The Church and Politics

Rev. Greg Boyd, the Evangelical pastor of the Woodland Hills Church in Maplewood, a city near St. Paul, Minnesota, has caused much controversy because he preached a series of sermons distancing the church from politics.

According to an article written by Laurie Goodstein and published by The New York Times, Boyd preached that “When the church wins the culture wars, it inevitably loses.  When it conquers the world, it becomes the world. When you put your trust in the sword, you lose the cross.”

Goodstein wrote:

In his six sermons, Mr. Boyd laid out a broad argument that the role of Christians was not to seek “power over” others — by controlling governments, passing legislation or fighting wars. Christians should instead seek to have “power under” others — “winning people’s hearts” by sacrificing for those in need, as Jesus did, Mr. Boyd said.

“America wasn’t founded as a theocracy,” he said. “America was founded by people trying to escape theocracies. Never in history have we had a Christian theocracy where it wasn’t bloody and barbaric. That’s why our Constitution wisely put in a separation of church and state.

“I am sorry to tell you,” he continued, “that America is not the light of the world and the hope of the world. The light of the world and the hope of the world is Jesus Christ.”

Evangelicals don’t want to hear this kind of message.  Boyd’s church has lost more than 1,000 members because they believe the sermons are an attack on the Republican Party and President Bush.

Christians have an important role to play in the political arena but the church should be very careful as it involves itself in politics.  

Many people who will read this article will disagree with what Boyd has to say.  However, people must read what Boyd has to say and decide whether his words have a message for the church today.

Read the article by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

The Medieval Irish Book of Psalms: A Clarification

Tyler Williams, at Codex: Biblical Studies Blogspot has written a clarification on his blog about the discovery of the Medieval Irish Book of Psalms. He correctly says that, since the Book of Psalms discovered in the Irish bog was written in Latin, then Psalm 83 in the Latin Vulgate is actually Psalm 84 in our English translations. Tyler wrote:

“There has been a clarification in connection to the Psalm book discovered in the Irish bog. Initial news reports said that the book was open to Psalm 83, which in most modern English translations is a prayer to wipe out the enemies of Israel. What no one noted is that they meant Psalm 83 in the Latin Vulgate, and the Latin Vulgate (like the Greek Septuagint it follows) is usually one chapter off of the Hebrew MT tradition and our modern English translations. So as it turns out - much to the dismay of all of those who interpreted this as some sort of sign from God - the book from the bog is open to Psalm 84 according to our modern translations.”

Even though I did not mention Psalm 83 in my post, I did so when I responded to the comment of one reader. The blog world and several Christian writers have made a direct connection between Psalm 83 and the war between Israel and Hezbolla (see one example here). What many people failed to realize is that, since the psalms were in Latin and were taken from the Vulgate, the numbering of the Psalms in this collection would be different from the numbering of the Psalms in our English Bibles. In his post, Tyler explains the reason the numbering of the Psalms in our English Bibles differs from the Greek (the Septuagint) and from the Latin (the Vulgate) translations.

Many Christians are not familiar with textual differences between our English translations and many of the ancient translations and even the original Hebrew text. Complete dependence on the English translations can cause people to make mistaken assumptions, such as in the case, relating the psalm to the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Museum of Hoaxes has cast some doubts on the authenticity of the book, primarily because of its alleged coincidence with the war in Lebanon.

I thank Tyler for his post clarifying the correct reading of the text.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Psalms, Irish Psalms

“The Ant Bully” and the God of the Old Testament

In his review of the animated movie “The Ant Bully,” Stephen Hunter compares the main character of the movie, young Lucas Nickle, with the God of the Old Testament. In his review he wrote:

In "The Ant Bully," young Lucas Nickle (voice of Zach Tyler Eisen) -- a neighborhood chump regularly creamed by older, tougher kids -- now and then takes his rage out on the backyard anthill. Like the Old Testament God, and equally empowered by rage, he power-soaks their world, unleashing biblical torrents to sweep them away.

But down in the ant world, they don't like the volume equivalent of 40 days and 40 nights of H20 being dumped upon them at the whim of a small, angry child. A wizard figures out some chemical stuff that is capable of shrinkage on a massive scale Slipping into Lucas's bedroom, the ants squirt some bug juice down his ear canal and -- hello, 15mm boy!

From his review, it is clear that Mr. Nickle does not know the God of the Old Testament. When Mr. Nickle calls the God of the Bible “empowered by rage,” it becomes evident that his knowledge of that God is limited.

It is true that the God of the Bible is a judge, but he is a judge who does what is right (Genesis 18:23). Even in our society, judges distinguish between the righteous and the wicked.

When a person violates the laws of the state, they must be accountable before the law and must come before a judge. When people violate the laws of God, they are also accountable before divine law and must come before the judge of all the earth.

But the God of the Old Testament is much more than a just God who demands righteousness from every person. The God of the Bible is a “merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change [his] mind and not punish” (Jonah 4:2 TEV).

The Old Testament has many other descriptions of God that clearly show that God is not a God “empowered by rage.” For instance, God’s “unfailing love surrounds those who trust him’ (Psalm 32:10). “The Lord is good and does what is right” (Psalm 25:8). His compassion and unfailing love are from of old (Psalm 25:6).

There is more: “The Lord is a friend to those who fear him” (Psalm 25:14). “His faithful love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1). “The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation” (Psalm 145:8-9).

