9/17: Test Review and New Info: Historical World of Commandments ; EPIC Versitis Apples and Oranges

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TEST  FRIDAY: No surprises, as these questuions were posted and discussed two weeks ago..
Bring a "blue book" (available in bookstore, or your own paper.
Plan to write extensively for the hour.

(By the way, you can bring  to the test a one-page, one sided 8 1/2 by 11 "cheat sheet" of notes...if you want .
Don't cheat yourself by not bringing one.)

1. Say as much as you can about Jesus' geneaology (From today's post, 9/5 post and H and Y text, pp  246-249)
2. Say as much as you can about Jesus's birth and  the Christmas story (From today's post, 9/5 post   and  H and Y readings, pp 246-249 and Chapter 11)
3. Say as much as you can about Herod  (From  the videos and posts 9/5: and 9/7; and  H and Y index)
4. Say as much as you can about the "Dance Party on the Beach": (see 9/10 and 9/12and H and Y  pp 80-87)
5. Give as many examples as you can of bounded and centered sets  (in Scripture and in life (From today's post, and 9/5)

BUT HERE'S NEW NEWS...Extra credit : pick one:

6)Say as much as you can about  the three Old Testament Es and how they influence New Testament (class notes this Wed, and H and Y index):  Egypt Exodus and Exile
7)Say as much as you can about the thtee Es that Jesus subverts  class notes this Wed, and H and Y index) Empire Expectation and Ethnocentrism
8)Say as  much as you can about your "party"   (class notes, especially 9/10-12 post,  H and Y ch 10, Upside Down, pp 64-66, and see your party name in index)
9)Say as much as you can about what we are learning about how to read a text, partiulalarly the Bible.
(H and Y, chapter 1 and class notes)
10)Say as much as you  can about Matt 3-4, baptism and testation.  Discuss  Ktaybill's grid for the three testations, and create your own.
 11)Say as much as you can about the 10 Commandments video we'll watch Mon..
12)Say as much as you can about Verseitis, Apples and Oranges and RRWI?Epic culture (today's discussion and 9/10-12 post)
13)Say as much as you can about the literary world structure of Matthew (Wed discussion and H and Y pp 246-249)
14)Say as much as you can about The Historical World  and campus field trips; retell as many stories as you can recall, discuss why we take these trips, what they teach, etc. 

 (See tab at top: How to study a text via Three Worlds, H and Y chapter 1, and 8/31

15)Interact with the South Park video (see 9/5 and class content so far on the topic of set theory (all three sets, see posts throughout website).  Include discussion of what you think the Bible teaches as "entrance requirements" into the bounded set of Christianity.
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OR IF YOU ARE REALLY BRAVE, YOU MAY USE THIS AS THE ENTIRE EXAM. MEANING YOU'D WRITE A SIGNIFICANT ESSAY IN CLASS (notes allowed) FOR MOST OF THE HOUR:
THIS REQUIRES THAT YOU READ DEEPLY FROM THE HAUER AND YOUNG BOOK'S ASSIGNED READINGS

A brief outline may help to develop a more coherent essay. The essay will be graded on both form and content. Essays are to include a clear thesis/purpose statement, supporting arguments/statements, and a conclusion that restates the thesis. Include pertinent content from class lectures and from assigned reading. The question is intentionally broad to allow you room to synthesize the range of material covered. Avoid short, simplistic answers. Choose only ONE of the following prompts. Please mark the question number on your exam.

1. Matthew 1-2

Describe how the opening chapters of Matthew use the Old Testament to frame “who Jesus is” and why he is important. Include examples from the genealogy and birth narrative. Be sure to discuss the nature and importance of citations of the Old Testament.

OR

2. Isaiah

Describe how Isaiah frames how to think about kingship. Include the role of prophets vis-à-vis kings, reasons for God's anger with kings/Jerusalem, and the qualities of the servant that Isaiah envisions. You may limit your discussion to Isaiah 1-7, 36-39, and to the servant songs. Discuss how the Isaiah quotations in Matthew and the Servant Songs help frame Jesus as a new kind of king.

