Men repopulate the world and the whole earth has one language but few
words. I didn't pick up on the significance of "but few words". Does
that mean man is in such harmony, nuanced speech is unnecessary?
Anyway, men come from the east and settle in the plain of Shinor. They
baked brick and built a city. Within the city, they started to builda
tower to reach to the heavens.
God comes down (again,
he doesn't seem omnipresent yet) to the city and tower. God is worried
that if they complete the tower, "nothing" will be impossible for "them"
(man). He then calls on "us" to go down and confuse their language and
confuse them. Again, the reference to "us" indicates there is more
than one divine being. More interesting, though, is that if man were
able to work together, nothing is impossible. Including, it seems,
becoming a threat to God. And since God just wiped out almost the
entire human race a couple of chapters back, it would seem that he would
have a problem on his hands if this were so. Better get to confusing
that language!
The men abandon the city, called Babel.
Also interesting is that in the immediately preceding chapter states
that the sons of Ham, Shem and Japeth already have different languages.
Is this story out of place in the chronology, or does this reflect
sloppy editing?
The rest of the chapter describes the
genealogy of Shem to Abraham. Terah is the father of Abram and Nahor,
who is the father of Lot. Nahor dies in Ur and Abram and his wife Sarai
take in Lot.
Asimov says the names of the descendant's
of Noah's sons represent tribes or nations. The descendants of Shem
occupy the Arabian peninsula. "Semetic", the name of the languages
these people speak derive from the Greek/Latin name for Shem. Ham's
people settle in the corner of Africa nearest Asia and speak Hamatic
languages. Japeth's people settle to the northeast of the
Tigris/Euphrates.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Matthew 10
Jesus gives his disciples the power to heal and cast out spirits. He also instructs them on how to spread his teachings. He further tells them to not fear those that can destroy the body but not the soul.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Genesis 10
This chapter is a recitation of the genealogy of Shem, Ham and
Japeth. One of Japeth's sons is Magog, which I know we'll be hearing
about later when we get to the apocalyptic prophecies. Japeth's sons
reside in what is now Asia Minor/Turkey. Hame's sons inhabit Canaan and
Cush, or the Egyptian empire as it stood at the time of the writing of
this chapter. Cush is the father of Nimrod, a hunter and the first of
the "mighty men". Shem is the father of the Semetic people, including
all "Hebrews" who would become Israel.
Asimov discusses Ararat and extensive flooding that would seem to cover the entire world to the ancient people along the Nile, Tigris and Euphrates. He thinks the reference to the "fountains of the deep" might indicate a tidal wave, which combined with heavy rains and flooding, would be catastrophic to ancients living in the flood plain .
Sumerian legend tells of the great hero Gilgamesh who also saved his family and samples of animals on a boat from a bad flood in Sumerian legend. Noah's story shares other plot points with the Gilgamesh legend, indicating it is a much older tale.
The ark settled in the "mountains of Ararat", not a specific mountain.
Asimov discusses Ararat and extensive flooding that would seem to cover the entire world to the ancient people along the Nile, Tigris and Euphrates. He thinks the reference to the "fountains of the deep" might indicate a tidal wave, which combined with heavy rains and flooding, would be catastrophic to ancients living in the flood plain .
Sumerian legend tells of the great hero Gilgamesh who also saved his family and samples of animals on a boat from a bad flood in Sumerian legend. Noah's story shares other plot points with the Gilgamesh legend, indicating it is a much older tale.
The ark settled in the "mountains of Ararat", not a specific mountain.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Matthew 9
Jesus recruits Matthew, a tax collector, to follow him. When challenged by the priests for associating with disreputable types like tax collectors, Jesus says he was not sent for the righteous, but for the sinners. Jesus then resurrects the daughter of a local "ruler". His following grows.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Genesis 9
God blesses Noah and his sons, tells them to be fruitful and
multiply. Further, God will put the dread of men in all beasts, birds
and fish and gives all plants and animals to man to eat. However, a few
rules go along with this gift:
* May not eat something that is alive or its blood
* Requires a reckoning of the blood of every beast and man; and
* If man sheds blood, his blood shall be shed.
God then again promises to never destroy earth by flood again and gives the rainbow as a symbol of this covenant.
