– Chapters 1-9 Geneology, name after name, really hard to pronounces, easily get lost
– Order different than Hebrew bible than Christian Bible
Hebrew
– Prophets wrote history and interpreted what was happening, and gods will, book of kings regarded as something totally different
– Chronicals is last book
Christians
– had priests
– more about history
– not prophetic
– may appear to be like kings, but authors had totally different approaches and ideas
 
*Lots of duplications in the bible, Gospels: are four accounts of jesus, but each author has a different approach to it, trying to make a different meaning
​- As the Mathew, Mark, Luke, John, and the writer of the Chronicles and other selections ​of the bible
​​
Samuel/Kings​​     Chronicles
-500 Years -Starts earlier finishes later
-Written soon
after event -Written long after event
-Political
Viewpoint -Religious history
-Human Failings -Divine faithfulness
-Royal Vices -Royal Virtues
-NEGATIVE -POSITIVE
 
The writers of each books had different Tasks 
Why it went wrong
Knew all went wrong, let’s go back to how it was
 
 
 
Big Focus on David and Samuel
Ark and temple… more or the ritual and spiritual aspect, Priest/ not Prophet
The author doesn’t idolize, remember not good to idolize anything but God, but idealizes the Royalty
 
*The reason Chronicles was written was because the Hebrews were set free from Babylon by the Persian King Cyrus
*They had no identity and the chronicles were used as a way to bring back the identity
So of course things are written in a positive way to influence the Hebrews back to their routes  
What does it mean to be Jewish? God’s Chosen people, so of course they have to be righteous

Notes on Text of the Bible
–        Discussed bible as a book of literature
–        Translations, more bible being printed
–        Copies; handwritten to print in 1400’s, stories retold and mistranslated
–        CONTEXT: writer writes what he believes as true
–        Categories of Bibles: Byzantine, Alexandrian, Neutral
–        Expansion of Christianity at such a fast rate
Two things I found interesting in Waleskas well done presentation, one being the writer perception of what is important and what is not and there other being the expansion of Christianity at a such a fast rate.
 
Translating the Bible by Bernice
*purpose to make bible more available
–        Hebrew to Greek
–        Latin to Gothic = English
–        Translator put in own beliefs e.i. protestant and Catholic views
*everybody thought there version was right
*ruling had influence
 
The Religious Use and Interpretation of the Bible By Anne
–        History
–        Theological doctrine
–         Moral Perceptions
–        Estiastial- the more Christian charge, how a body of bein should come together
–        Guide to the times
–        Personal Guidelines
*allegories with hidden truths

I personallly take the bible as a socure for some sense of guidance.

Notes for Women in the Bible
–        God and Men exploit women in the bible
–        3 techniques to read the bible through a women perspective
      1. engage
      2. read with suspicion
      3. the bible can be used to see how women were treated in those days
– Only tell through male perspective not women’s
* Parables affect both Genders   
I thought Michelle s presentation was very good. Two things stood out the most to me; The bible as a tool to understand women’s treatment in Biblical times and the fact the parables affect both genders. The first is rather self explanatory but the second about the parables may show an attempt at gender equality, makes the religion less patriarchal as Judaism is? Any thoughts?
 
Notes for Name of Israel’s God
            -Yewh- no ambiguity
            -YHWH consents no vowels
                        *6800 times used
            -Adoni- my lord
            -Jehovah
Notes for Writing in Biblical Times
            -papyrus and clay
                        – 4000years
                        -hundreds and thousands recovered
            -Papyrus not so good
            – Moses wrote on stone
 
I thought Redgina’s presentation was well done! What I know about the name of God is unknowable and unsay-able. There are substitutes of substitutes and the name is mistranslated. No one knows how the name was traditionally said. The four letter name for god is an impossible tense of “to be” (is/was/will be) all at once. The name  is the essence of God, if you undertand the name, you find god. I think it is fascinating that Gods name is kept so secretive and much time was spent on keeping it that way. How can you name something/someone that is unknowable and spectacular at the same time?

