The Bible and Copyright

William Patry, a Senior Copyright Counsel for Google Inc. and the former copyright counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, has written a post, “The Bible and Copyright,” in which he addresses my post in which I wrote that violation of copyright laws is stealing. In his post, Patry also discusses rabbinical sources that address copyright issues.

His conclusion:

“The Tosefta (Baba Kamma 7:3), far from condemning use of other’s words without their permission as “theft” regards it as meritorious, so long as credit is given.”

Read Patry’s article by visiting the The Patry Copyright Blog

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Bible, Copyright

Zimri, King of Israel

Zimri was the fifth king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. According to the biblical text, Zimri ruled for only seven days. Zimri was the commander of half the chariots in the army of Elah son of Baasha, king of Judah.

Little is known about Zimri, but Robin Gallaher Branch, Crichton College has written an article that provides an excellent introduction on this little known king.

The following is Branch’s conclusion:

Zimri emerges with a discernible personality. He leaves a dominant impression and is a believable character.[29] Zimri, by force of his actions and personality, controls the textual space in which he appears. He emerges as a leader without followers, a usurper lacking administrative ability, and a slave/servant/official whose foolish actions lead to his own death. The text muzzles Zimri - probably because he's long on brawn and short on brain! It appears he murdered Elah on the spur of the moment within the context of a drinking bout gone sour. While the text mentions Zimri plotted against Elah, it reveals no details about a plan. Consequently, the text shows Zimri lacks the quality of administration so necessary for an ongoing, successful kingship. Furthermore, his fellow Israelite soldiers refuse to acknowledge him, indicating that they recognize he lacks the qualities necessary to lead them in battle. Therefore, their refusal to follow him, the omission of any tribal affiliation associated with him, the silence regarding his patrimony, the rarity of suicide as a means of death in the biblical text, Jezebel's mocking slur on his name that equates her assassin to him, and his designation as an 'ebed and not a mesharet - all these make me believe that Zimri lived and died a slave.[30]

I highly recommend that you read this article. The article was published in the SBL Forum. Read the article by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Elah, Northern Kingdom, Zimri

Brevard Childs

Brevard Childs, the Emeritus Sterling Professor of Divinity at Yale died on June 23, 2007. Childs was famous for his canonical approach to biblical studies. His book, Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture emphasized the importance of studying the Bible canonically.

To read a brief biographical information on Childs, click here.

D. R. Driver has written a detailed bibliography of Childs' work. Visit Driver's page by clicking here.

Credit. I want to thank Airton for this information

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tag: Brevard Childs

Hatshepsut’ Mummy

Reuters is reporting that archaeologist have found Hatshepsut’ mummy. The following is the story released by Reuters:

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptologists think they have identified with certainty the mummy of Hatshepsut, the most famous queen to rule ancient Egypt, found in a humble tomb in the Valley of the Kings, an archaeologist said on Monday.

Egypt's chief archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, will hold a news conference in Cairo on Wednesday. The Discovery Channel said he would announce what it called the most important find in the Valley of the Kings since the discovery of King Tutankhamun.

The archaeologist, who asked not to be named, said the candidate for identification as the mummy of Hatshepsut was one of two females found in 1903 in a small tomb believed to be that of Hatshepsut's wet-nurse, Sitre In.

Several Egyptologists have speculated over the years that one of the mummies was that of the queen, who ruled from between 1503 and 1482 BC -- at the height of ancient Egypt's power.

The archaeologist said Hawass would present new evidence for an identification but that not all Egyptologists are convinced he will be able to prove his case.

"It's based on teeth and body parts ... It's an interesting piece of scientific deduction which might point to the truth," the archaeologist said.

Egyptologist Elizabeth Thomas speculated many years ago that one of the mummies was Hatshepsut's because the positioning of the right arm over the woman's chest suggested royalty.

Her mummy may have been hidden in the tomb for safekeeping after her death because her stepson and successor, Tuthmosis III, tried to obliterate her memory.

Donald Ryan, an Egyptologist who rediscovered the tomb in 1989, said on an Internet discussion board this month that there were many possibilities for the identities of the two female mummies found in the tomb, known as KV 60.

"Zahi Hawass recently has taken some major steps to address these questions. Both of the KV 60 mummies are in Cairo now and are being examined in various clever ways that very well might shed light on these questions," he added.

In an undated article on his Web site, Hawass cast doubt on the theory that the KV-60 mummy with the folded right arm was that of Hatshepsut.

"I do not believe this mummy is Hatshepsut. She has a very large, fat body with huge pendulous breasts, and the position of her arm is not convincing evidence of royalty," he wrote.

He was more optimistic about the mummy found in the wet-nurse's coffin and traditionally identified as the nurse's. That mummy is stored away in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

"The body of the mummy now in KV 60 with its huge breasts may be the wet-nurse, the original occupant of the coffin ... The mummy on the third floor at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo could be the mummy of Hatshepsut," Hawass wrote.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Egypt, Hatshepsut, Zahi Hawass

Obituaries

The SBL Forum for June-July 2007 is announcing the deaths of Robert North and James F. Ross.

Read the obituary for the Rev. Robert North, S.J. 1916-2007 by clicking here.

Read the obituary for James F. Ross, 1927 - 2007 by clicking here.

Those who have specialized in Old Testament know the great contribution these two scholars have made to the field. They will be missed

R.I.P.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: James Ross, Robert North

Tony Blair Prepares to Convert to Catholicism

Christian Today is reporting that Tony Blair is converting to Catholicism.

The following is an excerpt to the news release:

Tony Blair will meet Pope Benedict at the Vatican on Saturday to prepare to convert to Roman Catholicism, various newspapers have reported on Friday. Blair, who is currently Anglican, had decided to seek admission to the Catholic Church, according to unidentified sources in London and Rome.

Read the news release by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tag: Catholic Church, Tony Blair

Christians and the Copyright Laws

Tim Bulkeley and I are having a dialogue about the issue of copyright, theft, and the ministry. My initial post, “You Shall Not Steal Thy Brother’s Song,” first prompted Tim’s comment (available on my blog) and then his post on “Copyright, theft and ministry.” My post also prompted a comment from Peter Kirk, which can be read on my blog.

Tim, Peter, and I agree that the violation of the copyright laws is wrong. Peter does not believe that the breach of copyright laws is a violation of the commandment “You shall not steal,” but rather it is “a wrong to one’s neighbour which should be pursued through civil courts.”

In my response to Peter, I wrote:

Christians today have a higher standard. The tenth commandment is clear: "You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor" (Exodus 20:17). A song written by a Christian musician is his property and under current laws it is protected under intellectual property rights. To take by stealth what belongs to another person is theft. Christians should respect the rights and property of another Christian.

We are dealing with a gray area of the law but I believe the law is on the side of the owner of the song.

I believe that churches and Christian musicians should avoid the improper use of copyrighted music and do the right thing and pay royalties. If a song was written by a Christian musician, that musician has the rights afforded him by the copyright laws.

Tim’s post deals with the excessive profits made by the record companies. I agree with him on this issue. The music industry makes exorbitant profit with their products. In my response to Tim, I wrote:

"The industry is a big business and they are in the business of making money. If people don't like that they are making a lot of money, then they should stop buying from them."

It is sad but true that the commercialization of some aspects of Christianity has hurt the church. To a certain extent, the church today has become a big business.

The church has been affected by a culture of fame and wealth. Christian music has become a big business that promotes a popular brand of Christian music that at times, does little to promote the gospel.

If the music industry thrives in our society it is because Christians choose to patronize the industry. Christian musicians produce what the Christian audience desires. To a certain extent, they are selling the gospel, as Tim wrote. But let’s face it: if the singers and the record companies are making a lot of money it is because, to some extent, people like what they hear.

Many Christian musicians have become “stars” and the industry is making a lot of money. However, their success does not give any church or any Christian musician the right to use illegally the work of another Christian musician.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Copyright Laws, Intellectual Property, Music Industry,

Slavery in China

A few days ago, I published a blog dealing with slavery in the 21st Century

Here is an article about slavery in China published in Times.com.

The furor in China surrounding the discovery that children and the mentally handicapped had been kidnapped and sold into slavery is showing no sign of abating. It seems increasingly likely that the controversy will mark a significant milestone in the evolution of the country's civil society. Police said they had rescued more than 500 people from forced labor in brick kilns, where they were worked 18 hours a day and beaten if they tried to escape. Some 30 arrests have been made and more are expected following a massive police rescue operation involving 35,000 officers checking 7,500 work places.

Read the article by visiting Times.com.

Photo Credit: Times.com

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: China, Slavery, Slaves

The “Ten Commandments” for Drivers

The Vatican, through its Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, has released a document titled “Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road” in which they offer Ten Commandments for Drivers.

The introduction of the documents says:

These Guidelines for the pastoral care of the road, which is looked after by a specific Department of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, are the outcome of a great endeavour entailing listening, reflection and insight.

The Document breaks down into four quite separate parts, taking account of the specific nature and scope of issues connected with the road as a place for pastoral care. The first part is devoted to road users (motorists, lorry drivers, etc.) and railway users, and to the people who work in the various related services. Parts two and three concern street women and street children, respectively, and the fourth regards the homeless (tramps).

This Document is dedicated to all the above-mentioned people, but account should also be taken of pavement dwellers and street vendors, as well as the link between the road and tourists, pilgrims, gypsies, circus and fairground workers and street actors.

The Pontifical Council introduces several Old Testament and a New Testament texts to provide a biblical basis for the Ten Commandments for drivers. The following are the Old Testament texts used by the Pontifical Council:

Notes from the Old Testament

11. The Bible contains continuous migrations and wanderings. The Patriarchs, Abraham (cf. Genesis 12:4-10), Isaac (cf. Genesis 26:1,17,22), Jacob (cf. Genesis 29:1; 31:21; 46:1-7)) and Joseph (cf. Genesis 37:28) led a wandering existence. When their descendants had become a numerous people, Moses led them out of Egypt (cf. Exodus 12:41), crossing the Red Sea (cf. Exodus 14) and wandering in the desert (see Exodus 15:22).

12. In the experience of mobility, full of risks and tragedies, the People of God are always assisted by the special protection of Yahweh (see Exodus 13:21). The repeated unfaithfulness of the Israelites to the Covenant would later lead to a far more distressing journey, the deportation to Babylon (cf. 2 Kings 24:15). After long years of exile, God's faithfulness was manifested in the proclamation of Cyrus, which gave the opportunity of the joyful return journey to the Promised Land (cf. 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Psalms 126 [125].

13. The psalmist (cf. Psalms 107 [106]:7) indicates the "straight way" on which the Lord leads, whilst the prophet Isaiah calls for preparation of the highway of the Lord (cf. Isaiah 40:3). The importance given by the Bible to the theme of wandering - of travelling - also clearly emerges from the fact that the term "way" is used as a metaphor to indicate all kinds of human behaviour. The Scriptures insistently exhort the choice of "straight ways", and not "to stand in the way of sinners" (Psalms 1:1), and to walk in the ways of the Lord (cf. Deuteronomy 8:6; 10:12; 19:9).

