Monday, March 25, 2019

Spiritual Formation and Christ's Resurrection pt3


            A skeptic may say of my blogs so far, “You’re using the Bible and we don’t know that what we have today is what was written back then.  The Bible has been manipulated and changed over the years.”

How did we get the Bible?

            How do you imagine we got the Bible?  Does it involve a room with monks and one big book?  Perhaps one monk is at the front of the room dictating from the big book to all the other monks who are writing what the first monk is reading?  Is that how we got our Bible?  If it was, then you can see how the church could have manipulated the text.  They could have changed it here or there and made it say whatever they wanted it to say, right?

            Well, if there was one ancient Bible, controlled by the church, then this would be possible; however, this is a very inaccurate picture of the Bible’s origins.  You must know that in the first century, the Jesus movement moved from a Jewish sect, and began to include Samaritans and Gentiles.  It also stopped requiring Jewish observances such as circumcision and kosher dietary laws.  During Jesus’s life, some synagogues could put you out if they discovered you were a Jesus follower.  During the first century in Antioch, Jesus followers were first called Christians and eventually the Jesus movement becomes Christianity.

            If you remember from the first blog in this series, Rome is in control and under Rome, second-temple Judaism was tolerated, and Jews did not have to participate in Emperor worship.  However, at some point both Judaism and Rome realized that the Jesus movement was no longer Judaism.  The first official Roman persecution of Christians was under Emperor Nero (c. AD 37-68) who ruled from AD 54-68.  Prior to that, any persecutions were only local and not state ordered.  With Christianity diverging from Judaism, they lost any toleration that Judaism enjoyed and eventually became an illegal religion in the Roman empire.  It remained an illegal religion until the Edict of Milan in 313.  Therefore, you can’t think of Christians as having political power or influence during that first 280 odd years of its existence.

An anachronism is something that belongs to one time period being attributed to a time period where it didn’t exist.  So, if I told you that my great grandpa loved to play Nintendo when he was a kid, you could know that statement was demonstratively false.  Nintendo wasn’t available in the US until the 1980s and my great grandpa was a kid in the 1850s.  In the same way, during that 280 years and even afterwards, to think of monks copying the Bible inside of church buildings and controlling what the text says is an example of anachronistic thinking.

No church controlled all the texts.

            Sometime prior to AD 200 there were Latin copies of most of our New Testament (NT) texts and those copies were used in the western part of the Roman Empire; however, in the eastern part, the church, used Syriac copies.  The Latin copies did not contain Hebrews, James and 1& 2 Peter, whereas the Syriac copies did.  Why?  Because those books were written to churches on the eastern side of the Empire.

            Perhaps you’re confused, wasn’t the NT written in Greek?  So why are these collections of the NT in Latin and Syriac?  Yes, as far as we know, the original NT writings were all in Greek with a few Aramaic words.  As Christianity spread through the Roman world, there was need to translate the NT texts into other languages and these are helpful today as secondary sources in demonstrating the integrity of the NT text.

            So, think about this: I have written these blogs on a computer, the originals are saved on my computer.  I have copied and pasted them to the blog and you are reading them there.  You can copy and paste them, and we know they will still be the same (exceptions being spacing and font sizes).  However, that’s not how a book in the ancient world could be copied.  They were copied by hand, which took time and effort, but once they were copied, if you wanted to change the text, then you’d need to control the original and the copies.  But as I pointed out above, the western churches didn’t have copies of certain books.  In order to change things, you are going to need to have control of all the books and all the copies of those books.  But you’re also going to need to control all the translations of all those copies as well.

            Let’s think of a more recent document, the Declaration of Independence.  If I wanted to change the wording of the Declaration of Independence, what would I need to do?  I need to have access to the original, I’d also need to have access to all the copies and today, all the photographs, digital copies, translations and quotations.  So, would it be possible to change the wording of the Declaration of Independence?

