SDA Health Message and 1Tim 4:8

[Ben_White]

"For physical training is of some value but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 1 Timothy 4:8

It is interesting that Paul mentions here that not just "Health", but acutual "Physical Training" is of "some value".

If we look at the history of BodyBulding we see that the first real accredited Body Builder was Eugne Sandow, I cant actully post his image on here, yet you can read about it below from the cut and paste from Wikipedia, Eugen looked much like an amauter competitor at weightlifting and his muscle mass was considered the "Grecian Ideal" which of course pre-dates Paul and is something Paul would have been aware of in relation to the Sporting contests of the Greeks in those times.

My query then is how those that take seriously the SDA Health Message respond to 1Tim 4:8, do you include physical training as well as diet in your endevours to be healthy? I would then ask the scholars of the New Testament in here as to what you feel "Physcial Training" actually is, is it in fact building muscle mass as Eugen Sandow replicates the Grecian Ideal?

Eugen Sandow

Eugen Sandow, the "Father of Modern Bodybuilding"

The "Early Years" of Western Bodybuilding are considered to be the period between 1880 and 1930.

Bodybuilding did not really exist prior to the late 19th century, when it was promoted by a man from Prussia (Germany) named Eugen Sandow,[1] who is now generally referred to as "The Father of Modern Bodybuilding". He is credited as being a pioneer of the sport because he allowed an audience to enjoy viewing his physique in "muscle display performances". Although audiences were thrilled to see a well-developed physique, those men simply displayed their bodies as part of strength demonstrations or wrestling matches. Sandow had a stage show built around these displays through his manager, Florenz Ziegfeld. The Oscar winning 1936 musical film "The Great Ziegfeld", depicts this beginning of modern bodybuilding, when Sandow began to display his body for carnivals. The role of Sandow was played by actor Nat Pendleton.

Sandow became so successful at flexing and posing his physique, he later created several businesses around his fame and was among the first to market products branded with his name alone. He was credited with inventing and selling the first exercise equipment for the masses (machined dumbbells, spring pulleys and tension bands) and even his image was sold by the thousands in "cabinet cards" and other prints.

Sandow was a strong advocate of "the Grecian Ideal" (this was a standard where a mathematical "ideal" was set up and the "perfect physique" was close to the proportions of ancient Greek and Roman statues from classical times). This is how Sandow built his own physique and in the early years, men were judged by how closely they matched these "ideal" proportions. Sandow organised the first bodybuilding contest on 14 September 1901 called the "Great Competition" and held in the Royal Albert Hall, London, UK. Judged by himself, Sir Charles Lawes, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the contest was a huge success and was sold out and hundreds of physical culture enthusiasts were turned away. The trophy presented to the winner was a bronze statue of Sandow himself sculpted by Frederick Pomeroy. The winner was William L. Murray of Nottingham, England. The most prestigious bodybuilding contest today is the Mr. Olympia, and since 1977, the winner has been presented with the same bronze statue of Sandow that he himself presented to the winner at the first contest.[2]

[True-believer]

Hey Ben,

It's a bit like you...

You have a six pack from all your body building... Lol...

Bless you heaps brother.

[Ben_White]

I must admit that I do wonder how physically fit Jesus was and my thoughts are probably a lot more so than most people in todays world! Considering the massive amounts of distance that he travelled by foot and over what terrain, I think that the average person today would not be the bootlace of those standards!