Religion 131
Review of Unit 4
Writings After the Exile
Dr. Fred Kellogg
Emory & Henry College
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Religion 131 Dr. Fred Kellogg |
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The first part of this program is a summary of Jewish history and writings at the end of the Old Testament period. It is related especially to chapters 23-30 of Michael D. Coogan, The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006). We'll then go through key places in the Middle East for Old Testament study. You'll need a map of the ancient Middle East, preferably the one at the end of your syllabus. If you don't have a map, please stop now, and come back when you have a map, so that you can follow along as we travel from place to place in our review.
RETURN FROM EXILE
Apart from Ezekiel, most of the priests of the Babylonian Exile were anonymous. So was the greatest prophet of the Exile; we can't even guess at his or her name! The scroll containing the prophet's magnificent poetry was attached to the scroll of Isaiah, one of the great prophets of a couple of centuries earlier. The ideas in the poetry appear to have come from a "school" of Isaiah's disciples, although they are applied to a new situation in Jewish life during the Exile. So scholars call the poet Second Isaiah, a name which represents the link with his spiritual ancestor. The poetry is now identified as chapters 40-55 of the scroll which begins with the prophecies in chapters 1-39 of Isaiah of Jerusalem in the 700's B.C.
Second Isaiah strengthened the faith of the Jewish exiles. The message of pardon, comfort, and deliverance enabled them to prepare for the time when they would be free to return home. Second Isaiah even described God as going ahead of his people, leading them to the Promised Land in a new Exodus:
"A voice cries:
'In the wilderness prepare the way of
the Lord,
Make straight in the desert a highway
for our God.'"
[Isaiah
40:3]
Some of Second Isaiah's most beautiful poetry portrays a figure who represents the highest ideals of Israel: innocence, vicarious suffering, and redemption. He does not call that person the Messiah (Hebrew for "Anointed One"), because the Messiah was expected to be a victorious ruler. Second Isaiah calls him the Servant. We often identify him as the "Suffering Servant," because he is portrayed in this poetry as the innocent one who suffers for others and is rejected, but whose sacrifice brings about the redemption of Israel. Christians see Second Isaiah's prophecies as fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Second Isaiah's poetry, describing how God would personally lead the Jewish refugees home on a great interstate highway, made smooth by chopping down mountains to fill in valleys, was sublime. From the sublime to the ridiculous: as the Jewish exiles were getting all revved up to return home to Judah, what kind of car did they have for the trip?
Not the first option. My wife's 4-cylinder Chevette chugged along for 120,000 miles before it finally died. But it was about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle; not many people and luggage could fit into a Chevette for the long trip from Babylon to Jerusalem. Nor the second option. A Rolls-Royce Bentley is one of the most expensive cars in the world, costing about $350,000. Second Isaiah wrote that the highway would be straightened and smoothed out for the new Exodus. But there might still be some potholes. Besides, would people really pull a U-Haul trailer with a car worth a third of a million dollars?
The third choice is correct. The Persian Emperor Cyrus produced a cylinder (see the color picture next to page 461 in your textbook) which told how he conquered Babylon and allowed captives to return home and rebuild their temples. He thought that the Babylonian god Marduk gave him the strength to do this, but Second Isaiah proclaimed that Cyrus was really led by Yahweh.
The return of many Jewish exiles and the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple began during the benevolent reign of Cyrus, who ruled the Persian Empire from 550 to 530 B.C. That first group of Jews to return formed a small community in Jerusalem, led by a High Priest named Joshua and a governor named Zerubbabel. But the Temple was not finished until 515 B.C., during the reign of another Persian emperor, Darius I. The accomplishments of Darius are celebrated in a massive rock carving and an inscription in three languages.
In the 400's B.C., a priestly scholar named Ezra led a second caravan of Jews from Babylonia to Judah. Ezra took stern measures to safeguard Jewish identity, including the prohibition of intermarriage with non-Jews. During the autumn festival of Tabernacles (called Sukkoth in Hebrew), Ezra held a major public reading of the Torah which he had brought from Babylonia. He then led a covenant renewal ceremony in the Water Gate Square of Jerusalem, with representatives of the Jewish people pledging themselves to follow the laws of the Torah. This action made the Torah the canon: the official "yardstick" or standard by which all Jewish beliefs and practices must be measured. Eventually other materials would be added to it to form the Jewish Bible.