There is much more, however, to cite all the biblical descriptions that show that the God of the Old Testament is much different than the God Mr. Hunter portrays him to be, would require a lot more space and time.

There are people who experience God as a judge and there are people who experience God as a loving God. It is only when people truly experience God’s love, his faithfulness, his mercy, and his compassion that they will realize that the God of the Old Testament is not a God “empowered by rage” but a God empowered by hesed, unfailing and faithful love.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Movies, Ant Bully, God

Gospel Music - The Video

If you love Gospel music, you will love this video.

The following is a description of what you will see and hear:


The Gospel Finale 2005 (SPONTANEOUS) held on Sunday with Bebe Winans starting the FINALE("Changing My Whole Life") off passing the mic to Shirley Ceasar, and then she passed it over to Dionne Warwick and then she passes the mic over to Yolanda Adams, she then passes it to Chaka Khan, and then she passes it to Gladys Knight, and Gladys passes it to Valerie Simpson who then passes it to the Great Patti Labelle who then passes it back to Cece Winans and then the Hawkins Singers sing "Oh Happy Days

To see the video, click here.

Enjoy!

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tag: Gospel Music

An Important Note to Bloggers

According to a news report published on The Washington Post, there are 50 million blogs online. This is an amazing number, a number that shows the popularity of blogging. For those of us who blog regularly, the issue is: how to get people to read our blogs?

Leslie Walker, Technology columnist for The Washington Post wrote: “The challenge of figuring out which blogs to read probably will grow even harder as more regular folks join the stampede to publish on the Web.”

Ms. Walker has written a column, “Searching for Order in the Blogosphere,” in which she announces the appearance of a new blog search engine called Sphere (www.sphere.com) This search engine differs from Technorati in the way it indexes blogs.

In her article, she also lists several blog search engines that are indexing blogs and organizing the posts in order to help readers find what they want. In addition to Sphere (/www.sphere.com) and Technorati (http://www.technorati.com), there are Google Blog Search (http://blogsearch.google.com), Icerocket (www.icerocket.com)and Feedster (www.feedster.com).

Bloggers need to read this article because Ms. Walker gives valuable information on how the search engines differ in their approach to indexing blogs and organizing posts.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Blog, Blogging

Religious Syncretism in Israel and Judah III

To Read Part I: Introduction, click here

To Read Part II: The Reign of Solomon, click here

PART III

The Reforms of Jeroboam

Solomon’s religious and economic policies generated much unrest in Israel and caused the division of the monarchy along geographical lines. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin were strong supporters of David’s throne and after the death of Solomon, they were ready to accept Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, as his successor.

The northern tribes, however, unhappy with Solomon’s policy of forced labor, did not want to keep the agreement with David’s house that created the united monarchy. Thus, the division of the kingdom came mostly because of the oppressive policies of Solomon. However, the Deuteronomic Historian presents the division of the kingdom in religious terms.

According to the Deuteronomic Historian, the northern tribes revolted because there were groups of people within the Northern tribes who were longing for religious reforms and for the return of the pure worship of Yahweh. This desire for reform can be gleaned from Ahijah’s words to Jeroboam:

Then Ahijah . . . said to Jeroboam: ... thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: “Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon . . . because he has forsaken me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and has not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my ordinances, as David his father did . . . And I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. And if you will hearken to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you” (1 Kings 11:30-38).

Ahijah probably held to the traditional view that Israel’s leader should be chosen by Yahweh. Thus, by fomenting a sprit of revolution against the Southern Kingdom, Ahijah saw in Jeroboam’s kingship an opportunity for reform and the elimination of Solomon’s syncretistic policies.

When Jeroboam became king of the ten tribes that formed the Northern Kingdom, the center of worship was in Jerusalem. Jeroboam feared that the people would go up to Jerusalem to celebrate the major festivals and to offer sacrifices in the temple. Jeroboam came to the conclusion that if the people returned to worship in Jerusalem, there was a risk they would retain their allegiance to Rehoboam and thus compromise the security of his kingdom.

In order to address this situation, Jeroboam established two centers of worship, one at Dan, the northernmost city in the Northern Kingdom, and the other at Bethel in the southern border with Judah. He also built two golden calves or bulls to serve as the symbol of the worship of Yahweh.

To maintain the cultic centers in Dan and Bethel, Jeroboam selected people who were not from the tribe of Levi to become priests in these temples and in the high places that were established throughout the kingdom.

According to the Old Testament, the official duty of the priesthood was assigned to the tribe of Levi. Jeroboam’s decision to select non-Levites to serve in the temple arose when the Levites opposed the cultic practices that Jeroboam established. It is possible that Jeroboam’s decision to move the capital from Shechem to Tirzah was motivated by the opposition of the Levites who lived in Shechem.

In addition, Jeroboam moved the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles to fifteenth day of the eighth month rather than the seventh month as it was celebrated in Judah (1 Kings 12:32). This change has been seen as an attempt to return to old tribal traditions.

There is much controversy about the symbolism of the calves or bulls placed in Dan and Bethel. The bull was the symbol of El and Baal, the fertility god of the Canaanites. It has been suggested that in establishing the bulls as symbols of Yahweh, Jeroboam was not promoting idolatry, but rather giving official recognition of the traditional way the people of Israel worshiped Yahweh as El. Thus, the bull would be considered to be a representation of Yahweh’s creative powers and military strength.

