After reading chapter 34:
*Here we have the story of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah. We are told that Dinah would go out and socialize with some local friends. Shechem, the son of the local bigwig, fell in love with her and sweet talked her. We are also told he "violated" her. It is unclear if this was an act of force or a Romeo and Juliet kind of thing. It sounds more like the latter. However, we are never given Dinah's side of the story. This act would have reduced Dinah's value as a marriageable young woman in that society.
*Jacob doesn't seem that concerned. Dinah's brothers were furious when they found out. They could not bear the thought of an Israelite girl with a native of that land. It was disgraceful.
* Shechem wanted to marry Dinah and asked his father for permission. His father went to Jacob and asked for Dinah for his son. He also was interested in mutual cooperation and inter-group marriage. Shechem himself offered whatever they wanted as a bride price for Dinah.
*Jacob's sons took advantage of Shechem's ardor to pretend to be willing to come to an arrangement, if all the men of that tribe would be circumcised. God forbid any of the Israelite women should marry a yucky uncircumcised man. Shechem did what they asked right away because he was so much in love. Shechem's father convinced the rest of his men that circumcision would also be to their advantage, so they went along with it.
*Three days later, when every one was still in pain, Simeon and Levi killed every male in the city and removed Dinah from Shechem's house where she had been staying. The rest of Jacob's sons looted the city, took the the livestock, and carried off the women and children. (Why do you suppose they wanted the women and children?) This is what you do when your sister runs off with a guy from the wrong family?
* What did Jacob do? He said,"Shame on you guys. Now the people around here won't like us. They might attack us, then we would be destroyed." The boys replied," But Dad, he treated Dinah like a prostitute." What was the difference between a non-prostitute and a prostitute at that time? As far as I can tell, it was whether you paid her family before or after you took advantage of her.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier, book review
Remarkable Creatures is the fictionalized account of two real fossil hunting women in the 19th century, Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot. Mary is unmarried, uneducated and poor, searching for fossils on the beach in Lyme, England, to sell for money to buy the necessities of life. Elizabeth is of the class called the "genteel poor." She is unmarried, educated, intellectually curious, slightly cynical, and fascinated with natural history.
Elizabeth and her two other unmarried sisters move to Lyme to economize in their housekeeping. There, Elizabeth and Mary meet on the beach hunting for fossils. They become friends in a class conscious kind of way and Elizabeth encourages Mary to become more educated about the fossils she is so adept at finding.
Mary makes some remarkable fossil finds, including ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. These fossils find their way into museums and the hands of famous naturalists and cause quite a stir in the scientific world of that time. The creatures Mary found no longer existed, and were far older than 6,000 years old. Did that mean the Bible was wrong? The author addresses the religious issues that come up by skirting around the question of the authenticity of the Bible and instead choosing to show that it is possible to interpret Genesis in a metaphorical rather than literal sense.
The story has the feel of a Jane Austen type book, without the witty dialog. Social issues of the day, including intellectual property rights of women, were naturally brought to the reader's attention. There was a slightly clumsy attempt at romance between Mary and a male fossil collector, and a falling out between the two women because of it. With Elizabeth's intervention, Mary's reputation as an honest fossil hunter is saved from disrespect in the scientific community and the two friends are reunited.
I enjoyed the book very much and would recommend it to readers of historical fiction. I want a fossil ammonite of my own.
Elizabeth and her two other unmarried sisters move to Lyme to economize in their housekeeping. There, Elizabeth and Mary meet on the beach hunting for fossils. They become friends in a class conscious kind of way and Elizabeth encourages Mary to become more educated about the fossils she is so adept at finding.
Mary makes some remarkable fossil finds, including ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. These fossils find their way into museums and the hands of famous naturalists and cause quite a stir in the scientific world of that time. The creatures Mary found no longer existed, and were far older than 6,000 years old. Did that mean the Bible was wrong? The author addresses the religious issues that come up by skirting around the question of the authenticity of the Bible and instead choosing to show that it is possible to interpret Genesis in a metaphorical rather than literal sense.
The story has the feel of a Jane Austen type book, without the witty dialog. Social issues of the day, including intellectual property rights of women, were naturally brought to the reader's attention. There was a slightly clumsy attempt at romance between Mary and a male fossil collector, and a falling out between the two women because of it. With Elizabeth's intervention, Mary's reputation as an honest fossil hunter is saved from disrespect in the scientific community and the two friends are reunited.
I enjoyed the book very much and would recommend it to readers of historical fiction. I want a fossil ammonite of my own.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Mr. Holmes, movie review (spoiler)
I thought I would take a small break from Genesis to talk about the philosophy of promoting reality over imagination. This week I went to see the movie Mr. Holmes starring Ian McClellan. In the story, Holmes is an old man at the end of life, experiencing chronic forgetfulness, fearing approaching senility. He wants to remember his last case and write what really happened, instead of the fictional account that Watson wrote.
While he is trying to remember, he becomes involved with the lives of his housekeeper and her son. The boy admires Holmes and encourages him to recall the past and write the story. The past and the present converge in a crisis. Holmes finally remembers that his last case ended tragically because he placed more importance on facts, logic, and reality than on human feeling and imagination.
At the end of the movie, Holmes finds redemption in telling someone a pleasant fiction that will heal an old pain, instead of the more hurtful truth, which he was in the habit of speaking regardless of the consequences. He also begins to consider the needs of his housekeeper and her son above his own, unlike his previous relationships with Watson and Mrs. Hudson.
This movie got me thinking. I am a very fact oriented person and have been chafing at the restrictions imposed on my ability to speak freely in public about atheism and the bible, because of circumstances of life and personal relationships. At times I wonder why I don't just be brutally honest and take whatever losses may occur. Then I think about how lonely it can be to be right at all costs. That was the lesson Holmes learned.
So, I write this blog instead.
While he is trying to remember, he becomes involved with the lives of his housekeeper and her son. The boy admires Holmes and encourages him to recall the past and write the story. The past and the present converge in a crisis. Holmes finally remembers that his last case ended tragically because he placed more importance on facts, logic, and reality than on human feeling and imagination.
At the end of the movie, Holmes finds redemption in telling someone a pleasant fiction that will heal an old pain, instead of the more hurtful truth, which he was in the habit of speaking regardless of the consequences. He also begins to consider the needs of his housekeeper and her son above his own, unlike his previous relationships with Watson and Mrs. Hudson.
This movie got me thinking. I am a very fact oriented person and have been chafing at the restrictions imposed on my ability to speak freely in public about atheism and the bible, because of circumstances of life and personal relationships. At times I wonder why I don't just be brutally honest and take whatever losses may occur. Then I think about how lonely it can be to be right at all costs. That was the lesson Holmes learned.
So, I write this blog instead.
Genesis chapter 33
After reading chapter 33:
*Now Esau came along with his 400 men. Jacob put his wives in order from least to greatest, keeping Rachel and Joseph, his favorites, in the back. He then bowed seven times to Esau, but Esau ran up and gave him a brotherly greeting. They exchanged family news. Esau made a show of giving the gifts of animals back to Jacob, but they were kept in the end. Esau volunteered to travel with them, but Jacob made excuses because of the slowness of children and young animals. Esau then volunteered to leave some of his men with Jacob, which Jacob questioned as unnecessary. Didn't Esau trust him? So, Esau traveled on to Seir and Jacob went to Succoth instead. Then, with no explanation, he was suddenly camped outside Shechem. There he set up an altar to God.
*Now Esau came along with his 400 men. Jacob put his wives in order from least to greatest, keeping Rachel and Joseph, his favorites, in the back. He then bowed seven times to Esau, but Esau ran up and gave him a brotherly greeting. They exchanged family news. Esau made a show of giving the gifts of animals back to Jacob, but they were kept in the end. Esau volunteered to travel with them, but Jacob made excuses because of the slowness of children and young animals. Esau then volunteered to leave some of his men with Jacob, which Jacob questioned as unnecessary. Didn't Esau trust him? So, Esau traveled on to Seir and Jacob went to Succoth instead. Then, with no explanation, he was suddenly camped outside Shechem. There he set up an altar to God.
Genesis chapter 32
After reading chapter 32:
*As Jacob travels along, he meets angels. How he knows they are angels and what they do or say is not mentioned.
*Before Jacob gets home, he sends a messenger to his brother Esau telling him that he is coming with lots of livestock and slaves. In other words, he is rich now. The messenger comes back with news that Esau is coming, with four hundred men. Jacob is afraid and divides all the people and possessions into two groups, so one will be left alive if the other is attacked. Then Jacob prays to God for protection from Esau, reminding God of his promise to make Jacob's descendants like the sand of the sea. Gods need reminding now and then.
* Jacob then arranges to give Esau a generous gift of three herds of livestock. He sends each herd ahead separately in the care of a servant (slave). Each servant is instructed what to say when they meet Esau. Jacob's idea is to soften Esau up before they meet face to face, just in case God forgets to help.
* That night, Jacob moves the camp with his family. At one point he is left alone and an unknown man wrestles with Jacob til daybreak, trying to overpower him. The man is not able to get the better of Jacob, so he wrenches Jacob's hip and asks Jacob to let him go. Jacob demands a blessing first., because that's what you do when you have fought with an unknown assailant all night? The stranger asks Jacob's name, then changes it to Isra-el, because midnight attackers can change people's names?
*Jacob asks for the man's name but he refuses to reveal his identity. Then he blesses Jacob. Jacob named the place Peni-el, because he saw God face to face and did not die. Apparently the strange man was God!
*There are many extra biblical attempts to explain this story metaphorically, but we will take it as it appears to be, an actual event. What do we see? A god who is a man with a body. A god who cannot win a wrestling match with a glorified sheep herder. Jacob saw this God. Is it the same God that the New Testament tells us no one has ever seen?
*All the mentions of God in this chapter are versions of the name El, the Canaanite high God, not Yahweh. Remember, when we see the words "the lord" in the text, that is referring to Yahweh. The two God names are often mixed in passages, but not this time.
*Lastly, we are told that Israelites don't eat hip tendons because of this story. All righty then.
*As Jacob travels along, he meets angels. How he knows they are angels and what they do or say is not mentioned.
*Before Jacob gets home, he sends a messenger to his brother Esau telling him that he is coming with lots of livestock and slaves. In other words, he is rich now. The messenger comes back with news that Esau is coming, with four hundred men. Jacob is afraid and divides all the people and possessions into two groups, so one will be left alive if the other is attacked. Then Jacob prays to God for protection from Esau, reminding God of his promise to make Jacob's descendants like the sand of the sea. Gods need reminding now and then.
* Jacob then arranges to give Esau a generous gift of three herds of livestock. He sends each herd ahead separately in the care of a servant (slave). Each servant is instructed what to say when they meet Esau. Jacob's idea is to soften Esau up before they meet face to face, just in case God forgets to help.
* That night, Jacob moves the camp with his family. At one point he is left alone and an unknown man wrestles with Jacob til daybreak, trying to overpower him. The man is not able to get the better of Jacob, so he wrenches Jacob's hip and asks Jacob to let him go. Jacob demands a blessing first., because that's what you do when you have fought with an unknown assailant all night? The stranger asks Jacob's name, then changes it to Isra-el, because midnight attackers can change people's names?
*Jacob asks for the man's name but he refuses to reveal his identity. Then he blesses Jacob. Jacob named the place Peni-el, because he saw God face to face and did not die. Apparently the strange man was God!
*There are many extra biblical attempts to explain this story metaphorically, but we will take it as it appears to be, an actual event. What do we see? A god who is a man with a body. A god who cannot win a wrestling match with a glorified sheep herder. Jacob saw this God. Is it the same God that the New Testament tells us no one has ever seen?
*All the mentions of God in this chapter are versions of the name El, the Canaanite high God, not Yahweh. Remember, when we see the words "the lord" in the text, that is referring to Yahweh. The two God names are often mixed in passages, but not this time.
*Lastly, we are told that Israelites don't eat hip tendons because of this story. All righty then.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Genesis chapter 31
After reading chapter 31:
*Laban's attitude toward Jacob began to change when he noticed Jacob was getting rich from him, go figure. Conveniently, Yahweh told Jacob it was time to go back to Canaan. So, Jacob tried to get his wives on his side by telling them some story about how Laban cheated him, but Yahweh was helping Jacob the whole time and was responsible for his newfound wealth. Can Jacob help it if a God likes him better?
*Jacob then told his wives about an obviously manufactured dream in which God sides with Jacob against Laban, and then tells Jacob to go back to his native land. Rachel and Leah were quite satisfied with the wealth Jacob had acquired at their father's expense and have no problem with leaving. So everyone and everything was loaded up on camels to go to Canaan. They left without telling Laban.
*Laban chased after them. When he reached their camp, he said he was miffed because he didn't get to throw a going away party. He thought about getting angry, but Jacob's God told him it wouldn't be a good idea. So, why did Jacob leave without saying good bye? And why did he take Laban's household idols? (Jacob didn't know Rachel had taken them. )
*Jacob said he left without notice because he was afraid Laban would try to keep his daughters from going. He said he didn't have a single thing that belonged to Laban. Jacob told Laban to search and volunteered to kill the person who was found with the idols, because stealing little statues is a crime worthy of death. So, Laban searched all the tents and found nothing. When he got to Rachel's tent she was sitting on a camel's saddle which had the idols hidden inside. She excused herself from standing because she was menstruating. Laban did not find anything that belonged to him.
