The Dead Sea Scrolls

I am going to see the Dead Sea Scrolls this weekend and I know it has been a while since we have discussed them in class, but I wanted to find out some more. As Foster said the scrolls include copies of every book in the Hebrew Bible, save Ester, and date over a millennium older than the 10th century text of the Hebrew Bible. Hows that for helping source criticism? The scrolls have answered questions of authorship and date. However, for every answered question, there was a new one. Some passages and Psalms are grouped differently than other manuscripts, and others have new psalms or passages. There is even evidence that the 3rd division of the cannon was sill in process at the time many of these scrolls were written.
Concerning the Gospels, there is a text that discusses a series of legal disagreements with the temple authority. This gives us, according to the dictionary, the only other resource besides the Bible that shows insight to what was happening in the temple in Jesus' day! This is just biblical text alone. There are hundreds of other non-biblical manuscripts discovered that give insight to culture and history of the time.
The Dead Sea Scrolls were an incredible find, to say the least, and translation work is till being done. I can't read them, but I am so excited to see these amazing manuscripts that are evidence to what I believe, and look forward to see what else they can teach us.

Still Stuck on the Law

Like the Jewish Christians I seem to be stuck on the concept of the law and how that pretains to Christians. Is it now obsilete? But Jesus followed the law so should we do likewise? but we are free of the law so is the law bad? The audience of Luke/Acts seems to struggle with this concept too. According to the Dictionay, some scholars view Luke's approach to the law as conservative. Others say he is of two minds: Jews should keep it, whereas Christians are free of it. And others even say Luke understands the law is of the old era, but understands that the Jews are gonna take a while to get used to this whole "freedom" thing.
Luke basically shows that the traditions and customs are not required but Jewish Christians can follow them if they wish, as long as they don't drag the Gentile Christians along with them. Luke says that unity is more impotaint than these things, so do and accpet what you must (within the confins of reason) in order to mantain unity.
If the early church was ordered to be unified as a racially diverse community over an issue concerning their doctrine, how much more are we expected to be unified over an issue concerning the carpet color.

Jesus, by any other name would sound as sweet

This class has really made me appreciate the differences in the 4 gospels. The 4 pictures that Burrage talks about really illustrate the different personality each gospel has. This makes sense because they are written by different people and for different audiences. I have always understood this, but lately I have really been picking up on and loving the small details that make a big difference. For example, the only time Jesus is called "Son of David" in Mark is by blind Bartimaeus, whereas in Matthew he is addressed as "Son of David" by crowds and people who needed healing numerous times. Matthew also calls him "son of Abraham" which to a Gentile audience would mean little, but to Jews this is the Father of their nation. This makes him a Jew and a king. Jesus is really only called "Jesus" by Matthew in narration. I wonder if this means anything in regard to Jesus' power because they address him with an honor bestowing title. This really has no relation to the plot of each story, but in the book as a whole, these unique qualities are amazing and I am excited that I will recognize them more now.

Everybody is a M. Night Shyamalan (We love the twist)

Mark's resurrection, assuming that it ends with 16:8, has been called incredibly negative and literary genius at the same time. I am a reader and I know that happy endings, as good as they make you feel, are not always inspiring. It is those movies and book that give you something unexpected or unfinished that leave you meditating on it all day.
The Dictionary addresses the kind of “fear” the women had and explained that it was awe not a fear of disobedience. Also, this is not the end, there is still Galilee. In Mark 14:28 he tells the disciples that after he was resurrected he will meet them in Galilee. Granted they had denied him and possible even lost faith, but I think I would hang out in Galilee for a few days just to be sure. The angel tells the women that he is going to Galilee (that’s a surprise) and that they would see him there.
This ending is not negative, it leaves the reader with anticipation of Galilee and the choice of what to do with their own fear and belief. Mark has this misunderstanding disciples theme, and the women do the same. Mark wants us to see and understand and not to fear.

