1 Kings 19:4-8
The authors of the Book of Kings were also the authors of the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Samuel. These books were given their final form around 550 BCE – long after the events they described. The authors used the stories in these books to demonstrate that it was the failures of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
Elijah and his successor, Elisha, were two of the great prophets (speakers for YHWH) in Jewish History. They opposed the (mostly) Baal-worshiping kings in Northern Israel for 90 years (from approximately 873 to 784 BCE), and their stories comprise about 40% of the Book of Kings.
Just prior to today’s reading, Elijah invoked the power of YHWH to overcome the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel in the Northern part of Israel. He brought fire upon a huge sacrifice, rain to end a drought, and then killed all the prophets of Baal.
The evil King of Northern Israel at the time was Ahab (873-852) and his wife was the Baal-worshiping foreigner, Jezebel. After Elijah’s deeds, Jezebel swore to kill Elijah, so he ran away as far south in Israel as he could – first to Beer-sheba (about 100 miles) and then to the wilderness where he hoped to die. In today’s reading, YHWH’s angels provided food to Elijah so he had strength to journey to Horeb and continue his ministry.
For the Deuteronomists, the holy mountain is called “Horeb” rather than Sinai. “Sinai” is the name of the holy mountain used by the authors of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. The location of the holy mountain in the Sinai Peninsula has never been determined.
Ephesians 4:25 – 5:2
Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they didn’t always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.
Because the letter contains a number of terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gives new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus.
Because of the verses just before today’s reading, this passage appears mostly directed at the Gentile Jesus Followers. The author urged them to put away falsehood, not speak evil of others, and to put away bitterness, wrath, anger, wrangling and slander (v.4:31). He urged them live in love as Christ loved us. Describing Christ as a “fragrant sacrifice” (v.5:2) is a reference by the author to burnt offerings in the Hebrew Scriptures which are described as giving off an odor that was pleasing to YHWH, for example, Noah’s sacrifice in Gen. 8:21.
2018, August 26 ~ Joshua 24:1-2a,14-18 and Ephesians 6:10-20
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienJoshua 24:1-2a, 14-18
The authors of the Book of Joshua (called “the Deuteronomists”) were also the authors of the books of Deuteronomy, Judges, Samuel and Kings. These books were given their final form around 550 BCE – long after the events they described.
The Deuteronomists used the stories in these five books to make the case that it was the failures of the people and the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
The Book of Joshua is part of this “Deuteronomic History.” It covers the entry of the Israelites into the Promised Land by crossing the River Jordan (around 1225 BCE, if the account is historical), the swift conquest by Joshua of the people that were in the land (starting with Jericho), the allocation of the lands among the tribes, and concludes with the “Covenant at Shechem” by which the people swear (acting as their own witnesses) to be faithful to YHWH.
In today’s reading, Joshua assembles the tribes in Shechem (an important religious and political center) and challenges them whether they will serve YHWH. The people promise to serve YHWH and put away foreign gods in this Covenant at Shechem.
The Deuteronomist used this Covenant at Shechem to “convict” the Israelites of their own later failures to worship YHWH as the cause of their conquests by foreign powers. YHWH is presented by the Deuteronomists as faithful to YHWH’s promises (such as the promise to Abraham of the land and the promise that David’s “house” would rule forever). The later failures of the people (and their kings) to worship YHWH was a breach of their own Covenant.
Ephesians 6:10-20
Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they didn’t always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.
Because the letter contains a number of terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gives new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus.
Today’s reading is the last of the six portions of the Letter to the Ephesians that have been presented in recent weeks.
Today, the author portrayed life as a Jesus Follower as a struggle against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers and the spiritual forces of evil. He urged that believers put on the armor of God, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and use one offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit (which the author says is the word of God).
2018, August 19 ~ Proverbs 9:1-6 and Ephesians 5:15-20
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienProverbs 9:1-6
In Christian Bibles, the Book of Proverbs is included in the “Wisdom Literature,” but in the Jewish Bible (the “TaNaK”), it is part of the “Writings.” The other two parts of the Jewish Bible are The Torah and The Prophets. The name “TaNaK” is an acronym for the first letters of the Hebrew words for each of these sections: the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the Ketubim.
