Six Week Bible for Friends By Offered at Quakertown Meeting
( Spring 2006 The course Goal: This course is designed to teach an appreciation of the Bible through an understanding of its structure, composition, and context, through the light of modern scholarship. It is to provide an intellectual understanding and not necessarily a devotional appreciation, though it is hoped the former might clear the way for the latter. It will also point out ways this book was important to Friends, particularly in our formative period. Rational: Most denominations have a program of Bible study, but they all (to my knowledge) expect one to know the basics, as they teach them. Adult Bible studies have one “jump right in.” Many Quakers have no background in Bible study, and others bring the background provided by other denominations (for good or ill). This course is meant to provide the background for further study, and will have failed if readers don’t continue to explore the Bible individually, or preferably as a group. Most Protestants viewed the Bible differently from Quakers in the 17th century, and still do. For many, if not most, it was the sole authority in matters divine; It was a rule book for life. For Quakers it was a rule secondary to the Holy Spirit, and it was valued as it validated what they already knew inwardly from that Spirit. It filled their thought and language, and to understand them, we must understand the book that was so formative for them. Where appropriate we will see how other Quakers have read this book. This is a syllabus (outline of topics and readings) and not a study guide or curriculum. It assumes some background on the part of the leader. I suggest three sources for this background:
Bibles: Those in the class who don’t already have a Bible, or
have an old translation (beautiful language, but not accurate) should
get a study Bible if they can afford it. I recommend the Harper-Collins
Study Bible (New York: Harper-Collins Publishers, 1993), or either of
two
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Where I’m Coming from in Teaching the Bible The Bible is the sacred scripture in our Quaker tradition. I believe it is inspired by God. The difficulty lies in defining what “inspired by God” means. Evangelicals would have the Bible as inerrant, but even evangelicals disagree as to what that means: inerrant as to doctrine? As to all facts? Inerrant in the original manuscripts (which, admittedly, have been lost)? Inerrant in translation (God guided the translators), and if so then which translation (some hold only the King James Version is inerrant). I do not believe the Bible is inerrant. It reflects the time and culture in which it was written, and the concerns of those who wrote it. When I say I believe it is inspired I mean that those who wrote, and later edited it, were led by the Holy Spirit in this process. There are some among us who, maybe partly in response to the dogmatism of the evangelicals, reject the idea of the Bible as being inspired. Some of them look to the scripture of other, particularly eastern, traditions such as Hinduism’s Bagavad Gita, Buddhism’s Dhammapada, or Taoism’s Tao Te Ch’ing for inspiration. Others look to “New Age” writings. While valuing those scripture that have withstood the test of time for what the are, and I do hold them to be inspired texts, they are not my tradition. The Bible is a collection of works of various genre written by many
men [sic] for various purposes. The New Testament tells of the new covenant through Jesus Christ, and also consists of several genre: gospels (taking Luke-Acts as one), letters, and an apocalypse. The letters are quite varied. Except for Romans, all of Paul’s letters addressed specific situations in local churches, and unless we know what issue he was addressing (even scholars aren’t sure) we can’t really understand his point. We can’t read the Bible without knowing the context in which it was written. I tell a story I heard attributed to Bill Taber. There are many paths to the top of the mountain. They all go to the top if we follow them, but if we keep going from path to path we just go in circles. I believe the Bible is the starting point for the Quaker path. It is from where our “continuing revelation” began. The Bible is the seminal text of our tradition, and of our culture. |
March 12, 2006 Week One Structure of the Bible Points to Cover: Old Testament a.k.a. the Hebrew Bible (though not all is in Hebrew), or Tanak – from first Hebrew letters for Torah, Prophets, Writings) 1. Torah comprises the first five books of the Bible, a.k.a. The Pentateuch or “The Law” as in the phrase “the law and the prophets” – the writings were made canonical later. 2. Prophets
come next in order and in authority. Jews divide into former prophets
( 3. Writings
are third and are mixed genre including poetry, wisdom, inspiration,
history, and apocalypse (Daniel). It includes Psalms, Proverbs and 4. The
Apocrypha consists of books in use by Jews living outside New Testament (aka Christian Scriptures) 1. Gospels
– There are four, in probable order of composition Mark, Matthew, Luke
and 2. Acts is a continuation of the Gospel attributed to Luke. 3. The Pauline epistles (letters) are seven undisputedly by Paul, and six of questionable authorship. At least the seven by Paul himself predate any of the gospels, I Thessalonians is the oldest Christian document. 4. Hebrews is traditionally attributed to Paul but the language (in the Greek), style and theology all make that improbable. Author unknown. 5. Catholic
