Babel

The first eleven chapters of Genesis consist of important pre-historic oral traditions included in the Torah because of divine inspiration. They express the efforts of early humans to understand why things were the way they were, how they came to be, how they were to live.

In the Bible, recorded human history begins in Genesis 12:1-4 – Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”[a]4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. (NRSCCE)

As my Lutheran Seminary OT/Hebrew professor phrased it, “Recorded human history in the Bible began when God told Abraham to get up and go, and he got up and went.”

In a pagan world, those stories recorded in the Torah teach what would have been revolutionary theology, that one God created everything and that it was good, that God loved and cared for his creation, that God created humankind in his spiritual image and expected his love to be returned and shared and his creation cared for, that men and women were to join together and become one in marriage and love and care for each other, that humankind is subject to temptation and always fails to live up to God’s expectations, and that there is a price to be paid for those failures. That is a lot of truth. There is a more detailed summary in an earlier post on this blog.

That is a decent summary of the first ten chapters, but what about Genesis 11:1-9, a short story attempt to explain why the people were scattered all and speaking different languages and therefore unable to cooperate and just didn’t have the power they thought they should have. Their story has God playing a role that shows they have completely forgotten the truths learned about his loving nature and power and are thinking he is afraid of competition from his creation: Genesis 11:5-7 – 5 The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

The human problem being revealed and condemned here is egotism, humans thinking they are in competition with their Creator and that God fears their power! I believe we can comfortably say that was never true and is an excellent example of words falsely attributed to God in Sacred Scripture. I suppose we can say that it is literally true that the people egotistically thought that God feared them but not true that he said so and acted on it. I guess the writer was thinking of one of those pagan gods and not about God. Recognizing this is an opportunity for better understanding of the Bible. 

We can remember that even the disciples of Jesus, standing face to face with him, often misunderstood what he was trying to tell them so it should not be surprising that many things attributed to God in the Old Testament represented failure to understand and to still think of God as being in their image, like them, rather than understanding that they were created with the possibility of being like God but failing to do so. Even within the Old Testament we find the understanding of divinity progressing from belief in many gods (paganism) to belief in only one god of the many for the Jews (henotheism) to one God period for everybody (monotheism) and from the importance of continuing the pagan practice of animal sacrifices to being told that God was wanting mercy rather than sacrifice (Hosea 6:6).

Some Bible scholars see the Pentecost story in Acts 2 as clear refutation of any suggestion that God prefers we not have the ability to talk to each other. And even then, there was misunderstanding: “All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” – Acts 2:12-13

As usual, one man’s opinion. Comments and suggestions welcome.

Twelve Theological Truths

Twelve Torah-Rooted Theological Truths

  1. There is one and only one God. (A radical idea at the time considering the multitude of gods typically worshipped in Biblical times. Exodus 20:1-8)
  2. God created the universe and all that is in it. (We don’t know how He did that, but scientific investigation has revealed much about how it works, how miraculous it is, and how it could not have happened by accident. If evolution is the key (and I believe it is), it is because God created evolution.)
  3. God’s creation was and is good. (Genesis 1:31 – Though certainly subject to abuse and misuse by us.)
  4. God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. (Exodus 34:6 – Clearly seen in the stories of his dealing with his chosen people, Abraham and his descendants, loving and caring for them in spite of their grumbling and disobedience.)
  5. God is personal for each of us and calls us for various purposes, all aimed at the final goal, that “all nations of the earth shall be blessed.”  (Genesis 18:18)
  6. We human creatures, created “in the image of God,” have free will and are responsible for responding to and cooperating with God’s call. (We will find ourselves wandering in the wilderness until we respond appropriately, and we will stumble and err even after that.)
  7. We are to love God and neighbor and received a few simple rules just to get us started on the right path. (Check out the Ten Commandments, to be later elaborated on and explained by Jesus.)
  8. We human creatures have dominion over the earth and are responsible for the understanding, care, and proper use of it. (Genesis 1:27-29)
  9. Marriage is instituted by God, and the resulting family is important. (Genesis 2:21-23; Exodus 20:12)
  10. We are to avoid hoarding and share what we have with those in need. (Leviticus 19:9-10)
  11. We are to be holy, set aside for God’s purposes and obedient to his commands. (Leviticus 20:26)
  12. Faith or trust in God is the key to spiritual peace and contentment. (Genesis 12:1-5 God told Abraham to get up and go, and Abraham got up and went.  Romans 4:3)

