In our study of 'messiah' or 'anointed one' we discovered that 'to anoint' means 'to rub with oil'. Often in the bible we find that oil was used to designate people for special office (e.g. priest, king, prophet). It was a way of showing God's pick. Oil was also used on objects to set them aside for for a special function like ceremonial rituals. You may wonder, "Why oil?" So I turn to the place that all should turn to when trying to find out more about a term or concept: a bible dictionary. In this case, my pick is The Eerdman's Dictionary of the Bible. The next paragraph is a summary of the article found there.
Oil, along with wine and grain, was an important agricultural item in the promised land(Deuteronomy 7:13). People used it with meals, for skin care, and for lamps. Because of its wide usage it was exported often. Egypt and Mesopotamia produced very little olive oil and as a result, it was treated as a luxury item (oil was apparently produced in varying qualities). Check out this old school Egyptian text dated from around 2040–1650 BC:
"In it were riches from the treasury; clothes of royal linen, myrrh, and the choice perfume of the king and of his favorite courtiers were in every room. Every servant was at his task. Years were removed from my body. I was shaved; my hair was combed. Thus was my squalor returned to the foreign land, my dress to the Sand-farers. I was clothed in fine linen; I was anointed with fine oil. I slept on a bed. I had returned the sand to those who dwell in it, the tree-oil to those who grease themselves with it" (Story of Sinuhe)
As I noted earlier, oil was used for common everyday tasks. However, it was also used for some very extravagant tasks. By 'extravagant' I mean ceremonial and/or luxurious events. This insight into the use oil is especially interesting when considering the extravagant language that God uses concerning humanity (e.g. image of God). Perhaps the usage of fine oil goes beyond a designation of office to an affirmation of God's intention for humanity to be special to/for him.
When Jesus was anointed by a woman at Bethany the disciples were irritated and said, "That oil could have been sold and the money given to the poor!" Jesus replied, "Leave her alone...She's done a beautiful thing to me." I bet King David thought of it as beautiful. He recognized that he was but a sheep with the Lord as his Shepherd. Still, this holy Lord was not beyond expressing his care and concern for his creation. He anointed David's head with oil, his cup overflowed. Talk about beautifying.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Pseudepigraphy
So we've been looking at some ancient texts outside of our bibles, such as 1 Enoch, in order to get a pulse on the culture surrounding the New Testament. In any introduction to the book of 1 Enoch one will note that Enoch of Genesis 5:24 did not write this book. Why would people write under a different name and why would a community of people accept such a writing? I have here some info about the whole 'writing under a different name thing' or pseudepigraphy ('pseude' - false, epigraph - writing/inscription). The Dictionary of New Testament Background gives eight reasons for why people would write under a false name. Keep in mind that writing under another person's name occured quite often back in the day. Also, the writings were not just restricted to 'religious' texts. Pseudepigraphy occured in other genres of literature as well. So here's the top eight motives of writers taken from DNTB, in no particular order:
(1) Sometimes literary forgeries have been crafted out of pure malice.
(2) More commonly, literary forgeries were prompted by promise of financial payment.
(3) Sometimes the pseudepigrapher used an ancient name to gain credence for his writing in order to support a position he knew to be false.
(4) Similarly the pseudepigrapher sometimes used an ancient name to gain credence for his writing in order to support a position he judged to be true.
(5) A more idiosyncratic case of the same thing has occasionally occurred when an individual has purposely hidden his or her own name out of modesty, using the name of another.
(6) A deep desire to get published and be widely read, for both personal and ideological reasons.
(7) A skill within a literary genre. In the post-Aristotle period, the rise of the great Attic orators generated high interest in rhetoric and oratory. Students were taught to compose speeches based on models left by the ancient orators. The most skillful of these were doubtless difficult to distinguish from the originals. This drifted over into the reconstruction, by historians, of speeches that their subjects probably would have made (in the view of the historians).
(8) Finally, several bodies of writings are ascribed to some philosophical-religious-mythical figure.
So any combination of the above could be at work in a pseudepigraphal writing. This explains motives for writing, but not necessarily why people in a certain community would have readily accepted such writings. That's a much more complicated issue because one would need to reconstruct a specific groups' worldview. In our case, studying the first century Jewish social climate, one could understand why writings which promote a certain worldview would be accepted on the basis of the writing's content not just the author's name. I think also at the heart of it is this (taken from DNTB): Did the community to/for whom the pseudepigraphal writing was written suspect that the writing was crafted with the intent to deceive? If not, then it would probably be well received.
(1) Sometimes literary forgeries have been crafted out of pure malice.
(2) More commonly, literary forgeries were prompted by promise of financial payment.
(3) Sometimes the pseudepigrapher used an ancient name to gain credence for his writing in order to support a position he knew to be false.
(4) Similarly the pseudepigrapher sometimes used an ancient name to gain credence for his writing in order to support a position he judged to be true.
