Esther and Herodotus part eight

We are at chapter three, verse 2. It is about the the beginning of the twelfth year of Xerxes' reign, a little more than four years after he supposedly made Esther Queen. Haman has been exalted by the king, who has commanded that all the royal officials at the king's gate kneel down to Haman. Mordecai dies not kneel down or pay Haman honor. Why? Who knows. Maybe because he's supposed to be an Agagite, an hereditary enemy of the Israelites. However, though it makes for a good story, it's highly unlikely that was actually the case. Five hundred years had passed since the alleged enmity between the two tribes. Even if it actually happened, what are the chances that level of disdain would travel that far through the centuries, maintaining its fervor?

The royal officials wanted to know why Mordecai would not comply. He did not answer or change his behavior. The officials told Haman to see what he would do about it, as well as revealing to Haman that Mordecai was a Jew. Haman was hopping mad. When he found out who Mordecai's people were, he decided to kill the lot of them throughout the whole kingdom.

It was the first month (Nisan) of the twelfth year of Xerxes's reign. Haman cast lots to see when would be a good time to kill all the Jews. The lot fell on the twelfth month, the last month (Adar) of the year. Haman went to Xerxes and told him "there is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples. In all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king's laws. It is not in the king's interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business.

 Haman is offering to pay for the extermination of the Jews if the king will sign off on it. He doesn't appear to tell the king who he is going to exterminate, though. The king gives Haman his royal ring, which basically gives him the power to do almost anything. Xerxes also tells him to forget about the money, Haman is allowed to do whatever he wants to the people. If this story was true, Xerxes was an idiot. He gave Haman carte blanche to destroy a bunch of people in his kingdom, without even asking any questions?!!

On the thirteenth day of the first month, Haman had the royal scribed write out his orders in the various languages of the empire and had them sent out by couriers to all the king's provinces. The orders were written in the name of Xerxes and sealed with his ring. They said that "all the Jews, young and old, women and children," were to be killed on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month. Permission was also given to plunder the goods of the Jews. Extra copies of the edict were issued and sent out so that all the non-official peoples of every tribe would also be ready to attack the Jews.

It probably wasn't a coincidence that the day the author says this declaration was written, the thirteenth of Nisan, was the day before the Fast of the first born and two days before the Jewish Passover week. Another interesting coincidence is that in Persia/Iran, the thirteenth day of the first month was an annual celebration called Sizdeh Be-dar. This day is traditionally around the American date of April first or second and has been a day to play pranks, since before the time our story takes place! The Jews were also to be killed on the thirteen day of the last month. Thirteen certainly looked like an unlucky number for them.

Till next time.

Mark part twenty nine

We are at Mark 15:38 Jesus has just breathed his last. He did not ask god to forgive his executioners and those crucified with him were not told they would be with him in paradise. His side was not pierced. He said nothing but a lament. Then, according to the text, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This would not have been seen by anyone unless they were at the temple, and certainly not by anyone at the execution. It is also not recorded in extrabiblical history.

A centurion who heard Jesus's lament and saw him die said, "surely this man was the son of god." I don't see how he came to that conclusion. Some women watched the crucifixion from a distance. One was Mary Magdalene, who is first mentioned here. Another was Mary the mother of James, Joses, and Salome. These women were part of a group of women who had followed Jesus to Jerusalem from Galilee. They had been "taking care of his needs." This probably means they cooked and washed for him, because for some reason he couldn't do it for himself. (It couldn't be because he was sexist and thought that was women's work, could it?) The text does not say Jesus's mother or any of the twelve disciples was there.

In verse 42 we are told it was preparation day, the day before the Sabbath, Friday. Either Passover fell on a Friday that year or something about the timeline in Mark is off. It is still Passover if we follow the text. Evening is coming. The Sabbath begins at dusk. Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and asked for Jesus's body. Pilate confirmed with the centurion that Jesus was already dead and then gave the body to Joseph. The body was wrapped in linen and put in a tomb. A stone was rolled in front of it. The text does not say the tomb belonged to Joseph of Arimathea. The two Marys previously mentioned saw where the body was laid.

We are now in chapter 16. The Sabbath is over. It is just after sunrise on the first day of the week, Sunday. Jesus has been dead approximately 39 hours, less than two full days, if you count hours. If you count the names of the days he has been dead, I guess it makes three: part of Friday, all of  Saturday, and part of Sunday. But that seems like cheating to me.

The two Marys are going to the tomb to anoint the body with spices. They aren't sure who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. When they got there, the stone was already rolled away. A young man dressed in white was sitting inside the tomb. The ladies were alarmed but the young man told them not to be. He said Jesus had risen. They were to go tell Peter and the disciples that Jesus was going ahead of them to Galilee and they would see him there.

