Remember the important announcement about the new name of the university. Here's the
new sweatshirt:
Introductions:
- Name
- Stress number
- Bib 314?
- Self /Family
- Work
- What does our Campus Safety officer, Robert Brewer, say is the secret of his job, in one word?
- Favorite Musical Group or singer
- Your answers about #6:
Remember Robert's answer: PATTERNS!
Answers to #7:
Remember this list. You'll need it later. To clarify: Mariah means Mariah Carey, Mayer is John Mayer, Selena means Selena Gomez, G. Strait is George, Danny G is Danny Gokey, Karen and Kikki are mom and daughter:Karen Clark Sheard and Kierra "Kikki" Sheard..
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My family:
- AGENDA:
Final Exam (Signature Prep) - Texts and Context
- Three Worlds
- Bartender: Song as Text
- Genesis 1 and 2 (Venn it)
- Moodle/Homework Help
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REMEMBER the exercise where you had to choose a side of the room, based on these pairs?
A good and thoughtful work out. We will talk about this next week, Be thinking about how you decided, and how it made you feel? Were there some where you just had to stand in the middle?
If you had to lose one:
God or Bible???
and shock that people felt when Jesus stormed into the temple area and had his "temple tantrum"..
check out what happened when some former students of mine crashed a class I was teaching! Folks like Sts. Juan Rivera, Jennifer Adams Zeb Brown and Kayla Kirklin Cook. Check it out, Barbara Giddings-Boring! They were hired to interrupt my class with a violent temple tantrum...but they were so nice they replaced the tables they turned over and even sang me Happy Birthday.."and then Jesus apologized for his outburst, and set the tables back up." NOTE: CLICK VIDEO TO PLAY ON FACEBOOK
-----------------as the sign of highest personal respect, call me by my first name
Kraybill, The Upside Down Kingdom:
"In one stroke, Jesus erases titles (Matt. 23:8-10).
Tagging each other with titles has no place in the upside-down
kingdom where everyone stands on equal ground" (226).
"Titles are foreign to the body of Christ. Terms
like Doctor and Reverend perpetuate status differences
unbefitting the spirit of Christ." Titles pay tribute to position,
degree and status rather than to personhood. Members of flat kingdoms
call each other, as the sign of highest personal
respect, by our first names" (239, emphasis mine)
"We call each other by our first name, for we have one
Master and one Lord,
Jesus Christ" (256).
--
What do you remember about our comedian? Here's his Facebook page
What do you remember about our comedian? Here's his Facebook page
--
As you'll remember, when I took a version of this class at FPC (it wasn't a U yet),
Here's my prof, who just passed away this year:I had a cool typewriter
I look forward this class..I think you'll' enjoy it, too..
...I did when I took it in 1983>>
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STRATEGY:
BIB 314 asks, "Who is Jesus?"
and "What is Church?"
This class asks
- "1)How do I read a text of Scripture via a Three Worlds approach?"
- 2)"What does Scripture have to say about community?
- 3)What does Scripture have to say about my major?
--------------------------------
The Three Worlds approach to reading the Bible
The Three Worlds approach to reading the Bible
.
This below is how one student summarized the worlds (she has more detail here)
Literary World--The literary world of the Bible is simply the text itself, apart from anything outside the text. We mean the world (or, better, worlds) created by the text; the words on the page, by the stories, songs, letters and the myriad other types of literature that make up the Bible. All good literature (and the Bible is, among other things, good literature) creates in readers' minds magnificent, mysterious, and often moving worlds that take on a reality of their own, whether or not they represent anything real outside the pages (Hauer and Young ch 2).
Historical World--The historical world of the Bible is the world "behind the text" or "outside the text". It is the context in which the Bible came to be written, translated, and interpreted over time, until the present. In studying the historical world of the Bible, we look for evidence outside the text that helps us answer questions such as, who wrote this text, when was it written, to whom was it written, and why was it written. We also probe the text itself for evidence that links it to historical times, places, situations, and persons (Hauer and Young 2)..
Contemporary World--The contemporary world is the "world in front of the textt" or the "world of the reader." In one sense, there are as many contemporary worlds of the Bible as there are readers, for each of us brings our own particular concerns and questions to the text. They inevitably shape our reading experience. We are all interested in answering the questions of whether the Bible in general, or particular texts, have any relevance to our personal lives
video we didn't watch:
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Remember Dan Nainan?