            Let me give you one last example.  What are the sources for translating the Old Testament?  The Septuagint (LLX), Greek copies of the Hebrew texts translated in the 2nd century BC.  The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS), collections of Hebrew texts found in caves near the Dead Sea beginning in 1946, many dating to before the time of Christ.  The Masoretic texts (MT), Hebrew and Aramaic texts that come down to us from the Masoretes, most dating from between AD 600-900.  Finally, the Samaritan Pentateuch (SP), which existed in at least the 3rd-century BC but was not available to western Christianity until 1616.  As well as Latin copies.  Note that the Christian church has had access to all these sources only within the last century.  Had the church wanted to manipulate the documents within its control, those differences would be evident today by comparing the LXX and Latin texts with the DSS, MT and SP.  The bottom line is, no one in church history controlled all the NT texts or their copies.  If there were manipulations, those would be evident today by comparing them to the older texts.

Next week, we’ll explore when the NT was written.  Please join us.



Written by Pastor Ozzy

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Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Spiritual Formation and Christ's Resurrection pt2

At its core, the New Testament (NT) is 27 documents about Jesus of Nazareth, documents that claim He died and rose again.  Therefore, the reality of that event is pivotal to the authority of those documents; if it did not happen, then they are just made up stories, but if it did happen, then their message is nothing short of God breaking into our time, space, matter universe.

The Stage is set II:

The Passion narratives are found towards the end of each of the canonical gospels; in Matthew (Matt.) chapters 26 & 27, Mark chapters 14 & 15, Luke chapters 22 & 23 and finally John chapters 18 & 19.  Each of these gospel sections recounts how during the Jewish feast of Passover, Jesus was betrayed by one of His disciples, arrested, put on trial and eventually executed by crucifixion outside of Jerusalem on Golgotha.  The first three gospels, Matt., Mark, and Luke are known as the synoptic gospels because they contain many of the same narratives and have similar structures.  Each of these gospels, begin the Passion narrative by telling us that it was the first day of unleavened bread (Matt. 26:17, Mark 14:12 and Luke 22:1), which is the 15th day of the first month in the Jewish calendar, Nisan.

Why would this be important?

There are popular theories about shared universes, such as in Disney or Pixar movies.  For example, in the Disney film, Tarzan, his parents died at sea (1999).  There is the theory that his parents were also the parents of Anna and Elsa because their parents died at sea (2013).  Along those lines, people have claimed that Jesus’ resurrection is borrowed from ancient myths that explain the agricultural cycle and involve characters dying or going to the land of the dead and then returning.  However, the gospels ground the resurrection within the story of ancient Israel and second temple Judaism.  In other words, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus are told with the Jewish Passover as its setting; therefore, that is the proper framework for understanding it.

Why is the framework of understanding important?

Above I wrote that there is a theory that in the shared universe of the Disney movies, the events of Tarzan and Frozen are related, but that refers only to their Disney presentations.  Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1920 novel Tarzan of the Apes is unrelated to Hans Christian Andersen’s 1844 fairy tale the Snow Queen.  Therefore, it makes no sense to interpret Tarzan of the Apes through the story of the Snow Queen.
In a similar manner, Jesus’ death burial and resurrection need to be interpreted with the Jewish celebration of Passover as its setting.  A Greek myth such as Hades and Persephone, which is an explanation of the seasonal change from winter to spring [i.e., Hades takes Persephone to the underworld and during that time her mother Demeter the goddess of agriculture won’t let things grow, and so the earth has winter.  When Persephone is returned, Demeter again allows things to grow, and the earth has spring.] is the wrong background to understand a second-temple Jewish messianic figure, such as Jesus of Nazareth.
Imagine a stage performance like Peter Pan.  In the first act, Peter is with the Darling children in the nursery (1904).  Pause the actors and change the background to the Ape City from the 1968 movie Planet of the Apes (1968).  How much since would the Peter Pan story make if you attempted this?  That is precisely what happens when these gospel narratives are read with Greek, Roman or other mythology backgrounds.  The celebration of the Passover in Roman occupied Judea, more specifically Jerusalem and its vicinity is the backdrop for the Passion narratives.

What are the real-world locations mentioned in the text?

Two of the synoptic gospels identify the location of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest as the garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36 and Mark, 14:32), Luke identifies it as having been on the Mount of Olives, and lastly, John identifies the location as being across the Kidron valley.  The Mount of Olives is a mountain that is east of Jerusalem, it’s separated from the Temple Mount by the Kidron Valley.  The precise location of Gethsemane remains debated, although some claim a specific place; however, the word means olive press and fits the known agriculture of Israel and the area around Jerusalem from the 1st-century AD.  Therefore, the gospels site a real-world location.  A place that existed in 1st-century Judea and an area that we can identify now.  Although we cannot with all certainty identify each specific location in and around Jerusalem mentioned in the Passion narratives, the point remains that it happened in a real-world location.  Places that did exist in the 1st century and involved religious and political figures that also existed in history.

Join us again next week as we continue to look at the historical nature of Jesus’ resurrection.

Works Cited

1999. Tarzan. Directed by Kevin Lima and Chris Buck. Performed by Tony Goldwyn .
James, Barrie. 1904. Peter Pan. London: n/a.
2013. Frozen. Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee. Performed by Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Spiritual Formation and Christ's Resurrection pt1

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Many people have asked the question, “What makes Christianity different from other world religions?”  Meaning, what makes that belief system different from other belief systems?  People in this part of the world believe this and people in that part of the world believe that and it has been that way for thousands of years.  So what makes Christianity any truer than other religions?  The answer is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Other religions have their supernatural events, their legends, and their stories, so why would the resurrection of Jesus be any different?  Moreover, since the release of movies like Zeitgeist in 2007, it’s been proven that Jesus’ resurrection is a myth created by borrowing from other ancient religions, right?  Yet, I still answer the question, “What makes Christianity different from other world religions” with Jesus’ resurrection.  Why?

We are going to start a series concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and this series is going to take us through the season of lent and end the day after Easter Sunday 2019.  The reason for this is because Spiritual Formation is the process of us being shaped into the image of Christ (Gal. 4:19).  This process relies on us having a relationship with the resurrected Christ, and in fact, the whole Christian religion is predicated on His resurrection.

Easter Sunday has a special meaning for me because it was on Easter Sunday 2001 at a small church in Great Falls, Montana that I first understood the Gospel message.  And it was from there that I began to look at the question, ‘did Jesus of Nazareth rise from the dead?’  For several years I had considered myself an atheist or an agnostic, but I clearly remember going to church when I was young and hearing the preacher say, “If Jesus is found still in the grave, then that is the end of Christianity.”  I think he was right, because if He didn’t rise from the dead, then all the New Testament (NT) texts that talk about his resurrection are at best myths and at worst lies.  If they are lies, then they are not worth believing or telling others about, and if they’re myths, then they are on par with other stories from world religions.  Therefore, throughout this series, we’ll explore this very topic.  Did the gospel writers invent hopeful myths?  Did they develop lies to gain power and wealth?  Did they borrow the legend from older stories?  What is the context of Jesus’ resurrection and does it fit into history?  Who was Jesus of Nazareth and are there other sources of His life outside of the New Testament?  Join me.

The Stage is set:
Some 330 years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, Alexander the Great sought to conquer the world.  Part of that included capturing the Levant and Jerusalem, but before Alexander could rule over his kingdom, he died.  Consequently, his generals fought for control of the occupied lands and this resulted in Judea being ruled over by both the Seleucids and the Ptolemaic.  When the Seleucid king Antiochus IV (c. 215-164 BC) outlawed Judaism and desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem in about 167 BC, an old priest named Mattathias and his sons began what is known as the Maccabean Revolt (c. 167-160 BC).  Their successes were short-lived when in 63 BC, Roman General Pompey conquered Jerusalem and captured the Temple Mount.  Rome now controlled Judea and maintained its control through military force.

That is the world that Jesus of Nazareth was born into.  When His story begins, the Gospel writers also mention rulers like Herod, who is identified as the King of Judea (Luke 1:5).  This would be Herod the Great (c. 47-4 BC), who under Caesar Octavius was appointed to this position.  This is attested to in both Antiquities of the Jews and The Jewish Wars, by the Jewish and Roman historian Flavius Josephus.  Before Jesus was born, the NT tells us that Augustus (c. 63 BC – 14 AD) was Caesar.  He was the first to rule during Imperial Rome, from 27 BC until his death.  None of this information is religious history, it’s part of Roman and world history, all of which can be verified from secular sources.

Before Jesus’ ministry, the NT again identifies several political and religious rulers:
 “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas…”  (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Luke 3:1-2). 
Something notable about this reference is the fact that the Passion narratives of all four Biblical Gospels indicate that Pontius Pilate, Herod the tetrarch, and the high priests Annas and Caiaphas all played significant roles in Jesus’ death.  Tiberius Caesar (c. 42 BC-AD 37) began his rule as co-regent in AD 13 and succeeded his step-father the following year.  Pontius Pilate (c. 12 BC-AD 38) was the fifth prefect of Judea, appointed by Tiberius in AD 26/7, where he served as governor until 36/7.  Herod, the tetrarch, is also known as Herod Antipas (c. 4 BC-AD 39), and his dynastic title Herod, as he is referred to by in the NT, is attested to in the works of Josephus.  The Jewish high priest Annas was appointed by the Roman governor Quirinius in AD 7 but was removed from office by the Judea procurator Gratus in 15.  The Jews didn’t like pagan Romans interfering with their religion, primarily since the high priest was to be in office for the rest of his life; therefore, it is likely that among the Jews, Annas was still seen as the high priest.  Lastly Caiaphas, who held the office from AD 18 – 36.  Therefore, these political and religious historical figures were in place before and during the lifetime of Jesus of Nazareth.  His life, ministry, execution, and resurrection are set within the rules or influences of these figures.  This is important because it grounds Jesus in history.  The Gospels and the rest of the NT do not present Jesus as a figure from ‘once upon a time’ or ‘a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.’  This will be shown to be important as we continue this look into the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection.

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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Monday, March 4, 2019

Spiritual Formation and The Law (pt. 6 Jesus abolish the Law or fulfills )

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“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.  For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Matthew 5:17-19)

            Picking up where we left off, looking at a passage in Matthew where Jesus is talking about the Law.  Last week, we covered verses 17 and 18.  As a quick review, Jesus understood Himself to be the fulfillment of Judaism and has already in this passage, stated that He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them.  Therefore, we understand the whole Old Testament (OT) as reaching its divine purpose in Jesus. 
 
He goes on to say, “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Ibid).  Like all passages, the context of the passage is the proper key to its understanding.  Jesus is about to address several OT commandments.  In verse 21, “You shall not commit murder” (Exodus 20:13).  Verse 27, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14) and so on.  At no point does Jesus nullify or green light these sins.  In fact, His interpretation of these OT passages often carries a heavier calling; i.e., not only should you love your neighbor, but you should love your enemies (5:43-44).  Jesus never called down Elijah-like-fire (2 Kings 1) on Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate, Herod or the Romans crucifying Him, but instead prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Luke 23:42a).  Hence the understanding, we do not annul the OT commands, but understand the OT as fulfilled in Jesus and thus the proper way to read the OT.

And reading the OT through its fulfillment in Jesus is what Paul meant when he wrote, “Do we then nullify the Law through faith?  May it never be!  On the contrary, we establish the Law” (Ibid. Romans 3:31).  Which is where we’ll pick it up, next week.

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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Works Cited

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.