Governor Nehemiah, who had held high office in the Persian court, completed Ezra's work of introducing the reforms needed to bind the Jews into a closely knit community. He drew an even sharper line between the Jewish people and their neighbors, especially the Samaritans living in the former northern kingdom of Israel. Nehemiah strengthened observance of the Sabbath, which would hold Jews together throughout the crucial centuries that lay ahead.
HYMNS AND WISDOM
In the restored covenant community, worship was a central part of Jewish life. The book of Psalms brought together hymns, laments, and songs of thanksgiving which had been composed over a long period of time. You are probably familiar with the 23rd Psalm, which begins: "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." The opening words of the 22nd Psalm are quite different: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" The Bible describes Jesus as quoting this lament as he was dying on the cross. In his agony, Jesus felt abandoned by God, even though he was the closest to God of all who have ever lived. He cried out in despair, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" [Mark 15:34], remembering the opening words of Psalm 22. But he must also have remembered the note of trust in God with which the Psalm ended.
In addition to the psalms which were collected during this historical period, a variety of other "writings" were published. Some gave practical advice of the kind that we might read in Dear Abby's column today. The biblical book of Proverbs, filled with such advice, was similar to Egyptian and Babylonian teachings. Other writings were far more reflective: they speculated on deep questions about the meaning of life. There were also Egyptian and Babylonian parallels to these wisdom writings, focusing on the individual rather than the community. We've seen various models of leadership at different times in Israelite history:
For the wisdom writings, the model was the sage. Who was considered the best example of a sage? Yes, Solomon -- David's son and successor. Many people thought that wise Solomon wrote Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, and some wisdom writings which weren't included in the Jewish Bible.
During the 1960's, one of my favorite musical groups, Peter, Paul, and Mary, popularized a song called "Turn, Turn, Turn." It was based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:
"To everything there is a
season,
and a time for every purpose under
heaven.
A time to be born, and a time to die . . .
A time to cry, and a time to laugh . . .
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing . . .
A time for war, and a time for peace."
We raised a lot of questions about our place in the pattern of life, during the troubled years of the sixties. What was the meaning of it all? Passages such as the one quoted above helped to express our search for meaning. The book's Greek title Ecclesiastes or Hebrew title Qohelet could be translated "The Preacher" or "The Philosopher." The Preacher-Philosopher points out that only God can see the overall purpose behind all these "times." We human beings become depressed because life is too short to find any basic answers about the meaning of life. The Preacher doesn't offer answers, because he doesn't believe that we human beings can find them. We should simply accept the limits of our own wisdom and put our trust in God's superior wisdom.
The book of Job also recognizes the superiority of God's wisdom to that of us human beings. Some of us are like Job's three friends, who think that their religious experience gives them all the wisdom they need. They are shocked that anyone would raise basic questions about God's fairness. Others of us are like Job, so immersed in doubt and despair that we cannot recognize God's love for us. Like Ecclesiastes, the book of Job offers few answers. It does demolish the simplistic notion that money, health, and success are rewards from God for living a good life, while poverty and sickness are God's punishments for sin. Before his calamities, Job holds that view, like his friends.
Ironically, that understanding of religion is also expressed by another character in the story: Satan! Actually, the Hebrew word Satan means "adversary" or "opponent." In the New Testament, he is also called by the Greek word Diabolos, which means "gossip" or "slanderer," and is usually rendered "Devil." But don't think of a guy in a red suit, with horns and a pitchfork. Satan is a prosecuting attorney, a member of God's heavenly council charged with finding out about people's sins. He holds the view that health and wealth are God's rewards for a good life, while suffering is God's punishment for sin. Satan suggests sneeringly that Job worships God only for what he can get from God. That isn't true. But what Job comes to realize in the end is that the most important thing of all about religion is his close personal relationship with God, trusting God even when Job can't understand everything. Like the Preacher, Job learns to accept the limits of his own wisdom.