Although Proverbs claims to be written by Solomon (965-930 BCE) (v.1:1), most scholars agree that these sayings were compiled over a long period and put in their final form around 450 BCE. In fact, two Chapters of Proverbs (22:17 to 24:34) are copied almost word-for-word from Egyptian literature dating to about 1100 BCE.
Most of the sayings in Proverbs are presented as teachings from the elders and are aimed at young men. They generally advise that moral living (diligence, sobriety, self-restraint, selecting a good wife, honesty) will lead to a good life.
The usual translation of a recurring theme in Proverbs is that “fear” of YHWH (translated as LORD – all capital letters in the NRSV) is the beginning of wisdom, many scholars suggest that “awe of YHWH” or “reverence for YHWH” better captures the sense of the authors of the sayings in Proverbs.
In today’s reading, Wisdom is portrayed as a woman who invites even the “simple” and “those without sense” to share the bread and wine at her table and walk in the way of insight. In Proverbs 8:22, Wisdom was portrayed as being present at the Creation.
Ephesians 5:15-20
Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they didn’t always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.
Because the letter contains a number of terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gives new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus.
In today’s reading, the author continues to urge the Jewish Jesus Followers and the Gentile Jesus Followers in Ephesus to live wisely, soberly, and to be thankful to God. In the verses just before today’s reading, the author uses light and dark imagery to show that they are all now children of the light.
2018, August 12 ~ 1 Kings 19:4-8 and Ephesians 4:25 – 5:2
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'Brien1 Kings 19:4-8
The authors of the Book of Kings were also the authors of the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Samuel. These books were given their final form around 550 BCE – long after the events they described. The authors used the stories in these books to demonstrate that it was the failures of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
Elijah and his successor, Elisha, were two of the great prophets (speakers for YHWH) in Jewish History. They opposed the (mostly) Baal-worshiping kings in Northern Israel for 90 years (from approximately 873 to 784 BCE), and their stories comprise about 40% of the Book of Kings.
Just prior to today’s reading, Elijah invoked the power of YHWH to overcome the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel in the Northern part of Israel. He brought fire upon a huge sacrifice, rain to end a drought, and then killed all the prophets of Baal.
The evil King of Northern Israel at the time was Ahab (873-852) and his wife was the Baal-worshiping foreigner, Jezebel. After Elijah’s deeds, Jezebel swore to kill Elijah, so he ran away as far south in Israel as he could – first to Beer-sheba (about 100 miles) and then to the wilderness where he hoped to die. In today’s reading, YHWH’s angels provided food to Elijah so he had strength to journey to Horeb and continue his ministry.
For the Deuteronomists, the holy mountain is called “Horeb” rather than Sinai. “Sinai” is the name of the holy mountain used by the authors of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. The location of the holy mountain in the Sinai Peninsula has never been determined.
Ephesians 4:25 – 5:2
Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they didn’t always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.
Because the letter contains a number of terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gives new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus.
Because of the verses just before today’s reading, this passage appears mostly directed at the Gentile Jesus Followers. The author urged them to put away falsehood, not speak evil of others, and to put away bitterness, wrath, anger, wrangling and slander (v.4:31). He urged them live in love as Christ loved us. Describing Christ as a “fragrant sacrifice” (v.5:2) is a reference by the author to burnt offerings in the Hebrew Scriptures which are described as giving off an odor that was pleasing to YHWH, for example, Noah’s sacrifice in Gen. 8:21.
2018, August 5 ~ Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 and Ephesians 4:1-16
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienExodus 16: 2-4, 9-15
The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Bible and covers the period from the slavery in Egypt under Pharaoh (around 1250 BCE), the Exodus itself, and the early months in the Wilderness.
In today’s reading, the Israelites have not yet reached Sinai, and are complaining (once again) to Moses that it would have been better to have died at the hand of YHWH (!) in Egypt than to starve in the Wilderness.
Because YHWH is perceived as controlling everything in most of the Hebrew Bible, the writers of this story say that the Israelites’ deaths in Egypt would have been at the hand of YHWH (v.3) rather than at the hand of Pharaoh.
The God presented in this story is very human-like. YHWH “hears” their complaining (v.7). YHWH “speaks” to Moses (v.4) and responds by sending them manna.
Man hu are the Hebrew words for “What is it?” (v. 15), so the name of the substance is also a play on words. “Manna” is a real thing. The New Oxford Annotated Bible says it is “the carbohydrate-rich excretion of two scale-insects that feed on the twigs of the tamarisk tree.”