The women were naturally frightened and confused. They ran away from the tomb and told no one what had happened!  So, how does the author know anything about it? This is where the story ends in the earliest manuscripts, suggesting that perhaps Jesus was never actually seen alive again.

Mark 16:9-16 appear to have been added to the text at a later date, making its events highly unlikely. We will cover that passage next time.

Mark part twenty seven

We are at Mark 14:66. Jesus has been condemned to death by the leaders of the Jews, for blasphemy. While Jesus's "trial" is going on, Peter is hanging around in the courtyard. A servant girl sees him and recognizes him as a follower of Jesus. Peter told her he didn't know what she was talking about and moved to another spot. The girl saw him again and told the other people standing around her suspicions. Peter denied it again. Later, some more people standing around could somehow tell he was a Galilean and again suggested he must be one of Jesus's followers. A third time, Peter swore he did not know Jesus. (There's that number three again) Immediately the rooster crowed a second time. (We were never told when the first crow was.) That reminded Peter of Jesus's prophecy about these very events. He began to weep.

We are now at chapter 15. All this stuff has been happening in the night, on Passover, if the story is happening in real linear time and not skipping days.. Nobody has had any sleep, as far as I can tell. Very early in the morning, still Passover, all the Jewish leaders decide to hand Jesus over to Pontius Pilate. Pilate asks Jesus if he is the king of the Jews. Jesus says yes he is. Why would Pilate ask Jesus that? Could it be that the messiah was supposed to be a Jewish king? Why does Jesus say yes?

 It should be noted that there was no  "king of the Jews" at that time. After Herod the great died in 4BCE, the kingdom was split among his three sons, who were called tetrarchs. The tetrarch of Judea, Archelaeus, was ousted by the Romans in 6CE and Judea became a province of Rome with an appointed governor. Pilate was governor of Judea from 26-36 CE. I imagine Jesus's claim would have either angered or amused him. Pilate tells Jesus to answer the many charges against himself, but he does not reply.

The text tells us it was the custom to release a prisoner at the request of the people, during the feast (passover). A crowd had gathered to make this request. Pilate asked if they wanted Jesus (the king of the Jews) released to them, but the chief priests influenced the crowd to release a man named Barabbas. Barabbas had been in prison with some insurrectionists who had committed murder in an uprising. We do not know which uprising this was, because there were many. Some were caused by the actions of Pontius Pilate himself, who set up Roman standards on the temple grounds and used temple money, naturally angering many Jews. It should also be noted that Barabbas means "son of the father." He could have been another contender for the son of god title.

The crowd asked for Barabbas to be released and shouted for Jesus to be crucified, in spite of Pilate's weak attempt to figure out why they wanted him dead. So Pilate had Jesus beaten (surely not necessary)  and handed him over to be crucified. The soldiers took Jesus to the praetorium, gave him a purple robe, and a crown of thorns. They mocked him, pretending he was a king, struck him on the head with a staff, and spit on him. Then they took off the robe, put his clothes back on and led him out to be crucified. So, how does the narrator know this? It was not done in public. Only the soldiers who participated would have known about it. This is another case of omniscient narrator. The same could be said of Jesus's passover night trial by the Sanhedrin. Where did the author of Mark get his information?

Notice that the crowd Pilate spoke to also rejected Jesus three times. In spite of what I have heard preached many times, there is no reason to believe the same people who sang his praises when he rode in to town on a donkey are the same people who yelled, "crucify him!"

Mark part twenty six

We are now in Mark 14:39. Jesus has gone off to pray twice; and he has gone back to rebuke Peter, James, and John, twice, for sleeping while they waited for him. Now he does the same sequence a third time.I have been impressed by the number of times three has cropped up in this story. We have three disciples dozing while waiting for Jesus. Three times Jesus prays. Three times he goes back to the three disciples to rebuke them. What are the odds more threes will occur in this story?

The third time Jesus rebukes the three, he also announces his betrayer is coming. So, somewhere in between the twelve arriving at the garden and this moment, Judas must have left. Judas now appears with what can be described as a mob, sent by the chief priests, teachers of the law, and the elders. (Three authority figures) These people  are not said to be Roman soldiers. Remember, this is the night of Passover, a religious holy day. This should not have been happening. Back in 14:2, the chief priests said they didn't want to arrest Jesus during the Feast  for fear of a riot. The feast of unleavened bread lasted a whole week. In the context of the story, it appears to be only the second day of the feast, Jewish time.

