Week 1

Example of interpreting a "text" using "Three Worlds":

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TOPICS COVERED WEEK 1

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• Introductions
•          Name
•         Tell me about yourself
•          Bib 314?
•          Musical group or singer
• ,        
• In class- quiz/Final exam prep
• Texts and Three Worlds

• Venn it: Genesis 1 and  2
• Which 10 Commandments
• Jokes in Syllabus; NOT office and not "sillybus"

Be prepared for an “In class” Quick Write:

1.What is your experience with the Bible?  In what contexts have you studied it? 2.  List two questions you bring to class?   3. What are the first three words or phrases that come to mind when you think of the Bible?  4. On a scale of 1-10, how stressed are you about this class and why?  5. What grade does this student get at FPU?: "The student has met all the formal requirements and has demonstrated good comprehension of the subject and ability to handle ideas."

6. Extra cred: if you have read Moodle carefully, you'll know the extra credit question: What do you call your teacher, and why? 

7)Extra extra cred: What is the core message of Jesus/the basic message of Christianity?

--

Can you quote his exact opening line?

  






 I took a version of this class at FPC (it wasn't a U yet), I had cool typewriter

I look forward this class..I think you'll' enjoy it, too..
 ...I did when I took it in 1983>>

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STRATEGY: 
BIB 314 asks, "Who is Jesus?"

and "What is Church?"







This class asks

• "1)How do I read a text of Scripture via a Three Worlds approach?"
• 2)"What does Scripture have to say about community?
• 3)What does Scripture have to say about my major?

-------------------------------- 

The Three Worlds approach to reading the Bible 

: here is an introduction.

This  below is how one student summarized the worlds (she has more detail here)

Literary World--The literary world of the Bible is simply the text itself, apart from anything outside the text.  We mean the world (or, better, worlds) created by the text; the words on the page, by the stories, songs, letters and the myriad other types of literature that make up the Bible.  All good literature (and the Bible is, among other things, good literature) creates in readers' minds magnificent, mysterious, and often moving worlds that take on a reality of their own, whether or not they represent anything real outside the pages (Hauer and Young ch 2).

Historical World--The historical world of the Bible isthe world "behind the text" or "outside the text".  It is the context in which the Bible came to be written, translated, and interpreted over time, until the present.  In studying the historical world of the Bible, we look for evidence outside the text that helps us answer questions such as, who wrote this text, when was it written, to whom was it written, and why was it written.  We also probe the text itself for evidence that links it to historical times, places, situations, and persons (Hauer and Young 2)..



Contemporary World--The contemporary world is the "world in front of the text" or the "world of the reader."  In one sense, there are as many contemporary worlds of the Bible as there are readers, for each of us brings our own particular concerns and questions to the text.  They inevitably shape our reading experience.  We are all interested in answering the questions of whether the Bible in general, or particular texts, have any relevance to our personal lives 

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Texts:

TEXTS
 TEXT:  the word does not mean just written words, or text message..
a TEXT is technically ":any message  in any medium, designed to communicate anything"
so obviously the Bible counts as a TEXT message. 
.

But so does everything.

  All you ever do is send and receive and interpret texts:
Every conversation, film,  book is a text.

Students: send me a random text message (see my phone number on syllabus),  It can be anything; you don't even have to identify yourself.  I will read some of these in class for fun...and to show that texts need context  

Because several of the classes I teach have to do with how to read and interpret texts (particularly biblical texts) , contexts, and intertextuality...I actually encourage students to send me text messages in class.

They often look at me as if I am kidding, even afraid I will confiscate their phone if they do.

...Or worse! Check out this shocking video ,  revealing one professor's policy on texting :in class:

 Here's one teacher who welcomes texting in class:


DID YOU TEXT ME YET?  I'M SERIOUS>>DO IT NOW

 One church's policy on cell phones (video below) 


FPU professor  (and Textpert) Greg Camp introduced me to thebrilliant idea of having students text me in class. 

I ask them to send me a random text message (anything) or to forward me a text message from their inbox.   These become our curriculum for the next few minutes as we interpret them.

This opens great discussion..

And very often I get a text that says, "The university president just emailed, notifying that all classes get out early today."