(5) A more idiosyncratic case of the same thing has occasionally occurred when an individual has purposely hidden his or her own name out of modesty, using the name of another.
(6) A deep desire to get published and be widely read, for both personal and ideological reasons.
(7) A skill within a literary genre. In the post-Aristotle period, the rise of the great Attic orators generated high interest in rhetoric and oratory. Students were taught to compose speeches based on models left by the ancient orators. The most skillful of these were doubtless difficult to distinguish from the originals. This drifted over into the reconstruction, by historians, of speeches that their subjects probably would have made (in the view of the historians).
(8) Finally, several bodies of writings are ascribed to some philosophical-religious-mythical figure.
So any combination of the above could be at work in a pseudepigraphal writing. This explains motives for writing, but not necessarily why people in a certain community would have readily accepted such writings. That's a much more complicated issue because one would need to reconstruct a specific groups' worldview. In our case, studying the first century Jewish social climate, one could understand why writings which promote a certain worldview would be accepted on the basis of the writing's content not just the author's name. I think also at the heart of it is this (taken from DNTB): Did the community to/for whom the pseudepigraphal writing was written suspect that the writing was crafted with the intent to deceive? If not, then it would probably be well received.
How Do I Dig Deeper: An Overview
Remember this is just an overview. Each step will be blogged on. The order represents a progression of actual steps.
1) Read a book bible through in one sitting (Get the big picture and take note of things).
2) Read the corresponding chapter on the book in How to Read the Bible Book by Book (get a tour guide through the book as to how it 'fits' together).
3) Read through the book of the bible along with the IVP Bible Background Commentary for cultural insights (get clarity on cultural issues and make note of things which are still unclear).
4) Take the list of topics or issues noted in step three to Eerdmans' Dictionary of the Bible. Reread the book of the bible in light of your findings from your bible dictionary.
5) For even more specific issues regarding a passage or verse of the book, consult a bible commentary. If possible, one should find a commentary on that specific book of the bible (e.g. Luke) as opposed to a single volume commentary (e.g. Genesis-Revelation). A commentary on a specific book is more likely to have greater detail on a verse or passage than a single volume commentary. I would recommend for starters the New American Commentary series by Broadman and Holman.
1) Read a book bible through in one sitting (Get the big picture and take note of things).
2) Read the corresponding chapter on the book in How to Read the Bible Book by Book (get a tour guide through the book as to how it 'fits' together).
3) Read through the book of the bible along with the IVP Bible Background Commentary for cultural insights (get clarity on cultural issues and make note of things which are still unclear).
4) Take the list of topics or issues noted in step three to Eerdmans' Dictionary of the Bible. Reread the book of the bible in light of your findings from your bible dictionary.
5) For even more specific issues regarding a passage or verse of the book, consult a bible commentary. If possible, one should find a commentary on that specific book of the bible (e.g. Luke) as opposed to a single volume commentary (e.g. Genesis-Revelation). A commentary on a specific book is more likely to have greater detail on a verse or passage than a single volume commentary. I would recommend for starters the New American Commentary series by Broadman and Holman.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
The Rhythm of Study at Mosaic Chruch
What is the purpose of bible study? Do we really need more ‘knowledge’ about the Bible or about God? Shouldn’t we just ‘do’ something instead of just acquiring more facts?
The rhythm of study is at best only a fifth of what it means to be Mosaic. It is not merely getting more facts about the Bible or more propositional statements about God (e.g. God is _insert big word here_) that don’t connect to real life. Instead, the rhythm of study can be a window into the other rhythms (i.e. Beautify, Listen, Eat, and Send). From the window of the rhythm of study we learn of the God who beautifies the outcast, listens to the lowly, eats with the sinner and sends the unexpected. The outcome would be that as we become better ‘studiers’ of God and his mission we become better ‘doers’ of that mission.
The rhythm of study is at best only a fifth of what it means to be Mosaic. It is not merely getting more facts about the Bible or more propositional statements about God (e.g. God is _insert big word here_) that don’t connect to real life. Instead, the rhythm of study can be a window into the other rhythms (i.e. Beautify, Listen, Eat, and Send). From the window of the rhythm of study we learn of the God who beautifies the outcast, listens to the lowly, eats with the sinner and sends the unexpected. The outcome would be that as we become better ‘studiers’ of God and his mission we become better ‘doers’ of that mission.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Reading the Bible Well: Getting Started
No matter how zealous you might be, it’s difficult to know where to begin or what resources to even use for study. So here I have listed some books that I have found helpful in my journey. They are readable and yet I think they will definitely tell you something you haven’t heard before. If you read something and don't catch it all that's okay. That sort of thing happens to everyone. The important things is that you're in the process of learning and being introduced to new ways of thinking about stuff. Enjoy how these resources can help you understand God and his mission so that you can live that mission. Much of our confusion about God and his ways in the world come from a confused reading of the Bible. The books listed here address three main issues in reading the Bible well: 1) confusion about cultural practices, 2) confusion about what exactly applies to us and 3) confusion about how the books ‘fit’ together in one coherent story. So here are the resources in a ghetto bibliographic form:
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart) 3rd Edition
This is the one that started it all for me. Definitely an accessible book by two hardcore scholars who love God. It may be a bit of a challenge to read at first, but it is definitely worth it. How to 1 views the Bible as real literature written by real people in real history (can anybody say incarnational?). This means that the Bible is made up of different kinds of literature: poetry (Psalms), story (Genesis, Judges, etc), biography (gospels), letters (Romans-Jude), apocalyptic (Daniel, Revelation). Each of these different types of literature requires different types of approaches for understanding them. Have you ever wanted to know what to do with those Old Testament laws in Exodus and Leviticus? Wondered what to do with Revelation? What about the prophetic books like Joel? This book will help you understand how they apply.