In Israel today, something called “manna” is sometimes available for purchase in Arab markets. It is sweet and sticky.
Ephesians 4:1-16
Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they didn’t always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.
Because the letter contains a number of terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gives new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus. The first three chapters are theological teachings and the last three chapters consist of ethical exhortations.
In today’s reading, the author continues to urge the Jewish Jesus Followers and the Gentile Jesus Followers in Ephesus to be unified in Christ. He urges them to be humble, patient, “bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (v.3).
He emphasizes that there is “one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” Christ both ascended and descended so that he might come to all persons. Each person has different gifts for the body’s growth in building itself up in love (v.11-12). A perfect (i.e. complete) church is modeled on Christ himself.
2018, July 29 ~ 2 Kings 4:42-44 and Ephesians 3:14-21
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'Brien2 Kings 4:42-44
Elijah and his successor, Elisha, were two of the great prophets (speakers for YHWH) in Jewish History. They opposed the (mostly) Baal-worshiping kings in Northern Israel for 90 years (from approximately 873 to 784 BCE), and their stories comprise about 40% of the Book of Kings.
The authors of the Book of Kings were also the authors of the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Samuel. These books were given their final form around 550 BCE – long after the events they described. The authors used the stories in these books to demonstrate that it was the failures of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
Elijah and Elisha are both credited with numerous healings, restoring people to life, and other extraordinary events involving food, such as the one recounted in today’s reading.
Prior to today’ reading, there was a famine in the land. Elisha took a limited amount of food from a man from Baal-shalishah. He directed that the food be given to 100 people, and (miraculously) there was more food left over than to begin with. The Deuteronomist recounts (v. 43) that this was caused by the power of YHWH (translated as LORD in capital letters).
In today’s passage, even the name of the town (Baal-shalishah) shows that Baal worship was continuing in Israel in the 700’s BCE. Modern archeological evidence shows that significant Baal worship also continued in Southern Israel (Judea) – alongside worship of YHWH – until the beginning of the Babylonian Captivity in 586 BCE.
Ephesians 3:14-21
Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they didn’t always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.
Because the letter contains a number of terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gives new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus. The first three chapters are theological teachings and the last three chapters consist of ethical exhortations.
In today’s reading, the author continues his efforts to unify the Jewish Jesus Followers and the Gentile Jesus Followers in Ephesus. Here, he reminds them that they are all part of the “family” of the Father and prays that they will be “rooted and grounded in love.” The author emphasizes that the love of Christ surpasses knowledge.
Today’s reading concludes (vv. 20-21) with a “doxology” – a statement of glory and praise of God who can perfect the church through the Spirit.
2018, July 22 ~ Jeremiah 23:1-6 and Ephesians 2:11-22
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienJeremiah 23:1-6
After the good King Josiah was killed in battle in 609 BCE at Megiddo (the Greek name for which is Armageddon), the fortunes of Judea took a sharp downward turn. Babylon threatened Judea’s existence, and Judea had a series of hapless kings from 609 BCE until Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians in 597 BCE and destroyed by them in 586 BCE. The Babylonian Exile occurred in two phases, one in 597 and the second in 587 BCE.
Jeremiah’s prophesy (i.e. speaking for YHWH) began around 609 and continued until 586 BCE when he died in Egypt.
In today’s passage, Jeremiah criticized the current kings (“shepherds”) for destroying and scattering the people (“the sheep of my pasture”) and said that a “remnant” will come back to Judea. In the Hebrew Bible, “remnant” is a “code word” that referred to the Judeans who would return to Jerusalem from Babylon after the Exile ended in 539 BCE. Jeremiah, speaking for YHWH, said when they return, they will follow the commandment in Genesis 1:22 to be “fruitful and multiply” (v.3). He said the line of David would be restored, and Judeans would live safely in their own land.
These prophesies by Jeremiah remained an important part of the 1st Century CE understanding (and expectation) of what the Messiah would be and do.
Ephesians 2:11-22
Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they didn’t always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.
Because the letter contains a number of terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gives new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus. The first three chapters are theological teachings and the last three chapters consist of ethical exhortations.
Today, the author speaks mostly to the Gentile (“uncircumcised”) Jesus Followers, and reminds them that through Jesus the Christ they have been brought into the Covenants of promise that formerly were only for the Jews.