The book of Job is interpreted and applied very sensitively by Harold Kushner, in his book When Bad Things Happen to Good People (New York: Avon, 1981). Kushner had a son who suffered from progeria, a disease which causes a child to age and die in just a few years, rather than living out a normal lifespan. This experience caused Rabbi Kushner to reflect on his own faith, his relationship to God, and his understanding of the origins of disease and suffering. In his book, Kushner shares his doubts and questions, as well as the questions and insights of others who have faced tragedy. He struggles with the definition of God's power in such a situation. How can God be all-good and all-powerful if he allows bad things to happen to good people? Religious persons have struggled with this issue, which is usually called theodicy or the problem of evil, for thousands of years. The question is posed most sharply in Job's discussion with three of his friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.
Kushner notes three statements which can't all coexist in the story of Job:
After Job loses his property, his children, and his health, we can't affirm all three of these statements, says Kushner. We can agree with any two, but we must reject one of them. Which statement do Job's friends reject? Not #1: Job's friends hold on to the traditional belief in God's omnipotence. Not #2: Job's friends think that God gives to good people long life, a big family, and lots of material prosperity, and he punishes bad people with disease, poverty, and sterility. That is a belief among many Hebrews in Job's time. They reject #3, arguing that Job must have committed some sin for which he is being punished. But Job and we the readers know that they are wrong; he is innocent!
In his complaints against God, Job clearly rejects #2, the idea that God is just and fair. If you have read the first few chapters in the biblical book of Job, you were probably shocked by the arrogance with which Job judges God as grossly unfair. But if you are ever with a friend when he or she experiences some terrible tragedy, your friend may say things that shock you too. I've had that happen with a close friend. Please don't jump on your friend for being sacrilegious, as Job's friends do. That may be just the time when your friend needs someone to stand by them, rather than judging them.
Unfortunately, Job's friends are too shocked by Job to help him. Finally, after long debates with his friends, Job appeals to God to give him a personal explanation of the reasons for his suffering. In the depths of his misery, Job hears God speak to him from a whirlwind. In ancient Hebrew understanding, a manifestation of God, which we call a theophany, is usually accompanied by portents in nature, such as a storm, an earthquake, or thunder. From the windstorm, God says that Job couldn't do any better in running the universe, because Job doesn't understand how it ticks! Creation is not just a once-upon-a-time event, but a mysterious ongoing process of bringing order, harmony, and peace into the world. The poetic author implies that there is much that we don't understand about creation. God could create a perfect world instantly. Yet he has chosen to give us the freedom to share in the process of creation. The price we pay for our freedom is having some chaos, rather than complete order and justice in the world. God thus creates us "in his image," rather than as mere puppets carrying out his every wish.
We're not sure when books like Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes were written in their final form. They reflect the teaching that was done in the wisdom schools of thought which were prominent in the last few centuries before Christ. The wisdom tradition emphasizes the wise sayings which have been handed down over the ages to guide new generations.
PROFILES IN COURAGE
A couple of centuries of relative peace and tranquility followed the Jewish exiles' return from Babylonia. Then a new empire came on the scene: the Hellenistic (Greek) empire of Alexander the Great. After Alexander's death, his empire was divided into the Ptolemaic and Seleucid Empires, which continued the process of making the Middle East into one world, unified by Greek culture. Many Jews were not especially concerned about these developments. Judaism had survived the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians; it would survive the Greeks. But when Palestine came under Seleucid rule, it was clear that this new culture would not be as lenient as previous empires. The situation was now Either/Or, loyalty or treason, with no in-between possibility. This was particularly true under the most fanatical Seleucid emperor, Antiochus IV, who called himself Epiphanes, "God manifest in the flesh." He claimed to be Zeus incarnate. The season of Epiphany, which comes right after Christmas, uses a similar term to refer to Christians' understanding of Jesus as the incarnation of God.