* After the search, Jacob was mad. He told Laban off by reminding him of his twenty years of hard labor, 14 for his wives, 6 for his flock. He also reminded Laban that he had a god on his side. Laban said everything Jacob had belonged to him. In spite of that, he would make an agreement with Jacob. So they gathered a pile of rocks and ate next to it. The rock pile was a witness to their agreement never to harm each other and to stay on their own sides of the land. Their respective family gods were invoked and then Jacob had a barbecue (sacrifice) and invited everyone to the meal. The next morning everyone left with hugs and kisses all around.
*Laban's attitude toward Jacob began to change when he noticed Jacob was getting rich from him, go figure. Conveniently, Yahweh told Jacob it was time to go back to Canaan. So, Jacob tried to get his wives on his side by telling them some story about how Laban cheated him, but Yahweh was helping Jacob the whole time and was responsible for his newfound wealth. Can Jacob help it if a God likes him better?
*Jacob then told his wives about an obviously manufactured dream in which God sides with Jacob against Laban, and then tells Jacob to go back to his native land. Rachel and Leah were quite satisfied with the wealth Jacob had acquired at their father's expense and have no problem with leaving. So everyone and everything was loaded up on camels to go to Canaan. They left without telling Laban.
*Laban chased after them. When he reached their camp, he said he was miffed because he didn't get to throw a going away party. He thought about getting angry, but Jacob's God told him it wouldn't be a good idea. So, why did Jacob leave without saying good bye? And why did he take Laban's household idols? (Jacob didn't know Rachel had taken them. )
*Jacob said he left without notice because he was afraid Laban would try to keep his daughters from going. He said he didn't have a single thing that belonged to Laban. Jacob told Laban to search and volunteered to kill the person who was found with the idols, because stealing little statues is a crime worthy of death. So, Laban searched all the tents and found nothing. When he got to Rachel's tent she was sitting on a camel's saddle which had the idols hidden inside. She excused herself from standing because she was menstruating. Laban did not find anything that belonged to him.
* After the search, Jacob was mad. He told Laban off by reminding him of his twenty years of hard labor, 14 for his wives, 6 for his flock. He also reminded Laban that he had a god on his side. Laban said everything Jacob had belonged to him. In spite of that, he would make an agreement with Jacob. So they gathered a pile of rocks and ate next to it. The rock pile was a witness to their agreement never to harm each other and to stay on their own sides of the land. Their respective family gods were invoked and then Jacob had a barbecue (sacrifice) and invited everyone to the meal. The next morning everyone left with hugs and kisses all around.
Genesis chapter 30, part 2
*Now, more than seven years must have gone by, because Jacob is asking Laban's permission to go back to Canaan. Laban doesn't want Jacob to leave. He has learned by that exact science of divination that Yahweh has made him rich because of Jacob. He offers to pay Jacob anything he wants if he will stay.
*Jacob says all he wants are all the speckled and spotted livestock. The ones that are un-streaked will be Laban's. Laban agrees. So the flock is divided into into two groups, and they go their separate ways. Jacob is in charge of Laban's flock. Laban's sons are in charge of Jacob's flock.
*What follows is a strange tale of genetic manipulation and selective breeding using peeled branches in water troughs, a method that no longer works for some reason. Anyway, Jacob managed to finagle a bigger, stronger flock than Laban's, and he grew rich in livestock and slaves.
*Jacob says all he wants are all the speckled and spotted livestock. The ones that are un-streaked will be Laban's. Laban agrees. So the flock is divided into into two groups, and they go their separate ways. Jacob is in charge of Laban's flock. Laban's sons are in charge of Jacob's flock.
*What follows is a strange tale of genetic manipulation and selective breeding using peeled branches in water troughs, a method that no longer works for some reason. Anyway, Jacob managed to finagle a bigger, stronger flock than Laban's, and he grew rich in livestock and slaves.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Genesis chapter 30, part 1
After reading chapter 30:
*Rachel, unable to have children, becomes jealous of her sister. Who saw that coming? She demands Jacob give her a child. To our modern eyes, Rachel is probably the one with the fertility problem, because Jacob is obviously doing his part to increase the population. Jacob says it's god's fault, not his. I'm sure this way of looking at the problem works better for everyone than blaming Rachel.
*Just like Sarah, Rachel gives her maidservant (read "Slave" here) Bilhah to Jacob as a wife. Now Bilhah becomes a different kind of slave. Of course no one asks her if that's what she wants. Jacob has no problem with this and promptly proves again that he is not the one with fertility issues. Rachel claims Bilhah's child as her own and names him Dan. Bilhah has no right to her offspring. Jacob gets busy and Bilhah produces another child for Rachel to possess. He is named Naphtali. Rachel gloats that she is winning the baby contest with her sister.
*Meanwhile, Leah, whose body is taking a break from baby making, is worried about falling behind. So, she gives her servant (slave) Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. Of corse, Zilpah is not consulted. She bears Jacob two children, Gad and Asher. Leah considers them her own.
*Reuben, Leah's oldest son, was working in the fields and found some mandrakes which were thought to have the power to increase or produce fertility. Today we know better. Reuben brought the mandrakes to his mother, but Rachel wanted them. She sold Jacob's services to Leah for the night, in return for the mandrakes. That didn't work out so well for Rachel. Leah got pregnant and had a fifth son, Issachar. She had the nerve to say that it just showed God was pleased that she gave her slave Zilpah to Jacob. Then she had a sixth son, Zebulun, and was sure this would make Jacob love her. After that she had a daughter, Dinah, who we will encounter later.
*Finally, Rachel gets pregnant and has a son, Joseph. She gives God all the credit for what her own body did, but she doesn't let him off the hook. She's already wanting another son.
*Rachel, unable to have children, becomes jealous of her sister. Who saw that coming? She demands Jacob give her a child. To our modern eyes, Rachel is probably the one with the fertility problem, because Jacob is obviously doing his part to increase the population. Jacob says it's god's fault, not his. I'm sure this way of looking at the problem works better for everyone than blaming Rachel.
*Just like Sarah, Rachel gives her maidservant (read "Slave" here) Bilhah to Jacob as a wife. Now Bilhah becomes a different kind of slave. Of course no one asks her if that's what she wants. Jacob has no problem with this and promptly proves again that he is not the one with fertility issues. Rachel claims Bilhah's child as her own and names him Dan. Bilhah has no right to her offspring. Jacob gets busy and Bilhah produces another child for Rachel to possess. He is named Naphtali. Rachel gloats that she is winning the baby contest with her sister.
*Meanwhile, Leah, whose body is taking a break from baby making, is worried about falling behind. So, she gives her servant (slave) Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. Of corse, Zilpah is not consulted. She bears Jacob two children, Gad and Asher. Leah considers them her own.
*Reuben, Leah's oldest son, was working in the fields and found some mandrakes which were thought to have the power to increase or produce fertility. Today we know better. Reuben brought the mandrakes to his mother, but Rachel wanted them. She sold Jacob's services to Leah for the night, in return for the mandrakes. That didn't work out so well for Rachel. Leah got pregnant and had a fifth son, Issachar. She had the nerve to say that it just showed God was pleased that she gave her slave Zilpah to Jacob. Then she had a sixth son, Zebulun, and was sure this would make Jacob love her. After that she had a daughter, Dinah, who we will encounter later.
*Finally, Rachel gets pregnant and has a son, Joseph. She gives God all the credit for what her own body did, but she doesn't let him off the hook. She's already wanting another son.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Genesis chapter 29:
After reading chapter 29:
*Jacob continues on his journey to Haran, where Rebekah's brother Laban lives. He gets to a well and asks some shepherds if they know Laban. They do. As a matter of fact, here comes his daughter Rachel with Laban's sheep. Jacob helps her water the sheep, then he kisses her and begins to cry, after he tells her who he is. She runs home to tell her father. Laban welcomes him with open arms.
*After Jacob was there for a month, Laban offered to pay him for his work. Jacob said he would work for Laban seven more years, if he would let him marry Rachel. Laban agreed. The seven years went by quickly because Jacob was so much in love with Rachel. I would have thought it would have seemed like seven years of torture, but I guess people back then had things to do to keep their minds off what they couldn't have.
*At the end of seven years Jacob was so ready to get married. By this time he would have been around 50 years old. So Laban gave a wedding feast. When evening came, Laban slipped Leah, his oldest daughter with weak eyes, into Rachel's place. The marriage was consummated and Jacob didn't figure out who he had slept with til the next morning! The deceiver had been deceived.
*One wonders how Leah and Rachel felt about this whole arrangement, but of course their opinions wouldn't have mattered. Laban tells Jacob that in that land the oldest girl marries first, but Jacob can still have Rachel if he agrees to work another seven years. Jacob agrees. He finishes the bridal week with Leah, then gets to have Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.
*The bible tells us Leah was not loved, but she apparently got enough attention from Jacob to have four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. God gets all the credit though, for "opening her womb." Whatever that means. Rachel, on the other hand was barren. The barrenness theme tells us to watch out. Any children Rachel manages to have will be special.
*Jacob continues on his journey to Haran, where Rebekah's brother Laban lives. He gets to a well and asks some shepherds if they know Laban. They do. As a matter of fact, here comes his daughter Rachel with Laban's sheep. Jacob helps her water the sheep, then he kisses her and begins to cry, after he tells her who he is. She runs home to tell her father. Laban welcomes him with open arms.
*After Jacob was there for a month, Laban offered to pay him for his work. Jacob said he would work for Laban seven more years, if he would let him marry Rachel. Laban agreed. The seven years went by quickly because Jacob was so much in love with Rachel. I would have thought it would have seemed like seven years of torture, but I guess people back then had things to do to keep their minds off what they couldn't have.
*At the end of seven years Jacob was so ready to get married. By this time he would have been around 50 years old. So Laban gave a wedding feast. When evening came, Laban slipped Leah, his oldest daughter with weak eyes, into Rachel's place. The marriage was consummated and Jacob didn't figure out who he had slept with til the next morning! The deceiver had been deceived.
*One wonders how Leah and Rachel felt about this whole arrangement, but of course their opinions wouldn't have mattered. Laban tells Jacob that in that land the oldest girl marries first, but Jacob can still have Rachel if he agrees to work another seven years. Jacob agrees. He finishes the bridal week with Leah, then gets to have Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.
*The bible tells us Leah was not loved, but she apparently got enough attention from Jacob to have four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. God gets all the credit though, for "opening her womb." Whatever that means. Rachel, on the other hand was barren. The barrenness theme tells us to watch out. Any children Rachel manages to have will be special.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Genesis chapter 28
After reading chapter 28:
*Because Rebekah did not want Jacob to marry a Hittite woman, Isaac sent Jacob, with his blessing, to Laban to chose a wife from among his cousins. When Esau heard about this, he realized his parents didn't like Canaanite women, so he took another wife. This time it was his cousin Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael.
*On his journey, Jacob stopped for the night to sleep. He had a vivid dream of angels going up and down a stairway to heaven ( the sky ). Yahweh, whom no one has ever seen, stood at the top and spoke, renewing the promises he had made to Abraham and Isaac of giving the land to his descendants and blessing the earth through them.
*When Jacob awoke, he thought the dream must have been real because people took dreams very seriously back then. Not like today, when we know dreams are just our own random subconscious thoughts. He believed that spot was the gateway to heaven and named it Beth-el which means house of God. Then he made a vow that if God helped him accomplish his goal and return safely, the stone pillar he set up would be God's house (as if a God needs a house) and he would give him a tenth of everything he owned. The question is: What would God do with all that stuff?
*When Jacob awoke, he thought the dream must have been real because people took dreams very seriously back then. Not like today, when we know dreams are just our own random subconscious thoughts. He believed that spot was the gateway to heaven and named it Beth-el which means house of God. Then he made a vow that if God helped him accomplish his goal and return safely, the stone pillar he set up would be God's house (as if a God needs a house) and he would give him a tenth of everything he owned. The question is: What would God do with all that stuff?
Friday, July 24, 2015
Genesis chapter 27
After reading chapter 27:
*Isaac was getting old and growing blind. He wanted to settle his estate. So, he called his favorite son Esau and asked him to go hunt and cook some wild game for him, just the way he liked it. Then he would give Esau the all important blessing. Rebekah was listening and told Jacob all about it. She suggested they trick Isaac into thinking Jacob was Esau, so he could get the blessing instead. Jacob didn't want to be caught impersonating his brother and get a curse instead of a blessing. Rebekah said if that happened, the curse would fall on her. (More likely, being a smart woman, she knew that curses had no power.)
*So, Jacob and Rebekah prepared some meat. Jacob dressed up in Esau's clothes and tied goat skins on his body to make himself hairy like Esau. Jacob manages to convince Isaac he is Esau, even though he is a little unsure. All that rich, goaty smell finally convinced him. He blesses Jacob. Not only that, he says Jacob, who he thinks is Esau, will be lord over his brothers, too.
*As soon as Jacob leaves, Esau enters and tries to receive the blessing. Isaac figures out what happened and is very upset, because once those words are out of your mouth you can't take them back. Esau is understandably upset and begs for any blessing left over. What's left is pretty pitiful, because there is a magical blessing meter that measures how how many blessings can be given by one person. Apparently Isaac's blessing meant Jacob will be well fed, protected from curses, and have power over others. Esau will lose the outdoor life he loves, live by the sword, and will serve his brother, all because of some words spoken by a feeble old man.
*After Jacob and his mother tricked Isaac and Esau, Rebekah wanted Jacob to go to her brother Laban because she was afraid Esau would kill him. To accomplish this task, she manipulated Isaac by telling him Hittite women were disgusting and she did not want Jacob to marry one.