Noah's sons leave the ark and become the fathers of all of earth's peoples. Noah plants a vineyard, makes wine, gets drunk and passes out naked in his tent. So the father and sons are going in different directions after the trauma of enduring the death of almost all life on earth. Anyway, Ham, who becomes father of Canaan (unclear if "Canaan" is a person or a general description of the peoples that lived in Canaan) discovers a drunk, naked, passed out Noah and goes out to tell his brothers.
Shem and Japeth get a garment and enter Noah's tent walking backwards so as to not see Noah's nakedness and cover him with the garment. Noah comes to and is enraged. He curses Canaan (again, unclear if this is Ham's son or the land) as the slave of the other two brothers. Seems a slight overreaction to these modern eyes, but this seems sanctioned by God, so who am I to argue.
Asimov discusses the enigmatic character of Enoch, the one that walked with God. Asimov notes that the genealogical chains of Cain and Enoch are very similar. Also, the extreme ages of the patriarchs appear to be borrowed from Sumerian legend, where many heroes would live up to 65,000 years. Enoch lives for 365 years before walking with God, coincidentally the same number of days in a year, while his father lives 965 years and his son 969.
God's commandments:
* May not eat something that is alive or its blood.
Noah's ability to obey: does not say
My ability to obey: nothing better than a cool center rare filet mignon. I've defied this commandment many, many times.
* Requires a reckoning of the blood of every beast and man; and
Not sure really what this means. I think it may mean that every death must be accounted for, such as a murderer brought to justice or thanks given to God for meat. Not sure, though.
Noah's ability to obey: does not say
My ability to obey: Again, not really sure what this means, so not sure. I'm for law and order and try to be grateful for food I eat.
* If man sheds blood, his blood shall be shed.
Noah's ability to obey: No mention of murders, so do not know.
My ability to obey: I support capital punishment, and vote for politicians that also support it, although I've never directly participated in an execution personally. I think I pass.
* May not eat something that is alive or its blood
* Requires a reckoning of the blood of every beast and man; and
* If man sheds blood, his blood shall be shed.
God then again promises to never destroy earth by flood again and gives the rainbow as a symbol of this covenant.
Noah's sons leave the ark and become the fathers of all of earth's peoples. Noah plants a vineyard, makes wine, gets drunk and passes out naked in his tent. So the father and sons are going in different directions after the trauma of enduring the death of almost all life on earth. Anyway, Ham, who becomes father of Canaan (unclear if "Canaan" is a person or a general description of the peoples that lived in Canaan) discovers a drunk, naked, passed out Noah and goes out to tell his brothers.
Shem and Japeth get a garment and enter Noah's tent walking backwards so as to not see Noah's nakedness and cover him with the garment. Noah comes to and is enraged. He curses Canaan (again, unclear if this is Ham's son or the land) as the slave of the other two brothers. Seems a slight overreaction to these modern eyes, but this seems sanctioned by God, so who am I to argue.
Asimov discusses the enigmatic character of Enoch, the one that walked with God. Asimov notes that the genealogical chains of Cain and Enoch are very similar. Also, the extreme ages of the patriarchs appear to be borrowed from Sumerian legend, where many heroes would live up to 65,000 years. Enoch lives for 365 years before walking with God, coincidentally the same number of days in a year, while his father lives 965 years and his son 969.
God's commandments:
* May not eat something that is alive or its blood.
Noah's ability to obey: does not say
My ability to obey: nothing better than a cool center rare filet mignon. I've defied this commandment many, many times.
* Requires a reckoning of the blood of every beast and man; and
Not sure really what this means. I think it may mean that every death must be accounted for, such as a murderer brought to justice or thanks given to God for meat. Not sure, though.
Noah's ability to obey: does not say
My ability to obey: Again, not really sure what this means, so not sure. I'm for law and order and try to be grateful for food I eat.
* If man sheds blood, his blood shall be shed.
Noah's ability to obey: No mention of murders, so do not know.
My ability to obey: I support capital punishment, and vote for politicians that also support it, although I've never directly participated in an execution personally. I think I pass.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Matthew 8
Jesus cures a leper. A centurion asks Jesus to cure his servant. Jesus asks to see the servant, but the centurion says he believes Jesus can cure him without seeing him, which Jesus does. The centurion says he knows Jesus can do this because his subordinates are obedient to him so he knows disease is subordinate to Jesus.
Jesus proceeds to cast out demons and heal the sick. He tells his followers that all things come second to obedience to his call. If Jesus and your father both call you, you heed Jesus' call. He calms a storm that is upsetting the boat Jesus and his disciples are on. Finally, in one of his most famous feats, two "demoniacs" approach him and beg that Jesus cast the demons out of them. Jesus does so, sending the demons to a herd of pigs, which proceed to jump off a cliff.
