Thursday, December 10, 2009
views on finals
Well now that the semester is at a close I'm excited, sleep deprived and anxious to for Christmas vacation. The past few days have been one heck of a ride and the sad depressing part is that I'm only half way through! I think on average I get about 3 or 4 hours of sleep each night this time of year so most of my blogs are written in thoughtless dream state. One thing that I noticed in these final days of class is how quit a few of my classmates have written on the idea of "Vanity" It seems like a bad time to discuss the meaninglessness of life especially for me. This is the time when I should feel motivated and compelled to work my best to achieve the highest grade possible but with all this talk about vanity I find myself caring much less about grades then I ever have. In past semesters I would lay awake at night hoping and praying that the work I did was enough to get me the grade I wanted, but this semester I find myself sleeping peacefully at night knowing it doesn't really matter anyway. In the end what does it really matter if I get a B in my History class or whether or not my paper deserved an A. It is all Vanity and you know, I love it!
Last Thoughts
Finally! The last Thursday of the entire semester! I find myself somewhat torn between feeling sad to leave Biblical Literature and relieved to be done. This class has definitely tested me in ways no other class ever has. This is the one class that has tested not only me as a student but me as a person. In the majority of my classes I can get away with doing as little as possible and barely having to think. Its sad but I am sure many of my peers can agree. Yet this class has made me think not just academically but spiritually as well. The things I have learned in this class will stick with me for my entire life. Unlike a few people in class the Bible has and will always be a part of my life. I will always have a Bible in my room and I will always be a part of a church so the discussions and the revelations we have had in class will remain a part of me forever.
A few of these discussions and revelations weren't pleasant and they didn't sit well with me but no matter how much they hurt they were still extremely important. This class tested my faith in God and myself and in that way I am relieved to be done. Yet because it tested me so strongly I find myself wanting to continue being tested. Its a great feeling to be able to ask questions and seek knowledge. I know from now on I will not be a mere student in my Bible study classes but that one participant that wont stop questioning.
A few of these discussions and revelations weren't pleasant and they didn't sit well with me but no matter how much they hurt they were still extremely important. This class tested my faith in God and myself and in that way I am relieved to be done. Yet because it tested me so strongly I find myself wanting to continue being tested. Its a great feeling to be able to ask questions and seek knowledge. I know from now on I will not be a mere student in my Bible study classes but that one participant that wont stop questioning.
Ten Plagues
As I was finishing up my Blogs I was looking across my notes and found something I had written down about Kathryn Macklin's blog. She had written and interesting Blog on the ten Plagues in Exodus. This was always my favorite part of the Bible, for some reason I loved learning about the Plagues and how horrible they must have been. As I was reading her Blog "A little Nature Never Hurt Anyone" for the first time I was able to see the Plagues in a completely new way. I never made any connections with the Plagues being connected with nature. I always knew each plague but this was something I had never noticed. I thought her last sentence was a really great way to describe the final Plague.
"Perhaps God’s greatest act is the creation of the heavens and the earth. And here he proves his control over that which he alone created."
"Perhaps God’s greatest act is the creation of the heavens and the earth. And here he proves his control over that which he alone created."
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Heroes? Villains?
When I first walked into Biblical Literature at the beginning of the semester I was extremely excited to revisit the Bible stories and characters of my Sunday school past. I was looking forward to brushing up on my knowledge and possibly learning more about my biblical heroes and heroines. However, as I started to actually read the stories rather than listen to the watered down Spark notes version of them told by my preachers and Sunday school teachers, I realized these “heroes” were anything but heroic. The only comfort I took was the fact that I wasn’t the only one who noticed this. While reading “The Good Book” David Plotz was also discouraged to learn his heroes were more then lacking.
What was most upsetting to me while reading the Bible was the corruption of four major biblical figures, Job, Rebekah, Sarah and Jacob. Before physically reading their stories I saw these characters as people to idolize and aspire to emulate, yet as I read their stories I became ashamed of them.
In Sunday school Job was seen as the model for patience and virtue, he was the person who we all aspired to be. Take away the distracting felt boards and dissect the actually story and the true character of Job is revealed. Not only is he completely impatient but also he questions God’s will continuously. Yet his fall from my good graces was only a mere stumble compared to others.
