So...I made it. I finished Revelation today. It wasn't easy, with finals looming overhead, but it was a very, very slow week at work, so I had some extra reading time there...although I bet most of you know by now how awkward it is to be approached while you're reading the HOLY BIBLE. People always take you for some sort of crazy Bible thumper!
Before I begin my analysis of the last books of the Bible, I just wanted to say how great a class this has been and how much I've enjoyed being in it. The great thing about it was that not only did Dr. Sexson provide countless genius insights, but so did all of my classmates. It was so much fun reading all the blogs because you don't usually get to read the papers of your classmates and really get to know what they're thinking. But I think in a setup like this, it inspires, well, inspiration to take place. Anyway, I was amazed at how smart and insightful all of my classmates were, and I'm really going to miss this class, because I think I've learned more in this class than any other class I've ever taken.
I have to say that even though I've read some cool things in the Old Testament, Lazarus is a close second to my favorite story in the Bible. I like it so much, that if I ever have a baby boy, I think that's what I'll name him! It's always been so reassuring to me that when Jesus messed up, he fixed it. He didn't get to heal Lazarus on time, so he brought him back from the dead. I've heard a lot of nay-sayers say that Lazarus wasn't really bed, and it brings up another question: why certain people feel the need to constantly try and disprove the Bible. It's just cruel, if you think about it. Trying to disprove the whole life base of millions of people. What makes people do that? I don't believe in Buddhism or Hinuism, but I don't go through their holy books and try to pick out things that are "impossible." "Impossible" seems to be the word of choice for some people. Maybe we all need to go back to our childish thoughts and remember "Impossible things are happening every day" (Courtesy of Ms. Whitney Houston, and Rodgers and Hammerstein...). Because nothing is really impossible. I know it sounds cheesy, but if people are brought back to life after being legally dead for a number of minutes, then why couldn't Jesus have brought Lazarus back to life? Why can people accept the "miracle of science" but not just a "miracle?"
I must admit that the New Testament, after reading about Jesus, is no where near as interesting as the Old Testament. I've heard countless church-goers say that the Old Testament is really boring. But reading Paul preaching to different churches over and over again is not a roller coaster ride of fun, if you ask me. Reading about scandal and war and prophecies; that's what's great in the Bible! The stuff no one ever thinks to read!
My mother always says that her favorite part of the Bible was the part in Ephesians, where it says to "put on the full armor of God." I guess that fits. It's funny that you can judge a person's character by what parts of the Bible they find memorable. Ephesians fits my mother because she's a strong, assertive person. "Putting on armor" would obviously appeal to her. I'm kind of an optimist and an idealist, so I love Esther and the story of Lazarus, because they have happy endings. I'm also a writer, so the stories are what really appeal to me.
I admit that I didn't really read Romans. I have some bad memories of Romans. When I was in 5th grade, right around when puberty hit, I went to a Christian school for a year. They obsessed on Romans, even using it to prove that women couldn't pray (I still don't know how they got that out of Romans) and that we were all bad little sinners and would go to hell no matter what. Yeah. So I don't much care for Romans.
I think it's funny that Paul had to write 2nd Thessalonians because they didn't get the message the first letter. Don't tell my pastor this, but I never really liked Paul. He just seems like one of those holier-than-thou fire-and-brimstone kind of guys. Everyone knows people like that; my brother's friend's father was like that. He was always preaching at people, telling them what they could and could not do. It just seems like Paul missed the whole "don't focus on the speck in your brother's eye before you get the plank out of your own" speech. Perhaps he was just overcompensating for killing Christians.
James, on the other hand, I do like. You can tell from his writing style that he had a kind soul. While Paul talks about sin and damnation, James talks about love and acceptance. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, if you ask me.
John is my other favorite New Testament author. 2nd John is kind of a guide to life; short and sweet. 1st John talks about the antichrist. My parents swear Obama is the antichrist, but I'm pretty sure people have said that about every president...I used to have my money on Pat Robertson being the antichrist (he just has that evil gleam in his eye...) but he's getting up there so I just don't know...
And of course we talked about Revelation in class quite a bit. There's not much more I can say about it than what's already been said. When I was young, I struggled with depression quite a bit, from the age of 7 to about 17. Whenever I would get really depressed, my dad would tell me to go read out of Revelation. I think that's his favorite book. Anyway, I would be so overwhelmed with the imagery and power of the book that I would forget all about being depressed. My mom would always say that life is hard, but someday it will be worth it when Jesus comes back to get us.