OR

3. Prophets

Prophets played an important role in Israel's history. Describe their role, their message, and the basis of the message. Discuss how the quotations in the birth narrative draw the reader’s attention to the prophets.

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HERE below we'll add another layer of info to several of the questions, which complement earlier class sessions:

GENEALOGY:

Since "genealogy" is literally "genesis" ("beginning"), there is an inclusio from the first sentence of Matthew to the very last sentence ("till the end of the age"). Point:  Who is Jesus in Mathew?
He is the Beginning and End.

We also noticed that strikingly, against Jewish tradition, women were mentioned in the geneology.
Not only that, but most were controversial and GENTILES (outside the bounded set of Judaism.

We noted yet another inclusio from beginning of the gospel (Gentiles highlighted in the geneology in chapter 1 and end of gospel ( "Go and make disciples of all nations [literally "Gentiles"] 28:18-20).

By the way, how many controversial Gentile women show up here?

5...hmm. Must be no accident

Who is Jesus in Mathew?


The One who is not ashamed to include  four triple outcasts:  gentile/women/people with a shady reputation in his family tree.  The fifth woman was Mary, who fit all three categories except "Gentile".


Note this:

• It is also organized into three tesseradecads (sets of fourteen).  Hmm,  3? 14? No accident.  (Note: Luke's version: Luke contains three blocks of 21 names and one block of 14 names)
• David is prominent here.  And his name in Hebrew adds up to 14.. Hmmm   consonants DVD = 14  ( See article on Isopsephy..
  graffiti in Pompeii dating frotm around 79 AD  reads Φιλω ης αριθμος ϕμε, "I love her whose number is 545."  666 is clearly the name/number of Nero Caeser, the Roman Emperor

Numbers simply "stood out"...almost as in synesthesia 

link

Try this mouseover test.


Check out my friend from FPU days.  Lee and Larry are identical twins:
one legally black and one legally16 shades/degrees between black and white.

:Larry is on the right in this photo

Lee is on the right in this photo

I am glad they are in my family tree..both of them.

 white.  They told us about some legal definitions where there were  white.

Imagine you are a  member of the Ku Klux Klan.  You get to a board meeting and you see these names nominated for board members:
Which names would stand out?

1. John Smith
2. Pete Redneck
3. Snoop Dog
4. Joe White
5. Barack Obama
6. Jay Z
7. Tom Wilson
8. Bobby Jo MacCereety
9. Bill Cosby
10. Sham McGrath
11. Pierre LePew
12. Kobe Bryant

You might as well print the list like this:

1. John Smith
2. Pete Redneck
3. Snoop Dog
4. Joe White
5. Barack Obama
6. Jay Z
7. Tom Wilson
8. Bobby Jo MacCereety
9. Bill Cosby
10. Sham McGrath
11. Pierre LePew
12. Kobe Bryant

if you had a group of very very conservative Mennonites.  Which names might they suggest that by definition can't appear on a list of Mennonites.

• Friesen
• Weibe
• Rodriguez
• Vang
• Fast
• Janzen
• Wojocowski
• Unruh
• Minassian
• Suzuki
• Neufeld

Is being Jewish/Mennonite/Christian a matter of unchosen ethnicity or chosen faith?

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Matthew 1: Birth

Remember our manger scene test.

How many of you could win  big money on this bet on what the text message of the Bible really says:

• It nowhere says there were three.
• It no where says they were wise
• It nowhere says they were men.

And we know for a fact they weren't at the manger.

But the real shocker:

We know for a fact they were not Jews.  Uh, oh, RED FLAGs.

Hhhhmmm. racism and centered set themes again...and we are only in chapter 1!

Notes from faculty Camp/Roberts:

compare the birth narratives and genealogies in Matthew and Luke to each other and to the way the Christmas story is often presented today.//should gain an understanding of the different emphases in the two birth narratives and should recognize that this points to larger hermeneutical issues. Each of the gospels is answering the question “Who is Jesus” in a unique way, given the author, audience, and purpose.