*Isaac was getting old and growing blind. He wanted to settle his estate. So, he called his favorite son Esau and asked him to go hunt and cook some wild game for him, just the way he liked it. Then he would give Esau the all important blessing. Rebekah was listening and told Jacob all about it. She suggested they trick Isaac into thinking Jacob was Esau, so he could get the blessing instead. Jacob didn't want to be caught impersonating his brother and get a curse instead of a blessing. Rebekah said if that happened, the curse would fall on her. (More likely, being a smart woman, she knew that curses had no power.)
*So, Jacob and Rebekah prepared some meat. Jacob dressed up in Esau's clothes and tied goat skins on his body to make himself hairy like Esau. Jacob manages to convince Isaac he is Esau, even though he is a little unsure. All that rich, goaty smell finally convinced him. He blesses Jacob. Not only that, he says Jacob, who he thinks is Esau, will be lord over his brothers, too.
*As soon as Jacob leaves, Esau enters and tries to receive the blessing. Isaac figures out what happened and is very upset, because once those words are out of your mouth you can't take them back. Esau is understandably upset and begs for any blessing left over. What's left is pretty pitiful, because there is a magical blessing meter that measures how how many blessings can be given by one person. Apparently Isaac's blessing meant Jacob will be well fed, protected from curses, and have power over others. Esau will lose the outdoor life he loves, live by the sword, and will serve his brother, all because of some words spoken by a feeble old man.
*After Jacob and his mother tricked Isaac and Esau, Rebekah wanted Jacob to go to her brother Laban because she was afraid Esau would kill him. To accomplish this task, she manipulated Isaac by telling him Hittite women were disgusting and she did not want Jacob to marry one.
Genesis chapter 26
After reading chapter 26:
*There was a famine. God told Isaac not to go to Egypt but to stay in that area so God could bless him. So, he went to Abimelech, King of the Philistines. The study bible says this must have been a descendant of the Abimelech Abraham dealt with, but we have no way of knowing. Just like his father, Isaac told the people that Rebekah was his sister because he was afraid they would kill him for her. However, this time it wasn't even a half truth. Abimelech saw Isaac and Rebekah in a public display of affection and said, "what's up with that?" Isaac explained and Abimelech gave orders that they were to be left alone.
*Isaac became very prosperous and the Philistines became very jealous. Abimelech told him it was time to go. So he took his family back to the area where his father had dug some wells. There were disputes with other nomadic groups over those wells and some other wells Isaac dug. Finally, he dug a well that nobody else wanted.
*Then Isaac went to Beersheba and had his own personal revelation from his father's God. He built an altar, dug another well, and settled down there. Abimelech came to him to make a peace treaty and there was a party to celebrate.
*Verse 33 is very confusing. It says Beersheba got its name because of the well Isaac dug. However, it was called that before he dug the well. His father had also been to Beersheba long before.
*As an afterthought, we are told that at the age of 40 Esau married two Hittite women, which made Isaac And Rebekah unhappy.
*There was a famine. God told Isaac not to go to Egypt but to stay in that area so God could bless him. So, he went to Abimelech, King of the Philistines. The study bible says this must have been a descendant of the Abimelech Abraham dealt with, but we have no way of knowing. Just like his father, Isaac told the people that Rebekah was his sister because he was afraid they would kill him for her. However, this time it wasn't even a half truth. Abimelech saw Isaac and Rebekah in a public display of affection and said, "what's up with that?" Isaac explained and Abimelech gave orders that they were to be left alone.
*Isaac became very prosperous and the Philistines became very jealous. Abimelech told him it was time to go. So he took his family back to the area where his father had dug some wells. There were disputes with other nomadic groups over those wells and some other wells Isaac dug. Finally, he dug a well that nobody else wanted.
*Then Isaac went to Beersheba and had his own personal revelation from his father's God. He built an altar, dug another well, and settled down there. Abimelech came to him to make a peace treaty and there was a party to celebrate.
*Verse 33 is very confusing. It says Beersheba got its name because of the well Isaac dug. However, it was called that before he dug the well. His father had also been to Beersheba long before.
*As an afterthought, we are told that at the age of 40 Esau married two Hittite women, which made Isaac And Rebekah unhappy.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Genesis chapter 25
After reading chapter 25:
*Abraham marries again when he is over 137 years old. In spite of his advanced age, he fathers 6 sons by his new wife. He had more sons by concubines. While he was alive, he gave his concubine's sons gifts and sent them to live in the East, away from Isaac.
* Abraham dies at 175 years of age. Isaac and Ishmael bury him with Sarah. Isaac inherits everything. The year is about 1880 B. C. E., according to Biblical chronology. Shem, the son of Noah would still be alive until 1846 B.C.E.
*We are given the names of the twelve sons/tribes of Ishmael. Ishmael died at the age of 137, which would have been about 1833 B.C.E. His descendents settle in land to the east, which some people believe was the Arabian peninsula. There is no concrete evidence supporting this.
*Isaac had married Rebekah at the age of 40. She didn't have children until Isaac prayed for them. (Barrenness, and praying for a child who is granted by God, who then becomes something special, is another theme we see throughout scripture. ) Rebekah found she was going to have twins, and they were wrestling inside her. Yahweh told her that her boys would be the fathers of two nations and the older would serve the Younger Brother. The first boy was red and hairy, they named him Esau. The second boy was born holding on to his brother's foot, they named him Jacob. Thier names are puns associated with their birth. In fact, so many bible names are so punny, it makes you wonder if they were made up to fit the story.
*Esau became a hunter and daddy's boy. Jacob was quiet and stayed at home with mom, who loved him best. One day, Esau came home from a hunt famished and saw Jacob cooking stew. Esau begged for some stew and Jacob said he would give Esau stew in return for the right to inherit the firstborn's portion of their father's estate. Esau agreed, which was awfully stupid. Here, we see an etiological story that plays right into the theme of the book of Genesis. Later descendants of Esau will encounter descendants of Jacob and the reader will look back and say, look there is the reason life is the way it is today. The storyteller knows all this in advance, of course.
*Esau swore to give his birthright to Jacob. Jacob gave him stew. According to the text, Esau despised His birthright. Clearly, Jacob despised Esau. A person who thought he was a descendant of Jacob wrote this story.
*Abraham marries again when he is over 137 years old. In spite of his advanced age, he fathers 6 sons by his new wife. He had more sons by concubines. While he was alive, he gave his concubine's sons gifts and sent them to live in the East, away from Isaac.
* Abraham dies at 175 years of age. Isaac and Ishmael bury him with Sarah. Isaac inherits everything. The year is about 1880 B. C. E., according to Biblical chronology. Shem, the son of Noah would still be alive until 1846 B.C.E.
*We are given the names of the twelve sons/tribes of Ishmael. Ishmael died at the age of 137, which would have been about 1833 B.C.E. His descendents settle in land to the east, which some people believe was the Arabian peninsula. There is no concrete evidence supporting this.
*Isaac had married Rebekah at the age of 40. She didn't have children until Isaac prayed for them. (Barrenness, and praying for a child who is granted by God, who then becomes something special, is another theme we see throughout scripture. ) Rebekah found she was going to have twins, and they were wrestling inside her. Yahweh told her that her boys would be the fathers of two nations and the older would serve the Younger Brother. The first boy was red and hairy, they named him Esau. The second boy was born holding on to his brother's foot, they named him Jacob. Thier names are puns associated with their birth. In fact, so many bible names are so punny, it makes you wonder if they were made up to fit the story.
*Esau became a hunter and daddy's boy. Jacob was quiet and stayed at home with mom, who loved him best. One day, Esau came home from a hunt famished and saw Jacob cooking stew. Esau begged for some stew and Jacob said he would give Esau stew in return for the right to inherit the firstborn's portion of their father's estate. Esau agreed, which was awfully stupid. Here, we see an etiological story that plays right into the theme of the book of Genesis. Later descendants of Esau will encounter descendants of Jacob and the reader will look back and say, look there is the reason life is the way it is today. The storyteller knows all this in advance, of course.
*Esau swore to give his birthright to Jacob. Jacob gave him stew. According to the text, Esau despised His birthright. Clearly, Jacob despised Esau. A person who thought he was a descendant of Jacob wrote this story.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Genesis chapter 24
After reading chapter 24:
*Abraham is getting old, so he makes his chief servant swear he will see Isaac gets a wife from among Abraham's relatives, not the Canaanites. Isaac is not to go back to Abraham's homeland himself because he must maintain a presence in Canaan to insure that God's promise to give him the land is not annulled. The servant swears the oath while putting his hand under Abraham's "thigh." The study bible politely informs us that thigh is an euphamism for the organ of procreation.
* So, the servant takes his camels and travels to the land of Abraham's relatives in Mesopotamia. He prays to Yahweh, Abraham's God, for success in finding a wife for Isaac. In spite of the forced circumcision, Abraham's God must not be the servant's god. The servant asks God to show him who will marry Isaac by having one of the girls who is coming to draw water from the well offer him and his camels a drink.
*He had immediate results. A beautiful virgin offered him and his camel some water. The servant gave her some gold jewelry. She came from the right family, and they had room for him to stay with them. Then the servant bowed down and worshipped Abraham's God for such speedy service.
*The girl ran home to tell her family. Her brother, who had seen the gold, went to fetch Abraham's servant and provide everything he needed. Before he ate, the servant insisted on telling the whole story of why he was there and how he had prayed when he got to the well. Rebekah's brother and father are sure it must be Yahweh's doing, so they say sure, take her away. The servant then showers them with gifts.
*The next morning, Abraham's servant is ready to leave. The family is not in a hurry, but they decide to ask Rebekah what she wants to do. She's willing to go, so they send her off with blessings. When they get back, Isaac and Rebekah are married, and Isaac is comforted after the death of his mother.
*Abraham is getting old, so he makes his chief servant swear he will see Isaac gets a wife from among Abraham's relatives, not the Canaanites. Isaac is not to go back to Abraham's homeland himself because he must maintain a presence in Canaan to insure that God's promise to give him the land is not annulled. The servant swears the oath while putting his hand under Abraham's "thigh." The study bible politely informs us that thigh is an euphamism for the organ of procreation.
* So, the servant takes his camels and travels to the land of Abraham's relatives in Mesopotamia. He prays to Yahweh, Abraham's God, for success in finding a wife for Isaac. In spite of the forced circumcision, Abraham's God must not be the servant's god. The servant asks God to show him who will marry Isaac by having one of the girls who is coming to draw water from the well offer him and his camels a drink.
*He had immediate results. A beautiful virgin offered him and his camel some water. The servant gave her some gold jewelry. She came from the right family, and they had room for him to stay with them. Then the servant bowed down and worshipped Abraham's God for such speedy service.
*The girl ran home to tell her family. Her brother, who had seen the gold, went to fetch Abraham's servant and provide everything he needed. Before he ate, the servant insisted on telling the whole story of why he was there and how he had prayed when he got to the well. Rebekah's brother and father are sure it must be Yahweh's doing, so they say sure, take her away. The servant then showers them with gifts.
*The next morning, Abraham's servant is ready to leave. The family is not in a hurry, but they decide to ask Rebekah what she wants to do. She's willing to go, so they send her off with blessings. When they get back, Isaac and Rebekah are married, and Isaac is comforted after the death of his mother.
Genesis chapter 23
After reading chapter 23:
*Sarah dies at 127 years of age at Hebron. Abraham went there to mourn for Sarah. It would seem he wasn't there when she died. He negotiated with a land owner named Ephron for land to bury Sarah.
He paid for a field and a cave, in the presence of witnesses. Abraham then buried Sarah in the cave.
*This passage makes a point of showing that Abraham owned that land, which probably means a question of ownership will come up later.
*It also makes a point of showing that this land belonged to the Hittites, who were Canaanites, according to Genesis 10:15. It is very unlikely that they are the same group of people known as the Hittites in history books.
*Sarah dies at 127 years of age at Hebron. Abraham went there to mourn for Sarah. It would seem he wasn't there when she died. He negotiated with a land owner named Ephron for land to bury Sarah.
He paid for a field and a cave, in the presence of witnesses. Abraham then buried Sarah in the cave.
*This passage makes a point of showing that Abraham owned that land, which probably means a question of ownership will come up later.
*It also makes a point of showing that this land belonged to the Hittites, who were Canaanites, according to Genesis 10:15. It is very unlikely that they are the same group of people known as the Hittites in history books.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Genesis chapter 22, part 3
At the end of the chapter we have an update on Abraham's brother Nahor who was married to their niece Milcah. Nahor and Milcah had eight sons. Nahor had four more sons by his concubine, making a total of twelve sons. Ishmael was said to become the father of twelve rulers. (Gen. 17:20) and we know there will be 12 sons born to Jacob in the future. They will become the twelve tribes of Israel. Number patterns are fun.
One of Nahor's sons, Bethuel, became the father of Rebekah, who will marry Isaac in chapter 24. So, Isaac will marry his cousin's daughter, who also happens to be another cousin's (Milcah's) granddaughter. But, hey, his father was married to his half sister, so what's the big deal? We will call this story "All in the Family."
One of Nahor's sons, Bethuel, became the father of Rebekah, who will marry Isaac in chapter 24. So, Isaac will marry his cousin's daughter, who also happens to be another cousin's (Milcah's) granddaughter. But, hey, his father was married to his half sister, so what's the big deal? We will call this story "All in the Family."
Genesis chapter 22, part 2
*So, God tests Abraham's obedience by asking him to take his son Isaac to a certain mountain place and sacrifice him. Abraham is to slit Isaac's throat, then burn his body on an altar. Because God likes the smell of burning children?