In closing, I'd like to recommend some further reading to my classmates. If you get the chance, pick up the DC Talk book Jesus Freak. It's filled with true, amazing stories of martyrdom, bravery, and hope. It's always been one of my favorite things to read, and I did correspondence work for Voice of the Martyrs for a long time, and I think now that I have a better backround in the Bible, I will start doing things for them again (which consists of writing encouraging letters to persecuted Christians in other countries, and to the government officials who persecute them). It's always good, especially in college where it's sometimes hard to think of things other than class, to get outside of yourself and think about others.
Plotz was definitely right when he said that the less you believe, the more you should read. I think God wants us to believe because we know his Word and trust it, not just because our parents and pastors told us to. I came into this class confused about how I felt about God, but after reading the Bible I feel like I can now honestly call myself "Christian."
And no one has a right to judge until they have read.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The Gospels
Since I've continually been exposed to the Gospels since Sunday school when I was, say, 4 or 5, I decided to do something a little different for these books instead of picking out parts of them to comment on. Because, frankly, I'm sick of them (also due to the fact that our Pastor just finished a 4-year-long series on Matthew not long ago...4 years...just talking about Matthew. Verse by verse. So you can understand that I didn't want to read it again...). So I decided to write about the synoptic gospels as a whole.
One thing I've noticed in places like cartoons, on tv, ect. is that a lot of people poke fun at the miraculous conception of Mary. As a Christian, this is somewhat insulting to me, that people assume that Mary committed an indiscretion then tried to cover it up with God. Why couldn't Mary have been immaculately impregnated? Stranger things have happened in our world. And why do people poke fun at Christians? I don't see anyone poking fun at Buddhists for their gods, or poking fun at Mormons or Muslims for their prophets. Sometimes I get tired of the cynicism that our country has bought into. Are we really so jaded that we can't believe God made a child?
Another round of evidence that I've seen people use against Jesus is that Mary doesn't count as a line to David because she is a woman. People forget that the line passed through Ruth to get to David first. Actually, today, children born to a Jewish mother are automatically Jewish, even if the father is not Jewish, but they are not if they are born to a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother. So the line can also be matriarchal, making Jesus a direct descendant of David through Mary.
The Da Vinci Code has really taken a toll on serious spiritual scholars in America, in my opinion. The public reads a book with no historical or scientific background whatsoever, and believes it to be truth. Scholarly debate challenging traditional beliefs about Christianity is just fine, because extensive research has been done and evidence found. Writing a novel borders on blasphemy and encouraging people to believe that you didn't just make it up is an entirely different story. The Da Vinci Code has not only made the point that the savior of a widespread religion was actually not sinless at all (one of the fundamental points of Christianity), but that a man and a woman cannot have a platonic relationship. If Jesus and Mary Magdalene cannot have a relationship without sex, than neither can anyone else.
Going off of that point, it seems like in Biblical discussion, Mary Magdalene never gets a fair shake. Thanks to the Da Vinci code, she is now seen in one of two ways: as Jesus' ex-hooker baby mama, or as a random person who didn't do anything and who nobody cared about. Yes, Jesus loved Mary Magdalene. In John 19:26, it says: "Jesus therefore saw His Mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing by." The disciple he is talking about, as we learn from the previous verse, is Mary Magdalene. She, his mother, a few other women, and a man called Joseph of Arimathea were the only ones present through his entire crucifixion; the rest of the disciples were too afraid to be there. Also, after he was crucified, it was Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Joseph of Arimathea who prepared his body for burial. Mary Magdalene was also the first one to see Jesus resurrected. Though she is not quoted or mentioned much in the Bible, we can see just from her actions and what happened to her that she was a very important disciple. However, Jesus could not have had a child with her. That would have been fornication; the Bible says time and time again that Jesus was sinless.
I guess I'd better wrap it up; I'll probably have more to rant about soon enough.
One thing I've noticed in places like cartoons, on tv, ect. is that a lot of people poke fun at the miraculous conception of Mary. As a Christian, this is somewhat insulting to me, that people assume that Mary committed an indiscretion then tried to cover it up with God. Why couldn't Mary have been immaculately impregnated? Stranger things have happened in our world. And why do people poke fun at Christians? I don't see anyone poking fun at Buddhists for their gods, or poking fun at Mormons or Muslims for their prophets. Sometimes I get tired of the cynicism that our country has bought into. Are we really so jaded that we can't believe God made a child?
Another round of evidence that I've seen people use against Jesus is that Mary doesn't count as a line to David because she is a woman. People forget that the line passed through Ruth to get to David first. Actually, today, children born to a Jewish mother are automatically Jewish, even if the father is not Jewish, but they are not if they are born to a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother. So the line can also be matriarchal, making Jesus a direct descendant of David through Mary.
