Studying the OT can be fun?

Although it is a slick advertisement for the new ZIBBCOT, this YouTube video shows the lighter side of those who study the OT.  Check out “John Walton Lives the OT.”

What Does It Mean to Teach?

The discipline of teaching is undergoing dramatic change. Fred Putman offers a personal story of his transformation from “not a teacher” to fitting the mold of a “teacher” and finally to a “dreamer.”  If you are interested in students’ learning,  this Alpha Chi Epsilon address at PBU is worth a read.  

PS This print version is easier on the eyes.

The Importance of Understanding the OT Demonstrated in A Terrible Misuse.

If you ever needed motivation for understanding the OT and its proper application, this article serves the purpose.  As you read this tragic tale, it is not enough to react emotionally and declare that these pastors are terribly wrong in their application of the OT. You must be able to explain why Exodus 22:18 and Deuteronomy 18:10 are being misapplied in their churches.

I would also encourage you as you prove their exegesis (and application) unbiblical, that you test your evaluation process on your own application of another OT passage say… 2 Chronicles 7:14.  This was an interesting exercise in our Old Testament Theology PhD seminar last week.

The Importance of Biblical Hebrew (& the OT)

As my students prepare for their midterm exam in first year Hebrew this week, I plan on sharing this story by Ellen Davis (see article here) to encourage them to persevere in acquiring Hebrew. Dr. Davis of Duke Divinity asked “the head of Renk Theological College in Southern Sudan to name his top priority for the school’s faculty and curriculum, he said without hesitation: ‘We need biblical language teachers.’”

For those familiar with the conditions in Sudan, this seems like an unusual priority. However, the college leaders recognize the true priority for their students:

“We live in the Old Testament. Ours is a tribal culture, like Israel’s. We are pastoralists and farmers, like the Israelites. And like them, we have suffered terribly in war and exile, and from oppressive imperial regimes. The Bible is our story, and our people must have it in their own languages. Why should we read it in English and Arabic, the languages of colonialism? Why should we translate it from those languages and not from the original? We all speak several languages; we know how much difference a translation makes.”

If the Sudanese see the need to persist in their biblical Hebrew studies, shouldn’t we?

PS Notice the attitude of Sudanese students towards Hebrew from the same article: “The students are proud that theirs is the only school in Sudan where both biblical languages are taught on a regular basis, and the pride shows in their attitude toward study. As one visiting teacher observed: ‘Hebrew without whining–this is a revelation!’”

Genesis Illustrated

For those who wished that God would have given his word in pictures, your wish may have come true (although this “word” is not from God).  Noted comic illustrator, Robert Crumb, has recently published an illustrated text of Genesis.  His 224 pages of comic illustrations cover all fifty chapters.  (See this NY Times article for sample pics).  His translation follows that of Robert Alter but in certain instances he retains the KJV because of familiarity. Unfortunately, the publisher does not make academic review copies available so I have to wait to buy my own.

I do wonder though if this will be the next “controversy” to hit evangelical churches.  The reason for such a reaction to a comic:  there are no strategically placed fig leaves or animals for Adam and Eve in Genesis 1-3!

Missing Link is Still Missing

Amid much hype last May, a fossil named “Ida” was touted as the “missing link” between primates and humans.  As any  creationist could guess, the supposed missing link is still missing. Read here.

Shewa Fight

Thanks to Chris Huff for his visual  ”explanation” on what happens when two shewas are found at the beginning of a Hebrew word.  Thanks for the creativity Chris.

Hebrew Vocabulary & PP Visuals

In an effort to help my class gain control of the vocabulary for 1st semester Hebrew I have created a power point presentation that links the Hebrew word with a picture.  Here is an example of the vocabulary from chapter four of the textbook I am using: Basics of Biblical Hebrew by Pratico and Van Pelt.  I am curious to know if other Hebrew instructors have found this helpful. Hebrew Vocabulary chapter4

Is Longman a Descendant of the Historical Adam?

One of my students gave me a YouTube link that is disappointing at best.  In this very brief video Old Testament scholar, Dr. Tremper Longman believes that the historical Adam is an open question.  He suggests that the only way to have an historical person named Adam is to read Genesis 1-2 in a “very literalistic way.” Further, he doesn’t believe that Gen 1-2 prohibits an evolutionary process for human creation.  If Longman is correct, one wonders who is the man who has relations with Eve in Gen 4:1? Or what does Longman do with the Adam mentioned in the Chronicler’s genealogy (1 Chron 1:1) or Luke’s (Luke 3:38)? (These writers seem to treat that Adam as a historical figure w/ descendants).  And did not Paul treat Adam as a real person and not simply a myth? (Rom 5:14; 1 Cor 15; 1 Timothy 2).  I have appreciated and benefited from Longman handling of the OT,  I hope that the video is an incomplete sound bite.

Song of Song and Baseball

There is no argument that metaphors and similes are major literary devices used to communicate desire and passion between the couple in the Song of Songs. Unfortunately, some of these literary devices do not transfer easily into the 21^st century.  For instance, “Your hair is like a flock of goats” (4:1, 6:5) does not have the same complimentary ring today as Solomon intended. But the Song does demonstrate that metaphors do communicate well in the area of sexual intimacy.  I came across a CTi article yesterday where a creative wife uses a baseball metaphor to explain to her somewhat clueless (and selfish) husband that her passion was not being satisfied.  I wonder if baseball was around in Solomon’s day, would he have used it as a metaphor in the Song?  Probably not .