Judas had arranged a signal to show the armed crowd who to capture. He went to Jesus, called him rabbi, and gave him a kiss. He was immediately arrested. Someone standing nearby cut off the ear of the chief priest's servant with a sword. The text does not name that person. It also does not say Jesus stuck the ear back on and miraculously healed it. Jesus verbally protests the necessity of the arrest, but says "the scripture must be fulfilled." Everyone deserted Jesus and ran away. Jesus was only with three other people at the time, unless all the other disciples decided to come see what the commotion was.

Next, an odd incident is included in the story, telling us that a young man, basically only dressed in his underwear or night clothes, tried to run off but was grabbed by the flimsy garment. He escaped by leaving the garment behind, in other words, buck naked. Since this seems such a non-sequitur, many bible readers through the ages have decided the purpose for including this story must be because the young man was the author, AKA Mark. There is no actual reason to believe this other than speculation.

They crowd took Jesus to the Jewish authority figures who had gathered, on Passover night. Peter followed them at a distance, to the high priest's courtyard, and sat with the guards (not said to be Roman) by the fire. The whole Sanhedrin was there, on Passover night. They had a religious trial, in the middle of the night. Unbelievable. They needed two or more witnesses who could agree and give evidence to any religious crimes Jesus had supposedly committed that would justify putting him to death. They didn't get what they needed. Some testified that Jesus said he "would destroy this manmade temple and in three days build another, not made by man." However, no two testimonies agreeed. (Many Christians believe the Temple referred to was a metaphor for Jesus's body.) Jesus refused to answer the charges against himself, instead remaining silent.

Then the high priest asked Jesus if he was the christ, the son of the blessed one. Jesus replied, "I am." In the old testament "I am" is what god calls himself, this would mean Jesus was making himself Equal to god. If that wasn't enough, he goes on to imply that he will sit at the right hand of god and appear with him in the clouds when he comes. This was clearly blasphemy, punishable by death. Jesus was condemned to die, spat upon, blindfolded, and beaten.

Mark part twenty five

We are at Mark 14:22. The twelve disciples are eating the Passover meal. Jesus has said one of them will betray him. He also takes some bread, breaks it, and tells them, "Take it; this is my body." He equates his body with the bread they are eating, not the lamb. He also does not say his body will be broken.

Next he takes the cup, gives thanks and they pass it around. He says this is his "blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many." "Blood of the covenant" is a reference back to Exodus 24 where Moses sprinkles the blood of sacrificed bulls on the people and calls it the blood of the covenant. Frankly, it seems to me that such a statement would appear blasphemous or rude to other Jews, almost as though Jesus is mocking Moses.  The text implies they are drinking wine (fruit of the vine), because Jesus says he won't ever drink it again until he drinks it in the kingdom of god. (There is wine in the kingdom of god?) Jesus does not tell the disciples to repeat this ceremony in remembrance of him.

A note about the churches of christ: some extremely fundamentalist churches use this as one of their justifications for using only one cup to drink out of during communion service, which is also often called "the lord's supper," but is not actually a supper at all. They also insist that fruit of the vine refers to grape juice and not wine. Though where they would have gotten grape juice in early spring is a mystery. Strangely enough, their "supper" consists of a tiny piece of cracker and a swallow of grape juice. No lamb or other food to dip their unleavened bread into.

Next they sing a hymn and go out to the Mount of Olives, which is between Jerusalem and Bethany. It is still Passover night. There should be a full moon. Jesus predicts his disciples will abandon him, but "after he has risen" (from death or sleep?) he will go to Galilee ahead of them. Peter proclaims he will not fall away from Jesus. Jesus claims he will, that very night. Before the rooster crows twice, Peter will disown Jesus three times. Peter and the others insist they would die with Jesus before they would disown him.

Jesus and his disciples are in Gethsemane, which is located at the base of the Mount of Olives. As the name suggests, there was an olive grove. Jesus was there to pray. Was Gethsemane considered a sacred grove? If it wasn't then, it appears to be now. As far as we know from the text of Mark, all twelve disciples are present. Mark has not told us Judas left. Jesus tells most of them to sit in one place, then takes Peter, James, and John to another part of Gethsemane. He expresses That he is overwhelmed with sorrow and asks the three to remain in one spot while he moves on even further.

Then Jesus prays prostrate on the ground. He calls god his father, tells him that everything is possible for him, then asks god to "take this cup from me." Which seems to mean he knows what is about to happen and is not enthusiastic about going through with it. This and the preceding pronouncements by Jesus would actually make a lot of sense if he had engineered his own martyrdom. Having second thoughts is very human of him. Very few healthy people want to die. He seems to sincerely believe that god could stop it if he wanted to and declares his submission to the will of the father. Jesus is obviously not the same being as the father.

