Can you read the whole Bible in one year?

Yup. But here are some things to keep in mind.

April 24, 2013

Who wrote it? When? Who was it written for? Why do people disagree so much about what

it says? Why is it so full of contradictions? What’s the deal with God in the Old

Testament? Is it factual? Is it historical? Is it metaphorical? Why are there so many gruesome stories? Why are there two

testaments? Who chose what books made it into the Bible? What books didn’t make it in? How close is our version to the original? If it

was written for the ancient world, what good is it today?

Versions of the Bible• For most of history, most people did not read the

Bible. They listened to a Latin version of it. Books were rare and literacy was low

• Started to change with reformation• Luther’s German version and King James Version

become normative• Today there are dozens of versions: KJV, NRSV, NIV,

The Message, New American, Good News, etc• Translation is interpretation

GET ONE WITH GOOD NOTES!

How has the Bible been read?• Origen, 3rd C., said it could be read literally, morally

and allegorically• Allegory was deepest reading. It opened up

meaning and metaphor• This view dominated interpretation for most of the

next 1300-1400 years• Whether or not details were factually accurate was

not an issue. That level was just assumed• Meaning was far more important

How has the Bible been read?

• People didn’t argue about the details so much as the meaning of the story they supported

• Miracles didn’t require a leap of faith because they weren’t articles of faith

• Miracles were just part of the background of the way people perceived reality

• Meaning of stories resided on this background like paint canvas

Enlightenment Changed This• Enlightenment elevated reason as primary lens by

which many things, including religion, were viewed• This brought tremendous benefit to science,

medicine, history, role of the individual• But it often stripped out allegorical/metaphorical

meanings out of the Bible• The factuality and historicity of stories grew to

become the most important parts and in the process the meaning of stories was often lost

Higher Criticism and Fundamentalism• In 19th century higher criticism began literary,

textual, historical analysis, linguistic analysis etc, to take deeper look at Bible texts

• Conservative Christianity responded, ironically, with tools of enlightenment to defend itself

• Sought certainty and a literal, formulaic, historical reading of the Bible

• “Reduced” the Bible to facts• “The Fundamentals” were first published in

1915. They included, among other things:

“The Fundamentals” and the Bible• Literal virgin birth, certainty of bodily resurrection• Divine inspiration of Bible• 7 days of creation – rejection of evolution• Mosaic authorship of Pentateuch• Literal OT authorship (Isaiah, Daniel)• Literalism around the devil• Literal, personal second-coming

• Socially, the Bible now carries a lot of this baggage

Projection and the Bible• Bible takes multiple positions on so many issues,

that literal interpretation becomes arbitrary• Literal reading often says more about the reader

than the writer• This is projection• We project our opinions, biases, later theology,

current events onto Bible and find what we want• Sexuality, women, slavery, economics, etc• We ask questions of Bible which its writers never

conceived of in the ancient world• Implies need for careful interpretation

Interpretation is Important and Hard• To avoid just finding what we want, need to

interpret thoughtfully

• Learn as much as possible the text (language, key words, translations, ties to other texts, etc)

• Learn as much as possible about context (concerns of original audience, history, cultural issues, etc)

• Figure out what the authors were trying to say to their intended audience

• Apply that package to issues today

Test Cases:Old Testament & Creation

New Testament & Christmas Story

The LawPre-History (pre-1200s)

Songs, Sagas, Laws & Treaties (from Babylon, tribal culture, Egypt, Canaan, etc) Oral and written sources

900sYahwist source (Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel, Babel, Flood (parts), frames much of narrative)

800s Elohist source (Patriarch sagas, Joseph saga)

700sYahwist/Elohist comb. & editing, Addtl sagas, legends, genealogies, cultic regs, holiness code

600s Portions of Yahwist/Elohist migrate to Deuteronomy500s Priestly source (7 days, most laws, cultic stuff)

400sYahwist/Elohist/Priestly comb. & editing, Deuteronomy separated

200s Torah/Law/Pentateuch near final form

90AD Complete Hebrew Bible delimited by Rabbinic Assembly at Jamnia

The Prophets800s Laws, treaties, songs, proto-Deuteronomy

700sSagas, legends, annals, historical narratives, Isaiah 1-31, Amos, Hoseah, Micah

600sDeuteronomy, first eds. of Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, Jeremiah 1-45, Zephaniah, Nahun, Habakkuk

500sIsaiah 40-55, second eds. of Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, Haggai, Zechariah 1-8

400sIsaiah 32-35, Jeremiah 30-31, Ezekiel 1-37 & 40-48, Joel, Malachi, Obadiah, Jonah

200s Isaiah 24-27, Ezekiel 38-39, Zechariah 9-14, Book of the 12

100s Former and latter prophets

90ADComplete Hebrew Bible delimited by Rabbinic Assembly at Jamnia

The Writings1000s Sagas

900sAphorisms, numerical sayings, hymns, laments, Thanksgiving songs, royal songs

