tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27168520372001530512024-03-14T05:50:16.583-05:00Bible Study ConnectionA creative outlet for deeper learining, further questioning and conversations to enhance the BSC experienceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-16511813106132555222011-09-26T14:47:00.000-05:002011-09-26T14:47:29.724-05:00A closer look at Hebrews 2:10Point of interest... (Study reference to this is on page 4 questions 12a-c)<br />
<br />
If you are following the Hebrew's book study, by the time you get to chapter 2:10 you will have looked at the multiple Old Testament verses, which comprise most of the first 2 chapters of Hebrews.<br />
<br />
Hebrews 2:10a says "It was fitting that God..." This author seems to have the audacity to give his approval to something that God was doing.... Why would he or she do that?<br />
<br />
This passage in Greek is "impersonal."<br />
<br />
Okay hang on, this get's tricky. In a statement like we have in Hebrews, "It is fitting that God..." What the reader assumes is the author's unwritten, "I declare" or "I think"...it is fitting. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The Greek language allows for an impersonal phrase. What that means is, the author is not making the claim "it is fitting that God..." on his own authority, he is not declaring what he thinks is fitting, but rather the word itself begs us to look at the surrounding material. When we do that we see that the author is not only declaring God's "fitness" on the authority of the Old Testament passages that were just quoted, but he is boldly inviting us to declare it along with him..Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-81664408151939507822010-10-22T18:41:00.001-05:002010-10-22T18:45:33.746-05:00This-N-That Re: Exodus Theroies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWhZAo0kQ5KFZLdRWqoBHFY9qXUHAwYB9HE7EtXUalDjEMInqQPfH1v_7RhtyQDKilR7h4IfkBWZyr5D_fb5x9y1pZarC5MnzWvNTYQAgDXcgDBo-fIZQnbJ1Dz_cyhYwGfn9hWT21PnM/s1600/tabernacle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWhZAo0kQ5KFZLdRWqoBHFY9qXUHAwYB9HE7EtXUalDjEMInqQPfH1v_7RhtyQDKilR7h4IfkBWZyr5D_fb5x9y1pZarC5MnzWvNTYQAgDXcgDBo-fIZQnbJ1Dz_cyhYwGfn9hWT21PnM/s320/tabernacle.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">We heard some very interesting things regarding the </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">Tabernacle, Mt. Sinai, the Golden Calf, and more while visiting the Tabernacle replica in Hudson. I would advise one to carefully consider conspiracy theories, and people who want to "PROVE" the Bible. But these videos and links should make for interesting discussion! Have fun, dig deep :)</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.squidoo.com/mountsinai">Click here to go to a full web site on Exodus theroies</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cfPMKv2fBM&feature=related"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6cfPMKv2fBM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6cfPMKv2fBM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" id="VideoPlayback" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-528811169418537170&hl=en&fs=true" style="height: 326px; width: 400px;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed> <br />
<div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-28154526773417135612010-09-22T14:09:00.001-05:002010-09-22T14:10:34.985-05:00A Cry From The Desert<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oN2Ft2vIDZi8DFtMjiKdxxUXX20kLprrcHvvze3l7t1Kqp5_jjmz45vJop00CSLOoVnSKO65dbec3-gvvvOVpnq7FgLKBg2ZPZQy6_sRsFPM3WuhNi2X6O0H2Zal2rAA2OzmfC8ZIo4X/s1600/Prayer+Card+Sept+22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oN2Ft2vIDZi8DFtMjiKdxxUXX20kLprrcHvvze3l7t1Kqp5_jjmz45vJop00CSLOoVnSKO65dbec3-gvvvOVpnq7FgLKBg2ZPZQy6_sRsFPM3WuhNi2X6O0H2Zal2rAA2OzmfC8ZIo4X/s400/Prayer+Card+Sept+22.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>On the backs of the Hebrew's the pyramids went up... Or did they? We know the Israelites were slaves, we know they were forced to make bricks. But what were those bricks used for? The Bible doesn't tell us, and we assume they were for pyramids. And assuming is all we can do. The pryamids remain a great mystery for the most part. National Geographic says this:</strong></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVNsT2PDNjlonQ7VTO_3pJws-SsdtQzK5gs-xZcKipQG2Pg9SVUfadnFqkFSZ1utR1N3_p2EXdxPdHpggbekA5BFK7n0su3DSlV5MTvCpScElXBuR2z1F9zM0WCN4aoxVLeOALQWForZ_/s1600/descendingpassage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVNsT2PDNjlonQ7VTO_3pJws-SsdtQzK5gs-xZcKipQG2Pg9SVUfadnFqkFSZ1utR1N3_p2EXdxPdHpggbekA5BFK7n0su3DSlV5MTvCpScElXBuR2z1F9zM0WCN4aoxVLeOALQWForZ_/s200/descendingpassage.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 workers built the Pyramids at Giza over 80 years. Much of the work probably happened while the River Nile was flooded.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Huge limestone blocks could be floated from quarries right to the base of the Pyramids. The stones would likely then be polished by hand and pushed up ramps to their intended positions. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NOO1ZA7FdHlxElhBjlDomVdu5g34orozaEIENqjQVvw91_FYhFfN8aRtFUU-5ocwajWr1yLcG-WjZnDllm547YACIa0Aac92DXKtRhrJ3lPjWmskM7PNOKgY-O9A-6CMK9wzZ5u3de5Q/s1600/greatpyramiddiagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NOO1ZA7FdHlxElhBjlDomVdu5g34orozaEIENqjQVvw91_FYhFfN8aRtFUU-5ocwajWr1yLcG-WjZnDllm547YACIa0Aac92DXKtRhrJ3lPjWmskM7PNOKgY-O9A-6CMK9wzZ5u3de5Q/s320/greatpyramiddiagram.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took more than manual labor, though. Architects achieved an accurate pyramid shape by running ropes from the outer corners up to the planned summit, to make sure the stones were positioned correctly. And priests-astronomers helped choose the pyramids' sites and orientations, so that they would be on the appropriate axis in relation to sacred constellations.</span> <span style="color: #134f5c;"><strong><em>For a <span style="color: #a64d79;">t</span></em></strong></span><a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/timeline.html"><strong><em><span style="color: #a64d79;">ime line of Ancient Egypt</span></em></strong></a><span style="color: #134f5c;"><strong><em> an </em></strong></span><a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html"><strong><em><span style="color: #a64d79;">an explorative tour of the tombs and pyramids</span></em></strong></a><span style="color: #134f5c;"><strong><em> or general info on the wonders of the Pyramids </em></strong></span><a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/djoser.html"><strong><em><span style="color: #a64d79;">click here</span></em></strong></a><span style="color: #134f5c;"><strong><em>.</em></strong></span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><em><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Of course there is another popular theory out there. Watch and enjoy!</span></em></strong></div><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wrYiiqGBWe0?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wrYiiqGBWe0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-18650395677887850602010-08-23T15:21:00.002-05:002010-09-22T12:17:30.908-05:00To Know Exodus Is to Know Jesus<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXgYzbcHlT_fVrex_lUHmxKth6DDbQEE8v5FGxajn8-EvRnEX-RKQCHOyKbrNAKNWszbMJ3cfvrxWtEt50w10qTDlVk8YQ7MD_iYyGi00uHh8ugJZRtnnhjoRg5RNrCput_WSMqCYh3m2/s1600/bsc+poster+2010-2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXgYzbcHlT_fVrex_lUHmxKth6DDbQEE8v5FGxajn8-EvRnEX-RKQCHOyKbrNAKNWszbMJ3cfvrxWtEt50w10qTDlVk8YQ7MD_iYyGi00uHh8ugJZRtnnhjoRg5RNrCput_WSMqCYh3m2/s400/bsc+poster+2010-2011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Why Exodus?!? That has been the reaction from several women when we announced our study of Exodus for Bible Study Connection this year. For me the answer is simple; to know Exodus is to know Jesus!</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Carrin</em></strong></span><br />
<br />
The stories in the book of Exodus are central to faith of both Jews and Christians. For Jews, the stories tell of their liberation from slavery to Pharaoh to become servants of YHWH. For Christians, they are the framework for understanding the death of Jesus Christ, the "lamb who was slain." The stories drive to the heart of the questions of "who are God's people", and "who is the God who saves."<br />
The text of Exodus is a culmination of recitations over many generations, as commanded by God in Exodus 12:24-27. It contains several types of literature: narrative, law, and liturgy. The stories may be considered a faithful retelling, concerned primarily with giving theological meaning to the history of the people of Israel.<br />
<br />
Moses is a type of prophet who fore shadows, predicts and gives us signs, laws and ceremonies that point us to Jesus Christ, who is a prophet like unto Moses, but greater than Moses. <br />
<strong><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;"><em>Join us! Discovery awaits!</em></span></strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-69896717461017384742010-02-10T13:21:00.006-06:002010-02-10T13:47:28.079-06:00Crucifixion and Science?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYh857i4EkydihuGo8vThkM37BbY-e1G-yDJSnXZMexkDtmtIGESYRvXkpsXNVdIKh4UcxicYoEK4xBkprdIQ4wS-IgCFOUivfyNMNBXETv2CJ0rniumNSmZt0hpN5Qv0IWCVD5UWENHQ/s1600-h/Crucifixion4_hmedium.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 228px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436700976549461218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYh857i4EkydihuGo8vThkM37BbY-e1G-yDJSnXZMexkDtmtIGESYRvXkpsXNVdIKh4UcxicYoEK4xBkprdIQ4wS-IgCFOUivfyNMNBXETv2CJ0rniumNSmZt0hpN5Qv0IWCVD5UWENHQ/s320/Crucifixion4_hmedium.jpg" /></a> Science replays the crucifixion<br />TV show blends Bible and biomechanics<br />By Alan Boyle<br />Science editor<br /><br /><br />Biblical archaeologist Jonathan Reed says he has undergone something of a conversion. Maybe that's what staging a crucifixion does to you.<br />For <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel/questfortruth/" target="_blank">"Quest for Truth: The Crucifixion,"</a> a TV documentary premiering on Easter Sunday on the National Geographic Channel, Reed conducted an experiment with a volunteer tied to an actual cross. Reed even took a turn on it himself.<br />No one was actually hurt. The researchers stopped short of pounding nails into feet, and monitored their volunteer victims closely for any signs of stress. But Reed, a religion professor at the University of La Verne in California, said spending time on the cross was nevertheless a "dark" experience that gave him a new appreciation for Roman cruelty.<br />It also changed his mind on some of the central historical questions surrounding the practice. Going into the experiment, Reed fully believed that crucifixion victims couldn't have been nailed by the palms of the hands, and that they had to have died of asphyxiation. But now he thinks the Romans could well have targeted the palms to maximize their victims' agony, and that death was more likely due to heart failure, brought on by shock, pain and exposure.<br />"I tried to have an open mind and let the experiment guide me to a conclusion," he told MSNBC.com.<br />In addition to tracing Reed's experiment, National Geographic's "Quest for Truth" (9 p.m. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACHe3P5OFefVSvFPS04CEUsS75L8n_IB_auEYoA_M-PGtThdKzsS21wH2g5hNSFIJrf6xWdm4AsPdbXMd5O6yfSPYyMWK9vcKM6kqm7ylDbYr_uyE5fqyh6ZdiJ7BESdI9JZEW5oTAyV2/s1600-h/Crucifixion3_standard.