Next Jesus goes back to where he left Peter, James, and John, and rebukes them for falling asleep and not keeping watch. Keeping watch for what? Was Jesus expecting something to happen? If he planned it that way, of course! He left them again with an admonition to keep watch and pray. He repeated his previous prayer, then went back to the three. They were asleep again. Can you blame them? It's night time, they've had a full day, just eaten a meal, drunk wine, and walked to Gethsemane. They are sitting in an olive grove. It's probably very quiet, except for the rhythmic sounds of spring frogs and insects. Jesus is off by himself doing who knows what while they snooze.  According to the way the story is written, the narrator is omniscient, but there are no actual witnesses
to Jesus's words and actions.

Mark part twenty four

We are at Mark 13:33. Jesus has just given the disciples a description of what signs to look for when the destruction of the temple is imminent. He tells them to be on their guard and watch out, because the coming events might take them by surprise.

We are now in chapter 14. It is two days before the passover and the feast of unleavened bread. The chief priests and teachers of the law want to arrest Jesus and kill him, but they don't want to cause a riot during passover. Jesus is again in Bethany, his home base for the time he has been visiting Jerusalem. He was eating at the home of a man named Simon the leper when a woman pours an alabaster jar of expensive perfume (made of pure nard) on his head.

The woman was rebuked for wasting what could have been sold for money to give to the poor. The text does not say who rebuked her. Jesus told them to leave the woman alone because they would always have the poor, they wouldn't always have him. She was preparing his body for burial. Then he predicts that wherever the gospel is preached, what this woman did will be remembered. That is very interesting. Paul preached the gospel fervently and never spoke about her, as far as we know. In fact this writing may be the first time she was ever mentioned in relation to the gospel. The fact that it is included in this book may be the very reason anyone "remembered" it at all.

Next we see Judas betray Jesus to the chief priests for a promise of money. He was just waiting for an opportunity to hand him over. Notice it does not say how much money. Also, the last supper hasn't even happened yet.

We move on to the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb. We are not told what day of the week this was. It could have been any day that fell on the 14th day of the month of Nisan.  Also, remember that a Jewish day began at dusk one day and ended at dusk the next.  So, since the day in the text would be the 14th day of the month of Nisan. At dusk, which was the 15th day, the passover would begin. The Jewish calendar was based on the moon, so Passover would have fallen on the night of the full moon, no matter what day of the week. That night of the full moon is when the spirit sent out by god killed all the first born of the Egyptians, in the book of Exodus.

Jesus sends two disciples into Jerusalem to make preparations for the passover in a large upper room of a house that has already been prearranged for the purpose. They did that. (Part of the preparation for passover was supposed to be killing and roasting a lamb.) In the evening Jesus and the twelve arrive at the house. It is now passover. Notice that Jesus has not been killed  on the day that the passover lamb is killed. Mark does not equate him with the passover sacrifice. Not only that, Jesus is eating the passover meal with his disciples, which traditionally included roast lamb which must be completely eaten before the next morning. This is not mentioned in the text because it would have been obvious to anyone who knew the ritual.  In christian communion rituals, that are said to have been established at this moment in time, it is never mentioned that it is almost certain the meal contained more than bread and wine.

In verse 17, Jesus and the twelve are eating and Jesus announces that one of them will betray him. They are all concerned and each asks if he will be the one. Jesus tells them it will be one of those who  dips bread into the bowl with him. What bowl? Jesus is probably referring to the main dish on the table. Each person would have been using their bread as a spoon or scoop to eat with, out of a communal bowl. Jesus pronounces a curse on his betrayer but does not name him.

Ruth chapter 1

After reading chapter 1:

*The story starts off in a once-upon-a-time way: "In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land." Right away, this tells us the story was not written when the judges ruled, which would mean it was written  some time after the institution of the monarchy. Then we are told about a family of Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. There was Elimelek the father, Naomi the mother, and their sons, Mahlon and Kilion. The family was living in Moab, presumably to escape the famine. The father died there, and the sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. After10 years, the sons both died, leaving the three women alone, which probably was not a good thing in those days. They had no children.

*Deuteronomy 23:3-6 forbids alliances with Moabites and their descendants. In the book of Ruth, Yahweh seems to have no problem with the marriage of an Israelite to a Moabite. I've seen suggestions that that is really the whole point of the story. Now, I wonder if some contradictions in the various bible books are done on purpose, like a duel of different Israelite ideologies.