800s Folktales behind Job 1-2, 42:9-17

700s Proverbs 10-22, 25-29, Egyptian proto-Proverbs 22:17-24

600sProverbs 22:17-24, Job 3-31, 38-42:6, Midrashes of Kings & Prophets for Chronicles

500sWritten sub-collections of some Psalms, more Proverbs, Job complete, Lamentations

300sPsalms complete, Proverbs complete, song of songs, Ruth, Chronicles, Ecclesiastes

100s Esther, Daniel

90 AD Complete Hebrew Bible delimited by rabbinic assembly at Jamnia

Notes on Old Testament• Little sense of individual authorship in OT (or NT).

“Schools” of followers wrote and re-wrote texts• Others wrote in the name of schools or individuals

to derive credibility• Great tension in OT comes between temple and

prophets. • Temple maintained authority through ritual.

Prophets constantly criticized temple for corruption

Notes on Old Testament

• “Exodus Motif” reverberates throughout OT (and NT). It is the primary reference point

• Israel was dominated by Egypt (perhaps), then threatened by Canaanites, fought among itself, conquered by Assyria, exiled by Babylon, conquered by Alexander, ruled by the Ptolemies, and conquered by Rome, which destroyed the temple and scattered the Jews

• Stories created in one context were constantly re-written to apply to new contexts

Test Case

Genesis 1:1-5:32Creation

Two Creation Stories?

Genesis 1:1-2:4a Genesis 2:4b-5:32

Creation of light Earth and heavens

Separation of the waters Man (not woman)

Land and vegetation Garden

Sun, moon, stars Trees, Tree of Life

Fish and birds River to other places (that are already created?)

Land animals, man and woman Animals

Sabbath Woman

Genesis 1:1-5:32• Literally, the two stories can’t be reconciled

chronologically or theologically or literarily or narratively.

• Meaning collapses in literal reading• Different authorship: Priestly source vs. Yahwist

source• Different names for God, different vocabulary &

style

1:1-2:4a – Possible Meaning• Before creation earth is formless, dark wasteland

and wind swept over waters• Creation takes on clear pattern:– “Let there be…”, creation, complete day

• Very orderly. God is distant, not anthropomorphic• Similarities between this story and a Babylonian

version, re-done for Israel’s theology• Something exists before creation, but it is chaos –

similar to Babylonian accounts

1:1-2:4a – Possible Meaning• Darkness considered to be evil, its origin mysterious• God creates through the spoken word – naming

something signified power over it• Humans are culmination of creation• God’s “us”. Difficult to interpret. Divine council?• “Image”: God’s representative on earth?• Humans created male and female in God’s image• adam means humanity in Hebrew• God is outside of universe

2:4b-5:32 – Possible Meaning

• Yahwist account. More narrative, less orderly, creation feels more haphazard, less logical

• Focus on relationships: humans/God, humans/world, humans/humans

• Not sure what exists before creation• Story clearly written from agrarian setting,

considering the allusions to farming

2:4b-5:32 – Possible Meaning

• Adam means human. Adamah means soil. Play on words and mixed imagery. Creation of humanity, not a man

• No concept of soul. God’s breath animates Adam

• Breath = Ruach. Same word for wind in first story and for spirit later in the OT

2:4b-5:32 – Possible Meaning• No notion of humans created in God’s image• “Eden” means delight. Garden is common

image in ancient creation myths. • Humans are God’s caretakers in the garden,

and must follow Gods’ rules• Tree is common feminine fertility symbol in

myths. Here tree symbolizes wisdom or hubris• It wasn’t an apple

2:4b-5:32 – Possible Meaning• Woman is crowning event of creation, yet passage

has been used to subjugate women. Later readers give strongly misogynist interpretation

• Use of rib is uncertain, may be legacy of Sumerian mythology

• Woman is helper, but not subservient. • Story seems to explain and validate 10th century

covenantal marriage• Finishes with short hymn and divine mandate for

sex. Hmm, maybe sex isn’t that bad

2:4b-5:32 – Possible Meaning

• No mention of “sin” or “original sin” in Hebrew. That’s from Augustine

• Snakes were ancient symbols of wisdom, fertility, immortality. Not seen as the devil here. That is much later interpretation

• Snake also symbol of Canaanite religion• Original source of evil is elusive• Story shows connections breaking down

2:4b-5:32 – Possible Meaning• Snake is half right, God is wrong. Adam & Eve are

not put to death, they see good and evil• The question is this: Who knows what’s best for the

creature, the creator or the creature?• Humans refuse responsibility for their error. Adam

blames Eve and God. Eve blames serpent• God’s love for humanity continues in spite of error• “Us” may refer to ancient court of gods• Maybe God feared humans would become God-like

