bib 439 week 2

We missed Angel.

,Remember FPU only allows one absence in a six-week class. And tow online absences (no posts by Sunday pm))equals an absence.. Make-up assignment in Bible dept is a 1-2 page summary of the session you missed. So use tbis blog or notes from friends

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What do you remember about these pics?

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Philemon:

Remember what "saints" means in the Bible? Christians

Remember when I asked who was a saint in class?

Remember St. Bernard>

Remember what "church" means in the Bible?  Philemon? Never a buikding.  People.

And how large was a "large" church?

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 Movie Night: The Ten Commandments are a ___________

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a)

Watch this interview of  a congressman  on Colbert about the Ten Commandments.  Post a short response: What did you think about it?

b)What are the first five things that come to mind when I say "The Ten Commandments"?
Don't think hard, don't Google, just post your first instinctive answers, bulletpoint is fine
This is word association, so say anything ..words or phrase..you think of : images, characters, feelings, anything.
Make one or two of you answers actual examples of the commandments.  That is, name a commandments if you know any, or remember any from the

  Colbert video. 

'='  If not, guess.

Don't read any farther until you finish part b

c) Now let's move to the next part and make a similar list about a very different topic

If history is any record, here are some of the things you said.
Actual photo of whiteboard from previous class.
(Fascinating that students usually only mention The negative commandments: The Thou Shalt NOTS, and not the positive ones).

Now, on an obviously very different topic .

What are the first five things that come to mind when I say "Wedding" .
Just post your first instinctive answers below., bulletpoint is fine.
This is word association, so say anything ..words or phrase..you think of : images, characters, feelings, anything.


d)Now let's move on, and talk about your two word association lists.
  What you will see  has actually been a life-changer for many students..

Here are some words previous students have said for "wedding"

Once I had all guys in class, and they all said "open bar" (:

Now... wait for it!

Did it even cross your mind to put under the first list.

(word association about The Ten Commandments) to say the FIRST thing that a Jewish person back in Bible days..or today..say:

 WEDDING? 

Hmmm...start asking how the Ten Commandments are in any sense like a wedding.

In the meantime, click the next page for a quick  laugh before we take a  field trip to defend the thesis that

The Ten Commandments are a wedding

Video on Ten Commandments as "Wedding"

Grab the popcorn!

Watch the video. Do not worry about all the details, but look for big picture/thesis.  

• What was interesting/What did you learn? 
  
• How did this video make you feel or challenge your assumptions? 
  
• Had it ever crossed your mind that the Ten Commandments were (like) a wedding before today??
  
• Give at least two examples of how the commandments are like a wedding.
• What do you think/feel about this thesis?

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Full video can be rented here

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We asked which list is the REAL ten commandments:

Exodus 20 or 34?

Se 2.1

MYSTERY TO SOLVE FOR NEXT CLASS:

Which list of the Ten Commandments is the "real" list??

We joked you could win $100 by saying, :

Let me read you a list of the Ten Commandments, the only list the Bible explicity calls the Ten Commandments.  Tell if this is the list.  A hundred bucks says I'm right.  Then read them the Ten Commandments from Exodus 34!!:

                      Exodus 20                                                                     Exodus 34: Note: this list, NOT THE 

                                                                                                       OTHER, is the one that says "THESE ARE    

                                                                                                        THE TEN COMMANDMENTS"                                                          

1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.		1. Thou shalt worship no idol. (For the Lord is a jealous god).  Smash all idols,
2. You shall not make for yourself a graven image. You shall not bow down to them or serve them.		2. Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.		3. The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep in the month when the ear is on the corn.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.		4. All the first-born are mine.
5. Honor your father and your mother.		5. Six days shalt thou work, but on the seventh thou shalt rest.
6. You shall not kill.		6. Thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, even of the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.
7. You shall not commit adultery.		7. Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread.
8. You shall not steal.		8. The fat of my feast shall not remain all night until the morning.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.		9. The first of the first fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring unto the house of the Lord thy God.
10. You shall not covet.		10. Thou shalt not boil a baby goat in its mother's milk.