*An interesting feature of this story, and many of the Old Testament stories is that the names of the main characters have Hebrew meanings that give the story added dimension. According to my study bible, Elimelek means "God (El) is king." Naomi is "pleasant." Mahlon may mean "weakling." Ruth is similar to the Hebrew word for "friendship." Kilion and Orpah are not defined, and other sources seem doubtful about definite meanings.

*Because her husband and sons were dead, and she had heard that Yahweh was finally providing food for his people,Naomi decided to go back to Judah. She told her daughters-in-law to go back to their families of origin and get new husbands. She said a tearful goodbye, but they said they would go with her. She wondered why they would do that when she didn't have any more sons to give them as husbands. (See Levirate marriage) Then she says her lot is a bitter one and Yahweh is against her. Orpah kissed her and left, but Ruth clung to her. Naomi urge Ruth to return to her family. Then Ruth said those famous lines, "Where you will go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my god." Then Ruth made an oath that Yahweh could punish her if she should ever leave Naomi. So Naomi stopped telling her to leave.

*They traveled on to Bethlehem. When they got there, they caused quite a stir. Naomi told her old friends to call her "Mara" (meaning bitter) because her life was so bitter. She also told them Yahweh brought misfortune upon her. No fake praise in the face of disaster for her.

*When Ruth and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem, the barley harvest was just beginning. This would make it early spring, around the time of Passover.

What happened on Saturday?

Yesterday was Good Friday, when Jesus was supposedly crucified. Tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday, when Jesus supposedly rose from the dead. But what about Saturday? It was the  only complete 24 hour day of the supposed 3 days Jesus spent in the grave. What was going on? Well, we aren't really told much of anything about that day in the scriptures.

If the disciples were obedient to the law of Moses, they were not doing anything that could be classified as work.  They were spending their day in forced idleness. However, according to Matthew 27 the day after the crucifixion is when the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate and requested that the tomb be sealed and guarded. Were the chief priests and Pharisees breaking the Sabbath? Jesus had eaten the passover meal on the first day of the passover week with his disciples in Matthew 26.The day of the crucifixion was technically still the Passover, since days were measured from twilight to twilight. It also had been preparation day, as the day before the Sabbath, Saturday,  was called. The sequence of holy days can get confusing as they sometimes overlap, but that is the only way to get Matthew's account to make any  sense, if it is assumed to be correct. That first day of the Passover week should have been a non work day as well, according to Leviticus 23. The Pharisees and chief priests should have been holding sacred assembly, instead of trying to get Jesus crucified. It is all very confusing.

Mark has the same timeline as Matthew: 1. The day the  Passover lamb is killed and disciples look for a place to eat the Passover. 2. Twilight Passover meal/ betrayal/crucifixion/burial/ day before sabbath 3. Sabbath. 4. Empty tomb Sunday. Mark says nothing at all about the sabbath sealing and guarding of the tomb.

Luke also has the same timeline. He also neglects to mention the sabbath sealing and guarding of the tomb. However, he makes sure to mention that the women who had been with Jesus spent the sabbath resting according to the commandment. Here Joseph of Aramathea wraps Jesus's body but the women prepared the spices. 

John has a very different story. Before the Passover, there is a meal with the disciples where Jesus washes their feet. This is work and would not have been done on the first day of the Passover week. Then comes a lot of talk, the betrayal, arrest, the bringing before Pilate, and the crucifixion. In chapter 18 verse 28, it is made clear that the Passover meal has not happened yet, because it says the Jews were anxious to avoid ceremonial uncleanness so they could eat the Passover. Chapter 19 verse 20 says that was the day of preparation for the sabbath. The Passover apparently fell on the sabbath (Saturday) in this account. Here Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus wrap and prepare the body with spices ( no mention of the women) and place it in a tomb, because the sabbath was coming. But this act  would have made them ceremonially unclean and unable to eat the Passover/sabbath meal. John says nothing about the sabbath day itself. 

Needless to say, in spite of the fact that John's version appears to have a different timeline, christians have come up with many ways to reconcile the accounts, including copying errors, confusion with the number of days in the Passover week, what day of the week the Passover started on, etc. However, some scholars feel that John's timeline is a deliberate attempt to create the image of Jesus as the (Passover) lamb of god which takes away the sins of the world, as mention in John 1. The other gospels do not use that phraseology. Instead they have Jesus giving his body, and his disciples symbolically eating it, at the Passover meal aka Last Supper.  John does not. 

There are many extrabiblical teachings and traditions about that Saturday's events, not usually in protestant circles though. I never heard a word about it for the forty years I was a christian. 