Many scholars today argue that the bulls were pedestals on which the invisible Yahweh was supposed to stand. In some Semitic religions the gods were represented as standing on the backs of animals. However, since Yahweh’s presence in the temple was invisible, the people of Israel eventually began to worship the symbols as if they were gods.

Jeroboam’s reforms were not seen in a positive light by the writers of the book of Kings. The Deuteronomist saw Jeroboam’s reforms as a rejection of Yahweh. As a result, Jeroboam is condemned by the Deuteronomist because he set up golden calves, which became the focus of Israel’s worship, and because he established centers of worship outside Jerusalem.

The worship of Yahweh in the form of a bull opened the doors for the influence of Canaanite culture and religion to enter the life of the Northern Kingdom. Whatever intentions Jeroboam might have had, the commingling of Yahweh worship with Baal symbolism was disastrous for Israel’s faith and produced severe criticism from an unnamed “man of God” (see 1 Kings 13).

Hosea was the first prophet who openly criticized the worship of the calf. In Hosea 8:5-6 the prophet criticizes the worship of the calf on behalf of Yahweh: “I have spurned your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? For it is from Israel; a craftsman made it; it is not God. The calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.”

After the death of Jeroboam, the kings who followed him continued the religious practices established by Jeroboam, leading to the general condemnation of every king of Israel. Each king was condemned for doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord, for walking in the way of Jeroboam, and by allowing the worship of the golden calf to remain in place (see 1 Kings 15:34).


Ironically, Ahijah, the prophet who prophesied Jeroboam’s rise to power, is the one who also predicts the collapse of his kingdom. Instead of bringing the tribes back to the worship of Yahweh, Jeroboam established religious reforms that, from the perspective of the Deuteronomic Historian, brought the nation to the brink of disaster.

In the end, the Deuteronomic Historian has a stern condemnation of the Northern Kingdom:

The people of Israel had sinned against the Lord. They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight (2 Kings 17:7, 15-18).

Yet, the Lord gave the people an opportunity to change their ways. He warned Israel through the ministry of the prophets, but the people were unwilling to listen. As a result, the Northern Kingdom was conquered by Assyria and taken into exile in 722 BC.

Next: The Syncretism of Judah and Israel

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Syncretism , Jeroboam , Golden Calf

Ancient Book of Psalms Discovered in a Bog

According to a news report, a construction worker in Ireland found a 1,200-year-old Book of Psalms in a bog. The news report says:

“In this undated photo provided by the National Museum of Ireland an ancient book of psalms is seen at an undisclosed location. Ireland's archeologists heralded as a miracle Tuesday, July 25, 2006 the accidental discovery of an ancient book of psalms _ discovered last week when an exceptionally alert construction worker spotted something as he drove the shovel of his backhoe into a bog. The approximately 20-page book has been dated to 800 A.D. to 1000 A.D. and, according to Trinity College manuscripts expert Bernard Meehan, is the first discovery of an Irish early medieval document in two centuries. Never before has such a fragile, old document been discovered buried in the soggy earth of Ireland.”

This is an important discovery. From a textual perspective, I just wonder how this edition of the Book of Psalms dated 800 A.D. will compare with modern translations of Psalms.

Read the news report of the discovery here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology. Psalms

The Call to the Ministry

Is a divine call a requirement for those who want to serve as ministers of Jesus Christ?  Amazingly, today, more and more people are saying that the concept of “the call to the ministry” is “a major barrier to, and distraction from, the recruitment of pastors.”

A recent article published in The Banner of Truth deals with the issue of the nature of the call to the ministry.  The article was written by Dr. I.D. Campbell from Back Free Church of Scotland, the Isle of Lewis.  He wrote:

“It seems that the concept of a call to the ministry has fallen on hard times. A recent survey conducted by Affinity, the evangelical church partnership organisation, engaged with 400 ministers between the ages of 21 and 40. Of these, 30% said they were confused over what constitutes a call, and only 46% of them - less than half - said that they had felt a special call to the ministry.”

“One trainee minister commented: ‘in my judgement, the notion of a ‘calling’ to the ministry is a major barrier to, and distraction from, the recruitment of pastors and teachers ... the notion of a ‘call’, if understood as an internal ‘feeling’, is unbiblical and must be abandoned.’ Another says: ‘I can see no biblical justification for the idea of a ‘special call' to full-time ministry.’”

Dr. Campbell used the prophets as evidence that, in the past, those who spoke for God were aware that God had called them into the prophetic ministry.  He wrote:

“Why else would anyone wish to stand in front of his peers as the spokesman of God, speaking to men about God and to God about men, unless God himself charged him with that task? Indeed, when we begin analysing the biblical material, this is one of the most prominent of Bible themes, as God, for example, takes issue with prophets who have spoken to the people, but, God says, ‘I did not send them’ (Jeremiah 14:14). Most of the classical Old Testament prophets address this issue of a personal call to office. Isaiah responded to such a call in the year King Uzziah died (Isaiah 6), while Jeremiah was set apart from the womb, conscious in young age of God's call on his life (Jeremiah 1:7). Ezekiel's call to the captives in Babylon was as clear as it was direct: ‘I send you to them, and you shall say to them ‘Thus says the Lord God’ (Ezekiel 2:4). Amos simply reports that the Lord took him from his secular employment and told him to go and prophesy to his people (Amos 7:15).”