These look only loosely related to the list we've all heard from Exodus 2O. Hmmmmm

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Who noticed the buckets in the room?  

I wonder what they meant? Who remembers?

By now, you may have noticed talk about "the grid":  Everybody has one, even if it's unspoken or intuitive.  By the end of class, we would love for you to be able to articulate what  you think is the best "grid" for discerning which scriptures (usually Old Testament commandments, like against mixing threads in clothes, dietary laws like no shrimp,  or the no tattoos text we have looked at  etc,; as well as  the New Testament commanding slaves to obey masters--is slavery OK?      , and apparently demanding wives to submit, and women not to speak in church) are binding for today?  Which texts are descriptive, and which are descriptive?  What is the grid for deciding which commandments we  are intended to keep "literally" or as they are, in our  contemporary world?  Chapter 9 of Fee and Stuart offers some help. 

Another metaphor for this, though it may sound crude, is "buckets." You may have seen two (or three) buckets in some of Dave's classes and  videos.  This is based on  Ron Martoia . Survey Ron Martoia's post on the "two buckets"   ), as well as    Adam Hamilton's  (see this  on THREE buckets), as they  challenge us to decide which bucket we place certain Scriptures in, and why. 

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a

==A!

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Songs as text: 

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= Song as Text : "Venn it" on the Nameless Streets

Great job "practicing" Three Worlds interpretation by listening to songs, especially songs that come in two versions.

Sometimes it's a music video that tells a story, sometime the venue or occasion shifts the song's meaning or application.

Here's a very different U2 song , with two different performances from the same year

Watch both versions, and post notes about each.   Jot down as you watch and listen:
 Lyrics you can discern, theme, emotions, message, possible meaning of the title etc.  Especially watch for visual/nonverbal clues.   How were they the same/different? Which did you like better and why? 

This idea of comparing and contrasting two versions of the same song to detect meaning(us), we will call "Venn it!",

Draw  a version of this diagram (two interlocking circles in a  "venn" diagram, color is up to you)  and in the left hand circle, jot observations and notes about version a of the song, in the right  hand circle, jot observations and notes about version b.  In the middle, write anything you like about what the songs have in common, and post a word abut common theme or feel.  You can do this in paper and screenshot it, or draw mechanically.  ) In class , we do this for all our songs and analysis of two scriptural texts, commandments vs wedding etc,)   Examples? ; see last week  to see a "Venn it" of : the two creation accounts, 

Note: for the second version, some "historical world" info will be given to help.  This is like reading Philemon cold, or having a bit of backstory (who was Paul, slavery etc).

Resist the temptation to google the song, as the idea is to practice YOUR skills.

Version a :'

version b:

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Version b: U2 is not a "Christian band" in the sense of being in the Christian market or on a Christian label.  But all members are Christian, and the lyrics are full of biblical and faith references.  The band is from Ireland, and Bono (singer/lyricist) grew up with a Catholic parent and a Protestant parent, in times when those two groups (bounded sets) were often enemies, and even killed each other.  The setting for this version of the song is their huge homecoming concert at Slane Castle, with 80,000 fans reserved.  BUT the night before, Bono's father passed away.  The band and families are very close, and Bono and the band are heartbroken.  But what do you do, cancel a huge homecoming concert, to which fans were coming from several countries? No, you keep the date, and perform this song:'

Read this... and watch this video  after you have finished ZOOM 3 on the U2 song "Where the Streets Have No Name" 

Before you watch, try one word for what the song seems to be "about"...even if the word isn't mentioned in the lyrics.

The lyrics can be hard to hear..they are here, and may give a clue.

Bono, the singer/songwriter says all their songs can be turned into a prayer.

And he says about this song: "We can be in the middle of the worst gig in our lives, but when we go into that song, everything changes. The audience is on its feet, singing along with every word. It's like God suddenly walks through the room. It's the point where craft ends and spirit begins. How else do you explain it?" 

Dave reveals the "historical world" secret to "Streets Have No Name" in his video here  Remember, this is the first Super Bowl after 9/11, and U2 had already been booked to perform (Hmm, how might an Irish band speak to America's shock and grief?).  Dave reveals in the first video what Bono says at the beginning, and what's on the screen,  of this Super Bowl version of the song.

