Sons of Skepticism

The following quote comes from John Oswalt's excellent book, The Bible Among the Myths. The book primarily deals with the intersection between the worldview of the bible and the worldview of the pagan ancient Near East - most notably pointing out the difference between the pagan idea of material continuity/pantheism versus the biblical idea of transcendence. In the following quote, Oswalt rather nicely illustrates the stakes of denying the historical reality of the bible, while trying to hold onto some sort of faith (emphasis mine).

I do not mean to suggest that the only persons who have come to doubt the historical veracity of the Old Testament are those who begin with a bias in that direction. Many honest investigators who began with the opposite bias have come to that conclusion. I only mean to say that if we begin with the bias against its veracity, it is virtually certain that we wil come to that conclusion. Nor do I mean to say that reaching that conclusion one must necessarily abandon faith. However, it is my observation that such a faith, hanging in the air, as it were, is virtually incapable of reproducing itself. Our students tend to be more logical than we. (Oswalt 2009: 16)

The Shadow of Death - Psalm 107:10-16

Note: for seeing the text, hover over the reference to read the text. Also, remember each time you read "LORD" in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible English Bible that is actually the divine name YHWH or Yahweh - the actual name of God. When you read "Lord" that is his title (Hebrew - Adonai). 

Psalm 107 was probably written during Judah's exile in Babylon/Persia, that is sometime after 586 BCE (in the Persian period likely in the late 6th or 5th cent. BCE). The psalm shows different groups of Israelites who were awaiting the coming redemption from Yahweh.

Psalm 107:10-16 is very similar to Isaiah 9:1-2 (and is probably playing off of it), which Matthew uses to illustrate the reason for Jesus' coming to Galilee for his ministry (Matt. 4:12-16).  Very interestingly, these three groups of people each experienced different shades of the shadow of death. 

1.) Isaiah's audience = the shadow of the Neo-Assyrian War Machine, which would ultimately lay waste to kingdom of Israel in two waves 732 BCE (Tigaleth Pilaser III) directed at conquering and deporting Transjordan and Galilee, including Zebulun and Naphtali and 722 BCE (Shalmaneser V/Sargon II) directed at wiping Israel/Samaria off the map and placing it under direct Assyrian rule. 

2.) Psalm's audience = the remnant of Judah's inhabitants who had been exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE. They were at times in the very "shadow of death" (e.g. Esther/Purim which just so happens to be today :) ) and in need of deliverance from their Persian captivators. 

3.) Matthew's audience = the remnant of Judah/Levi that had at some point returned to the geographical area of Zebulun and Naphtali (i.e. "the land of the Shadow of Death") after one of the returns from Persia (ca. 539 BCE, 516 BCE and 458 BCE). This group which included Jesus' maternal family was for a time, independent from a foreign oppressor and was ruled by the Davidic Hasmonean Dynasty (167-63 BCE), however, that independence was brought to an end by Pompeii who brought Galilee, Samaria and Judea under the patronage of the emerging Roman Empire in 63 BCE.  

The region of the "Shadow of Death", copyright Bill Schlegel Satellite Bible Atlas

Three different oppressions - Assyrian, Persian, and Roman. Each writer expresses that deliverance has only one source, Yahweh. 

In the words of the Psalmist:

“Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love (Hebrew hesed - literally covenant-keeping faithfulness), for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron.” (Psalms 107:13–16 ESV)

In the words of Isaiah the prophet and by citing the beginning of the passage,* Matthew:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6–7 ESV)

This child would/will be the one who vanquishes the darkness with his light (John 1:1-5), who burst open the bonds of the prisoners, and who shows "covenant-keeping faithfulness" both to who his chosen physical offspring (Abrahamic and Mosaic covenant) and his chosen spiritual offspring (Jeremiah's New Covenant - Jer. 31:31-33).

The Psalmist gives us the best response to such good news:

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.” (Psalms 107:1–3 ESV)

Next time we will look at the relationship of Psalm 107:23-32 to Jesus' calming of the Sea of Galilee (e.g. Matt. 8:23-27).

