8.27: Opening class: The 2 Questions/Texts

Great to meet you!

Take some time to explore this website..it will  continue to grow .

You have my email and phone number, bit you can aslo post comments or questions at the bottom of each class post.  If you don't have one of the listed accounts, just sign in as "anonymous"


As promised, here is a pic of me studying for this class in 1983.
That thing on my desk is called a "typewriter." (:

More pictures of my FPU days? click  here:

Module E By the Sea, Fresno Pacific College 1982-1988






Here's some highlights of our first class session.

After our opening from Dan Nainan:


.. We walked through syllabus and schedule (posted at top of page; print off and pay close attention to it)//

Note: as mentioned, click the tab called

• Read, listen to or watch Matthew

at top of page to do your reading of Matthew by "listening."

 We updated syllabus by describing the "Impressions" of Matthew assignment.  Because you are reading all of Matthew for next class, you'll probably want to finish the "Impressions" assignment at the same day; even though it's not officially due till next week.
Remember, it  can be handwritten: Just make notes on what stands out, repeated ideas, words, Interesting stories, what does it seem to be about, emotional atmosphere, wuestions of the text etc.

You may want to book your service project this week, too..see "service project" tab at top of page).



The class really deals with

1)the "Three Worlds"  (we'll discuss Wed).

which helps us in

2)interpreting texts

which helps us to specifically interpret these text messages from the Text of Matthew's Gospel:

3)"Who is Jesus?"   and "What is church?"

hat's  a "TEXT"?

a "text" is "any message, in any medium, that is intended to communicate anything."

To illustrate that all texts need context, I had you send me text messages in class.

Context is everything.
\ 
 Remember the "Butt cheeks" story (;

Suffice to say that in all texts, commas (and context) matters..




Like this one:

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."

THEORIGINALMANUSCRIPTSOFTHEBIBLENOTONLYRUNALLLETTERSALLCAPSTOGETHERBUTINCLUDENOPUNCTUATION.

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

Punctuation matters.

Everything is  context.
                                       Con-text is everything.  

--

We watched these "Misunderstandings of Jesus" videos to talk about texts and the class questions: