Oct 17 2007
Are you a Jew?
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=B0Ep5yn8GA4]
I know it has been a while since I last posted, so I am sorry for the delay but here is the next video in our series on “How to Read the Bible.” This is gonna lay some groundwork for our discussions as we look at some specific seemingly puzzling texts. By the way, the title is meant to be provocative, not offensive:)
mike
you ask a great question…
i have been mulling over this for quite some time now. and here are some of my thoughts (mind you, not conclusions):
1. “Jew” comes from the name Judah, ie the southern kingdom of Israel after the split. Israel (also referred to as Ephraim), the northern kingdom, went into exile and never returned to the land. they lost their identity and only God knows who they are. Judah returned and reestablished a “Jewish” (not Israelite) community. so etymologically, we are not “jewish”, but rather we may be Israel.
2. Jesus says that sons of Abraham are not physical but spiritual.
3. paul says circumcision is spiritual and physical.
4. paul says a “jew” is spiritually, not just physically, “jewish”.
5. paul says that gentiles are “grafted in” to the olive tree (a symbol of the People of Israel).
6. paul calls us the “Israel of God”.
so are we “Jewish”???
peter
I suppose I was taking the question from a different angle. My purpose is to show that in order to read a Jewish text, we need to step into the Jewish worldview. After all, Paul tells a mixed audience of Jews and Gentiles that “our fathers” are the Jewish men of faith that preceded Christ. That means that the family stories told in the Old Testament are my family stories too. In order to understand them as they were written, I need to submit myself to the author’s intent which is thoroughly Jewish.
Hi Mike. I am going to type random comments as I listen to your video.
Just to be a jerk, I have to correct you on your history of physics. You said that there was no exeriment concocted that could prove the existance of the aether - not quite correct. Michelson’s interferometer experiment of 1887 proved there was *no* aether. By the time Einstein cooked up special relativity in 1905, it was known that there was no aether, and he did not have to postulate that there was not one. He just made the bold and non-intuitive leap that c was the same in all reference frames even without a physical medium.
But anyway, more to the point….
We do have certain tendancies when reading scripture because of our western culture - that is true. But I must add that it is not only a jewish culture we are reading into, but an *ancient* jewish culture. Not even a modern Jew can properly read biblical jewish context.
There is also more than one Jewish culture in the Bible, because of the long span of time in which it was written. The traditions and mindsets presented in the Torah are not necessarily there by the time the New Testament rolled around.
I think there was a some distinction between sacred and secular thinking in this ancient culture. Maybe not to the degree that we have today (separation of church and state), but consider that the Torah prescribes two separate calanders - one secular and one sacred. Just an example that pops into my head.
Next, you mention the biggest difference that you and I probably have in Biblical interpretation. I look at each book as a seperate unit, each of which may or may not have been influenced by other books, while you look at the bible as a whole unit with an overarching and coherant theme. For instance, I think what was written in Galatians had little to no impact on what was written in Matthew - two totally separate Jewish or Jewish/Christian traditions were at work there.
jewish sentiment of community vs individual: No argument there, but I think that is true of all ancient cultures if I am not mistaken. The concept of individual rights did not come around into … oh 400 years ago or so…if I am not mistaken.
So, do you think it is possible to place yourself in the mindset of the ancient Jew when reading scripture? I don’t think any of us can - not 100%. Have you ever read any of the pseudapigraphal books (1 Enoch, Testaments of the Patriarchs, etc..)?? Those writings gave me a better understanding of ancient jewish culture than a lot of the modern books that I have read. Really powerful stuff.
One last thing. You have a frightening resemblance to what I looked like 25 years ago.
HIS,
Of course you are correct about the aether. I believe it was the lack of an aether “wind” that put the nail in the coffin.
Certainly there were historical changes in even the ancient Jewish culture, most notable during the exile in Babylon, but the aspects of Jewish culture I mentioned were pretty constant throughout ancient Judaism until the destruction of the temple by Titus in 70AD.
The sacred/secular divide, to the extent that it was legitimately present, was simply a functional one. In essence, the platonism that infiltrated Christian society around roughly 400 AD until the Reformation in Luther making things like priestly service a higher and more spiritual pursuit than farming didn’t exist in an ancient Jewish context nor its literature.
As far as the concept of the meta-narrative, you are right to say this is a major difference in personal theology, and it is the main reason for my making this video. As I work through specific texts I hope to make the case showing the connections and interdependance of one text on another. I would love to hear some more of your thoughts on this issue specifically as we work through some of these passages.
With regard to the individual/community, I want to be careful to state that Israel was unique because they gave tremendous value to the community as well as the individual. Key texts for both would be Exodus 20:5-6 and Ezekiel 18.
I do indeed think it a challenge to step into the ancient Jewish mindset, but I have been extremely blessed to rethink my worldview in light of these Jewish distinctives. My hope would be to share that blessing with any who would have it.
As far as my resemblance to you, I am honored, but I am curious to hear if people say you have aged well:)
Mike says:
Yeah, this is very interesting to me. When you read the old testament, you can see a clear distinction between pre and post exile judaism. God becomes more distant and holy and transendent. Angels play a more prominant role, and even develop names. A real good source on the jewish thinking regarding angels during this time is 1 Enoch. Apocalyptic writing developed. Satan and the devil become less of a sting operator for God and an adversary toward humanity into more of a direct enemy of God. I think strict monotheism appeared sometime during the exile, where it appears in the final chapters of Isaiah… .. don’t remember exactly where. Before that, the ancient judaism was henotheistic and even glimpses of polytheism peek through every now and again in the psalms, deauteronomy and some other places.
So, the exile was a clear influence on ancient Jewish thought, and it is really interesting to me how the religion evolved. Absolutely fascinating stuff.
The sacred/secular divide - I really don’t much about this, but am interested to learn more. Or maybe you can clarify what you mean by this idea in a future video.
<blockquoteAs I work through specific texts I hope to make the case showing the connections and interdependance of one text on another. I would love to hear some more of your thoughts on this issue specifically as we work through some of these passages.
AwRight!! I am looking forward to your videos. Do you place them on YouTube or something?
Well, lessee…I think I have aged well. But my hair is greying, my beard is almost 100% grey, my teeth are bad and my gums are receding. I have wrinkles all over my face, and strange spots are blemishing my skin. My joints sometimes creak in the morning. But I do manage to jog 40 miles per week and I eat healthy and take no medication unlike most of my friends who are my age. So I am doing okay. *sigh* enjoy your youth while you can!
I noticed your interest in the pseudopigraphica in your earlier comment, and would have to confess that while I have not personally read them (amidst a long list of other things I need to get to) I have read a lot about them. While these writings were certainly in the air and contributed to the Jewish world, even the Jews did not consider them to be canonical. Even the Apocrypha didnt make it into the Hebrew canon, despite the wide reliance of the historical data by Josephus and Philo. So while Christians should certainly be more aware of these texts than they are, some are probably over dependent on them.
Again, as we start in Genesis 1 and work our way through some of the key texts, I hope to show significant historical theological unity between Judaism and Christianity, more or less drawing a narrative line from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22.
On another note, I gotta say 40 miles a week is impressive, despite all the other stuff to complain about, I would say that is healthy. But I will certainly take your council and enjoy my youth:)
Mike:
Oh yeah, I understand that - but my point in referencing psuedapigraphal writings is they were part of their culture, and they give insights into how they were thinking at the time. Not that their doctrines should be taken literally, but just peeks into their own world. Same thing with the Christian era Gnostic gospels. I think Christian pastors do a disservice to their congregations when they are told to avoid these books. Nonesense. Not that their theologies should be considered alongside orthodoxy, that is not what I am saying, and when pastors hint at that, I think that is missing the whole point. For instance, I gained a better understanding of 1 and 2 Corinthians after reading some of the Gnostic texts, and considering the Pauline Epistles within the Gnosticism that was present at the time of their writing. It really is eye-opening.
The point is that these writings were done in the same culture as the canonical writings, and can help in understanding the worldview of that culture *even if they are viewed as heretical*! And I think that some of the psuedapigraphal writings did have a hand in influencing tome of the New Testament canon - consider the links between Jude and 1 Enoch, John and 1 Macabees, etc. There are scads of lost books referenced in the old testament - The Book of the Wars of YHWH (Num 21:14), The Book of he Annals of the Kings of Israel (1 Kings 14:19, 2Chr 33:18, 2Chr 20:34), The Annals of the Kings of Judah (1 Kings 15:7), the History of Nathan the Prophet (2 Chr 9:29), and *loads* more.
Now if any of those books are found by some archeologist, would they be considered canonical? No - but they would surely give an insight into how our canonical books were formed, because they were *referenced* by our canonical books! They were part of the culture, and in a way inseparable from them.
Onto another point, I thought that the Apocryphal books were considered canonical for a long time, then viewed as non-canonical by Martin Luther, and put into the Catholic Canon during the Council of .. Trent(??) as a rebuttal to Luther. Correct me if I am wrong on that one.
If I am understanding you correctly on your view of the pseudopigraphica, I agree with you completely. Many of Jesus own sayings for instance are worded in the very language of the Essenes primary (and pseudopigraphical) texts, but His purpose in doing so is to correct their understanding, not endorse. If we ignore the existence of those texts, we miss just how deeply Jesus was inundated in the Jewish culture, and therefore we miss the full impact of what He is saying.
As far as the Jewish canon, this is a common misconception, but the Jews themselves determined the canonicity of their texts around 90 AD at the Council of Jamnia. This dating has received some critique, saying it made no sense for the Jews to canonize their scriptures after their temple had been destroyed and their faith in jeopardy. However, it was precisely because of this and in response to the extra texts of the Zealots, Essenes, and yes the Christians (but in the case of the Christians, the New Testament). So the Jewish leaders took the books that were already considered to be authoritative and made them cannon. This hurt the credibility of the leaders of the Zealots and the Essenes since they couldnt fool everyday Jews anymore, but the Christians didnt mind because the Jewish canon only served to prove their point (the very thing i hope to show in this series of discussions!). So that is why to this day we continue to let the Jews determine their canon for us.
That may not have been as clear and concise as I was hoping for. Let me know if i could explain that better or if I left anything out.