The Da Vinci Code has really taken a toll on serious spiritual scholars in America, in my opinion. The public reads a book with no historical or scientific background whatsoever, and believes it to be truth. Scholarly debate challenging traditional beliefs about Christianity is just fine, because extensive research has been done and evidence found. Writing a novel borders on blasphemy and encouraging people to believe that you didn't just make it up is an entirely different story. The Da Vinci Code has not only made the point that the savior of a widespread religion was actually not sinless at all (one of the fundamental points of Christianity), but that a man and a woman cannot have a platonic relationship. If Jesus and Mary Magdalene cannot have a relationship without sex, than neither can anyone else.
Going off of that point, it seems like in Biblical discussion, Mary Magdalene never gets a fair shake. Thanks to the Da Vinci code, she is now seen in one of two ways: as Jesus' ex-hooker baby mama, or as a random person who didn't do anything and who nobody cared about. Yes, Jesus loved Mary Magdalene. In John 19:26, it says: "Jesus therefore saw His Mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing by." The disciple he is talking about, as we learn from the previous verse, is Mary Magdalene. She, his mother, a few other women, and a man called Joseph of Arimathea were the only ones present through his entire crucifixion; the rest of the disciples were too afraid to be there. Also, after he was crucified, it was Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Joseph of Arimathea who prepared his body for burial. Mary Magdalene was also the first one to see Jesus resurrected. Though she is not quoted or mentioned much in the Bible, we can see just from her actions and what happened to her that she was a very important disciple. However, Jesus could not have had a child with her. That would have been fornication; the Bible says time and time again that Jesus was sinless.
I guess I'd better wrap it up; I'll probably have more to rant about soon enough.
Final Paper
Esther: An Immortal Heroine
Just as the ever-wise Dr. Sexson explained time and time again, almost every major literary work written has some influence from the Bible, and the Bible is one of the most important anthologies ever written. One Old Testament tale that is especially intriguing is the story of Esther. Though it is a minor book, this story has become a very important part of Jewish culture, along with Passover and the story of Jonah and the fish. Jews now still, after thousands of years, recite the story during the feast of Purim. Esther tells the story of a young woman who is chosen by King Ahasuerus (also known as Xerxes) to be the Queen of Persia. However, she is Jewish and soon learns of a plot by the King’s second in command, Haman, to kill the Jews, including her uncle Mordechai, the man who raised her. Bravely, she risks death and tells the King about Haman’s plot. He surprisingly spares Esther’s life and has Haman killed while Mordechai is rewarded. It is a story that has been repeated time and time again, names and locations changed. The story of Esther stands out predominantly in four well-known and classic novels: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo, and The Slave by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Esther is an immortal role model “not because of her external beauty and not because she was queen of a powerful empire, but because of her inner fortitude and devotion” (Kohn). Throughout the book to which she lends her name, Esther continually demonstrates a deep devotion to God, honesty, modesty, and generosity. The authors of these four novels, even if they did not know it, have also created enduring characters who share these same traits.
Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s undying tale of bravery, acceptance, and love, is one of these characters. Atticus is very similar to Esther in many ways. He stands up for Tom Robinson when the whole town believes he is guilty, just as Esther stands up for Mordechai even though Haman wants him dead. Both Atticus and Esther are very modest. While Esther is being prepared to meet the king, she asks for no special treatment; rather, she reluctantly accepts any treatment at all: “Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abigail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed” (2:15). Atticus behaves similarly when he is asked to shoot the rabid dog. Everyone knows that Atticus is the best shot in the town, but he expresses profound modesty by, at first, rejecting the gun and rebuking their claims of his marksmanship. Atticus displays his generosity by refusing any payment, save for a basket of vegetables, from Walter Cunningham for his legal dues. Esther prepares not one but two banquets for the King and Haman, who she knows is trying to kill her family. One difference between the two of them is that Atticus loses his case for Tom Robinson, while Esther convinces the King not to kill her people.
A surprising similarity rises between Esther and Randle McMurphy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Even though the personalities of the two people are completely different, their actions throughout their respective tales give the parallel away. First of all, both Randle and Esther are striving for something outside of themselves. Esther is trying to save Mordechai and her people, and Randle is trying to help the patients in the institution break free of the oppressive rule of Nurse Ratched. They both face a great amount of danger. Esther risks death by approaching the King without being summoned: “All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, [there is] one law of his to put [him] to death” (4:11). She is spared, but Randle is not so lucky, forced to undergo a lobotomy, then is mercifully suffocated by Chief Broom.