(Originally posted 8/4/21 in stpetersmpg)

Bible Punch Lines

Bible verses read without pertinent context may be misleading. Sometimes, important verses are at the end of a passage and might be surprising, like a punch to the nose, not making us laugh like a punch line to a joke, but hitting us with simple statements of theological truth! Consider these two verses:

Bible Punch Lines

But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” – Luke 11:13

Matthew 6:25-44

The Matthew 6 verse is spoken by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” seems to be the theme of the pertinent pericope, Matthew 6:25-44. We are told not to worry about what we will eat or drink or wear or how long we shall live. The birds of the air and the lilies of the field do not have such worries and neither should we! We are told that our heavenly father knows we need these things.

And then comes that punch line: But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33

Luke 11:1-13

The Luke 11 verse begins with Jesus finishing a time of prayer and one of his disciples asking him to teach them to pray. The Our Father follows, and then Jesus tells of a man who is asking a friend for bread at an inconvenient time. The friend resists. Jesus says that persistence will pay off. At this point, persistence in praying for whatever we want or need, even something as simple as a loaf of bread, seems to be the theme of the pertinent pericope, Luke 11:1-13.

But then Jesus says something puzzling: “Ask, and it will be given you…for everyone who asks receives.” We can be tempted at this point to substitute whatever it is we want for that little two-word pronoun, it. But then comes the punch line which includes the proper reference for that pronoun.

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” – Luke 11:13

Deeper Meanings/Lessons

One way to see the meaning of these lessons is that, if we truly seek first the “Kingdom of God and his righteousness,” we will be completely satisfied with whatever food and clothing we have and whatever life span we are given and will not be worrying about getting more of those earthly things. And if we sincerely ask God for the “Holy Spirit,” the single most important thing he wants to give us. he will give it to us.

We just need to be careful what we seek and what we pray for! And, when reading the Bible, we need to be careful about where to start and stop!

Closing Comment

As usual, one layman’s understanding and opinions. Comments, corrections, and questions are welcomed.

Herod, Herod, Herod, Herod, Herod, and Herod

Yes, there are six Herods in the New Testament. I’m not sure that has any theological significance, but does have some historical significance with respect to getting things in the right order and understanding who did what. And it may have some value in trivia game competition and crossword puzzle solving.

I started out to do some research on the subject with the goal of providing clear and simple explanations of these six characters. My search led to “The Good Book Blog,” The Talbot School of Theology Faculty Blog, and an article by Kenneth Berding, Professor of New Testament at that School.

His explanation was so clear and entertaining and short, with some humor, that it seemed the only fair thing to do was to share it. So here it is. Enjoy!

How Many Herods Are There in the Bible?
Kenneth Berding — 

Three Christian Evangelists

Fulton John Sheen (1895-1979) was a renowned theologian and Catholic Bishop who became famous through radio and television exposure from 1930 to 1968. Life is Worth Living was on television in the 1950’s, and The Fulton Sheen Program in the 1960’s. Bishop Sheen taught theology, emphasizing the common ground all Christian faiths share. His programs are still available on television on EWTN. I never watched the originals in the 1950’s and 1960’s but have enjoyed lots of the reruns on EWTN. He was a blessed and talented lecturer.

William Franklin Graham, Jr. (1918 – 2018) was known as Dr. Billy Graham. He was a Baptist evangelist who became famous around the world because of preaching to large crowds and broadcasting his sermons. Hour of Decision was his radio show. He preached to more than 200 million people in more than 185 countries. Graham’s focus was on inviting people to accept Jesus as their personal savior and to then connect with a local church for Christian education and service. He developed ties with Catholic leaders and encouraged unification of Catholics and Protestants. He was famous also for strongly opposing racial segregation when it was still well established. I was always a Billy Graham fan but attended only one of his preaching events. It was at the University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium.

Robert Emmet Barron  (1959 – ) is a renowned theologian and Catholic Bishop who has become famous through his television news appearances, social media presence, public speeches, and his YouTube channel which has more than a million subscribers. Bishop Barron is the founder of Word on Fire which has the objective of evangelization, drawing people into the Christian Church, using Catholic history, art, architecture, philosophy, and theology to appeal broadly to interested folks. Bishop Barron is willing to record and publish theology discussions with just about anybody or any group, being faithful to Catholic theology while seeking common ground. I am a fan and am amazed at the depth of his theology and church history and his ability to be understood.