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TATTS  Remember the adjunct prof at FPU with the Leviticus 19:28 tattoo? =

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Extra credit: The FPU magazine implied this cross was on the school sign for decades,  But it was only there for three hours, and I (dave) put there...and almost got kicked out of school fir doing it.,  Google  for that story and text it to Dave by Week 3 class

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We did the first two minutes of this video, especially the EASIER VS HARDER QUESTION.

We talked about how Jesus shifted the law.  We will do the rest on Moodle this week

bib 451 week 1 content

Many successful signature papers incorporate set theory.

TO ILLUSTRATE SET THEORY, WE DID AN IN'CLASS EXERCISE. STUDENTS HAD TO DECIDE WHICH SIDE OF THE ROOM TO STAND ON. BASED ON WHICH OF EACH PAIR THEY PREFERRED.

Pick a side of the room to stand on for each pair:

• 
  
• Target or Wal-Mart
• ==
• slave or free
• Jew or Gentile
•   extrovert or introvert
• Lenno or McCartney
• rock or country

• 
  
• 
  
• FUNERAL OR WEDDING?

s

Great to meet you; here's the pic of me studying for this class, and my family pic

TOPICS COVERED WEEK 1

• 
  
• Introductions
•          Name
•         Tell me about yourself
• work
•          Musical group or singer
• ,        
• Exercise:Set theory
• Final exam prep: Philemon
• Texts and World
• Genesis 1 and 2
• EVERYTHING IS SPIRITUAL
• =
  
  
  
  

How many noticed this on the way in?

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"That makes you half Asian?"

  



Jesus was Asian!

\

What continent is Israel on?

"What continent is Israel on?"

How did you answer the question? 

Answer it in your mind, and then scroll down.

There is only one right answer, obviously. 

 But every time I ask the question--in Israel or in class--people stumble, and tentatatively give the wrong answers: Europe?  Africa?  Middle East?

The only right answer is:

 Asia.

Does that sound surprising or shocking?

Sooo..that means: Jesus was Asian.

People laugh when you say that.  But it's true...and important that Jesus lived in Asia;  born and died there. That was his home. In our contemporary world, we think Asian means only Chinese, Japanese etc.

Jesus was Asian! Note I didn't say He IS Asian, as I believe He is bigger than that now, but while on earth as a human he was ethnically  Jewish...and  Asian.  So He thought and lived an Eastern, Mediterranean, Hebrew, Occidental, ASIAN worldview.  This will become important later in class.

POST the phrase "Jesus was Asian" on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter..or text or say it to at least three people. Then post below some of the responses you got.  Some people will accuse you of being crazy.


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Note: If you have not yet taken BIB 314, save your answers, as you may have this exact assignment again. If you have already taken it, you may paste in your answers from that class (Note: this will be the case for a few other assignments later). i)List at least two examples of chiasm used in the class and/or video ii)List at least two examples of chiasm you find online, create, or know of (that were not used in class/video). iii)Talk about chiasm. Is this a new idea/term for you? Interesting? Why or why not? How might catching chiasm help you in reading the Bible, or any text?

I took a version of this class at FPC (it wasn't a U yet), I had cool typewriter

I look forward this class..I think you'll' enjoy it, too..
 ...I did when I took it in 1983>>

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STRATEGY: 
BIB 314 asks, "Who is Jesus?"

and "What is Church?"







This class asks

• "1)How do I read a text of Scripture via a Three Worlds approach?"
• 2)"What does Scripture have to say about community?
• 3)What does Scripture have to say about my major?

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The Three Worlds approach to reading the Bible 

: here is an introduction.

This  below is how one student summarized the worlds (she has more detail here)

Literary World--The literary world of the Bible is simply the text itself, apart from anything outside the text.  We mean the world (or, better, worlds) created by the text; the words on the page, by the stories, songs, letters and the myriad other types of literature that make up the Bible.  All good literature (and the Bible is, among other things, good literature) creates in readers' minds magnificent, mysterious, and often moving worlds that take on a reality of their own, whether or not they represent anything real outside the pages (Hauer and Young ch 2).