A female character whose story parallels Esther’s is La Esmeralda from Victor Hugo’s Notre Dame de Paris (a title later Americanized to The Hunchback of Notre Dame). Early in their stories, both Esther and Esmeralda marry men for a cause, not because they love them. Esther marries King Ahasuerus because she believes God has a plan for her. She is very young and doesn’t know the King at all, but is brave and knows that God has a plan for her. Esmeralda, in turn, marries the poet to save his life. Esther, however, is faithful to her King, as far as we know, while Esmeralda goes on to have an affair with Phoebus. Though Esmeralda has character flaws like committing adultery and occasionally being cruel to Quasimodo, she sticks to her morals when she tells Frollo she will not sleep with him or marry him, a choice that later results in death. Esther also obeys her morals by standing up for her Judaism and admitting to the King that she herself is a Jew so that Mordechai does not die. An interesting correlation between the lives of the two characters is that they are both put in a lower social stratum because of their heritage. Esmeralda is a Gypsy of Egyptian descent, and looked down upon because she is poor and a beggar (a character trait to be expected, knowing Hugo). Esther is Jewish. Mordechai advises her to keep her heritage a secret until she is married so that she is not judged for her religion: “Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew [it]” (2:10). Esmeralda definitely has bouts of spiteful behavior in the book, but shows kindness too. After Frollo recruits Quasimodo to attack her, he is punished and jailed. She brings him water, even though he was trying to kidnap her. Esther invites Haman to two dinners even though she knows he wants to kill her uncle, and that he would kill her if he found out who she really was.
Perhaps the strongest similarity is that between Wanda/Sarah in The Slave and Esther. Singer based the characters in his book off of Biblical ones. Sarah is most obviously connected to Rachel, but the comparison is not entirely fair because it is in the context of her marriage to Jacob, not a metaphor for her own personality. The first obvious connection between the Esther and Sarah is that they both leave their homes and lives for a purpose; Sarah loves Jacob, so she leaves everything she knows behind to be with him, even though she knows she will never really be accepted as a Jew. Esther leaves her modest life behind to become the Queen of Persia, one of the biggest empires at the time. Both journeys would have been incredibly frightening, exhibiting the intense bravery of the two women. Sarah does not speak, because she knows she will face persecution if she does and poses as a deaf mute. However, when Pilitsky threatens to hurt Jacob, Sarah risks everything and speaks up. Esther also hides her Judaism from the King until her people are threatened. She tells the King she is Jewish and that Haman is trying to kill her uncle, not knowing what will happen. In all reasoning, the King should have sided with Haman, the man who was his second-in-command for much longer than Esther was his wife. “Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage. Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? And Esther said, The adversary and enemy [is] this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath [went] into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king” (7:3-7). Against the odds, he sides with Esther and the Jewish people are saved. Sarah’s fate is not so optimistic, but she lives a virtuous life after marrying Jacob until her death.
The three novels mentioned are only a few examples amidst hundreds more. It is not hard to see why the Jews tell the story of Esther every year: to remind themselves to be brave in the midst of danger, to trust God, and to believe in themselves during hard times. The story is undying, and Esther’s character becomes a muse for countless authors. The book’s message transcends sex, religion, race, age, and location. Esther is one of the most important books in the most important book, and Esther the Queen will continue to be remembered forever, even after another three thousand years.
Works Cited
Hugo, Victor. Notre Dame de Paris. New York: A Wessels Company. 1902. Book.
Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. New York: Penguin Books. 1962. Book.
Kohn, Leah. “The Essence of Esther: A Character Study of Judaism in Exile.” Women in Judaism. 2000..
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott Company, 1960. Book.
Singer, Isaac Bashevis. The Slave. New York: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 1962. Book.
Just as the ever-wise Dr. Sexson explained time and time again, almost every major literary work written has some influence from the Bible, and the Bible is one of the most important anthologies ever written. One Old Testament tale that is especially intriguing is the story of Esther. Though it is a minor book, this story has become a very important part of Jewish culture, along with Passover and the story of Jonah and the fish. Jews now still, after thousands of years, recite the story during the feast of Purim. Esther tells the story of a young woman who is chosen by King Ahasuerus (also known as Xerxes) to be the Queen of Persia. However, she is Jewish and soon learns of a plot by the King’s second in command, Haman, to kill the Jews, including her uncle Mordechai, the man who raised her. Bravely, she risks death and tells the King about Haman’s plot. He surprisingly spares Esther’s life and has Haman killed while Mordechai is rewarded. It is a story that has been repeated time and time again, names and locations changed. The story of Esther stands out predominantly in four well-known and classic novels: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo, and The Slave by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Esther is an immortal role model “not because of her external beauty and not because she was queen of a powerful empire, but because of her inner fortitude and devotion” (Kohn). Throughout the book to which she lends her name, Esther continually demonstrates a deep devotion to God, honesty, modesty, and generosity. The authors of these four novels, even if they did not know it, have also created enduring characters who share these same traits.
Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s undying tale of bravery, acceptance, and love, is one of these characters. Atticus is very similar to Esther in many ways. He stands up for Tom Robinson when the whole town believes he is guilty, just as Esther stands up for Mordechai even though Haman wants him dead. Both Atticus and Esther are very modest. While Esther is being prepared to meet the king, she asks for no special treatment; rather, she reluctantly accepts any treatment at all: “Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abigail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed” (2:15). Atticus behaves similarly when he is asked to shoot the rabid dog. Everyone knows that Atticus is the best shot in the town, but he expresses profound modesty by, at first, rejecting the gun and rebuking their claims of his marksmanship. Atticus displays his generosity by refusing any payment, save for a basket of vegetables, from Walter Cunningham for his legal dues. Esther prepares not one but two banquets for the King and Haman, who she knows is trying to kill her family. One difference between the two of them is that Atticus loses his case for Tom Robinson, while Esther convinces the King not to kill her people.
A surprising similarity rises between Esther and Randle McMurphy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Even though the personalities of the two people are completely different, their actions throughout their respective tales give the parallel away. First of all, both Randle and Esther are striving for something outside of themselves. Esther is trying to save Mordechai and her people, and Randle is trying to help the patients in the institution break free of the oppressive rule of Nurse Ratched. They both face a great amount of danger. Esther risks death by approaching the King without being summoned: “All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, [there is] one law of his to put [him] to death” (4:11). She is spared, but Randle is not so lucky, forced to undergo a lobotomy, then is mercifully suffocated by Chief Broom.
A female character whose story parallels Esther’s is La Esmeralda from Victor Hugo’s Notre Dame de Paris (a title later Americanized to The Hunchback of Notre Dame). Early in their stories, both Esther and Esmeralda marry men for a cause, not because they love them. Esther marries King Ahasuerus because she believes God has a plan for her. She is very young and doesn’t know the King at all, but is brave and knows that God has a plan for her. Esmeralda, in turn, marries the poet to save his life. Esther, however, is faithful to her King, as far as we know, while Esmeralda goes on to have an affair with Phoebus. Though Esmeralda has character flaws like committing adultery and occasionally being cruel to Quasimodo, she sticks to her morals when she tells Frollo she will not sleep with him or marry him, a choice that later results in death. Esther also obeys her morals by standing up for her Judaism and admitting to the King that she herself is a Jew so that Mordechai does not die. An interesting correlation between the lives of the two characters is that they are both put in a lower social stratum because of their heritage. Esmeralda is a Gypsy of Egyptian descent, and looked down upon because she is poor and a beggar (a character trait to be expected, knowing Hugo). Esther is Jewish. Mordechai advises her to keep her heritage a secret until she is married so that she is not judged for her religion: “Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew [it]” (2:10). Esmeralda definitely has bouts of spiteful behavior in the book, but shows kindness too. After Frollo recruits Quasimodo to attack her, he is punished and jailed. She brings him water, even though he was trying to kidnap her. Esther invites Haman to two dinners even though she knows he wants to kill her uncle, and that he would kill her if he found out who she really was.
Perhaps the strongest similarity is that between Wanda/Sarah in The Slave and Esther. Singer based the characters in his book off of Biblical ones. Sarah is most obviously connected to Rachel, but the comparison is not entirely fair because it is in the context of her marriage to Jacob, not a metaphor for her own personality. The first obvious connection between the Esther and Sarah is that they both leave their homes and lives for a purpose; Sarah loves Jacob, so she leaves everything she knows behind to be with him, even though she knows she will never really be accepted as a Jew. Esther leaves her modest life behind to become the Queen of Persia, one of the biggest empires at the time. Both journeys would have been incredibly frightening, exhibiting the intense bravery of the two women. Sarah does not speak, because she knows she will face persecution if she does and poses as a deaf mute. However, when Pilitsky threatens to hurt Jacob, Sarah risks everything and speaks up. Esther also hides her Judaism from the King until her people are threatened. She tells the King she is Jewish and that Haman is trying to kill her uncle, not knowing what will happen. In all reasoning, the King should have sided with Haman, the man who was his second-in-command for much longer than Esther was his wife. “Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage. Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? And Esther said, The adversary and enemy [is] this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath [went] into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king” (7:3-7). Against the odds, he sides with Esther and the Jewish people are saved. Sarah’s fate is not so optimistic, but she lives a virtuous life after marrying Jacob until her death.