We should all thank God for Bishops Sheen and Barron and Dr. Billy Graham, who have been leading Christian evangelists of the last 100 years.

A Current Opportunity

Ten years ago, then Father Barron produced a ten episode course on Catholic theology. It is called Catholicism, and information about it and a free episode are here. For this month of September 2024, in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the course, all ten episodes are available free. The information is presented with visits to many important historical Christian locations and churches, understandable theological discussions, and information about early Church leaders and theologians. Protestants will learn about Catholic fundamentals that were rejected in the Reformation and will get a sound theological explanation of the great bulk of theology that is still common to Protestants and Catholics. I am currently enjoying an episode each evening and believe I would have enjoyed it even during my 32 Baptist, 16 Presbyterian, and 20 Lutheran years. It might help some Protestants better understand why some relatives have become Catholic. And it will be an excellent refresher of the basics for any Catholic. Certainly the many regrettable splits in the Christian Church have complicated the evangelism for which we are responsible, and better understanding of each other leading to more cooperation and less mutual criticism would help move us in the direction Dr. Billy Graham favored.

To read about it and get your free pass, go HERE.

 

 

 

Abortion – The Fundamental Problem

You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; – Matthew 5:21-22 NRSV

 

In the United States, murder is illegal and subject to severe punishment, but there are still about 25,000 homicides per year, almost three per hour. About half of those murders go unsolved, the killers unidentified and unpunished. We don’t have a measure of how much unsatisfied murder-motivating anger there is.

 

Abortion legality is mixed and currently left to the states to regulate. About 190 Million people (57% of the population) live in states with no abortion restrictions. About 65 Million people (20%) live in states with gestational restrictions. About 80 Million people (23%) live in states that have banned most abortions.  Under these circumstances, abortion is quite common in the USA, about 25 abortions for each reported homicide or more than 600,000 per year.

 

Tagging abortion as murder is inflammatory and pretty much shuts down rational discussion of the issue but could it be possible to at least get general agreement that abortion is termination of human life at an early stage of development? If so, surely we could get general agreement that such action is at least regrettable since no one knows what those undeveloped unique humans might have contributed or accomplished or what kind of friends or parents or teachers or leaders or inventors they might have become.

 

Anti-abortion efforts are typically aimed at getting restrictive laws passed, blocking access to abortion clinics, and praying for an end to abortion. Are prayers for an end to abortion prayed with faith or in desperation or just with a sense of obligation? If such prayers were considered answered with total outlawing of abortion, would there still be abortions just like before abortions were legalized by Roe vs. Wade in 1973. Yes, of course there would still be abortions.

 

Perhaps, considering the current situation and Matthew 5:21-22, focus should be not on reducing abortions, but on reducing the desire for abortion. If there were no desire for abortion, abortions would be rare, only for serious medical reasons.

 

So, imagine a culture in which there is no desire for abortion. Family structure is strong with generations linked and loving and caring for each other. Every child conceived is conceived by a man and woman who would welcome a child. Family formation is a priority, valued over such as travel and wealth accumulation. The economy is strong and self-supporting, providing meaningful jobs of obvious value for all women and men who can and want to work. Education, even at the high school level, is aimed at preparing girls and boys to be productive, qualified for available jobs. Medical expenses are all covered by universal insurance. There is a network of loving homes available for children whose birth parents are unable or unavailable to serve. And even the most destitute, those ill or handicapped or unable to work, are supported at a reasonable level instead of just being kept barely alive with a few hundred dollars a month of food stamps or social security. There would be little or no desire for abortion in such a culture.

 

Maybe we should be demanding government support and development of that loving culture instead of government outlawing of abortion.

For or Against, Us or Jesus

The accusation, “You are either with us or against us!” has been used for centuries to divide and conquer, to build commitment, to arouse emotion, to win elections, etc. Republican President George W. Bush and Democrat Senator of New York Hilary Clinton both used it in September 2001 to encourage the support of other nations for a US war against terrorism. Those and many other examples including Sarah Palin using the phrase to gain 2016 support for Donald Trump are in this Wikipedia article.

