The Backyard Professor

Assessing the Bible: The Broadness of the Ancient Near Eastern Context

 Some interesting ideas on the Ancient Near Eastern context of the antiquity of the Bible. It shows us all just how extensive the need is for broadening and deepening our looking into the Bible's culture, religion, and history. While intimidating, without question, it is also exhilirating to see so much to do and learn and share.... Below is an excerpt from a new book (actually a series of 4 volumes that are simply staggering and stunning in their scope. ( W. W. Hallo, &  K. L. Younger (1997). The Context of Scripture (xxvi). Leiden; New York: Brill.) I have recently acquired and eagerly dipping into its pages. I have kept the footnote pagination beginning at number 45. Why rework the numbers when they are already in place anyway right? I know they are highlighted, but don't click on them. I have put all the sources at the end in endnotes. The numbers look like they link, but they don't. I have given the references below however. I have better things to do with my time right now than renumber footnotes beginning at 1 - GRIN! Enjoy, I think there are insights by the millions awaiting the students of the ancient scriptures.

The Akkadian Sargon Legend is sometimes cited as a possible source of the Moses birth legend, though with little justification.⁴⁵ It is in Sumerian, a product most likely of the neo–Sumerian period (ca. 2100–1800 BCE in linguistic terms), while the later text is in Akkadian, quite possibly commissioned by Sargon II of Assyria (722–705 BCE; KAS says - This was Isaiah's era if that helps give some context) or at least intended to celebrate his earlier namesake. The Sumerian text is, of course,

The Incomparable Yahweh, Even Among All the Other Gods

 

 

THE MYTHOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF PSALM 82

Juliann Morgenstern, Hebrew Union College Annual, 14 1939: 66-68,  noted some interesting things about the Council of the Gods that is worth understanding.  

 

In the Psalms we come across this picture of Yahweh in the midst of the assembly of the gods again and again. In Ps. 89.6-9 we read:

 

The heavens praise Thy wondrousness, O Yahweh, Likewise Thy trustworthiness in the assembly of the gods.

For who in the skies can be compared with Yahweh; Who among the gods is like unto Yahweh?

A god who inspires awe in the council of the gods, Who is great and fearful beyond all those who surround Him.

 

Ps. 29.1-2 summons these same gods to do homage before Yahweh, to bow down before Him and praise His name, while Ps. 97.7b likewise bids all the gods to bow down before Yahweh and Ps. 148.2 commands His angels, all those who constitute His host, to praise Him. Ps. 97.9b records that Yahweh is supreme over all the gods, Ps. 96.4 ( = 1 Chron. 16.25) that Yahweh is to be feared over all the gods, and Ps. 95.3 that Yahweh is a great king over all the gods. Yahweh's throne is in heaven; it exists from of old, i. e. from before creation. Upon this throne He sits as a king and righteous judge, who judges all the universe justly.

 

The Gods, They are Many, The One Who is Worshipped, He is One

In Cyrus Gordon's Ugaritic Handbook I found this in browsing tonight.

dr il . lmšknthm ‘the gods bless, they go; the gods go to their tents, the generation of ʾIl to their tabernacles’, (117:7) ilm (8) tǵrk . tšlmk ‘may the gods guard thee and give thee peace’. (1)

I thought this was interesting in light of the Hebrew Bible conception of the Council of Gods, and the "Tent of Meeting" (the mobile temple in the desert) wherein God meets with the human council to work through their problems in the desert, whether of fending off starvation, or helping the Israelites defeat their enemies. Every major decision was made through the Council of the Gods. The earthly tent of meeting reflecting the heavenly tent of assembly as well. This conceptualization was truly understood far better once the Ugaritic Texts were begun to be translated and analyzed. They reflect the Ancient Near Eastern ideas which the Bible certainly picked up. 

 1. Cyrus H. Gordon, Ugaritic Textbook Grammar, Texts in Transliteration, Cuneiform Selections, Glossary, Indices. Rome : Pontifical Biblical Institute, 1998 (Analecta Orientalia, 38), p. 75

Book of Mormon Synagogues: Anachronisms or Historical Verities?

I am sort of blending my research with that of a source by Richard Chenevix Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, pp. 4-5. I am throwing in a few other sources as well and indicating them as well.  