Historical World--The historical world of the Bible isthe world "behind the text" or "outside the text".  It is the context in which the Bible came to be written, translated, and interpreted over time, until the present.  In studying the historical world of the Bible, we look for evidence outside the text that helps us answer questions such as, who wrote this text, when was it written, to whom was it written, and why was it written.  We also probe the text itself for evidence that links it to historical times, places, situations, and persons (Hauer and Young 2)..



Contemporary World--The contemporary world is the "world in front of the text" or the "world of the reader."  In one sense, there are as many contemporary worlds of the Bible as there are readers, for each of us brings our own particular concerns and questions to the text.  They inevitably shape our reading experience.  We are all interested in answering the questions of whether the Bible in general, or particular texts, have any relevance to our personal lives 

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- C

(H

"Final Exam" prep/Philemon: First read. 
What do you remember from our discussion?

-FOR YOUR PAPER, Be sure to  include:  Evidence from the text re: whether the slavery (of Onesimus) and brotherhood of Philemon and Onesimus are literal, metaphorical, or both.   Evidence from the text re: whether Onesimus ran away.









-CHALLENGE: MEMORIZE PHILEMON in our class translation by Week 6.

 











 your notes:

PHILEMON: 

              Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus,

      and Timothy our brother,

        To  Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker

   also to Apphia our sister and

               Archippus our fellow soldier

                                            —and to the church 

                                    that meets in your home:

³ Grace and peace 

to you ^(plural) 

                                                  from God our Father

                                               and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers,

          ⁵ because I hear about your  

                                   love               and                          faith

     towards                 Lord Jesus     and               all the saints 

⁶ I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective 

                in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.

⁷ Your love has given me great       joy

                                         and        encouragement,

 because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. 

⁸ Therefore

 although in Christ I could be bold, and order you to do what you ought to do,

                                                                         ⁹ yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love.

 It is as none other than Paul—                   an old man (elder)

  and now also                                             a prisoner of Christ Jesus—  

¹⁰ that I appeal to you for my son--

                                          Onesimus,^["Useful"]" 

                  

 who became my son while I was in chains.

¹¹ Formerly he was                           useless                                  to you,

 but now he has become                   useful                            both to you and to me.

¹² I am sending                         him

                    —who is my very heart

                                                    —back to you.  

¹³ I would have liked to keep him with me

 so that 

                                           he                  could take 

                                           your                   place 

                 in helping          me 

while I am in chains for the gospel.  

¹⁴ But I did not want to do anything without your consent, 

so that any favor you do would not seem                forced 

                                            but would be             voluntary.  

¹⁵ Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while

 was that you might have him back forever—

        ¹⁶ no longer as a slave,

                  but more than a slave, 

                               as a dear brother. 

He is that to                                  me, 

             but even more so to         you, 

both                         in the flesh

 and                         in the Lord.

¹⁷ So..

 if                                            you consider me a partner, 

                               welcome  him

          as you would welcome me.

 ¹⁸ If he has done you any wrong or owes          you                      anything,

                                           charge it to                me.

¹⁹ I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand:

                      I will pay it back!

                         (not to mention that you owe me your very self)

 ²⁰ I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit or usefulness from you in the Lord;

                                   refresh my heart in Christ.

 ²¹ Confident of your obedience, 

              I write to you,

                          knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

²² And one thing more: 

             Prepare a guest room for me, 

                            because I hope to be restored to you  ^(plural) 

                                                   in answer to your  (^plural) prayers.

²³ Epaphras,

 my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, 

sends you greetings. 

 ²⁴ And so do Mark,

                       Aristarchus,

                        Demas 

                  and Luke, 

                                      my fellow workers.

²⁵ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your  ^(plural) spirit.

Keep observations of Philemon, already preparing for your signature paper. Remember to look for any clues/cues to tome/emotion/volume.