The Ten Commandments for Drivers

61. With the request for motorists to exercise virtue, we have drawn up a special "decalogue" for them, in analogy with the Lord's Ten Commandments. These are stated here below, as indications, considering that they may also be formulated differently.

I. You shall not kill.

II. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

III. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

IV. Be charitable and help your neighbour in need, especially victims of accidents.

V. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

VI. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

VII. Support the families of accident victims.

VIII. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

IX. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

X. Feel responsible towards others.

Read the the document by clicking here.

I don’t know about you, but as for me, I believe these are the Ten Commandments that should be placed in buildings everywhere.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Drivers, Pastoral Care, Ten Commandments, Vatican

An Interview With Professor Ehud Netzer

Arutz Sheva has published a video containing an interview with Professor Ehud Netzer. Netzer discovered King Herod's tomb at the Herodion.

Prof. Netzer spent several years researching Herod’s reign and life and digging at his architectural achievements, including castles in Jericho, Masada, the Temple Mount, and the Herodion.

Watch the video by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Ehud Netzer, Herod

Slavery in the 21st Century

The Baptist Press is reporting today that almost one million people are sold into servitude every year. The following report was released by the Baptist Press:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Five Arab countries allied with the United States -- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar -- are among the world's worst offenders in human slavery and sex trafficking, according to a new report from the U.S. State Department.

Among other atrocities, the annual "Trafficking in Persons Report" documents the problems of children sold into prostitution and forced to become child soldiers. Sixteen countries named in the report have 90 days to improve their efforts to combat trafficking or face possible economic sanctions.

U.S. Ambassador Mark Lagon told Reuters news service it was "especially disappointing" that many of the countries ranked lowest were Middle Eastern nations that have the money to combat the problem. Congressman Chris Smith criticized the fact that 32 countries -- among them U.S. allies like India -- were kept out of the lowest category.

An estimated 800,000 people -- most of them women and girls -- are sold into servitude each year. Perhaps half of those are minors.

It is tragic that slavery is still a fact of life for so many people in this age of enlightenment.

Israel had experienced slavery in Egypt, thus the stealing and selling of a person was considered a capital crime in Israel: “Whoever kidnaps a person, whether that person has been sold or is still held in possession, shall be put to death” (Exodus 21:16).

This law forbids kidnaping of persons for sale in the slave market. The law also punishes the slave dealer who confines a person as a slave to be sold to another person.

A similar law in the book of Deuteronomy dealing with involuntary servitude reveals how insidious the slave market was in the Ancient Near East, even in Israel: “If someone is caught kidnaping another Israelite, enslaving or selling the Israelite, then that kidnaper shall die. So you shall purge the evil from your midst” (Deuteronomy 24:7).

Slavery is the victimization of men and women and it deprives them of their rights as human beings and violates their dignity as people of worth. Slavery must come to an end. Nations must rise and unite against any form of involuntary servitude.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Human Rights, Slaves, Slavery

The New Testament and Anti-Semitism

Is the New Testament anti-Semitic?

In an article published in the American Thinker, James Arlandson asked the question: "Is the New Testament Anti-Semitic?" In order to find answers to his question, he searched the New Testament for traces of Anti-Semitism is the gospels and the Pauline epistles.

The following is an excerpt of Arlandson’s article:

In the four Gospels, about four decades before the destruction of the temple by the Romans in AD 70, Jesus crisscrossed his homeland Israel, preaching and living the kingdom of God. Sometimes ordinary fellow Jews did not accept his teaching (John 6:60-66). But most in fact liked what they heard and saw, particularly his healing ministry.

The opposition to Jesus came from the leaders of his own nation. He opposed their power structures that governed the temple in Jerusalem. That is one reason he made a whip and cleared part of the temple (Mark 11:12-19). The Gospel of John uses the word "Jews" over seventy times, sometimes positively (e.g. 4:22) and sometimes neutrally (e.g. 2:6). But John mostly uses it of the Jewish leaders who were hostile to Jesus. This matches up with the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In almost all cases when the sparks fly in the Gospels, the clash happens between him and religious leaders. In fact, a careful keyword search in an exhaustive concordance of the Bible confirms this class difference. He did not condemn ordinary people; rather, he told them that his way led to an easing of heavy religious burdens (Matt. 11:28-30). But he challenged the leaders who put these burdens on the people. See his lengthy "Seven Woes" pronounced on them (Matt. 23:1-36).

By analogy, Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, says that many Pharisees who interacted with the people also opposed the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem. They and the Sadducees - the very ones who made up most of the Jerusalem establishment - clashed often. Were these Pharisees anti-Semitic? Of course not.

Likewise, Jesus was a Jew who lived in a Jewish environment. Whom else would he challenge? Who else would oppose him? Hindus? Buddhists? Simple historical facts teach us that he had no political power, so he could not wield the weapons of anti-Semitism. All the verses in the four Gospels must be read in that historical context.

His conclusion: “Christians look high and low through the New Testament and can find no anti-Semitism.”

Good article. Read the article by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Anti-Semitism, New Testament

You Shall Not Steal Thy Brother’s Song

Every Christian knows that stealing is wrong. Christians know by heart what the eighth commandment says: “You shall not steal.” To steal means to take possession of that which belongs to another person.

The Hebrew word for “stealing” covers a wide range of thefts, including music.

James Michael Stevens, a prolific musician, has written an article in which he tells of his experience with churches and Christians singers who use his music without paying royalties.