*Abraham appears to have no problem with this. He is ready and willing. Isaac is full of questions about their journey, but Abraham puts him off with half truths. When they get to the area God indicated, Abraham asks the servants to stay behind while he takes Isaac to the place where the altar will be built. No witnesses please, and no people who might stop him from doing something that looks insane. Did Sarah know?
*Just in the nick of time, an angel up in heaven, speaking for God, tells Abraham not to kill his son. It was just a test, and he passed. Instead, they sacrifice a ram that God made appear for that purpose.
*The angel speaks again and predicts great and terrible things for Abraham's descendants. Notice that they "will take possession of the cities of their enemies." Even so, all the nations on earth will be blessed because Abraham was willing to kill his favorite child for God.
*Whenever you see the word "heaven(s)" in the book of Genesis, the Hebrew word just means sky and is sometimes translated that way. It isn't a magical place in another dimension with streets of gold, not till later. At that time God was up in the sky somewhere, a place people couldn't go. Now that they can, he had to move.
*This chapter is very important to the Abrahamic religions. Because of its wording, Jews have been inclined to associate the place of the sacrifice with the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It holds many symbolic meanings for Christians, who believe that God sacrificed his son for them. Muslims say this story is not the true version. It was really Ishmael who was almost sacrificed on a hill in Mecca. For more complete information, see the Wikipedia article on Moriah.
*Abraham appears to have no problem with this. He is ready and willing. Isaac is full of questions about their journey, but Abraham puts him off with half truths. When they get to the area God indicated, Abraham asks the servants to stay behind while he takes Isaac to the place where the altar will be built. No witnesses please, and no people who might stop him from doing something that looks insane. Did Sarah know?
*Just in the nick of time, an angel up in heaven, speaking for God, tells Abraham not to kill his son. It was just a test, and he passed. Instead, they sacrifice a ram that God made appear for that purpose.
*The angel speaks again and predicts great and terrible things for Abraham's descendants. Notice that they "will take possession of the cities of their enemies." Even so, all the nations on earth will be blessed because Abraham was willing to kill his favorite child for God.
*Whenever you see the word "heaven(s)" in the book of Genesis, the Hebrew word just means sky and is sometimes translated that way. It isn't a magical place in another dimension with streets of gold, not till later. At that time God was up in the sky somewhere, a place people couldn't go. Now that they can, he had to move.
*This chapter is very important to the Abrahamic religions. Because of its wording, Jews have been inclined to associate the place of the sacrifice with the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It holds many symbolic meanings for Christians, who believe that God sacrificed his son for them. Muslims say this story is not the true version. It was really Ishmael who was almost sacrificed on a hill in Mecca. For more complete information, see the Wikipedia article on Moriah.
Genesis chapter 22, part 1
After reading chapter 22:
Now it is time to get serious.
*If someone told you they were hearing voices in their head, what would you think?
*If someone told you they heard voices coming out of the sky, what would you think?
*If someone told you their God told them to slaughter their child, what would you think?
*If you saw an old man with a sharp knife getting ready to kill a child who was tied up and laying on some kindling, what would you think?
*If a voice in your head that called itself God told you to kill your own child what would you think? Would you do it?
* If you were a child and were tied up by your father so he could sacrifice you to a god, what would you think? Would it matter which god it was?
*Do we even need to ask these questions?
Now it is time to get serious.
*If someone told you they were hearing voices in their head, what would you think?
*If someone told you they heard voices coming out of the sky, what would you think?
*If someone told you their God told them to slaughter their child, what would you think?
*If you saw an old man with a sharp knife getting ready to kill a child who was tied up and laying on some kindling, what would you think?
*If a voice in your head that called itself God told you to kill your own child what would you think? Would you do it?
* If you were a child and were tied up by your father so he could sacrifice you to a god, what would you think? Would it matter which god it was?
*Do we even need to ask these questions?
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Genesis chapter 21
After reading chapter 21:
* Now, the promised child is born to Abraham and Sarah when they are about 100 and 91 years old. Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles! He is named Isacc and circumcised at eight days.
*Isaac grew, and on the day of the celebration of Isaac's weaning, teenager Ishmael was being rude. Sarah told Abraham to get rid of Ishmael and his mother. There was no way her son would share an inheritance with him.
*Abraham actually showed some feeling for Ishmael. God, however, tells him to do what Sarah says. It's okay because both Isaac's and Ishmael's descendents will become great nations. So it doesn't matter how Ishmael and his mother feel about it. Off they were sent into the desert with only some water. Every thing worked out though, because an angel called out from heaven and told them God heard them crying.
*Abraham and Abimelech make a treaty of mutual cooperation and Abimelech acknowledges Abraham's ownership of the well at Beersheba, which will appear again later. Abraham plants a tree there and calls upon the name of the name of the lord (Yahweh) the eternal God (El). He stayed in that land of the Philistines a long time.
*This is the first mention of Philistines. There is no clear historical record of who the Philistines were, but there is lots of speculation.
* Now, the promised child is born to Abraham and Sarah when they are about 100 and 91 years old. Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles! He is named Isacc and circumcised at eight days.
*Isaac grew, and on the day of the celebration of Isaac's weaning, teenager Ishmael was being rude. Sarah told Abraham to get rid of Ishmael and his mother. There was no way her son would share an inheritance with him.
*Abraham actually showed some feeling for Ishmael. God, however, tells him to do what Sarah says. It's okay because both Isaac's and Ishmael's descendents will become great nations. So it doesn't matter how Ishmael and his mother feel about it. Off they were sent into the desert with only some water. Every thing worked out though, because an angel called out from heaven and told them God heard them crying.
*Abraham and Abimelech make a treaty of mutual cooperation and Abimelech acknowledges Abraham's ownership of the well at Beersheba, which will appear again later. Abraham plants a tree there and calls upon the name of the name of the lord (Yahweh) the eternal God (El). He stayed in that land of the Philistines a long time.
*This is the first mention of Philistines. There is no clear historical record of who the Philistines were, but there is lots of speculation.
Genesis chapter 20
After reading chapter 20:
*Abraham does what nomads do, and moves from place to place. In Gerar he tells everyone that Sarah, who is 90 years old, is his sister. Who knows why. In spite of her age, the king of Gerar takes her away from Abraham, and Abraham doesn't seem to have a problem with it.
*Just like with Pharoah before, God is not happy. This time he threatens Abimelech with death, in a dream. Abimelech pleads innocent of wrong doing, which of course God already knows. God says to give Sarah back and Abraham will pray for him! Of all the nerve. For the first time we are told that Abraham is a prophet.
*The next day, Abimelech understandably questions Abraham's reasoning. Abraham, God's prophet, says he was afraid he would be killed on account of his 90 year old wife. Besides, he didn't actually lie. She is his half sister! Apparently, when they got married, Abraham told her that if she loved him she would tell everyone he was her brother.
*Abimelech showers Abraham with conciliatory gifts, which surely wasn't what Abraham was after, was it? Then Abraham prays, so that the curse on Abimelech's house will be lifted. It seems that God had made it impossible for anyone to have a child while Sarah was there. Exactly how long was that? Who knows.
*Abraham does what nomads do, and moves from place to place. In Gerar he tells everyone that Sarah, who is 90 years old, is his sister. Who knows why. In spite of her age, the king of Gerar takes her away from Abraham, and Abraham doesn't seem to have a problem with it.
*Just like with Pharoah before, God is not happy. This time he threatens Abimelech with death, in a dream. Abimelech pleads innocent of wrong doing, which of course God already knows. God says to give Sarah back and Abraham will pray for him! Of all the nerve. For the first time we are told that Abraham is a prophet.
*The next day, Abimelech understandably questions Abraham's reasoning. Abraham, God's prophet, says he was afraid he would be killed on account of his 90 year old wife. Besides, he didn't actually lie. She is his half sister! Apparently, when they got married, Abraham told her that if she loved him she would tell everyone he was her brother.
*Abimelech showers Abraham with conciliatory gifts, which surely wasn't what Abraham was after, was it? Then Abraham prays, so that the curse on Abimelech's house will be lifted. It seems that God had made it impossible for anyone to have a child while Sarah was there. Exactly how long was that? Who knows.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Genesis 19, part 2
The story of Lot's daughters is quite sordid. For some reason they don't consider any alternatives to what they chose to do, like making thier father take them to live with Uncle Abraham's family. No, the only solution to their plight is to get their old father drunk and have him impregnate each of them without him knowing anything about it. Does this seem highly implausible to anyone else? Of course, once is all it takes and soon they both deliver sons who become the fathers of the Moabite and Ammonite nations. I would guess that this little gem of a story is supposed to be an etiological account of how the Moabites and Ammonites came into existence, and was written by someone who wasn't very fond of them.
One of the earliest extra-biblical accounts of Moabites is from the time of Pharoah Ramesses II, in the 13th century B.C.E., over 500 years from the time of this story, if we follow Ussher's Chronology. They continue to be mentioned in other sources until the Persian era.
A significant source of information about the Moabites is the Mesha Stele from about 840 B.C.E. , over 1000 years from the supposed date of this story. The Mesha Stele shows that the Moabites and Israelites (supposed descendants of Abraham) were mortal enemies at the time it was inscribed. Interestingly, it contains the earliest confirmed extra-biblical mention of Abraham's God Yahweh. Where was God for the three thousand years (by the bible) that came before that?
The earliest extra-biblical evidence I can find for the Ammonites is from the 10th century B.C.E. Both the regions of Moab and Ammon were east of the Jordan and had more natural resources than the Canaanite hill country. They also lay along lucrative trade routes.
This chapter is the last appearance of Lot. Apparently Abraham has nothing more to do with him.
One of the earliest extra-biblical accounts of Moabites is from the time of Pharoah Ramesses II, in the 13th century B.C.E., over 500 years from the time of this story, if we follow Ussher's Chronology. They continue to be mentioned in other sources until the Persian era.
A significant source of information about the Moabites is the Mesha Stele from about 840 B.C.E. , over 1000 years from the supposed date of this story. The Mesha Stele shows that the Moabites and Israelites (supposed descendants of Abraham) were mortal enemies at the time it was inscribed. Interestingly, it contains the earliest confirmed extra-biblical mention of Abraham's God Yahweh. Where was God for the three thousand years (by the bible) that came before that?
The earliest extra-biblical evidence I can find for the Ammonites is from the 10th century B.C.E. Both the regions of Moab and Ammon were east of the Jordan and had more natural resources than the Canaanite hill country. They also lay along lucrative trade routes.
This chapter is the last appearance of Lot. Apparently Abraham has nothing more to do with him.
Genesis chapter 19, part 1
After reading chapter 19:
*The two angels that left Abraham arrived at Sodom, and Lot just happened to be sitting at the gate of the city. He insists they go home with him, where he feeds them.
* All the men of the city surround Lot's house and demand that Lot send the visitors out so they can have thier way with them. ( Yes, I know. I'm being a prude because of internet filters.) This sounds. almost like a zombie apocalypse movie.
*Apparently Lot is not in any danger, because he goes outside and calls these people his friends. He offers his virgin daughters to the men as a trade for the two angels. Because angels can't defend themselves and God won't rescue them? Hospitality to strangers is more important to Lot than his daughters. What a great guy. I wonder how his daughters felt at that moment.
*The men of the city begin to threaten Lot as well, but the angels inside the house pull Lot back in and magically blind those at the door.
*It seems that 10 righteous people could not be found, even among the women and children. If Sodom was such a horrendous place, why was Lot living there? So, the angels told Lot to take everyone who would go with him and get the heck out of there. The lord was about to destroy the city.
*Lot went back out to tell his future sons-in-law to get out of the city. (You mean he was planning on marrying his daughters to a couple of those villains?) They didn't believe him anyway.
*The angels grabbed Lot's family and led them out of the city, telling them to run as fast as they could to the mountains without looking back. Instead, Lot negotiated for a small nearby town. When they reached the town safely, minus Lot's wife, burning sulphur rained down, destroying the cities and vegetation of the entire plain. It's a shame that no concrete evidence of their existence, or their destruction, was left for future archaeologists to find. Now it looks just like this story might never have happened.
*The story ends with Abraham standing above, surveying the smoking landscape. Very cinematic.
*The two angels that left Abraham arrived at Sodom, and Lot just happened to be sitting at the gate of the city. He insists they go home with him, where he feeds them.
* All the men of the city surround Lot's house and demand that Lot send the visitors out so they can have thier way with them. ( Yes, I know. I'm being a prude because of internet filters.) This sounds. almost like a zombie apocalypse movie.
*Apparently Lot is not in any danger, because he goes outside and calls these people his friends. He offers his virgin daughters to the men as a trade for the two angels. Because angels can't defend themselves and God won't rescue them? Hospitality to strangers is more important to Lot than his daughters. What a great guy. I wonder how his daughters felt at that moment.
*The men of the city begin to threaten Lot as well, but the angels inside the house pull Lot back in and magically blind those at the door.
*It seems that 10 righteous people could not be found, even among the women and children. If Sodom was such a horrendous place, why was Lot living there? So, the angels told Lot to take everyone who would go with him and get the heck out of there. The lord was about to destroy the city.
*Lot went back out to tell his future sons-in-law to get out of the city. (You mean he was planning on marrying his daughters to a couple of those villains?) They didn't believe him anyway.
*The angels grabbed Lot's family and led them out of the city, telling them to run as fast as they could to the mountains without looking back. Instead, Lot negotiated for a small nearby town. When they reached the town safely, minus Lot's wife, burning sulphur rained down, destroying the cities and vegetation of the entire plain. It's a shame that no concrete evidence of their existence, or their destruction, was left for future archaeologists to find. Now it looks just like this story might never have happened.