The images of Rebekah and Sarah were also shattered as I continued on through their stories. These were presumably great biblical heroines of the Bible yet they turned out to be jealous-angry-women who intentionally hurt others, including their own children. Rebekah helps her son Jacob trick his brother Esau, also her son, out of his birthright for a bowl of soup. Plotz calls her the “original lady Macbeth” with a “cunning icy hear.” Plotz also has quit a bit to say about the faithful-honorable Sarah as well. Sarah, who miraculously gives birth to Abraham’s son Isaac, is just as tricky and manipulative. Her impossible-divinely-assisted-pregnancy overshadows her vindictive character so much so that no one even notices that she has no “conscience.” Only when I read this story for myself without the preachers ever-present-hovering did I realize what a “bitch” Sarah was. Once she gives birth to her son she “vindictively, and savagely, has her servant Hagar and Hagar’s son, Ishmael exiled into the desert.” What a jealous female! Is she that insecure? Yet even learning the shocking true characteristics of these women was forgivable and less then life altering.
The most shocking transformation of a single biblical character, which prompted this entire paper, was the story of Esau. Frye calls Esau a “quasi-tragic” figure that many people have come to gain a feeling of sympathy for, which is exactly how I began to see him. In The Slave, Jacob makes multiple references to Esau in a negative light, yet the more I read of Esau in the Bible the less I understood where this hatred was stemming from. Plotz says the only flaw Esau has is that he’s dumb and thinks with his stomach. Is this any reason to be hated by hundreds? It was then that I recalled a verse from the Bible that I had heard multiple times without truly acknowledging its meaning. Romans 9:13 “Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated.” I never fully understood why God hated Esau, I merely assumed Esau had done some horrendous crime that caused God to hate him, that Esau deserved this hatred. I naively trusted my elders and didn’t once think to learn why. Imagine the shock I received when I read Esau was a poor victim of his brother’s greed.
This was horribly unjust! Esau was given a bad reputation by doing nothing wrong. I decided to dive deeper into Romans 9:13 and truly understand where this hate was coming from. I did some research and found and interesting term call selective salvation. Selective salvation suggests that God has certain people he chooses to ascend into heaven and certain people he essentially dooms to hell and this verse is commonly used as an example of this belief. Romans 9:11 also mentions how even those unborn “neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth” Does this mean no mater what we do there are those who will never receive God’s forgiveness and was this the fate the befell Esau? I refused to believe this and surrender him to the flames of hell, so I continued my quest to clear his bad reputation.
My frantic searching eventually led me to Malachi Ch1. Vs2 “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? Saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob and I hated Esau.” This was looking pretty grim for Esau, being hated in the Bible twice is pretty strong. It was then I turned the page and found a spark of hope. What I finally found, what I hope, is Esau’s “salvation.” The benefit I believe in reading a study Bible is the multiple footnotes found amongst the scripture. This tiny footnote cleared the fog and lifted the veil. It said:
“Love and hate are not matters of emotion; they are matters of the Father’s will. In the papyri (ancient and secular writings dating to biblical time), the expressions ‘loved’ and ‘hated’ are used of a man who could afford to adopt only one of two twin-orphaned boys. He was said to have ‘loved’ the one he adopted and ‘hated’ the one he did not adopt. Here all that is signified is that Jacob was blessed and Esau was not”
This tiny footnote was able to clear up a lifetime of confusion. God didn’t hate Esau; he just didn’t choose him to be the father of his nation. By understanding the context I was able to understand everything. This footnote then sent me back to Genesis to reread the story of Esau returning to the reunion between Jacob and Esau. This reunion doesn’t end with a cursed Esau but an Esau departing with Jacob and God’s blessing as a wealthy and peaceful man.
What I learned from my struggle with Esau’s reputation was to never blindly believe what I am told, no matter who tells me. That just because hundreds of people assume something, it is up to me to make my own decision and unless we read the Bible for ourselves we can never clearly see the truth.
When I first walked into Biblical Literature at the beginning of the semester I was extremely excited to revisit the Bible stories and characters of my Sunday school past. I was looking forward to brushing up on my knowledge and possibly learning more about my biblical heroes and heroines. However, as I started to actually read the stories rather than listen to the watered down Spark notes version of them told by my preachers and Sunday school teachers, I realized these “heroes” were anything but heroic. The only comfort I took was the fact that I wasn’t the only one who noticed this. While reading “The Good Book” David Plotz was also discouraged to learn his heroes were more then lacking.