By his life, death and resurrection, Jesus created a New Covenant open to both Jews and Gentiles. Gentile and Jewish Jesus Followers are now “one new humanity in place of the two” and “members of the household of God.”
Historical note: The question “Does a Gentile have to become a Jew (be circumcised and follow Kosher dietary rules) in order to become a Jesus Follower?” was supposedly “answered” in the negative at Jerusalem in 49 CE (recounted in Acts 15). Many scholars, however, see Acts 15 as a “compression” of events that continued well past 49 CE until Acts of the Apostles was written around 85 CE by the same person who wrote the Gospel According to Luke.
2018, July 15 ~ Amos 7:7-15 and Ephesians 1:3-14
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienAmos 7:7-15
After Solomon died in 930 BCE, the Kingdom of Israel split into two parts, the North (called Israel) and the South (called Judea). The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788 to 747 BCE) was very prosperous but was a time of great inequality between rich and poor. Amos was a cattle herder who also took care of fig trees in Judea, but he was called by YHWH to prophesy against Israel from about 760 to 750 BCE.
Amos is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel).
In today’s reading, Amos told Israel that it was not measuring up to YHWH’s plumb line and that it would be destroyed if it did not reform. He then disputed with the King’s appointed priest, Amaziah, who told Amos to stop prophesying in Israel, and to go back to Judea. Amos responded that he was not a “professional” prophet but had been called by YHWH to prophesy to Israel.
In 722 BCE, just as YHWH told Amos to say, the Assyrians conquered Israel. Samaria was the capital of Israel, and because Assyrians intermarried with Samaritans, Samaritans were looked down upon by Judeans.
Ephesians 1:3-14
Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they didn’t always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.
Because the letter contains a number of terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gives new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus. The first three chapters are theological teachings and the last three chapters consist of ethical exhortations.
In today’s reading, the author emphasized the shared beliefs for Jesus Followers, and that the Christ is the mediator of divine blessings. Because some of the vocabulary in this letter is different from most of Paul’s letters, scholars are divided about whether this letter was written by Paul (who died in 62 or 63) or if it was written later in the 1st Century by an admirer of Paul.
2018, July 8 ~ Ezekiel 2:1-5 and 2 Corinthians 12:2-10
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienEzekiel 2:1-5
Ezekiel is one of the three “Major” Prophets – so called because of the length of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a Zadokite priest (descended from the High Priest Zadok in the time of David and Solomon) and was among the first group of persons deported by the Babylonians to Babylon when they captured Jerusalem in 597 BCE. His name means “God strengthens.”
The Book of Ezekiel is in three parts: (1) Chapters 1 to 24 are prophesies of doom against Jerusalem before the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE; (2) Chapters 25 to 32 are prophesies against foreign nations; and (3) Chapters 33 to 48 are prophesies of hope for the Judeans written during the Babylonian Exile (586-539 BCE).
Similar to other prophets, Ezekiel “prophesies” by speaking for God. Prophesy in the Hebrew Scriptures is not about telling the future. A prophet is one who speaks for YHWH.
Today’s reading is part of the “Call of Ezekiel” and follows the nearly psychedelic visions of God described in Chapter 1.
In verse 1, Ezekiel says that God addressed him as “O mortal” – the translation used 93 times in the Book of Ezekiel for the Hebrew words “ben adam.” “Ben adam” literally means “son of the earthling/human.” “Adam” was the “name” of the person who was fashioned from fertile earth (in Hebrew, “adamah”) by YHWH in Genesis.
“Ben adam” is elsewhere translated in Scripture as “Son of Man” or “human being” in Daniel 7:13, and Son of Man is a frequent title given to Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospels.
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic. Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.
Based on internal references in the two remaining letters to the Corinthians, scholars agree that Paul likely wrote at least four letters to the Corinthians. The so-called Second Letter to the Corinthians is composed of fragments of these letters.
In today’s reading, Paul describes his own mystical experience of God as validation of his own spiritual authority. His experience is an ecstatic one (“whether in the body or out of the body I do not know”). In verse 7, Paul then spoke of a “thorn” with which he was afflicted, the nature of which is not known. Rather than asserting the Hellenistic ideal of sufficiency to overcome hardships, Paul accepted hardships as coming from God who will also give grace that is sufficient (v.9).