It was a very difficult time for most Jews, who refused to recognize the emperor as divine. Some joined a group of rebels known as Maccabees ("hammers"). Others practiced their religion secretly "underground" and cooperated publicly with the government. A group called the Hasidim ("pious") worked at strengthening the faith and courage of the Jews, enabling them once again to survive a period of persecution. They needed a model, a hero-figure who would inspire men and women to remain true to their faith. The Hasidim found that model in a person who had lived during the Babylonian and Persian eras, and who was widely respected as a brave, devout Jew. Ezekiel spoke of three persons who were widely known for their righteousness: Noah, Daniel, and Job. The Hasidim chose Daniel as the hero-figure for their stories. The book of Daniel was written during the worst of the Seleucid period, and it was apparently very effective in supporting the faithful Jews.
The other heroic figure who inspired many Jews was Esther. In class we've looked at the familiar stories of Daniel and Esther in detail. In 165 B.C. the Maccabees defeated the Seleucids, purified the Temple, and inaugurated the festival of Hanukkah. The Jewish nation would remain free for another century, until the Roman Empire swept over the Middle East.
With the victory of the Maccabees, we have completed our review of Old Testament history after the Babylonian Exile. I hope that this review has been helpful for you so far. Now let's review some key places in the Old Testament story. Please get out your map of the ancient Middle East, and follow along. The purpose of this part of the review is to help you remember at least one Old Testament incident or person associated with each place on the map. On the final exam, you'll have to identify several of these places with two complete sentences for each.
My inspiration for this adventure is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, an Infocom adventure for the classic Commodore 64 computer, based on Douglas Adams' series of novels by the same name. My sons Chris and Mark enjoyed The Hitchhiker's Guide, while they were growing up, and a movie version appeared in 2005. I'll call our story:
A HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE MIDDLE EAST
You are living on the planet Uranus. You're outside one pleasant afternoon, lying on your back in the methane and ammonia, studying physics and looking up at the sky . . . When what to your wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature spacecraft named Voyager, and I've hitchhiked here on it!
Dr. Kellogg: Hail, Uranian, may the Force be with you.
You: And also with you.
You are intrigued by a visitor from another world, because I seem to confirm the theory of your physics teacher that there is some form of intelligent life on the third rock from the sun. In fact, I tell you that I am Uranian too, because I lived in Urania, Louisiana, during my first three years of high school!
I invite you to return to Earth with me, so that I can share with you something of the life of us Terrans. I instruct you to pack for your journey with special sunglasses, pocket fluff, and a "Don't Panic!" button.
Dr. Kellogg: Swoosh! Earth is coming up fast in the viewer. What would you like to visit first?
You: How about the place and time of the first great human civilization?
Dr. Kellogg: OK, I spot a Fertile Crescent with two major rivers. Let's explore Mesopotamia, "the land between the rivers."
You: Great! I'll set down the time/spacecraft in the land of Babylonia, at the southeastern tip of the Euphrates River.
Dr. Kellogg: Hooray -- you're right on target! There are people using styluses to carve characters into clay. Other people are then baking the clay tablets. These are the first collections of stories written down by human beings. The people are known as Sumerians, and their kingdom is named Sumer. They pronounce it "soomer." Their writing in clay tablets is really amazing!
You: What is that kind of writing called -- hieroglyphics?
Dr. Kellogg: No, hieroglyphics are also from this early period, but from Egypt rather than Mesopotamia. Each character is in the form of a wedge, and the Latin word cuneus means "wedge," so we call the wedge-shaped writing in clay cuneiform. I'll bring some of these baked clay tablets over to our space/timeship. I'm afraid that if I leave them here, they might wind up in a museum in Baghdad a few thousand years from now, and in the chaos after a war, looters might steal them.
You: I agree -- let's take them back to the ship, where Marvin, our robot computer, will translate them for us.
[Marvin translates the cuneiform tablets for you.]
Hmmm ... one of the most intriguing stories tells about Gilgamesh. He was a traveler like you, Fred, who went way beyond the limits of human civilization. The Epic of Gilgamesh describes his journey to see an old man named Ut-napishtim, beyond the Waters of Death. Gilgamesh was on a quest for eternal life. Ut told the hero how to find the Tree of Life. Although Gilgamesh did not attain immortality, he learned a lot in the process! The story of Gilgamesh took place somewhere around here, near the city of Ur, where we've been reading these cuneiform tablets.