Asimov is still back on Mary, I told you there would be a lag. When I finish this, I'll try to come back and synch these all up. In any event, he discusses Matthew's description of Mary being a virgin at Jesus' conception, noting a passage in Isaiah 7:14. However, Isaiah was written in Hebrew and the word he uses refers in general to a young woman, virgin or not. There are no other references to a virgin birth in the rest of the NT. Asimov notes there are many virgin births in mythology that may have influenced Matthew's account.
Further, the genealogy in Matthew has Joseph the direct line of David, not Mary, so David's blood does not flow in Jesus' veins as he is the product of Mary and the Holy Ghost, not Joseph. Asimov notes that some Christians have a "tradition" that Mary is of David's line as well, but it is not described by Matthew. Hmmm.
Jesus proceeds to cast out demons and heal the sick. He tells his followers that all things come second to obedience to his call. If Jesus and your father both call you, you heed Jesus' call. He calms a storm that is upsetting the boat Jesus and his disciples are on. Finally, in one of his most famous feats, two "demoniacs" approach him and beg that Jesus cast the demons out of them. Jesus does so, sending the demons to a herd of pigs, which proceed to jump off a cliff.
Asimov is still back on Mary, I told you there would be a lag. When I finish this, I'll try to come back and synch these all up. In any event, he discusses Matthew's description of Mary being a virgin at Jesus' conception, noting a passage in Isaiah 7:14. However, Isaiah was written in Hebrew and the word he uses refers in general to a young woman, virgin or not. There are no other references to a virgin birth in the rest of the NT. Asimov notes there are many virgin births in mythology that may have influenced Matthew's account.
Further, the genealogy in Matthew has Joseph the direct line of David, not Mary, so David's blood does not flow in Jesus' veins as he is the product of Mary and the Holy Ghost, not Joseph. Asimov notes that some Christians have a "tradition" that Mary is of David's line as well, but it is not described by Matthew. Hmmm.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Genesis 8
God "remembers" Noah and recedes the waters after 150 days. Again,
it seems God is not omnipotent nor omnipresent as it seems the last
living things on his creation appear to have slipped his mind. In any
event, on the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark comes to
rest in the mountains of Ararat, which Asimov tells us lies in eastern
Turkey. Then the Bible says on the tenth day of the tenth month, the
tops of the mountains could be seen. However, the ark has already come
to a rest in Ararat, but only now the mountains can be seen? I'm
missing something.
Noah sends out a raven, which does not return. He then sends out a dove, which does. Seven days later he sends out the dove again, which returns with an olive branch. Seven days later he sends out the dove again and it does not return. Lots of sevens in this chapter.
Noah then makes an offering of the clean animals and the smell is pleasing to God. God makes a covenant that he will never again curse the ground because of man or destroy every living thing as he had done. This appears to lift the curse on the ground he made in response to Adam's disobedience way back in Genesis 3:17.
No new laws from God and it appears God is done killing this go around. I wonder where the raven went.
Noah sends out a raven, which does not return. He then sends out a dove, which does. Seven days later he sends out the dove again, which returns with an olive branch. Seven days later he sends out the dove again and it does not return. Lots of sevens in this chapter.
Noah then makes an offering of the clean animals and the smell is pleasing to God. God makes a covenant that he will never again curse the ground because of man or destroy every living thing as he had done. This appears to lift the curse on the ground he made in response to Adam's disobedience way back in Genesis 3:17.
No new laws from God and it appears God is done killing this go around. I wonder where the raven went.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Matthew 7
Jesus again inveighs against hypocrites, instructing them to not point out a speck in a brother's eye when there is a plank in your own. Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw pearls before swine. It is wasted effort. Don't take the easy way, but instead go through the narrow gate. Finally, beware of false prophets in sheep's clothing, for they are wolves.
Basically, Jesus' instructions on how to use His teachings.
Basically, Jesus' instructions on how to use His teachings.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Genesis 7
Now God changes his instructions to Noah to take aboard seven pairs of
each clean animal and birds and one pair of each unclean animals. What
follows is forty days and nights of rain. Also the heavens and the
fountains of the deep opened. Asimov thinks this reference to waters
other than rain may refer to a tidal wave. The flood covers the
mountains and prevailed for 150 days.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Matthew 6
More of Jesus' teachings. I'll just hit the highlights, but you should read it for yourself. Suffice to say hypocrites and rich folks seem to irk Jesus. Some good things in there that those that thump the Bible the hardest seem to miss.