After a good discussion of the nature of the call to the ministry, Dr. Campbell concludes:

“As James Henley Thornwell pointed out long ago, ‘the doctrine of a divine call is set aside by all who make the ministry a means to any other ends but those with which Christ has connected it.’ Only when we ask why Christ has appointed a Gospel ministry can we begin to appreciate what the call to the ministry is. Then, having been called to the greatest office in the world, how can a man stoop to become a king?”

I agree with him: “This whole business of the call to the ministry is vital and fundamental to the wellbeing of the church.” I commend this article to you.  Read the article by clicking here

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

The War Between Israel and Hezbollah - An Iranian Perspective

The Washington Post is reporting that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s plan to deploy an international force, possibly led by NATO, in Southern Lebanon, was greeted with skepticism by Lebanon’s Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, as well as Lebanon's top elected Shiite official and other leaders.

The rejection of Secretary Rice’s proposal is no surprise when one understands how Rice and Bush are perceived in the Middle East.

Writing for the Payvand's Iran News, Kam Zarrabi, an Iranian educated in the United States, called Condoleezza Rice “the academic White House mascot.” Zarrabi also writes about President Bush’s “trademark crooked smile” and his “sophomoric views.” Zarrabi also uses the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Esther to criticize Israel and the United States.

Most Americans read about the war between Israel and Hezbollah from an American or an Israeli perspective. Kam Zarrabi has written two articles on the war from an Iranian perspective. Zarrabi’s views of the war do not present a flattering view of the United States and its allies. His views represent a perspective that is foreign to most Americans. For your own enlightenment, read Zarrabi’s articles by clicking here and here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Iran, Israel, Hezbollah

Religious Syncretism in Israel and Judah II

PART II

The Reign of Solomon

To Read Part I: Introduction, click here

The Davidic monarchy did not centralize the worship of Yahweh in Jerusalem but it promoted the worship of Yahweh as the God of Israel. Solomon’s reign, however, departed from the worship of Yahweh as the sole God of Israel. In his effort to enlarge his kingdom, Solomon made concessions to foreign religious practices that made a profound impact in the life of the nation.

In order to cement relationships with other nations, Solomon established political alliances which were sealed with marriages to women who were not Israelites. Solomon’s wives did not abandon their native gods but brought their religious practices with them to Solomon’s court. In an effort to please his foreign wives, Solomon promoted their religious traditions by building temples for their gods on the mountain east of Jerusalem.

The writer of Kings said:

“For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem” (1 Kings 11:5, 7).

Solomon built a magnificent temple for Yahweh in Jerusalem but the temple was built after the model of Canaanite temples. Along with a new temple came a new theology that was developed in that temple, largely by Zadokite priests with a Jebusite background. The theology developed in Jerusalem would be a synthesis of Israelite and Canaanite religious ideas. The purpose of this new theology was to create a national theology. Traditional Canaanite understandings of god were transferred to Yahweh and then made compatible with Israelite history. This new national theology of Yahweh would then be compatible with Israelite culture and customs and serve to unite the Israelite and Canaanite population and form a united country.

While priests in Jerusalem were developing a national theology, it is likely that grass-roots religion looked very different from the national cult. Besides the possible occasional pilgrimage, it seems that the state religion had little impact upon the Israelite people.

Many of the attempts at religious reforms during the period of the monarchy were mostly related to the official religion as practiced in the temple of Jerusalem. Archaeological discoveries seem to indicate that the religious life and the piety of the majority of the population remained largely unaffected.

The syncretistic practices in the local shrines also seem to demonstrate that personal religion was not affected by the efforts of the reforms to establish the worship of Yahweh as the only valid religion expression in Israel.

The statement that Yahweh “was angry with Solomon” (1 Kings 11:9) is an indictment on the religious practices promoted by Solomon in Jerusalem. As a result of Solomon’s introduction of foreign religious practices into the life of the nation, divine judgment came upon him and his kingdom.

“The Lord said to Solomon: Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son” (1 Kings 11:11-12).

In addition, Yahweh raised up two adversaries (Hebrew satan) against Solomon. One was Hadad the Edomite (1 Kings 11:14) and the other was Rezon, the son of Eliada (1 Kings 11:23). A third adversary was Jeroboam the son of Nebat (1 Kings 11:26), to whom ten tribes were given at the time of the division of the kingdom.

The prophetic desire for religious change was expressed by Ahijah the Shilonite prophet (1 Kings 11:29). In his charge to Jeroboam, Ahijah prophesied in the name of Yahweh and promised Jeroboam ten tribes. But the promise has one condition: Ahijah told Jeroboam:

“If you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you” (1 Kings 11:38).

Ahijah’s desire for religious reform under Jeroboam did not materialize because Jeroboam introduced a new type of religion into the Northern Kingdom.

Next: The Religious Syncretism of the Northern Kingdom.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Syncretism, Solomon, Ahijah

Religious Syncretism in Israel and Judah

PART I

Introduction

Today I begin a series of studies dealing with prophetic reaction to religious syncretism in Judah and Israel. Syncretism is the process by which the practices and beliefs of one religion are incorporated into another religion. The result of this union of different and, at times, opposing religious practices is a change in the fundamental nature of the religion that absorbed the foreign religious elements.

This series of studies will cover a period from the united monarchy and the division of the kingdom after the death of Solomon in 922 BC to the time of the prophets Micah and Isaiah who prophesied in the Southern Kingdom of Judah in the eighth century BC.