The following is an excerpt of his article:

The second example is of another church that has thousands in attendance every Sunday and which may indeed be the world's largest. The church was selling about 20 different CDs on the church's website that contained our song. I contacted them to see if I could get some copies of the CDs and to make them aware that all of them had been done without permission, without our knowledge and without paying royalties. Since the church was merely selling them and were not the record producers, I thought they would want to know since their church was one of the world's best known with one of the most famous pastors of all time. The next day, someone went on the church's website and removed the title of our song from the song list of each of the CDs. Now understand that they were still selling the CDs, and our song was still on each of them, they just removed our title from the list so no one would know.

Now let me share some of the reasoning that Christians gave for illegal copying:

One person said that the fault of the illegal copying was with the greedy record companies, because the record companies charged too much for their CDs. Since they charged "too much," then this made it OK for the music to be copied without permission. Hey, if they cost too much, don't buy them. Perhaps some in the record industry would like to give their input, but my guess is that they actually lose money on many if not the majority of releases.

Here was the logic from another party, which was actually a man in a Christian singing group. The young man said in essence that he had made illegal copies of a CD from a name artist and gave the copies to friends including a minister of music at a church. The minister of music listened to the CD and liked it so much that he invited the artist to his church to perform. The artist got a "gig" and was able to sell "legal" copies of his CDs at the concert. The question to me by the infringer was "Did my making the illegal copies hurt or help the artist?" .Or does the "end, justify the means?"

Another gentleman, who was also a Christian musician, suggested to me the bible does not even support the idea of intellectual property rights and therefore, there was no such thing as giving a valid "moral" argument for the refraining from copyright infringement, only a "legal" one. There were many other bizarre justifications as well.

Read the article by clicking here.

To pilfer music without proper acknowledgment is one way by which countless Christians violate the eighth commandment. And this kind of stealing is not a victimless crime. Christians composers make a living from their work.

In his book, Written in Stone: The Ten Commandments and Today’s Moral Crisis (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2003), Philip Graham Ryken wrote: “There is theft of intellectual property, the violation of copyrights, including the unlawful duplication of music and videos” (p. 173).

It is sad that some of the people who are pilfering music are some of the same people who advocate that the Ten Commandments be exhibited in public places.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Christian Music, Stealing, Ten Commandments

The Book of Ecclesiastes: In Search of a Better Life

In my previous post, I said that the book of Ecclesiastes reflects the struggle of an individual who was searching for meaning in life. He was a troubled person, a person bothered by the inconsistencies, the inequalities, and the mysteries of life.

The author of the book, known as Qoheleth, used Solomon as a literary devise to tell his story. Although he did not find meaning in riches and pleasures, he found something greater. Qoheleth’s search for a better life is the search of every individual and it is here where his book can help us.

The author of Ecclesiastes presents “the son of David” reflecting back on days he lived in futility and on the tragedies of his life. By adopting Solomon as the literary character of the book, Qoheleth introduces the “son of David” as one who was everything a king represented and who had everything a person wanted. And yet, he was dejected, haunted, disillusioned, and disappointed.

Having gone after wisdom, pleasure, and wealth, Qoheleth realized his prodigal ways of life and his efforts to find happiness left him empty, as empty as he was when he began his search.

The primary lesson of Ecclesiastes is that money and power cannot satisfy that unnameable hunger of the human spirit. The human spirit is hungry for meaning, for the assurance that life matters, that the world will be different once answers are found, and that human life will be better because one understands one’s purpose in the world.

Qoheleth’s theme is that human life without God is vanity and empty of meaning. He illustrates his theme by stating the futility of all wisdom, the vanity of pleasure and labor. To him, everything in life is hollow, it is like vapor, and it amounts to very little. People live in a world in which there is endless movement but little change, there is a perpetual pouring out of effort and yet, little profit.

Qoheleth believes that “There is a time for everything, and there is a time for every activity under heaven,” (Ecclesiastes 3:l-8). These words reflect his view that everything that happens to people has been predetermined and it will happen in its uniquely appropriate time. He knows and understands that people must learn to live with what cannot be changed for God has already decreed everything that is to happen: “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

In the end he discovered that anything under the sun that dominates a person’s life is futile. His conclusion tells all: “After all this, there is only one thing to say: ‘Have reverence for God, and obey his commandments because this is all that man was created for’” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

It seems that the author of Ecclesiastes wrote his book to tell others the results of his search for wisdom, to comfort those who were experiencing the burdens of life, and to lift up those
who were naturally weak or depressed by their own circumstances and to lead them back into the ways of God.

He was moved to write his book as a result of a life painfully full of disappointing experiences, a life he lived away from God. With deep sympathy for other seekers who may have been experiencing the same feelings and sufferings in their lives, he wrote to lead them out of the skepticism and perplexities in which he once was entangled.

The message of the book of Ecclesiastes is a message than can also be addressed to people who live in the twenty-first century, people who are trapped in a world of materialism, secular humanism, greed, and hedonism. Like Qoheleth, they are searching for a better life but are unable to find satisfaction in the things they do and in the things they have.

People who read the book of Ecclesiastes discover that the way of life described in the pages of this book is an accurate description of the way life is lived today. Ecclesiastes brings a special message of hope and direction to those who are searching for a better life, for the book shows that the author confronted a life of perplexity and meaninglessness and in the end found his answer.

What then is life all about? Qoheleth struggled with the mysteries of life and he found an answer. His answer? Qoheleth discovered that all human affairs and pursuits are vain and useless unless God is present in human affairs.