(:

Suffice to say the whole idea of texting in class has proven to be a fruitful means of discussing the only thing we ever engage in, and the only job we have:

interpreting text messages.

Huh?

Increasingly, the definition of text is becoming:

"any message, in any medium, intended to communicate anything"


Movies are texts; conversations at St. Arbuck's are texts. etc

So the primary discipline/skill/art we should cultivate is that of sending and interpreting text messages.

All of life is a text message.

Of course, when dealing with The Text (Scripture), how much more...

Text, subtext, and context is everything.

Text me..



Thanks for texting me in class.  

What do you remember about  the BUTT CHEEKS (BUT CHEEKS)  story?

Texts need contexts.

Video of what I said  in class and more:

<i

Thanks for texting me (cell phone) random text messages during class to illustrate that

texts need contexts.

GODISNOWHERE:  is it GOD IS NOWHERE  or GOD IS NOW HERE?

How you read the text changes as much as everything.

Spaces matter.

Like this:

Professor Ernest Brennecke of Columbia is credited with inventing a sentence that can be made to have eight different meanings by placing ONE WORD in all possible positions in the sentence: 

"I hit him in the eye yesterday."

The word is "ONLY".

The Message:

1.ONLY I hit him in the eye yesterday. (No one else did.)

2.I ONLY hit him in the eye yesterday. (Did not slap him.)

3.I hit ONLY him in the eye yesterday. (I did not hit others.)

4.I hit him ONLY in the eye yesterday. (I did not hit outside the eye.)

5.I hit him in ONLY the eye yesterday. (Not other organs.)

6.I hit him in the ONLY eye yesterday. (He doesn't have another eye..)

7.I hit him in the eye ONLY yesterday. (Not today.)

8.I hit him in the eye yesterday ONLY. (Did not wait for today.)

                              -link 

Like this 'text message' from Jesus:

I SAY TO YOU TODAY, "YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE.'

or is it,

I SAY TO YOU, " TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE."

The original manuscripts of the Bible not only run all letters, all caps, together, but include no punctuation.

Punctuation matters.

Everything is  context.


context      is everything.

--

T
=VENN IT!  comparing/contrasting two texts: 
 the two stories of creation: Gen 1:1 – 2:3 and Gen. 2:4-25). 

Greg Camp and Laura Roberts (FPU faculty) note:

 with  the two stories of creation: 



the two stories of creation: Gen 1:1 – 2:3 and Gen. 2:4-25). 


what do you remember about  your observations?
Even many people well-seasoned in the Bible don't realize there are two accounts (not one) of creation in the Bible.  A helpful Three Worlds discipline to hone is this: when there are more than one version of a story (ex. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all tell the story of the miraculous feeding), it is productive to compare and contrast accounts. Read the first account of creation in Genesis Chapter 1, continuing through Genesis 2:4.  Then read the second account (beginning with Genesis 2.4 through the end of chapter 2. What are the characteristics of each account?  How are they the same/different?  Did they feel like they were written in different styles, genres, even by different writers?  Jot down some informal notes about your observations ..

 Camp and  Roberts (FPU faculty) note:

The two accounts are separate but complementary, like the four gospels. They can be read at different levels, from literal to figurative, with no bearing on the truth of it. Poetry is not less true than a newspaper, just a different kind or mode of truth. And, one must always ask the question what the implied author intended and what the implied audience would have understood. Ancient notions of history are very different from ours.

Genesis 1:

repetitious, tabular, formal

days of creation reported in the same way, formulaic

authority and brevity

style of ordering material into a series of similar solemn commands are unchallenged

content presents major divisions of creation known to writer

catalog or tabulation of events and commands

vocabulary = create (bara), humanity as likeness/image, male/fernale

God = Elohim, characterized as powerful cosmic organizer, speaks things into being, stands outside of cosmos and controls it

Humanity = created as vice regent, created in image gives representative status

polemic against mythical concepts of life and creation

Genesis 2:

relationship of characters emphasized

language is picturesque and flowing, poetic terms, colorful

God's actions more interrelated than separated by divisions of time or set expressions (idioms)

no two acts are alike and none are preceded by divine command

vocabulary = form (yasar), humanity as living being, man/woman

God = Yahweh, characterized by immanence, personal nearness, involvement on human scene, intimate master, depicted humanly (hands, walking, digging)

Humanity = ready contact with and immediate responsibility to God. Humanity's creation linked to ground (word play on adam = man and adamah = ground) and curse is alienation from the land, is distinctive because Yahweh personally addresses him

polemic against fertility cults in Canaan

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Compare Genesis accounts to Babylonian Creation story (read an excerpt here). Significant similarities – Genesis is not written in a vacuum. Significant differences – lack of violence, struggle, multiple gods, etc.