Dr. Kellogg: Say, that story was so long that it's getting dark. Gimme a light!
You: I'll turn on the lights of our time/spaceship. Look, they're shining on the most famous structure in Ur: a tall earthen mound with many steps and a temple on top. That looks like a launch platform! What is it -- a pyramid?
Dr. Kellogg: No, the pyramids are also tall and have a lot of steps, but they are made of stone rather than clay, and they're pointed at the top. There's not much stone in Mesopotamia, but plenty of clay. Egyptian pyramids are giant tombs, so they don't have temples at the top, like the Mesopotamian mounds. You just lit up a cigarette -- I mean a ziggurat, the famous ziggurat of Ur, which will be fully excavated by archaeologists in the 1900's A.D. Wow! What an impressive structure this is! It's almost like a monolith, radiating power. In fact, the human beings who built it thought that it would get them close to the powers of heaven.
You: That reminds me of an even more famous ziggurat. I've heard that the Tower of Babel is being built in Babylon in order to give human beings access to divine power. There's a story in your Bible of how human beings come to speak all kinds of different languages, after that tower representing false pride is destroyed.
Dr. Kellogg: Yes, let's go on up the Euphrates River to Babylon. Just as you said, here are some construction workers building a massive ziggurat called Babel. Excuse me, sir. What does that name mean?
Worker: Bab means "gate," and El means "God," so this tower is the gateway to divine power!
You: But Dr. Kellogg, what this guy doesn't know is that in a few years, the confusion of languages will make Babel synonymous with "babble"! It's breakfast time now. Listen: the construction workers are singing songs about some Babylonian deities named Snap, Crackle, and Pop. They're also singing a hymn of praise entitled "Kellogg's Best to You Each Morning."
Dr. Kellogg: Look at that one worker sitting over in the corner, reading a cuneiform tablet called the Enuma Elish. Sir, would you tell me about the book that you're reading?
Worker: Sure, this is the story of how the universe was created. The title comes from the first two words of our Babylonian mythical account of Order versus Chaos. It tells about a great battle between the god of light, Marduk, and the Ocean goddess, Tiamat.
Dr. Kellogg: Thanks! We don't have time to stay and watch the workers finish building the Tower of Babel. Let's go on up the Euphrates to Haran.
You: Hey, I like these people. I can see from their art and sculpture that they are devoted to the moon. Uranus has a lot of beautiful moons, too. That reminds me of my sweetheart back home...
Dr. Kellogg: Ahem! Let's get on with our research. There is a close link between Ur and Haran. In fact, we're invited to have supper with Abraham and Sarah, a husband and wife who just recently moved from Ur to Haran.
Abraham: My wife Sarah and I are honored to have you as our guests. You should know that by sharing this meal together, we seal a covenant, a special bond between you and us, which gives us certain privileges and responsibilities to each other. In Hebrew we call it berith; some day you Americans will have a Jewish organization called B'nai B'rith, "Sons of the Covenant," which will fight against anti-Semitism. By the way, we're getting ready to move again. Since you're now like members of our family, would you like to join us as we head toward the land of Canaan?
Dr. Kellogg: Thanks a lot, Abe and Sarah, but we're curious about what kind of people live on the North Fork: the Tigris River. It's only a hop, a skip, and a jump in our module over to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. Our chronometer bounces us around to different times in the places that we're visiting, based on the I.I. = Intelligence Index.
You: Dr. Kellogg, please remember that one of my goals is to determine whether human life can be considered intelligent, with any chance of attaining the level of Uranian life.
Dr. Kellogg: Right! We'll do that, as long as we also fulfill my goal of identifying various things about each place that are important for Old Testament study. Instead of being in Nineveh at its peak, during the height of the Assyrian Empire, we're here some years later. A strange man is preaching to a large crowd. Move in closer, and maybe we can hear what he's saying.
You: He's telling the Ninevites that their city will be destroyed!
Dr. Kellogg: And the people are taking him seriously! They are praying for forgiveness and promising to live right.
You: What's the name of that prophet?
