Pages 6-11 online text

Dates:  Why do the Jews think that it is okay to forget half of the Bible.  If they believe Jesus was raised from the dead, how do they know that is certain without believing in the New Testament.  I cannot wait to read the Apocrypha because I had never heard of such books until today during the class discussion.
So from 1582, the world went along with the year system until it "officially" came to be.  I always thought A.D. meant after death, but thinking about it, that is silly because what did they call things between his birth and death? If scholars are able to tell that he was born before we thought, why have they left the dates the same? What would the world do if we suddenly rushed them years and years ahead?

Modern Bibles:  I believe that we should only have a few translations that are allowed to be taught from.  Interpretations such as The Message do not fully grasp the meaning of the Words.  Such a short paraphrase may be simple to understand, but is that how God intended for us to learn?  If he wanted man to be able to simply interpret his message versus having to delve into and study day and night on it, then he would have put the words simply himself.  It is one thing to change a thou to a you but an entire sentence should be kept in it's original form.  Though only a few have the privilege of knowing the native Hebrew language, and some meaning is lost in translation, that is why we have reference Bibles that are able to explain what a word that might be loosely translated could better mean.  One should be allowed to have their own ideas evolve when reading instead of a paraphrased version doing the thinking for them.

Cross references are my favorite.  As a lover of Rhetoric, I enjoy the connections that God has placed within his Word.  For a mind to understand everything that can go into one verse is mind blowing.  Concordances are helpful if they do have the reference for a particular word.  Sometimes if I am joyful or in need of strength or want to show my love, I am able to search for that particular action or feeling and come up with a verse that fits perfectly.  What if God had not given us reference and interpretations?  Do you still think that humans would have been able to figure it's meaning out?  Are most of the messages we come across perceptual?

I never thought about how punctuation came to be.  The way an average printer was able to slip in the verse numbers makes me feel that you don't have to be a Pope or a Bishop in order for you to read the Bible in your own way.

Names for God:  I feel God leaves his name to be mysterious, in ways such as Yahweh, because He does not want us dwelling on the exact way to address him.  He wants us to feel as though he is our father, brother, husband, savior, friend; a relationship to us not just a name.  He appears to different people in different situations to emphasize the openness of Heaven.  It is not for the brave or courageous or wealthy, it is for those who have seen God and his works and have chosen to call out to him.
The text states that Jehovah Jireh was an "incorrect" way of calling God the provider.  I find it interesting that that name has made it into a song without the people realizing it was wrong, if it is truly an incorrect saying.

Could you imagine reading the Bible with no vowels? It would seem incomplete to me.
I have visited a Jewish Messianic service before and have seen how the songs with -- out part of the word Yahweh.  I did not understand at first that it was meant to be a respect act, but when told I was in awe that we are still able to give God the respect and authority that was once given.  His name was truly sacred.  People now days will use the Lord's name in vain with out another thought.  For these people to come together and remember that God is Holy and he deserves our honor and respect, was something very cool to a 12 year old.   What is a confessor of a Pope?

Geography:  For me, until I have personally visited somewhere it is hard for me to remember, much less imagine, where these places are.  There were twelve different tribes and even more cities that the people travelled to.  What is an easy way to understand the significant places, if any?  However, I am a half water sign (capricorn) so bodies of water are easier for me to remember.  They symbolize change.
God said to go unto all the world, so I better start remembering that these places were important to him and should be to me.


The reading for today is done.  There are some questions that I have and hopefully our discussion tomorrow in class will help me answer or shed new light on the subject.

Thank you!!

Day One

This blog is for my Honor's Old Testament Bible class.  Here, I will be discussing readings I am given from the New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha Fourth Edition as well as an online source.  I hope you will find what I have to say interesting and challenging to your own previous beliefs.  Bear with me as I struggle with my own faith, in the search for new ideas.