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 224px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 298px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436697684075215234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACHe3P5OFefVSvFPS04CEUsS75L8n_IB_auEYoA_M-PGtThdKzsS21wH2g5hNSFIJrf6xWdm4AsPdbXMd5O6yfSPYyMWK9vcKM6kqm7ylDbYr_uyE5fqyh6ZdiJ7BESdI9JZEW5oTAyV2/s320/Crucifixion3_standard.jpg" /></a>ET/PT Sunday) reviews other archaeological and forensic studies that have been sparked by the biblical accounts of Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday.<br />Archaeological mysteriesFor Christians, the crucifixion represents the ultimate sacrifice, setting the stage for the mystery of Jesus' resurrection and humanity's redemption. For archaeologists, however, the phenomenon raises mysteries of a different, grislier sort.<br />How could Roman soldiers conduct hundreds of crucifixions in the course of a day, as recorded in 1st-century accounts? Did the cross match the pictures portrayed in artwork over the centuries? And if crucifixion was such a widely used instrument of terror in Roman times, why is there such scant evidence left behind?<br />University of Texas biblical scholar L. Michael White, who also participated in "Quest for Truth," has a sensible answer for that last puzzle: "Most people who would have been executed by crucifixion would not have had people who were concerned about them after death," he told MSNBC.com. Their remains would have been scattered, White said. In fact, that was all part of the terror. Based on the Gospels, Jesus was an exception, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTd0bE3cv1vPrNLT6StOYK-CACUoa9r7azlSo1Az3zcAYD4HHrhQ-3iYRXxkWU3VsLvjc6Hyt-r-ZMFgKrmgFpufh8HFI3xn37tDw-tVtbMjyo8EJqD1kC8u_f0gmN4By-x6TcBHXBt2gf/s1600-h/crossheel.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 250px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 305px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436697675082265042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTd0bE3cv1vPrNLT6StOYK-CACUoa9r7azlSo1Az3zcAYD4HHrhQ-3iYRXxkWU3VsLvjc6Hyt-r-ZMFgKrmgFpufh8HFI3xn37tDw-tVtbMjyo8EJqD1kC8u_f0gmN4By-x6TcBHXBt2gf/s320/crossheel.jpg" /></a>in that he was carefully entombed after being taken down from the cross.<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div></div><br /><br /><div>Another exception was discovered in 1968, when construction workers came across a 1st-century funerary box inscribed with the name "Jehohanan." Inside, researchers found the man's bones — including a heel bone that had a curled nail sticking through it.<br />Apparently, the man had been crucified, with his heel nailed to the side of the cross. The nail probably hit a knot in the wood and couldn't be removed when Jehohanan was taken down, so it was buried right along with the bone.<br />The case of Jehohanan told archaeologists several things: The feet of crucifixion victims really were nailed to crosses, and the fact that the hand bones showed no similar signs of damage indicated that the victims' hands were not necessarily nailed.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZ2b_fV_FkASqCgD0QMKt1jSOkF4fGdE1_nZvebTLAf8w35pgYIz80eV-4wPQ6oG6YbkySKcEc8mFos73hYiw4Vdzd3gJrDBK_rvSHJ7DsBydYkzmy2qP7aKontMK1ORkHJuLzPaJ0m9y/s1600-h/cross.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 280px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436697885571549394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZ2b_fV_FkASqCgD0QMKt1jSOkF4fGdE1_nZvebTLAf8w35pgYIz80eV-4wPQ6oG6YbkySKcEc8mFos73hYiw4Vdzd3gJrDBK_rvSHJ7DsBydYkzmy2qP7aKontMK1ORkHJuLzPaJ0m9y/s320/cross.gif" /></a></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>A change of heartMore recently, however, researchers have come around to the view that the nailed feet provided enough support for the body, and that the hands could have been merely tied. "Quest for Truth" uses the <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/visible_human.html">Visible Human Project</a> to show that putting nails through the palms would have resulted in maximum nerve damage and pain.<br />"The cruelty of the Romans would have led them to find the palms of the hands as the most painful part," Reed said. He suggested that the Romans also used wooden washers to make sure the hands and the feet couldn't be pulled away from the nails.</div><br /><br /><div>To read more go to</div><div><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7291066/">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7291066/</a></div><div>and</div><div><a href="http://www.apu.edu/infocus/2002/03/crucifixion/">http://www.apu.edu/infocus/2002/03/crucifixion/</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-26927489609821837042010-01-28T13:56:00.004-06:002010-01-28T14:32:55.244-06:00The Last Supper in art<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBzoWMIN91Z8i5ZYdgkLiZJPwmBOqXPAD24J0uu6hbtsgDI1libVXDoqKl6IECDGeJEu04jLwE7iovJk1MuEJZuuaA5zyZk38taAhchyphenhyphenCafBxg7d_c6Nixg9nnmmNGqJaw8G9ikHn2H02/s1600-h/last-supper.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 175px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431890206218659106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBzoWMIN91Z8i5ZYdgkLiZJPwmBOqXPAD24J0uu6hbtsgDI1libVXDoqKl6IECDGeJEu04jLwE7iovJk1MuEJZuuaA5zyZk38taAhchyphenhyphenCafBxg7d_c6Nixg9nnmmNGqJaw8G9ikHn2H02/s320/last-supper.jpg" /></a> <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ERGwBzeFhINxxEfQ-9izoC-b_0Ys2_mwxSz4DjbuL63eAzrSwjJfxX-zG1RJG8lyvV6BSRXgVsa7HdNr6KoZkD5677zvOJWD2qsi25sT1WHFtEzxf2dwUOFbUNIoHt1-QXASdiSsGy0J/s1600-h/last_supper_davinci.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 170px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431890191102690498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ERGwBzeFhINxxEfQ-9izoC-b_0Ys2_mwxSz4DjbuL63eAzrSwjJfxX-zG1RJG8lyvV6BSRXgVsa7HdNr6KoZkD5677zvOJWD2qsi25sT1WHFtEzxf2dwUOFbUNIoHt1-QXASdiSsGy0J/s320/last_supper_davinci.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>The most famous depiction of the Last supper is of course by Leonardo da Vinci. There have been many interpretations of that picture ranging<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzwk39QFRFtI4qxt-i6TBnMfMQpcYXoUSB3vpHRfu1rKugOGrtsXtnAlJcOQjDlEt-0UMgx3JRj3PSPlJ4bI5Qw424uOh44UUnKeUyIhcK9TSAwbhHgVlvIb06D6btmQUPoPoq33nKxEx/s1600-h/dali-last-supper.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 202px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431890185282231906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzwk39QFRFtI4qxt-i6TBnMfMQpcYXoUSB3vpHRfu1rKugOGrtsXtnAlJcOQjDlEt-0UMgx3JRj3PSPlJ4bI5Qw424uOh44UUnKeUyIhcK9TSAwbhHgVlvIb06D6btmQUPoPoq33nKxEx/s320/dali-last-supper.jpg" /></a> from the amusing to the horrifying. It, however, is probably not the most accurate. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://www.biblical-art.com/biblicalsubject.asp?id_biblicalsubject=523&pagenum=1"></a></div><br /><div> </div><div>The most historically accurate rendition of the Last Supper is two of Nicholas Poussin'paintings. In terms of superb color and the mood depicted, the one in the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinborough is superb. It is worth a special trip, if you really want to see the glory of what it was like during the Last Supper.<br />This painting from Olga's Gallery (http://www.abcgallery.com/P/poussin/poussin35.html )<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNYRVVi5d6Ghzzl06LOQ21RaX_3IIwFAd8HcGvAT984qpE0PL7zsNlRTM8EDoRFT4PtXjYyysZoLk9VAKbCZL7tLc_gkFwhBeXDmujakscb_yG4GTzFwxmDBX2GT9XXwM1iw3tw9AGJst/s1600-h/lastsup.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 252px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431890197270169186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNYRVVi5d6Ghzzl06LOQ21RaX_3IIwFAd8HcGvAT984qpE0PL7zsNlRTM8EDoRFT4PtXjYyysZoLk9VAKbCZL7tLc_gkFwhBeXDmujakscb_yG4GTzFwxmDBX2GT9XXwM1iw3tw9AGJst/s320/lastsup.jpg" /></a> seems to be an earlier rendition, almost a practice. Nevertheless, this as well as the other in Edinborough accurately describes the furniture (tricline) and posture of the Apostles. Tricline is a Roman, squarish U-shaped divan or sofa. On the exterior of all three sides (hence tri) dining guests recline (hence cline). The open side is for servants to serve food, and in this painting the servant is leaving the room on the left side of the room.</div><div></div><div>If you are interested in seeing more painting on this subject go to <a href="http://www.biblical-art.com/biblicalsubject.asp?id_biblicalsubject=523&pagenum=1">http://www.biblical-art.com/biblicalsubject.asp?id_biblicalsubject=523&pagenum=1</a></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-69214358161502973662009-10-15T13:32:00.004-05:002009-10-15T13:50:39.265-05:00"TheFeeding the multitude (also known as The miracle of the loaves and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_pRlYsgGUVXAOUfZyFNWiAxGiyy0sBzk36IoWsfecNLmkwxMEmVjTQHei7DRg9Q9Ppmgiz4tXYE-QLY1vzF_faQeupf5vRLkGoJ8KzkA-oNkhLtcgq6JfaadWnqfQ9i4v_iXU_22ZF-j/s1600-h/interior2-c-zyzy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392898776717947986" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_pRlYsgGUVXAOUfZyFNWiAxGiyy0sBzk36IoWsfecNLmkwxMEmVjTQHei7DRg9Q9Ppmgiz4tXYE-QLY1vzF_faQeupf5vRLkGoJ8KzkA-oNkhLtcgq6JfaadWnqfQ9i4v_iXU_22ZF-j/s320/interior2-c-zyzy.jpg" border="0" /></a>fish) is the name of two <a title="Miracle" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle">miracles</a> attributed to <a title="Jesus" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus">Jesus</a>. The first is reported by all four <a title="Biblical canon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_canon">canonical</a> <a title="Gospel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel">Gospels</a> (<a href="http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Matthew&verse=14:13–21&src=!">Matthew 14:13–21</a>, <a title="Gospel of Mark" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Mark">Mark</a> 6:31-44, <a title="Gospel of Luke" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Luke">Luke</a> 9:10-17 and <a title="Gospel of John" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_John">John</a> 6:5-15) and is <a title="Resurrection of Jesus" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_of_Jesus"> <div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong><em>Pictured is the Church of the Mulitplication, tought to be at the site of where The mircle happened</em></strong></span>.</a></div><a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/Tabgha.html">http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/Tabgha.html</a><div><a title="Resurrection of Jesus" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_of_Jesus"></div><br /></a>the only miracle apart from the <a title="Resurrection of Jesus" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_of_Jesus">resurrection</a> present in both John and the <a title="Synoptic Gospels" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synoptic_Gospels">Synoptic Gospels</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeding_the_multitude#cite_note-0#cite_note-0">[1]</a>; the second is reported by Mark (Mark 8) and Matthew (Matthew 15) but by neither Luke nor John.<br /><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">First event<br /></span></strong>According to the narrative of the Gospels, the first event happened after Jesus had been teaching in an area away from the towns and insisted that the people be fed where they were, rather than sending them to the nearest towns. The Synoptics state that the location was a "desert place" near <a title="Bethsaida" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethsaida">Bethsaida</a>, while John does not state a specific location, only specifying that it was very <a title="Grass" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grass">grassy</a>.