cEnter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. \u00a0For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.\u201d \u00a0 Luke 13:23-24 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nNew Testament 72<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2015\/02\/new-testament-72.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Testament 72\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"    Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter by the narrow gate; 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