This series of study will cover several areas of syncretism in the North and the South. It will begin with the religious reforms of Jeroboam I; the religious innovations established by Omri and Ahab, kings of Israel, and the reaction of the prophetic community under Elijah; the revolution under Jehu and its aftermath; the religion of the North as seen by Amos and Hosea; and the religion of the South as seen by Micah and Isaiah.

The Problem of the Sources

Most of the information for this study will come from the books of 1 and 2 Kings and recent archaeological discoveries. The two books of Kings (the two books of Kings are only one book in the Hebrew Bible) are part of the history of Israel and Judah that begins with the conquest of the land of Canaan under Joshua and ends with Judah in exile in Babylon. This history is commonly known as the Deuteronomic History. The writer of this history is commonly called the Deuteronomic Historian. This history was written from a perspective of the people who lived in the Southern Kingdom, also known as Judah.

The religious traditions of the Northern Kingdom, also known as Israel, were preserved by editors who lived in the Southern Kingdom. They were the ones who gave the final shape to the material available to them. It is difficult to evaluate sources that have a Northern origin. The prophetic sources available are the Elijah cycle and the books of Hosea and Amos. These sources address the religious situation of the Northern Kingdom, but their final redaction was done with a Jerusalemite bias.

The books of Kings and parallel accounts in Chronicles, together with Micah and Isaiah, provide information about the situation in the South. Together, these sources serve as the basis for an understanding of the religion of Israel and Judah in the early pre-exilic period.

The Reign of Saul

Before Israel established a united monarchy under Saul, the nation functioned as a loosely organized tribal league. The threat posed by the Philistines forced the leaders of the twelve tribes to call for a centralized form of government to deal with the Philistine threat.

The election of Saul as the first king of Israel brought a sense of unity to the confederacy. However, the election of Saul did not bring much political, religious, or economic change to Israel. Although Saul was anointed as the king of Israel, he actually functioned more like a judge. He gained power through the anointing of Yahweh and through his position as the leader of the army. Saul’s kingship was modest. Under his leadership, Israel did not develop a central structure that was characteristic of later kings. Saul did not have a palace, he did not have a harem, and probably did not have a system of taxation.

In addition, tribal structure did not change much since the tribes clung tightly to their independence and it was not until Saul died and the Philistine threat increased that the nation recognized the need for a more centralized government.

The Reign of David

When the elders of Israel came to Hebron to anoint David as king of Judah and Israel, David recognized the need for a centralized government. One of his first acts as king of Judah and Israel was to conquer Jerusalem and establish the city as the capital of the united monarchy and as the center of the political life of the nation. He also brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. The presence of the Ark in the new capital established Jerusalem as the religious center of the nation.

David’s priority was to complete the conquest of the land. With his victory against the enemies of Israel, David incorporated the conquered people into Israelite society. This large influx of non-Israelites into Israel forced the new king to introduce some foreign elements into the social and religious life of Israel in order to accommodate the needs of this large number of foreigners.

David’s appointment of Zadok and Abiathar as priests demonstrates his deliberate effort to keep a balance between the two segments of the population and their religious traditions. Abiathar was from the family of Eli, whose line came from those who had served at the sanctuary in Shiloh. His appointment was an effort to address the religious needs of the people of Israel.

The appointment of Zadok, a priest who probably represented the Jebusite population, served to meet the needs of the Canaanite population that continued to live in Jerusalem. By appointing Zadok as a co-priest, David was attempting to assimilate a foreign cultic tradition that existed side-by-side with traditional Yahweh worship. Later on, when Solomon became king, he banished Abiathar and established Zadok as the only priest.

The establishment of the united monarchy served to promote the worship of Yahweh. Although the monarchy was mostly a political necessity, the establishment of the covenant between Yahweh and the house of David ensured Yahweh’s blessings upon the descendants of David and the people and ensured the people’s devotion to Yahweh.

Next: The Reign of Solomon

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Syncretism, Saul, David

St John of Damascus on Islam

Kevin P. Edgecomb, at biblicalia, has written a very interesting post that you should read.  The post, “St John of Damascus on Islam,” deals with St. John of Damascus’ view on early Islam.  St. John was born at Damascus in 676 and died around 754.  He was a Christian who was brought up under the Muslim who controlled Damascus during his lifetime.

Kevin provides and interesting introduction to St. John’s writing:

St John of Damascus is a very important witness to early Islam. He was born into a very privileged family in Damascus (his grandfather had been the administrator of the city at the time the Muslims took it) and he grew up and served in the court of the caliph. He was entirely familiar with Islam (a name it did not yet possess, apparently), and thus what he has to say about it, and the context in which he places it, is of great historical importance. For one thing, this is a single chapter in his work On Heresies, part of his larger work, The Fountain of Knowledge. Thus, during his lifetime, St John did not consider Islam to yet be a separate religion, but rather a Christian heresy. In any case, he mentions several suras of the Qur'an by name, and refers most interestingly to one which is no longer extant. St John, in this work, as characteristically, pulls no punches. Enjoy.

St. John of Damascus on Islam:

“And there is also the up until now strong and people-deceiving superstition of the Ishmaelites, being the forerunner of Antichrist. And it is born from Ishmael, who was born from Hagar to Abraham, from which they are called Hagarenes and Ishmaelites. And they call them Saracens, as from Σα??α? ?ε??? (those empty of Sarah), because of what was said by Hagar to the angel: "Sarah has sent me away empty." So then, these were idolaters and reverenced the morning star and Aphrodite, who they indeed named Khabar in their own language, which means great. Therefore, until the time of Heraclius, they were plainly idolaters. From that time and until now came up among them a false prophet called Mamed, who, having encountered the Old and New Testament, as it seems, having conversed with an Arian monk, he put together his own heresy. And under the pretext of seeming pious, attracting (?) people, he reported that a book was sent down to him from heaven by God. Therefore some of the compositions written by him in a book, worthy of laughter, which he handed down to them as an object of reverence.”