Joshua chapter 5

After reading chapter 5:

*After the Amorite and Canaanite kings heard about the crossing of the Jordan, they were afraid of the Israelites. At this time Yahweh ordered Joshua to circumcise all the men in the camp. Apparently, none of them had been circumcised during the forty years wandering in the desert. The author of Joshua has not forgotten that the fathers of the current Israelite soldiers, who apparently had been circumcised, were all dead. They had been the ones who were told they would not enter the promised land because of disobedience.  So, Joshua circumcised about 600,000 men, more if the boys were included. With handmade flint knives, no less. This was done at Gibeath Haaraloth, which means "Hill of Foreskins." Yahweh said this event "rolled away" the reproach of Egypt, whatever that means. God doesn't like foreskins? The men remained in the camp until they had healed. I feel sorry for the women who had to endure that day.  This would have been the perfect time for their enemies to attack them.

*A few days later, on the 14th day  of the first month, the Israelites celebrated passover. Back in Exodus chapter 12 we see that circumcision was a requirement for all males eating the passover. I guess the Israelites did not celebrate Passover while wandering in the desert. The day after Passover, they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain, products of that land. From that time on, the manna ceased. I wonder where they got the unleavened bread and grain, enough to feed over a million people every day. It doesn't just appear on the ground. Grain has to be grown, harvested, threshed, stored, ground into flour, etc. It would have to have been purchased or stolen, by the women. The men were out of commission.

*Sometime after this, Joshua has an  encounter with the commander of Yahweh's army, (God has an army?) near Jericho. He appeared in front of Joshua holding a sword, looking very much like man, because Joshua said,"friend or foe?" The Angel (?) said, " neither." Then he told Joshua to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. We can't have shoes touching holy ground, can we? This, of course, is reminiscent of Moses's encounter with the burning bush. Notice that neither Joshua nor Moses had witnesses to these events, so we have to take their word for it. Or the word of the people telling the stories, who got their info who-knows-how-many-times removed from the supposed events.

Joshua chapter 4

After reading chapter 4:

*The whole nation of Israel has finished crossing the Jordan and they are again told to pick twelve men, one from each tribe. This time they are told why. The men are commanded to go back to the middle of the river, where the priests are still standing with the ark, and each pick up a large stone. They are to bring the stones back to their camp. The stones are to be a memorial of the river crossing. Joshua took the stones and set them up. Supposedly, they were still there at the writing of this book, which would have been hundreds of years later.

*The priests stayed in the middle of the river till all the Israelites were out. Then they took the ark to the other side while everyone was watching. As an aside we are told that 40,000 armed men of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Mannasseh had also crossed. Plus, Yahweh exalted Joshua and he became just as revered to the Israelites as Moses had been. Do you remember that Moses had been downright hated at times? The author of Joshua doesn't seem to remember.

*Again, we are told that the priests came out of the river with the ark. There are so many redundancies in scriptures, many in odd places, that it is becoming easy to understand why many scholars think that they were composed by multiple authors and kind of smooshed together. Anyway, as soon as the priests set their feet on dry ground (Wait. We had been told that the river bed was dry ground while the priests had the ark there. ) the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, at flood stage as before. Except now, the floods should have raged out of control after being held up for long enough to let hundreds of thousands of people pass. Apparently this was a peaceful flood.

* On the tenth day of the first month (the day the passover lamb was to be selected, Exodus 12:3) the people went up from the Jordan. They had to go up because the Jordan is in a  Rift Valley. They camped at Gilgal on the east side of Jericho. The Wikipedia article on Gilgal is very interesting. Essentially, it is not clear where this may have been. Again we are told Joshua set up the twelve stones, but now it appears they were set up at Gilgal. Again, the Israelites are told what the stones mean: Yahweh did to the Jordan what he did to the Red Sea. According to the Gilgal article, this story may be the author's attempt to explain a Neolithic stone circle.

Deuteronomy 16 and 17

After reading chapter 16:

* Here is a reiteration of the instructions for observing the Passover, except with the addition that it must be celebrated in the place the lord will choose for a dwelling, not in their towns. Then we revisit the feast of weeks and the feast of  tabernacles. In verse 18 the Israelites are instructed to appoint judges for each tribe, in each town. No bribing judges allowed. Also, no Asherah poles next to the altar and no sacred stones.

After reading chapter 17:

*Do not sacrifice a blemished animal to the lord, for he is picky. If anyone is found to be guilty of worshipping other gods, they are to be taken outside the city gate and stoned to death. However, there must be more than one witness. Plus, the witnesses must cast the first stones.