Why do people say he is HALF ASIAN,
if he is half Japanese/half Indian?
What continent is Israel on?
"What continent is Israel on?"
How did you answer the question?
Answer it in your mind, and then scroll down.
There is only one right answer, obviously.
But every time I ask the question--in Israel or in class--people stumble, and tentatatively give the wrong answers: Europe? Africa? Middle East?
The only right answer is:
Asia.
Does that sound surprising or shocking?
Sooo..that means: Jesus was Asian.
People laugh when you say that. But it's true...and important that Jesus lived in Asia; born and died there. That was his home. In our contemporary world, we think Asian means only Chinese, Japanese etc.
Jesus was Asian! Note I didn't say He IS Asian, as I believe He is bigger than that now, but while on earth as a human he was ethnically Jewish...and Asian. So He thought and lived an Eastern, Mediterranean, Hebrew, Occidental, ASIAN worldview. This will become important later in class.
Video we didn't watch:
Want to have some fun? (and extra exta cred?.. POST the phrase:
on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter..or text or say it to at least one person Then post below one or more of the responses you got. Some people will
accuse you of being crazy. Post your results at the bottom of this summary where it says "post a comment." If you don't have one of the accounts listed, just sign in as "Anonymous" (but be sure to put your name or initials in the actual post, so you get extra credit.
.
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What do you remember from our discussion?
-FOR YOUR SIGNATURE PAPER, Be sure to include: Evidence from the text re: whether the slavery (of Onesimus) and brotherhood of Philemon and Onesimus are literal, metaphorical, or both. Evidence from the text re: whether Onesimus ran away.
-CHALLENGE: MEMORIZE PHILEMON in our class translation by Week 6.
It may help to see what other cohorts said after their first read:
PHILEMON
Literary World structure/sentence diagram
PHILEMON:
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus,
and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker
also to Apphia our sister and
Archippus our fellow soldier
—and to the church
that meets in your home:
3 Grace and peace
to you (plural)
from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers,
5 because I hear about your
love and faith
towards Lord Jesus and all the saints
6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective
in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.
7 Your love has given me great joy
and encouragement,
because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
towards Lord Jesus and all the saints
8 Therefore
although in Christ I could be bold, and order you to do what you ought to do,
9 yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love.
It is as none other than Paul— an old man (elder)
and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—
10 that I appeal to you for my son--
Onesimus,["Useful"]"
who became my son while I was in chains.
11 Formerly he was useless to you,
but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
12 I am sending him
—who is my very heart
—back to you.
13 I would have liked to keep him with me
so that
he could take
your place
in helping me
while I am in chains for the gospel.
14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent,
so that any favor you do would not seem forced
but would be voluntary.
15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while
was that you might have him back forever—
16 no longer as a slave,
but more than a slave,
as a dear brother.
He is that to me,
but even more so to you,
both in the flesh
and in the Lord.
17 So..
if you consider me a partner,
welcome him
as you would welcome me.
18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything,
charge it to me.
19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand:
I will pay it back!
(not to mention that you owe me your very self)
20 I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit ( usefulness_ from you in the Lord;
refresh my heart in Christ.
21 Confident of your obedience,
I write to you,
knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
22 And one thing more:
Prepare a guest room for me,
because I hope to be restored to you (plural)
in answer to your (plural) prayers.
23 Epaphras,
my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus,
sends you greetings.
24 And so do Mark,
Aristarchus,
Demas
and Luke,
my fellow workers.
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your (plural) spirit.
Biblical
Perspectives Signature (SIGNature) Assignment
(final paper)
Due: three days
after last class, by 11:59 p.m. Submit to Turnitin.com
TASK
The signature assignment (final paper) for Biblical Perspectives is designated as a significant 5-7 page paper that
is designed addresses the meaning of a biblical text. Using the skills
gained in the course, develop a paper that combines an understanding of the
historical, literary and contemporary worlds of the text. The text for this assignment is the New Testament
book of Philemon. (Don’t resign the
class until you are done. Resignation often comes too soon).
PURPOSE
The paper is meant
to demonstrate the student’s own analysis and ability to work with a biblical
text and as such need not utilize other resources as in a traditional research
paper. This is a NOT a research paper;
it is a SEARCH paper, where you search out what you think is the
meaning/message of Philemon.