Don't make a big show of your piety. If you do, your reward is on Earth, not in Heaven.
Same for your charity. Do it in secret, God will see and that's the important part.
Same with praying. Making a big production of your prayers earns your reward here and now. God won't reward it. There's a lot I could say about this from many Christians I've witnessed, but going to try to keep this even. Suffice to say, this is one those verses that Cafeteria Christians seem to miss.
Being overly verbose in your prayers is unnecessary. Jesus says this is something the Gentiles do. I don't think he meant that as a compliment.
Forgive others for the wrongs they do you and God (called "Father") will forgive your wrongs against Him.
Don't make a Hollywood production when fasting like the hypocrites do. Act normal and fast in secret.
Don't accumulate material wealth. Accumulate treasures in Heaven.
Finally, he goes on quite a bit about anxiety regarding food and clothes. I don't recall us ever covering this part of Jesus' teachings in the church I grew up in. It's obviously an important issue to Jesus, because he goes on about it. So I wonder what was the issue at that time he was trying to get at. Maybe the clothes thing is an extension of the not making a show of accumulated wealth? In any event, Jesus counsels to not be anxious about the food you eat and the clothes you wear. Doing so will not extend your life.
As for Asimov, he's still on genealogy from Matthew 1. If I ever finish this I'll condense these, but for now, I'm sticking with one Bible chapter, one Asimov section per day.
In any event, Asimov points out that in the third group of fourteen generations, there are only thirteen. He speculates that in copying the source works a name dropped out and was lost to history. Take this with the three missing Hebrew kings I discussed in the Matthew 5 entry, and we don't have three groups of fourteen generations from Abraham to Jesus.
Instead, there are fourteen generations from Abraham to David. There are eighteen generations from David to the Babylonian exile. And finally, there are thirteen generations from the Exile to Jesus. So there's another bit to chew on, those that contend the Bible is literally true.
Don't make a big show of your piety. If you do, your reward is on Earth, not in Heaven.
Same for your charity. Do it in secret, God will see and that's the important part.
Same with praying. Making a big production of your prayers earns your reward here and now. God won't reward it. There's a lot I could say about this from many Christians I've witnessed, but going to try to keep this even. Suffice to say, this is one those verses that Cafeteria Christians seem to miss.
Being overly verbose in your prayers is unnecessary. Jesus says this is something the Gentiles do. I don't think he meant that as a compliment.
Forgive others for the wrongs they do you and God (called "Father") will forgive your wrongs against Him.
Don't make a Hollywood production when fasting like the hypocrites do. Act normal and fast in secret.
Don't accumulate material wealth. Accumulate treasures in Heaven.
Finally, he goes on quite a bit about anxiety regarding food and clothes. I don't recall us ever covering this part of Jesus' teachings in the church I grew up in. It's obviously an important issue to Jesus, because he goes on about it. So I wonder what was the issue at that time he was trying to get at. Maybe the clothes thing is an extension of the not making a show of accumulated wealth? In any event, Jesus counsels to not be anxious about the food you eat and the clothes you wear. Doing so will not extend your life.
As for Asimov, he's still on genealogy from Matthew 1. If I ever finish this I'll condense these, but for now, I'm sticking with one Bible chapter, one Asimov section per day.
In any event, Asimov points out that in the third group of fourteen generations, there are only thirteen. He speculates that in copying the source works a name dropped out and was lost to history. Take this with the three missing Hebrew kings I discussed in the Matthew 5 entry, and we don't have three groups of fourteen generations from Abraham to Jesus.
Instead, there are fourteen generations from Abraham to David. There are eighteen generations from David to the Babylonian exile. And finally, there are thirteen generations from the Exile to Jesus. So there's another bit to chew on, those that contend the Bible is literally true.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Genesis 6
The "sons of God" marry the "daughters of men", but this does not
make the resulting men from these unions divine. Now this is weird, who
are these "sons of God"? The resulting men are the "Nephilian", the
mighty men of old. This seems to be remnants of an older myth, like
perhaps the Enoch story of being taken to walk with God.
