My family is heading out west to visit my parents and brother’s family in Oregon later this month and on our way, we ‘re going to pass through Santa Clarita. I don’t know if any of our old IBEX friends are still around, but if so, Jenn Kintner has volunteered to host a little get-together on July 20 starting at 7:00 p.m. The address is 27398 Coldwater Drive, Valencia. We might have a little time the next day if that doesn’t work for your schedule.
The Talmud and the OT
Michael Wex is a Jewish author descended from some notable rabbis. His specialty is Yiddish, and his book Born to Kvetch was a bestseller in 2005. This quotation was brought to my attention by Michael Rydelnik, and I checked the book out recently and verified it. The statement is surprising given its source.
Contrary to the usual "people of the book" shtik (the phrase, incidentally, comes from the Koran), Judaism is a Talmudic, not a
biblical religion; without the interpretive guidance of the Talmud, the Hebrew Bible can lead to Jesus on the cross as easily as to me at my bar mitzvah. The Talmud is even called the Oral Torah and is considered to have been given to Moses along with the Written Torah. In the Jewish system of belief, you can’t have one without the other: Judaism relates to the Bible only as it is refracted through the Talmud and Talmudic ways of thinking. Public-relations-minded anti-Semites who claim to dislike only "Talmudic" Jews are saying that they don’t like any Jews: no Talmud, no Jews. It’s like saying that they love everything about Christianity except for the skinny guy on the cross (pp. 13-14).
The Death of the (Other) Messiah
Fifteen years ago today a man that millions of Jews believed was the Messiah died. As in Christianity, his tomb has become a place of veneration. There is, however, one significant difference between the two tombs. Arutz-7 gives a little of the background, while entirely skirting the issue that the large percentage of Chabad still believes that Schneerson is the Messiah.
Thursday, "Gimel Tammuz" [the third day of Tammuz) on the Hebrew calendar, marks the fifteenth anniversary of the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of blessed memory, when the man arguably most responsible for outreach to the unaffiliated Jew-in-the-street in the past century had left this world.
“The Rebbe,” as he was known by Jews the world over, was the seventh and last spiritual leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidic world movement, and his Chassidim observe the anniversary of his death with various events in every continent on the planet. His marriage did not bear any children, and the Chabad movement has felt it inappropriate to appoint a successor.
Tens of thousands of people are already flocking to visit the Rebbe’s gravesite in Queens, New York, where his body is interred next to that of his father-in-law, the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson.
The burial site today is comprised of a huge outdoor dining hall, a smaller building with a full library, a media center constantly showing videos of the Rebbe, a mikvah (ritual immersion poll) and a bustling office that receives e-mails and faxes from supplicants around the world.
If you ‘re in need of guidance, you can send the Rebbe a letter.
An Example of Hyperbole in the Bible
In some churches, they find a demon under every bush and in every sickness. In some circles of Christianity, they find hyperbole in every prophecy. I am not convinced, but I did find one that will put those stupid “literalists” [fn1] to shame:
1 Kings 20:10 (NIV) “Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful.””
Can you find a better one?
BTW, this verse is a good example of the value of translating the text. Compare the BESV:
1 Kings 20:10 (ESV) “Ben-hadad sent to him and said, “The gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me.””
The NASB does the same thing.
While I’m rambling, I might as well mention Ahab’s awesome comeback:
1 Kings 20:11 (NIV) “The king of Israel answered, “Tell him: ‘One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off. ‘””
Herod the Great’s stadium at Samaria
fn1: These literalists exist only in the minds of those who see figurative language wherever it’s convenient.
What Chronicles is All About
I just finished writing a 9-page chapter that gives my take on 1-2 Chronicles. Though written for a new OT survey textbook, this chapter does not give a chronological summary of the book. Instead it is arranged by themes, under the heading of “what did the author of Chronicles really want you to understand.”
As I mentioned before, I really had a fun time studying the book, and I’ve tried to capture the heart of it in a concise and interesting way. Before I submit the chapter to the editor, I’ve been encouraged to let others read it and give their feedback. Specifically, I want to know if the chapter is understandable, engaging, and relevant. I’m interested in fixing places where the content is confusing or the grammar is difficult. You might be particularly helpful if you:
- are good with words
- or fit in the primary target audience of a college freshman/sophomore (or high schooler)
- or fit in the secondary target audience of a church layperson
- or have a passion for Chronicles
- or want to have a passion for Chronicles
- or having been waiting for your opportunity for revenge!
If that’s you, send me an email (tbolen91 at bibleplaces dot com is my current online address) and I ‘ll send you the chapter. I must have all feedback not later than this Saturday, June 28.