What was most upsetting to me while reading the Bible was the corruption of four major biblical figures, Job, Rebekah, Sarah and Jacob. Before physically reading their stories I saw these characters as people to idolize and aspire to emulate, yet as I read their stories I became ashamed of them.
In Sunday school Job was seen as the model for patience and virtue, he was the person who we all aspired to be. Take away the distracting felt boards and dissect the actually story and the true character of Job is revealed. Not only is he completely impatient but also he questions God’s will continuously. Yet his fall from my good graces was only a mere stumble compared to others.
The images of Rebekah and Sarah were also shattered as I continued on through their stories. These were presumably great biblical heroines of the Bible yet they turned out to be jealous-angry-women who intentionally hurt others, including their own children. Rebekah helps her son Jacob trick his brother Esau, also her son, out of his birthright for a bowl of soup. Plotz calls her the “original lady Macbeth” with a “cunning icy hear.” Plotz also has quit a bit to say about the faithful-honorable Sarah as well. Sarah, who miraculously gives birth to Abraham’s son Isaac, is just as tricky and manipulative. Her impossible-divinely-assisted-pregnancy overshadows her vindictive character so much so that no one even notices that she has no “conscience.” Only when I read this story for myself without the preachers ever-present-hovering did I realize what a “bitch” Sarah was. Once she gives birth to her son she “vindictively, and savagely, has her servant Hagar and Hagar’s son, Ishmael exiled into the desert.” What a jealous female! Is she that insecure? Yet even learning the shocking true characteristics of these women was forgivable and less then life altering.
The most shocking transformation of a single biblical character, which prompted this entire paper, was the story of Esau. Frye calls Esau a “quasi-tragic” figure that many people have come to gain a feeling of sympathy for, which is exactly how I began to see him. In The Slave, Jacob makes multiple references to Esau in a negative light, yet the more I read of Esau in the Bible the less I understood where this hatred was stemming from. Plotz says the only flaw Esau has is that he’s dumb and thinks with his stomach. Is this any reason to be hated by hundreds? It was then that I recalled a verse from the Bible that I had heard multiple times without truly acknowledging its meaning. Romans 9:13 “Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated.” I never fully understood why God hated Esau, I merely assumed Esau had done some horrendous crime that caused God to hate him, that Esau deserved this hatred. I naively trusted my elders and didn’t once think to learn why. Imagine the shock I received when I read Esau was a poor victim of his brother’s greed.
This was horribly unjust! Esau was given a bad reputation by doing nothing wrong. I decided to dive deeper into Romans 9:13 and truly understand where this hate was coming from. I did some research and found and interesting term call selective salvation. Selective salvation suggests that God has certain people he chooses to ascend into heaven and certain people he essentially dooms to hell and this verse is commonly used as an example of this belief. Romans 9:11 also mentions how even those unborn “neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth” Does this mean no mater what we do there are those who will never receive God’s forgiveness and was this the fate the befell Esau? I refused to believe this and surrender him to the flames of hell, so I continued my quest to clear his bad reputation.
My frantic searching eventually led me to Malachi Ch1. Vs2 “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? Saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob and I hated Esau.” This was looking pretty grim for Esau, being hated in the Bible twice is pretty strong. It was then I turned the page and found a spark of hope. What I finally found, what I hope, is Esau’s “salvation.” The benefit I believe in reading a study Bible is the multiple footnotes found amongst the scripture. This tiny footnote cleared the fog and lifted the veil. It said:
“Love and hate are not matters of emotion; they are matters of the Father’s will. In the papyri (ancient and secular writings dating to biblical time), the expressions ‘loved’ and ‘hated’ are used of a man who could afford to adopt only one of two twin-orphaned boys. He was said to have ‘loved’ the one he adopted and ‘hated’ the one he did not adopt. Here all that is signified is that Jacob was blessed and Esau was not”
This tiny footnote was able to clear up a lifetime of confusion. God didn’t hate Esau; he just didn’t choose him to be the father of his nation. By understanding the context I was able to understand everything. This footnote then sent me back to Genesis to reread the story of Esau returning to the reunion between Jacob and Esau. This reunion doesn’t end with a cursed Esau but an Esau departing with Jacob and God’s blessing as a wealthy and peaceful man.