Man's wretchedness makes God sorry he created man and decides to blot him out, except for Noah, who is righteous and walked with God. This parallels the other version of man's wickedness, seeming editing of two traditions into one. God commands Noah to build an ark and take his family and two of every creature into it.
Asimov underscores that the tale of Cain and Abel may be an account of friction between nomads (Abel) and city dwellers (Cain). In ancient Hebrew, a cognate of Cain means "smith". And indeed, one of Cain's descendants, Tabul-Cain, literally means the smith of Tabul.
No new laws, but God seems quite peeved at man's wickedness. Don't like where this is going.
Man's wretchedness makes God sorry he created man and decides to blot him out, except for Noah, who is righteous and walked with God. This parallels the other version of man's wickedness, seeming editing of two traditions into one. God commands Noah to build an ark and take his family and two of every creature into it.
Asimov underscores that the tale of Cain and Abel may be an account of friction between nomads (Abel) and city dwellers (Cain). In ancient Hebrew, a cognate of Cain means "smith". And indeed, one of Cain's descendants, Tabul-Cain, literally means the smith of Tabul.
No new laws, but God seems quite peeved at man's wickedness. Don't like where this is going.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Matthew 5
And now we get into the meat of Jesus' teachings. He goes up a mountain and instructs His Followers. Up first are the "Blessed are..."s. Of note, Jesus says God blesses the "peacemakers", not just the peaceable. That takes some effort on your part.
Jesus then has some strong instructions on divorce. No divorce, unless it is for unchastity, because that makes the woman an adultress. Anyone who marries a divorced woman is an adulterer. (Verses 31-32) So take that Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich the next time you bloviate on marriage.
Jesus then has a lot of instructions to his followers regarding being submissive to authority, the evil done against one (turn the other cheek), defending lawsuits. Hmmm, the people I see that pound the Bible the hardest don't seem to follow many of these. Just my observation, though.
Jesus also notes that the sun shines on the good and the evil and the rain falls on the just and unjust. (Verse 45) Your reward is not on this earth, that's not the reason to lead a righteous life. As a side note, this is one of my favorite observations from the Bible.
Asimov is still on Jesus' ancestry. He notes that for Matthew to get to his number of fourteen direct ancestors from David to Jesus, he left out some kings that clearly are in David's bloodline and are in the OT.
Jesus then has some strong instructions on divorce. No divorce, unless it is for unchastity, because that makes the woman an adultress. Anyone who marries a divorced woman is an adulterer. (Verses 31-32) So take that Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich the next time you bloviate on marriage.
Jesus then has a lot of instructions to his followers regarding being submissive to authority, the evil done against one (turn the other cheek), defending lawsuits. Hmmm, the people I see that pound the Bible the hardest don't seem to follow many of these. Just my observation, though.
Jesus also notes that the sun shines on the good and the evil and the rain falls on the just and unjust. (Verse 45) Your reward is not on this earth, that's not the reason to lead a righteous life. As a side note, this is one of my favorite observations from the Bible.
Asimov is still on Jesus' ancestry. He notes that for Matthew to get to his number of fourteen direct ancestors from David to Jesus, he left out some kings that clearly are in David's bloodline and are in the OT.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Genesis 5
A short chapter detailing the genealogy of Adam. Adam has many sons and
daughters, dies at the ages of 930. The genealogy is a list the of ten
generations between Adam and Noah. Enoch, representing the seventh
generation does not die, but walks with God and God "takes" him. At
500, Noah has his three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Short entry, but that's all that happens.
Short entry, but that's all that happens.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Matthew 4
Jesus goes to the desert to fast for forty days and nights and to be tempted by the devil. That's right, it's written to imply the temptations were part of Jesus' plan. The devil complies and puts various tests, threats and rewards before Him to get Jesus to say he is the Son of God. Jesus rejects each and finally rebukes the devil, calling him Satan for the first time in the NT, and the devil leaves.
The annotations state that this is the first illustration of Jesus' refusal to allow for his personal safety or other practical concerns to sway Him from his personal mission.
Jesus then hears of John's arrest (wha? I missed that) and flees to Galilee. Here he begins his ministry. He recruits his first four disciples, of which Peter is the first, all fishermen. His offer to them is to make them "fishers of men", and they leave their nets and follow Him. His ministry starts to gather fame and He heals the ill and afflicted and his following grows.