Epistles (catholic meaning general) refers to those attributed to James
(oft quoted by early Friends), Peter (1&2), 6. The
Revelation to Higher Criticism
o ‘J’ for Yahwist (spelled with a ‘J’ in German) which calls YHWH “Lord.” o ‘E’ is used for the Elohist tradition in which God is spoken of as Elohim: God o ‘P’ for the Priestly tradition with its concern for cultic observance o
‘D’ for the Deuteronomic tradition responsible for the book of Deuteronomy
and the former prophets (
Historical Context
o Exodus around 1200 BCE o David king around 1000 BCE o Kingdom splits maybe 70 years later o
Fall of o
Fall of o
Persians defeat o
Alexander defeats o Maccabean revolt 168 ejects the Seleucid (Greek) Antiochus IV (Hanukah) o Roman period 63 o Birth of Jesus 4 BCE o Crucifixion 30 CE o
Destruction of Some Approaches to Reading the BibleThere are four traditional levels of Biblical interpretation
Jaroslav Pelikan (Whose Bible Is It? Page 131) gives us a “Latin quatrain that has been translated to read:” The letter shows us what God and our fathers did; The allegory shows us where our faith is hid; The moral meaning gives us rules of daily life; The analogy shows us where we end our strife. Three (of many) ways of approaching the Bible are as follows · Lectio Divina comes out of the monastic (Benedictine) tradition. One selects a reading (traditionally from the Psalms; I take the day’s reading from the Lectionary). There are then four steps which might be done at a sitting, or over the day: 1. Lectio: reading the passage slowly and more than one, possibly memorizing it. 2. Meditatio: meditating on to, which here means thinking about it 3. Oratio: which leads one to prayer, usually related to the passage 4. Contemplatio: which leads to contemplation, thought falls away; we rest in God. · Jesuit approach in which we read a story and visualize it, going through it from the point of view of each of the participants. Try it with the prodigal son. · Quaker approach, wait for Holy Spirit to speak to us through the passage. Robert Barclay, in the Apology, proposition III likens the Bible to a mirror in which our own experience is reflected. God hath seen meet that herein we should, as in a looking-glass, see the conditions and experiences of the saints of old; that finding our experience answer to theirs, we might thereby be the more confirmed and comforted, and our hope of obtaining the same end strengthened; that observing the providences attending them, seeing the snares they were liable to, and beholding their deliverances, we may thereby be made wise unto salvation, and seasonably reproved and instructed in righteousness. Ask participants for their experience. Give example of use of imagery from Birkel (below). Recommended reading:
Preparation for Next Class: Ask class to read Genesis, as much as reasonable. Point out two creation stories from ‘E/P’ and ‘J’ and ask them to be looking for other instances of dual telling. |
March 19, 2006 Lesson Two – Torah (or Law) Suggested reading for preparation: Genesis Central theme to look for: Covenant Points to Cover The first five books of the Bible called variously the five books of Moses (some Christians and Jews believe he wrote all five of them himself), the Torah (Heb.) Pentateuch (Gr.) are what is known as “The Law.” For Orthodox Jews it is primary. The rest of the Tanak is secondary. Sometime toward the end of the first millennium CE a rabbinical council determined there are 613 rules in the Law. The Talmud (actually there is more than one) is commentary on the Torah. Many Jewish practices such as almost all the rules of Kosher are not in the Bible, but are rules devised to ensure one didn't’t even get close to breaking one of the scriptural injunctions.
o
o
compare Genesis 3:22-24 when Adam and Eve are expelled from the
garden with Fox’s description of his mystical experience in chapter
two of his Now I was come up in spirit through the flaming sword, into the paradise of God. All things were new; and all the creation gave unto me another smell than before, beyond what words can utter. I knew nothing but pureness, and innocence, and righteousness; being renewed into the image of God by Christ Jesus, to the state of Adam, which he was in before he fell. The creation was opened to me; and it was showed me how all things had their names given them according to their nature and virtue. Geo Fox Covenant with all the creation through Noah (Noahetic covenant) o
o The covenant with all Humanity , and with “every living creature.” Read Genesis 9:1-17. From this “the Talmud singles out seven violations of the will of God: worship of idols, profaning the name of God, murder, unlawful sex, theft, eating the meat of a living animal, and failure to enforce laws.” (Jaroslav Pelikan. Whose Bible Is It.” P. 84).
o Passover Exodus 12:1-28 Comment on imagery of “washed in the blood of the Lamb” and connect with the Lamb in Revelation, and the Lamb’s War. No bone was to be broken. o
o Decalogue (ten commandments) in 20:2-17. Catholics and Protestants both have ten, but organize them differently giving rise to jokes about which commandment was violated. (Catholics combine “one God” and “no idols,” then divide covet into two: wife and goods) o Mercy seat read Exodus 25, making point that God is not visible, just place where God sits. We see God’s “glory” (manifestation as in the result of God’s presence but not the presence itself) but not God. God is not visible and can not be depicted or visualized.