Biblical Perspectives Signature Assignment (final paper)

Due: 3 days following this module

TASK

The signature assignment (final paper) for Biblical Perspectives is designated as a significant 5-7 page paper that is designed addresses the meaning of a biblical text. Using the skills gained in the course, develop a paper that combines an understanding of the historical, literary and contemporary worlds of the text. (Don’t resign the class until you are done.  Resignation often comes too soon).

PURPOSE

The paper is meant to demonstrate the student’s own analysis and ability to work with a biblical text and as such need not utilize other resources as in a traditional research paper.

This is a NOT a research paper; it is a SEARCH paper, where you search out what you think is the meaning/message of Philemon.

However, it could be hugely helpful (and improve your grade) to draw in one (or perhaps more) lessons from class to build your thesis.

FORM

Thesis:              The paper should include a clear thesis statement in the form of “the book of Philemon is about…” Note: by “about,” we mean not just “about” in the sense of storyline and characters—though you definitely include that somewhere in your paper, as well.    We mean what the book is ultimately “about”—life lesson, message, moral, sermon point or Contemporary World “app.”  Make it general; do not include characters from the story in your statement. Be as specific and concise as possible.

Body:            The body of the paper should demonstrate a recognizable structure that argues from the text of Philemon and articulates why the thesis is viable. The body of the paper may take the form of a verse by verse analysis, follow the categories of historical/literary/contemporary worlds, or use any thematic analysis that is most useful.

Conclusion:    The conclusion should restate the thesis and the support in summary fashion. The conclusion is also a place for reflection on the implications for your life and work.

SIGB:            Throughout this course we have been using signs.  Based on your study of the book of Philemon, develop your own symbol/sign that you feel adequately conveys the message of the book and explain it in a paragraph. Papers will not be accepted without the sign and explanation.  (The sign is something you draw or create, not anything you find online or elsewhere)

Be sure to also include:  Evidence from the text re: whether the slavery (of Onesimus) and brotherhood of Philemon and Onesimus are literal, metaphorical, or both.   Evidence from the text re: whether Onesimus ran away.

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Texts:

TEXTS
 TEXT:  the word does not mean just written words, or text message..
a TEXT is technically ":any message  in any medium, designed to communicate anything"
so obviously the Bible counts as a TEXT message. 
.

But so does everything.

  All you ever do is send and receive and interpret texts:
Every conversation, film,  book is a text.

Students: send me a random text message (see my phone number on syllabus),  It can be anything; you don't even have to identify yourself.  I will read some of these in class for fun...and to show that texts need context  

Because several of the classes I teach have to do with how to read and interpret texts (particularly biblical texts) , contexts, and intertextuality...I actually encourage students to send me text messages in class.

They often look at me as if I am kidding, even afraid I will confiscate their phone if they do.

...Or worse! Check out this shocking video ,  revealing one professor's policy on texting :in class:

 Here's one teacher who welcomes texting in class:


DID YOU TEXT ME YET?  I'M SERIOUS>>DO IT NOW

 One church's policy on cell phones (video below) 


FPU professor  (and Textpert) Greg Camp introduced me to thebrilliant idea of having students text me in class. 

I ask them to send me a random text message (anything) or to forward me a text message from their inbox.   These become our curriculum for the next few minutes as we interpret them.

This opens great discussion..

And very often I get a text that says, "The university president just emailed, notifying that all classes get out early today."

(:

Suffice to say the whole idea of texting in class has proven to be a fruitful means of discussing the only thing we ever engage in, and the only job we have:

interpreting text messages.

Huh?

Increasingly, the definition of text is becoming:

"any message, in any medium, intended to communicate anything"


Movies are texts; conversations at St. Arbuck's are texts. etc

So the primary discipline/skill/art we should cultivate is that of sending and interpreting text messages.

All of life is a text message.

Of course, when dealing with The Text (Scripture), how much more...

Text, subtext, and context is everything.

Text me..



Thanks for texting me in class.  

What do you remember about  the BUTT CHEEKS (BUT CHEEKS)  story?

Texts need contexts.

Video of what I said  in class and more:

<i

Thanks for texting me (cell phone) random text messages during class to illustrate that

texts need contexts.

GODISNOWHERE:  is it GOD IS NOWHERE  or GOD IS NOW HERE?