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Two of the four NT gospels (Matthew & Luke) contain narratives about Jesus birth...Ffrst explore the text and make their drawing (see below). Then move to discussion of their findings and draw from the notes below.

Activity Matthew 1:18 - 2:12, half to Luke 2:8-20.

1.    Discuss and list significant events in the order in which they occur in this passage.

2.    Try to determine the writer’s emphasis by identifying:

a.       Who is Matthew or Luke declaring Jesus to be?

b.       What kind of people are present or involved?

c.       What is missing when compared with how we usually tell the Christmas story? Be prepared to give feedback to the larger group.

d.       On the newsprint provided, draw a scene from the story, being careful not to include anything in the drawing that is not expressly mentioned in your story.

Put order of events on paper, note differences in the two accounts, make comparisons... explain  drawing, and the choices involved.

Matthew 1:18 - 2:12

Mary and Joseph engaged

Mary pregnant

Angel appears to Joseph and explains

Fulfillment of prophecy: virgin, Emmanuel

Joseph marries Mary

Jesus born in Bethlehem

Magi come from east asking, “Where is child born king of Jews? We come to pay homage.”

Herod freaks, asks about Messiah, told to be born in Bethlehem (quotes Mic. 5:2)

Herod asks magi when star appeared to them, says go find him so I can pay homage

Magi follow star to where child was, are overjoyed

Magi enter house and see child with Mary

Magi kneel, pay homage, give gifts

Magi warned in dream about Herod. They return home by another way

(No real story of the birth, no shepherds and angels, no stable or manger, no # of magi)

Who is Matthew declaring Jesus to be? Emphasis? Type of people involved?

          Luke 2:8-20

Shepherds in field watching flocks

Angel appears, glory shines, shepherds terrified

Angel speaks: no fear, good news, savior Messiah Lord born. sign--wrapped in cloth, manger

Multitude of heavenly host praising God: glory to God, on earth peace

Angels leave

Shepherds: let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing Lord has revealed to us

Shepherds go with haste, find Mary, Joseph, baby in manger.

Shepherds make known what was told them about child; “all” (?) who hear it are amazed

Mary treasures the words of the shepherds, ponders them

Shepherds return, glorifying God for all they heard and seen

(No magi, no animals, so stable named, no date)

Who is Luke declaring Jesus to be? Emphasis? Type of people involved?

What do we make of two very different presentations of Jesus’ birth? Two main concerns/issues:

1.  Nature of the gospels

Birth narratives give us two different perspectives on Jesus’ birth, varying considerably in emphasis and even in the people and events they describe. This is true throughout the four Gospels--no two are identical. The Gospels give us four different perspectives on Jesus’ life, four portraits of person and work of Jesus. Some use the example of four witnesses to accident or four men and elephant (leg=tree, trunk=snake, tail=rope, side=wall). The Gospel writers give us different perspectives on the person of Jesus; no one person can know everything there is to know about another person, especially about Jesus it seems.

2.  Distinctives in birth narratives/genealogies

The differences are also due to another factor, that of the purpose of the Gospel writers. For example, the birth narrative in Matthew includes the magi, Joseph’s experience of dreams and visions, and Jesus’ kingly, messianic credentials are emphasized. In contrast, the birth narrative in Luke includes shepherds, Mary’s experience of dreams and visions, and Jesus as savior and bringer of peace. The different perspective of each is tied to different emphasis of each. Matthew concerned to show Jesus as fulfillment of OT Scripture prophecy (structure of 5 quotes), expectations of Messiah. Focus is on Joseph receiving dreams and his reaction to the divine intervention in Mary’s life (1. 18f, 2.13, 2.19f). Joseph as devout Jewish man who is led by dreams to do God’s will. Matt is concerned with showing Jesus’ credentials as Messiah in the line of David. He does this through giving Jesus’ genealogy.  Matthew’s genealogy first, note emphasis on David, character of ancient genealogies, 3 groups of 14 as way of structuring Israelite history, interesting inclusion of 5 women [controversial, unexpected people God uses], change in grammar with Mary and Joseph.