The book exhorts the reader to avoid the vanities of this life and to pursue the things that lead to love, industry, patience, and the fear of God. In the end, the book is an invitation to draw near to the living God in reverent worship and in humble acknowledgment of his power, and in reliance on his justice. Life is highly complex, and it is the work of a great Creator. God has designed the world and everything in it to function according to his wonderful purpose.

Qoheleth discovered that people try to live their complex lives independently of God, without living their lives according to the purpose for which the Creator intended: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them’” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

The work of Qoheleth serves as a preparation for the Christian faith for his book shows the full impact of what happens when an individual lives without God. A. S. Peake (p. 155) spoke of the significance of the book of Ecclesiastes. He wrote:

“It puts forth the logic of a non-Christian position with tremendous force, to all who feel keenly the misery of this world. More vividly than anything else in the Old Testament, it shows us how imperious was the necessity for the revelation of God in Christ.”

Because Qoheleth was courageous enough to express the deepest sentiments of his heart, we can acknowledge with all certainty that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the best help for us who live today in a world that offers no easy answers to the difficult problems of life.

Reference: A. S. Peake, The Problem of Suffering in the Old Testament. London: Epworth Press, 1947.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Ecclesiastes, Qoheleth,Vanity

The Ruth Bell Graham Memorial

The Billy Graham organization has made available a beautiful memorial for Ruth Graham.

A must see.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tag: Ruth Graham

A Tribute To Ruth Graham

The following collection of news release and obituaries is a tribute to Ruth Graham. Mrs. Graham was a remarkable Christian woman who made an impact in the lives of thousands of people through her writings and through the ministry of her husband Billy Graham and her children.

A Partner in Ministry

"Ruth was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team," Billy Graham said yesterday in a statement. "No one else could have borne the load that she carried. . . . My work through the years would have been impossible without her encouragement and support."


















A Godly Wife

"She had the ability to move among presidents and leaders, but then turn right around and clean the oven of a widow."

A Photo of a Happy Family

The Rev. Billy Graham and wife Ruth arrive in New York aboard the Queen Mary in 1954 with daughters Ruth, front, Anne, left, and Virginia.

The Daughter of a Missionary

Ruth Graham's parents were missionaries, and she envisioned marrying a man with whom she could continue that work.

A Christian Mother

"And it was she who took the lead in rearing their five children, supervised the construction of their mountain homestead - Little Piney Cove in Montreat - and otherwise anchored the family.

"I'm assuming home responsibilities," Graham explained to her husband early in their marriage, "to free you for your more important ones."

A Dear Saint of God

At the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in San Antonio that day, SBC President Frank Page led messengers in a time of prayer for Graham, whom he called a "dear saint of God."

Our prayers are with the Graham family at this time of separation.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tag: Ruth Graham

Ruth Graham Dies

CNN.com is reporting the death of Ruth Graham, the wife of evangelist Billy Graham. The following is an excerpt of the news report:

MONTREAT, North Carolina (AP) -- Ruth Graham, who surrendered dreams of missionary work in Tibet to marry a suitor who became the world's most renowned evangelist, died Thursday. She was 87.

Graham died at 5:05 p.m. at her home at Little Piney Cove, surrounded by her husband and all their five children, said a statement released by Larry Ross, Billy Graham's spokesman.

"Ruth was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team," Billy Graham said in a statement. "No one else could have borne the load that she carried. She was a vital and integral part of our ministry, and my work through the years would have been impossible without her encouragement and support.

"I am so grateful to the Lord that He gave me Ruth, and especially for these last few years we've had in the mountains together. We've rekindled the romance of our youth, and my love for her continued to grow deeper every day. I will miss her terribly, and look forward even more to the day I can join her in Heaven."

Ruth Graham had been bedridden for months with degenerative osteoarthritis of the back and neck and underwent treatment for pneumonia two weeks ago. At her request, and in consultation with her family, she had stopped receiving nutrients through a feeding tube for the last few days, Ross said.

The family plans a private interment ceremony and a public memorial service. Those arrangement had yet to be made on Thursday.

Read the complete obituary by visiting CNN.com.

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).

R.I.P.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tag: Ruth Graham

Billy Graham Announces Burial Plans

Billy Graham, in a statement released by his organizations, has announced his burial plans. The Statements says:

"Earlier this spring, after much prayer and discussion, Ruth and I made the decision to be buried beside each other at the Billy Graham Library in my hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina.

"We have held this decision privately and only decided to announce it now that she is close to going home to heaven.

"Ruth is my soul mate and best friend, and I cannot imagine living a single day without her by my side. I am more in love with her today than when we first met over 65 years ago as students at Wheaton College.

"Ruth and I appreciate, more than we can express, the prayers and letters of encouragement we have received from people across the country and around the world. Our entire family has been home in recent days and it has meant so much to have them at our side during this time. We love each one of them dearly and thank God for them."



UPDATE: According to the Chicago Tribune, Ruth Graham fell into a coma Wednesday, June 13 and is near death.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Billy Graham

The Book of Ecclesiastes: Vanity of Vanities

The book of Ecclesiastes is the work of an individual known as Qoheleth who was searching for meaning in life. Confronted with inconsistencies, inequalities, and other things that to him were absurd, Qoheleth tried to make sense of life and its mysteries.

The main theme of the book is expressed by the word “vanity”: “‘Vanity of vanities’, says the Preacher, ‘vanity of vanities! All is vanity’” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). This cry, found throughout the book, reflects the futile effort at understanding the things of God through human wisdom. Qoheleth said: “I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done in the world” (Ecclesiastes 1:13). What he discovered was that it is futile to try to understand the mysteries of life apart from God.