Asimov's chapter is about the ancestry of Jesus and charted through the OT. It's actually interesting, but it goes through parts of the OT I haven't gotten to yet. One thing to note is that there is a woman the OT describes as a "harlot", Rahab, in that ancestry. Asimov speculates that perhaps this was to show that Jesus was sent to redeem all, not just observant Jews.
The annotations state that this is the first illustration of Jesus' refusal to allow for his personal safety or other practical concerns to sway Him from his personal mission.
Jesus then hears of John's arrest (wha? I missed that) and flees to Galilee. Here he begins his ministry. He recruits his first four disciples, of which Peter is the first, all fishermen. His offer to them is to make them "fishers of men", and they leave their nets and follow Him. His ministry starts to gather fame and He heals the ill and afflicted and his following grows.
Asimov's chapter is about the ancestry of Jesus and charted through the OT. It's actually interesting, but it goes through parts of the OT I haven't gotten to yet. One thing to note is that there is a woman the OT describes as a "harlot", Rahab, in that ancestry. Asimov speculates that perhaps this was to show that Jesus was sent to redeem all, not just observant Jews.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Genesis 4
Cain and Abel are the first offspring of Adam and Eve. Cain is a
tiller of soil and Abel is a shepherd. They both make offerings to God
of the fruits of their labors. God accepts Cain's offering of lamb, but
rejects Cain's offering of fruit. God does not understand why Cain is
upset at His rejection of Cain's offering, since God still accepts
Cain. Commentary suggest this reflects tension between farmers and
nomads.
Cain kills Abel and Abel's blood cries from the earth to God, reflecting perhaps that God considers blood to be sacred. God gives Cain a mark so that no one takes revenge on Cain to avenge Abel's murder. Cain goes east of Eden and founds a city.
Adam and Eve have a third son, Seth, whose son the Bible says is the first to worship the "Lord".
Reflecting on the expulsion from Eden, Asimov speculates it might reflect a nostalgia for nomadic times that are no more once agriculture is developed, which required settling in one place.
God's Law: It doesn't come right out and say it, but seems God has a problem with murder.
My ability to comply: Hasn't bee a problem yet.
Cain kills Abel and Abel's blood cries from the earth to God, reflecting perhaps that God considers blood to be sacred. God gives Cain a mark so that no one takes revenge on Cain to avenge Abel's murder. Cain goes east of Eden and founds a city.
Adam and Eve have a third son, Seth, whose son the Bible says is the first to worship the "Lord".
Reflecting on the expulsion from Eden, Asimov speculates it might reflect a nostalgia for nomadic times that are no more once agriculture is developed, which required settling in one place.
God's Law: It doesn't come right out and say it, but seems God has a problem with murder.
My ability to comply: Hasn't bee a problem yet.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Matthew 3
Matthew 3 introduces us to John the Baptist, who preached in the wilderness as prophesied in the OT book of Isaiah. He preached that the Jews should "repent" (which literally means "return") for the people to return to God's covenant.
John must have cut quite a character, as he wore a garment made of camel hair and subsisted on locusts and wild honey. So don't be so quick to dismiss some of those street preachers that look and act wild, I suppose. Despite his urging, he refuses to baptize Pharisees and Saducees (two competing Jewish sects).
John preaches that one greater than he will come. When Jesus comes, John initially refuses to baptize Jesus as well, saying that John is unworthy to do so. However, he does so at Jesus' urging.
Asimov, referring to the lineage of Jesus in Matthew 1, says that Matthew, as a Jew, would show that the Messiah is as well. Therefore, the Messiah must have a direct bloodline from David.
John must have cut quite a character, as he wore a garment made of camel hair and subsisted on locusts and wild honey. So don't be so quick to dismiss some of those street preachers that look and act wild, I suppose. Despite his urging, he refuses to baptize Pharisees and Saducees (two competing Jewish sects).
John preaches that one greater than he will come. When Jesus comes, John initially refuses to baptize Jesus as well, saying that John is unworthy to do so. However, he does so at Jesus' urging.
Asimov, referring to the lineage of Jesus in Matthew 1, says that Matthew, as a Jew, would show that the Messiah is as well. Therefore, the Messiah must have a direct bloodline from David.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Genesis 3
The Serpent tempts woman by telling her show won't die if she eats
the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, but instead become like
God, know the difference between good and evil. She then gives the
fruit to her husband, who also eats, and they see that they are naked
and make aprons of fig leaves to cover themselves.