(See Nephilim later)

New Testament

When was it Written(ish)?• Jesus: 3-33?• Paul’s Letters: 51-58• Roman/Jewish War: 66-70• Oral forms of gospels (33-110)• Gospel of Mark: 68-73 (set in 33)• Rome destroys Jerusalem temple: 70• Gospel of Matthew: 80-90 (set in 33)• Luke/Acts: 80-90 (set in 33-58)• Gospel of John: 80-110 (set in 33)• Revelation: 92-96 (set in 110s)• Other Epistles: 70-130 (set in 51-58)• Didache: 100-150• Justin Martyr: Mid 2nd Century• Gospel of Thomas: Mid 3rd Century (set in 33)• Late 4th/early 5th century, canon assumed closed

Relationship of GospelsMarkMark

Luke Oral TraditionLuke Oral TraditionQ TraditionQ TraditionMark Oral

TraditionMark Oral Tradition

Matthew Oral

Tradition

Matthew Oral

Tradition

John Oral TraditionJohn Oral Tradition

JohnJohn

LukeLuke

MatthewMatthew

Thoughts on NT• Gospel accounts all set around year 33, but not

written until decades later• Gospels, Acts and Paul’s letters differ substantially

on details, chronology, characters, theology• We think of Gospel as one story, but is at least four

stories• Mark, Matthew & Luke are synoptic. John is very

different• Little of it written in Israel• Oral tradition in Aramaic and Greek• Written in Greek (which Jesus did not speak)

Reading 3 Stories at Once

1. Jesus’ story took place around 33. That’s the story on the surface

2. Gospels written decades later and they completely re-interpret Jesus story for new audiences and new issues

3. Writers consciously using Old Testament themes, theology and stories, and often Greco-Roman theology and philosophy. Helpful to know those stories too

Thoughts on Paul• Original to Paul (Circa 50s) – Radical Paul– Romans, I Corinthians, II Corinthians, I Thessalonians,

Galatians, Philippians, Philemon– Challenges many social conventions of ancient world

• Disputed (Circa 70-90) – Conservative Paul– Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians– Challenges and reinforces social conventions of ancient

world

• Non-Pauline (Circa 100-120) – Reactionary Paul– I Timothy, II Timothy, Titus– Reinforces many social conventions of ancient world

Is the NT Historically Accurate?• “…was not composed to record historical

remembrances about Jesus”• “History” as objective discipline did not exist

until 19th century.• Evangelists sought to write gospels, “evangelion”

(good news), message of salvation.• Goal: Preaching for conversion, identity claims

for Jesus, interpreting Jesus stories to Christian community

Social Context of NT• Tradition of oppression by foreign powers• Jewish hierarchy colluded with Roman Empire• Honor/Shame Society: Pivotal social value was

public reputation. In-group /out-group behavior• Collectivistic: Individuals defined by communal

identity. No personal relationship with God• Kinship defines a person• Spirit world: Good/evil spirits everywhere. Human

issues had spiritual corollaries

Social Context of Text• Patron/Client structure: “socially fixed relations of

reciprocity between social unequals”• Purity: System of meaning that determines

behavior as good or deviant. Elaborate rules• Hellenistic world• Growing apocalypticism in face of Roman

occupation• Meals very ceremonial and microcosm of life• Poor, agrarian

Women in NT• Property of fathers or husbands• Extremely ritually unclean when menstruating• Lived private lives in family, no social lives or

power outside kinship circle• Double standards• Jesus treats them in egalitarian way• Few are named or speak

Relationship to Imperial Rome

• Rome dominated Mediterranean world• Peace through threat of violence• Roman soldiers throughout Palestine• Heavily taxed Jewish commerce, especially

agriculture, reducing people to virtual slaves• Used powerful Jews in patron/client structure:

appointed Jewish governors and the high priest. Used Jewish men to collect taxes

• Jews hated the Romans

Relationship to Imperial Rome

• Persecuted some early Christian communities• Rome is focus of apocalyptic projection• Romans considered emperor to be a God• Emperor’s image on all Roman coins, which

Jews had to use• Before the temple fell, Rome placed statue of

emperor in holy of holies• ROME DESTROYED HOLIEST JEWISH SITE

Relationship to Imperial Rome• Rome allowed many religions to thrive in

empire. • Context was multi-religious, but Rome required

subjects to recognize emperor as God• Jews did not do this and Rome was suspicious• Caesar Augustus was believed to be the son of

God who brought peace to the world• Christians used many of the titles reserved for

Caesar for Jesus. Very inflammatory

Theological Context of the Audience

• Religion inseparable from social, political, economic and psychological life

• Jesus does not match Messianic expectations• Growing apocalyptic expectations• Expected Jesus to return very soon• Community of Jews, God-Fearers and Gentiles

Relationship to Judaism

• Christianity not distinct from Judaism at that time

• Jesus not creating a new religion. Fulfilling OT with Kingdom of God

• Jesus portrayed in prophetic tradition, challenging oppression

• Jesus challenges Jewish establishment• Jesus reaches out to Jews and gentiles

Test Case

Matthew 1:1-2:23 & Luke 1:1-2:52

The Birth of Christ

What is in a Christmas pageant?