In his search for meaning and in his attempt at trying to make sense of life, he discovered that without God all endeavors are futile, that life is empty and meaningless, and that human wisdom leads to skepticism.

The author of Ecclesiastes used his own personal experience to show that all human efforts and earthly goals, when pursued for selfish desires and unbridled ambition, only lead to dissatisfaction and emptiness. This is the premise he introduced to the reader in the first chapter of the book. Qoheleth speaks of the futility and meaninglessness of all human endeavors and occupations. In his quest for answers, Qoheleth discovered that any attempt at finding an answer to the ultimate meaning of life through the acquisition of wisdom or knowledge provides no answer, and, in fact, it only increases the sense of futility and inadequacy.

To better understand the message of Ecclesiastes, it is important to acquire a background about the book and its author.

The book receives its name from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. In the Septuagint the book is called ekklesiastes, a word that means “assembly, congregation.” The name of the book in Hebrew is “Qoheleth.” The name comes from the word “qahal,” and it means “one who assembles.”

The title of the book has been taken to mean either, “one who collects wise sayings” or “one who addresses an assembly.” The author has been called “a preacher” or “a speaker.” Thus, the title implies that Qoheleth was the leader of an assembly, one who assembled a group for the purpose of addressing it.

In his book, Qoheleth describes himself as “the son of David and king in Jerusalem” (Ecclesiastes 1:1). This veiled reference to Solomon (Solomon’s name does not appear in the book) serves to emphasize that the one who is speaking was one who possessed wisdom and enjoyed the pleasures of life.

Most scholars agree that Solomon did not write Ecclesiastes, but he is the central figure of the book because the unknown author, Qoheleth, used him as a literary device to present his message to the reader.

The book of Ecclesiastes has a message for today’s society. Every day and everywhere we see many examples of what this book is conveying to his audience. People today seem to be reliving the life lived by Qoheleth. People work hard at trying to be happy in life. They buy things, change lifestyles, and seek after unending sources of pleasure in order to find happiness. However, in the end, many of these people do not find the happiness they seek, rather, it eludes them in spite of their efforts and hard work.

In western societies many people believe that career, success, and personal achievements are the most important goals in life and that achieving these goals is crucial for attaining a happy life. It is in light of these achievements that people are judged to be successful.

People today search for happiness and the true meaning of life in different ways: in satisfying physical desires, in material possessions, in wisdom and even in religious experiences. This is what Qoheleth did: “I determined that I would examine and study all things that are done in this world. I have seen everything done in this world, and I tell you, it is all useless” (Ecclesiastes 1:13-14).

In his search for life’s supreme good, Qoheleth, examined and studied every thing and experienced everything: drinking, possessions, wealth, power, pleasure and he concluded that, no matter what he did, the end of life was the same for everyone. He also discovered that no matter what he did or who he was, no matter how good or how badly he behaved, or how wise or how foolish he was, there was no ultimate good in life.

What people must learn today, as Qoheleth learned many years ago, is that life without God is empty and meaningless, that wealth and power, pleasure and possessions, position and prestige cannot make anyone happy.

Qoheleth has a very important lesson to teach people today. We must learn from him.

Next Post: The Book of Ecclesiastes: In Search of a Better Life


Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Ecclesiastes, Qoheleth, Vanity

Reverse Missionaries

IN THE NEWS

Kevin Sullivan, in an article published in the Washington Post on Monday, June 11, 2007 writes that missionaries from third country nations are discovering that Europe is a fertile mission field for the Gospel.

The following is an excerpt from the article:

COPENHAGEN -- The "Amens!" flew like popcorn in hot oil as 120 Christian worshipers clapped and danced and praised Jesus as if He'd just walked into the room. In a country where about 2 percent of the population attend church regularly and many churches draw barely enough worshipers to fill a single pew, the Sunday morning service at this old mission hall was one rocking celebration.

In the middle of all the keyboards, drums and hallelujahs, Stendor Johansen, a blond Danish sea captain built like a 180-pound ice cube, sang along and danced, as he said, like a Dane -- without moving.

"The Danish church is boring," said Johansen, 45, who left the state-run Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church three years ago and joined this high-octane interdenominational church run by a missionary pastor from Singapore. "I feel energized when I leave one of these services."

The International Christian Community (ICC) is one of about 150 churches in Denmark that are run by foreigners, many from Africa, Asia and Latin America, part of a growing trend of preachers from developing nations coming to Western Europe to set up new churches or to try to reinvigorate old ones.

For centuries, when Europe was the global center of Christianity, millions of European missionaries traveled to other continents to spread their faith by establishing schools and churches. Now, with European church attendance at all-time lows and a dearth of preachers in the pulpits, thousands of "reverse missionaries" are flocking back, migrating from poor countries to rich ones to preach the Gospel where it has fallen out of fashion.

The phenomenon signals a fundamental shift in the power, style and geography of Christianity, the world's largest religion. Most of its more than 2 billion adherents now live in the developing world. And as vast numbers of them migrate to Europe, as well as to the United States, they are filling pews and changing worship styles.

Churches in countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, South Korea and the Philippines have sent thousands of missionaries to Europe to set up churches in homes, office buildings and storefronts. Officials from the Redeemed Christian Church of God, a Pentecostal church based in Nigeria, said they have 250 churches in Britain now and plan to create 100 more this year. Britain's largest church, run by a Nigerian pastor in London, attracts up to 12,000 people over three services every Sunday.