FORM
Thesis: The paper should include a clear
thesis statement in the form of “the book of Philemon is about…” (Note: by “about,” we mean what the book is
ultimately “about”—life lesson, message, not just “about” in the sense of
storyline and characters—though you definitely include that somewhere in your
paper, as well). Be as specific as
possible.
Body: The body of the paper should
demonstrate a recognizable structure that articulates why the thesis is viable.
The body of the paper may take the form of a verse by verse analysis, follow
the categories of historical/literary/contemporary worlds, or use any thematic
analysis that is most useful.
Conclusion: The conclusion should restate the thesis and
the support in summary fashion. The conclusion is also a place for reflection
on the implications of Philemon for your life and work.
Sign (Symbol): Throughout this course we have been
using one guiding sign for each night, corresponding to the theme of the
evening. Based on your study of the book
of Philemon, develop your own sign/symbol that you feel adequately conveys the message
of the book and explain it in a paragraph.
Papers will not be accepted without the sign and explanation. (The sign is something you draw or create,
not anything you find online or elsewhere)
GRADING:
Grading
is based upon how well the thesis is stated and supported, by the clarity of
the structure, by the depth of thought and by the quality of mechanics
(spelling, grammar)
---
Texts:
TEXTS
TEXT: the word does not mean just written words, or text message..
a TEXT is technically
":any message
in any medium,
designed to communicate anything"
":any message
in any medium,
designed to communicate anything"
so obviously the Bible counts as a TEXT message.
.
But so does everything.
All you ever do is send and receive and interpret texts:
Every conversation, film, book is a text.
Students: send me a random text message (see my phone number on syllabus), It can be anything; you don't even have to identify yourself. I will read some of these in class for fun...and to show that texts need context
Because several of the classes I teach have to do with how to read and interpret texts (particularly biblical texts) , contexts, and intertextuality...I actually encourage students to send me text messages in class.
They often look at me as if I am kidding, even afraid I will confiscate their phone if they do.
..
FPU professor (and Textpert) Greg Camp introduced me to thebrilliant idea of having students text me in class.
I ask them to send me a random text message (anything) or to forward
me a text message from their inbox. These become our curriculum for the next few minutes as we interpret them.
me a text message from their inbox. These become our curriculum for the next few minutes as we interpret them.This opens great discussion..
And very often I get a text that says,
(:
Suffice to say the whole idea of texting in class has proven to be a fruitful means
of discussing the only thing we ever engage in, and the only job we have:
interpreting text messages.
Huh?
Increasingly, the definition of text is becoming:
"any message,
in any medium,
intended to communicate anything"
in any medium,
intended to communicate anything"
Movies are texts; conversations at St. Arbuck's are texts. etc
So the primary discipline/skill/art we should cultivate is that of sending and interpreting text messages.
All of life is a text message.
Of course, when dealing with The Text (Scripture), how much more...
Text, subtext, and context is everything.
Text me..
Thanks for texting me in class.
What do you remember about the BUTT CHEEKS (BUT CHEEKS) story?
Texts need contexts.
:
GODISNOWHERE: is it GOD IS NOWHERE or GOD IS NOW HERE?
How you read the text changes as much as everything.
Spaces matter.
Like this:
Professor Ernest Brennecke of Columbia is credited with inventing a sentence that can be made to have eight different meanings by placing ONE WORD in all possible positions in the sentence:
"I hit him in the eye yesterday."
The word is "ONLY".
The Message:
1.ONLY I hit him in the eye yesterday. (No one else did.)
2.I ONLY hit him in the eye yesterday. (Did not slap him.)
3.I hit ONLY him in the eye yesterday. (I did not hit others.)
4.I hit him ONLY in the eye yesterday. (I did not hit outside the eye.)
5.I hit him in ONLY the eye yesterday. (Not other organs.)
6.I hit him in the ONLY eye yesterday. (He doesn't have another eye..)
7.I hit him in the eye ONLY yesterday. (Not today.)
8.I hit him in the eye yesterday ONLY. (Did not wait for today.)
Like this 'text message' from Jesus:
I SAY TO YOU TODAY, "YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE.'
or is it,
I SAY TO YOU, " TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE."
The original manuscripts of the Bible not only run all letters, all caps, together, but include no punctuation.
Punctuation matters.
Everything is context.
context is everything.
-------------------------------------------------
One way to practice interpreting a text via Three Worlds is trying it with a song. We watched this song, and took notes, and tried to interpret it:
What did you write down?