*The story ends with Abraham standing above, surveying the smoking landscape. Very cinematic.
Friday, July 17, 2015
Genesis chapter 18
*The lord (Yahweh) appears to Abraham as one of three men. We find out in the next chapter that the other two are angels. Abraham washes their feet and gives them food. Spiritual beings have bodies and require cleansing and nourishment?
*Sarah was listening from the tent and hears the lord say that she will have a child. She laughs because she is old, just as Abraham laughed in the last chapter. The lord asks why Sarah laughed. As if he didn't know! Then he promises to return the next year when Sarah has a son.
*The lord and the two men get ready to walk on their way, but first the lord repeats the promise of Abraham being a father of many nations. Then the lord says he is on his way to Sodom and Gomorrah to check out the truth of the rumors of their bad behavior. As if he didn't already know!
*The men walk on, but the lord stays there and Abraham approaches him. Here is another person seeing the God that no one has ever seen. Abraham has a discussion with God about how many righteous people it will take for God to spare the city from destruction. It turns out ten is the minimum number. So the omnicient God leaves to go count righteous people.
*Sarah was listening from the tent and hears the lord say that she will have a child. She laughs because she is old, just as Abraham laughed in the last chapter. The lord asks why Sarah laughed. As if he didn't know! Then he promises to return the next year when Sarah has a son.
*The lord and the two men get ready to walk on their way, but first the lord repeats the promise of Abraham being a father of many nations. Then the lord says he is on his way to Sodom and Gomorrah to check out the truth of the rumors of their bad behavior. As if he didn't already know!
*The men walk on, but the lord stays there and Abraham approaches him. Here is another person seeing the God that no one has ever seen. Abraham has a discussion with God about how many righteous people it will take for God to spare the city from destruction. It turns out ten is the minimum number. So the omnicient God leaves to go count righteous people.
Genesis chapter 17
After reading chapter 17:
*This chapter takes place 13 years after chapter 16, when Abram is 99 and Sarai is 90, or approximately 1953 B.C.E.
*Abram has another personal revelation from the lord (Yaweh) who says he is the almighty God (El ). God renews his covenant with Abram. He changes Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai's name to Sarah.
* The terms of the covenant:
~Abraham will be given the whole land of Canaan
~He will be the father of many nations
~Every male in his entourage, slave and free, must be circumcised as an everlasting sign of the covenant, whether they wanted to be or not. That was at least a few hundreds of men( Gen. 14:14), not to mention the billions of descendants to follow. Any uncircumcised male will be cut off from the the rest of the family.
~Abraham and Sarah will have a son and will call him Isaac. He will be the heir of the covenant even though he is technically the Younger Brother.
~Ishmael will be blessed and will be the father of twelve rulers.
* What does Abraham have to do for all this? Just be God's man and blameless. One wonders what blameless means, since Abraham has lied, traded his wife for riches to save his own neck, treated a woman with contempt, and is the owner of many slaves.
*Abraham laughed at the thought if having a son at his age, but he went ahead and circumcised every male in his clan on that very day. Nobody would be doing any baby making quite yet.
*The earliest record of circumcision is from about 2,400 B.C.E. in Egypt. It had probably been practiced for hundreds of years before that. Ra the sun god was said to have circumcised himself. Check out he Wikipedia article on circumcision for more info.
*This chapter takes place 13 years after chapter 16, when Abram is 99 and Sarai is 90, or approximately 1953 B.C.E.
*Abram has another personal revelation from the lord (Yaweh) who says he is the almighty God (El ). God renews his covenant with Abram. He changes Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai's name to Sarah.
* The terms of the covenant:
~Abraham will be given the whole land of Canaan
~He will be the father of many nations
~Every male in his entourage, slave and free, must be circumcised as an everlasting sign of the covenant, whether they wanted to be or not. That was at least a few hundreds of men( Gen. 14:14), not to mention the billions of descendants to follow. Any uncircumcised male will be cut off from the the rest of the family.
~Abraham and Sarah will have a son and will call him Isaac. He will be the heir of the covenant even though he is technically the Younger Brother.
~Ishmael will be blessed and will be the father of twelve rulers.
* What does Abraham have to do for all this? Just be God's man and blameless. One wonders what blameless means, since Abraham has lied, traded his wife for riches to save his own neck, treated a woman with contempt, and is the owner of many slaves.
*Abraham laughed at the thought if having a son at his age, but he went ahead and circumcised every male in his clan on that very day. Nobody would be doing any baby making quite yet.
*The earliest record of circumcision is from about 2,400 B.C.E. in Egypt. It had probably been practiced for hundreds of years before that. Ra the sun god was said to have circumcised himself. Check out he Wikipedia article on circumcision for more info.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Genesis chapter 16
After reading chapter 16:
*In spite of Abram's talk with God, Sarai believes God is keeping her from having children. So, she demands that Abram impregnate her Egyptian slave Hagar. Abram has no problem with this and does as he is told. Of course no one asks Hagar if it is ok.
*The slave becomes pregnant and despises Sarai. Who can blame her? Sarai turns the tables and gets mad at Abram for doing exactly what she told him to do. Abram tells Sarai to do whatever she wants to Hagar. So, Sarai mistreats Hagar badly enough for her to want to run away to the desert while pregnant, and Abram couldn't care less. Great guy.
*Here we have the first appearance of an angel of the lord. An angel is basically a messenger. Notice the lack of wings, halo, and white robe.
*The angel tells Hagar to go back and submit to Sarai, and promises to personally make her descendants numerous. Can angels do that? There appears to be some confusion about this angel, because he is also said to be the lord (Yahweh). Plus, Hagar claims to have seen God (El). How can that be when other verses in the bible say no one has seen God? John 1:18
*The angel says Hagar is to name her son Ishma-el. Verse 15 says Abram named the boy.
*Abram was 86, which would have made Sarai about 76. She still expected to have a child? The year was approximately 1970 B.C.E., if we follow Ussher's chronology.
*In spite of Abram's talk with God, Sarai believes God is keeping her from having children. So, she demands that Abram impregnate her Egyptian slave Hagar. Abram has no problem with this and does as he is told. Of course no one asks Hagar if it is ok.
*The slave becomes pregnant and despises Sarai. Who can blame her? Sarai turns the tables and gets mad at Abram for doing exactly what she told him to do. Abram tells Sarai to do whatever she wants to Hagar. So, Sarai mistreats Hagar badly enough for her to want to run away to the desert while pregnant, and Abram couldn't care less. Great guy.
*Here we have the first appearance of an angel of the lord. An angel is basically a messenger. Notice the lack of wings, halo, and white robe.
*The angel tells Hagar to go back and submit to Sarai, and promises to personally make her descendants numerous. Can angels do that? There appears to be some confusion about this angel, because he is also said to be the lord (Yahweh). Plus, Hagar claims to have seen God (El). How can that be when other verses in the bible say no one has seen God? John 1:18
*The angel says Hagar is to name her son Ishma-el. Verse 15 says Abram named the boy.
*Abram was 86, which would have made Sarai about 76. She still expected to have a child? The year was approximately 1970 B.C.E., if we follow Ussher's chronology.
Genesis chapter 15
After reading chapter 15:
*We see that Abram has another personal revelation from God. He will have a son and his descendants will be numerous. Plus, God made a binding covenant giving Abram's descendants all the land from the Nile to the Euphrates! This was in spite of the land being well occupied already. I don't think it ever happened, but I guess there is still time.
*Abram believes this and cuts open a bunch of animals, because God told him to. Then he falls asleep and continues his conversation with God, who tells him his descendants will be enslaved for four hundred years. Not to worry, they will come back greater than ever.
* When it got dark a magical torch appeared and passed between the pieces of the cut up animals. Because that's what magical torches do?
*About the Amorites- they did exist at that time. In fact, history records them covering about the same territory that God promises to Abram. They also experienced a downfall about 400 years from Abram's time. This is one of the few historical items in Genesis that actually can be confirmed by reliable extra-biblical evidence. It was probably well known by ancient historians. However, the historical details of the Amorites downfall are somewhat different than the biblical account, as we will see later. What was "the sin of the Amorites?" We may never know.
*We see that Abram has another personal revelation from God. He will have a son and his descendants will be numerous. Plus, God made a binding covenant giving Abram's descendants all the land from the Nile to the Euphrates! This was in spite of the land being well occupied already. I don't think it ever happened, but I guess there is still time.
*Abram believes this and cuts open a bunch of animals, because God told him to. Then he falls asleep and continues his conversation with God, who tells him his descendants will be enslaved for four hundred years. Not to worry, they will come back greater than ever.
* When it got dark a magical torch appeared and passed between the pieces of the cut up animals. Because that's what magical torches do?
*About the Amorites- they did exist at that time. In fact, history records them covering about the same territory that God promises to Abram. They also experienced a downfall about 400 years from Abram's time. This is one of the few historical items in Genesis that actually can be confirmed by reliable extra-biblical evidence. It was probably well known by ancient historians. However, the historical details of the Amorites downfall are somewhat different than the biblical account, as we will see later. What was "the sin of the Amorites?" We may never know.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Genesis chapter 14
After reading chapter 14:
*It came to pass that there was a lot of fighting between a bunch of small kingdoms from the hill country to the desert to the Salt Sea (Dead Sea). There were so many kings that they must have been more like chieftains.
* With a few exceptions, evidence of most of the people and place names in this chapter has been found nowhere outside religious sources. This includes Sodom and Gomorrah.
*It is interesting to find Amalekites here because Amalek was a descendant of Esau, Abram's grandson who isn't born yet.
*Lot and his household were living in Sodom at this time, and were captured by Sodom's opposition. Abram was still living in Hebron and had some allies in the area. He got together his own army, chased down Lot's captors, and retrieved him and his possessions.
*Abram returns in glory and is met by a few kings, not the least of whom is Melchizedek, the special king of Salem, priest of El. Melchizedek brings out bread and wine and blesses Abram. Abram gives him a tenth of everything. Here we see the introduction of tithing.
*Abram apparently brought back spoils of war, but keeps nothing for himself because he does not want it to be said that he is a beneficiary of Sodom.
*It came to pass that there was a lot of fighting between a bunch of small kingdoms from the hill country to the desert to the Salt Sea (Dead Sea). There were so many kings that they must have been more like chieftains.
* With a few exceptions, evidence of most of the people and place names in this chapter has been found nowhere outside religious sources. This includes Sodom and Gomorrah.
*It is interesting to find Amalekites here because Amalek was a descendant of Esau, Abram's grandson who isn't born yet.
*Lot and his household were living in Sodom at this time, and were captured by Sodom's opposition. Abram was still living in Hebron and had some allies in the area. He got together his own army, chased down Lot's captors, and retrieved him and his possessions.
*Abram returns in glory and is met by a few kings, not the least of whom is Melchizedek, the special king of Salem, priest of El. Melchizedek brings out bread and wine and blesses Abram. Abram gives him a tenth of everything. Here we see the introduction of tithing.
*Abram apparently brought back spoils of war, but keeps nothing for himself because he does not want it to be said that he is a beneficiary of Sodom.
Genesis chapter 13
After reading chapter 13:
So, Abram, who is now very wealthy, leaves Egypt. He and his entourage go back to the Bethel that isn't named Bethel til chapter 28. There Abram and Lot divvy up the land, because there aren't enough resources for all of them to stay in one place. Lot chose to go east to the well watered plain of the Jordan and Abram stayed in Canaan's hill country.
Again, God talks only to Abram and tells him all the land he sees, north, south, east and west, will be given to his descendants. Later, we will see that Abram's descendants make sure God keeps his promise.
So,Abram travels again, scoping out the land God will give him and ends up traveling south through the hills to Hebron where he builds a barbecue pit, um, altar to the Lord.
So far Abram has built three altars, one in Shechem, one in Bethel, and one in Hebron. Two of those places are said to have sites with "great" trees. There are a few other great trees mentioned in other books of the bible. These trees had special cultic significance. My study bible tells me Canaanites sought advice from thier gods by these trees, maybe Abram followed that practice. The chief Canaanite God was El, whose name appears as part of many place and people names we will encounter in later passages. A couple of examples are Beth-el and Isra-el.
*In many English versions of the Old Testament, when we see the words "the lord," the Hebrew is Yahweh. When we see the word God, it is almost always a version of El. Later, we will come upon scriptures that will explain why there are two versions of the supreme being.
Edited.
So, Abram, who is now very wealthy, leaves Egypt. He and his entourage go back to the Bethel that isn't named Bethel til chapter 28. There Abram and Lot divvy up the land, because there aren't enough resources for all of them to stay in one place. Lot chose to go east to the well watered plain of the Jordan and Abram stayed in Canaan's hill country.
Again, God talks only to Abram and tells him all the land he sees, north, south, east and west, will be given to his descendants. Later, we will see that Abram's descendants make sure God keeps his promise.
So,Abram travels again, scoping out the land God will give him and ends up traveling south through the hills to Hebron where he builds a barbecue pit, um, altar to the Lord.
So far Abram has built three altars, one in Shechem, one in Bethel, and one in Hebron. Two of those places are said to have sites with "great" trees. There are a few other great trees mentioned in other books of the bible. These trees had special cultic significance. My study bible tells me Canaanites sought advice from thier gods by these trees, maybe Abram followed that practice. The chief Canaanite God was El, whose name appears as part of many place and people names we will encounter in later passages. A couple of examples are Beth-el and Isra-el.