<br />The canonical Gospels all report that, upon investigating the provisions of the crowd, the disciples were only able to find five loaves of <a title="Bread" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread">bread</a> and two <a title="Fish" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish">fish</a>, and the <a title="Gospel of John" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_John">Gospel of John</a> adds that these came from a single boy in the crowd. The Gospels state that Jesus blessed the food, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, who distributed it to the people present — 5000, not counting women and children — all of them being fed. The disciples, therefore, distributed great multitudes of food among the people, much more than the original five loaves and two fish, implying that Jesus miraculously created more food. The Gospels also state that after the meal was over, the disciples collected the scraps, filling twelve baskets.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeding_the_multitude#cite_note-1">[2]</a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Second event<br /></span>The second event, according to Mark and Matthew, occurred when Jesus was teaching a crowd of about 4000, not including women and children, in a remote location. As before, Jesus is described as taking the few provisions available, and giving <a title="Divine grace" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_grace">grace</a>, before distributing them amongst the crowd. In this event there are seven loaves and a few small fish, and seven baskets of scraps are collected.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeding_the_multitude#cite_note-2">[3]</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-140013420409460412009-10-13T21:53:00.005-05:002009-10-14T13:30:46.781-05:00Pool of Bethesda<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwii9SRhTvFT9BRZ-wXax_GT3UGlSdANNf2BnBU3_dVIu5OcF1udXZO1v4DoGQ_Zaf_RZbw632BA9NaPRvcHJ_0Og8FzXQZIJG8-T8P5xt5xNNjSYuhcFMnQ4rMPDIheSS7V9Yh6jsjq9t/s1600-h/pool-of-bethesda-6.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 249px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392283846203651570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwii9SRhTvFT9BRZ-wXax_GT3UGlSdANNf2BnBU3_dVIu5OcF1udXZO1v4DoGQ_Zaf_RZbw632BA9NaPRvcHJ_0Og8FzXQZIJG8-T8P5xt5xNNjSYuhcFMnQ4rMPDIheSS7V9Yh6jsjq9t/s320/pool-of-bethesda-6.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>The Pool of Bethesda (also known as Bethsaida) is located near the Sheep Gate just north of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In his gospel account, John describes such a pool, surrounded by five covered colonnades (<a href="http://www.allaboutgod.com/truth/john-5.htm#2" target="_blank">John 5:2</a>). Until the 19th century, there was no archaeological evidence for the Pool of Bethesda, so skeptics used this as proof that John’s account was written by some later zealot who didn’t have eyewitness knowledge of Jerusalem or an actual pool called Bethesda. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PhSIBBi-Ww1LUwmtJE4t8w7gifc6gHY85CIttY3JgHOxfZ0L6OjVRwQ2a6IDzHtxC6_ASW_X7l_Y9SmuQ3_DOy-65WufNnR2IzdwvEFYR3Peb2EvpK3JdWP4jGgAsVHpMAR8P0OuQdjE/s1600-h/pool-of-bethesada+5.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 232px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392283972427829042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PhSIBBi-Ww1LUwmtJE4t8w7gifc6gHY85CIttY3JgHOxfZ0L6OjVRwQ2a6IDzHtxC6_ASW_X7l_Y9SmuQ3_DOy-65WufNnR2IzdwvEFYR3Peb2EvpK3JdWP4jGgAsVHpMAR8P0OuQdjE/s320/pool-of-bethesada+5.jpg" /></a>Today, there’s really no question that archaeologists have uncovered the actual Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the invalid (<a href="http://www.allaboutgod.com/truth/john-5.htm" target="_blank">John 5:1-15</a>). The colonnades were visible to John at the time of Jesus, but the pool probably didn’t appear sunken and surrounded by walls like it does today. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The Pool of Bethesda was located on the eastern side of the city near the Fortress of Antonia. The name Bethesda means "house of mercy."<br />The water source was a nearby spring. The Pool had five porches and according to the Bible there was a tradition that an angel moved the waters at certain times and healed the sick. It was here at the Pool of Bethesda that Jesus healed the man who was lame for thirty-eight years. Recent archaeological discoveries have again confirmed the Biblical account, that there were five porches and the fifth one divided the rectangular pool into two separate compartments. Josephus wrote about the Pool of the Sheep-market.<br />Archaeological remains of Herod's Jerusalem are scarce. The Romans did a thorough work of destroying everything. We know about Herod and his buildings through the writings of Josephus, Strabo, Dio Cassius, Jewish Literature, archaeology and the Bible. The Roman Legions of Titus destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. They spared only Herod's powerful tower fortress as a symbol of the strength of the Romans who were able to overpower it.</div><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vnqb7Vn4AEE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vnqb7Vn4AEE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-19964167518329087002009-10-07T12:03:00.006-05:002009-10-07T12:25:42.417-05:00The Well<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgId06al80d8wRpFG_UHPCkg8k8-Dp-Tc4nHszMJ_At5JjCKuQfEysJidWT-wgH_7QcwgGu-Ph9ttBKGOfFC8pM8buCXgjt5Kpb8KMXeaot0Vh1qblaeT4iTFG0zgTIlFYLUujSVEMrL4Iz/s1600-h/163_Jacob's_Well.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 301px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 244px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389904846298608130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgId06al80d8wRpFG_UHPCkg8k8-Dp-Tc4nHszMJ_At5JjCKuQfEysJidWT-wgH_7QcwgGu-Ph9ttBKGOfFC8pM8buCXgjt5Kpb8KMXeaot0Vh1qblaeT4iTFG0zgTIlFYLUujSVEMrL4Iz/s320/163_Jacob's_Well.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><strong>Jacob's Well</strong> </span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><em>Going northward to Judea of Galilee Jesus "must </em><em>needs go through Samaria." On this journey He came to Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph, where Jacob's Well is still found.</em></span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Here a picture is taken upon undisputed ground. According to Dean Stanley it is, perhaps, the only place the identity of which is beyond all question. Here the conversation took place between Jesus and the woman of Samaria. One could look to Mount Gerizim on the left and remember the temple to which the woman pointed when she said</strong>: <span style="font-family:times new roman;"><em>"Our fathers worshipped in this mountain."</em></span> . . . <strong>The well is now seventy-five feet deep and seven feet six inches in breadth. The diameter of the opening is seventeen and a half feet. A ruined vault stands above the well twenty feet long, ten feet broad and six feet high. The pieces of broken marble you see in the front belong to some ancient church. It was here by this lonely well that Jesus told to a woman and to all the world the story of the true relationship between God and man.</strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguD5uQvA-fwtigVHT0ubr1MDxbhCrj5kvqZnEQEolBuNVvigiMU2iab3vsIJUTlsKcduXJdmsUFKCBliMGaTUndjlWTbr060XhP6b7NB_h_f5tN5h2tZwbwuKPfVKGkTh86gaTHvH0E9MA/s1600-h/Jacob's_Well,_interior,_mat00040.jpg"><strong><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 203px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389906301442969490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguD5uQvA-fwtigVHT0ubr1MDxbhCrj5kvqZnEQEolBuNVvigiMU2iab3vsIJUTlsKcduXJdmsUFKCBliMGaTUndjlWTbr060XhP6b7NB_h_f5tN5h2tZwbwuKPfVKGkTh86gaTHvH0E9MA/s320/Jacob's_Well,_interior,_mat00040.jpg" /></strong></a> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">Source: </span><a href="http://www.lifeintheholyland.com/earthly_footsteps_1890s.htm"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee</span></a></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">, </span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Jacob's Well Interior</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><em>And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? </em></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>Isn't it intyeresting that Jesus rested at the well because he was weary from his travels, and yet would take no food from the disciples. Such a wonderful and interesting mix of fully human and fully God. We can never quite comprehend how it works, and as someone much greater than I said,</strong> <strong>"Who would want to worship a God we could understand!"</strong></span></span></em><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong><br /><div></div><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ycm3TqSHyMU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ycm3TqSHyMU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-61249441562828392122009-09-29T18:19:00.001-05:002009-09-29T18:23:05.069-05:00<strong>Grace Devotion From Wednesday, Sept. 23rd</strong><br /><br />Last Wednesday, our speaker, Dr. Karoline Lewis told us that the word “Grace” appears 4 times in the first chapter of the Gospel of John and then never appears again in this Gospel. I looked up the word “grace” in the Webster Dictionary and here are some of the definitions it gave:<br /><br />Favor or goodwill<br />Mercy, clemency, pardon<br />Favor shown in granting a delay or temporary immunity<br />The freely given, unmerited favor & love of God<br />The influence or Spirit of God operating in humans<br />The condition of being in God’s favor or one of the elect<br />A short prayer before or after a meal<br /><br /><strong>It Can't Be Easy</strong> by Pastor John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Hogenson</span><br /><br />I am a lucky man. I am luckier than I deserve to be. I am especially lucky because almost every day and sometimes several times a day, my wife will look at me and say, "I love you." Every time my wife looks at me and tells me that she loves me, I have a standard response. I reply by saying, "It can't be easy. I love you, too."<br /><br />Most often when Ruth tells me that she loves me, it is when I have not been my best. Maybe I have been tired and a little grouchy (I trust you never get that way), or maybe I said something stupid, inconsiderate, or generally acted like a dork. It is especially at those times when Ruth will smile at me with a smile that exudes grace and tells me that she loves me, which is why I always reply "It can't be easy."<br /><br />In some ways, that is what it must be like for God. God looks down on us and constantly watches us put him last, blaspheme him, forget him. God watches us argue with each other, keep our faith to ourselves, repeatedly break commandments, tell people what God is for and what God is against, even when we are wrong about it, and generally act anything like the people God created us to be. Yet, despite our constant failings, God looks down on us and says, "I love you." It can't be easy to be God.