*New Testament writers that cite a portion of an Old Testament passage are bringing to bear the entirety of the passage that they are quoting and not just the specific references that they include in their writing. Therefore, when Matthew quotes Isaiah 9:1-2 in Matthew 4:12-16 he is directing his audience to the entire passage - that is Isaiah 9:1-7. This is an important point to remember and can be helpful in understanding some seemingly inexplicable passages (e.g. Luke 4:16-30.)

Isaac and Jesus - Related?

Are these passages related to one another?

“And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.”(Genesis 22:7–8 ESV)
“he (Christ) humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”(Philippians 2:8 ESV)

Textual and traditional evidence points to Isaac being the age of either 26 or 37 at the time of his "binding." Translation: he was old enough to know that you don't offer a burnt sacrifice without a lamb. 

The suffering, beloved son humbles himself... 

Straining out a gnat...

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”

(Matthew 23:23–24 ESV)

Here is the latest version of "straining out a gnat" in America's abortion debate. Lauren Enriquez writes: 

Another story out of Houston just this week ended more tragically. An unidentified woman was hospitalized due to major hemorrhaging following what was revealed to be a self-induced abortion. First she told authorities that her baby was wrapped in a blanket in the dumpster, prompting a massive search of her apartment complex. The woman later admitted that the child was in a different location, where it was subsequently recovered by police.
The double-standard in this unbelievably sad story is that it is only an autopsy of the child’s body that will indicate whether or not this mother can be charged with a crime. Paraphrasing a Houston Police Dpt sergeant, the Houston Chronicle said, “no charges have been filed in the case because it is unknown whether the fetus was alive or viable at the time of birth.”
That means, if the child was born dead (following a ‘successful’ abortion), then the mother cannot be charged with a crime, since abortion (which, by definition, means that a dead baby was delivered after being killed in utero) is legal. If, however, it was born alive (the approximate age of the child, between 20-25 weeks, suggests that viability was a definite possibility), then the mother could be charged with a crime.
The takeaway: Either way, the baby was murdered by its mother; her intention was the same all along, but the question of where the child died—in utero or out—will determine whether or not a crime was committed.
It’s time to hold the pro-abortion community accountable for the convenient lapses in logic that propagate laws based on shoddy reasoning.

HT: Tim Challies

The Aleppo Codex by Matti Friedman

Due to the combination of my 1 1/2 year-old son's horrifyingly bad case of jet lag, my wife's strep throat and my own jet lag, I was able to make some headway this last month on my new year's resolution "to read more books outside of my normal reading area (biblical archaeology, ancient Near East, historical fiction, science fiction)."  This pursuit started with a fascinating book called "The Aleppo Codex" by Matti Friedman.

I briefly met Friedman this past summer as he came and excavated for a day in my area at Tell es-Safi/Gath - he provided an excellent report that our director, Aren Maeir, referred to as "outstanding." This judgment certainly applies to Friedman's book, "The Aleppo Codex." The subject of his book - the Aleppo Codex - is the saga of the most ancient (around 930 AD/CE) complete text of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.

To put that in perspective we must understand that every single English Bible from the King James' Version up until the mid-20th century did not have the earliest complete source of the Old Testament at its disposal when translating the Bible into English. 1947, is probably the most significant year for for textual criticism as both the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Aleppo Codex began their respective journeys to Jerusalem and eventually to the ends of the earth (modern translations). For the basics on the Aleppo Codex and its significance see here.

The unique significance of the Aleppo Codex is shown throughout the book and underscores the fascinating controversies within its saga and travels from Tiberias to Aleppo to Jerusalem (well, at least 60% of it).  This true story is exceptionally well researched and written, those were the things Friedman could control. What he could not control was the mysterious twists and amazing turns in the story of the Aleppo Codex. If this were adapted as a TV drama for AMC or HBO it would have great ratings, but people (e.g. my dad) would call it "too unrealistic." That's what is amazing about this account - the events really occurred! It is a real life version of a Dan Brown thriller without the bad theology and terrible Tom Hank's locks. "The Aleppo Codex" is well-worth your time and will hold your attention to the end.