jimrockhill2001 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Tantalus Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Subscribers are special. We get ours last.
>
>
> Does that mean that their policy was inspired by
> St. Matthew's parable of the Kingdom of Heaven:
>
> "So the last shall be first, and the first last:
> for many be called, but few chosen."
>
> Jim

LOL. That's the way I will take it. It makes me less Grrrr ...

Quote:

Does that mean that their policy was inspired by
> St. Matthew's parable of the Kingdom of Heaven:
>
> "So the last shall be first, and the first last:
> for many be called, but few chosen."

More specifically, Matthew 20:16.

X-tians **LOVE** this quote but it really is one of
the most infamous examples of biblical contradiction.
Compare and Contrast with:

Matthew 19:30 (NIV)

"But MANY who are first will be last,
and MANY who are last will be first."
[my emphasis on many]

Mark 10:31 (NIV)

"But many who are first will be last,
and the last first."

Luke 13:30 (NIV)

"Indeed there are those who are last who will be first,
and first who will be last."

This, "rough, slouching Beast", ought to get his story straight.

Happy New Year,

-Cathexis

cathexis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does that mean that their policy was inspired by
> > St. Matthew's parable of the Kingdom of Heaven:
>
> >
> > "So the last shall be first, and the first last:
>
> > for many be called, but few chosen."
>
>
> More specifically, Matthew 20:16.
>
> X-tians **LOVE** this quote but it really is one
> of
> the most infamous examples of biblical
> contradiction.
> Compare and Contrast with:
>
> Matthew 19:30 (NIV)
>
> "But MANY who are first will be last,
> and MANY who are last will be first."
>
>
> Mark 10:31 (NIV)
>
> "But many who are first will be last,
> and the last first."
>
> Luke 13:30 (NIV)
>
> "Indeed there are those who are last who will be
> first,
> and first who will be last."
>
> This, "rough, slouching Beast", ought to get his
> story straight.
>
> Happy New Year,
>
> -Cathexis

More specifically, the first line is actually Matthew 20:16 and is from the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. There is no corresponding account of this parable in the other Synoptic Gospels. The second line is Matthew 22:14 and is taken from Jesus parable of the wedding feast. Again, Matthew is the only Synoptic Gospel which records this parable.

The first two examples given to be compared and contrasted to the above verses(Matthew 19:30 and Mark 10:31) are the record of Jesus trying to explain to a rich young man how he might enter the kingdom of heaven while the last example(luke 13:30) was Jesus teaching on the narrow door. These all illustrate the same idea.
To me, this is clearly not a contradiction as the three verses which are offered as an example of biblical contradiction(Matthew 19:30, Mark 10:31 and Luke 10:31) are not drawn from the same lesson as the other one(Matthew 20:16). I do not think the story of the laborers in the vineyard is intended to make the same point as the story of the rich man and heaven or the narrow door.

I see this as an example of taking things out of context and comparing apples to oranges.

But really, the true focus here should be that it is January 4th and though I subscribed for this series of books on February 5th, 2006 I still do not have the final book. What a bummer.

peace

Wow! I wasn't even aware that the book was available and I ordered the pre-order many yrs. ago. I saw the book on Amazon's website and since I received a Kindle for X-mas I ordered the digital edition for $6.00. So all I have to do is wait for Night Shade to take their slow way for the physical copy.

I just wanted to correct myself the price should have been $7.99 at Amazon and $6.99 at Baen Books for the final book. I actually bought my copy for the ebook at www.baen.com and they have a bundled deal for volumes 1-5 for $25. I might purchase the bundle because I like having books on my device that I can read at any time.

Dear Diary
January 6th 2012
Day 2457 (and counting). Still no sign of Batbint. The manpower issue at NSB is therefore presumably unresolved. It's lucky there are only six volumes to rush through the press. God help us, what if they'd decided to do a special edition of Charles Dickens? I know one thing: the next time I order a book from Night Shade, Satan will be skating to work.

asshurbanipal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I know one thing: the next time I order a
> book from Night Shade, Satan will be skating to
> work.

I don't think Night Shade sells straight to customers anymore, so that is a moot point.