Dr. Kellogg: Jonah. He's a hitchhiker, like me. He hitchhiked to Nineveh inside a big fish, so he still smells fishy. But his preaching is really effective!
You: Maybe there is hope for Earth's people after all, if they can actually make such drastic changes in their lives!
Dr. Kellogg: I agree! Let's follow Abraham's travel route now. We'll leave the Tigris-Euphrates area and enter Syria. Here we are in the city of Antioch. It will be famous someday, as the capital of the Seleucid Empire. Some of the Syrian Greek emperors will name themselves after the capital, such as Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a cruel Seleucid ruler.
You: I'm much more favorably impressed by Damascus. It appears to be a great center of trade, and it has an extensive caravan network.
Dr. Kellogg: The Syrian people love independence, but we've arrived at a point in time when they are part of the Assyrian Empire, with its headquarters in Nineveh. Let's stroll through the Damascus bazaar. Look at all the beautiful damask cloth, the things carved out of wood so delicately, and other arts and crafts in the marketplace. But do you hear the rumors that some people are spreading?
Syrians: ... Our leaders are planning a revolt against the Assyrian Empire ... We need allies in Judah and Israel ... Our army is besieging Jerusalem, to force Judah into joining us ... But one Jerusalem prophet is advising the king of Judah not to join us in the revolution ...
Dr. Kellogg: Excuse me. Who is that Jerusalem prophet?
Syrian: His name is Isaiah. He is a highly respected court advisor to King Ahaz of Judah. Isaiah became a prophet after a religious experience in the Jerusalem Temple several years ago. He is urging King Ahaz to trust in God rather than in revolutions.
You: Let's go to Jerusalem and hear this Isaiah for ourselves!
Dr. Kellogg: OK! The territory around Jerusalem has been known by many names over the years: Canaan, Palestine, Israel, Judah, the Promised Land, and the Holy Land. Surely we can find the city. Ah, that must be Jerusalem. There's just enough room for us to land, over near the Fuller's Field. Maybe any onlookers will think that our vehicle is a giant Wasp coming in to cheer for the home team.
You: That must be Isaiah, talking with the king. He is telling the king to keep alert, stay calm, and not be afraid of the besieging armies. Why? Because God is with the people of Judah. Isaiah explains that Syria and Israel have only earthly kings. He implies that the King of Kings is with Judah.
Dr. Kellogg: Yes, and Isaiah symbolizes this by speaking of a child named Immanuel, meaning "God is with us." He says that by the time the child is twelve years old, the nations of Syria and Israel will be wiped out, so they won't be a threat to Judah any longer. This is an important belief of the Jews: that God is with them, guiding them in a very special history. The foundations of this idea must be much earlier than the city of Jerusalem and its sacred mountain. Can you take our vehicle back to the time and place of that sacred covenant between God and the Hebrews, when Moses gave them the Ten Commandments?
You: To get there, we'll have to be sure that we go to the right mountain. There are so many mountains around here! Which one is the right one? Mount Zion?
Dr. Kellogg: ♫ We're marching to Zion ♪; it's just a few yards from here. Mount Zion is the hill on which David's city of Jerusalem was built. Isaiah thinks highly of David. But the Ten Commandments were given to Moses, not to David.
You: Mount Gerizim?
Dr. Kellogg: Samaritans believe that the Ten Commandments were delivered on their own sacred mountain, Mount Gerizim, which is up to the north of Jerusalem. But that belief isn't held by Jews and Christians.
You: There's one named Mount Horeb.
Dr. Kellogg: Great! That's another name for Mount Sinai. It was there that Moses experienced the burning bush, and years later he brought the Hebrews there to make a covenant with God and to receive the Ten Commandments, when he led the Hebrews out of Egypt on the way to the Promised Land.
You: But how do we get to Mount Sinai? Let's fly along the King's Highway, until we can find somebody to guide us. Here we are in the land of Midian.
Dr. Kellogg: If I remember right, Moses married Zipporah, a Midianite woman. Maybe someone here can guide us to Mount Sinai. The Midianites travel a lot, especially by camel. Oh, I see a Gatton dealership. They sell Chevrolets, Hondas, and all kinds of other camels, and many Emory & Henry alumni work there. There's the head honcho: Moses' father-in-law, Jethro Gatton himself!