<br /><br />We call this kind of love grace. Grace is a word that we use all the time in the Lutheran Church, yet when I teach new-member classes and ask the question, "Give me a definition of the word grace," most people can't seem to do it, even if they have been life-long Christians. <br />What is grace? Grace is a free gift given to us by God simply because God loves us just as we are. We can't buy grace by giving a certain amount. We can't earn grace by being good enough, going to church a certain number of times, or by volunteering. Grace means God loves us just as we are, on our best days and on our worst days. To quote Max <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Lucado</span>, grace means that, "There is nothing you can do to make God love you more and there is nothing you can do to make God love you less." God is just going to keep on loving you because God is love and it is God's nature to love you just as you are.<br /><br />The ultimate expression of grace is Christ's death on the cross. So much does God love you, "That he gave his only son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." What should we do in response to such an amazing gift? <br /><br />God loves us just as we are. It sure can't be easy for God, so let's try to make God's job just a little easier by showing our love of God by the way we love one another.<br /><br /><br /><strong>The Lord's Team</strong> from <a href="http://www.basicdevotions.com/">www.basicdevotions.com</a><br /><br />Bob was caught up in the spirit where he and the Lord stood by to observe a baseball game. The Lord's team was playing Satan's team. The Lord's team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero, and it was the bottom of the NINTH inning with two outs.<br />They continued to watch as a batter stepped up to the plate whose name was Love. Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single, because Love never fails. The next batter was named Faith, who also got a single because Faith works with Love. The next batter up was named Godly wisdom.<br />Satan wound up and threw the first pitch; Godly Wisdom looked it over and let it pass, because Godly Wisdom does not swing at Satan's pitches. Ball one. Three more pitches and Godly Wisdom walked, because Godly wisdom never swings at Satan's throws. The bases were loaded.<br />The Lord then turned to Bob and told him He was now going to bring in His star player. Up to the plate stepped Grace. Bob said he sure did not look like much! Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw Grace. Thinking he had won the game, Satan wound up and fired his first pitch. To the shock of everyone, Grace hit the ball harder than anyone had ever seen. But Satan was not worried; his center fielder, the Prince of the air, let very few get by. He went up for the ball, but it went right through his glove, hit him on the head and sent him crashing on the ground; then it continued over the fence for a home run!<br />The Lord's team won. The Lord then asked Bob if he knew why Love, Faith, and Godly Wisdom could get on base but could not win the game. Bob answered that he did not know why. The Lord explained, "If your love, faith and wisdom had won the game you would think you had done it by yourself. Love, faith and wisdom will get you on base, but only My grace can get you home.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01612309581690012179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-64193038739385044202009-09-29T15:46:00.006-05:002009-09-29T17:00:18.891-05:00In The Beginning Was The WORD<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsvmzqxeTaDUxM8ye76N8L9ZEZ_eWwkEsN_Xt_kCYwR4w5Zd16RLOlBfPllBk4xDhhniMHNrGHpb6HVRHPXkbdLxnaRhI2gSLOyaZckOMiCxQxsmz22C9I74Syu4AxwtpLhbKZ-KLa97G/s1600-h/11_11.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 242px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387010115083300306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsvmzqxeTaDUxM8ye76N8L9ZEZ_eWwkEsN_Xt_kCYwR4w5Zd16RLOlBfPllBk4xDhhniMHNrGHpb6HVRHPXkbdLxnaRhI2gSLOyaZckOMiCxQxsmz22C9I74Syu4AxwtpLhbKZ-KLa97G/s320/11_11.jpg" /></a><br /><div><em><span style="color:#663366;"><strong>I hope everyone enjoyed Dr. Karoline Lewis for our opening lecture. Her words were inspired and except for her "giving away all the answers" I was mesmerized. I am including a picture from the St. John's Illuminated Bible from this portion. Absolutely beautiful! Also a bit more info about John, a clip from the movie and some fun questions.</strong></span></em> </div><div><em><strong><span style="color:#333399;">Carrin<br /></span></strong></em><br /><br />The Gospel of John (literally, According to John; Greek, Κατὰ Ἰωάννην, Katá Iōánnēn), is the last of the four canonical gospels. This non synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details the story of Jesus from his Baptism to his Resurrection.<br />The Early Christian tradition attributes this gospel to John the Evangelist one of Jesus' disciples. The gospel appears to have been written with an evangelistic purpose, primarily for Greek-speaking Jews who were not believers[1] or to strengthen the faith of Christians.[2] A second purpose was probably to counter criticisms or unorthodox beliefs of Jews, John the Baptist's followers, and those who believed Jesus was only spirit and not flesh.[3]<br />John the Apostle, a disciple of Jesus, has been generally accepted as the author of the Fourth Gospel until the modern era. The authorship of the Fourth Gospel was rarely questioned seriously until the end of the eighteenth century.[4] Since then there have been modern scholars who posit that the author was not an eyewitness to Jesus' ministry<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EMVej6QXwhk&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EMVej6QXwhk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />Questions For Reflection And Study:<br /><br />1. Does it bother you that all four Gospels report different events in different ways'?<br /><br />2. Which of the four Gospel portraits of Jesus -- the fulfillment of prophecy (Matthew); the active servant (Mark); God's message to all people, including the gentiles (Luke); or the incarnate God (John) is most meaningful for you personally? </div><div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-34651231444990831492009-05-07T09:44:00.003-05:002009-08-11T10:17:37.670-05:00The Book of John Coming This Fall<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AaJqzrLJtI33Qwv8d05qcyKLVh6xsAf6O2n2fBgMi2OvDUI2gvt0iMW7GMtQdUh5bejBsI1I4roSxLzbSgfIN49pi3f8Jewf4rDwVRMncq0NAPyi1XHlUozb9WJLKwz7UC0CgRXp53KC/s1600-h/Cover+John.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 309px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368725480193597058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AaJqzrLJtI33Qwv8d05qcyKLVh6xsAf6O2n2fBgMi2OvDUI2gvt0iMW7GMtQdUh5bejBsI1I4roSxLzbSgfIN49pi3f8Jewf4rDwVRMncq0NAPyi1XHlUozb9WJLKwz7UC0CgRXp53KC/s400/Cover+John.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYfoRK9fzDcd9n8EG19Ng4LHOExdpZLyv0AC19U8NV42OiUZqUjSvTTbBekzXisz-GhBZeeN3RXanTjcaimEXYsktDwNzzVHyGGPDnUKI0M5Tizcc9n5nqwYHhMGLqoZT2mFniVkwnAxP/s1600-h/cross+original+red.JPG"></a><br />Bible Study Connection will be delving into the Gospel and Letters of John during the 2009-2010 season...Keep watching throughout the summer for details</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-42887694475961962722009-02-10T14:04:00.001-06:002009-02-10T14:04:01.110-06:00The Women in Jacob's life<strong>Rachel</strong> <em><strong>Rachel </strong></em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0havmfjsNsZAeDZoYaa4Fbda2ubxLr-CeySYi0DNySKnLGLAFSesTre-GJKnXqyvxRFBCGZ6xLhd4FFrNFopV4mGd7o_AjJPj4NupcXxqzuYnQ59HoatJetQCV_JUP65sXmqm0Lx_Cic/s1600-h/1_4_Ra1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 181px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0havmfjsNsZAeDZoYaa4Fbda2ubxLr-CeySYi0DNySKnLGLAFSesTre-GJKnXqyvxRFBCGZ6xLhd4FFrNFopV4mGd7o_AjJPj4NupcXxqzuYnQ59HoatJetQCV_JUP65sXmqm0Lx_Cic/s320/1_4_Ra1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296439086574097010" /></a>Rachel means ‘ewe’, a female sheep, symbol of prosperity and security for a nomadic people The Torah introduces Rachel with these words: Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. <br />It was this astounding external beauty that initially attracted Jacob when he met her by the well, tending her father's sheep. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fOXZGVzcvH5MeViPKynofsWCwvpYmj8g4xv5584FK1znyCKsvVB3CQSUL38d96qdRfJV2Y8C_uViV1dLQUKKnqWfCQdutgVUcoWpzFelwfODJ5xm4gP9Plsw_NGdSy_AlvqVELUrbQhP/s1600-h/sheep+2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fOXZGVzcvH5MeViPKynofsWCwvpYmj8g4xv5584FK1znyCKsvVB3CQSUL38d96qdRfJV2Y8C_uViV1dLQUKKnqWfCQdutgVUcoWpzFelwfODJ5xm4gP9Plsw_NGdSy_AlvqVELUrbQhP/s320/sheep+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296438439079380418" /></a>Rachel (Hebrew: רחל, Standard Raḥel Tiberian Rāḫēl, Rāḥēl ; meaning "ewe"[1]) is the second and favorite wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin, first mentioned in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible. She was the daughter of Laban and the younger sister of Leah, Jacob's first wife. Jacob was her first cousin, as Jacob's mother Rebecca was Laban's sister.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Leah</strong><br />The Torah introduces Leah by describing her with the phrase, "Leah had tender eyes" (Hebrew: ועיני לאה רכות) (Genesis 29:17). It is debated as to whether the adjective "tender" (רכות) should be taken to mean "delicate and soft" or "weak." Some translations say that it may have meant blue or light colored eyes.[1]<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdbnam7qHtjVCt9BYnAdrUI5R3PVQH8LRItvNXCAQATEQaBOaIxkXLfUt968WocMHAxfnLIBBhOecZcrhZKp8dZpuJOq3H8MusNz59X_p8WNd90xOiEPBLhhh8YzXlkYWFyY4rmHltE1Z/s1600-h/Rachel%2520and%2520Leah%2520telbtle365.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdbnam7qHtjVCt9BYnAdrUI5R3PVQH8LRItvNXCAQATEQaBOaIxkXLfUt968WocMHAxfnLIBBhOecZcrhZKp8dZpuJOq3H8MusNz59X_p8WNd90xOiEPBLhhh8YzXlkYWFyY4rmHltE1Z/s320/Rachel%2520and%2520Leah%2520telbtle365.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296473154602697026" /></a><br />The commentary of Rashi cites a Rabbinic interpretation of how Leah's eyes became weak. According to this story, Leah was destined to marry Jacob's twin brother, Esau. In the Rabbinic mind, the two brothers are polar opposites; Jacob being a God-fearing scholar and Esau being a hunter who also indulges in murder, idolatry, and adultery. But people were saying, "Laban has two daughters and his sister, Rebecca, has two sons. The older daughter (Leah) will marry the older son (Esau), and the younger daughter (Rachel) will marry the younger son (Jacob)."[2] Hearing this, Leah spent most of her time weeping and praying to God to change her destined mate. Thus the Torah describes her eyes as "soft" from weeping. God hearkens to Leah's tears and prayers and allows her to marry Jacob even before Rachel does.<br /><br />Bilhah<br />In the Book of Genesis, Bilhah (בִּלְהָה "Faltering; bashful", Standard Hebrew Bilha, Tiberian Hebrew Bilhāh) is Rachel's handmaid and a concubine of Jacob who bears him two sons, Dan and Naphtali. Bilhah is given to Rachel as a handmaid by Rachel's father, Laban, upon Rachel's marriage to Jacob. According to some commentators, Bilhah and Zilpah, the handmaids of Rachel and Leah respectively, were actually younger daughters of Laban. When Rachel is unable to conceive, she offers her handmaid to Jacob in marriage, and is delighted when Bilhah bears two sons. Rachel names Dan and Naphtali and plays an active role in their upbringing as two future Tribes of Israel. After the death of Rachel, Reuben, the firstborn son of Jacob and Leah, loses his right to a double inheritance when he is accused of infidelity with Bilhah. According to Rashi, as long as Rachel was alive, Jacob kept his bed in her tent and visited the other wives in theirs. When Rachel died, Jacob moved his bed into the tent of Bilhah, who had been mentored by Rachel, to retain a closeness to his favourite wife. However, Reuben felt that this move slighted his mother, Leah, who was also a primary wife, and so he moved Jacob's bed into his mother's tent. This invasion of Jacob's privacy was viewed so gravely that the Bible equates it with adultery.