The term ἐκκλησία is a fascinating one. This word for “church” has been criticized in the Book of Mormon as being far too early and not in use yet, hence is an anachronism. This word, did not, like some other words, pass immediately and at a single step from the heathen world to the Christian Church: but here, as so often, the Septuagint supplies the link of connexion, the point of transition, the word being there prepared for its highest meaning of all. When the Alexandrian translators undertook the rendering of the Hebrew Scriptures, they found in them two constantly recurring words, namely, עדָה and קָהָל. For these they employed generally, and as their most adequate Greek equivalents, συναγωγή (synagogue) and ἐκκλησία (church). The rule which they seem to have prescribed to

Rush Limbaugh - Oh How I Hate to Bring Him up!

I heard him say on the radio now that the Republicans have become a circus of clowns and silliness, that Limbaugh told his audience that the Americans don't fear Dick Cheney (he seems to be everywhere on the media these days), they don't fear Cheney, the people fear ME!

Count me as trembling in my boots. Like totally wow dude ya scarin me and I might lose sleep now.......because I am laughing so hard!

Christ-bearers of God as gods in Early Christian Exegesis of Psalm 82

Ten years ago, Mark D. Nispel wrote “Christian Deification and the Early Testimonia,” an article in Vigiliae Christianae, 53 (1999): 289-304, where in he noted a peculiarity that Western Christendom virtually ignored the early Christian conception of mankind’s potential as becoming gods, and in fact, being gods. Easter Christianity’s main theological diet was, in fact, this very doctrine. And the main scripture used was Psalm 82, usually against the Jewish contenders against the fledgling Christian faith.

 Bishop Alexandria, in point of very fact, noted that the theology of Christ and the incarnation more than made it certain that “the description of salvation as ‘becoming god’ as a logical...

The Beginning of the Book of Hebrews Analyzed - Excellent on Prophets!

In one of my newly acquired sources, I found this discussion of the first verse of Hebrews and thought it was ....... well........ just very stimulating!

 (1:1) In the Greek text, the order of the words is, “At sundry times and in divers manners God spake.” The Greek places his words at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis. Therefore, the main idea in the writer’s mind here is not that God spake, but

One Sample of How Ugaritic is increasing our Understanding of the Biblical Languages

Here is just one example, among many thousands, of how Ugaritic is helping us with Hebrew and the ancient Israelite Religious outlooks and knowledge and ways of life. This is an important resource I just recently acquired and I am very excited to share a lot of this material with you as I incorporate it into my research as well.

The absolute ending of the feminine in -t and -at is of rather frequent occurrence in Hebrew. Beyond the instances cited by grammarians (e. g., G-K, § 80), the following might be considered: Ps. 27:4, ʾaḥat šāʾaltî mēʾāt (MT mēʾēt) yahweh ʾôtāh ʾ^abaqqēš, “One thing I have asked a hundred times; O Yahweh, this do I seek”. Compare absolute m^eʾat (perhaps better mēʾāt) in Eccles. 8:12. Job 27:13, zeh ḥēleq ʾādām rāšāʿ ʿim ʾēl w^enaḥalat ʿārîṣîm miššadday yiqqāḥû, “This is the wicked man’s portion from God (see under 10.14 below for ʿim, “from”), the inheritance tyrants receive from Shaddai”. The substantive naḥalat is not the regens of a construct chain, but an absolute noun serving as the accusative object of yiqqāḥû. Prov. 6:34, kî qān^eʾāh ḥēmāt (MT qinʾāh ḥ^amat) gāber w^elōʾ yaḥmôl b^eyôm nāqām, “For her husband will be livid with rage, and he will be unsparing on the day of vengeance”.

Some Archaeological/Historical Background on Ugarit

Since Ugaritic has such important implications for the Israelite religion and politics, I think this background is very helpful for us as we learn more about the Council of the Gods, the sociological makeup of units of military and family groupings, their political issues, etc.

UGARIT An ancient town in northern Syria whose remains have been identified at Ras Shamra; situated near a small harbor named Minet el-Beida (‘white harbor’). Excavation of the site began in 1929 under C.F.A. Schaeffer and G. Chenet, on behalf of the French Academy. The site was inhabited as early as the Neolithic period. In the Chalcolithic period it had already developed a relatively rich culture, which shows Mesopotamian influence. It was a key point on the route leading from

The Title Deed to Prayer - About the Timing of Answered Prayers

I have been reading in Wuest's exegetical materials of the Greek New Testament and finding many gems and items worth knowing. Here is one that I have seen some folks ask about, why hasn't God answered my prayers yet? Obviously our time table is not His. Perhaps this might help us come to a new understanding.