Notes on Palestine in the Intertestamental Period by Mohammad
            3 periods Greek, Jewish, Roman
Greek
–        King Phillip the second of Macedonia
–        Alexander born 356 BCE
–        Alexander crushed father enemies
–        After Alex, period Ptolemaic and Selecucid split empire
–        Wars between Syria and Egypt
–        Antiochus III killed in 190 BCE
Jewish
–        Small villages in Northwest of Jerusalem called Mattathias
–        Mattathias w/5 sons became refugees in Judean Hills
–        166 died son Judas takes over/ Jerusalem empire
Roman
–        63 BCE
Controlled Italy, North Africa, western Europe

I thought our Guest speaker, Jim, was very interesting and exciting. His large focus on the context I found to be very insightful. It really does help to know the context of the situation (time/place/people) to understand the stories within the bible. What I learned from Jim was you understand the context you can grasp a better sense of the confusing nature of the stories that are similar and far from being similar about the same subject. Here are my notes that I took from that day:
            New testament
            Text-> context
            Genesis
                        -Abraham dates to about the year 2000
                        -David 1000
                        -Jerusalem was destroyed in the 7 BCE
                        -JEWISH assemble stories during this time form together to make the bible
                        -Jesus dies About the year 30 our time
            Mark wrote gospel about 50 to 65 years after death of Jesus
            Letter said saint Paul are the oldest text in bible
            Thesolonians earliest latest letter is to Romans
                        -70s was when mark was written/ group of rebel Jews who had it with rome                                     occupied 67 to 135 ce Roman war against Jewish people
                        -80-90. Mathew and Luke
                        -100 John

-Mark gospel and reference to roman war against Jews
To be a Jew without to temple is to be a Jew with Jesus first Christian

-Other group of Jews says law/ torah Judaism, rabbis, imagine temple no longer have to go to temple observe the tradition

-Both groups turn against each other and it gets deeper with Christian books, jaded by Christian views the Jews were the murders of Jesus not the Romans
Year 135 CE the destruction of carthage, Jerusalem was destroyed, Jesus Jews became Gentiles, became Catholics Characters therefore become catholic, Mary, Jesus, Joseph consider

-As gospel move along from mark to John a reason to persecute the Jews become more apparent, Jesus people accuse the Jews of death of Jesus because they don’t believe in Jesus as profit therefore reject Jesus Jew beliefs

I though the presentation were well done. Olivia’s Apocrypha and PSEUDEPIGRAPHA presenting was interesting. Her presentation helped with understanding the hidden writings with authors that don’t match the time of who is written about… If that’s not confusing enough as a statement, ha. Learning about ezras law was interesting on how it effected those who wrote after it, it’s diffulclt for me to understand it being a modern person, with our sense of always have to be right and have things make sense. Katie’s short book presentation was really good as well, she spoke really well.
Earning how the early Christian church spread is Intresting. I wish I had more time to jot down some more notes on her topic.

One thing I did pick up was the lack of communication between speaker and class. The class should be more involved, though my presentation on the gospels was bland, some class communication would have been nice. I know time is a factor with a 50 minute class, but not only is it boring to listen to a speak about a topic they are nervous about in class but it’s really boring to present a topic to a class that seems to be half there.

Nick P

I thought Kia and Mark did a great job with there presentations. Kias explanation of what a prophet is helped with understanding the nature of the writings. Marks headline was very entertaining as well. While reading Galaians I found it to be easily readable, execept for chapter 4. In chapter 5 however, I could see the beginning of the Christian rules being established. An example of this is

5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
5:20 idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
5:21 envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
5:23 meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

What I found to also being interesting is the strong focus on circumcision as not being important, probably a way to separation themselves from the Jewish faith. I wonder if this is the beginning of the phrase “your body is your temple” so you shouldn’t mark it.
-nick p

I thought Nicolletes prsentation on the composition of the pentateuch was very interesting. Like most of the bible the authors are always questionable, but I find it a little difficult to realate it to or current reading since most of the focus of her presentation seemed to be on the Old Testament. On the other hand Andrews presentation of the physical setting of the bible I found helpful while reading the Acts this weekend along with our brefi disscussion of the Roman Empire. These ‘contexts’ aided me in visually seeing where Paul traveled. What also seemed to be more relevant was the use of prayers, such as when Stephen is stoned to death
(7:59 ) And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
(7:60) And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

-Nick P

I found the presentations to be really helpful in understanding the context of the literature that we are reading. Learning of the fables that influenced the stories and the areas geographical structure is really interesting and makes the stories a little bit easier to understand. This approach to understand ing the stories is better than going into them with little to no knowledge of what’s happening during the time it was written. Now understanding the context of the different stories of jesus’ crucifixion makes it easier to compare and contrast each story, unlike before when I had very little understanding of what was happening in the old testament.
Nick

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