<br />Bilhah is said to be buried in the Tomb of the Matriarchs in Tiberias.<br /><br /><strong>Zilpah</strong><br />In the Book of Genesis, Zilpah (זִלְפָּה "Drooping", Standard Hebrew Zilpa, Tiberian Hebrew Zilpāh) is Leah's handmaid and the second concubine of Jacob and the mother of Gad and Asher. Zilpah is given to Leah as a handmaid by Leah's father, Laban, upon Leah's marriage to Jacob (see Genesis 29:24, 46:18). According to some commentators, Zilpah and Bilhah, the handmaids of Leah and Rachel, respectively, were actually younger daughters of Laban {Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, xxxvi.}. According to Rashi, Zilpah was younger than Bilhah, and Laban's decision to give her to Leah was part of the deception he used to trick Jacob into marrying Leah, who was older than Rachel. The morning after the wedding, Laban explained to Jacob, "This is not done in our place, to give the younger before the older" (Genesis 29:26). But at night, to mask the deception, Laban gave the veiled bride the younger of the handmaids, so Jacob would think that he was really marrying Rachel, the younger of the sisters. Zilpah also figures in the competition between Jacob's wives to bear him sons. Leah stops conceiving after the birth of her fourth son, at which point Rachel offers her handmaid, Bilhah, in marriage to Jacob so she can have more children through her. When Bilhah conceives two sons, Leah takes up the same idea and presents Zilpah as a wife to Jacob. Leah names the two sons of Zilpah and is directly involved in their upbringing. In Jewish tradition, Zilpah is believed to be buried in the Tomb of the Matriarchs in Tiberias.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-41095526460787261782009-02-09T07:00:00.002-06:002009-02-09T07:00:00.884-06:00Jacob's Tents<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RS9eWfV_s58L-cXmhLwd9FW_nZ6IBRcX0PNUewwvLDGekHTeQm5jGb-NcCp9pziY8Aj8sAMU1a0EkM8EfVh5vA-M0ky9YfxXwsIvAnQKQCaLQpLsyFdcXVplB7DKv-ivgox49JQoTv_Z/s1600-h/tents_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RS9eWfV_s58L-cXmhLwd9FW_nZ6IBRcX0PNUewwvLDGekHTeQm5jGb-NcCp9pziY8Aj8sAMU1a0EkM8EfVh5vA-M0ky9YfxXwsIvAnQKQCaLQpLsyFdcXVplB7DKv-ivgox49JQoTv_Z/s320/tents_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296462259858353842" /></a><br /> For more info and pictures go to <a href="http://www.bible-architecture.info/Housing.htm">http://www.bible-architecture.info/Housing.htm</a><br /><strong><br />TENTS were used by </strong><br /> * nomadic people, who followed their flocks to pasture and water, and moved around according to the seasons<br /> * semi-nomadic people, who were based in a village but lived part of the year in upper or lower pasture areas. <br /><br /><strong>TWO SEPARATE AREAS</strong><br />The tents were larger than most modern tents, and had two separate sections. <br />The front section was used for work. It was the public area of the tent, open to visitors. The men of the family lived here, gathered here with family members or friends, and conducted business here if necessary. The men ate their meals in this area. The front part of the tent would be left open in warm weather.<br /><br />The second or rear part of the tent was private. A dividing curtain separated it from the front area. It was here that the women, children and babies lived and slept. <br /><br /><strong>MANUFACTURE OF TENTS</strong><br />These tents were made from goats' hair or dark sheep's wool, woven in rectangular strips on large looms. Women wove the fabric for the tents, stitched them together, and kept them in good repair. They also made the ropes that tethered the tents to the ground. In effect, they were the craftspeople who produced the housing. <br /> <br /><strong>SETTING UP THE TENT</strong><br />They also set up the tents each time the clan/tribe moved to a new site. They selected a suitable site - on hilltops in summer to capture the breeze, and in winter on the leeward side of valleys, just above the base where flash floods could occur. They used wooden mallets and tent pegs they hoisted up and secured the unwieldy tents. When it was time to move on, they took down the tents, folded them and stowed to for the journey. This would seem heavy work to us, but the Hebrew women were sturdy and skilled, and they worked as a group.<br /><br /><strong>OWNERSHIP </strong><br />Polygamy was the norm in the early period of Hebrew history, at least for the tribal leader. An important man would have a number of wives and concubines - primary and secondary wives depending on their pre-marriage status and background. A woman with a respectable dowry could expect to be a full wife; a servant girl without dowry who married a tribal leader would probably be classed as a concubine.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMBJVaR1Dd7FmT1HnnO98vjNgP8p6wDSPDqs4eXMaGg5Qsb5qou5WkXFby_JjH3bo9UCRO-bSR6QcbSqITyKrZV0DdKP-DkbeF9BYQ428zDvjKJBdDZ6O07Akv14RJSa8fI7xWR54LEWQ/s1600-h/bedouin_tents_carpets_divisions.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMBJVaR1Dd7FmT1HnnO98vjNgP8p6wDSPDqs4eXMaGg5Qsb5qou5WkXFby_JjH3bo9UCRO-bSR6QcbSqITyKrZV0DdKP-DkbeF9BYQ428zDvjKJBdDZ6O07Akv14RJSa8fI7xWR54LEWQ/s320/bedouin_tents_carpets_divisions.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296464399620287778" /></a> <br /><br />To accommodate this range of wives, the Hebrews (and other nomadic tribes) used an ingenious system: each woman had her own tent. It was her domain, containing her possessions. In it, she would receive her husband when he cared to visit. She raised her children there and also housed any personal servants she might have. This system did much to avoid rivalry or ill feeling between the various wives.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-84379825453420434062009-02-08T15:08:00.002-06:002009-02-08T15:08:00.840-06:00Mandrakes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwO84lQoQqphzGah35j828J0YEZSpeOY-zKD73Wk6vCjt4vbmPX3IcvxqSx6Ts3ED2r2JQqV-dtvMGqCLClyghffnJ0TCdJdE3V1XHcm_SxqYefXM__VKs70QVwdZvq1EO9DLS2dKRf8k/s1600-h/mandrake_061306_no_hotlinking.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 142px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwO84lQoQqphzGah35j828J0YEZSpeOY-zKD73Wk6vCjt4vbmPX3IcvxqSx6Ts3ED2r2JQqV-dtvMGqCLClyghffnJ0TCdJdE3V1XHcm_SxqYefXM__VKs70QVwdZvq1EO9DLS2dKRf8k/s320/mandrake_061306_no_hotlinking.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296458295694732114" /></a> Mandrake is the common name for members of the plant genus Mandragora belonging to the nightshades family (Solanaceae). Because mandrake contains deliriant hallucinogenic tropane alkaloids such as hyoscyamine and the roots sometimes contain bifurcations causing them to resemble human figures, their roots have long been used in magic rituals, today also in neopagan religions such as Wicca and Germanic revivalism religions such as Odinism. All parts of the mandrake plant are poisonous. The plant grows natively in southern and central Europe and in lands around the Mediterranean Sea, as well as on Corsica.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokjc2qB5b1wfly_o8hN725ANruZUwwDIIpm0nsC4vEQtL6psKjg7wtbWFIkimw4NBM0bC2JxR8PqQhAKLRIKs4kCgJtgw84RyOP5HZBxGvMl8fENkJoV9H0pNwcxvGIM3aaCgrr37xco4/s1600-h/1+mandrake.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokjc2qB5b1wfly_o8hN725ANruZUwwDIIpm0nsC4vEQtL6psKjg7wtbWFIkimw4NBM0bC2JxR8PqQhAKLRIKs4kCgJtgw84RyOP5HZBxGvMl8fENkJoV9H0pNwcxvGIM3aaCgrr37xco4/s320/1+mandrake.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296457941068736914" /></a><strong> By pinching and tying Mandrake roots as they grow, they can grow to look like human forms</strong><br /><br />In Genesis 30, Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah finds mandrakes in a field. Rachel, Jacob's infertile second wife and Leah's sister, is desirous of the mandrakes and barters with Leah for them. The trade offered by Rachel is for Leah to spend the next night in Jacob's bed. Soon after this, Leah, who had previously had four sons but had been infertile for a long while, became pregnant once more and gave birth to a son. There are classical Jewish commentaries which suggest that mandrakes help barren women to conceive a child.[citation needed]<br /><br />Mandrake in Hebrew is דודאים (dûdã'im), meaning “love plant”. Among certain Asian cultures, it is believed to ensure conception.[citation needed] Most interpreters hold Mandragora officinarum to be the plant intended in Genesis 30:14 ("love plant") and Song of Songs 7:13 ("the mandrakes send out their fragrance"). A number of other plants have been suggested such as blackberries, Zizyphus Lotus, the sidr of the Arabs, the banana, lily, citron, and fig.<br /><br />And those who remember "Mandrakes" from Harry Potter there is this: According to the legend, when the root is dug up it screams and kills all who hear it. Literature includes complex directions for harvesting a mandrake root in relative safety. For example Josephus (c. 37 AD Jerusalem – c. 100) gives the following directions for pulling it up:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxunRlDOJynSmH3aDW9HRkHHAlGOocBJOSjQSg0PutadUkaPprZS0kxGC3Q8Tnt-lERPQ8hqoO7TyWK6IMKHLqJcpkvMWjU3gdglETegdSrzBQqMGxYkWx5tKIV0f4gjsOKf3F8sEJpk_/s1600-h/250px-Mandragora_Tacuinum_Sanitatis.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxunRlDOJynSmH3aDW9HRkHHAlGOocBJOSjQSg0PutadUkaPprZS0kxGC3Q8Tnt-lERPQ8hqoO7TyWK6IMKHLqJcpkvMWjU3gdglETegdSrzBQqMGxYkWx5tKIV0f4gjsOKf3F8sEJpk_/s320/250px-Mandragora_Tacuinum_Sanitatis.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296460396025290658" /></a>A furrow must be dug around the root until its lower part is exposed, then a dog is tied to it, after which the person tying the dog must get away. The dog then endeavours to follow him, and so easily pulls up the root, but dies suddenly instead of his master. After this the root can be handled without fear.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-52550324173574747332009-02-06T07:30:00.001-06:002009-02-06T07:30:00.838-06:00ANCIENT IDOLS<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DiJBtgpDPFSTKn3ZWHRujnoP8bYIeT1_nR4uSZuFgi-6EtY4PX8UTeoj0WihH4SqkTpiea3d3YWRKz43XkdSnskOKHCzPcs69lSR4VLJgd9IoeIA2lNwntB_uJnYy-xWnPR2lTlwfi3L/s1600-h/Asherah.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 177px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DiJBtgpDPFSTKn3ZWHRujnoP8bYIeT1_nR4uSZuFgi-6EtY4PX8UTeoj0WihH4SqkTpiea3d3YWRKz43XkdSnskOKHCzPcs69lSR4VLJgd9IoeIA2lNwntB_uJnYy-xWnPR2lTlwfi3L/s320/Asherah.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296452771997856434" /></a>For more info on Ancient Religions go to <a href="http://www.bible-archaeology.info/ancient-religions.htm">http://www.bible-archaeology.info/ancient-religions.htm</a>After Joseph was born, Jacob told Rachel and Leah that God had commanded him to return to his homeland of Canaan. They responded that he should do what God told him and they would follow. Jacob prepared to leave and, while Laban was out shearing sheep, Rachel stole Laban’s idols without Jacob’s knowledge. It is not written explicitly why she stole them. Some commentators say it was to prevent Laban from worshipping idols, while others say that the idols actually had some magical power and Rachel did not want them revealing to Laban the way that Jacob traveled. Jacob did not tell Laban that he was leaving. When, three days later, Laban discovered that Jacob was gone and chased after him, he blamed Jacob for stealing his idols. Laban searched the tents of Jacob and his wives, but Rachel hid the idols under a cushion and Laban could not find them. Laban left the next morning and Rachel continued to travel with Jacob.