Archive for month: December, 2017

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2018, January 7 ~ Genesis 1:1-5; Acts 19:1-7

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Genesis 1:1-5

Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (five books) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1,650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.

The Book of Genesis (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah, and these sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.

Today’s reading describes the first day of the seven-day “First Creation Story.” It is part of the “Priestly” tradition written in the period from 550 to 450 BCE. The name used for God in this account is “Elohim” (literally, “the gods”) and is different name from the name (YHWH or “LORD God”) used in the Second Creation Story (Gen. 2:4b – 24). The Second Creation Story is part of the “Yahwistic” tradition dated to about 970 to 930 BCE – the reigns of David and Solomon.

The First Creation Story emphasizes order and categorizing by separation. Priestly writers portrayed order and precision as leading to “Shalom” (peace, good order). It is noteworthy that creation is not “out of nothing” (creation ex nihilo) but describes God as creating by bringing order out of a “formless void” (v. 2) and a watery chaos (“the deep” and “the waters”).

Overcoming the chaos of the ocean was also an important theme in the Babylonian Creation Myth (the “Enuma Elish”) which the Judeans would have encountered during the Babylonian Exile (587-539 BCE).

Acts 19:1-7

The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written by the author of the Gospel According to Luke around 85 to 90 CE. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with an account of the Ascension. The last 13 chapters describe Paul’s Missionary Journeys – not always consistently with Paul’s letters.

Today’s reading is set in Ephesus and is part of Paul’s Third Missionary Journey, one that began in Antioch in Syria and ended in Jerusalem. Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey, and was the capital of the Roman province of Asia. According to Acts 19:10, Paul spent two years in Ephesus converting both Jews and Greeks and performing miracles (v.11).

One of the major themes of both the Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles is the impact of the Holy Spirit – often portrayed as the driving force for all that happens. Today’s reading is an example of the prominence the author of Luke/Acts gives to the Holy Spirit.

2017, December 31 ~ Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3; Galatians 3:23-25, 4:4-7

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Isaiah 61:10-62:3

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and called for Jerusalem to repent in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55 and brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 and, for the most part, gave encouragement to Judeans who returned to Jerusalem (which had been largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile.

Today’s reading is from “Third Isaiah” and is a series of joyful verses. The first two verses (from “I will greatly rejoice” to “spring up before all the nations” are spoken by Zion/Jerusalem. As is often characteristic of psalm-like verses in the Hebrew Bible (as was also true of ancient Canaanite poetry), the verses are repetitive – the idea in one phrase is repeated in slightly different words in the next. For example, “I will greatly rejoice” is followed by “my whole being will exult.” Similarly, Zion is “clothed with garments of salvation” is repeated as the “robe of righteousness.”

In the verses beginning “For Zion’s sake,” the speaker shifts from Zion to the prophet, but the use of repetitive ideas continues: “I will not keep silent” is followed by “I will not rest.” You [Zion] shall wear “a crown of beauty” and “a royal diadem.”

Being “called by a new name” meant Zion/Jerusalem will have a change of fortune and a new identity given by YHWH.

Galatians 3:23-25, 4:4-7

Galatia was a large Roman province in what is now western Turkey. This letter was likely written by Paul in the early 50’s (CE), and dealt (in part) with controversies between Jewish Jesus Followers and Gentile Jesus Followers regarding the continuing importance of Torah (Law) and whether Gentile Jesus Followers had to be circumcised and follow the Kosher dietary laws. It is a “transitional” letter in that – when compared to Paul’s last letter (Romans) — it shows his views on the relationship between the Torah and the Gentile Jesus Followers continued to evolve.

Today’s reading unfortunately omits verses that help the reader/hearer better understand Paul’s position on the relationship between the law (Torah) and the faithfulness of (not faith in) Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. Paul states that through the grace of the faithfulness of Jesus the Christ/Anointed, Jesus Followers are “no longer subject to a disciplinarian [the Law]” (vv. 24-25).

In the second part of today’s reading (beginning with “But in the fulness of time”), Paul emphasizes that Jesus of Nazareth was a human and a Jew (“born of a woman under the law”) to “redeem those under the law” (the Jews). The Greek word translated here as “redeem” means to buy back, as in redeeming something one owns from a pawn shop. All persons, because of the Spirit of the Son, are children of God who can call God “Abba” (Aramaic for father) and are heirs of the Kingdom.

2017, December 25 ~ Isaiah 62:6-12; Titus 3:4-7

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Isaiah 62:6-12

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and calls for Jerusalem to repent in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55 and brings hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they have suffered enough and will return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 and, for the most part, gives encouragement to Judeans who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile.

Today’s reading is from “Third Isaiah” and follows a series of verses which acknowledged that Jerusalem was still recovering from the harsh effects of the Babylonian conquest in 587 BCE. The prophet, speaking on behalf of YHWH/LORD, told the Judeans that sentinels (prophets) would guard over them (v.6). He urged them not to allow YHWH to rest until YHWH established Jerusalem and made it renowned in the earth (v.7). He assured the Judeans that YHWH will be their protector against plunder (v.8) and they would be known as the Redeemed of YHWH (v.12)

Titus 3:4-7

Although Titus is not mentioned in the extensive descriptions of Paul’s journeys in the last half of Acts of the Apostles, he is mentioned in two of Paul’s authentic epistles – Galatians and Corinthians. Titus was Paul’s co-worker and envoy, and this letter is crafted as if it were a reminder to Titus to serve the large Jewish Jesus Follower Community in Crete. The letter was structured as one intended for an audience, and not just for one person.