What I learned from my struggle with Esau’s reputation was to never blindly believe what I am told, no matter who tells me. That just because hundreds of people assume something, it is up to me to make my own decision and unless we read the Bible for ourselves we can never clearly see the truth.
Term Paper
So I was thinking of something to write my paper on and I decided to write my paper on the story of Esau. There is a verse my preacher always quotes from Romans 9:13 Saying Jacob have I loved yet Esau have I hated.
I always wondered what the heck this verse meant and I think that I'm going to try and figure it out.
I always wondered what the heck this verse meant and I think that I'm going to try and figure it out.
Wanda vs. Sarah
On Tuesday in class a presenter talked about his hatred of Wanda's new character Sarah. I thought I was the only person who absolutely thought that when Wanda changed into Sarah she became a completely different person. I loved Wanda, I loved her fire and her willingness to break the rules yet as soon as she became Sarah she lost all her luster as a character. It was like in order to be with Jacob she had to give up who she was as a person. I hated it. Wanda was almost dead, yet as soon she started talking as she was giving birth the old Wanda returned. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind and tell the women how she thought. It was a beautiful moment. I was sad when Wanda died and it made me think if Wanda remained as Sarah in the end would I have felt the same way? And I don't think that I would have. Sarah was a boring character who lacked depth and emotion and only when she was able to revert to Wanda did she become her original self.
Jacob vs Jacob
It wasn't until a couple of days ago that I actually realized that the Jacob in Singer's "The Slave" and the Jacob from the Bible were actually really similar. Ya I noticed the references mentioned comparing Wanda to Sarah but I never really made any connections. I feel sort of stupid for not noticing but I was so caught up in the story that my mind wasn't able to see anything different. Now that I have finished the book I can look back and see these connections. It also helps that a few people have presented on the idea.
Song of Solomon
Wow Song of Solomon is totally an erotic poem. I couldn't believe how sexual this book was. I was excited that my group was assigned this book. When I first started reading the book I was pretty confused with what the heck it was even about. Then as I started breaking down the verses I saw how sexual the story really was. Talking about the woman's body and comparing it to completely strange things. It was weird but amazing at the same time.
Veggie Tales and Newsboys!
Ironically as I was Blogging about Jonah there happened to be a commercial for a Veggie Tales movie based on the life of Jonah, called "Jonah!" I absolutely love the Veggie tales. I wanted to add a little something on my blog about the Veggie tales and as I was surfing the net I found a fun music video by the Newsboys (a christian rock band) based on the story of Jonah. It was a great combination I was pretty excited about.
Jonah
As I was flipping through every ones blog I can upon Nat_Lee's blog on the Story of Jonah. She compared Jonah's escape into the belly of the Fish in the same way we escape through drugs, sex, drinking and entertainment. I can definitely agree with her that we escape from reality all 
the time. This got me thinking in what ways do I escape from reality? What was my "whale" I began to think and almost immediately realized that I attempt to escape reality every day. Whenever I don't feel like actually doing homework or being at all productive I decide to take a nap. This is my "whale" I'm completely separated from the world and everyone in it. Whenever I want to run from my responsibilities I sleep. Its a better alternative to actually doing work.
Psalm
I love the Psalms, they are probably my favorite part of the Bible. There are those I can turn to whenever I need a spiritual lift, or ones i need to straighten out my moral compas and those I turn to when I need advice. What I love about the Psalms is that there are so many different ones to choose from it is the first Book I turn to.
One Psalm that I especcialy love is Psalm 102 "A cry in Distress"
'A prayers of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pureth out his complaint to the Lord.
Psalm 16 "Praise for deliverance from death"
"I said in my haste all men are liars"
Nun
"Thy word is lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path"
Psalm 121
"God's sustaining power a Song of Degrees"
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help
Gandalf: Look to my coming on the first light of the fifth day, at dawn look to the east.
One Psalm that I especcialy love is Psalm 102 "A cry in Distress"
'A prayers of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pureth out his complaint to the Lord.
Psalm 16 "Praise for deliverance from death"
"I said in my haste all men are liars"
Nun
"Thy word is lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path"
Psalm 121
"God's sustaining power a Song of Degrees"
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help
Gandalf: Look to my coming on the first light of the fifth day, at dawn look to the east.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)