Enuma Elish:

a.     creation by word - Marduk has this power. They tell him to open his mouth. At the word of his mouth XXX vanishes or reappears.

b.    command over elements - Marduk enlists wind and storm to defeat Tiamat, but battles with elements too.

c.     Tiamat is split in two and body is used to retain waters and set firmament and ground.

d.    sets stars in their place, gives moon and sun jurisdiction, setting days 

e.     creation of man - "blood I will make and bones I will cause to be" new idea like Genesis but he creates out of a dead god's body and for the purpose of "the relief of the gods".

In Genesis, we see a carefully structured account, bringing order out of chaos. The sea and darkness are elements of chaos in the ancient world. No work can be done in the dark; salt water kills agriculture; unknown depths and sea creatures are in the sea. God has ability to control and limit these. Chaos is not eliminated or bounded. God creates out of nothing (vs. other creation myths of the day), and the verb used for "create" (bara) is something no human ever does in the Old Testament. Only God does this action. There are also no elements of struggle or battle to create, which is typical of other contemporary creation myths. God simply speaks or shapes things into being. There are also no birthing images, which are common in other myths, and quickly lead to a confusion between Creator and creature (vs. God as wholly other), and to fertility cults. Also, most other creation myths were a people’s story (how the Mesopotamians came to be, for instance). Genesis is not presented as Israel’s story, but as the story of the world. ( to really appreciate the beauty and brilliance of these chapters, one has to read Hebrew. These verses are packed with wordplays and puns. It may not immediately occur to one that puns are a good form of theological education, but…)

          -Camp and Roberts  
- 

Excerpts from the Babylonian Creation Account (required reading for Week 1)

In the following translation, parentheses enclose words that have no equivalent in the original but have been added for fluency or intelligibility. Words in brackets are restorations. (?) added to words of uncertain meaning. Ellipses due to breaks in the original or due to the unintelligibility of the text are marked.... Words that are underlined are transliterations from the original language.

Reading 1

When above the heaven had not (yet) been named, (and) below the earth had not (yet) been called by a name; (when) Apsu primeval, their begetter, Mununu, (and) Tiamat, she who gave birth to them all, (still) mingled their waters together, And no pasture land had been formed (and) not (even) a reed marsh was to be seen; When none of the (other) gods had been brought into being, (When) they had not (yet) been called by (their) name(s, and their) destinies had not (yet) been fixed, (At that time) were gods create within them.

Reading 2

Marduk, thou art (the most) important among the great gods,

Thy destiny is unequaled, thy command is (like that of) Anu.

From this day onward thy command shall not be changed.

To exalt and to abase -- this shall be thy power!

Dependable shall be the utterance of thy mouth, thy command shall not prove vain.

Reading 3

They gave him an irresistible weapon smiting the enemy, (saying:)

"Go and cut off the life of Tiamat. May the winds carry her blood to the out-of-the-way places.”

After the gods his fathers determined the destiny of Bel,

They set him on the road -- the way to success and attainment.

He made a bow and decreed (it) as his weapon;

An arrowhead he put (on the arrow and) fastened the bowstring to it.

He took up the club and grasped (it) in his right hand;

The bow and the quiver he hung at his side.

The lightning he set before him;

With a blazing flame he filled his body.

He made a net to enclose Tiamat within (it),

(And) had the four winds take hold that nothing of her might escape;

The south wind, the north wind, the east wind, (and) the west wind,

The gift of his (grand)father, Anu, he caused to draw high to the border(s) of the net.

He created imhullu: the evil wind, the cyclone, the hurricane,

The fourfold wind, the sevenfold wind, the whirlwind, the wind incomparable.

He sent forth the winds which he had created, the seven of them;

To trouble Tiamat within, they arose behind him.