Matthew Luke

Genealogy

Conception of John

Conception of Jesus Conception of Jesus

Joseph’s Dilemma

Mary visits Elizabeth

Birth of John

Journey to Bethlehem

Birth Birth

Angels & Shepherds

Star, Wise Men, Herod

Circumcision

Adoration of Magi

Presentation in temple

Flight into Egypt to Escape Herod’s Plot

Slaughter of innocent children

Return from Egypt, Move to Nazareth

Matthew’s Genealogy• Genealogy– Begins with Abraham– All men except for Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, wife of

Uriah (Bathsheba), and Mary. What’s unique about these women?

• No manger, shepherds or any of that• Why Bethlehem? Site of David’s Birth.

Bethlehem means “bread”

The Virgin?• Mary is passive character –has no choice in

conception. Joseph and the angel drive the story

• The Septuagint, 3rd century BC Greek translation of Hebrew scriptures translated “young woman” from Hebrew as “Virgin” in Greek.

Matthew 1:23“Look the VIRGIN shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.”

Isaiah 7:14“Look, the YOUNG WOMAN is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.”

Wise Guise

• Wise men are astrologers, learned men from Persia. • Chief priest quotes Micah to them to show

Bethlehem as the birth place of the Messiah• Wise men pay homage to Jesus then avoid Herod• Not kings. Doesn’t say there were three

A Christmas pageant where all the kids get killed?

• To avoid Herod, Joseph receives dream and takes family to Egypt

• Jesus’ journey may symbolize the Jewish people: from Canaan to Egypt and back to Israel

• Like Moses, Jesus avoids mass killing of Jewish boys• Herod is cast as Pharaoh, kills innocent boys• Herod’s title was King of the Jews. Matthew

subverts that with Jesus title, King of the Jews• Angel/dream send family back to Israel and literary

trick sends them to Nazareth

Jesus’ Birth in Gospel of Luke

• Zechariah & Elizabeth conceive John late in life• Gospel begins right in the temple, the heart of

Judaism• Miraculous birth echoes Abraham and Sarah and

other miraculous OT births• John likened to Elijah, whom Jewish tradition said

would herald the Kingdom of God

Annunciation and Magnificat

• Mary and Joseph are poor, humble, live in a backwater. Why is messiah born to them?

• Annunciation foretells the birth• “Womb” in Hebrew also means God• Magnificat based on Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel• Magnificat opens with joy but talks much about

conflict with the powerful

Nativity• No historical precedent for a census of whole

world, though regional censes took place. • Literary device for getting the family to

Bethlehem. May provide contrast with Caesar’s power

• No issues with Joseph and the pregnancy• No donkey• Why a manger? A feeding trough. Jesus is

nourishment? Humankind has no place for Jesus?

Angels and Shepherds• Shepherds had little status in society, considered

unclean and despised• David was a shepherd too• Contrast between humble birth and glorious angels• Angels announce good news –Evangellion– same

word as Gospel• Caesar’s titles were Son of God, Lord, Savior or the

World, Light of the World. Luke subverts that

Comparisons• Shared features:– Mary, Joseph & Jesus– Birth in Bethlehem– During reign of Herod the Great– Conception by the Holy Spirit

• Narrative settings for these events differ significantly

• Mark and Paul, written earlier, include no mention of extraordinary birth. John lacks one

What kind of stories are these?

• Parables: Jesus told parables about Kingdom of God. Jesus’ followers told parables about him

• Parable attempts to show things from unexpected angle

• Birth stories turn Roman and Jewish royal imagery upside down

• Birth stories place Jesus in long line of God’s miraculous action on behalf of Israel

The First WeekCount Day Month Date Year Old Testament PsalmNew

Testament

365 Sunday April 28 2013 Rest! Rest! Rest!

364 Monday April 29 2013 Genesis1-3 Psalm 1 Matthew 1

363 Tuesday April 30 2013 Genesis 4-6 Psalm 2 Matthew 2

362 Wednesday May 1 2013 Genesis 7-9 Psalm 3 Matthew 3

361 Thursday May 2 2013 Genesis 10-12 Psalm 4 Matthew 4

360 Friday May 3 2013 Genesis 13-15 Psalm 5 Matthew 5

359 Saturday May 4 2013 Genesis 16-18 Psalm 6 Matthew 6