How you read the text changes as much as everything.

Spaces matter.

Like this:

Professor Ernest Brennecke of Columbia is credited with inventing a sentence that can be made to have eight different meanings by placing ONE WORD in all possible positions in the sentence: 

"I hit him in the eye yesterday."

The word is "ONLY".

The Message:

1.ONLY I hit him in the eye yesterday. (No one else did.)

2.I ONLY hit him in the eye yesterday. (Did not slap him.)

3.I hit ONLY him in the eye yesterday. (I did not hit others.)

4.I hit him ONLY in the eye yesterday. (I did not hit outside the eye.)

5.I hit him in ONLY the eye yesterday. (Not other organs.)

6.I hit him in the ONLY eye yesterday. (He doesn't have another eye..)

7.I hit him in the eye ONLY yesterday. (Not today.)

8.I hit him in the eye yesterday ONLY. (Did not wait for today.)

                              -link 

Like this 'text message' from Jesus:

I SAY TO YOU TODAY, "YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE.'

or is it,

I SAY TO YOU, " TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE."

The original manuscripts of the Bible not only run all letters, all caps, together, but include no punctuation.

Punctuation matters.

Everything is  context.


context      is everything.]

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T  the two stories of creation: Gen 1:1 – 2:3 and Gen. 2:4-25). 

Even many people well-seasoned in the Bible don't realize there are two accounts (not one) of creation in the Bible.  A helpful Three Worlds discipline to hone is this: when there are more than one version of a story (ex. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all tell the story of the miraculous feeding), it is productive to compare and contrast accounts. Read the first account of creation in Genesis Chapter 1, continuing through Genesis 2:4.  Then read the second account (beginning with Genesis 2.4 through the end of chapter 2. What are the characteristics of each account?  How are they the same/different?  Did they feel like they were written in different styles, genres, even by different writers?  Jot down some informal notes about your observations in the forum below, bullet points might be helpful. 

 with  the two stories of creation: 



the two stories of creation: Gen 1:1 – 2:3 and Gen. 2:4-25). 


what do you remember about  your observations?

 Camp and  Roberts (FPU faculty) note:

The two accounts are separate but complementary, like the four gospels. They can be read at different levels, from literal to figurative, with no bearing on the truth of it. Poetry is not less true than a newspaper, just a different kind or mode of truth. And, one must always ask the question what the implied author intended and what the implied audience would have understood. Ancient notions of history are very different from ours.

Genesis 1:

repetitious, tabular, formal

days of creation reported in the same way, formulaic

authority and brevity

style of ordering material into a series of similar solemn commands are unchallenged

content presents major divisions of creation known to writer

catalog or tabulation of events and commands

vocabulary = create (bara), humanity as likeness/image, male/fernale

God = Elohim, characterized as powerful cosmic organizer, speaks things into being, stands outside of cosmos and controls it

Humanity = created as vice regent, created in image gives representative status

polemic against mythical concepts of life and creation

Genesis 2:

relationship of characters emphasized

language is picturesque and flowing, poetic terms, colorful

God's actions more interrelated than separated by divisions of time or set expressions (idioms)

no two acts are alike and none are preceded by divine command

vocabulary = form (yasar), humanity as living being, man/woman

God = Yahweh, characterized by immanence, personal nearness, involvement on human scene, intimate master, depicted humanly (hands, walking, digging)

Humanity = ready contact with and immediate responsibility to God. Humanity's creation linked to ground (word play on adam = man and adamah = ground) and curse is alienation from the land, is distinctive because Yahweh personally addresses him

polemic against fertility cults in Canaan

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Compare Genesis accounts to Babylonian Creation story (read an excerpt here). Significant similarities – Genesis is not written in a vacuum. Significant differences – lack of violence, struggle, multiple gods, etc.