Reading 4

and then he returned to Tiamat, whom he had subdued.

The Lord trod upon the hinder part of Tiamat.

And with his unsparing club he split (her) skull.

He cut the arteries of her blood  and skubala happened

And caused the north wind to carry (it) to out-of-the-way places.

When his fathers saw (this), they were glad and rejoiced

(And) sent him dues (and) greeting gifts.

The Lord rested, examining her dead body,

To divide the abortion (and) to create ingenious things (therewith).

He split her open like a mussel (?) into two (parts);

Half of her set in place and formed the sky (therewith) as a roof.

(He loved his Bib 438 class at FPU…)

He fixed the crossbar (and) posted guards;

He commanded them not to let her waters escape....

Translation from Alexander Heidel, The Babylonian Genesis, University of Chicago Press, 2^nd ed., 1951, as quoted in Norman K. Gottwald, A Light to the Nations. Harper and Row Publishers, 1959.

MYSTERY TO SOLVE FOR NEXT CLASS:

Which list of the Ten Commandments is the "real" list??

We joked you could win $100 by saying, :Let me read you a list of the Ten Commandments, the only list the Bible explicity calls the Ten Commandments.  Tell if this is the list.  A hundred bucks says I'm right.  Then read them the Ten Commandments from Exodus 34!!:

                      Exodus 20                                                                     Exodus 34: Note: this list, NOT THE 
                                                                                                       OTHER, is the one that says "THESE ARE    
                                                                                                        THE TEN COMMANDMENTS"                                                          

1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.		1. Thou shalt worship no idol. (For the Lord is a jealous god).  Smash all idols,
2. You shall not make for yourself a graven image. You shall not bow down to them or serve them.		2. Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.		3. The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep in the month when the ear is on the corn.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.		4. All the first-born are mine.
5. Honor your father and your mother.		5. Six days shalt thou work, but on the seventh thou shalt rest.
6. You shall not kill.		6. Thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, even of the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.
7. You shall not commit adultery.		7. Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread.
8. You shall not steal.		8. The fat of my feast shall not remain all night until the morning.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.		9. The first of the first fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring unto the house of the Lord thy God.
10. You shall not covet.		10. Thou shalt not boil a baby goat in its mother's milk.

These look only loosely related to the list we've all heard from Exodus 2O. Hmmmmm

--O

"Final Exam" prep/Philemon: First read. 

What do you remember from our discussion?

-FOR YOUR PAPER, Be sure to  include:  Evidence from the text re: whether the slavery (of Onesimus) and brotherhood of Philemon and Onesimus are literal, metaphorical, or both.   Evidence from the text re: whether Onesimus ran away.

-CHALLENGE: MEMORIZE PHILEMON in our class translation by Week 6.

 

your notes:

another class:

another cohort:

PHILEMON: 

              Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus,

      and Timothy our brother,

        To  Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker

   also to Apphia our sister and

               Archippus our fellow soldier

                                            —and to the church 

                                    that meets in your home:

³ Grace and peace 

to you ^(plural) 

                                                  from God our Father

                                               and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers,

          ⁵ because I hear about your  

                                   love               and                          faith

     towards                 Lord Jesus     and               all the saints 

⁶ I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective 

                in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.

⁷ Your love has given me great       joy

                                         and        encouragement,

 because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. 

⁸ Therefore

 although in Christ I could be bold, and order you to do what you ought to do,

                                                                         ⁹ yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love.

 It is as none other than Paul—                   an old man (elder)

  and now also                                             a prisoner of Christ Jesus—  

¹⁰ that I appeal to you for my son--

                                          Onesimus,^["Useful"]" 

                  

 who became my son while I was in chains.

¹¹ Formerly he was                           useless                                  to you,

 but now he has become                   useful                            both to you and to me.

¹² I am sending                         him

                    —who is my very heart

                                                    —back to you.  

¹³ I would have liked to keep him with me

 so that 

                                           he                  could take 

                                           your                   place 

                 in helping          me 

while I am in chains for the gospel.  

¹⁴ But I did not want to do anything without your consent, 

so that any favor you do would not seem                forced 

                                            but would be             voluntary.  