Read article by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Charismatic Movement, Evangelism, Missions

Thinking about Canon

I have written three posts on the canon. You can read my posts here, here, and here.

A few days ago, I received an email from John Hobbins in which he tells me that he has written a long essay on the canon. "Thinking about Canon" is a detailed study that covers the canons of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible.

I commend this excellent work to those who are interested in the development of the canon.

Visit John Hobbins at Ancient Hebrew Poetry.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tag: Canon

Norman Golb on the Dead Sea Scrolls

Professor Norman Golb has written another article on the ongoing Dead Sea Scrolls controversy. The article is available in PDF format on the website of the Oriental Institute at theUniversity of Chicago.

The following is an excerpt taken from the article:

FACT AND FICTION IN CURRENT EXHIBITIONS OF THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS

Six decades after their discovery, the Dead Sea Scrolls are still being treated in many quarters as merely the writings of a small sect that once inhabited an austere desert location near the area where they were discovered. Nowhere is this effort being more ardently pursued than in the present series of Scroll exhibitions taking place here in the States.

This series, while rooted in showings of previous decades, was developed and formulated only during the past few years, beginning with the exhibit that took place in Charlotte (N.C.) in the spring of 2006. This one was passed on to Seattle’s Pacific Science Center (Autumn 2006). From there it traveled to Kansas City’s Discovery Place (Winter and Spring 2007), and it is now moving to San Diego’s Natural History Museum, with an opening planned for the end of June
2007.

It must be noted that the wording of the descriptions in the exhibit plaques has been formulated in consultation with and subject to the approval of the responsible curators at the Israel Antiquities Authority in Jerusalem.

While variations in wording can be found in each of the exhibitions, the basic idiom and associated message remain the same: they have in common an effort to convince the public of the truth of the old theory, created in the infancy of Scroll scholarship, that these manuscripts were written in whole or at least in large part by a Jewish sect of Essenes supposedly living at a site — Khirbet Qumran — located in the Judaean Wilderness near the Dead Sea shore.

These claims contradict the presently known accumulation of evidence, adduced by growing numbers of text scholars and archaeologists, demonstrating that the Scrolls are of Jerusalem origin, that Khirbet Qumran was a secular site with no connection to a religious sect, and that the Scrolls lack any organic relation to that site.


Read the whole article by clicking here.

The debate about the nature of the Qumran community continues. This article raises important issues that needs to be evaluated by those who are interested in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Dead Sea Scrolls, Norman Golb

Rereading Micah 6:4: Miriam, A Leader in Israel

Feminist hermeneutic has made an impact on biblical scholarship because it has demonstrated to interpreters that the biblical text reflects the patriarchal views of the society which gave birth to the text. In addition, feminist interpreters have shown that some of these same patriarchal values and concerns have affected biblical translations.

Feminist writers like to emphasize that the stories in the Bible were written by men for men. In many stories about women in the Old Testament, women remain nameless, as in the case of Jephthah’s daughter and the concubine that was raped and then dismembered or they remain voiceless, their voices only heard through the voice of the male redactor.

The portrayal of Miriam in the biblical text may demonstrate how the biblical writers lessened her influence as one of the leaders of the Israelite community at the time Israel journeyed through the wilderness.

The purpose of this study is to look at Miriam and how she is portrayed in the biblical text and then focus on Micah 6:4 and how the NIV portrays Miriam in its translation of that text.

Miriam appears in five books of the Old Testament: Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, 1 Chronicles, and Micah. Her name appears 15 times in these books, but only 13 in the NIV. On two occasions, in Numbers 12:10 and Numbers 12:15, the NIV uses the pronoun “she” instead of using Miriam’s name, as do most translations.

In Miriam’s first appearance in the biblical text, she is the nameless sister of Moses who watches him on the waters of the Nile. She is called only “his sister” (Exodus 2:4). In this text the reader can see the initiatives taken by Miriam: Miriam speaks to Pharaoh’s daughter and offers to find someone to take care of the child. Because of her, Moses lived his formative years with his own mother. Because of Miriam, Moses lives and does not die. Miriam saves her brother before he can save a single Hebrew.

In Exodus 15:20, Miriam is calledהנביאה “the prophetess.” A prophet (נביא) is a person called by God. Miriam was called by God to lead the people together with Moses and Aaron. Miriam was assigned a prophetical role because she led the community in celebrating God’s victory over the Egyptian army:

“Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea” (Exodus 15:21).

And yet, the song of Miriam has been attributed to Moses:

“Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, 'I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea'” (Exodus 15:1).

Some scholars have proposed that Miriam’s song was a response to Moses’ song. However, a critical review of Moses’ song in Exodus 15 reveals that the song was written many years after the events. Miriam’s song may be an old composition celebrating Israel’s crossing on the sea. Moses received the credit for the song, but it was Miriam who led Israel in celebrating God’s victory.

In Numbers 12:1-15 there is a controversy over the issue of leadership. In Numbers 12:2, Aaron and Miriam asked Moses: “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” (Numbers 12:12). However, Numbers 12:1 attributes the controversy to questions about Moses’ Cushite wife.

The text is not clear on the nature of the conflict, but it seems that Miriam was raising an issue that reflected a concern in the community. Although both Aaron and Miriam are involved in this controversy, only Miriam was punished as a result of this challenge to Moses’ leadership. The public nature of her punishment may indicate that the issue was of interest to the whole community.

That Miriam was a leader in Israel is clearly seen in Micah 6:4: “For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam” (Micah 6:4 ESV).