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhejnfSipS1LlvpvmH917__CxT6MwS8idR09imq3h2GlsRX8ArFM3hHd4NyrhbEC9pqOjQAeyrTwrRtrHvFGolAazrVWlKKKFhKRqwAeP6mabhofl45X1oyag-4SpEkQvYKY5ie8I3lGS/s1600-h/shabti2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 181px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhejnfSipS1LlvpvmH917__CxT6MwS8idR09imq3h2GlsRX8ArFM3hHd4NyrhbEC9pqOjQAeyrTwrRtrHvFGolAazrVWlKKKFhKRqwAeP6mabhofl45X1oyag-4SpEkQvYKY5ie8I3lGS/s320/shabti2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296453723225712738" /></a>Another source says this: It seems that Rachel in particular was still angry at her father for what he had done to her. Before they set out, she took the small figurines that represented the spirits of ancestors and the protective deities of her father's family (the teraphim), telling no-one at all what she was doing. See BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: ANCIENT RELIGIONS for information about ancient religious beliefs and practices. This was not a random act of malice, for years ago on what should have been her wedding night, Laban had stolen Rachel's happiness. Now she stole something that was precious to him - surreptitious pay-back for a life-time of bullying. <br /><br />But her act had wider significance than this, because the teraphim were a form of title deed, and the person who possessed them could claim the tribe's wealth. Ownership of the household deities was the prerogative of the head of the family, and by taking them Rachel secured this position for her husband. <br /><br />The Teraphim<br />"The teraphim are built according to the forms of men and this form is made [in such a way as] to receive the power of the superior [beings]." (from Idel, "Golem", from a 12th century discussion of biblical teraphim of Lavan.<br />Teraphim were household gods or domestic idols of the ancient cultures.<br /><br />These small figures were in the form of men or gods. They were used for worship in the home. The teraphim brought prosperity and good luck, though the practice was considered heathen. Teraphim were called the "givers of prosperity," “guardians of comforts," "nourishers" by the Lares and Penates of the early Hebrews.Some Teraphim were small and portable. They could be stowed away in the pack saddle of a camel, similar to the one the Rachel took. Others were life size. Some may have represented family members. Teraphim may be similar to golemUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-61103113214886824482009-02-04T07:00:00.002-06:002009-02-04T07:00:01.236-06:00RACHEL MEETS JACOB AT THE WELL <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZU9lwqcyfMzdQo7pDzbqxTaEj0cO8qsNxkFYCFL4TCM3T1Zi0Xl5LitgStmYw8-hh94VKOi1goLaUpm9SyRHT5blHLyzhwia64hfrYJjczWIkmW8ZHn59bnnYu7qGpd2K8ZsMYSKm9ou/s1600-h/1+a+Rache.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZU9lwqcyfMzdQo7pDzbqxTaEj0cO8qsNxkFYCFL4TCM3T1Zi0Xl5LitgStmYw8-hh94VKOi1goLaUpm9SyRHT5blHLyzhwia64hfrYJjczWIkmW8ZHn59bnnYu7qGpd2K8ZsMYSKm9ou/s320/1+a+Rache.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296434401317860706" /></a> Every afternoon, Rachel watered her flock of sheep at a well near Haran, an outpost of the ancient city of Ur. Wells had a practical use, but in story-telling a well could be a symbol of the feminine and of women's power to produce and nurture life. Looked at realistically, they were also places where young men and women could meet their future marriage partners. Wells were often covered with a broad flat stone <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6jGMrqvQCrgTu6IUQcuNqds-xvgt9klnJ94zg0eGW2tGApYerehy5rZo0Y0Jqk2TB6WBRtQ_N-KRo7ozfR5YPcgoEmDRtiS3fXD4vO_j7MEKg8Iwnkg-RBEcn36TbzfgBDGLv1kUExe5/s1600-h/1_4_Ra1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 232px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6jGMrqvQCrgTu6IUQcuNqds-xvgt9klnJ94zg0eGW2tGApYerehy5rZo0Y0Jqk2TB6WBRtQ_N-KRo7ozfR5YPcgoEmDRtiS3fXD4vO_j7MEKg8Iwnkg-RBEcn36TbzfgBDGLv1kUExe5/s320/1_4_Ra1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296433555512332290" /></a>that cut down on evaporation in the heat. Since it was too large for one man to move, the shepherds who gathered there waited until there was a group of them to move it. On this particular afternoon, a young traveler called Jacob happened to be there as well. He chatted with the shepherds, telling them that his family had originally come from this same area. They pointed towards a woman in the distance, saying she was the daughter of his mother’s brother. While they waited for her to arrive, Jacob observed that it is too early in the day to fold the sheep, a not-very-subtle way of saying they were slacking at their job, but a signal to the reader that Jacob had already developed the work ethic. He did not need a master to tell him what should be done, and would thus be a good provider for the woman who chose him. The text suggests that Rachel may have heard this interchange between Jacob and the shepherds, and been favorably impressed. <em><strong>Rachel </strong></em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0havmfjsNsZAeDZoYaa4Fbda2ubxLr-CeySYi0DNySKnLGLAFSesTre-GJKnXqyvxRFBCGZ6xLhd4FFrNFopV4mGd7o_AjJPj4NupcXxqzuYnQ59HoatJetQCV_JUP65sXmqm0Lx_Cic/s1600-h/1_4_Ra1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 181px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0havmfjsNsZAeDZoYaa4Fbda2ubxLr-CeySYi0DNySKnLGLAFSesTre-GJKnXqyvxRFBCGZ6xLhd4FFrNFopV4mGd7o_AjJPj4NupcXxqzuYnQ59HoatJetQCV_JUP65sXmqm0Lx_Cic/s320/1_4_Ra1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296439086574097010" /></a>Rachel means ‘ewe’, a female sheep, symbol of prosperity and security for a nomadic people.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fOXZGVzcvH5MeViPKynofsWCwvpYmj8g4xv5584FK1znyCKsvVB3CQSUL38d96qdRfJV2Y8C_uViV1dLQUKKnqWfCQdutgVUcoWpzFelwfODJ5xm4gP9Plsw_NGdSy_AlvqVELUrbQhP/s1600-h/sheep+2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fOXZGVzcvH5MeViPKynofsWCwvpYmj8g4xv5584FK1znyCKsvVB3CQSUL38d96qdRfJV2Y8C_uViV1dLQUKKnqWfCQdutgVUcoWpzFelwfODJ5xm4gP9Plsw_NGdSy_AlvqVELUrbQhP/s320/sheep+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296438439079380418" /></a>When Jacob saw Rachel at close quarters, he was smitten. In an act of bravado, he removed the great stone single-handed, hoping to impress the young woman. He was successful. The reader is again aware of the sexual symbolism of his action, and knows that removing the lid from the well has shown he is worthy of Rachel’s hand in marriage, and will be her lover and husband. ‘Now when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban … he went up and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of his mother’s brother Laban. TheN Jacob kissed Rachel, and wept aloud.’ <em></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-19520735326784451192009-02-03T13:52:00.001-06:002009-02-03T13:52:00.348-06:00Choosing a Husband in the Old TestamentWho chose the husband? The whole family joined in the selection of an appropriate husband for a girl, but her wishes were certainly taken into account (Genesis 24:5, 8). Even the feelings of a female war captive were, to some extent, respected; she was given a month to mourn for her lost family before being forcibly married to her captor (Deuteronomy 21:10-14).<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtgaAsgNhEbLi1nSvDjTaeqjiXoA946VFZo9osRRGj-m0mvioyJZw8L0h-pjlox9OQr-uOBbQqI0xmNU9XvIK79VS6P-JbfqhbjxCoksu7aO6APJH7bay6XoEoBl9exsQBkMWYZHcjRUQ/s1600-h/Veiled-Woman-SMALL_jpg.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtgaAsgNhEbLi1nSvDjTaeqjiXoA946VFZo9osRRGj-m0mvioyJZw8L0h-pjlox9OQr-uOBbQqI0xmNU9XvIK79VS6P-JbfqhbjxCoksu7aO6APJH7bay6XoEoBl9exsQBkMWYZHcjRUQ/s320/Veiled-Woman-SMALL_jpg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296436461944035938" /></a> If it seems strange to us that the choice of a husband was a matter for the whole family to determine, we must remember the young woman was allying herself not only with her husband, but with his whole family too. The couple would not form a nuclear family in the modern sense, for these were virtually unknown in ancient society, but become part of a larger family. Thus the girl’s family had to be sure that she was marrying someone whose family and way of life would be compatible with hers. She would probably be living and working with these people for the rest of her life. <br /><br /><strong>The qualities of an ideal husband</strong><br />* The qualities that a Jewish woman looked for in a husband were: <br /><br />* someone a few years older than herself, and of the same social standing <br /><br />* a student of the Hebrew Scriptures, for scholarship meant that a man was intelligent, prepared to work, and able to reason and think <br /><br />* someone possessing enough money and goods to be able to give her status, comfort and security <br /><br />* someone whose family was reputable, with no scandal or bad blood associated with his family <br /><br />* someone physically attractive, because Jews believed that a happy sex life was one of the greatest gifts God gave to a married couple.<br /><strong><br />The qualities of an ideal wife<br />The qualities that a Jewish man looked for in a wife were:</strong> <br /><br />* Jewish descent, because transmission of ‘Jewishness’ was through the Jewish mother <br /><br />* someone from a respectable family, since family characteristics could be transmitted to succeeding generations <br /><br />* the daughter of a man who was learned and had studied <br /><br />* a girl about the same age as the man or younger <br /><br />* someone known for her good sense, good behavior and kindliness <br /><br />* if possible, someone who was physically beautiful, but an intelligent mind and a cheerful personality were in the long run even more important. <br /><br />A Jewish family tried to provide each daughter with a dowry, which was property handed over by her family at the time of her marriage, and afterwards owned by the wife. It was her share of the family inheritance, enough to act as an income for her should she be abandoned or widowed. Whether there was sufficient to do this for every woman, we do not know.<br /><br />In neighboring Mesopotamia, the dowry could be inherited only by the woman’s sons, not by any of her husband’s family. This was a precaution against the dowry being used to enrich the husband’s family. Much of Jewish law is based on Mesopotamian law, so Jewish families probably had a similar practice regarding dowries.<br /><br />In some cases, a bride-price was expected. This was compensation paid to the bride's family for the loss of their daughter and the services she could have provided to her family, had she remained with them. The bride-price was paid by the groom's family. Naturally, the amount depended on the wealth and status of the family.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-30611294965290996562009-02-02T07:00:00.001-06:002009-02-02T07:00:00.813-06:00Major Events in a Woman's Life in the Old Testament<em><strong>PUBERTY AND MENSTRUATION</strong></em> <strong>Further reading at: <a href="http://www.womeninthebible.net/3.2.Major_Events.htm">http://www.womeninthebible.net/3.2.Major_Events.htm</a> </strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmS41c5I1OdZpg3c1JUuCiZGOb3YhMORd8u9i7WmDgwqLG5uVipjHve3u6w_2Y2KxBSVTHNzsnY9ebXmxhrqI6qEmxmsz_0Ps2vNbDIRtHOXRj2JtTBtuejGsvT9NMaHFamgeWICX0S3u/s1600-h/3_3-5_Cenci_young_woman.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 247px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmS41c5I1OdZpg3c1JUuCiZGOb3YhMORd8u9i7WmDgwqLG5uVipjHve3u6w_2Y2KxBSVTHNzsnY9ebXmxhrqI6qEmxmsz_0Ps2vNbDIRtHOXRj2JtTBtuejGsvT9NMaHFamgeWICX0S3u/s320/3_3-5_Cenci_young_woman.