¹⁵ Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while

 was that you might have him back forever—

        ¹⁶ no longer as a slave,

                  but more than a slave, 

                               as a dear brother. 

He is that to                                  me, 

             but even more so to         you, 

both                         in the flesh

 and                         in the Lord.

¹⁷ So..

 if                                            you consider me a partner, 

                               welcome  him

          as you would welcome me.

 ¹⁸ If he has done you any wrong or owes          you                      anything,

                                           charge it to                me.

¹⁹ I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand:

                      I will pay it back!

                         (not to mention that you owe me your very self)

 ²⁰ I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit or usefulness from you in the Lord;

                                   refresh my heart in Christ.

 ²¹ Confident of your obedience, 

              I write to you,

                          knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

²² And one thing more: 

             Prepare a guest room for me, 

                            because I hope to be restored to you  ^(plural) 

                                                   in answer to your  (^plural) prayers.

²³ Epaphras,

 my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, 

sends you greetings. 

 ²⁴ And so do Mark,

                       Aristarchus,

                        Demas 

                  and Luke, 

                                      my fellow workers.

²⁵ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your  ^(plural) spirit.

Keep observations of Philemon, already preparing for your signature paper. Remember to look for any clues/cues to tome/emotion/volume. 

Notes on video

Biblical Perspectives Signature Assignment (final paper)

Due: 3 days following this module

TASK

The signature assignment (final paper) for Biblical Perspectives is designated as a significant 5-7 page paper that is designed addresses the meaning of a biblical text. Using the skills gained in the course, develop a paper that combines an understanding of the historical, literary and contemporary worlds of the text. (Don’t resign the class until you are done.  Resignation often comes too soon).

PURPOSE

The paper is meant to demonstrate the student’s own analysis and ability to work with a biblical text and as such need not utilize other resources as in a traditional research paper.

This is a NOT a research paper; it is a SEARCH paper, where you search out what you think is the meaning/message of Philemon.

However, it could be hugely helpful (and improve your grade) to draw in one (or perhaps more) lessons from class to build your thesis.

FORM

Thesis:              The paper should include a clear thesis statement in the form of “the book of Philemon is about…” Note: by “about,” we mean not just “about” in the sense of storyline and characters—though you definitely include that somewhere in your paper, as well.    We mean what the book is ultimately “about”—life lesson, message, moral, sermon point or Contemporary World “app.”  Make it general; do not include characters from the story in your statement. Be as specific and concise as possible.

Body:            The body of the paper should demonstrate a recognizable structure that argues from the text of Philemon and articulates why the thesis is viable. The body of the paper may take the form of a verse by verse analysis, follow the categories of historical/literary/contemporary worlds, or use any thematic analysis that is most useful.

Conclusion:    The conclusion should restate the thesis and the support in summary fashion. The conclusion is also a place for reflection on the implications for your life and work.

SIGB:            Throughout this course we have been using signs.  Based on your study of the book of Philemon, develop your own symbol/sign that you feel adequately conveys the message of the book and explain it in a paragraph. Papers will not be accepted without the sign and explanation.  (The sign is something you draw or create, not anything you find online or elsewhere)

Be sure to also include:  Evidence from the text re: whether the slavery (of Onesimus) and brotherhood of Philemon and Onesimus are literal, metaphorical, or both.   Evidence from the text re: whether Onesimus ran away.

GRADING

Grading is based upon how well the thesis is stated and supported, by the clarity of the structure, by the depth of thought and by the quality of mechanics (spelling, grammar, grandpa).

If there are red marks in every paragraph (or nearly every) for grammar/spelling/mechanics, the paper will not pass. Big rules: no “you”/”your” words/language or contractions

All papers must be submitted to turnitin.com (instructions on next page).

From FPU HANDBOOK:

A=Superior. The student has demonstrated a quality of work and accomplishment far beyond the formal requirements and shown originality of thought and mastery of material.

B=Above Average.

The student’s achievement exceeds the usual accomplishment, showing a clear

indication of initiative and grasp of subject.

C=Average. The student has met the formal requirements and has demonstrated good comprehension of the subject and reasonable ability to handle ideas.

D=Below Average. The student’s accomplishment leaves much to be desired. Minimum requirements have been met but were inadequate.

=