*Difficult court cases must be brought to the place the lord chooses and decided by a priest or a judge. Thier decisions will be binding and must be obeyed or the penalty is death.

*When they enter the promised land and go to choose a king, they must choose someone of whom God approves. He must be an Israelite, not a foreigner. He must not acquire a lot of horses, wives, or silver and gold. (All things that Solomon supposedly acquired. ) When he becomes king, he is to write his own personal copy of the law on a scroll and read it every day, so he will follow it carefully. The king is not to consider himself better than other Israelites, then he will reign a long time. Apparently the author of Deuteronomy was not aware of any objections to having an Israelite king, which we will see later.

Numbers chapter 9

After reading chapter 9:

*The book of Numbers began at the second month of the second year. Chapter 9 takes us back to the first month of that year to tell us that the Israelites celebrated the passover like they were supposed to, on the 14th day at twilight. However, it seems that some people were not able to celebrate because they were made unclean by a dead body. Moses consulted Yahweh, who said anyone who hadn't been able to observe it the first month must do so on the 14th day of the second month, in the same way they would have observed it  in the first month. I find it interesting that the 14 th day of a lunar month is usually a full moon.  Any one who failed to celebrate the passover was excommunicated.

*This chapter also refers back  to the day the tabernacle was set up, which, according to Exodus, was the first day of the first month of the second year. We are again told about the cloud that came to rest over the tabernacle and how the Israelites moved when it moved, no matter how long or short the time was.

Leviticus 23

After reading chapter 23:

*This chapter is about special days and events and how to observe them.

- The Sabbath: every seventh day is a day of rest

-The Passover: starts at twilight on the 14 th day of the first month. On the first day is a sacred assembly and no work. For seven days unleavened bread is eaten. This is called the feast of unleavened bread. Every day an offering is to be made to the lord by fire. On the seventh day is another sacred assembly and no work. There is no mention of a Passover lamb.

-The next event is not named here but my study bible says it must be the Feast of First Fruits, also held in the first month of the year, right after the Passover week was over. It is to be held on the day after the  Feast Of Unleavened Bread's seventh day Sabbath. The first grain harvested is to be waved before the lord and a one year old lamb is to be sacrificed as a burnt offering, together with flour, oil and wine. The Israelites are not to eat anything made from that year's grain until this offering is made.

-Again, the next event is not named here but the study bible says it was the Feast of Weeks. From the date of the last event, seven weeks are counted, or 50 days to the day after the seventh sabbath. This is what came to be known as Pentecost. It is a big slaughter event with the sacrifice of seven lambs, a bull, and two Rams as a burnt offering. Plus, there is to be the sacrifice of a goat for a sin offering and two lambs as a fellowship offering. The lambs are to be waved in front of the lord. They are a sacred offering to the lord, for the priests. That is also a day with no work.

-On the first day of the seventh month, there is another day off and sacred assembly with an offering by fire. This is a day for blasting trumpets. Why? It doesn't say.

-On the tenth day of the seventh month, is the day of atonement, which we covered in Leviticus 16. This is a day of enforced rest and fasting.

-On the fifteenth day of the seventh month begins the Feast of Tabernacles which lasts for seven days.
The first day is a sacred assembly and no work. Every day offerings are to be made to God by fire. On the eight day is no work, an assembly and an offering. On the first day they are supposed to rejoice with fruit and Palm branches, somehow. They are also to live in booths, or mini tabernacles (tents?) for the seven days of this festival, to remind them of their time in the desert, which they were supposedly still experiencing when these laws were given.

*These specific events and offerings are required and are lasting ordinances for the generations to come. Of course, we all know the Jews no longer make sacrifices by fire. Why don't they? Well, the short answer is these lasting ordinances had some nuances that changed over the generations, which eventually made it impossible for the Jews to follow this tradition in the way they believed they must. We will see how that plays out as we make our way through the bible.  A longer answer is Here. 

Remember, we are basically looking at a plain reading of the bible. Jewish believers do not practice Sola Scriptura, but  have a rich tradition of extra- biblical commentary and interpretation which is beyond the scope of this reader.

Exodus chapter 13

After reading chapter 13:

*The first part of the chapter looks into the future and introduces us to the first Israelite rules. They begin with instructions for the seven day feast of unleavened bread, again. This must be observed at the proper time, year after year. Next, the Israelites are told that all first born males of people and animals belong to Yahweh. Make no mistake, this represents a physical sacrifice (slaughter). However, a lamb may be sacrificed in place of a donkey. If a firstborn male donkey is not redeemed by a lamb, it's neck must be broken. Lovely. First born sons are not to be sacrificed but also redeemed by the blood of a lamb. Part of the ritual is answering children's questions about those practices in the proscribed manner.