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296426172057778386" /></a> When a Jewish girl reached the age of puberty, she was called, in Hebrew, betulah. This word defined her as an adolescent girl who had reached puberty but not yet given birth to her first child. It is sometimes translated as ‘virgin’, but in fact it related more to her age group than her physical state.<br /><br />She probably began to menstruate at about 10-12 years of age. The onset of menstruation was celebrated, because it showed that the girl had passed from childhood into womanhood.<br />At puberty she was introduced to the special customs that Jewish women followed, particularly those relating to menstruation. <br /><br />During her menstrual period, a Jewish woman was relieved of many of her normal duties. She was not required to draw and carry water from the well. She did not have to serve food to members of the family. She did not have to go to the marketplace. She did not have sexual intercourse. The days of her menstrual period were regarded as a time out, a time for herself. On these days, relieved of a number of her duties, she had time to think and rest.<br /><br />Special rules guarded her privacy and rest at this time. They were called the ‘purity laws’. These laws made it impossible for members of her family to demand that she do her normal tasks. There were purity laws for men as well: men washed themselves and changed their clothes whenever they had a sexual emission. <br /><br />After her menstrual cycle, a woman was required to bathe herself from head to toe in a special pool of clean water, called a mikveh. Each small community would have its mikveh, and towns and cities had large numbers of them, some public, some private. The mikveh pool had to be designed and built a special way, so that it had <br /><br />* enough headroom under water to allow complete immersion <br /><br />* a supplementary tank for gathering clean rain water <br /><br />* a small pool at the entrance for washing hair, hands and feet before entering the main pool (in 2 Samuel 11:1-5 Bathsheba is bathing herself after her monthly period when David sees her; for short biographies of both these people see BIBLE MEN AND WOMEN). <br /><br />The purpose of the monthly bathing in the mikveh was for physical and spiritual cleanliness. The washing of the body was a tangible way for a woman to renew herself, refreshing mental, emotional and physical energies. It was a ritual that periodically gave a woman the feeling of a fresh start. <br /><br />The rules of ritual cleanliness meant that most people were obliged to wash themselves, wash their clothes, and put on clean clothes at frequent intervals.<br /><br />There is no doubt that the hygiene that resulted from the purity laws was beneficial to the health of the whole population. Where mothers maintain personal cleanliness, there is much less infant mortality, and so the cleanliness of Jewish women benefited the whole population.<br />It is difficult to say whether the laws regarding cleanliness arose from a conscious connection between cleanliness and good health, or an intuitive one. Indeed, Jews at the time (and now) would state that the ritual purity laws were obeyed not for their logic but because they were part of being a Jew.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-67169697726413084662009-01-30T08:00:00.003-06:002009-01-30T08:00:02.045-06:00Bible Art Gallery<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_saTUcs_zNVbJwy24g6PqdInyBkRtvIFdx7teuOns0TCxBBYEEfYsKVszTsZ4FbeeQUchxC3eR2n5VCagjrJElBWAz87XYEEqNvGXx9GVezIjcCVrxp0oD31BU-5ZD6goGgl2PiQSaF8V/s1600-h/1_9A-6_REBEKAH_Rebekah_at_the_well.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_saTUcs_zNVbJwy24g6PqdInyBkRtvIFdx7teuOns0TCxBBYEEfYsKVszTsZ4FbeeQUchxC3eR2n5VCagjrJElBWAz87XYEEqNvGXx9GVezIjcCVrxp0oD31BU-5ZD6goGgl2PiQSaF8V/s320/1_9A-6_REBEKAH_Rebekah_at_the_well.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296422244399024658" /></a>Here are some wonderful pieces depicting Rebecca's story, I encourage you to go to the site below and look at how artists have interpreted this story throughout the years. <a href="http://www.bible-art.info/Rebecca.htm">http://www.bible-art.info/Rebecca.htm</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjid525kc12hhs1PPV-L8G6rM2yehpzHp6LGMi7GDNF0kMYmFwc6A3YuG9rVI9sI8TPwy1j7yxf8ELiVRgjfXjiHAGp3BPvus2uKtqbRrUfvmI1p2WcFQlx95CmvpDaexeORQQf8N4NbdYe/s1600-h/1_9A-2_REBEKAH_A_modern_sculpture_Jacob_and_Esau_by_Charles_Sherman.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 255px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjid525kc12hhs1PPV-L8G6rM2yehpzHp6LGMi7GDNF0kMYmFwc6A3YuG9rVI9sI8TPwy1j7yxf8ELiVRgjfXjiHAGp3BPvus2uKtqbRrUfvmI1p2WcFQlx95CmvpDaexeORQQf8N4NbdYe/s320/1_9A-2_REBEKAH_A_modern_sculpture_Jacob_and_Esau_by_Charles_Sherman.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296422116421467442" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lamjS7GPaElku6R0A6_A8YFOxSmAllJy9wkKV_qysi6ubQaaX_eJbIAdi9TmyKaoHs9O1UO11UXkZo1EHXQT8YNL2uhOb6zodWOEMZYQiTyOGWMIUe_faA_WRuerCIuzISaqxfWGDyXe/s1600-h/1_9A-4_REBEKAH_Esau_selling_his_birthright_for_a_plate_of_food.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lamjS7GPaElku6R0A6_A8YFOxSmAllJy9wkKV_qysi6ubQaaX_eJbIAdi9TmyKaoHs9O1UO11UXkZo1EHXQT8YNL2uhOb6zodWOEMZYQiTyOGWMIUe_faA_WRuerCIuzISaqxfWGDyXe/s320/1_9A-4_REBEKAH_Esau_selling_his_birthright_for_a_plate_of_food.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296421996797047314" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnsYponCJbQDv0EMUCXXZdoRodEyshbdjuGt0UcMtqMhVdyvxOgqe6NaMwF-OXMZ1gy0OcVm1cC_rQB6KPKK97Fs9Eih4faERAjrKQ2abaaEXva8Pi74npqIMTex0GYYsWq4_T0mriI7h/s1600-h/1_9A-7_REBEKAH_Rebekah_deceives_Isaac.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnsYponCJbQDv0EMUCXXZdoRodEyshbdjuGt0UcMtqMhVdyvxOgqe6NaMwF-OXMZ1gy0OcVm1cC_rQB6KPKK97Fs9Eih4faERAjrKQ2abaaEXva8Pi74npqIMTex0GYYsWq4_T0mriI7h/s320/1_9A-7_REBEKAH_Rebekah_deceives_Isaac.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296421867875306482" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-2969293090842317862009-01-29T15:50:00.001-06:002009-01-29T15:50:00.577-06:00Jacob's Ladder<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8brM66D5sxiapRBMUIfEKHAiPwMn8KbRdvLwr9kTILkztFhsiSmb9UzW8sGHbJxzRi4i7hrchIqLVuVXxPWBT5CwHGLpXn7HB1mKUz6O26sRXa-WjeNfHMwPiHfoT7Oo9SxLEvPEVbDwk/s1600-h/100px-Himnastigi.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 35px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8brM66D5sxiapRBMUIfEKHAiPwMn8KbRdvLwr9kTILkztFhsiSmb9UzW8sGHbJxzRi4i7hrchIqLVuVXxPWBT5CwHGLpXn7HB1mKUz6O26sRXa-WjeNfHMwPiHfoT7Oo9SxLEvPEVbDwk/s320/100px-Himnastigi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296465918324686882" /></a><br />Traditional interpretations!<br />The Jewish Biblical philosopher Philo (d. ca. 50 CE) presents his allegorical interpretation of the ladder in the first book of his De somniis. There he gives four mutually non-exclusive interpretations: (1) The angels represent souls descending to and ascending from bodies — Philo's clearest reference to the doctrine of reincarnation. (2) In the second interpretation the ladder is the human soul and the angels are God's logoi, pulling the soul up in distress and condescending in compassion. (3) In the third view the dream depicts the ups and downs of the life of the "practiser" (of virtue), and (4) in the last one the question is about the continually changing affairs of men.<br /><br />The classic Torah commentaries offer several interpretations of Jacob's ladder:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZUyHezWpmiB_RBlgMxPcmzOdUey5w2qrLMZJo5bJ9Dhz6irpU48ZM-g32nGSW5BnbIKyRtOBbxUsuXle-lKFQ_dz_XsUOkLvqnTjqLWsUPrRfULuCaJcSSXMWZ8K-GHVvUiKGlYlqI-A/s1600-h/220px-Blake_jacobsladder.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZUyHezWpmiB_RBlgMxPcmzOdUey5w2qrLMZJo5bJ9Dhz6irpU48ZM-g32nGSW5BnbIKyRtOBbxUsuXle-lKFQ_dz_XsUOkLvqnTjqLWsUPrRfULuCaJcSSXMWZ8K-GHVvUiKGlYlqI-A/s320/220px-Blake_jacobsladder.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296466097647532002" /></a><br />According to the Midrash, the ladder signified the exiles which the Jewish people would suffer before the coming of the Messiah. First the angel representing the 70-year exile of Babylonia climbed "up" 70 rungs, and then fell "down". Then the angel representing the exile of Persia went up a number of steps, and fell, as did the angel representing the exile of Greece. Only the fourth angel, which represented the final exile of Rome/Edom (whose guardian angel was Esau himself), kept climbing higher and higher into the clouds. Jacob feared that his children would never be free of Esau's domination, but God assured him that at the End of Days, Edom too would come falling down. <br />Another interpretation of the ladder keys into the fact that the angels first "ascended" and then "descended." The Midrash explains that Jacob, as a holy man, was always accompanied by angels. When he reached the border of the land of Canaan (the future land of Israel), the angels who were assigned to the Holy Land went back up to Heaven and the angels assigned to other lands came down to meet Jacob. When Jacob returned to Canaan (Genesis 32:2–4), he was greeted by the angels who were assigned to the Holy Land. <br />The place at which Jacob stopped for the night was in reality Mount Moriah, the future home of the Temple in Jerusalem. The ladder therefore signifies the "bridge" between Heaven and earth, as prayers and sacrifices offered in the Holy Temple soldered a connection between God and the Jewish people. Moreover, the ladder alludes to the Giving of the Torah as another connection between heaven and earth. The Hebrew word for ladder, sulam — סלם — and the name for the mountain on which the Torah was given, Sinai — סיני — have the same gematria (numerical value of the letters).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-32736746819699750482009-01-28T11:54:00.003-06:002009-01-28T12:05:12.269-06:00Isaac compared to Jesus<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gQaIDQc9O7AohkE0JxnR7xH_rcxnuT8vpPKyAKmcnqBsRm8uUXHB9kZFbL0q_YT_xoS4Dv7Tre_W29kFL4iKUmHEdaf71ToeM1ZvUpGmYp0iiOwg9ohJg8mV4bOjriX9GCit8BNQr9mo/s1600-h/jesus+replaces+isaac.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gQaIDQc9O7AohkE0JxnR7xH_rcxnuT8vpPKyAKmcnqBsRm8uUXHB9kZFbL0q_YT_xoS4Dv7Tre_W29kFL4iKUmHEdaf71ToeM1ZvUpGmYp0iiOwg9ohJg8mV4bOjriX9GCit8BNQr9mo/s320/jesus+replaces+isaac.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296405966985412994" /></a><br /><br /> ISAAC JESUS<br />Only begotten Son Genesis 22:2 John 3:16<br />Offered on a mountain, hill Genesis 22:2 Matt. 21:10<br />Took donkey to place of sacrifice Genesis 22:3 Matt. 21:2-11<br />Two men went with him. Genesis 22:3 Mark 15:27; <br />Three day journey/in the grave Genesis 22:4 Luke 24:13-21<br />Carrying wood on his back up hill Genesis 22:6 John 19:17<br />God provides for Himself the lamb Genesis 22:8 John 1:29<br />Son was offered on the wood Genesis 22:9 Luke 23:33<br />Ram in thicket of thorns Genesis 22:13 John 19:2<br />The seed will be multiplied Genesis 22:17 John 1:12; <br />Abraham went down,Son sat down Genesis 22:19 Luke 23:46 Heb. 1:3<br />Servant gets bride for son Genesis 24:1-4 Eph. 5:22-32;<br /> Rev.21:2,9; 2:17<br />The bride was a beautiful virgin Genesis 24:162 Cor. 11:2<br />Servant offered ten gifts Genesis 24:10 Rom. 6:23;12 <br /> 1Cor. 12Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-27532939449187868602009-01-05T16:48:00.006-06:002009-01-05T17:02:24.315-06:00Rebekah: To veil or not to veil?