Tobias: Fisher Demon Slayer

I read Tobit 6-8 and I'm not sure what it has to do with anything that we covered in class, or Mark at all for that matter, but it was quite entertaining. Tobias was washing in a river and an angel told him to catch a fish and remove his innards. These he would use to cast away a demon. His cousin had married 7 men, all whom had died on the wedding night (stinks for them) and Tobias was told to marry her and use the fish heart and liver to make smoke and repel the demon in love with her.
Tobias did as was told despite his fear and was found asleep but very alive the next morning by his father in law, who filled in Tobias' already prepared grave (not much faith in the guy), praised God, and had a PARTY!!!
I guess the moral of the story is Don't throw your fish back, you never know when a demon is going to come around. It was really interesting to see the demon exorcism compared to Jesus' and how in-depth Tobias' was, when all Jesus did was speak.

Wars, Earthquakes, and Famines OH MY!!

In Mark 13:7-8 Jesus warns about what "things must happen," before the end. Garland put this into a good prospective when he implies that the point Jesus was trying to make was not so much the individual signs we should look for to herald the end, because famine, earthquakes, and wars are constantly happening somewhere. Besides these signal that the end is "still to come" so they are no sign that the end is upon us. Jesus was telling his disciples that chaos and evil will happen, and often, but God knows this and is still in control. I enjoyed the lovely metaphor of "birth pains" and though I have never had a child, I have watched enough movies and meet to many women that have to know that it is a painful and exhausting experience that only gets worse before it gets better. Some women are even willing to endure it more than once, so it must be either against their will or rather rewarding.
Despite what it might seem, these two verses are a comfort for the passage that follows about persecution. God is in control and like a mother in labor, it will hurt real bad and you'll probably scream a lot, but the reward is worth the wile.

Hidden in my Heart

I really enjoyed the seminar. At first I was excited because our task seemed much easier than the previous class’. Writing a whole gospel! When in actuality, I could remember a lot more narrative and general ideas of a gospel then the exact quotes of Jesus, which is much of what a gospel is. In the first few hours I was convicted of my lack of knowledge of Jesus’ words. Hide them in your heart, yeah right! I hid them alright. I hid them so well that I couldn’t even find them. Toward the end however I found myself realizing how much I really remembered and knew. This was because of the group. No saying was out of the mind of any one person. It was the product of several.
I think the group dynamic was just as imperative as what we learned about the scripture. We were a church. It is easy to sit back and judge a church. Their lack of speed and agreement in decision making, seemingly total chaos, tyrant leaders and quite objectors. Not that we had all these characteristics, but it really helped me understand why and how things get to be such a mess with such good people with good intentions. I also gained a better appreciation and knowledge of the gospels. They were oral records of memories. No wonder things that I think should be clarified or included are left out. Better to leave it out than be completely in left field.
All in all, I’d be happy to be locked in the Maddox with ya’ll anytime.

Jesus the Healer, not the Entertainter Formally Known as the Healer

I really liked what the Dictionary said about the miracles and healings in the Gospel of John. In the synoptic gospels, Jesus' healings are a result of faith, and never a cause for someone to believe. John shows that Jesus' healings also produce faith. I liked this take, but there is also the problem of the healings being the the basis of one's belief and faith. Then the Dictionary made the comment that Jesus never healed on command. He wasn't a supernatural DVD that people could just hit play and he would preform. He healed truly out of compassion, wanting others to believe, and even to prove a point (Mark 3:1-6). Jesus did not conform to our human expectancies, just as he does not today. He did not heal every sick person, nor did he mean to.

I call call shotgun! aka Jesus' right side

I have always loved Mark 10:32-45. It is like James and John are calling shotgun in heaven. The common phrase "salvation is not earned" is true, but not all saved will be on equal ground. Garland pointed out how Jesus did not consign the disciples to last place, but told them how to be first. I think that is pretty neat. However, then comes the cup part...
The cup was a metaphor for internal baptism, and was a reference to several OT passages. Being first doesn’t come easy. You can't try to be first, or then your motivation will be like that of the pagans. You must serve because of love.
What I always wondered was who gets the left and right seats, because "it is for those who have already been prepared" so someone gets them. John? Paul? Dr. Foster? jk
It's a neat thought.