The Letter to Titus is one of the so-called “Pastoral Letters” (the others are 1 and 2 Timothy) which contain advice to Paul’s co-workers and to the Jesus Follower communities as they were becoming more structured. Most scholars conclude that the Pastoral Letters were written in Paul’s name by some of Paul’s disciples well after Paul’s death in Rome in 63 CE.

In today’s reading, the author presented succinct creed-like statements about key understandings of the meaning of the life of Jesus of Nazareth and the continuing work of the Spirit. It is noteworthy that the author did not claim that Jesus Followers are saved by the Crucifixion, but rather by “the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (v.5). Jesus Followers are “justified” (put in a right relationship with God) by the “grace” of the Spirit “poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (v.6).

2017, December 24 ~ 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Romans 16:25-27

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2 Samuel 7:1-11,16

The Book of Samuel is part of the “Deuteronomic History” that includes the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings. These books are a “didactic history” that covers the period from the time just before the entry into the Promised Land (c. 1220 BCE, if the account is historical) to the beginning of Babylonian Captivity (586 BCE). The books were written in the period from 650 BCE to 550 BCE and continued to be revised even after that.

The Deuteronomists emphasized that YHWH controls history, and when the people (and their kings) worshiped YHWH properly, good things would happen to them. When they worshiped false gods, however, bad events would overtake them.

Today’s reading is set in the early part of the Reign of King David (1005 to 965 BCE).

These verses and the omitted verses (vv.12-15) were central to the Deuteronomists’ belief that even if the kings and people strayed, over the long term, YHWH’s steadfast love would be unwavering (v.15) and the line/house of David would be “established forever” (v.16). YHWH’s unconditional promises “explained” (in retrospect) the Judeans’ independent survival after the Assyrians conquered the Northern 10 tribes in 722 BCE.

The Babylonian Captivity (587 to 539 BCE), however, presented a major theological disconnect for the Judeans. How were they to explain the loss of the land promised by YHWH to Abraham and the end of the Davidic line in 587 BCE? During and after the Exile, the prophets (especially Second Isaiah and Ezekiel) began to resolve this disconnect by affirming that YHWH’s promises were still in force but had been temporarily suspended because of the failure of the Judeans to uphold their part of the covenant with YHWH – to worship YHWH faithfully and to live justly.

Continuing to the First Century (and even for some Jews today), one of the characteristics of the awaited Messiah would be that the Messiah would come from the Davidic line.

Romans 16:25-27

Paul’s letter to the Romans is his longest, last and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE) to a Jesus Follower community that Paul did not establish. Among other messages in the letter, Paul sought to encourage respectful and supportive relationships between the Gentile Jesus Followers and the Jewish Jesus Followers in Rome.

Nero’s predecessor (Claudius) expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 CE. During Nero’s reign (54-68 CE), he allowed Jews (including Jewish Jesus Followers) to return. Their return created tensions within the Jesus Follower Community. (Jesus Followers were not called “Christians” until the 80’s.)

Today’s verses are the concluding blessing in the letter. Some ancient manuscripts of Paul’s letter do not contain these verses.

2017, December 17 ~ Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

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Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and calls for Jerusalem to repent in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55 and brings hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they have suffered enough and will return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 and, for the most part, gives encouragement to Judeans who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile.

Today’s reading is part of “Third Isaiah.” It can be a bit difficult to follow because there are three different “voices” speaking.

In the first four verses, Isaiah describes what a prophet is and does. A prophet is one anointed by YHWH/LORD to bring messages that YHWH wants conveyed to the people – in this case, that they and Jerusalem will be restored.

In the second two verses of today’s reading, YHWH is portrayed as speaking directly to the people. YHWH promises an everlasting covenant with them.

In the last two verses, Isaiah speaks for the people who have received salvation and righteousness from YHWH. The people rejoice that they are like a bridegroom, a bride and the earth in Springtime that brings forth its shoots. They say that YHWH will cause righteousness to spring up among all the nations. (In the Hebrew Bible, the word that is translated as “the nations” is sometimes – depending on context – translated as “the pagans” or “the Gentiles.”)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

The letter to the Thessalonians was Paul’s first letter and was written around 50 CE. Thessaloniki is a seaport and was the capital of Macedonia. The letter encouraged the Jesus Follower community to be steadfast in the face of persecution.

Today’s reading consists of the concluding verses of the letter, and follows an exhortation for the Jesus Followers to be at peace among themselves (v.13) and to not repay evil for evil (v.15). Paul encourages them to rejoice, pray, hold fast to that which is good (vv. 16-21). In his prayer that their “spirit and soul and body be kept sound (v.23), Paul is not treating these as separate parts of a human person, but as three vantage points for viewing persons, each of which is important. Paul emphasizes that God’s call to us is ongoing (v.24).