I hope they send all you poor subscribers a handwritten letter of apology (preferably written in the blood of NSB's owners) with your copy too. I think one can forgive them for taking longer than expected to publish the whole of this series, but their obvious lack of effort in keeping subscribers (in particular) informed about proceedings (or the lack of) is nothing short of disgusting. In these days of email, I can see no excuse or explanation other than a total disregard for their readers. I bet if it was the other way around (others owing them money or a service or whatever) they'd take a less laid-back attitude!

LOL. Let's see which of us subscribers gets their book last.

Post when you (a subscriber) get yours.

This delay in sending books to subscribers, (whose subscription fee I assume helped fund the publication in the first place) is so ridiculous that I have to laugh about it. Or I would get angry.

Whether NSB sells directly to customers anymore or not is irrelevant to me. I will always, from now on, get mine from Amazon.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 8 Jan 12 | 01:48AM by Tantalus.

cathexis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does that mean that their policy was inspired by
> > St. Matthew's parable of the Kingdom of Heaven:
>
> >
> > "So the last shall be first, and the first last:
>
> > for many be called, but few chosen."
>
>
> More specifically, Matthew 20:16.
>
> X-tians **LOVE** this quote but it really is one
> of
> the most infamous examples of biblical
> contradiction.
> Compare and Contrast with:
>
> Matthew 19:30 (NIV)
>
> "But MANY who are first will be last,
> and MANY who are last will be first."
>
>
> Mark 10:31 (NIV)
>
> "But many who are first will be last,
> and the last first."
>
> Luke 13:30 (NIV)
>
> "Indeed there are those who are last who will be
> first,
> and first who will be last."
>
> This, "rough, slouching Beast", ought to get his
> story straight.
>
> Happy New Year,
>
> -Cathexis

Regarding this little fluff about the first and the last - small dose of reality: If you attend a Pot-Luck Supper in a Methodist or Baptist church, you may be assured of getting all the food you want by standing at the end of the line, since those ahead of you will be niggardly with themselves to assure that there is enough for everyone - In a Roman Catholic potluck - you better get in front of the line, because there will be almost nothing for the ones at the end; in a Greek Orthodox Potluck you can be in front or back because the women will have been in competition to see who could bring the most, resulting in enough food to feed the 6th Army - this information is well-documented in the apocryphal New Testament text, 1st Phaarmar 4:9

Dear Diary
January 9th 2012
Day 2460 (and counting). I always look forward to Mondays. I envisage a plane touching down from the States on Friday afternoon, or a ship docking, and there on board is Clark Ashton Smith. That gives the Post Office all weekend to sort the mail and get my book to me first thing Monday morning. It never arrives, though.
Nice to know Scott Connors received his copy on November 4th. Also nice to know that he had some extra copies (as announced on November 5th) that he was prepared to part with at $30 (he takes Paypal). Meanwhile, as we head for mid-January, the poor saps who paid seven years in advance are still waiting. NSB have had the thing since the beginning of December, with a "scheduled" release date of December 6th. Something called "manpower issues" then got in the way. Presumably this means that nobody was prepared to actually put the things in the post. How many copies are there to go anyway? One hundred? Not more than one hundred and fifty, I'll bet. I'll also bet that undefined "manpower issues" drag on lengi lengi. What utter contempt for the paying customer. Totally insulting. Are you boys still on probation, by the way?

Well, again, I would be more upset if there was anything of really urgent interest to be found in the book. Not that I do not want it, as a matter of principle, of course.

January 16th (Day 2467).
Another Monday, another blank. I presume, from nobody having responded to Tantalus' suggestion that subscribers should record on this site when they finally receive a copy of The Miscellaneous Fiction of CAS, that it's a blank all round for us saps who paid up-front.
Would somebody at NSB therefore kindly enlighten us by ticking one of the following boxes (whichever is most applicable):
1. All preorders have now been despatched and will arrive shortly.
2. The books are still shrink-wrapped on the pallet but we will now move heaven and earth to get them to subscribers as soon as is humanly possible.
3. All available copies have now been sold on Amazon, so tough.

I realise that this request for up to date information adds nothing to the discussion of the enduring genius of Clark Ashton Smith, but, as NSB actively discourage the use of their own discussion boards, TED is just about the only place where these legitimate grievances can be aired.

No sign of the book yet in New York State maybe it will arrive on my birthday in June.

None here, either.