[12/20/2014 Mainstream media attempting to deceive the public that the early Jewish messianic movement prior to the 2nd destruction of the temple is being rediscovered. You can read the article and compare to the real truths provided in included links that are being rediscovered for the first time in 2,000 years in the Dead Sea Scrolls and other sources.] Three Things So Obvious That the Bible Left Them Out Dr. Joel Hoffman The Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 was waterproofed to withstand a future flood. St. Paul mocks the Roman Empire in Acts 26. And King Herods appearance in Matthew 2 explains the context of Jesuss arrival on earth. But these and many other central facts about the Bibles narrative escape the modern Bible reader. The problem is that background information that was once too obvious to write down has now been largely forgotten. Just as modern publications dont remind readers that France is in Europe, or that Hitler was evil, or that Democrats and Republicans disagree, some facts were so widely known 2,000 years ago that there was no reason to include them in the Bible. But readers today lack this once-common knowledge, so they are often unable to appreciate the original depth of the Bible. Fortunately, other ancient sources fill in the blanks, restoring the Bibles original impact. Here are three examples. According to Genesis 11:3, the Tower of Babel was crafted with “brick for stone” and “bitumen for mortar.” Modern readers pay little attention to these engineering specifications, so they dont appreciate the importance of the bitumen. A 1st-century AD historian named Josephus helps out. He explains that the bitumen was to make sure that water didnt enter the tower. Bitumen, it turns out, was a common waterproofing agent, used here as well as for Noahs ark and for the basket that carried Moses safely down the Nile. The point of the Tower of Babel was to defend against a future flood, and Babel marks the end of the Flood narrative. But modern readers who are not experts in ancient materials sciences miss the role of the Tower and its connection to the Flood. A second example comes from St. Pauls imprisonment. After being arrested in connection with his disputes with some Jews, the Christian leader defends himself before a series of Roman rulers. Modern readers generally ignore the names — Felix, Festus, and Agrippa — and focus instead on Pauls words. But the names are the key to understanding what Paul says. Acts 25:13 refers to “King Agrippa and Bernice” who travel together. The obvious assumption is that Bernice is Agrippas queen, and that she has nothing to do with Pauls observation in Acts 26 that Agrippa is “especially familiar with all the customs” of the Jews. But we learn from Josephus that Bernice is actually Agrippas sister, and that the king is having an incestuous affair, in violation of the most basic of Jewish (and Christian) customs. Paul publicly praises the Roman for his knowledge of all things Jewish while inwardly ridiculing the man for his most heathenly, non-Jewish (and non-Christian) behavior. The trial is a farce. But most modern readers dont know it. Thirdly, few biblical passages are more familiar than Matthew 2:1: “In the time of King Herod,” wise men, or magi, came to Jerusalem after Jesus was born. Modern readers focus on Jesus and on the wise men, and disregard Herod. But Herod is central here. Herod was widely seen in his day as an especially vicious Roman tyrant. For ancient readers, the brief reference to King Herod would have evoked images of a heathen monarch smothering Gods holy city of Jerusalem, much the way “Stalinist Russia” sets a dismal tone today. Matthews point in chapter 2 is not just that Jesus has been born. Its that a savior has arrived just at the time when the denizens of Jerusalem most need him. In this context, the arrival of the Messiah takes on heightened importance. In these places and many more, the full impact of the Bible comes through only in light of the background to the text. But readers have to search elsewhere for that background. huffingtonpost/dr-joel-hoffman/three-things-so-obvious-t_b_6354524.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 09:18:21 +0000