The Gospels include four similar Jesus quotes that seem, at first glance and without context, to be contradictory. Two declare that everyone is either with Jesus or against him and two declare that whoever is not against the church (the disciples or Jesus and the disciples) is for it. Here are the four quotes, pronouns in bold print:

“Whoever is not with me is against me.” – Matthew 12:30a NRSV

“Whoever is not with me is against me.” – Luke 11:23a NRSV

“Whoever is not against us is for us.” – Mark 9:40 NRSV

“For whoever is not against you is for you.” – Luke 9:50b NRSV

In the Matthew 12 and Luke 11 examples, Jesus uses the first person singular, referring to himself, and says, “Whoever is not with me is against me.” These are apparently slightly different versions of the same incident, accusations by the Pharisees that Jesus has cast out a demon using demonic power and a lecture by Jesus that no divided kingdom can survive. So, in these two cases, the statement that “whoever is not with me is against me,” may be a personal reference by Jesus about his power vs. demonic power, absolute perfection vs. total unrepentant depravity. His statement challenges us to follow him.

A lesson that might be drawn from the Matthew 12 and Luke 11 passages is that all lovers of Jesus, whether Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Church of God, Orthodox, Non-Denominational, Catholic, whatever, and whatever cultural background they brought to the Church, should be united in following Jesus and fighting demonic power instead of criticizing each other.

In Mark 9, Jesus uses the first person plural (98% of English translations), apparently referring to himself and the disciples, and  says “Whoever is not against us is for us.” In Luke 9, Jesus uses the third person plural (80% of English translations), apparently referring to the disciples, and says, “whoever is not against you is for you.”

Both the Mark 9 and Luke 9 examples are apparently slightly different versions of the same incident, complaints by disciples that they had seen someone they didn’t recognize casting out demons in the name of Jesus. Perhaps it was an egotistical personal concern of the disciples about a stranger in their territory. Only Mark adds an interesting comment about the reward due to anyone who offers a cup of water to one bearing the name of Christ.

A lesson that might be drawn from the Mark 9 and Luke 10 passages is that all lovers of Jesus, whether Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Church of God, Orthodox, Non-Denominational, Catholic, whatever, and whatever cultural background they brought to the Church, should be offering each other cups of water, figuratively speaking, instead of criticizing each other.

Either way, mutual criticism is not productive. So, perhaps all the various Christian lovers of Christ should be proclaiming the Gospel as they understand and have experienced it without criticizing those with different understandings and backgrounds. Eventually, “The truth will out.”

Below are handy links for reading the four Jesus quotes in context.

Matthew 12:22-32

Luke 11:14-23

Mark 9:38-41

Luke 9:46-49

Confession: I’m not an authorized interpreter of Sacred Scripture but am just making observations and suggesting possibilities. And, I’m not qualified to discuss translation of Greek pronouns but suffice it to say that they are more complex than English pronouns, well at least more complex than English pronouns used to be. That is probably the reason for some variation in the pronoun translations in the Mark 9 and Luke 9 examples.

Revision Note: December 11, 2024, I revised this post to include the phrase, “and whatever cultural background they brought to the Church,” in two of the paragraphs. The phrase was added after learning more about Our Lady of Guadalupe and the importance of that cultural tradition to millions of lovers of Jesus.

Comments, correction, and complaints are welcome.

“The Word of the LORD Came to Me”

This post may not be of much theological value but could come in handy in a game of Bible trivia. The phrase in the title above appears 61 times in the writings of the classical prophets in the NRSV Bible. It appears 49 times in Ezekiel, 10 times in Jeremiah, and twice in Zechariah.

There are a couple of other appearances of the phrase besides those in the classical prophet writings. In 1 Chronicles 22:18, the words are from dying King David explaining to son Solomon why he didn’t build a house for the Lord and why Solomon would do it. “But this word of the LORD came to me: You have shed much blood, and you have waged great wars. You may not build a house for my name, because you have shed too much blood upon the earth in my sight.” Well, to be completely honest and give credit where credit is due, David might have said that the word of the LORD came to him through Nathan the prophet. The interesting story is in 2 Samuel 7.

The 4 Esdras instance can, I think, be ignored since it is from an apocryphal book sometimes labeled 3 Esdras, 5 Ezra, 4 Ezra, or 6 Ezra. It is in the Latin Vulgate Appendix as 4 Esdras. I have not even tried to find it, let alone read it.