Jesus Condrictions

In reading Mark I ran across some questions so if ya have any answers, let me know.
1. In Mark 10:17-18 the rich man calls Jesus "Good Teacher" and Jesus replies
"Why do you call me good? Only God is truly good."
The commentary suggests that the man's idea of "good" was very loose. He probably considered himself good also, and wanted to know how that goodness would help him. Garland's suggestion was simple, Jesus wanted clear up the issue of pride and explain that only one was good. I wonder if the man did not believe that he was God and Jesus knew this.

2. In Mark 12: 35-37 Jesus seems to be rejecting the title of "Son of David." "Why do the teachers of the religious law claim that the Messiah is the Son of David? For David himself speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
'The Lord said to my Lord
Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
until I humble your enemies at your feet.'
Since David himself called the Messiah 'my Lord', how can the Messiah be his son?"
Garland does not even address these verses, but what I got from the Dictionary was that Jesus did not want to be associated with those violent revolutionaries and the Jewish idea of a militaristic Messiah. I don't think that just because you call someone "my Lord" outomaticly excludes them from relation or sonship, so unless that was a historical thing then I think Jesus may have been trying to make another point.
So I guess I just answered my own questions, or at least with oppinions, but I guess that is all that you can have sometimes with the Bible.

From the Bad guys (scribes, religious leaders) Point of View

I was reading about the oral law and the Dictionary gave me a whole new prospective. Being a product of Lifeway’s Sunday school material, I have always viewed the oral laws as this evil addition to God’s holy and untamperable (might have made that word up) scripture. I do believe that it is wrong, but more justified and less evil now.
This summer I worked with kids. You explain a seemingly simple game of throw this ball in this bucket to 3rd graders and their reply will be 78 questions, all of which would have never crossed your mind. If the bucket tips over does my ball still count? What if I miss but it goes in that teams bucket? What if I miss and it goes in that whole over there? What if he tackles me when I shoot? Do I get another try or can I just hit him?
The Israelites, just like us, are little kids when it comes to God. When He gave them the 10 commandments and other laws they were straight forward, but at the same time vague. So people who feared and genuinely wanted to obey God had 70 times 7 questions about what was or was not permissible. God what do you mean by “work” or “adultery”? Of course Jesus did come along and clarify all that.
Basically, I’m beginning to see why the religious leaders thought what they did, and I’m beginning to wonder if I had been alive then just who’s side I would be on. More than likely not Jesus’. It’s quite scary.

-Dixie Wyllia

Sabbath Smabbath

In the first chapter of Mark Jesus goes to the synagogue and casts out a demon. The people like him and all is well.
“After Jesus left the synagogue…they went to Simon and Andrew’s home.”
Jesus then proceeds to heal Simon’s sick mother-in-law (good for her, for Simon, not so much)
Then Mark makes a point to say “that evening AFTER SUNSET, many sick and demon possessed people were brought to Jesus.”
From this one can infer that Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law on the Sabbath, and little was said against it. In oral law it was permissible for one to heal on the Sabbath if one was in danger of death, and this may have been the case. Possibly the disciples were less strict than the religious leaders. Possibly Mark just did not comment on their questioning of Jesus’ methods. Maybe they were just so happy she was well that it slipped their mind. But I think that the reason this healing on the Sabbath was not addressed here is because it is not an issue, and should not be one.

Does Anybody Else Feel A Movie Coming On?

The scene opens with a crowded marketplace. Happy Jewish music is playing (I’m thinking something like “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof), when all the sudden the music stops, a man falls down dead, and the crowd creates a circle of onlookers surrounding the bloody body. The music picks back up and in the corner of the camera angle a man wipes his sicae and places it back into his coat (or whatever they wear). All the while another man is taking advantage of this distraction to pick peoples coin purses; which you see in the next scene will go to a starving family (possibly of bunnies and he’ll keep some to buy something nice for Maid Miriam)
Okay so Dixie will not soon be going into film making, but how fun was it to read about the different peoples of the Revolutionary Movements? My favorites were the social bandits and the Sicarii. This was not just some story, but it was their way of life. It’s cool to think about their lives, but to really meditate on how much they fought for what they believed in, their freedom. I could endure watching my husband and kids (the hypothetical ones I will hopefully one day have) be killed for the sake of Christ, but to kill them myself?? To murder in broad daylight and watch the number of your friends and allies quickly drop because of execution?? That is either really twisted theology or whole hearted passion.

DIXIE W