2018, July 1 ~ Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24; and 2 Corinthians 8:7-15
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienWisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24
The Book of Wisdom, also known as “The Wisdom of Solomon,” is not part of the “Canon” (accepted books) of the Hebrew Bible. It is, however, included as part of the Hebrew Scriptures in Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church Bibles as “deutero-canonical” – part of a “second” Canon. In Protestant Bibles, Wisdom is not included in the Hebrew Scriptures but is part of the Apocrypha (“hidden books”).
This difference in treatment arises because in the period from 300 to 200 BCE, the existing Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek (the common language of the time). Compilations of these translations were called the “Septuagint.” The Book of Wisdom was included in most versions of the Septuagint, but this book (among others) was not included in the Canon of the Hebrew Bible (the “TaNaK”) when it was codified around 90 CE by the Pharisees/Rabbis after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.
Jerome included “Wisdom” and the other books that were part of the Septuagint in the Vulgate (the Latin translation of the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures around 405 CE). Jerome wrote prefaces to some books that they were not in the Jewish Canon of the Hebrew Bible. Later compilers overlooked Jerome’s prefaces, and the Council of Trent in 1546 decreed that the Roman Catholic Canon of the Old Testament included the books that were in the Septuagint.
Luther and other Protestants followed the Jewish Canon of the Hebrew Bible and put books from the Septuagint (such as Wisdom) in a separate section called the Apocrypha.
The Wisdom of Solomon purports to be written by Solomon (who reigned in Israel from 965 to 930 BCE). It was actually written by an anonymous Hellenistic Jew in the late First Century BCE or the early First Century CE. The author’s intent was to show the superiority of Judaism in terms that were relevant to persons familiar with Greek philosophy. For this reason, there is an emphasis on Platonic ideas such as immortality and the guiding force of Sophia (Wisdom).
Today’s reading (v.14) refers to Hades, the Greek abode of the dead (“Sheol” in Judaism) and affirms that “righteousness” (right relation with God, others and the world) is immortal.
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic. Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.
Based on internal references in the two remaining letters to the Corinthians, scholars agree that Paul likely wrote at least four letters to the Corinthians. The so-called Second Letter to the Corinthians is composed of fragments of these letters.
Today’s reading contains part of Paul’s exhortation to Jesus Followers in Corinth to give generously to a collection Paul was taking up on behalf of the Jerusalem church. Chapter 9 repeats much of Chapter 8 and may be from a different letter making the same appeal for the poor in Jerusalem.
2018, June 24 ~ Job 38:1-11 and 2 Corinthians 6:1-13
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienJob 38:1-11
The Book of Job is a unique poetic story in the Hebrew Scriptures. Job is a righteous person (in right relation with God and others) and is presented as a non-Jew living in the land of Uz (somewhere in what is now Saudi Arabia).
Satan (the “adversary” – not the post-First Century name of the devil) makes a wager with God that Job is righteous only because he has health, family and riches. Satan bets God that Job will curse God if he loses his family, health and wealth.
Satan takes everything from Job, but Job does not curse God. His friends come to “comfort” him and (using typical Deuteronomic thought) tell him that his deprivations must be the result of a sin by him or his forebears. Job denies this and (contrary to the claim in the traditional translation of Jas. 5:11) is anything but “patient.” He “endures,” is steadfast and in some respects, defiant. He asks for someone to judge whether a God who causes a person to suffer is really a just God. He asks to confront God face-to-face.
Today’s reading is the beginning of a four-chapter “response” by God to Job. The “response” is structured by the author (called “Poet-Job”) as a series of questions from God to Job that demonstrate the complexity of created reality, an imaginative inspection of the cosmos.
After the theophany (the appearance of God to Job), Job acknowledges his limitations. In a later-added Epilogue, Job’s riches are restored, and he had another family.
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic. Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.
Based on internal references in the two remaining letters to the Corinthians, scholars agree that Paul likely wrote at least four letters to the Corinthians. The so-called Second Letter to the Corinthians is composed of fragments of these letters.
Paul’s relationship with the Corinthians was sometimes strained (2:2-4). Today’s reading continues Paul’s defense of his ministry (v.3). He enumerates his sufferings (v.4-5), defends his works (v.6-7), and counters charges against him (v.8-10). He claims that his affection for the Corinthians is unrestricted, but the affections of the Corinthians are limited (v.11).