99 for 99
Amazon currently has a sale on 99 Essential Chants. Each mp3 is available for 99 cents, but now you can get the entire “album” of 99 mp3 files for less than a buck. I haven’t listened through the whole yet, but you don’t have to like very many to make it worthwhile.
UPDATE: The price has increased to $8.99 for the album. I guess it pays to monitor this blog like a hawk. (Just kidding; don’t bother!)
HT: Eric Zeller
My Studies: A Summary of Two Years
We landed in Texas about two years ago, and in the fall I signed up for a course in Matthew. I actually took one for credit (a Greek exegesis kind) and audited another on the “Kingdom in Matthew.” It was not long before Matthew became one of my favorite books.
That spring I took a course in the Torah and Former Prophets (Genesis-2 Kings) and we did anything but cover them evenly. I spent most of my time in Genesis and that quickly became one of my favorite books.
In my second fall, I took three courses and lived to tell about it. For the Pauline epistles course, I wrote an “argument” of Galatians and absolutely loved it. It became one of my favorite books. For my other two classes, I did a lot of work in Isaiah and was just blown away. Once you get over the hump, the guy is matchless. It is easily one of my favorite books.
Last semester, I had a seminar in Hebrews to Revelation. There’s a lot going on there, but I started one paper and finished a different one, both in Revelation, and I felt like I could spend the rest of my life there. It’s definitely one of the best books in the Bible.
Two weeks ago, I finished more than a year of teaching 1 Samuel, week by week, in Sunday School. I’ve taught 1 Samuel in broad sweep many times, but, oh, the treasures that you see when you read slowly and have time to digest. I love this book and hope to teach it again many times, for it will always be one of my favorite books.
Today I finished writing (first draft) a chapter on Chronicles for an OT survey textbook. For this, I have spent a large amount of time reading and thinking about this book over the last couple of months. To even say this is to admit unpardonable failure in years past (since I was teaching, um, the history of anc…). I can’t even say it. Let’s just say that Chronicles rocks. If you read it as filler, you are a thief who plunders a jewelry store of its tools. It must be read as it was written – a single, book with a powerful message. So, yes, this is far and away one of my favorite books.
I got three years of study left. Who knows what might happen?
A Demilitarized Palestinian State
The big news in Israel yesterday was Netanyahu’s speech in which he declared, for the first time in his political career, willingness to support a Palestinian state. He conditioned that it must be “demilitarized.” But would such work? Would the Palestinians agree to not have full sovereignty? What about after they become a state? Would the agreement be binding? What if they, and I know this would never happen, changed their minds and rejected the agreement?
These are questions asked and answered in an Op-Ed in today’s JPost:
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu agreed on Sunday to creation of a Palestinian state, but he made this acceptance dependent upon its demilitarization. "In any peace agreement," he said, "the territory under Palestinian control must be disarmed, with solid security guarantees for Israel." Although this position represents a substantial concession on his part – largely because he is now under intense pressure from US President Barack Obama – it has absolutely no chance of success.
Neither Hamas nor Fatah would ever negotiate for anything less than full sovereignty. Supporters of full Palestinian statehood can find proper legal support in certain international treaties. For example, international lawyers, seeking to "discover" helpful sources of legal confirmation, could cleverly cherry-pick provisions of the (1) Convention on the Rights and Duties of States (the 1933 treaty on statehood, sometimes called the Montevideo Convention), and (2) the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
Israel has the right to endure. It was correct for Netanyahu to previously oppose a Palestinian state in any form. Nonetheless, any new arguments for demilitarization will be a nonstarter. International law would not necessarily expect Palestinian compliance with prestate agreements concerning armed force. This is true even if these agreements had included certain US guarantees. Also, because authentic treaties can be binding only upon states, a nontreaty agreement could be of no real authority.
Read the rest here.
June 14
One of my favorite books is The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, by Jeremiah Burroughs. If you’ve been looking for a good motivation to read it, you now have one with the reading group at Challies.com. They begin on June 18.
Some good thoughts on evangelical superstars here.
Daniel Pipes has a concise blogpost evaluating Netanyahu’s important speech today.
Those thinking about a Bible teaching career and the choice between being a generalist or specialist may benefit from this article posted on the SBL site on the case for generalists.
The 10 Greatest Explosions Ever (LiveScience.com)
Wives and Children
Abijah ruled for three years (2 Chr 13:2). He had 14 wives and 38 children (2 Chr 13:21). Do the math. It’s possible, but he must have spent a lot of time visiting the hospital during his reign. Of course, he likely married before he became king.
Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kgs 11:3). How many children do you suppose he had?
I think I might be a descendant of Solomon.