I Encourage you to visit Kevin’s blog and read the whole statement by St. John of Damascus on Islam.

Claude F. Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist SeminaryTag: Islam

Marijuana and Archaeology

It is amazing how the teachings of the Old Testament are used to justify the wrong actions of people. By taking a biblical text out of its context, a person can prove anything.

Now, people are using archaeology to justify the use of marijuana. Take for example, the case of Dan and Mary Quaintance, members of the Church of Cognizance in Pima, New Mexico. The Quaintances were arrested recently by New Mexico police because they were caught with 172 pounds of marijuana in their possession.

In their own defense, they said marijuana was necessary for them to practice their Zoroastrian faith. In defending their use of marijuana, Mr. Quaintance said:

“Archaeology has shown a correlation between cannabis and the Tree of Life in the Bible.”

In denying that Dan and Mary Quaintance were members of the Zoroastrian faith, Mr. Rustom Kevala, president of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America, said marijuana has never been a part of the religious practices of Zoroastrianism.

In addition, Mr. Parizad Patel-Pascuicco, secretary of the Zoroastrian Association of Arizona, said: “One of the crucial aspects of the Zoroastrian religion is that members are fire-worshippers and are forbidden to even light a cigarette, much less use drugs.”

This issue of marijuana in the Garden of Eden has great relevance for society today. If the Tree of Life in Genesis was marijuana, then we must ask ourselves this important question: Did Adam get to smoke a joint while he was in the Garden of Eden?

Again, if the Tree of Life was marijuana, then the answer to the question above is obvious. In Genesis 3:22-23 we read:

Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden.

This verse clearly teaches that Adam never ate from the tree of life. So, contrary to Mr. Quaintance’s theology, Adam never had the opportunity to touch any tree belonging to genus Canna (Cannabis).

Again, if the Tree of Life was marijuana, then, people who smoke marijuana should notice this important lesson from Genesis: God banished Adam from the Garden of Eden so that he should not touch marijuana (the Tree of Life). Do you think people will learn this lesson? Probably not!

I have another question: Who was the archaeologist that came to the conclusion that the Tree of Life was Cannabis? Maybe that archaeologist saw Paradise while he was smoking the Tree of Life.
Read the article, Church of Cognizance out of line with zoroastrian religion, written by Adam Gaub and learn more about Zoroastrianism by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Marijuana, Archaeology

The Tragedy of War

The war between Israel and Hezbollah is a tragedy that cannot be described with words. Since the conflict has involved other groups and nations, such as the Palestinians, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran, this war has been called the beginning of World War III.

The war began on July 12 when Hezbollah killed several Israelite soldiers and captured two others. The conflict escalated when Hezbollah, using its bases in Lebanon, launched katucha rockets against northern Israelite cities. Israel retaliated by bombing southern Lebanon and the Gaza strip.

From Israel’s perspective, the retaliation cannot be considered an act of aggression because Israelite leaders believe Israel was defending itself against enemies who had been attacking them. From an Arab perspective, Israeli retaliation was an act of Zionist aggression against the Palestinian people.

The tragedy of this war is that in this conflict, the innocent suffer. In the process of fighting this war, men, women, and children are being killed, hurt, and maimed. Thousands are becoming homeless by the devastation. Thousands more are becoming refugees who have to abandon everything they own in order to find refuge from the carnage and devastation.

Christians disagree whether the Bible allows or forbids Christians to be engaged in wars. The church has generally allowed Christians to participate in war when the cause is justified. Others believe that the teachings of Christ forbid Christians to participate in war.

The reason for this war in the Middle East is complicated. It involves land, religion and politics; it also involves pride and cultural values. In addition, the origin of this conflict is both old and new.

In 1947 the United Nation’s Partition Resolution gave Israel the right to have a territory in Palestine and in the 1948 war of independence, Israel annexed the Palestinian territories of Galilee, parts of the Gaza Strip, and parts of the West Bank. Then, in the 1967 war, Israel fought against Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza.

But the struggle is much older than the establishment of the modern State of Israel. If the Palestinians are the descendants of the Ishmaelites, then both the children of Isaac and the children of Ishmael were interlopers in the affairs of the people who lived in the land of Canaan.

If the Palestinians are considered the remnants of the biblical Philistines, then they were latecomers to the land of Canaan, just as Israel was. If the Palestinians were the remnants of the old Canaanite population, then it must be remembered that many of the people who became Israelites in the twelveth century B.C. were also Canaanites.

This is the reason both the Palestinians and the Israelis deserve a nation of their own. The only resolution to the conflict in Palestine is the two state solution. Both Israel and Palestine should become independent nations, living side-by-side with each other. But this solution means that both Hamas and Hezbollah must recognize the right of Israel to exist as a nation. But, as the situation stands today, neither Hamas nor Hezbollah are willing to recognize Israel’s right to exist.

War is a learned behavior. In explaining the reason the Canaanite nations were not completely destroyed, the writer of the book of Judges wrote:

“Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before” (Judges 3:1-2).