The three novels mentioned are only a few examples amidst hundreds more. It is not hard to see why the Jews tell the story of Esther every year: to remind themselves to be brave in the midst of danger, to trust God, and to believe in themselves during hard times. The story is undying, and Esther’s character becomes a muse for countless authors. The book’s message transcends sex, religion, race, age, and location. Esther is one of the most important books in the most important book, and Esther the Queen will continue to be remembered forever, even after another three thousand years.
Works Cited
Hugo, Victor. Notre Dame de Paris. New York: A Wessels Company. 1902. Book.
Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. New York: Penguin Books. 1962. Book.
Kohn, Leah. “The Essence of Esther: A Character Study of Judaism in Exile.” Women in Judaism. 2000.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott Company, 1960. Book.
Singer, Isaac Bashevis. The Slave. New York: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 1962. Book.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Hosea through Malachi
All of the later Old Testament books seemed to be the same story over and over again to me; berating Israel for straying from God.
Hosea returns to the "whoredoms" motif, mentioning the word at least four more times. One verse even says "they have gone a whoring." I laughed, because I can just see some crazy hillbilly saying it...Later, he compares God to a father and Israel to a son, an interesting change from the husband-whore theme.
In Joel, he calls the Israelites "drunkards." Then he says that the "moon will turn into blood." That reminded me of a sleepover I went to in the seventh grade. The moon was red that night, and my friends and I were all convinced that the world was ending. We called our parents and everything, and were very concerned until our moms told us that this happened all the time, and that the world wasn't ending. I also noticed that, several times in the Old Testament, it says that land will "flow with milk." I just don't see why a stream would flow with milk. Is it supposed to be a simile for an abundance of food? I'm just not sure.
As someone who has not actually read Jonah before, I was surprised that such a popular and important book was so short. I always thought it was funny that Jonah tried to hide from God, just like Adam and Eve did. Where do these people get the thought that you can hide from God? I've also heard a lot of "scientists" say that it's impossible to spend three days in the belly of a fish. Why is it impossible? I hate how people try to disprove things just because they are in the Bible. If it was a Greek or Roman myth, we would have scientists out there trying to prove that it did happen. I think it could have really happened. Stranger things have happened.
I found it interesting that Micah mentions dragons. I have to wonder if there really were dragons around back then, even though we haven't found any evidence for them. I just find it odd that every group of people from all around the world has had a dragon myth. How would all those people write about the same creature if they never spoke to or saw each other?
Nahum: more horses, this time prancing ones with deadly horseman, and "whoredoms." Is "whoredoms" even a word?
Zechariah seems to be all about numerology. "Four horns, four carpenters, seven lamps, seven pipes, two olive trees..." and so on. There must be a meaning between all these numbers! Seven I can connect, but four and two? I thought the part where Zechariah predicts Jesus' riding on a donkey pretty cool.
That's all I've got for the rest of the Old Testament. I'll leave you with a picture of my new kitten, Scout (Named after Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird...my roommate's cat's name is Atticus. We are huge nerds). Just because she's damn cute.
Hosea returns to the "whoredoms" motif, mentioning the word at least four more times. One verse even says "they have gone a whoring." I laughed, because I can just see some crazy hillbilly saying it...Later, he compares God to a father and Israel to a son, an interesting change from the husband-whore theme.
In Joel, he calls the Israelites "drunkards." Then he says that the "moon will turn into blood." That reminded me of a sleepover I went to in the seventh grade. The moon was red that night, and my friends and I were all convinced that the world was ending. We called our parents and everything, and were very concerned until our moms told us that this happened all the time, and that the world wasn't ending. I also noticed that, several times in the Old Testament, it says that land will "flow with milk." I just don't see why a stream would flow with milk. Is it supposed to be a simile for an abundance of food? I'm just not sure.
As someone who has not actually read Jonah before, I was surprised that such a popular and important book was so short. I always thought it was funny that Jonah tried to hide from God, just like Adam and Eve did. Where do these people get the thought that you can hide from God? I've also heard a lot of "scientists" say that it's impossible to spend three days in the belly of a fish. Why is it impossible? I hate how people try to disprove things just because they are in the Bible. If it was a Greek or Roman myth, we would have scientists out there trying to prove that it did happen. I think it could have really happened. Stranger things have happened.
I found it interesting that Micah mentions dragons. I have to wonder if there really were dragons around back then, even though we haven't found any evidence for them. I just find it odd that every group of people from all around the world has had a dragon myth. How would all those people write about the same creature if they never spoke to or saw each other?