The Title Deed to Answered Prayer

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for” (Heb. 11:1). The Greek word translated “substance” had a technical meaning in the business world of the first century. It referred to one’s property or effects. It was used in such expressions as “Out of this estate I declare that

Yahweh was the Son of El, the Ugaritic Head God of the Gods

RUN across this little interesting item and thought it was worth sharing.

Dussaud: Yw should be identified with יהוה¹  Moreover, certain biblical passages (e.g., Deut 32:8ff.) depict Yahweh as El’s son.

Murtonen: Yw is a variant or epithet of Ym/ים. The interchangeable personal names אביה and אבים (on which see below, 15 zz) “would seem to show that among the Israelites … there were people who regarded these two deities as identical.”

MacLaurin: ים was the original form of the DN which developed via Yw to יהוה. Also, אלהים is a composite formed of אלוה+ים, “the god Yam.”

Rummel, Stan: Ras Shamra Parallels. The Texts from Ugarit and the Hebrew Bible, Volume III. Rome : Pontificium institutum biblicum, 1981 (Analecta Orientalia, 51), S. RSP 3, 4 §13.d

Babel, Temple, and Atonement

My good friend J Green posted some ideas I think are worth entertaining and pondering. He says he is making more extensive notes. I hope so!

Despite the play on babel as confusion (from heb. balel), the real reference here is to babilu or bab el ('gate of the gods' or 'gate of god'), which very much has gatekeeper connotations, and definitely puts us into the realm of Jacob's vision of the ladder (a kind of tower). But there's a parallel to another Book of Mormon story here. In short, the tower at Babel has temple connotations and is built to make a name for those involved. If you look closely at the 'make a name' terminology throughout the Hebrew Bible, you find it connected to redemption from bondage over and over. It is a temple theme of atonement, with associations to the divine name used once a year by the High Priest at the temple. When congregated Israel hears the pronunciation of the word in the context of their release from bondage, they fall to the earth. (See the "I am He" in John for parallels as the Savior pronounces his own divine name after the atonement of Gethesemane to the soldiers who come to arrest him, and they fall to the earth.) But back to Babel . . . The result of this mess is a scattering and confusion of tongues. It is additionally associated with Nimrod's start of the kingdom of Babylon (a kingship rite), soon after warfare with the nations.

Compare this to King Benjamin as the "Anti Nimrod". Soon after a huge war with the Lamanites, right after he encounters another remnant of scattered Israel who experienced their own confusion of tongues, soon after he has read the large stone that gives the account of the Jaredites and their scattering and confusion of tongues at the tower . . .

He builds a tower at the temple to give his people a name. The context is making his son a king and proclaiming atonement to his people (after which they fall to the earth).

Remember, Remember: Reading Margaret Barker's ideas

A good friend of mine, Lynn Svedin shared something Margaret Barker wrote that I think is fascinating!

"In one of her books, she mentions, IIRC, (if I remember correctly) that the Hebrew word for "remember" is either the same over very similar to "invoke" and that some of the Psalms of Remembrance could be also be thought as Psalms of Invocation or Psalms used for invoking the presence of the LORD.

In the sacrament prayer, if the phrase "that they do always remember him" would become "that they do always invoke him" or IOW, (in other words) they ask him to be with them, like it says in the next phrase "that they may have his Spirit to be with them." This could be why partaking of the sacrament unworthily is so bad, because we are asking God to be with us when we know that we are fighting against him.

What Does Timothy in the NT Mean by the Greek "Theopneustos" - "God Breathed"?

A very good question has shown up on a message board I inhabit from time to time, and the answers given by BYU scholar Bill Hamblin are truly worth putting up for more people to see. I thought this was a rather down to earth, good understanding of a logical situation.

“Sargon” asked about the scripture - 2 Tim 3:16

All Scripture is God-breathed (theopneustos) and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness
What does this mean? Evangelicals believe it means that the text is "inerrantly" communicated from God to man. LDS tend to interpret it to mean something more along the lines of "inspired".
Is the LDS view of scripture compatible with such strong wording by the apostle Paul? What does Paul mean by "God-breathed"?

As others noted, Paul could not have had the New Testament in mind, since it was not in existence at his day. So, the question is what is the meaning of "theopneustos"? Here is where Dr. Hamblin stepped in. “It means literally "god-breathed" = Theos + pneuma. The phrase "inspired by God" is a good way to translate it, since "in-spiration" means literally "breathed in" (as in re-spiration). There is nothing in the term that implies inerrancy. Evangelicals assume inspired means inerrant, so if scripture is inspired it is must be inerrant. However, this is, of course begging the question, which is: is inspiration inerrant.”

 

Discussion of Text Types From Which the Bible Originated

 Note on Western Non-Interpolations

One of the features of the Western text is the occasional omission of words and passages that are present in other types of text, including the Alexandrian. How should one evaluate such omissions from a form of text which is generally much fuller than other text-types? According to one theory, popularized at the close of the last century by Westcott and Hort¹ such readings, despite their being supported by the generally inferior Western witnesses, ought to be preferred rather than the longer readings, though the latter are attested by the generally superior manuscripts, B and א. Nine such readings were designated by Westcott and Hort as “Western non-interpolations,”² on the assumption that all extant witnesses except the Western (or, in some cases, some of the Western witnesses) have in these passages suffered interpolation.

Amen to That!

 

The general Hebrew word for truth or truthfulness, and faith or faithfulness, is a derivative of the verb Aman (אמן, Assyrian amanu), whence the word Amen draws its origin. Aman in its simple active form signifies to nurse or nourish up; in the passive, to be firm and established, and hence steadfast (Prov. 11:13); and in the Hiphil or causative form, to take as established, and hence to regard as true, to realise, or to believe. The last is its most general rendering. The A. V. translates it ‘to have assurance’ in Deut. 28:66; and ‘to trust’ in Jud.11:20; Job 4:18, 12:20, 15:15, 31; and Micah 7:5. A form of this word is translated pillars in 2 Kings 18:16; compare 1 Tim. 3:15, ‘the pillar and ground of the truth.’

Witherington on Ehrman's newest book on the Jesus Interruption

Important work in the field of New Testament Textual Criticism, Redactional Criticism, Historical Criticism, etc., is important to acknowledge, as well as what scholars are saying about the Historical Jesus of History and/or the Christ of faith. Bart Ehrman's latest attempt at discussion is here reviewed by Ben Witherington.

 

http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2009/04/bart-interrupted-detailed-analysis-of.html

How to Study the Use of the Old Testament in the New Testament - Some Ideas

A METHOD FOR UNDERSTANDING THE USE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

To understand the use of an Old Testament passage in a particular New Testament context, it is necessary to take several steps. This is especially true when it is a messianic passage since there is always a question as to whether we are dealing with direct prophecy or indirect typology. In doing so, we must consider whether passages like Psalm 22, 16, 69 and 110 are messianic in nature or not. The term often used for this today is intertextuality, a word not used in biblical contexts until 1989 but which quickly became a key term in the discipline and refers to the interplay of dialogue between one text used in a different context. As such the two texts reverberate between the original source and the new situation. Stanley Porter argues that the term has been abused and linked with everything from echoes to source criticism and so should be dropped (1989:84–85). This is an overreaction, but it is true that we must define it carefully. Intertextuality is best used as a study of the reuse of an Old Testament passage in a New Testament context, considering exactly how the dialogue between original meaning (Old Testament context) and new meaning (New Testament context) develops.

Archaeological Proof for the Bible - Some Issues

 There is great danger in using archaeology for apologetics. It is a two-edged sword. Jericho provides an excellent example. On the basis of John Garstang’s excavations of 1930–1936 evangelicals have argued that archaeological evidence indicates that the walls did indeed fall outward. Yet some today seem still unaware that Kathleen Kenyon’s work of 1952–1958 demonstrated that Garstang’s fortifications actually stemmed from an earlier period, namely, an early Bronze Age city destroyed by an earthquake and fire about 2300 b.c. (rather than the 1400 b.c.date of Garstang). To date, there is an absence of evidence for the biblical story regarding the walls of Jericho. This does not disprove the biblical data (see Dumbrell 1985:130–39) but does exemplify the serious problems in an apologetic use of archaeology. We dare not reach too hasty conclusions as to the relevance of archaeological discoveries. Often the problems outweigh the solutions, and it is dishonest to use a tool only when it supports us and to neglect it when it does not.

Divine Kingship in Facsimile 3 & Ancient Near East

Ancient Near Eastern scholar David Bokovoy shares some very interesting information on Divine Kingship in Ancient Israel and the Ancient Near East, and how this is reflected in the facsimile 3 in the Book of Abraham. When I state that Facsimile no. 3 depicts the deified deceased Hor “at the veil,” being introduced into the heavenly council or assembly, I have made an observation sustained by every single learned critic of the document. As every learned critic knows, in Facsimile 3, the gods who appear assembled in the council setting include Isis, Osiris, Ma'at, Hor, and Anubis.