The new generation of Israelites who were living in the Promised Land had not experienced the wars of conquest. Now, there was a need to teach the technique of warfare to those who had not experienced the previous wars of conquest.

Soldiers must learn how to kill the enemies and how to defend themselves. They must learn how to use their weapons for attack and defense. Without gaining firsthand knowledge of weapons and tactics, Israelite soldiers would become easy prey to their enemies.

War is a learned behavior. Soldiers have to be taught how to fight. In a sense, soldiers must go to school to learn how to be soldiers, to learn how to kill.

But there is a better way. If war is a learned behavior, then war can be eliminated if people stop learning how to fight wars. This is the Messianic ideal. Writing about the Messianic era, the prophet Micah wrote:

“He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Micah 4:3).

“Neither shall they learn war anymore.” These words are a reversal of Judges 3:2. It means that the end of wars is possible. When nations come to a point in which they shall no longer teach their people how to fight wars, war will cease to be a human tragedy.

But the end of war requires one important thing: nations must be willing to walk in the ways of the Lord. As Micah looks toward the future, to a day where war shall be no more, Micah sees the nations coming together to find the resolution of their problems in God:

“And many nations shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths’” (Micah 4:2).

In order to end wars, nations must be willing to learn and accept God’s way of dealing with conflicts. When nations become willing to accept God’s way, they will not go to war and they will not even get a hold of weapons to prepare for war, rather, they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. On that day, a nation shall not lift up sword against another nation and for this reason, they will solve their problems without war.

But, if we want the end of all wars, we will have to wait until the end of time because, as the prophet Joel said, before nations beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, they shall beat their plowshares into swords and their pruning hooks into spears (Joel 3:10).

And this, my friends, is the tragedy of war.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: War, Hezbollah, World War III, Palestinians

The Hidden Books of the Bible - The Solution

I am back again; it is nice to be home.

I also would like to welcome you back. I hope you are enjoying your Summer as much as I am enjoying mine. Now that I am back, I hope to post on a regular basis. I may be gone another week later on in the Summer, but nothing has been decided yet.

Before I went on vacation, I left a puzzle on the hidden books of the Bible. I received several emails with the answers. Unfortunately, many of you were short on the number of books you discovered in that paragraph.

There are sixteen books of the Bible hidden in that paragraph. To discover them, you had to eliminate punctuation and combine words in order to form the names of books. Here are the names of the biblical books that appear in that paragraph:

Mark
Luke
Kings
Acts
Revelation
James
Ruth
Numbers
Job
Amos
Esther
Judges
Titus
Lamentations
Hebrews
Peter

Once you discover the names of the books and, if you emphasize the names, the paragraph will look as follows:

“I once made the reMARK about the hidden books of the Bible. It was a luLU; KEpt people looKING So hard for the fACTS . . . and for others, it was a REVELATION. Some people were in a JAM, ESpecially since the names of the books were not capitalized. But the tRUTH finally struck home to NUMBERS of our readers. To others, it was a real JOB. We want it to be A MOSt fascinating few moments for you. YES, THERe will be some really easy ones to spot. Others may require JUDGES to help them. I will quickly admiT: IT USually takes a minister to find one of them, and there will be loud LAMENTATIONS when it is found. A little lady says sHE BREWS a cup of tea so she can concentrate better. See how well you can comPETE. Relax now, for there really are several names of books of the Bible in this paragraph.”

The first two readers who emailed me with the correct number of books were Chris Walter and Joseph Matos, both of them my former students. Thank you for your outstanding work.

I want to congratulate Marc Findlay who was persistent enough to work until he discovered all the sixteen books. Honorable mention also should go to all the readers who found all sixteen books and to those readers who sent their list but fell short of finding all sixteen books.

I hope that all of you who took the time to find the hidden books of the Bible, those who sent me an email and those who did not, had a lot of fun solving this puzzle.

Again, it is nice to be back.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

The Hidden Books of the Bible

I am always looking for something new I can learn about the Bible. There is an old puzzle about the hidden books of the Bible that I learned a long time ago. The puzzle below is old and many people already know the answer.

However, there is always a new generation of Bible students that needs to learn the puzzle for the first time. So, here is your turn.

There are several names of books of the Bible hidden in the paragraph below. Your mission is to discover them. See how many books of the Bible you can discover in the paragraph below.

“I once made the remark about the hidden books of the Bible. It was a lulu; kept people looking so hard for the facts . . . and for others, it was a revelation. Some people were in a jam, especially since the names of the books were not capitalized. But the truth finally struck home to numbers of our readers. To others, it was a real job. We want it to be a most fascinating few moments for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to spot. Others may require judges to help them. I will quickly admit: it usually takes a minister to find one of them, and there will be loud lamentations when it is found. A little lady says she brews a cup of tea so she can concentrate better. See how well you can compete. Relax now, for there really are several names of books of the Bible in this paragraph.”

I will be away for a few days, so there will be no new posts until I return. At that time, I will give the answer to the puzzle. In the mean time, let me know how many books of the Bible you found in the paragraph above. Send me an email at claude@claudemariottini.com and let me know how many books of the Bible you found; also, give the names of the books listed above.

There will be no reward for a job well done. If you are the first person to send me the correct answer, I will commend you for a job well done and for your keen sense of observation.

The answer will be posted after I return.

Have fun.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

9/11: A Hoax Perpetrated By The U.S. Government?