How to Read the Bible Book by Book (Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart)
Makes it evident that the bible is a story and not some blob of impersonal commandments by a distant god. Like the title suggests, the book walks you through each book of the Bible giving you themes, outlines and comments. What does the gospel of Mark teach us about Jesus? How does it fit with the book of Isaiah? Why does the book of Luke begin like the book of 1 Samuel? What is Luke saying about Jesus? Book by Book looks not only at the uniqueness of each book, but also at the connections between each book of the bible. A must for catching the mission and message.
Eerdmans’ Dictionary of the Bible (David Noel Freedman, ed.)
Do not confuse it with Eerdmans’ Bible Dictionary. This guy Freedman edited the hardcore six volume end-all dictionary, Anchor Bible Dictionary. Why Eerdmans’ Dictionary of the Bible? I'll have to leave that for another blog. Have you ever come across a term, concept, word that you didn’t quite understand? For example, 'Pharisee'. Who were the Pharisees and what did they believe? How would that change the way we read Jesus' interaction with Nicodemus in John 3? If you’d like to know, then this is the resource to get.
Holman Bible Altas (Thomas V. Brisco)
A very comprehesive collection of maps and easy to read articles. Organizes the maps in chapters for a story-like reading of the bible.
IVP Bible Background Commentary to the New Testament (Craig S. Keener)
The one stop for all the crazy cultural background in the New Testament. Its verse-by-verse/passage-by-passage organization makes it very helpful for reading along side your bible. Have you ever been confused by the whole bridegroom and wineskins talk in Mark 2:18-22? This resource explains it and many other cultural things that we don’t get.
IVP Bible Background Commentary to the Old Testament (Mark Chavalas, Victor Matthews, John Walton)
Old Testament version of the above.
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart) 3rd Edition
This is the one that started it all for me. Definitely an accessible book by two hardcore scholars who love God. It may be a bit of a challenge to read at first, but it is definitely worth it. How to 1 views the Bible as real literature written by real people in real history (can anybody say incarnational?). This means that the Bible is made up of different kinds of literature: poetry (Psalms), story (Genesis, Judges, etc), biography (gospels), letters (Romans-Jude), apocalyptic (Daniel, Revelation). Each of these different types of literature requires different types of approaches for understanding them. Have you ever wanted to know what to do with those Old Testament laws in Exodus and Leviticus? Wondered what to do with Revelation? What about the prophetic books like Joel? This book will help you understand how they apply.
How to Read the Bible Book by Book (Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart)
Makes it evident that the bible is a story and not some blob of impersonal commandments by a distant god. Like the title suggests, the book walks you through each book of the Bible giving you themes, outlines and comments. What does the gospel of Mark teach us about Jesus? How does it fit with the book of Isaiah? Why does the book of Luke begin like the book of 1 Samuel? What is Luke saying about Jesus? Book by Book looks not only at the uniqueness of each book, but also at the connections between each book of the bible. A must for catching the mission and message.
Eerdmans’ Dictionary of the Bible (David Noel Freedman, ed.)
Do not confuse it with Eerdmans’ Bible Dictionary. This guy Freedman edited the hardcore six volume end-all dictionary, Anchor Bible Dictionary. Why Eerdmans’ Dictionary of the Bible? I'll have to leave that for another blog. Have you ever come across a term, concept, word that you didn’t quite understand? For example, 'Pharisee'. Who were the Pharisees and what did they believe? How would that change the way we read Jesus' interaction with Nicodemus in John 3? If you’d like to know, then this is the resource to get.
Holman Bible Altas (Thomas V. Brisco)
A very comprehesive collection of maps and easy to read articles. Organizes the maps in chapters for a story-like reading of the bible.
IVP Bible Background Commentary to the New Testament (Craig S. Keener)
The one stop for all the crazy cultural background in the New Testament. Its verse-by-verse/passage-by-passage organization makes it very helpful for reading along side your bible. Have you ever been confused by the whole bridegroom and wineskins talk in Mark 2:18-22? This resource explains it and many other cultural things that we don’t get.
IVP Bible Background Commentary to the Old Testament (Mark Chavalas, Victor Matthews, John Walton)
Old Testament version of the above.
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