(a) Yes. But most of the old testament prophecies wouldn't be fulfilled because they refer to one Messiah.
(b) Yes.
(c) Are you assuming that they are identical twins, or fraternal? In which case, one of them could be a girl. Or both. That doesn't answer the question, but makes my head spin a bit more.
(d) The same way we do now.
(e) No. They would both be fully human, and fully God.
(f) They would be a quartet.
(g) Yes
(h) Would it depend on which bits are shared?
(i) No. Sin isn't contagious. They are individuals, and would make individual choices. But if one sinned, they would unfortunately both share the earthly consequences.
Here's my question: If both twins are the Messiah, would both have to die?
Launching into this with all the required brazen confidence and zealous ignorance, both of biology and theology..
It'd be a monozygote scenario (since the Holy Spirit's not going to impregnate more than one egg) - so, identical twins. Lesley's right - the old testament guys would be cheesed off.
So given identical genetics, identical metaphysics would be the neater option: both fully God, fully ooman.
Holy Quartet.
Same logic follows with conjoined twins - they'd both be fully God; fully human..
In answer to Lesley's question, I reckon, yes both would have to die if the mechanics of atonement are still in place.. Needn't even be at the same time or same means I guess.
Okay. enough. too far in fact. at least for me.
Back again with some more thoughts.
(a) and (b) Possibly, on the basis that the DNA is shared, but probably not, on the basis that there can only be one Messiah. (And definitely not if they were fraternal twins.) Even identical twins are two distinct individuals. Identity goes beyond DNA.
(c) and (d) This raises the question of what makes Jesus the Messiah. His DNA? Presence of the Spirit? God's anointing? Because he identified himself as the Messiah? All of the above? Or some other mystical quality. If Jesus had chosen not to die on the cross, would he have ceased to be the Messiah? What would happen to the "fully God" part of him? Would God send another? Would that even be possible?
(e) Both of them would have to die on the cross. It wouldn't make sense for one Messiah to remain. (Not that it makes any sense for there to be two Messiahs.)
(f) They could also be Quadriplets.
(g)-(j) Not possible. The Messiah must be perfect and without defect, like the OT directives in Leviticus about the atonement sacrifices.
I think we could start another group to complement Wine&Word. It would be called Pinheads and discuss theological conundrums like how many angels would fit on the head of a pin.
BTW I thought the most important question from today was the one about the Dewey classification ...
Not sure that God the Father would consider conjoined twins as failing the test of an atonement imperfect and without defect.. But, I guess if the Messiah(s) had been incarnated as conjoined twins, the primitive obstetrics and religious-social attitudes of the time would've meant birth, death, resurrection and atonement would probably all have occurred simultaneously - Christmas and Easter all at once; embarrassed old testament prophets, and no Easter eggs foisted on unsuspecting Coles shoppers in February.
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