o Read Leviticus 11 on food o Read Leviticus 15 on discharges: keep high priest up night before Yom Kipper. o Read Leviticus 18 on sexual taboos. o Read Leviticus 19:15-22: note verse 18b o A council of rabbis in the mid to late first millennium CE determined there are 613 rules to be found in the Torah. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (19:18b) is just one of there and not a major one at that. Jesus raised it in importance to stand beside the most important, to love God, taken from the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
o Read Deuteronomy 5-6. Verses 6:4-5 are the Shema o Read Deuteronomy 18:15-18. Who is this prophet? o Read Deuteronomy 30: tone is very different from Leviticus, law is on your heart (v. 6) o
The former prophets ( Further James L Kugel The Bible As It Was. (Belknap/Harvard University Press, 1997) Preparation for Next Class: Give historic context and structure of Micah. Tell class to read Micah. |
March 26, 2006 Lesson Three The Former (Deuteronomic Histories) and Latter Prophets: Suggested reading for preparation: Micah Central Theme: Accountable to the Covenant Points to Cover in Class:
Bill Taber wrote a Pendle Hill Pamphlet “The Prophetic Stream.” Is ministry prophetic in your experience? Further Abraham Heschel. The Prophets. (Perennial Classics. 1975) Preparation for Next Class: Ask class to read Ecclesiastics |
April 2, 2006 Lesson Four – The Writings Central Theme: Hesed, steadfast love Suggested reading for preparation: Ecclesiastics Points to Cover in Class: Psalms: They are hymns, for singing. They are poems written over a period of a thousand years. Some are attributed to Moses (Psalm 90), many to David, and some to others. The Psalms are hymns and are the traditional (but by no means only) reading material for lectio divina, chanted by Benedictines in the Daily Office five times a day. Central theme of hesed and God’s faithfulness.
What is it to “fear” God? Define sin as “missing the mark.” Recall hyssop used to paint doorposts
with blood of the lamb for Passover in They are organized in five books paralleling the five books of Moses: Psalms 1-41, Psalms 42-72, Psalms 73-89, Psalms 90-106, Psalms 107-150 Each book ends with a doxology, or praise
to God. Psalm 150 is a doxology in its entirety. There are Royal Psalms
that emphasize God as King. There are Zion Psalms that focus on the
city of Read Psalms 23, 24, 25, 40, 121, 130, 139: themes God’s hesed and our “fear” and waiting. Read Psalm 137. Obviously written long after David, when in exile. What do we do with verse 9? Proverbs – a favorite of Christian counselors. Read chapter 8, 15:1-9. In chapter 8 wisdom (female) was with God from the beginning (Trinitarian precursor?) The Five Scrolls: Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon were considered to represent three stages of spiritual (mystical) insight by in the medieval period, with the Song representing the highest. Proverbs is the most obvious, Ecclesiastes the next level of spiritual insight (Eckhart might say detachment). And the song is thought to be about the soul’s yearning for God. Daniel: Portions were written in Aramaic and not Hebrew. “Hand writing on the wall” in chapter 5, Visions (Apocalypse) begins in chapter 7. Chronicles: A parallel history to Samuel and Kings. In the writings in the Jewish Bible, and at the end. Ezra & Nehemiah: One book, the history of the return. Preparation for Next Class: Mark as the first Gospel (before the destruction of the |
April 9, 2006 Lesson Five – The Gospels Suggested reading for preparation: Mark Points to Cover in Class: Synoptic Gospels
Love is the only commandment in Read Why is
Further Robin Griffith- Preparation for Next Class: Context of Galatians, issue of the Law. Tell class to read Galatians. |
April 23, 2006 Lesson Six – Acts, Letters, The Revelation Suggested reading for preparation: Galatians Acts recounts the work of Peter (first half) and Paul.
Paul’s letters – seven generally accepted as authored by Paul (in likely order of composition): I Thessalonians (ca 50), Philippians, Philemon, Galatians, I & II Corinthians, and Romans (ca 56). There is a split among scholars as to Ephesians and Colossians, and most scholars (but by no means all) consider II Thessalonians, and the pastorals (I & II Timothy, and Titus) to have been written by someone else. Each letter except possibly Romans was a letter to a community he had founded, written on a specific occasion and not meant as a systematic theology. Paul’s theology has to be inferred from these letters. That is hard to do because we often don’t know the specifics of the problem he was addressing. Paul’s main themes: · Justification not by works of the law (Torah) but by faith (pistis). · Justification is by faith in Jesus, or by the faith of Jesus (alternate translations, take your pick – see Timothy Peat in Heaven on Earth: Quakers and the Second Coming. By Dandelion, Gwyn and Peat (Kelso, Scotland : Curlew Productions, Woodbrooke College : Birmingham, England, 1998). Read Romans 3:19-26 and note alternate translation of “faith in Jesus” or “the faith of Jesus” in verses 22 and 26. Read it both ways. What difference would it make? Jesus’ faith led him to accept the cross. Early Quakers spoke of “taking up the cross.” · Mystical understanding of Paul found in II Corinthians 12:1-7 (understood to be speaking of himself), and on a different note in passages like Galatians 2:20. (emphasis on identification with Christ) James was the brother of Jesus (Catholics say cousin or step brother
through an earlier marriage of I Revelation a response to persecution just as the apocalypse in Daniel was a response to persecution under Antiochus IV. |