Gold walks through the garden and cannot find them. Again, God does not appear to be omnipotent and omniscient, as He walks instead of appearing where He wishes and is unable to find those that hide. Yet later, we are told he knows every thought of every person.
Upon finding man and woman and learning what they have done, God curses the Serpent to crawl upon its belly and eternal enmity between it and the offspring of the woman. He then curses the woman to increases pain in childbirth and gives her to her husband to rule over her.
He then curses the ground, interestingly not Adam who is named in this chapter for the first time to toil the ground. As Adam had already been laboring at tilling the garden in the last chapter, toil appears to be something different. One type of labor is divine, tilling, but another, toiling, is a curse. The notes and Asimov do not posit on the difference. Further, God curses Adam to no longer be able to eat of the Tree of Life, which eventual death and to return to the dust from which he came.
Finally, God gives Adam and Eve (who has also been named) clothes made of skins and banishes them from the garden. The gate of the garden is guarded by a "cherubin" and a flaming sword so that man may never return. There is another reference by God to Himself as "us", leading to the question of where the other gods are.
Asimov notes there is only one other talking animal in the Bible and there aren't many human like animals in other Jewish traditions. Perhaps the story of temptation is also borrowed?
God's law: Don't eat of the Tree of Knowledge
My ability to follow: I don't know where the Tree of Knowledge is, but would probably grab a snack from it if I did. It seems to me that God is playing a head game with his creations and eating of the Tree of Knowledge would be a way to refuse to play.
Gold walks through the garden and cannot find them. Again, God does not appear to be omnipotent and omniscient, as He walks instead of appearing where He wishes and is unable to find those that hide. Yet later, we are told he knows every thought of every person.
Upon finding man and woman and learning what they have done, God curses the Serpent to crawl upon its belly and eternal enmity between it and the offspring of the woman. He then curses the woman to increases pain in childbirth and gives her to her husband to rule over her.
He then curses the ground, interestingly not Adam who is named in this chapter for the first time to toil the ground. As Adam had already been laboring at tilling the garden in the last chapter, toil appears to be something different. One type of labor is divine, tilling, but another, toiling, is a curse. The notes and Asimov do not posit on the difference. Further, God curses Adam to no longer be able to eat of the Tree of Life, which eventual death and to return to the dust from which he came.
Finally, God gives Adam and Eve (who has also been named) clothes made of skins and banishes them from the garden. The gate of the garden is guarded by a "cherubin" and a flaming sword so that man may never return. There is another reference by God to Himself as "us", leading to the question of where the other gods are.
Asimov notes there is only one other talking animal in the Bible and there aren't many human like animals in other Jewish traditions. Perhaps the story of temptation is also borrowed?
God's law: Don't eat of the Tree of Knowledge
My ability to follow: I don't know where the Tree of Knowledge is, but would probably grab a snack from it if I did. It seems to me that God is playing a head game with his creations and eating of the Tree of Knowledge would be a way to refuse to play.
Matthew 2
Jesus is born in Bethlehem and wise men from the east come to visit the King of the Jews, having seen his star in the east and followed it. King Herod hears of this and assembles the priests and scribes who tell him of the prophecy of the King being born in Bethlehem to the tribe of Judah.
Herod then sends the wise men to search for Jesus. They find and worship Him, offering gifts. They then leave without returning to Herod, having been warned in a dream not to. An angel appears to Joseph and tells him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod and fulfill the prophecy of the Messiah coming out of Egypt.
Herod orders the deaths of all male children under the age of two, fulfilling another prophecy by Jeremiah. Joseph returns with his family after an angel appears and tells him Herod is dead. Yet another prophecy is fulfilled when they settle in Gaililee, a part of Nazareth and Jesus will be known as the Nazarene.
Asimov talks about how the Maccabbeans were of the wrong blood line to be the Messiah, although many during the revolt thought they were.
Herod then sends the wise men to search for Jesus. They find and worship Him, offering gifts. They then leave without returning to Herod, having been warned in a dream not to. An angel appears to Joseph and tells him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod and fulfill the prophecy of the Messiah coming out of Egypt.
Herod orders the deaths of all male children under the age of two, fulfilling another prophecy by Jeremiah. Joseph returns with his family after an angel appears and tells him Herod is dead. Yet another prophecy is fulfilled when they settle in Gaililee, a part of Nazareth and Jesus will be known as the Nazarene.
Asimov talks about how the Maccabbeans were of the wrong blood line to be the Messiah, although many during the revolt thought they were.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)