Enuma Elish:

a.     creation by word - Marduk has this power. They tell him to open his mouth. At the word of his mouth XXX vanishes or reappears.

b.    command over elements - Marduk enlists wind and storm to defeat Tiamat, but battles with elements too.

c.     Tiamat is split in two and body is used to retain waters and set firmament and ground.

d.    sets stars in their place, gives moon and sun jurisdiction, setting days 

e.     creation of man - "blood I will make and bones I will cause to be" new idea like Genesis but he creates out of a dead god's body and for the purpose of "the relief of the gods".

In Genesis, we see a carefully structured account, bringing order out of chaos. The sea and darkness are elements of chaos in the ancient world. No work can be done in the dark; salt water kills agriculture; unknown depths and sea creatures are in the sea. God has ability to control and limit these. Chaos is not eliminated or bounded. God creates out of nothing (vs. other creation myths of the day), and the verb used for "create" (bara) is something no human ever does in the Old Testament. Only God does this action. There are also no elements of struggle or battle to create, which is typical of other contemporary creation myths. God simply speaks or shapes things into being. There are also no birthing images, which are common in other myths, and quickly lead to a confusion between Creator and creature (vs. God as wholly other), and to fertility cults. Also, most other creation myths were a people’s story (how the Mesopotamians came to be, for instance). Genesis is not presented as Israel’s story, but as the story of the world. ( to really appreciate the beauty and brilliance of these chapters, one has to read Hebrew. These verses are packed with wordplays and puns. It may not immediately occur to one that puns are a good form of theological education, but,,,

.3a) Genesis 1-2 followup: Everything is Spiritual (by Fri pm, respond to 1 student by Sun pm)

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 Movie Night #1 (with popcorn): "Everything is Spiritual"

Post by Fri pm, and reply to two others by Sun pm.

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You may come to love "Movie Night" in this class.  We will have a film/video here every week.

Highly recommended you watch with someone else (family, friend, class mate).   Large screen and popcorn may help.

Challenge kids or loved ones to watch, and even help with your homework questions on it

Sorry to say that this week's film will be the longest of the entire class by far.  BUT I am almost positive you will enjoy it.

 This week the movie is  at this  link, or here below: "Everything is Spiritual" by Rob Bell.  Consider it the key "lecture" of the week, yet without the pressure to take detailed notes,  just take it in and post on the questions below,  Many students find this a memorable, and many  even  a life-changing video.  Be open.  (Do NOT worry about detail .DON'T stress or even try to get all the content: impossible). 

It is (among other things)  a  complement and follow-up to our discussion on the Three Worlds of the two creation accounts in Genesis   Notice the speaker also talks about an alternative ancient creation account.  It is the Babylonian account in your syllabus and   reading for Week 1.

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Questions:

part a:  BEFORE WATCHING VIDEO, Take a look at the picture posted here  of the "Everything is Spiritual" video's "outline" (if you don't see any picture,  or want to enlarge picture, click this). In your mind, does it make any sense? What is the first word or phrase you said/thought when you saw it? What might you guess any of this might mean?  Any clues as to the content?  Post your answer below.

Part b:

AFTER answering part a, Watch the "Everything is Spiritual" video below ( Remember: Do NOT worry about detail .DON'T stress or even try to get all the content: impossible). 

Post a few paragraphs   which:

--convinces the teacher you watched the whole thing (and didn't copy another student's post)

-- are a significant summary and/or response and/or review  (300 words min)

-Include at some point:

-comment on  what you see as the thesis or the big idea  (put the big idea/thesis in a phrase or a sentence) and  2 or 3 of your favorite parts. 

-Comments on the benefits/drawbacks of an "outline" of a presentation that consists of  signs (pictures, images and whiteboard markings)-- like the one posted above the video.

- IMPORTANT: how did the other "other" creation account he mentioned (it is the Babylonian account in your syllabus and forum  reading for Week 1)   compare/relate to the biblical account in Genesis ? Fill in the blank with a word or phrase: 

"Maybe the biblical account of creation is meant to __________ the other creation accounts." 

If you listen carefully when he starts talking about the "other" account, this should be easy.  BUT beware, most students get this wrong (even giving an answer opposite the correct one).  Update: You won't be graded off if your answer is wrong. So give your best answer, and don't look at other answers until you post.  We will tally and discuss answers next week.

Add a new discussion topic

 

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