VENN IT!!! VENN IT! comparing/contrasting two texts:
the two stories of creation: Gen 1:1 – 2:3 and Gen. 2:4-25).
VENN IT! comparing/contrasting two texts:
Gen 1:1 – 2:3 and Gen. 2:4-25).
Gen 1:1 – 2:3 and Gen. 2:4-25).
Greg Camp and Laura Roberts (FPU faculty) note:
the two stories of creation: Gen 1:1 – 2:3 and Gen. 2:4-25).
what do you remember about your observations?
Here;s another class results. If anyoone got a pic of the whiteboard with your results, send it to me, so I can post here:
Here;s another class results. If anyoone got a pic of the whiteboard with your results, send it to me, so I can post here:
Camp and Roberts (FPU faculty) note:
The two accounts are separate but complementary, like the four gospels. They can be read at different levels, from literal to figurative, with no bearing on the truth of it. Poetry is notGenesis 1:repetitious, tabular, formaldays of creation reported in the same way, formulaicauthority and brevitystyle of ordering material into a series of similar solemn commands are unchallengedcontent presents major divisions of creation known to writercatalog or tabulation of events and commandsvocabulary = create (bara), humanity as likeness/image, male/fernaleGod = GOD Elohim, characterized as powerful cosmic organizer, speaks things into being, stands outside of cosmos and controls itHumanity = created as vice regent, created in image gives representative statuspolemic against mythical concepts of life and creationGenesis 2:relationship of characters emphasizedlanguage is picturesque and flowing, poetic terms, colorfulGod's actions more interrelated than separated by divisions of time or set expressions (idioms)no two acts are alike and none are preceded by divine commandvocabulary = form (yasar), humanity as living being, man/womanGod = LORD GOD Yahweh, characterized by immanence, personal nearness, involvement on human scene, intimate master, depicted humanly (hands, walking, digging)Humanity = ready contact with and immediate responsibility to God. Humanity's creation linked to ground (word play on adam = man and adamah = ground) and curse is alienation from the land, is distinctive because Yahweh personally addresses himpolemic against fertility cults in Canaan
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Compare Genesis accounts to Babylonian Creation story (read an excerpt here). Significant similarities – Genesis is not written in a vacuum. Significant differences – lack of violence, struggle, multiple gods, etc.Enuma Elish:a. creation by word - Marduk has this power. They tell him to open his mouth. At the word of his mouth XXX vanishes or reappears.b. command over elements - Marduk enlists wind and storm to defeat Tiamat, but battles with elements too.c. Tiamat is split in two and body is used to retain waters and set firmament and ground.d. sets stars in their place, gives moon and sun jurisdiction, setting dayse. creation of man - "blood I will make and bones I will cause to be" new idea like Genesis but he creates out of a dead god's body and for the purpose of "the relief of the gods".In Genesis, we see a carefully structured account, bringing order out of chaos. The sea and darkness are elements of chaos in the ancient world. No work can be done in the dark; salt water kills agriculture; unknown depths and sea creatures are in the sea. God has ability to control and limit these. Chaos is not eliminated or bounded. God creates out of nothing (vs. other creation myths of the day), and the verb used for "create" (bara) is something no human ever does in the Old Testament. Only God does this action. There are also no elements of struggle or battle to create, which is typical of other contemporary creation myths. God simply speaks or shapes things into being. There are also no birthing images, which are common in other myths, and quickly lead to a confusion between Creator and creature (vs. God as wholly other), and to fertility cults. Also, most other creation myths were a people’s story (how the Mesopotamians came to be, for instance). Genesis is not presented as Israel’s story, but as the story of the world. ( to really appreciate the beauty and brilliance of these chapters, one has to read Hebrew. These verses are packed with wordplays and puns. It may not immediately occur to one that puns are a good form of theological education, but…)
-Camp and Roberts
-
Lots of jokes in the syllabus. Did you find this one, from homework reading?
Excerpts from the Babylonian Creation Account (required reading for Week 1)
In the following translation,
parentheses enclose words that have no equivalent in the original but have been
added for fluency or intelligibility. Words in brackets are restorations. (?)
is added to words of uncertain meaning. Ellipses due to breaks in the original
or due to the unintelligibility of the text are marked.... Words that are
underlined are transliterations from the original language.