Luke The genealogy is actually another place where we see very clearly the different emphases of the Gospel writers. (Overhead with Luke’s genealogy revealed.) Note “the son, so it was thought.” Note the numbers are different 77 vs. Matt’s 42, just a running list, reverse order not Abram to Jesus but Jesus to Adam, still through David is important, but back to Adam first man and calls him son of God. Jesus as universal savior. Comes at different place in gospel—after baptism (this is my son) and before temptation (if you are the son). Luke seems to emphasize Jesus as savior, and the prominence of lowly, regular people. Luke’s gospel focuses on liberation for the poor and oppressed and Jesus as the light to the Gentiles (vs. Jewish messiah). Luke is part of Luke/Acts, which shows mission to the Gentiles. The prominence of lowly people like shepherds and women is part of this Universalizing. Luke focuses on Mary’s dreams and visions and her response--not Joseph as righteous Jewish man but women as figures of faith in Luke—Mary (vs. Joseph), Elizabeth (vs. Zechariah), Anna (vs. Simeon).

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10 Commandments (and Sermon on the Mount) as a Wedding

We enjoyed the Laughing Bride's wedding video:

Part of the weddiing we didn't show:



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"question of the day"..

Off the top of your head, list words and ideas that come to mind when you think of the story of the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mt Sinai.

Then scroll down for the question..

Was "wedding" on your list?

                                        .....or "love"?

What does all this have to do with a wedding?

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AS A WEDDING:

The Ray VanderLaan videos  on Mount Sinai are not online , but the  

episode is on this DVD.

And this excerpt from the first one ,showing the "historical world" backstory of the Scripture "Amd Moses went up to God"..
"a 6,000 foot climb, 10 hours of hiking, several camels, over 100 bottles of water, 3 HD cameras and 30+ crew and audience.":



Faith Lessons | Volume 9: Fire on the Mountain from the image group on Vimeo.

The second one  (WHICH WE WATCHED TODAY) dealt with the many"historical world"hyperlinks from Ten Commandments to wedding.

Too bad  the video is not  online, but most of the study guide IS..

see pp.197-251  here

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This of course affects how we raed not only the Ten Commandments. but the Sermon on the MOUNT..



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.What does the  Matthew 1-7  have to do with OT story:  Moses and Pharoah ,slavery in Egypt, crossing Red Sea,  Wilderness Temptations, Ten Commandents etc?

A> Just about everything in these 7 chapters hyperlinks back.
Matthew seems patterned upon it.
Give some examples
1 Crossing Red  Sea/Baptism in Jordan (Jordan as symbol of barrier
2 Jesus and Moses were both in Egypt
3  In the OT, Israel is corporately called "SON" of God.  In NT, Jesus is the SON,
4
5


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RRWI/EPIC -Versitis-Apples and Oranges :

Rewatch this video, and then review class discussion by links below

"EPIC Culture: Are You Immigrant or Native?:

 

See my article  pp.. 38-39 here  (or as a PDF pp. 36-37 here)

• the "modern"  and "Gutenberg" world   (RRWI=Rational, Representative. Word-Based, Individual)
• -the "postmodern' and "Google"  world (EPIC=Experiential, Participatory, Image-Driven)

 Leonard Sweet not only created the EPIC acronym, but wrote the nook, "The Gospel According to Starbucks," in which he suggests that the church can learn a lot about our current EPIC (Experiential, Participatory, Image-Driven, Connectivity) culture.

In what ways do you see Starbucks as living out an EPIC ethic?

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Now note Van DerLaan's slideshow on Greek vs. Hebrew culture  here and   here.  
Audio here

 Finally, remember our conversations about bounded sets and centered sets.
Could these three grids collate?

RRWI/Gutenberg                                    EPIC/Google
Greek                                                    Hebrew
Bounded Set                                           Centered Set

Sweet suggests that we are living in the century  (21)that is most like  Jesus' century (1st) than any before.

Times are EPIC for church in culture.

Churches in our area even meet at Starbuck's.
No wonder they call it St. Arbuck's..