*In many English versions of the Old Testament, when we see the words "the lord," the Hebrew is Yahweh. When we see the word God, it is almost always a version of El. Later, we will come upon scriptures that will explain why there are two versions of the supreme being.
Edited.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Genesis chapter 12
After reading chapter 12:
*Approx. 1981 B.C.E., when Abram is 75, he and Lot and thier families set out for Canaan, which God has supposedly promised to give Abram's descendants. Abram appears to be the only one to have seen or heard this pronouncement from God.
*They pitched their tents east of Bethel, which is named that by Abram's grandson Jacob in chapter 28. Huh?
*They travel to Egypt to escape a famine and pharaoh falls for Abram's wife Sarai, who is at least 65 by this time. For fear of his life, Abram does not tell pharaoh Sarai is his wife, but instead accepts slaves and animals in exchange for her.
*Pharoah's household gets sick and it is obvious to him that Abram's wife is the cause. He sends her back and kicks them out of Egypt.
*Amenemhat I was Pharoah from about 1991-1962 B.C.E.
*Approx. 1981 B.C.E., when Abram is 75, he and Lot and thier families set out for Canaan, which God has supposedly promised to give Abram's descendants. Abram appears to be the only one to have seen or heard this pronouncement from God.
*They pitched their tents east of Bethel, which is named that by Abram's grandson Jacob in chapter 28. Huh?
*They travel to Egypt to escape a famine and pharaoh falls for Abram's wife Sarai, who is at least 65 by this time. For fear of his life, Abram does not tell pharaoh Sarai is his wife, but instead accepts slaves and animals in exchange for her.
*Pharoah's household gets sick and it is obvious to him that Abram's wife is the cause. He sends her back and kicks them out of Egypt.
*Amenemhat I was Pharoah from about 1991-1962 B.C.E.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Genesis chapter 11, the Tower of Babel
*Chapter 11 Begins with the etiological story of how all the different languages of the world developed. It is not placed in time, but just kind of floats there and divides one genealogical account from another.
* For some reason, God felt threatened by these smart people building a tall tower, which can't have been any taller than the tallest buildings around today. So, he and some unnamed others go down and confuse the people's language so they can't cooperate any more and do things like build spaceships or go to the moon.
* Here's the tricky part. From where did God come down? If God is up, how far up is he? So far we haven't been able to figure that out, no matter how high we go.
*Now, no one can understand anyone else, which must have been a pain. Somehow God used this event to scatter people all over the world. This, the author tells us, is why the place is called "Babel."
He is apparently making a little pun on the word Babylon, which was in the area where the story supposedly took place.
*What the author doesn't seem to know is that many different languages existed even before the flood is supposed to have happened, and that the development of language is a natural phenomenon still occuring today.
See:
Tower of Babel
* For some reason, God felt threatened by these smart people building a tall tower, which can't have been any taller than the tallest buildings around today. So, he and some unnamed others go down and confuse the people's language so they can't cooperate any more and do things like build spaceships or go to the moon.
* Here's the tricky part. From where did God come down? If God is up, how far up is he? So far we haven't been able to figure that out, no matter how high we go.
*Now, no one can understand anyone else, which must have been a pain. Somehow God used this event to scatter people all over the world. This, the author tells us, is why the place is called "Babel."
He is apparently making a little pun on the word Babylon, which was in the area where the story supposedly took place.
*What the author doesn't seem to know is that many different languages existed even before the flood is supposed to have happened, and that the development of language is a natural phenomenon still occuring today.
See:
Tower of Babel
Genesis chapter 11, the geneology
After reading chapter 11:
Now we will attempt to tackle the geneology. Births and deaths will be organized in chronological order to the best of my ability. Notice the numbers go backward because we are working our way to the year zero.
2349 B.C.E. - Flood ends. Noah is 501
2346 - Shem is 100, Arphaxad is born
2311 - Arphaxad is 35, Shela is born
2281 - Shela is 30, Eber is born
2247- Eber is 34, Peleg is born
2217 - Peleg is 30, Reu is born
2185 - Reu is 32, Serug is born
2155 - Serug is 30, Nahor is born
2126- Nahor is 29, Terah is born
2056- Terah is 70, Abram is born
2008 - Peleg dies
2007 - Nahor dies
2000 - Noah dies, Abram is 56
1978 - Reu dies
1955 - Serug dies
1921 - Terah dies, Abram is 135
1908 - Arphaxad dies
1878 - Shela dies
1846 - Shem dies
1817 - Eber dies
There are ten generations listed from Noah to Abrram just as there were ten generations listed from Adam to Noah earlier in Genesis. As the years go by life span declines. Notice that all Abram's linear ancestors, from Noah on down, are still alive when he is born. Later, we will see that Abram dies at the age of 175 in 1880 B.C.E., while Shela, Shem and Eber are still alive. Fascinating! Incredible!
At the end of the chapter we learn that Terah had three boys, Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran dies. Nahor marries his niece, Haran's daughter. Lot is Haran's child as well.
Now we will attempt to tackle the geneology. Births and deaths will be organized in chronological order to the best of my ability. Notice the numbers go backward because we are working our way to the year zero.
2349 B.C.E. - Flood ends. Noah is 501
2346 - Shem is 100, Arphaxad is born
2311 - Arphaxad is 35, Shela is born
2281 - Shela is 30, Eber is born
2247- Eber is 34, Peleg is born
2217 - Peleg is 30, Reu is born
2185 - Reu is 32, Serug is born
2155 - Serug is 30, Nahor is born
2126- Nahor is 29, Terah is born
2056- Terah is 70, Abram is born
2008 - Peleg dies
2007 - Nahor dies
2000 - Noah dies, Abram is 56
1978 - Reu dies
1955 - Serug dies
1921 - Terah dies, Abram is 135
1908 - Arphaxad dies
1878 - Shela dies
1846 - Shem dies
1817 - Eber dies
There are ten generations listed from Noah to Abrram just as there were ten generations listed from Adam to Noah earlier in Genesis. As the years go by life span declines. Notice that all Abram's linear ancestors, from Noah on down, are still alive when he is born. Later, we will see that Abram dies at the age of 175 in 1880 B.C.E., while Shela, Shem and Eber are still alive. Fascinating! Incredible!
At the end of the chapter we learn that Terah had three boys, Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran dies. Nahor marries his niece, Haran's daughter. Lot is Haran's child as well.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Genesis chapter 10
After reading chapter 10:
* It is physically impossible for all the people on earth today to have come from only 3 couples 4,000 years ago. Modern genetics tells us there has never been a population of less than 10,000 people on earth. It also tells us that humans probably originated in Africa, not the Middle East.
*Many of the civilizations listed in this chapter existed long before the flood date of 2,350 B.C.E. , according to Ussher's chronology. The area covered does not include civilizations in India and across the vast land mass of Asia.
*Apparently Ham had other sons besides Canaan, but Canaan bore the brunt of the curse of slavery. Why?
*In verse 21 we find out that Shem, the traditional ancestor of all Semites was the Younger Brother of Japheth.
*It is worth noting that there are animals all over the world that are peculiar to their own part of the earth with no trace of them ever having lived in, or migrated from, the Middle East. Kangaroos and koalas are a couple of the most well known ones.
* It is physically impossible for all the people on earth today to have come from only 3 couples 4,000 years ago. Modern genetics tells us there has never been a population of less than 10,000 people on earth. It also tells us that humans probably originated in Africa, not the Middle East.
*Many of the civilizations listed in this chapter existed long before the flood date of 2,350 B.C.E. , according to Ussher's chronology. The area covered does not include civilizations in India and across the vast land mass of Asia.
*Apparently Ham had other sons besides Canaan, but Canaan bore the brunt of the curse of slavery. Why?
*In verse 21 we find out that Shem, the traditional ancestor of all Semites was the Younger Brother of Japheth.
*It is worth noting that there are animals all over the world that are peculiar to their own part of the earth with no trace of them ever having lived in, or migrated from, the Middle East. Kangaroos and koalas are a couple of the most well known ones.
Genesis chapter 9
After reading chapter 9:
*Then Noah plants a vinyard with grape cuttings that he carried in the ark for a year. He tends the grape plants for the approximately 3 years it takes to get a good crop for wine making. Then he squeezes the juice from the grapes, stores it, and lets it ferment, so he can get drunk.
*While Noah is drunk, Ham sees his father naked so his son Cannan is cursed as a punishment, introducing the justification for slavery into the world. All the descendants of Shem and Japheth can just point to this verse and the descendants of Canaan will pay for Ham's indescretion. This will come in handy later when the Israelites want to take over the land of Canaan.
*Noah lives to the ripe old age of 950, which would be about 2,000 B.C.E. by Bishop Ussher's chronology. At that time the world was amazingly full of people, even as far away as India and China. You would never have known there was a flood if the Bible didn't say so.
*God tells the people and animals to go make babies and fill the earth back up, which they must have done with extraordinary enthusiasm.
*Now he sanctions the eating of flesh as as well as vegetation, and animals begin to fear for their lives. However, there will be no eating flesh with blood in it. No rare steaks from now on.
*After we find out there is no penalty for killing animals, we see the introduction of the death penalty for killing a human. Man and beast will be executed for this crime, because people are like God. At least man is.
*Now God promises never to destroy the whole earth again, with a flood. The prismatic effect of light through water droplets, will remind God of this promise. Otherwise, he would forget.
*Then Noah plants a vinyard with grape cuttings that he carried in the ark for a year. He tends the grape plants for the approximately 3 years it takes to get a good crop for wine making. Then he squeezes the juice from the grapes, stores it, and lets it ferment, so he can get drunk.
*While Noah is drunk, Ham sees his father naked so his son Cannan is cursed as a punishment, introducing the justification for slavery into the world. All the descendants of Shem and Japheth can just point to this verse and the descendants of Canaan will pay for Ham's indescretion. This will come in handy later when the Israelites want to take over the land of Canaan.
*Noah lives to the ripe old age of 950, which would be about 2,000 B.C.E. by Bishop Ussher's chronology. At that time the world was amazingly full of people, even as far away as India and China. You would never have known there was a flood if the Bible didn't say so.
Genesis chapter 8
After reading chapter 8:
* God remembered Noah? Verse 1. Was he in danger of forgetting?
*The ark was afloat from the 17th of the 2nd month ( chapter 7) to the 17th of the seventh (!) month, which makes six months. Then it landed on the mountains of Ararat, which, contrary to popular belief, has not been verified.
*It took another two and a half months for the mountain tops to become visible, and another 40(!) days after that for Noah to open THE window to send out a raven. The fresh air must have been awesome. The raven just kept flying back and forth until the water dried up. That was one raven with a lot of pent up energy. The dove was less enthusiastic and came back quickly. After another 7(!) days ,the dove brought back an olive branch. After another 7(!) days, the dove flew the coop.
*On the very first day of the new year, the water was gone. But did they come out? No. They waited till 27th day of the second month to make sure the ground was really, really dry.
*When all the months and days are counted up, after about one year of being shut up in a floating zoo, everyone and everything came out. One wonders if there were more creatures and people coming out than originally went in, or less? Think about it.
*Noah builds an altar to the lord and roasts some livestock and birds on it. Barbecue! It smelled really good to God, in spite of the fact that he doesn't have a nose. Then Noah and his family probably feasted on the cooked meat, because that is what was done with meat sacrificed to gods. Gods can't eat meat (no digestive systems), they just smell it.
*Then, God supposedly took back his curse on the ground, (verse21) but people still sweat and toil and contend with weeds and pests. ( chapter 3:17-19) So, one wonders what curse he was talking about.
*In spite of us all being evil from childhood, God promises never to kill the whole world again. We should be grateful.
* God remembered Noah? Verse 1. Was he in danger of forgetting?
*The ark was afloat from the 17th of the 2nd month ( chapter 7) to the 17th of the seventh (!) month, which makes six months. Then it landed on the mountains of Ararat, which, contrary to popular belief, has not been verified.
*It took another two and a half months for the mountain tops to become visible, and another 40(!) days after that for Noah to open THE window to send out a raven. The fresh air must have been awesome. The raven just kept flying back and forth until the water dried up. That was one raven with a lot of pent up energy. The dove was less enthusiastic and came back quickly. After another 7(!) days ,the dove brought back an olive branch. After another 7(!) days, the dove flew the coop.
*On the very first day of the new year, the water was gone. But did they come out? No. They waited till 27th day of the second month to make sure the ground was really, really dry.
*When all the months and days are counted up, after about one year of being shut up in a floating zoo, everyone and everything came out. One wonders if there were more creatures and people coming out than originally went in, or less? Think about it.
*Noah builds an altar to the lord and roasts some livestock and birds on it. Barbecue! It smelled really good to God, in spite of the fact that he doesn't have a nose. Then Noah and his family probably feasted on the cooked meat, because that is what was done with meat sacrificed to gods. Gods can't eat meat (no digestive systems), they just smell it.
*Then, God supposedly took back his curse on the ground, (verse21) but people still sweat and toil and contend with weeds and pests. ( chapter 3:17-19) So, one wonders what curse he was talking about.
*In spite of us all being evil from childhood, God promises never to kill the whole world again. We should be grateful.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Genesis chapter 7, part 2
Is there any evidence of a worldwide flood covering the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet, killing all life on earth, about 4,000 years ago? Absolutely not. There is evidence of mass extinctions of life hundreds of millions of years ago, but not within the history of homosapiens. We also have evidence of localized floods throughout the world. But, hey, that still happens with great regularity.
What about all the flood stories similar to the story of Noah from around the world? Guess what, when you are in the middle of a flood zone, cut off from contact with the rest of the world, it looks like you are the only one left and the whole world is flooded, even if people 10 miles away are eating dinner and watching TV. Naturally, you would be telling the story of your adventure for the rest of your life.