Nahum: more horses, this time prancing ones with deadly horseman, and "whoredoms." Is "whoredoms" even a word?
Zechariah seems to be all about numerology. "Four horns, four carpenters, seven lamps, seven pipes, two olive trees..." and so on. There must be a meaning between all these numbers! Seven I can connect, but four and two? I thought the part where Zechariah predicts Jesus' riding on a donkey pretty cool.
That's all I've got for the rest of the Old Testament. I'll leave you with a picture of my new kitten, Scout (Named after Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird...my roommate's cat's name is Atticus. We are huge nerds). Just because she's damn cute.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Daniel
Daniel...two more beloved VeggieTales stories! The first is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (who, in Daniel refused to worship false Gods, and on Veggietales refused to worship a giant chocolate bunny...) and the story of Daniel in the lion's den. Both pretty cool stories. When I was little I used to get confused and think it was Jesus in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and then I thought it was God. In Daniel, the verse actually says: "Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire,and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." So...what does that mean? Was it really Jesus, even though he wasn't born yet? Was it God? Was it an angel? I guess we'll really never know...
The writing on the wall is one of the most famous stories in the Bible, and, in my opinion, also one of the most creepy! The imagery is so powerful. And it was interesting that God's hand was the same shape as a man's hand. He's God. He could have just made the words appear, yet he chose to write them with a man's hand. Although, men are modeled after God's own form.
Daniel in the lion's den was one of the first Bible stories I even remember learning when I lived in Billings and actually went to Sunday school. I remember thinking it was kind of a scary story, but it was also very reassuring. If angels could hold the mouths of lions, I guess I could depend on them to protect me too.
The prophecy in Daniel is similar to all the rest of the prophecy in the Old Testament. Daniel sees lions, and eagles (and bears--oh my! Old, I know...) and leopards, and bears. I actually watched a history channel show with my boyfriend the other night that said that all the creatures from the Old Testament were really aliens and that maybe God was really just an alien too! I can't believe the things that are on television...
Here is the first mention of Gabriel, a recurring character throughout the New Testament. Only two angels (other than Satan) are mentioned by name in the Bible: Gabriel and Michael. Gabriel seems to be the bearer of good news, while Michael is God's top warrior-angel.
The writing on the wall is one of the most famous stories in the Bible, and, in my opinion, also one of the most creepy! The imagery is so powerful. And it was interesting that God's hand was the same shape as a man's hand. He's God. He could have just made the words appear, yet he chose to write them with a man's hand. Although, men are modeled after God's own form.
Daniel in the lion's den was one of the first Bible stories I even remember learning when I lived in Billings and actually went to Sunday school. I remember thinking it was kind of a scary story, but it was also very reassuring. If angels could hold the mouths of lions, I guess I could depend on them to protect me too.
The prophecy in Daniel is similar to all the rest of the prophecy in the Old Testament. Daniel sees lions, and eagles (and bears--oh my! Old, I know...) and leopards, and bears. I actually watched a history channel show with my boyfriend the other night that said that all the creatures from the Old Testament were really aliens and that maybe God was really just an alien too! I can't believe the things that are on television...
Here is the first mention of Gabriel, a recurring character throughout the New Testament. Only two angels (other than Satan) are mentioned by name in the Bible: Gabriel and Michael. Gabriel seems to be the bearer of good news, while Michael is God's top warrior-angel.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Script (2nd Samuel Ch. 14-24)
2nd Samuel Ch. 14-24
On the streets of Jerusalem:
Derek(narrator): Wanting to reunite father and son, Joab hatches a plan. He has a widow go and trick David into feeling guilty for ex-communicating Absalom. David falls for his plan and tells him that Absalom can come back to Jerusalem.
Joab: The King said that you can come back to Jerusalem.
Absalom: Don’t I get to see him?
Joab: He’s still pretty mad. Don’t push your luck.
Absalom: (grumbles angrily)
Random women: O my god! It’s Absalom! (swoon)
Absalom: (flips hair)
Random women: (swoon)
In a field
Narrator: David refuses to see Absalom for two long years. Drastic measures must be taken.
Absalom: (has a torch and is lighting stuff on fire) Ha ha ha!
Joab: What…what is this?
Absalom: You told me I could see my father, so I came all the way back to Jerusalem! Now random women stalk me wherever I go! I should have stayed in Geshur!
In the palace
Joab: King, can you please see Absalom? The kid’s a nutcase; he’s going around Jerusalem and setting things on fire!
David: (sighs) Fine, fine…bring him in.