You: Jethro, can you tell us how to get to Mount Sinai?
Jethro:
"Oh, East is East, and West is
West,
and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and sky stand presently
at God's great Judgment Seat."
My name is Jethro, and I am a seer as well as a priest and a tribal chief. About 3,000 years from now, a poet named Rudyard Kipling will write those words. They should clue you in on the right direction to go from the land of Midian, to arrive at Mount Sinai: fly west, then a little south, and watch for a rugged mountain with people gathered at its foot.
Dr. Kellogg: There's Mount Sinai. We're just in time; the people are passing around a set of tablets. Let's borrow them for a minute and ask Marvin, our robot computer, to translate them out of Hebrew. Here they are:
1. Worship no god but the one God.
2. Don't worship things made by human hands.
3. Don't use God's name for evil purposes.
4. Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. Don't commit murder.
7. Don't commit adultery.
8. Don't steal.
9. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
10. Don't sit around wanting what belongs to somebody else.
You: Is Marvin's list correct?
Dr. Kellogg: Almost -- but even computers can make mistakes! "Love your neighbor as you love yourself" is not in the Ten Commandments, but in the book of Leviticus. Jesus will quote it as the second great commandment, following "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." The computer accidentally omitted the next-to-last commandment, #9, "Do not accuse anyone falsely."
You: I'm very impressed by the Ten Commandments! This powerful ethical summary is valuable not only for the Hebrews out here in the Sinai Desert; it looks like a good statement for all times and places -- even my home planet of Uranus! It's clear that Mesopotamian culture is important for the Hebrews. Have they also been shaped in their ethical and religious understandings by their experiences in Egypt?
Dr. Kellogg: Let's fly over to Egypt and see! We can look down on the Nile Delta and see the land of Goshen, where the Hebrews lived for many years. Go back a few centuries to when they first settled here.
You: OK, I've adjusted the chronometer. There's a handsome Hebrew official in Egyptian clothes. He seems to be in charge of bringing the Hebrews into Egypt. Who is he?
Dr. Kellogg: His name is Joseph. His father Jacob has twelve sons, but Joseph is his favorite. Joseph appears to be having a very emotional reunion with his brothers. In fact, he is so touched that he is crying. He forgives his brothers for selling him into slavery and says that it was really God who sent him there to save people's lives. Joseph is a high official in the Egyptian government, and he invites his whole family to move to Egypt and settle down.
You: Now he's showing his younger brother, Benjamin, something that he had hidden in a sack of grain as a test of his brothers. What is that object?
Dr. Kellogg: It looks like the cups that some E&H students bring to the cafeteria for refills, but it's a silver cup. It seems that Joseph's brothers have passed the silver cup test, showing how much they have changed from what they were like years ago. They can hardly wait to tell their father Jacob that Joseph is alive, and that he has invited them all to leave famine-stricken Canaan and live in Egypt!
We began our Earthly excursion at ancient Sumer, the origin of Mesopotamian culture. Let's conclude our journey at the most important symbols of Egyptian culture: the pyramids. I recognize the names on some of the pyramids: Cheops, Teti, and Pepi. But here's one that I don't recognize: E.T.
You: Oh, that's a reminder to me: E.T., phone home!
Dr. Kellogg: I'm sorry. The computer at the base of the pyramid got your phone call all mixed up. You need Iris Worley in the business office to help you.
You: That's all right. My survey of Earth life is complete anyway, and it's time for me to head home. I have concluded that there is intelligent life on Earth, and in a few thousand more years it should be ready for a close relationship with Uranus.
Dr. Kellogg: I hope that you've enjoyed the trip, and that it has taught or reminded you of some things about the places we visited! Please keep in touch. If you like, you can send me e-mail: fkellogg@ehc.edu Shalom!
To look at one of my other review programs or syllabi, go to my Home Page, or go directly to one of the following:
Unit 1, Hebrew beginnings
Unit 2,
From Egypt to Israel
Unit 3. Kings and Prophets
If you prefer, you may return to the Emory & Henry College Home
Page.
Last updated: August 08, 2007