When above the heaven had not (yet) been named, (and)
below the earth had not (yet) been called by a name; (when) Apsu primeval,
their begetter, Mununu, (and) Tiamat, she who gave birth to them all, (still)
mingled their waters together, And no pasture land had been formed (and) not
(even) a reed marsh was to be seen; When none of the (other) gods had been
brought into being, (When) they had not (yet) been called by (their) name(s,
and their) destinies had not (yet) been fixed, (At that time) were gods create
within them.
Marduk, thou art (the most) important
among the great gods,
Thy destiny is unequaled, thy command
is (like that of) Anu.
From this day onward thy command shall
not be changed.
To
exalt and to abase -- this shall be thy power!
Dependable
shall be the utterance of thy mouth, thy command shall not prove vain.
They gave him an irresistible weapon
smiting the enemy, (saying:)
"Go and cut off the life of
Tiamat. May the winds carry her blood to the out-of-the-way places.”
After the gods his fathers determined
the destiny of Bel,
They set him on the road -- the way to
success and attainment.
He made a bow and decreed (it) as his
weapon;
An arrowhead he put (on the arrow and)
fastened the bowstring to it.
He took up the club and grasped (it) in
his right hand;
The bow and the quiver he hung at his
side.
The lightning he set before him;
With a blazing flame he filled his
body.
He made a net to enclose Tiamat within
(it),
(And) had the four winds take hold that
nothing of her might escape;
The south wind, the north wind, the
east wind, (and) the west wind,
The gift of his (grand)father, Anu, he
caused to draw high to the border(s) of the net.
He created imhullu: the evil wind, the cyclone, the hurricane,
The fourfold wind, the sevenfold wind,
the whirlwind, the wind incomparable.
He sent forth the winds which he had
created, the seven of them;
To trouble Tiamat within, they arose
behind him.
and then he returned to Tiamat, whom he
had subdued.
The Lord trod upon the hinder part of
Tiamat.
And with his unsparing club he split
(her) skull.
He cut the arteries of her blood
And caused the north wind to carry (it)
to out-of-the-way places.
When his fathers saw (this), they were
glad and rejoiced
(And) sent him dues (and) greeting
gifts.
The Lord rested, examining her dead
body,
To divide the abortion (and) to create
ingenious things (therewith).
He split her open like a mussel (?)
into two (parts);
Half of her set in place and formed the
sky (therewith) as a roof.
He fixed the crossbar (and) posted
guards;
(He loved his Bib 446 class at FPU…)
He commanded them not to let her waters
escape....
http://tiny.cc/bib314babyloniangenesis
MYSTERY TO SOLVE FOR NEXT CLASS:
Which list of the Ten Commandments is the "real" list??
We joked you could win $100 by saying, :
Let me read you a list of the Ten Commandments, the only list the Bible explicity calls the Ten Commandments. Tell if this is the list. A hundred bucks says I'm right. Then read them the Ten Commandments from Exodus 34!!:
Exodus 20 Exodus 34: Note: this list, NOT THE
OTHER, is the one that says "THESE ARE
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS"
| 1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. | 1. Thou shalt worship no idol. (For the Lord is a jealous god). Smash all idols, | |
| 2. You shall not make for yourself a graven image. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. | 2. Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. | |
| 3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. | 3. The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep in the month when the ear is on the corn. | |
| 4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. | 4. All the first-born are mine. | |
| 5. Honor your father and your mother. | 5. Six days shalt thou work, but on the seventh thou shalt rest. | |
| 6. You shall not kill. | 6. Thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, even of the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end. | |
| 7. You shall not commit adultery. | 7. Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread. | |
| 8. You shall not steal. | 8. The fat of my feast shall not remain all night until the morning. | |
| 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. | 9. The first of the first fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring unto the house of the Lord thy God. | |
| 10. You shall not covet. | 10. Thou shalt not boil a baby goat in its mother's milk. |
These look only loosely related to the list we've all heard from Exodus 2O. Hmmmmm
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Who noticed the buckets in the room?
I wonder what they meant?
If you're reading this, text me a guess..
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My post got 1 comment: "Wat I thought Jesus was hmong.." with a couple laughter emojis.
ReplyDeleteKia Lee
The response I got was, "What! What are you talking about, no he wasn't!" Haha!
ReplyDeleteCherie E.
response I got was: "Mid East Asian lol"
ReplyDeleteAnnabel D.