But, back to the Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah instances. We are immediately reminded of these words from the Nicene Creed: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

Well, there is some mighty theological value, the reason we take the writings of the Old Testament prophets seriously and search for meaning in them.

To think about that issue in modern terms, I suggest that if a living, campaigning, politician says, “The word of the Lord came to me,” and then keeps talking, we should vote for a different politician.

So, here is the trivia question: What Old Testament classical prophet made greatest use of the phrase, “The Word of the LORD came to me?” (I know, I usually can’t remember what I just read either.)

The Glory of the Lord

Recent Mass readings from Ezekiel bring  the inspiring phrase, the glory of the LORD, to our attention. It shows up 41 times in the Bible, only 3 of those in the New Testament. It is in Ezekiel 10 times, more than in any other bible book. Here are the New Testament instances.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields,
keeping watch over their flock by night. 
Then an angel of the Lord stood before them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were terrified. 
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—
I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people. – Luke 2:8-10
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Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 
And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord
as though reflected in a mirror,
are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another;
for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
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With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches
for his proclaiming the good news; and not only that,
but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us
while we are administering this generous undertaking for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our goodwill. – 2 Corinthians 8:18-19
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Below is the Strong’s Concordance explanation of the Greek word translated glory.

Lost in Translation Issue?

The Hebrew word translated glory in the Old Testament has a deeper meaning than the New Testament Greek Word or the modern English glory. It suggests weight, importance, worth, and value. At the website of a Christian organization in Israel, Firmisrael.org, there is a simple and well written explanation of the Hebrew word Kavod. I can’t improve on it, so I recommend it. Maybe we should always bow when hearing the Old Testament phrase The Glory of the Lord. Maybe we should always be capitalizing glory along with Lord.

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The chart below reveals the location of the 41 instances of the phrase in the Bible. Ezekiel leading the way.

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In the Catechism

The phrase Glory of the Lord appears three times in the Catechism, the first two in the section on Liturgy and the third in the section on prayer, none seeming to suggest the weight of the Hebrew word. The second one, incidentally, is especially provocative, reminding us that God “has neither a body nor a face.” Footnote 27 identifies St. John Damascene, De imag. 1, 16: PG 96: 1245-1248 as the source of that quote. In CCC-2676, the pertinent phrase is in the 11th line from the top.

Sinning Against Me?

The Gospel Mass reading for August 14, 2024 is Matthew 18:15-20. In the NABRE it begins with, “If a brother sins [against you]” and ends with “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” It seems to me that an issue is that the following verses, 15:21-22, include this phrase: “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?”  There seems to be a good case that verses 15-22 comprise a pericope and should not be separated.

 

Supporting that case is the fact that, according to the footnote for 18:15 in The Catholic Study Bible NABRE, the bracketed “against you” is not in some of the oldest and most important texts. (Remember that there are no extant original versions off any of the Gospels.) So, perhaps “against you” has been erroneously added to later manuscripts to match up with “against me” in verse 21. (Maybe not all of those copiers were theologians.) I checked all the English translations of verse 15 on biblegateway.com and found that a dozen or so, the NIV included, do not say “against you.” Some that do and some that don’t point out the issue in footnotes. The simple answer is that we don’t know what the original said.

 

So, perhaps in the original there are two separate cases. The first is about sin against God observed in a loved brother, a fellow member of the Church, and how that sin should be addressed by a loving concerned friend. The second case is about appropriate responses to personal offenses. That seems reasonable since even some disciples apparently had a tendency to be self-centered and worried about how they would be treated.

 

An example of the first case would be a member observed stealing or committing adultery or swearing and a loving brother wanting to help the person repent and be forgiven. The second case is introduced by Peter’s question,  “What if my brother sins against ME?” That is answered by Jesus’s statement about forgiving seventy seven times. Just to make the lesson absolutely clear, the parable of the unforgiving servant follows.

 

That two-issues understanding even takes the mystery out of the verse 17 statement by Jesus that one who refuses to listen to the church, should be treated as a Gentile or a tax collector. That sounds like rejection or expulsion. But, wasn’t Jesus frequently accused of dining and associating with such folks and inviting them to believe?

 

So, the simple bottom line for Matthew 18:15-22 seems to be, if someone offends me, I should forgive and forget. If someone needs spiritual assistance, I should offer help and pray for them. I like that understanding. Besides, I don’t recall cases of anyone sinning against me. Maybe I have just forgotten.