-Enter Absalom-
Absalom: (bows)
David: I guess you’re still my son, and I forgive you for killing your brother.
Absalom: (to the side) Hehehe…now I can hatch my evil plan…
Joab/David: What was that?
Absalom: Nothing.
On the streets of Jerusalem
Absalom: Your King is a sham! My brother raped my sister, for God’s sake! And he did nothing!
Citizens: (whispering)
Absalom: I’m the rightful king! And I’m much better looking (flips hair, women swoon)!
Citizens: Ok.
In the Palace:
Narrator: Here, the Bible says that forty years passed, but this is actually thought to be a misinterpretation. Scholars believe that it was actually only four years later. Absalom decides to plant his friends around Jerusalem to say “All Hail Absalom when a trumpet sounds. His little prank goes better than expected. It turns out that the people of Jerusalem agreed with Absalom. A messenger was sent to tell David to watch out, because the people liked Absalom better. David gave up and went into the wilderness. Absalom decided to get a bunch of men together and go after David, but not after some “extracurricular” activities…
Absalom (chasing concubines around): Being King is great! I should have done this years ago!
Concubines: (giggle and run around)
Soldier: Sir! We must proceed to battle!
Absalom: Dang it! All right…
Narrator: A great battle took place, and 20,000 people died. Some men who were with Joab killed Absalom, and his short reign was over. David returned to Israel to become King again. The King was sad that Absalom was dead, even though he seemed to want him dead this whole time…The people of Judah remained loyal to the King, but some of the other Israelites left and supported Sheba. But David had more important things to attend to.
In the palace
David (to the concubines): Into the basement with you!
Concubines: What did we do?
David: You slept with my son!
Concubines: But he was the king…and we’re concubines! That’s our job!
David: You’re only supposed to sleep with the true king!
Concubines: How are we supposed to know who the King is? You left and Absalom was the king…
David: Enough! You have to live in the basement now!
Concubines: Awww…
Narrator: The King and Joab went out against Sheba, and his head got cut off. After that, there was a terrible famine. David asked God why he was punishing the Israelites, and God said it was because of all the bad things Saul did, including killing some Gibeonites. So David apologized to the Gibeonites and gave him all Saul’s children (except Jonathan, of course…) and they hanged them. The famine ended, but the Philistines declared war on the Israelites. Again. But they defeated them. Again. So David wrote some Psalms and all was well.
In the palace:
God: I’m angry with you David. You’ve done some mean things in your lifetime.
David: I’m sorry…
God: That’s not good enough. You have to choose a punishment: Behind door number one we have seven years of famine. Behind door number two lies three months of getting chased by your enemies And door number three holds three days of plague.
David: Well…I guess…
Servants: Pick door number 1/2/3!
David: Number 3!
Narrator: David chose the three days of plague, and 70,000 Israelites died.
David: Oops…
Narrator: But after David offered some sacrifices, the plague was lifted. Israel would live to see another day!
The End.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Ezekiel
The first thing I thought while starting to read Ezekiel: "Yes! More strange Biblical creatures!" The first is a creature with four faces: lion, ox, eagle, and man. Each one had four wings, and they had cows feet and hands. No science fiction writer can do it better than this.
God makes Ezekiel shave off his beard and hair too. Plotz is right: God does love bald men. Only Ezekiel has to scatter it around.
Unlike the "small voice" Elijah heard, God talked to Ezekiel in a "loud voice."
Another thing with four faces: face 1=cherub, face 2=man, face 3=lion, and face 4=eagle.
"Thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls!" What?
Ezekiel seems to think that Noah, Daniel, and Job were the three most righteous men. Interesting, considering most other sources point to Abraham, Jacob, and Moses.
Chapter 23 says the word "whoredom" roughly ten times.
The coolest part of Ezekiel, by far, was the part with the valley of bones. I'm pretty sure this is the first "horror movie." About zombies. It was really cool.
God makes Ezekiel shave off his beard and hair too. Plotz is right: God does love bald men. Only Ezekiel has to scatter it around.
Unlike the "small voice" Elijah heard, God talked to Ezekiel in a "loud voice."
Another thing with four faces: face 1=cherub, face 2=man, face 3=lion, and face 4=eagle.
"Thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls!" What?
Ezekiel seems to think that Noah, Daniel, and Job were the three most righteous men. Interesting, considering most other sources point to Abraham, Jacob, and Moses.
Chapter 23 says the word "whoredom" roughly ten times.
The coolest part of Ezekiel, by far, was the part with the valley of bones. I'm pretty sure this is the first "horror movie." About zombies. It was really cool.
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