Then there is the problem of the massive influx of fresh water into the oceans and seas. All saltwater creatures would have been exterminated as well. Of course there is no evidence of that either. Not to mention the massive die- out of vegetation that would occur if the land was under water for at least 150 days. Noah couldn't have had room for two of every species of plant in addition to the animals.
At best, we can speculate about various flood mythologies and wether or not Noah's flood is based on the cultural memory of a localized flood. What we can not do is say it is definitely the record of a specific flood at a specific place in a specific time.
See:
Noah's ark
Flood myth
Edited.
What about all the flood stories similar to the story of Noah from around the world? Guess what, when you are in the middle of a flood zone, cut off from contact with the rest of the world, it looks like you are the only one left and the whole world is flooded, even if people 10 miles away are eating dinner and watching TV. Naturally, you would be telling the story of your adventure for the rest of your life.
Then there is the problem of the massive influx of fresh water into the oceans and seas. All saltwater creatures would have been exterminated as well. Of course there is no evidence of that either. Not to mention the massive die- out of vegetation that would occur if the land was under water for at least 150 days. Noah couldn't have had room for two of every species of plant in addition to the animals.
At best, we can speculate about various flood mythologies and wether or not Noah's flood is based on the cultural memory of a localized flood. What we can not do is say it is definitely the record of a specific flood at a specific place in a specific time.
See:
Noah's ark
Flood myth
Edited.
Genesis chapter 7, part 1
After reading chapter 7:
*We see the number of animals going into the ark changes. Now we have seven (magic number) of every clean animal, male and female, and two of everything else. Is that seven males and seven females or just a total of seven, leaving one without a mate. Should that one be male or female?
* How did Noah know which ones were clean and not clean? We don't, yet.
*Noah had seven ( there's that number) days to get all the animals on the ark ( verse4). Noah did it by golly. He got at least seven each of over 10,000 species of birds; at least two each of over 8,000 species of reptiles; over 3,000 species of amphibians; and over 5,000 species of mammals. We don't know if insects count as creatures that move along the ground. If they do, we need. to add in about 800,000 species of those. One wonders how Noah distinguished between the males and females of some of those creatures. There is no mention of God helping with this task. (Oops, we forgot about the thousands upon thousands of currently extinct land dwelling animals, including all the varieties of dinosaurs. Noah certainly had his hands full)
*Noah was 600 years old (a nice round number) when the flood occurred. That would make it about 2,350 B.C.E., according to Ussher's chronology, about the time of the 6th dynasty in Egypt.
*In verse 12, we are introduced to another special number: forty. The rains fell for 40 days and 40 nights. We will see this number and phrase again.
*On the very day of the flood, God shut 8 people into the ark with all those animals. They were in for a wild ride. One wonders how easy it was to know that every living person and animal was dying outside the ark, including relatives, infants, and children. We're they really all deserving of such a horrible death? Did those 8 people feel any remorse or survivor's guilt? We will never know.
*We see the number of animals going into the ark changes. Now we have seven (magic number) of every clean animal, male and female, and two of everything else. Is that seven males and seven females or just a total of seven, leaving one without a mate. Should that one be male or female?
* How did Noah know which ones were clean and not clean? We don't, yet.
*Noah had seven ( there's that number) days to get all the animals on the ark ( verse4). Noah did it by golly. He got at least seven each of over 10,000 species of birds; at least two each of over 8,000 species of reptiles; over 3,000 species of amphibians; and over 5,000 species of mammals. We don't know if insects count as creatures that move along the ground. If they do, we need. to add in about 800,000 species of those. One wonders how Noah distinguished between the males and females of some of those creatures. There is no mention of God helping with this task. (Oops, we forgot about the thousands upon thousands of currently extinct land dwelling animals, including all the varieties of dinosaurs. Noah certainly had his hands full)
*Noah was 600 years old (a nice round number) when the flood occurred. That would make it about 2,350 B.C.E., according to Ussher's chronology, about the time of the 6th dynasty in Egypt.
*In verse 12, we are introduced to another special number: forty. The rains fell for 40 days and 40 nights. We will see this number and phrase again.
*On the very day of the flood, God shut 8 people into the ark with all those animals. They were in for a wild ride. One wonders how easy it was to know that every living person and animal was dying outside the ark, including relatives, infants, and children. We're they really all deserving of such a horrible death? Did those 8 people feel any remorse or survivor's guilt? We will never know.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Genesis chapter 6
After reading chapter 6:
* According to Ussher's chronology, Noah would have been of the tenth generation from Adam, born about 2,950 B.C.E.
*In the 3rd millenium, world population is estimated to have been about 30 million. Before and during Noah's supposed lifetime of about 950 years (Gen. 9:29) , history records civilizations in Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, and more.
*Who were the sons of God? Depending who you ask, they were angels or God-fearing humans. They couldn't be other gods, could they? That would make the story too much like mythology.
*In verse three we come closer to reality when God sets the human life span at 120 years.
*Who are the Nephilim? They wouldn't be anything like mythical demigods would they?
*It appears that the omnicient God got cranky when people began to misbehave, almost like he didn't see that coming. So, to rectify his own mistake he decided to use a big wet eraser called a flood. Not only would all the bad people be gone, but the whole earth would be washed clean by the killing of every living thing. Sometimes it's just better to start over.
*So because Noah was good, he was given instructions to build a giant boat and fill it with 8 people and two of all living creatures, male and female, plus food for all of them. Hmm, this would mean he would need extra animals and some fish to feed the meat eaters, insects to feed the insectivores, plus fresh fruit and vegetation for all the herbivores.
*Every school child wonders about the solid waste generated by all those animals. I wonder about the liquid waste. Really.
Genesis chapter 5
After reading chapter 5:
* Notice the wording in verses 1-4. God created man in his likeness. Adam had a son in his likeness, in his own image. Adam is kind of like God. Poor Eve.
*The ages of the men in this chapter are beyond ridiculous. There is absolutely no evidence that any person has ever lived to much more than 120. On the contrary, there is abundant evidence that ancient man's life was nasty, brutish and short.
*Apparently these men are not only long lived, but they are extraordinarily virile as well. Their poor wives aren't even mentioned.
* If you follow the biblical chronology, you will find out that Methuselah died in the year of flood. He must have been wicked, something they don't tell you in Sunday school.
*In verse 30 we encounter the name Lamech again, and he is said to have lived 777 years. A coincidence? Of course not.
*Notice that every one dies, except Enoch who is mysteriously taken by God, and Noah who is coming next.
* Notice the wording in verses 1-4. God created man in his likeness. Adam had a son in his likeness, in his own image. Adam is kind of like God. Poor Eve.
*The ages of the men in this chapter are beyond ridiculous. There is absolutely no evidence that any person has ever lived to much more than 120. On the contrary, there is abundant evidence that ancient man's life was nasty, brutish and short.
*Apparently these men are not only long lived, but they are extraordinarily virile as well. Their poor wives aren't even mentioned.
* If you follow the biblical chronology, you will find out that Methuselah died in the year of flood. He must have been wicked, something they don't tell you in Sunday school.
*In verse 30 we encounter the name Lamech again, and he is said to have lived 777 years. A coincidence? Of course not.
*Notice that every one dies, except Enoch who is mysteriously taken by God, and Noah who is coming next.
Genesis chapter 4, part 2
Now we will look at two conspicuous elements of chapter 4, etiology and numerology.
Etiology: Here we have explanations of the origins of cities, nomadic herdsmen, flute and harp players, tools forged of bronze and iron, and blood vengeance.
History books tell us the Bronze Age began before Ussher's supposed creation date of 4004 B.C.E. The Iron Age began as much as, or more than, a thousand years later. Flutes made of animal bones have been found to be up to 40,000 years old.
Numerology: Here we begin to notice the number seven, a number that appears with frequency throughout the scriptures. Seven obviously had some significance to the people of time the Bible was written.
Etiology: Here we have explanations of the origins of cities, nomadic herdsmen, flute and harp players, tools forged of bronze and iron, and blood vengeance.
History books tell us the Bronze Age began before Ussher's supposed creation date of 4004 B.C.E. The Iron Age began as much as, or more than, a thousand years later. Flutes made of animal bones have been found to be up to 40,000 years old.
Numerology: Here we begin to notice the number seven, a number that appears with frequency throughout the scriptures. Seven obviously had some significance to the people of time the Bible was written.
The days of creation are seven. The generations from Adam to Lamech are seven. Cain is avenged seven times and Lamech declares he will be avenged seventy times seven. My study Bible reminds me that Jesus advocated forgiving seventy times seven, presumably to counteract Lamech's decree. We will keep a lookout for this number.
Genesis chapter 4, part 1
Now that we have established that there is no need for a savior, we could stop here, but that would be no fun. I am compelled to go on channeling what I learn and see about the Bible to anyone willing to listen. Everything on these pages will be information found easily elsewhere with much more detail by experts in their fields. I'm distilling what I have gleaned for the benefit of others and as a kind of cleansing process for myself.
After a plain reading of chapter 4:
*We go straight from the garden to agriculture and animal husbandry in a matter of years. Where did the domesticated grain to plant come from?
*There are no rules or laws given, and no instructions about offerings. It is assumed the reader has a certain kind of knowledge and understanding of the events that follow.
*God's treatment of Cain and Abel seems completely arbitrary and smacking of favoritism. In fact, here we see the first example of a motif present throughout scripture: the younger brother is more favored by God. Is there anything Cain could have offered that would have pleased God?
*Here we find the first mention of sin but we are not told what sin is. However, since Cain murdered Abel right after that, it is safe to say the reader should recognize murder as a sin.
Now we come to all the unanswerable questions that have plagued Bible readers for centuries:
*Why does an omnipotent God need an offering, or anything else, from puny humans? Why are dead lambs more pleasing than dead grain?
*Why did an omnipresent and omnicient God have to ask Cain where his brother was?
*Who are the people that would kill Cain and where do they come from?What was the mark of Cain?
How did Cain survive? Why will God avenge Cain, if he is murdered?
*Where did Cain's wife come from? Where did the people in Cain's city come from? Where did Lamech's wives come from?
*What is calling on the name of the lord?
After a plain reading of chapter 4:
*We go straight from the garden to agriculture and animal husbandry in a matter of years. Where did the domesticated grain to plant come from?
*There are no rules or laws given, and no instructions about offerings. It is assumed the reader has a certain kind of knowledge and understanding of the events that follow.
*God's treatment of Cain and Abel seems completely arbitrary and smacking of favoritism. In fact, here we see the first example of a motif present throughout scripture: the younger brother is more favored by God. Is there anything Cain could have offered that would have pleased God?
*Here we find the first mention of sin but we are not told what sin is. However, since Cain murdered Abel right after that, it is safe to say the reader should recognize murder as a sin.
Now we come to all the unanswerable questions that have plagued Bible readers for centuries:
*Why does an omnipotent God need an offering, or anything else, from puny humans? Why are dead lambs more pleasing than dead grain?
*Why did an omnipresent and omnicient God have to ask Cain where his brother was?
*Who are the people that would kill Cain and where do they come from?What was the mark of Cain?
How did Cain survive? Why will God avenge Cain, if he is murdered?
*Where did Cain's wife come from? Where did the people in Cain's city come from? Where did Lamech's wives come from?
*What is calling on the name of the lord?
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Genesis chapter 3, part 2
In my Bible, this chapter is entitled "the fall of man." The fall is considered essential to the understanding of why God became the man Jesus and died on the cross, which was supposedly to reverse the effects of this so called fall. It is worth noting that this idea is not present in the book of Genesis, or in the entire Old Testament.
In verse 22, God says,"the man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil." Beside question of who the "us" is, notice he admits that the man is now like him, which is what he wanted to avoid. In order to keep the man from living forever, like him, he is banished from the garden. How is becoming like a god, a fall? Notice also that Eve is not said to have become like God.
Why should Adam and Eve have been punished? How would they have known that disobeying God was wrong, being as innocent as children. After all, they did not know good from evil till after they ate. Did not God have the power to keep them in that innocent state? Did he not plant the trees himself knowing what would happen? Well so far, Genesis has not claimed that God is omnicient or omnipotent. There are no real explanations available for God's actions here, only extra-biblical ones people have developed over time.
This story, and the ones that follow, appear to be etiological. In other words, they are myths developed to explain the natural world, why things and people are the way they are, and how civilization got to the point that the storytellers were at. Most civilizations around the world developed their own myths to explain their own existence.
None of that really matters, though. There was no historical Adam and Eve. The human race evolved gradually over time from ancient primates. Modern humans invented the concepts of good and evil, just like they invented gods. There was no fall. There is no need for a God to sacrifice himself to reverse its effects. We are responsible for the good and evil that exists in the world today and can not blame Adam, Eve, or the devil.
Edited.
In verse 22, God says,"the man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil." Beside question of who the "us" is, notice he admits that the man is now like him, which is what he wanted to avoid. In order to keep the man from living forever, like him, he is banished from the garden. How is becoming like a god, a fall? Notice also that Eve is not said to have become like God.
Why should Adam and Eve have been punished? How would they have known that disobeying God was wrong, being as innocent as children. After all, they did not know good from evil till after they ate. Did not God have the power to keep them in that innocent state? Did he not plant the trees himself knowing what would happen? Well so far, Genesis has not claimed that God is omnicient or omnipotent. There are no real explanations available for God's actions here, only extra-biblical ones people have developed over time.