In this text Miriam is named as one of the leaders of Israel, together with Moses and Aaron, whom God sent to lead the people out of Egypt. The prophet Micah lists Moses, Aaron, and Miriam as the three leaders of Israel.

Thus, Micah’s statement reflects an ancient tradition that affirms that Miriam had a very significant leadership role in early Israelite history, a role that in later writing was downgraded partly in order to promote Moses as the prominent leader of Israel. Although the biblical text refers to Moses and Aaron as the leaders of the community, the text in Micah 6:4 reveals that Miriam was their equal.

Anderson and Freeman acknowledge the importance of Micah’s statement. They wrote: “What makes Micah’s simple statement so remarkable, and so puzzling, is the fact that nowhere in the tradition are the three siblings presented in a shared leadership role” (p. 519).

However, the NIV’s translation of Micah 6:4 looks like an attempt to diminish Miriam as a leader in Israel. The NIV translates: “I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam” (Micah 6:4 NIV). The same translation is found in the TNIV.

This translation does not reflect the biblical text. All the other translations reflect the Hebrew text: “For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam” (Micah 6:4 ESV).

The translation of the NIV takes away the unique leadership role Miriam had in the community. By separating Aaron and Miriam from Moses, the NIV elevates Moses’ position (“I sent Moses to lead you”) and diminishes Miriam almost to an afterthought (“also . . . Miriam”).

The leadership role of Miriam is also diminished in the biblical text. In Psalm 77:20 the name of Miriam is omitted from the list of leaders in Israel: “You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” Where is Miriam? Her position as a leader of Israel was marginalized by the Psalmist. The memory of what Miriam did for the community was forgotten, consigned to an ideology that minimized the contribution of women to their society.

Reading and interpreting the biblical text is not easy. At times, a translator, in order to make sense of a text, applies methods of interpretation that may reflect cultural and theological biases.

The NIV diminishes Miriam by omitting her name twice. Furthermore, the addition of the word “also” by the translators of the NIV and TNIV gives a slant to the text that serves to undervalue the role of Miriam as a leader in Israel. I do not know whether this addition to the text was intentional. However, the resulting translation has a strong theological overtone, one which may reflect an undercurrent of patriarchy.

In my judgment, the translation of Micah 6:4 in the NIV and the TNIV is not acceptable.

Reference: Francis I. Andersen and David Noel Freedman, Micah: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. New York: Doubleday, 2000.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Aaron, Femenist Hermeneutics, Interpretation, Micah 6:4, Miriam, Moses, Translation

Pornography and the Church

Christian Today is reporting that the number of Christians who are addicted to pornography is increasing. The following is an excerpt from the news report:

In a culture where sexuality and porn is now a part of everyday life, porn
addiction in the church is escalating, according to a new survey.

In a poll of 1,000 respondents, 50 percent of Christian men and 20 percent of
Christian women were found to be addicted to pornography. Conducted by
ChristaNet.com, a popular Christian marketplace website, the poll asked visitors
about their personal sexual conduct.

"There have been dynamic paradigm shifts in the behaviour of Christians over the last four years," said Clay Jones, founder and president of Second Glance Ministries, which partnered with ChristiaNet.com to evaluate poll responses.

Many point to the Internet for the pervasive problem of sexual addiction.

Today's sexualised culture also has churchgoing women struggling with sexual addiction. The ChristiaNet.com survey found 60 percent of Christian women admitting to having significant struggles with lust; 40 percent saying they were involved in sexual sin in the past year; and 20 percent struggling with looking at pornography on an ongoing basis.

Visit Christian Today and read the news report in its entirety.

The problem of addiction to pornography has been attributed to a "paradigm shift" in the behavior of Christians. I believe that this paradigm shift has happened primarily because of a change in what people see, what they hear, and how they think.

In a society that is becoming more and more secular, devoid of God and of spiritual and moral guidance, people have no one to guide them into moral wholeness. Believers can trust God’s Word to help them live successful and happy lives but some of God’s people perish for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).

When Christians do not read or study the Bible and do not apply biblical principles to their lives, they live without the compass that can guide them into a life of wholeness.

In today’s secularized society, there has been a fierce struggle over who will control the minds of people: God or the forces of secularism. Sooner or later people have to make a choice and that choice will influence what they see, what they hear, and how they think.

The advent of modern technology, including television and the Internet, has made an impact on every person on this planet. Technology has found many ingenious ways of infiltrating people’s minds with pictures and sounds that proclaim an anti-God message, a message that produces different forms on unnatural behavior.

In this computer age, everyone is aware of the saying: "Garbage in, garbage out." Since people are what they think, most people’s thought process is the result of what has come into their minds through what they hear on radio, watch on television, and see in the Internet.

Pornography is not normal. People are obsessed with sex because merchants of filth are providing them with the fuel that keeps their obsession burning.

In the book of Judges we find a society in chaos, full of violence and sexual perversion. According to the writer of Judges, "In those days Israel had no king; so the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes" (Judges 21:25). And as a result, a group of men tried to rape a man (Judges 19:22), a group of men raped a woman all night (Judges 19:25), a group of men kidnaped women for sex (Judges 21:12), and another group of men kidnaped more women for sex.

There has been a paradigm shift. It is a shift away from God into a society where people struggle to satisfy their evil desires. The words of Paul provide help for those obsessed with pornography: "Let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and do not think of ways to indulge your evil desires" (Romans 13:14). He also said: "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires" (Colossians 3:5).

As long as there is no king in the land, people will do whatever seems right in their own eyes. People need a king and his name is Jesus.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Church, Pornography