*When the Israelites left Egypt they did not take the quick route to Canaan because of the possibility of war. Instead, God led them around by the desert road. They were armed for battle any way. The bones of Joseph were taken with them to fulfill his dying request. One wonders what the point of that was. Could it be the Israelites and Joseph believed that wherever Joseph's bones were, he was?

*All of the million-plus people camped at the edge of the desert. They were guided by Yahweh in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night, so they could see in the dark. It did not leave them.

NOTE: I am in the habit of going back to previous posts to edit for grammar, spelling, and fact checking. From now on, I will include the last date of editing at the bottom of each post.

Exodus chapter 12 part 2

*It was still night when Pharoah summoned Moses and Aaron and told them to take the Israelites and all their possessions and get out of Egypt. He wanted a blessing too! The Egyptians hurried them along and gave them whatever they asked for on their way out. The text says it was because they were "favorably disposed" toward the people. Yeah, right. It also says the Israelites plundered Egypt.

*There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, not including women and children. That would be at least a million people. Verse 38 says there were others as well. The study bible speculates that some Egyptians went with them. I think, if it happened, it would probably have been their personal servants (slaves). However, there is absolutely no evidence that such an event ever happened. If you combine the plagues with the absence of over a million people, there should be evidence of a large scale economic collapse around that time.

*We are told that the Israelites left Egypt exactly 430 years from the day they entered. As I mentioned in the article in Exodus chapter 1, it would have been approximately 1337 B.C.E., if we begin counting from Bishop Ussher's date of 4,004 B.C.E. The Pharoahs who lived in and around this supposed time period are all accounted for in archaeological evidence.  The Israelites in Egypt  are not.

*Before the end of the chapter, the story of the Exodus is interrupted by more instructions about how to properly observe the Passover in the future. No foreigners, temporary residents, or hired workers may eat it. Slaves can, if they are circumcised. Any male non-Israelites wanting to celebrate the Passover must be circumcised. The Passover has to be eaten inside a house and no bones may be broken. These are strange instructions for a group of people who are themselves foreigners and temporary residents at the moment. They also no longer have houses. 

Exodus chapter 12 part 1

After reading Exodus chapter 12:

*Moses has just left Pharoah after telling him that at midnight every firstborn son would die. In the first part of chapter 12, Yahweh gives Moses instructions on how to annually commemorate the "Passover" which hasn't happened yet. The instructions are given as though it has already occurred.

*The month of these events is to be the first month of the Israelite year from now on. On the tenth day of the month, a young, unblemished, male goat or sheep is to be selected and saved to be slaughtered on the fourteen day of that month. The blood of the lamb is to be painted on the door frames of the houses in which the lamb is eaten. The meat is to be roasted over a fire and eaten with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. Every bit is to be consumed or burnt. It is to be eaten in a hurry in traveling clothes.

*Verses 12-13 are written as though Passover hasn't happened yet. That night God will kill all the firstborn Egyptians and animals. (Even though the animals have already been killed in previous chapters) God will pass over the houses with blood on the door frames. The people inside them will not be harmed. Yahweh will bring judgement on the gods of Egypt. Does he say the gods of Egypt don't exist and he is the only God? Nope.

 *With verse 14 we are back to how these events will be commemorated in the future as a lasting ordinance. For seven days they will eat unleavened bread. Yeast is to be removed from the house on the first day and anyone who eats yeast from the first to the seventh days is to be cut off from Israel. (Harsh. I wonder if that sentence has ever been carried out.) There will be a sacred assembly on the first and seventh days. In between that, no work will be done, except for food preparation. This is called the feast of unleavened bread and commemorates God bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, even though it hasn't happened yet. Verses 18-20 are a repetion of the previous instructions with slightly different wording.

*In verse 21, Moses repeats god's instructions about the lamb and the blood to the Israelites. He tells them to make sure they stay indoors and God will not let the destroyer get them. Sounds like a child's worst nightmare. We are not told who or what the destroyer is. Moses tells the Israelites to make sure they keep this ceremony and explain it to their children when they get to the land he promised them. Then the people bowed down and worshipped. They did what Moses said. At midnight all the firstborn of Egypt from the throne to the prison, plus the non-existent livestock, were killed by Yahweh. There was loud wailing in Egypt. No kidding. I wonder if the Egyptians were still favorably disposed to the Israelites after that.

*After reading the bible this far, one might get the idea that God doesn't like firstborn males very much. Oddly enough, Pharoah himself should have been a firstborn son, but he didn't die. Maybe he got off on a technicality.