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7FmxrbDY5YFSpX_T9tLmG9CAwY4lb_i4QoF1J5OJKNDuKiDQfIyYJKibVD2omd9pPGqRUFCQ360xPV9V3SPjneWFUA5DUuq3t1z31iGJW7gfQ9O58OOmijlI841vFWtcsgNUGHj5HMEh/s1600-h/rebecca.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 166px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7FmxrbDY5YFSpX_T9tLmG9CAwY4lb_i4QoF1J5OJKNDuKiDQfIyYJKibVD2omd9pPGqRUFCQ360xPV9V3SPjneWFUA5DUuq3t1z31iGJW7gfQ9O58OOmijlI841vFWtcsgNUGHj5HMEh/s200/rebecca.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287946312527328130" /></a> The first recorded instance of veiling for women is recorded in an Assyrian legal text from the 13th century BCE, which restricted its use to noble women and forbade prostitutes and common women from adopting it. Greek texts have also spoken of veiling and seclusion being practiced among the Persian elite. Statues fromPersepolis depict women both veiled and unveiled, and it seems to be regarded as an attribute of higher status.<br />For many centuries, until around 1175,Anglo Saxon and then Anglo Norman women, with the exception of young unmarried girls, wore veils that entirely covered their hair, and often their necks up to their chins (i.e. wimple). Only in the Tudor period (1485), when hoods became increasingly popular, did veils of this type become less common.<br />For centuries, women have worn sheer veils, but only under certain circumstances. Sometimes a veil of this type was draped over and pinned to the bonnet or hat of a woman in mourning, especially at the funeral and during the subsequent period of "high mourning". They would also have been used, as an alternative to a mask, as a simple method of hiding the identity of a woman who was traveling to meet a lover, or doing anything she didn't want other people to find out about. More pragmatically, veils were also sometimes worn to protect the complexion from sun and wind damage (when un-tanned skin was fashionable), or to keep dust out of a woman's face, much as the keffiyeh is used today.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnHQ-mL_uhqCDpqDYiWCDHeijNq1oTbTCD_xNBbSnZ0f6qoK8RcQjQxgHP-0DxRFmkjtftLTUumbpAtXiMWdCvoqw6YTZtdjc65ndxtdoWN_tDRQKmjoKzjCmCqUCnwd8TIZ2GG4tXB2k/s1600-h/poussin_rebecca.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 116px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnHQ-mL_uhqCDpqDYiWCDHeijNq1oTbTCD_xNBbSnZ0f6qoK8RcQjQxgHP-0DxRFmkjtftLTUumbpAtXiMWdCvoqw6YTZtdjc65ndxtdoWN_tDRQKmjoKzjCmCqUCnwd8TIZ2GG4tXB2k/s200/poussin_rebecca.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287946133352235026" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvQYwB2T9zcAnUyWx86lM-LUKa5x8_MecG-g1NMd4cERsYpEb6BHslClQlYyNW1xozldIqbVDtZc9c_k8x2wXDNbGbTcSg7BhGpCn6k8Aff2zEZzwPmJT2LJhcuyFoG2L-RrDXBkcV43v/s1600-h/mNG6332.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvQYwB2T9zcAnUyWx86lM-LUKa5x8_MecG-g1NMd4cERsYpEb6BHslClQlYyNW1xozldIqbVDtZc9c_k8x2wXDNbGbTcSg7BhGpCn6k8Aff2zEZzwPmJT2LJhcuyFoG2L-RrDXBkcV43v/s200/mNG6332.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287945966204158914" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCm19PR1A_hxgE8Eh1Hp5JBrrNa-kAsDvkOu0vBJ-pb4UPwVhlrJ942WZPhi-sRg_g3N2zh0cuOfrpQJjOBpQpIxSBoRAF0fOr6FVyKFlLDJmrhQZ1cA1SCgvrht6v4f2McwutnICZ3eci/s1600-h/eliezer_and_rebecca_at_the_well-400.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCm19PR1A_hxgE8Eh1Hp5JBrrNa-kAsDvkOu0vBJ-pb4UPwVhlrJ942WZPhi-sRg_g3N2zh0cuOfrpQJjOBpQpIxSBoRAF0fOr6FVyKFlLDJmrhQZ1cA1SCgvrht6v4f2McwutnICZ3eci/s200/eliezer_and_rebecca_at_the_well-400.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287945780632287794" /></a><br />What do we learn about Rebekah, Laban, Isaac, and the ancient world from Genesis 24:1-25:38?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-67021889062639609532008-12-09T09:07:00.008-06:002008-12-09T09:24:33.146-06:00Through an Artists Eyes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsm_50zutSUNmY5s9_Zf6-PWLsCJCcS7bYtSKYIIlvPWjJOdhMm9WadabcmyUoiB2v9Sb3Q33khLgDwVaC1lXsRfQMan5VovPMMp9ZDFeFOSramXjM5r0JoLCtkhCn2rUvAEu2ZIgk5hx/s1600-h/isaac.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsm_50zutSUNmY5s9_Zf6-PWLsCJCcS7bYtSKYIIlvPWjJOdhMm9WadabcmyUoiB2v9Sb3Q33khLgDwVaC1lXsRfQMan5VovPMMp9ZDFeFOSramXjM5r0JoLCtkhCn2rUvAEu2ZIgk5hx/s320/isaac.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277810678881434226" /></a><br />It is amazing to me the beauty and often horror portrayed through artist renderings of Biblical text. Some are pictures right before the sacrifice, but most tackle the tough image of that very moment when God sends an angel to stop Abraham. I am fascinated with artists' choices. A modern Abraham, or perhaps what one might think he looked like "back then". I hope you enjoy these pictures, but more importantly I hope you grasp that this was a prophesy. The foretelling of a man, who like Isaac, would one day carry wood up a hill on his back. Headed for sacrifice. But this time the Lamb of God which would be provided, would be the same man who willing went to his death so we might live.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5I5-YFHlyPgKsIM3jWYKphZzUdt3komFWGJJebPCL8p56nUI1HEAvEBvkPSJgfu2zi6kU712cbRZ-IWFta-X3yUkmCUPg97exQxRaGFY01MPpFORIGhl252gkw3CxigayiNvc1uq8K5W/s1600-h/Abraham_and_Isaac_before_the_Sacrifice,_Jan_Victors,_1642.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 306px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5I5-YFHlyPgKsIM3jWYKphZzUdt3komFWGJJebPCL8p56nUI1HEAvEBvkPSJgfu2zi6kU712cbRZ-IWFta-X3yUkmCUPg97exQxRaGFY01MPpFORIGhl252gkw3CxigayiNvc1uq8K5W/s320/Abraham_and_Isaac_before_the_Sacrifice,_Jan_Victors,_1642.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277809843311421058" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkly3R2AMcPw6fo013YaDjvXJARYfLArccpy6rRhDKncgw-BJEOq7GMsXdbEUA3GnQh5A0iTnuyJy4rONp5cZ3ses3yK86S63Prr6SmGI8s6kzBeI4NKka-s0_w6O7wCMFUPXyjtk3wEI/s1600-h/300px-Caravaggio_Sacrifice_of_Isaac_I.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkly3R2AMcPw6fo013YaDjvXJARYfLArccpy6rRhDKncgw-BJEOq7GMsXdbEUA3GnQh5A0iTnuyJy4rONp5cZ3ses3yK86S63Prr6SmGI8s6kzBeI4NKka-s0_w6O7wCMFUPXyjtk3wEI/s320/300px-Caravaggio_Sacrifice_of_Isaac_I.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277810110514192898" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWJS77549tuzjl7sa7C9yYU2Og3IK5mDTcJnDfVQDjvXdh5zgd0qe7ZMyN-R9xBvO4BJCQrYgHPF-QE8L5-OPPdlpawU_8BQCs4XFC3tdCam1rD0wrpNqWMgaeVWribUWRykRQ9mJ7CLJ/s1600-h/AbrahamIsaac.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 289px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWJS77549tuzjl7sa7C9yYU2Og3IK5mDTcJnDfVQDjvXdh5zgd0qe7ZMyN-R9xBvO4BJCQrYgHPF-QE8L5-OPPdlpawU_8BQCs4XFC3tdCam1rD0wrpNqWMgaeVWribUWRykRQ9mJ7CLJ/s320/AbrahamIsaac.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277810326135547346" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFwUHMOotXjIlK1DYNgch1k_Ju1vm83XEmYNi2IqXl-1Kp9wBuTrv6Qe1poLyoGt0jzZfNNbyKMrw_4xX-vs7KCD1Fy1oY2ZbvWAFyn7s-_5jRDzLFtMfHebznEqD8r44CP4wvJFLVZYh/s1600-h/isaac+sac.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFwUHMOotXjIlK1DYNgch1k_Ju1vm83XEmYNi2IqXl-1Kp9wBuTrv6Qe1poLyoGt0jzZfNNbyKMrw_4xX-vs7KCD1Fy1oY2ZbvWAFyn7s-_5jRDzLFtMfHebznEqD8r44CP4wvJFLVZYh/s320/isaac+sac.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277810887312770242" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdIGqaVOx4eWqbpm65mU7dyAuKwwIIbZ-e7eu-JshGcwsVoN3BZ0ko-Zexyyt-wapuyST1EZ40QYe_EKUerHXLDEupOct0FJ0wJKP6jhyphenhyphenQ5rz5S8z8CGwNE3GCh2dqxc0VFqm_Vx7E76g/s1600-h/Sacrafice%2520of%2520Issac.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdIGqaVOx4eWqbpm65mU7dyAuKwwIIbZ-e7eu-JshGcwsVoN3BZ0ko-Zexyyt-wapuyST1EZ40QYe_EKUerHXLDEupOct0FJ0wJKP6jhyphenhyphenQ5rz5S8z8CGwNE3GCh2dqxc0VFqm_Vx7E76g/s320/Sacrafice%2520of%2520Issac.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277811233309981554" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivi4SdjwdWzr8dGxJnyX-Pm1KWoYu6-FLT8EBFUsdIKSEoTMlVVDDBmZpmYeX287OTsZvEqoSXPmzUQ-LMOa_gyHG65h5dVS8k3sL548M6v32fP0rdTomxZVjMWZQ-TIolOz7NN8S1B8Qq/s1600-h/Sacrifice-of-Isaac.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 316px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivi4SdjwdWzr8dGxJnyX-Pm1KWoYu6-FLT8EBFUsdIKSEoTMlVVDDBmZpmYeX287OTsZvEqoSXPmzUQ-LMOa_gyHG65h5dVS8k3sL548M6v32fP0rdTomxZVjMWZQ-TIolOz7NN8S1B8Qq/s320/Sacrifice-of-Isaac.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277811439442696514" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716852037200153051.post-75976071786278874292008-11-03T16:52:00.009-06:002008-11-03T17:07:03.036-06:00The fascination of Sarah and Hagar<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwZqi29jFiEIf9NlRmHnVRbZ68jg7_gqVq8NerTPBw1GWKxYfPDwO9Da-EYQ__sNMyBniFcrsxz2beBcLG4iM-jvo1BHtjYqviUPwX7S6Be1ZD2ZkpW0Dr-tgAVrqh9x38eDseYJMHzR_/s1600-h/hagar.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwZqi29jFiEIf9NlRmHnVRbZ68jg7_gqVq8NerTPBw1GWKxYfPDwO9Da-EYQ__sNMyBniFcrsxz2beBcLG4iM-jvo1BHtjYqviUPwX7S6Be1ZD2ZkpW0Dr-tgAVrqh9x38eDseYJMHzR_/s320/hagar.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264569469658445874" /></a><br />Why are these two women so fascinating? <em>U.S. News and World Report </em>attempts to answer that very question. Below is a secular look at what we find Biblically fascinating! Find out what "The World" is saying about these two women.<br /><br /><strong>Why Scholars Just Can't Stop Talking About Sarah and Hagar</strong><br /><em>Dueling mothers<br />By Julia M. Klein </em><br />Posted January 25, 2008<br />Surrogate motherhood. The Arab-Israeli conflict. The oppression of the underclass. Sounds like a roundup of headlines from the nightly news—if the media were in full swing back in biblical days. All of these timely issues can be found in the twist-and-turn-filled story of Sarah and her Egyptian handmaiden, Hagar. According to the biblical account, both women bear a son for the patriarch Abraham. From that starting point, scholars have gone on to explore varying (and sometimes contradictory) layers of meaning in this classic tale of family rivalry. "On one level, this is the first example of surrogate motherhood," says Naomi Steinberg, associate professor of religious studies at DePaul University in Chicago and author of Kinship and Marriage in Genesis (Fortress Press, 1993). Hagar, a slave, is never asked to consent to bearing a child, so the narrative, Steinberg says, raises the timeless issue of "upper classes exploiting those with fewer options."<br /><br />While Jews traditionally see themselves as descendants of Isaac, Sarah's son, Arabs and Muslims trace their lineage to Hagar and Ishmael. African-Americans have appropriated Hagar, impregnated by her master and cast out into the desert, as a symbol of the plight of the slave woman. Feminist scholars say the story reflects the male-dominated societies of the times—or that it misrepresents the cooperative relationships that more likely existed among women.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88NB8zj25YLN9uW3E8JwUm0qEk8SJ-WqMsq20YLTcAnKqIXAu5inmNlxeKR3pGpKC3lWmHoZr1rN85XimmsNViOrMHrmc9xU-zptDDVwPY6y3aXwQxPm2EE7K_-ecAG_CDec90rGTE9vP/s1600-h/sarah+hag.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 312px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88NB8zj25YLN9uW3E8JwUm0qEk8SJ-WqMsq20YLTcAnKqIXAu5inmNlxeKR3pGpKC3lWmHoZr1rN85XimmsNViOrMHrmc9xU-zptDDVwPY6y3aXwQxPm2EE7K_-ecAG_CDec90rGTE9vP/s320/sarah+hag.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264570036667292578" /></a><br /><br /><br />For complete article go to <a href="http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/religion/2008/01/25/why-scholars-just-cant-stop-talking-about-sarah-and-hagar.html?PageNr=1">http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/religion/2008/01/25/why-scholars-just-cant-stop-talking-about-sarah-and-hagar.html?PageNr=1</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0