This story, and the ones that follow, appear to be etiological. In other words, they are myths developed to explain the natural world, why things and people are the way they are, and how civilization got to the point that the storytellers were at. Most civilizations around the world developed their own myths to explain their own existence.
None of that really matters, though. There was no historical Adam and Eve. The human race evolved gradually over time from ancient primates. Modern humans invented the concepts of good and evil, just like they invented gods. There was no fall. There is no need for a God to sacrifice himself to reverse its effects. We are responsible for the good and evil that exists in the world today and can not blame Adam, Eve, or the devil.
Edited.
Genesis chapter 3, part 1
After a plain reading of chapter 3:
*Need I say it? Snakes don't talk.
* Notice that nowhere in this chapter is the snake associated with Satan. In fact, Satan is not mentioned anywhere in Genesis, in any way. Ancient legends say that the serpent was the first wife of Adam named Lilith. She was supposedly deposed because she refused to submit to Adam in proper womanly fashion. Then she decided to exact revenge. These stories persisted into the Middle Ages, check it out for yourself.
* The snake did not tell an outright lie. Adam and Eve didn't die, right away. A plain reading of its punishment is clearly talking of how snakes and people actually treat each other. This was not turned into a prophecy of Jesus until Christianity came on the scene.
* One wonders how a spiritual being (God) talks without vocal chords, not to mention walks without feet or legs, and hears without ears. He also apparently does not posses the ability to see people who are hiding.
*Woman's pain in childbearing is the result of an evolutionary shift in human physiology to an upright stance. These shifts in the positions of the spine, hips, and legs, made child birth more difficult. Plus human brains and skulls are larger than thier primate ancestor's, taking more effort to push a baby through the birth canal.
*Adam's curse of working the ground was actually a boon for humanity. The development of agriculture improved health and longevity, gave people more leisure than hunting and gathering did, and contributed to population growth and the development of civilizations.
*Verse 16 is the real curse, the introduction of patriarchy as God ordained and sanctioned.
* Notice that there is no mention of any kind of afterlife, a heaven or hell. In fact, they are conspicuously absent in the book of Genesis.
*So, Adam and Eve were banished from the garden, and cherubim plus a flaming sword were placed on the east side to keep anyone from getting back in. Cherubim are Sphinx like creatures. They have animal-like bodies and wings. Usually they come in pairs, one placed on either side of what they are guarding. No live ones have been spotted, yet, but multiple examples have been found carved in stone. We've searched the world over and still haven't found the garden of Eden. Maybe it's been transported to another dimension.
*Need I say it? Snakes don't talk.
* Notice that nowhere in this chapter is the snake associated with Satan. In fact, Satan is not mentioned anywhere in Genesis, in any way. Ancient legends say that the serpent was the first wife of Adam named Lilith. She was supposedly deposed because she refused to submit to Adam in proper womanly fashion. Then she decided to exact revenge. These stories persisted into the Middle Ages, check it out for yourself.
* The snake did not tell an outright lie. Adam and Eve didn't die, right away. A plain reading of its punishment is clearly talking of how snakes and people actually treat each other. This was not turned into a prophecy of Jesus until Christianity came on the scene.
* One wonders how a spiritual being (God) talks without vocal chords, not to mention walks without feet or legs, and hears without ears. He also apparently does not posses the ability to see people who are hiding.
*Woman's pain in childbearing is the result of an evolutionary shift in human physiology to an upright stance. These shifts in the positions of the spine, hips, and legs, made child birth more difficult. Plus human brains and skulls are larger than thier primate ancestor's, taking more effort to push a baby through the birth canal.
*Adam's curse of working the ground was actually a boon for humanity. The development of agriculture improved health and longevity, gave people more leisure than hunting and gathering did, and contributed to population growth and the development of civilizations.
*Verse 16 is the real curse, the introduction of patriarchy as God ordained and sanctioned.
* Notice that there is no mention of any kind of afterlife, a heaven or hell. In fact, they are conspicuously absent in the book of Genesis.
*So, Adam and Eve were banished from the garden, and cherubim plus a flaming sword were placed on the east side to keep anyone from getting back in. Cherubim are Sphinx like creatures. They have animal-like bodies and wings. Usually they come in pairs, one placed on either side of what they are guarding. No live ones have been spotted, yet, but multiple examples have been found carved in stone. We've searched the world over and still haven't found the garden of Eden. Maybe it's been transported to another dimension.
Genesis chapter 2, part 2
Remember that Bishop Ussher assigned creation a date of 4004 B.C.E.? Well, secular history records the 5th millenium B.C.E. as the Chalcolithic Age. This was a time of Mesopotamian and other civilizations. The world human population is estimated to have been between 5-7 million people! Domestication of plants is estimated to have begun around 11,000 B.C.E., possibly beginning with rye. The domestication of animals also began millennia earlier than the supposed date of creation, beginning with dogs, sheep and pigs. There are also human art and artifacts dating from at least 20 to 40 Thousand years ago. Ice core data goes back about 800,000 years, and the White Cliffs of Dover formed under the sea approximately 66 million years ago. These examples haven't even scraped the surface of time.
*A note about Asshur mentioned in v. 14. This is the name of a capital city that did not exist at the time of the creation, or even in 4,004 B.C.E. and is therefore an anachronism. Genesis 10:22 identifies an Asshur as a descendant of Shem, a son of Noah.
Edited for historical corrections.
*A note about Asshur mentioned in v. 14. This is the name of a capital city that did not exist at the time of the creation, or even in 4,004 B.C.E. and is therefore an anachronism. Genesis 10:22 identifies an Asshur as a descendant of Shem, a son of Noah.
Edited for historical corrections.
Genesis chapter 2, part 1
After reading chapter 2, some things to consider:
*Verses1-3 appear to be the end of the creation story of chapter 1.
*Why would an all powerful, eternal, spirit being need to rest? (v. 3) Rest is a need for physical life.
*Notice that there is a second, different, account of creation that begins at verse 4.
*In this second creation story, there are no days assigned to specific events. Here God creates man before plants, unlike chapter 1. Here, man is not made in God's image, he is made of dust and animated by God's breath. He is deposited in the ready made garden like a doll.
*How does a non-physical being (God )breathe? How does a non-physical being DO anything?
*Also unlike chapter 1, here male and female are created separately. Woman appears to be an afterthought, only created after animals would not do. Surely we all realize that woman could not have originated from a rib? How would we explain the females of all other forms of life? A commenter on the Friendly Atheist site mentioned that Adam's rib would have had X and Y chromosomes in its cells. Adam's rib would have produced a genetic male, identical to himself, not a woman with two X chromosomes.
* Paradisiacal gardens and trees of life were common mythological symbols in many ancient cultures, even before Moses would have written the bible in the 1400's B.C.E. Certainly, these stories existed long before the supposedly more accurate historical date of the writings in Genesis, the 7th century B.C.E. They typically were associated with gods and immortality. The physical form of the trees of life varied according to the geography. There were Apple trees, figs, and palms, to name a few.
Creation stories are found in almost every culture.
Edited 9/11/15
*Verses1-3 appear to be the end of the creation story of chapter 1.
*Why would an all powerful, eternal, spirit being need to rest? (v. 3) Rest is a need for physical life.
*Notice that there is a second, different, account of creation that begins at verse 4.
*In this second creation story, there are no days assigned to specific events. Here God creates man before plants, unlike chapter 1. Here, man is not made in God's image, he is made of dust and animated by God's breath. He is deposited in the ready made garden like a doll.
*How does a non-physical being (God )breathe? How does a non-physical being DO anything?
*Also unlike chapter 1, here male and female are created separately. Woman appears to be an afterthought, only created after animals would not do. Surely we all realize that woman could not have originated from a rib? How would we explain the females of all other forms of life? A commenter on the Friendly Atheist site mentioned that Adam's rib would have had X and Y chromosomes in its cells. Adam's rib would have produced a genetic male, identical to himself, not a woman with two X chromosomes.
* Paradisiacal gardens and trees of life were common mythological symbols in many ancient cultures, even before Moses would have written the bible in the 1400's B.C.E. Certainly, these stories existed long before the supposedly more accurate historical date of the writings in Genesis, the 7th century B.C.E. They typically were associated with gods and immortality. The physical form of the trees of life varied according to the geography. There were Apple trees, figs, and palms, to name a few.
Creation stories are found in almost every culture.
Edited 9/11/15
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Why a plain reading?
Because most of us are plain people. We don't know Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and we don't have the time or inclination to learn. Besides, if the Bible contains difficult or hidden meanings, does that mean we must trust someone else, who may be wrong, to interpret meaning for us? Would a loving God who wanted his creation to be saved make it so difficult to understand his words that most human beings would be lost? Should we say, like the Muslims do of the Koran, that only the original words in the original language have the correct meaning? In that case we are out of luck, no original 1st century manuscripts of the New Testament exist, nor do any originals of the Old Testament. We are stuck using a Bible in a language we can read and still must trust that the transcribers and translators did it correctly. Let's just make things simple and accept an approved (?) translation at face value. I usually use the NIV study Bible, an inter linear Bible, and a concordance. I also look at other English translations like the KJV and the JPS for comparisons. For ease, I will refer to articles in Wikipedia and other Encyclopedic sites on specific topics. Feel free, in fact I urge you, to go into more depth on your own.
For the most part, I will be ignoring the subtle and the obscure meanings attributed to the text, and instead will be focussing on the obvious. I will also be asking pertinent questions whose answers are not revealed in the text. Again, my intention is to keep things simple and straightforward for the benefit of those who want quick reference points to examine on their own.
Edited 9/11/16
For the most part, I will be ignoring the subtle and the obscure meanings attributed to the text, and instead will be focussing on the obvious. I will also be asking pertinent questions whose answers are not revealed in the text. Again, my intention is to keep things simple and straightforward for the benefit of those who want quick reference points to examine on their own.
Edited 9/11/16
Genesis Chapter 1
After a plain reading of the first chapter of Genesis consider these points:
* The universe is app. 13 billion years old, Earth is app. 4.5 billion years, earth life app. 3 billion years. These are well accepted scientific facts. According to Bishop Ussher's calculations, using biblical information, creation took place approx. 4,004 B.C.E.
*All life is of common descent by evolution. This is a well accepted scientific fact.
* By definition, humans are animals, evolved primates, relatives of ancient monkeys and apes. This is a well accepted scientific fact.
*Kind is not a scientific term and has no equivalent in biology. There are living organisms that do not fit the kinds identified in Genesis.
*We can not eat all seed bearing fruit, a fact that should be obvious to anyone.
*Not all animals in the ancient past ate vegetation as proved by thier teeth and digestive systems, a biological fact.
*There is no mention of dinosaurs and other extinct creatures, and no understanding that moonlight is reflected sunlight. Natural phenomena are explained by thier assumed purpose, with out the understanding that people invented those purposes.
*Verse 26 says "Let US make man in OUR image without explanation of who the others are or why they exist. Christianity teaches that we were made in the image of a singular God.
* The universe is app. 13 billion years old, Earth is app. 4.5 billion years, earth life app. 3 billion years. These are well accepted scientific facts. According to Bishop Ussher's calculations, using biblical information, creation took place approx. 4,004 B.C.E.
*All life is of common descent by evolution. This is a well accepted scientific fact.
* By definition, humans are animals, evolved primates, relatives of ancient monkeys and apes. This is a well accepted scientific fact.
*Kind is not a scientific term and has no equivalent in biology. There are living organisms that do not fit the kinds identified in Genesis.
*We can not eat all seed bearing fruit, a fact that should be obvious to anyone.
*Not all animals in the ancient past ate vegetation as proved by thier teeth and digestive systems, a biological fact.
*There is no mention of dinosaurs and other extinct creatures, and no understanding that moonlight is reflected sunlight. Natural phenomena are explained by thier assumed purpose, with out the understanding that people invented those purposes.
*Verse 26 says "Let US make man in OUR image without explanation of who the others are or why they exist. Christianity teaches that we were made in the image of a singular God.
Introduction to Genesis
First, I would suggest at least a reading of the Wikipedia article on Genesis. Next, take note of these facts and feel free to look into them on your own:
1. No one knows who wrote the book of Genesis. No one. Traditional authorship is assigned to Moses but the text does not claim that, and various problems occur if that is assumed. Historians claim it is the compiled works of various authors, which makes more sense but still has no concrete evidence.
2.There is not one single piece of any Old Testament Scripture older than the 3rd century B.C.E. in existance today. In other words, no concrete evidence that the scriptures even existed before that time. Supposing Moses was the author, he would have lived approximately 1400 years before Jesus, according to Ussher's chronology. That gives us over a thousand years of textual silence. Nothing. Nada.
3. So, what if it was written by a man named Moses who claimed to have a divine revelation? Why should I believe it any more than I believe any other claim of divine revelation, whether by Joseph Smith or any other crackpot..um prophet? As Thomas Paine would say, a revelation to one is not necessarily a revelation to all. (I highly recommend a reading of The Age of Reason.)
Introduction
After having read many books, listened to many lectures, debates and documentaries on Bible criticism, I have been frustrated by the lack of a plain and simple detailed discussion of the problems within the Bible. Apologists and historians both appear to me to have clouded issues that are not all that complicated. Others paint with too broad a brush and do not go into detail, verse by verse. So, I will begin with the book of Genesis and work my way through as I am able, ennumerating things that have struck me as relevant which are rarely mentioned in typical Bible studies. For the sake of ease, I will use Bishop Ussher's chronology, which is typically accepted by many fundamentalists. I don't think that is unreasonable because a plain reading of the Bible will give you dates near or about what he assumed from calculating years mentioned in the text.
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