In an interesting article that appeared in the Jewish World Review, published on June 28, 2006, Daniel Pipes summarizes the findings of a survey carried out by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.  This survey, titled "The Great Divide: How Westerners and Muslims View Each Other," reflects the views of Muslims and Westerners in ten countries, six of them with majority Muslim populations (Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey) and four of them in Western Europe with minority Muslim populations (France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain).

In the article, Pipes describes what the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press discovered:  a Muslin “proclivity to conspiracy theories.”  Pipes wrote:

In not one Muslim population polled does a majority believe that Arabs carried out the 9/11 attacks on the United States. The proportions range from a mere 15 percent in Pakistan holding Arabs responsible, to 48 percent among French Muslims. Confirming recent negative trends in Turkey, the number of Turks who point the finger at Arabs has declined from 46 percent in 2002 to 16 percent today. In other words, in every one of these ten Muslim communities, a majority views 9/11 as a hoax perpetrated by the U.S. government, Israel, or some other agency.

Pipes concludes his article by saying: Overall, the Pew survey sends an undeniable message of crisis from one end to the other of the Muslim world.

Pipes’ article is an article worth reading.

To read Pipes’ article, click here.

To read the Pew survey, "The Great Divide: How Westerners and Muslims View Each Other," click here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Skeletons Found in Rome Catacombs

Nick Pisa writing from Rome for The Scotsman is reporting that Raffaella Giuliani, chief inspector of the Vatican's Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, who is overseeing the dig, and a group of archaeologists have found 1,000 skeletons in recent discovered catacombs in Rome.

Pisa wrote:

Archaelogists [sic] exploring one of Rome's oldest catacombs have discovered more than 1,000 skeletons dressed in elegant togas.

Experts are thrilled by the find - which dates from about the first century - as it is the first "mass burial" of its kind identified. Mystery surrounds why so many bodies were neatly piled together in the complex network of underground burial chambers, which stretch for miles under the city.

It was the custom then for Rome's upper classes to be burnt not buried, so it is thought the skeletons may be early Christians. Tests are being carried [sic] to establish whether they suffered violent death or were victims of an unknown epidemic or natural disaster.

Readers have been debating the significance of this discovery. The question in the mind of many readers is whether these skeletons are the remains of Christians who died in opposition to Rome. Read this news report and join the debate about the significance of the findings.

Read the article by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology; Catacombs

The Seventh Biblical Studies Carnival

The results of The Seventh Biblical Studies Carnival have been posted at DailyHebrew.com.  The Biblical Studies Carnival highlights the best posts submitted by bibliobloggers for consideration.  

The Seventh Biblical Studies Carnival highlights the best posts for the month of July.  July saw a great number of excellent posts.  Those readers who visit the biblioblogs already know that there is much to be learned from the quality of the work submitted by the bibliobloggers.

I am delighted to let my readers know that Chip Hardy at DailyHebrew selected my post “Is George Bush the 666 (the Antichrist)?” and my work on The Long Day of Joshua to be among the best posts for July.

Thank you Chip for your outstanding work and for the selection of my posts.  August’s Biblical Study Carnival will be hosted by Kevin Edgecomb at Biblicalia.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

The Authenticity of the James Ossuary

The trial over the authenticity of the James Ossuary is continuing in Jerusalem. The James ossuary is the burial box which many scholars believe contained the bones of James, the brother of Jesus. Some Israeli archaeologists and the Israeli Antiquities Authority have declared the ossuary to be a fake while others believe on its authenticity.

In a report written by Stuart Laidlaw and published in the Toronto Star on Sunday, July 2, 2006, Laidlaw reports on the study done by Wolfgang Krumbien, an internationally recognized expert on patina from the University of Oldenburg in Germany.

Laidlaw wrote:

In a report that the review's editor Hershel Shanks called a "bombshell" in the Jerusalem Post last month, Wolfgang Krumbien articulated the growing concerns of many experts about the antiquities authority tests.

An internationally recognized expert on patina from the University of Oldenburg in Germany, Krumbien declared that the tests done by the authority were "irrelevant" and should never have been conducted.

Isotopic tests, he wrote in a report prepared for Golan's defence team, can only be used when [sic] on objects stored in ideal cave conditions and at steady temperatures.

But there is plenty of evidence that the James ossuary was not kept in such conditions. In fact, Krumbien found, it is likely that wherever the ossuary spent much of the past 2,000 years, there was either a flood or a cave-in of the wall of the tomb, which damaged the ossuary.

"The cave in which the James ossuary was placed, either collapsed centuries earlier, or alluvial deposits penetrated the chamber together with water and buried the ossuary, either completely or partially," he wrote.

As well, he wrote, he was able to find microscopic bits of patina within the inscription that matched the patina on the outside of the box, indicating that the lettering dated to the origins of the ossuary itself.

He attributed Goren's failure to find the patina to aggressive cleanings that removed almost all the patina from the lettering.

Israeli authorities have declined to comment on Krumbien’s report. This trial may not decide the authenticity of the ossuary, however, it may go a long way in encouraging further tests by specialists outside the Israeli Antiquities Authority’s control.

The James ossuary has become the center of international controversy. The Israeli Antiquities Authority has declared the ossuary and two other important archaeological artifacts to be frauds. If the Israeli court decides against the Israeli Antiquities Authority, it is possible an unbiased examination of this important archaeological discovery eventually will prove that the James ossuary may actually have contained the bones of Jesus’ brother.

To read Laidlaw’s report, click here.

Claude F. Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, James ossuary